Guitarhacker
In my new studio/office, I have set up my old JVC variable speed turntable with my stereo system. The floor is concrete so I can crank it up without shaking the needle out of the groove. I had forgotten how good black vinyl  sounded. Started off with some Stix and ELO's Out of the Blue.

A Styx album was the very album I played on my new turntable. :)

ELP's 'Lucky Man' and 'Take A Pebble' were my goto stereo test tunes back in the day
 
 
EDITED to correct typo

BobF
ELO's 'Lucky Man' and 'Take A Pebble' were my goto stereo test tunes back in the day

Do you mean ELP? (Emerson Lake & Palmer)

BobF
ELO's 'Lucky Man' and 'Take A Pebble' were my goto stereo test tunes back in the day

I was more thinking that you would want ELP's first album for its bombastic works. It really brought the turntable up to another level.
 
Again, however, a lot of European bands, did much more interesting things for the LP and its abilities. I was just listening to Family in their last period and specially "It's Only a Movie" ... and there are some spectacular things in there. Along with this, one should also have The Groundhogs' Crosscut Saw (for his unreal use of guitar effects to the max ... and how!!!!) and then "Black Diamond" ... and when you hear "Live Right" ... you will know you have been ground hogged! Super fine material that sounds even better on a great stereo and turntable.
 
In the early 70's Eno and some German folks were playing around with a recording technique ... head something or other ... and it was really a trip, and only "trip" albums were done with it ... so things like Faust ... sounded really far out and crazy, and when you heard Guru Guru do anything from their first 4 albums ... you know that this is crazy ... is this about sound effects on the guitar or what? But it sure sounded crazy.
 
For that matter, the first Guru Guru's albums should also be in the list. All the way to KanGuruGuru. The earlier stuff with Ax Gernrich is totally out of this world, and it is just a shame that folks don't check out his insane guitar stuff ... a true guitar player on "acid", we could easily say, but his solo albums are also insane and crazy, so you know that the feeling is consistent on his work, even from the early days. Let me just tell you that the LSD March and Cosmic Junk and some of those things sound amazing in a big stereo (or in my examples -- a big FM station even better), but I'm not sure that some folks here can handle the guitar noise ... and might think of it as not playing at all. 
 
But it sure made that "krautrock" stand out and then some! And the CD's still don't do this stuff justice, though I think that Amon Duul 2 could use a really big and professional remastering, because so much of their work is really out there. YETI should be on any turntable and then some!

Guitarhacker

BobF
ELP's 'Lucky Man' and 'Take A Pebble' were my goto stereo test tunes back in the day

Do you mean ELP? (Emerson Lake & Palmer)

Yes, that's exactly what I mean

BobF

Guitarhacker

BobF
ELP's 'Lucky Man' and 'Take A Pebble' were my goto stereo test tunes back in the day

Do you mean ELP? (Emerson Lake & Palmer)

Yes, that's exactly what I mean

Are you sure you don't mean Emerson, Lake & Palmer? 
 
(Just checkin'...)

I think the mastering engineers did an amazing job pushing vinyl to the max and getting it sounding as good as they did without the needle jumping out of the groove.  A friend of mine (in the 70's) even had the concrete slab coming up from the ground under the house just clearing the floor and rising to support the turntable. Things sound slightly more solid and firm when you go this far would you believe.
 
The Sheffield stuff is also amazing because it is super quiet. The music always shocks you as little when it comes in for the first time. (No tape hiss involved and better transients as a result too) 
 
With Jarre's Oxygen 1 by the way the original is an OK master for the time and he did a very good job with what he had. It is not super fidelity though. Say compared to Dark Side around the same era.  But the last Oxygen 3 album which he only just released is an all digital affair and goes way beyond anything vinyl could hope to achieve. He has maximised the used of the digital medium on this.  When you hear something this good too it also makes you realise that digital has the potential to blow anything vinyl out of the water.  
 
That ELP album with the little bird on the front cover has some of the deepest bass I have heard recorded on vinyl too.  So much so that it embarrassed a lot of demonstrators at large Hi Fi shows in the 70's. Only LEAK speakers and Janis sub woofers could deal with it.  Also the Shure V15 type III pickup in the SME arm/headshell combo was the only thing that could play it too. They pushed the boundaries in some places on the album. 
 
 

I've had a concrete pier thru the floor for a telescope, but never a turntable
 

I had a LARGE record collection.  Then I heard CD's on my very nice sound system.  I immediately started selling my collection and replacing them with CD's.  I will never be going back.

smallstonefan

BobF
Cool toy, James. 
 
Last year I got stone tablets with a hammer and chisel.

How is that working out for ya? Post pics! :)

I keep thinking that he is trying to re-invent "krautrock" ... heck if Faust can do it, so can he!