"Thriller" -- I think the whole album was wonderfully produced and still sounds great after all these years.
"If I Could Change the World" (Clapton/Babyface) is a great-sounding recording.
 
-Susan

I second Bitflippers nomination of Steven Wilson's Hand.Cannot.Erase.

My current favourite album Essence by Panic Room shows what can be done by a small band on a budget.

South Side of the Sky by Yes.
New World by the Strawbs.
Dark Side of the
Moon by Pink Floyd.
The Man in the Bowler Hat by Stackridge, one of George Martin's finest.

While I am not a Michael Jackson fan Quincy Jones's production is fantastic.

Beepster
I've said it before but as far as "production values" the job Butch Vig did on Nirvana's Nevermind is one of my absolute favorites.
 
I seriously don't think they would have become the phenomena they were without his hands on the board.
 
Most of the doods around here are big into Steely Dan though. Never really paid them much mind before but the constant praise of their mixes around here is getting it in my thick noodle to go through their catalog at some point to see if I can learn something.
 
Haven't gotten around to it yet. Not even sure which album to start with.

OK, Nirvana=Sound City - Google it.  Dave Grohl even did a documentary on this EPIC studio.  He even bought the analogue board from it and has been using it to record ANALOGUE (GASP!).
 
As far as Steely Dan I would start with Aja.  Even if you don't like the music, you have to appreciate the mix.
 
I do agree with Glyn on Dark Side of the Moon.  Pretty much anything Alan Parsons puts out is very well done.  He knows how to get a super clean sound. 
 
Back in the late 70s early 80s, Anything mastered by Bob Ludwig was really good as well.  If you haven't heard of him Google him.  He is a mastering legend.
 
 

Some of my sonic favorites are:
 
Steely Dan's comeback album Two against nature, but everything else is great too
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzhP0Aoc98M
 
TOTO I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_n2oDqDMpMM
 
Iv'e always liked the soundscape and production on Peter Gabriel's solo albums. "Digging in the dirt" is a favorite here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0C3DHp36zc
 
And Jamiroquai's debut album sounded really fresh at the time. But what about the blind string quartet?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjeWKssl8Ic
 

patm300e
OK, Nirvana=Sound City - Google it.  Dave Grohl even did a documentary on this EPIC studio.  He even bought the analogue board from it and has been using it to record ANALOGUE (GASP!).

Yup. Well... Nevermind was recorded there anyway. I saw that doc too.
 
Also those AD2 "Fairfax" kit paks were produced there. I got Volume 1 (which is the more modern rock sound). It does indeed sound like the drums on NM if on the right preset (and tweaked a touch).
 
Cheers.

Glyn Barnes
I second Bitflippers nomination of Steven Wilson's Hand.Cannot.Erase.
The Man in the Bowler Hat by Stackridge, one of George Martin's finest.
...

Have not heard SW's yet ... he's not on my list of things to grab yet. I miss PT a lot more than him!
 
That album by Stackridge and the other one, Mr. Mick, but I think Mr. Mick was done by Dave Lawson of Greenslade fame. Have to recheck.
 
I really do not find a lot of rock music that fancy or that good in terms of recording, when you can have an orchestra with 48 tracks going, instead of a rock band ... with 4 or 8 tracks ... which is way easier to do and mix together.
 
Of all these people, the mixes that you find in Klaus Schulze, in the "Audentity" period, the album with Michael Shrieve right after, and a couple of other things, are far superior in mixing, as you have 10 to 20 things going all the time, and their ability to work together is insane, and the mixing and timing is heavenly. Honestly, I find SW's mixes rather boring and just "cleaner" rock music ... nothing new there. RCA Red Seal and a few others were doing that 50 years ago, and putting out special classical music albums cleaned up like that!
 
Most folks just never heard it. Those albums in the late 60's would rival DSOTM any day of the week, but if no one ever heard them, you would have no idea what I am saying and think I'm the dark hole in the universe!
 
You have to take things in a more comparative detail, and SW's is over rated crap, just like he is in person as a total egomaniac creep!

I can't disagree with most of the suggestions already here. Some I am not aware of, but only because it's not my listening preference.
 
Some of my favorites...

• Dire Straits "On Every Street" sounds great as does all of Knopflers solo work which has Chuck Ainlay at the controls.
• The first Boston Album....
• Fleetwood Mac - Rumours and Tusk.
• Steely Dan - 2 Against Nature, Everything Must Go and all others...
• More current.... Adele's latest 2 offerings (21 & 25) sound great, I wasn't fond of the production on 19 but liked the songs.

Dave Pensado (who I admire greatly) has a saying that I completely disagree with.... "it's better to sound current than to sound good". That's why I don't like a lot of the modern production - it's sounds terrible to me. "Sounding current" is all about making money and a few years down the road it quite often sounds dated..... while stuff that "sounds good" seems to stand up over a much longer period of time.
 
Of course.... just my opinion

+1 for Thomas Dolby and to add some variation, Talk Talk -Happiness is Easy as a good reference warm up.
Sister of Mercy by the Thomson Twins but also anything worked on by the late Alex Sadkin
and an off beat favourite album of mine, Mars needs Guitars by the Hoodoo Gurus, a must if you need a jangly guitar reference sound

Nice tip on the Hoodoo Gurus, Hatstand. The two-chord songs didn't exactly grab me, but the production is quite good. Great example of early-80's restraint, just before things got weird with over-production and overblown effects. Sadly, more of a source of inspiration than a useful contemporary reference, though.
 
Reminds me of this band. Not a great production/mixing reference perhaps, but a favorite nonetheless. AFAIK it was recorded live in studio.
 

Van Halen 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZTOskJha8c
The "brown sound" Eddie got on this album was simply amazing and was never really duplicated on other albums. IMO, VH 1 was the best mixed album.
 
Pink Floyd - The Wall  
 
Peter Gabriel - So https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6BesY5Doec&list=PL7ALt1L4ZhgOFm8qJQ1-BJx0jToVjDGR-
 
 
One of my favourite (well mixed) CD's (C.G.P - Certified Guitar Player) by Chet Atkins - Knucklebuster