i have quite a few, some are just favorites.
i mix up old classic rock with some aesthetic favorites, and modern releases:
 
Brand X (Masques) "Deadly Nightshade"
Aja "Aja"
Tool "Vicarious",  "Ænema" 
Joe Satriani "gnaahh"
Boston "Something about you"
A Perfect Circle "Blue"
Kings X "Mississippi Moon"
Foo Fighters, "Walk", "Rope"
Them Crooked Vultures "Elephants", "New Fang"
Queens of the Stone Age, "My God is the Sun"
 
 
 
so i was perusing the grammy charts, for best engineered albums over the last 40 years or so.....
 
came up with this personal list of those (some of which i already reference):
 
grammy winner albums
70's-current
abbey road
aja
band on the run
the wall
gaucho
Ten Summoner's Tales
wildflowers
The Globe Sessions
Two Against Nature
hail to the thief
...Like Clockwork
 
to compile a list:
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SINGLE ALBUM/SONG FOR USING AS REFERENCE?

THERE ARE NO WRONG ANSWERS......

Lately, Marillion's 'Brave'. Loads of dynamics, and as near to what I'm doing as I can find.

I think it's advantageous to gather a large collection of references. The closer you can get to your own project when choosing a reference, the better. Even a record that's won awards won't be much use to you if it's wildly different from what you're working on.
 
A personal favorite is Dark Side of the Moon. However, it's not a good template for more modern genres, as its EQ curve is akin to classical music. Similarly, New Favorite by Alison Krauss and Union Station is impeccably recorded and mixed and an inspiration to quality - but not useful as a hard rock reference. Donald Fagan's The Nightfly is widely admired for its pristine clarity but it's so far removed from other records before or after that I've not found it at all helpful as a reference.
 
A more reliable reference that spans multiple decades and genres is Tom Petty's Into the Great Wide Open. It's a good example of something that plays well both on the radio and also on a hi-fi.

• Megadeth - 44 Minutes
• The Clash - Brand New Cadillac

 

batsbrew
Aja "Aja"
 

I believe you meant to say Steely Dan "Aja" - ya? 

I like "Piece of Pie" off Stone Temple Pilots' Core album, "Blood on the Valley Floor" off Soundgarden's King Animal, and "You Can't Kill Rock and Roll" off Ozzy's Diary of a Madman. There are plenty more but those are a few. It's also worth noting that sometimes it's just elements of a certain song that I use as a reference, say, like Randy's solo tone on the Ozzy tune, mixed with Matt Cameron's drum sound from the Soundgarden song, etc.

craigb

batsbrew
Aja "Aja"
 

I believe you meant to say Steely Dan "Aja" - ya? 

no,
actually, that list, was of albums and individual cuts off the album that i chose to reference...
hence, AJA the album, AJA the song

batsbrew

craigb

batsbrew
Aja "Aja"
 

I believe you meant to say Steely Dan "Aja" - ya? 

no,
actually, that list, was of albums and individual cuts off the album that i chose to reference...
hence, AJA the album, AJA the song

Um, ok...  All the rest had the artist followed by a song name, so I thought I was being helpful.  Nevermind.

yep, ur right, i got adhd

so, by the way, craigb, what's your list?