Best vinyl records to test your turntable in 2024: The albums you need to own

Picking just one album by The Beatles to highlight wasn't an easy task, but after whittling down the list, I arrived at Abbey Road as a great option to whack on your turntable - in particular the 50th anniversary reissue.

This version features the 2019 stereo album mix, sourced from the original eight-track session tapes, with Giles Martin working alongside Sam Okell on production. As you would imagine Abbey Road sounds terrific, with the mix balanced beautifully allowing John, Paul, George and Ringo’s talents to really shine. 

A real treat, and it’s even better when you take in the amount off wonderful songs here, including the brilliant Come Together, the quirky Octopus’s Garden and the timeless classic Here Comes The Sun.

Metallica’s much-loved “Black Album” launched in 1991 just as grunge was clearing the launchpad, but if anyone though the arrival of Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Smashing Pumpkins could dent the popularity of metal’s finest, they were wrong. 

Gone were many of the thrash stylings that Metallica were known for, with the band delivering a slow-burning thumper of a record that's possibly their most famous alongside Master Of Puppets. Enter Sandman sounds fabulous on the vinyl reissue, while The Unforgiven is another majestic track which truly shines.

I'm also giving a special mention to Nothing Else Matters, as it has plenty of room to blossom here, with James Hetfield’s vocals rising above the crescendo.

OK, so we could have gone for Appetite For Destruction or Use Your Illusion I & II, but I've picked Guns N’ Roses’ Greatest Hits package instead. This was originally released on CD in 2004, with this double vinyl edition release in September 2020. It's pressed on 180g black vinyl and also features the 1986 recording of Shadow Of Your Love, which surfaced on the 2018 box set of Appetite. Greatest Hits was also released on gold coloured vinyl with red and white splatter – although this is becoming increasing more difficult to get hold of.

There are 15 songs here including Welcome To The Jungle, November Rain, You Could Be Mine and Patience and a final nice touch is the four sides are labelled G, N, F’N, R. Nice!

Ghost leader Tobias Forge has always positioned his band somewhere between metal and classic rock, but their transformation into full-blown AOR-style stadium rockers – a move which began in earnest with 2018’s Prequelle – is now complete with their latest record Impera.

It’s an album full of great riffs and big choruses which bring back memories of the mid-80s rock scene. Kaisarion, is a stand-out for me, with Forge's opening scream instantly reminding me of Stan Bush at his finest. Meanwhile, next song Spillways took me back to listening to Bon Jovi’s Runaway back in 1984. Impera proves that Ghost are still one of the most exciting bands around… even if they did have to go back to the 80s to claim the crown.

Before Red Hot Chili Peppers went on to global super-stadom with Blood Sugar Sex Magik, they released several brilliant albums including 1989's Mother's Milk which was the springboard for their future success. It was also the Chili Peppers' first record to feature their classic lineup of Anthony Kiedis, Flea, Chad Smith and John Frusciante.

Flea's bass really pops on this record, while Frusciante fresh licks elevate tracks such as Nobody Weird Like Me, Taste Like Me their scintillating cover of Stevie Wonder’s Higher Ground. 

Mother’s Milk still sounds edgy and vibrant all these years later - and the vinyl release should definitely be on your shopping list.

Nirvana’s iconic performance was filmed and recorded at Sony Music Studios in New York City in November 1993, with the setlist featuring Nirvana staples such as Come As You Are and Polly. However, it also has a number of covers, including David Bowie’s The Man Who Sold The World and Jesus Doesn’t Want Me For A Sunbeam by The Vaselines which helped made the record the definitive offering from the Unplugged series.

The double vinyl released in 2019 to mark the album’s 25th anniversary sounds fantastic, with the music given plenty of room to breathe. About A Girl is terrific with Kurt Cobain vocals sounding gritty and fresh, while On A Plain’s mellow beat shines. There's even a bonus five extra rehearsal tracks.

Tesseract’s fourth studio album Sonder is next on our list, partly because the tracks from the UK outfit are quality and the production work on it is top-drawer. The band’s guitarist Ace Kahney co-produced the 2018 record with Aiden O’Brien and the results are brilliant. Opener Luminary is sharp, with Jay Postones’ drums cutting through the mix beautifully, while the quieter moments simply shine.

Orbital is a gentle, multi-textured track which reminds me of US post rockers Hammock and it sounds magical on vinyl, but my favourite cut on the record is the sprawling 11-minute Beneath My Skin/Mirror Image which ebbs and flows through menacing riffs and clean as a whistle drumming. Sonder might not be an album you expected to see here, but it’ll put your record player through its paces. 

U2’s release of Achtung Baby in 1991 coincided with the rise of grunge – but that didn’t stop the band’s seventh album from going stratospheric thanks to its mix of memorable tracks spanning a variety of genres such as alt-rock. It was popular with pop fans, rockers, indie kids and even goths got a kick out of Achtung Baby thanks to tracks like One, Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses, The Fly and the magnificent Ultra Violet.

With Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois on production duties, there’s a darker edge to this collection of 12 tracks from some of U2’s previous records. I don’t think you have to be a fan of U2’s work before or after Achtung Baby to appreciate it either, it a superb record to test your turntable on. I recommend grabbing the 30th anniversary edition which was released on 2LP in 2021.

Everyone has their favourite era of The Cure, with some preferring the lighter side of the band rather than the darker material they’re perhaps better known for. I fall into the latter camp, and that means another spin of 1989’s Disintegration. It came just two years after Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, and it had an altogether different vibe from that record more upbeat material.

This 2LP reissue of Disintegration is pressed on heavyweight 180g vinyl with standout tracks including Pictures Of You, Lovesong, Lullaby, Closedown, the galloping title track along with stirring opener Plainsong. It’s highly regarded among fans, with many believing Robert Smith and co. have never quite bettered it. That’s a debate for another time, but as I wait for the band’s long-awaited new album, this is a fine slice of vinyl and a great place to start if you’re new to group.