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

Best vinyl records to test your turntable
(Image credit: Larina Marina - Getty)

Whether you’re upgrading your turntable or investing in your first-ever record player, you’re going to need some tasty vinyl to set your ears on fire. But aside from pilfering everything from your favourite artists and discovering how to store vinyl records properly, what else are you going to choose? With so much music out there, deciding on what else to buy can throw up some issues, so we’ve come up with a list of the best vinyl records for your turntable.

I've picked out a few classic records, some contemporary releases and a few that might even surprise you. But the one thing all my picks have in common is they sound great and are, in my humble opinion, must-haves for your record player.

And if you're after more options, we also have a list of the best classic rock albums to own on vinyl.

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Scott Munro

Scott has spent more than 30 years in newspapers, magazines & online. He maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, writes about top music deals, and reviews headphones, speakers, books and more. He's written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog since 2014 and loves Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.

Best vinyl records to test your turntable: Products

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Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent more than 30 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014 before moving to the e-commerce team in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, scouts out the best deals for music fans and reviews headphones, speakers, books and more. He's written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog and has previous written for publications including IGN, the Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.