Your Go to CD to Impress

Nils Lofgren: Acoustic LIVE, Mannheim Steamroller: Fresh Aire 7, Pink Floyd: DSoTM.

Shirley Horn: You Won’t Forget Me Track 11
SRV: Tin Pan Alley from "Couldn’t Stand the Weather" (vinyl or SACD)
Jack Johnson: Brushfire Fairytales Track 1
Cowboy Junkies: The Trinity Session Track 5, 10, and 12
Dire Straits: Fade to Black and You and Your Friends from "On Every Street" (vinyl or SHM CD)
Chet Baker: Silent Nights (Christmas)

 

  your CD of choice my friend?

You asked what I'd play for friends in your topic and I still stick by "what they want to hear". My go to music, for my own enjoyment, would have to be any of my Steely Dan or Dire Straits SHM-SACD's.

@nonoise,tpreaves : Yours is the Best answer! Its only when my guests hear "their" tunes thru my stereo that they start paying attention. Me playing them Dead Can Dance usually resulted in a polite comment to the effect that I am one creepy dude ;-(

Well, "What are you in the mood to listen to?"
I think these sound good on my system:
Antoine Dufour "Mother" from "Existence"
Allman Bros. "High Falls" from "Win, Lose, or Draw"
Lucky Dube "Guns and Roses" from "Taxman"
Rickie Lee Jones "Weasel and the White Boys Cool" from "Live at Red Rocks"
Charles Brown "Quicksand"
Dixie Dregs "I'm Freaking Out" from "Dregs of the Earth"
Roxy Music "If There is Something/Mother of Pearl" from Roxy Music Live
There are many more depending on the genre, acoustic or electric, etc. but these are some if my favorites. Guests tend to appreciate the nuances of a good system with the music they are most familiar with.