Help need-Groovy Prog Vinyl...

Rick Wakeman - The Myths And Legends of King Arthur and the Knoghts of the Round Table

Rick Wakeman - Journey to the Centre of the Earth

Jethro Tull - Thick as a Brick (I don't think you'll find the original release with the newspaper, unfortunately)

I can't tell about the quality. I've got used with what they are and I couldn't imagine a remaster. Probably I wouldn't like a remaster at all.

Hard to decide, however, sometimes, the packaging is better than anything else, and on occasion, the music is even better. With that said, here is a couple of things and my reasons for liking them. In no particular order, except how I remembered them.

Hawkwind - Space Ritual. The original had a massive foldout that was really cool, and it is better than the CD's released later that added too much filler.

Man - Be Good to Yourself At least Once a Day // Back Into the Future. "Be Good" has a nice fold out with a map of interesting things and a great inner sleeve with a map of musicians and where they come from, and the names are fun to check out, The other album has a side live, and both pieces are long (one each side) and this version of "C'mon", is totally out of this world.

Amon Duul 2 - Dance of the Lemmings. The cover itself is as good as the album. The fold out is awesome on the inside and needs a huge poster on your wall and mine!

Capability Brown - Voice. The amazing album cover by Hipgnosis stands out and the picture on the inside is even more amazing, considering the vocals are incredible. It's folk/rock stuff that is progressive and super nice.

Pink Floyd - Meddle. The fold out LP has a nice picture in it. You can't make it out on the American pressing but on the English pressing the picture is clear, and it is an ear just under some water.

Walter Wegmuller - Tarot. Not in everyone's list of anything, but it is a very nice and fun album to listen to, however strange some of us might think the voice is. The music itself is actually very good. The box with the album also featured a major Arcana of the Tarot deck designed by Wegmuller.

Caravan - Cunning Stunts. The album cover by Hipgnosis is a treat to look at and enjoy. So is the music!

YES - Tales from Topographic Oceans. The first set of releases had a poster of the inside cover foldout for this double LP. It's still on my wall!

In general, if I may make a weird suggestion, grab the book on Album Cover by Hipgnosis, so you can better see and choose something, although I am not sure that it is updated since at least 1990 or 2000. Great history of the art form, though, that the CD has just about killed.

Frank Zappa - 200 Motels. The original release also had a booklet with some nice pics from the film, and the story. Fun stuff, and one of the great pieces of all time, in terms of total composition. Compare this later to the symphonic version done a few years ago at UCLA, and you will find this ... rather good.

Well you have two topics here that will take you down different paths to achievement.

1) Packaging: You are talking about original album packaging from quite some time ago, most of those are tough finds especially in very good condition. some of these though you are in luck as there have been some reissues that followed the original packaging, for example Brain Salad Surgery, there is a 40yr Anniversary edition came out in 2013 that kept to the original packaging with die cut cover and included the poster, this was issued by Razor & Tie, I have it. The new LZ reissues also pretty much follow the original packaging like the spinning cover selector of LZ III......Many reissues recently have been almost exactly as the original issues regarding packaging. 

Trying to find a lot of these as an original issue will be tough and can be pricey, you need to go to pretty much all the record stores in your area and hope to get lucky as you are flipping in the bins, but that is a big part of the fun of records....Diggin in the bins!

2) Sound: Ohhhh boy!!  One of the most subjective topics in music/audio, listen this is totally up to you and your ears, what you think sounds decent to great. There are too many variables with regard to what audio gear you have, the whole chain, how it is all setup up - Turntable, Cartridge, Cables, Phono preamp to Receiver or integrated amp, speakers....It can incite a lot of discussion.

I will say this, most on this site know me and my listening habits....I don't buy/listen to records because it sounds bad, 95%+ of my listening is via my turntable.

Great sounding vinyl is also something you need to read up on, can't be taught here in one post. Read about the mastering, mixing, pressing and what companies are known for the best quality and performance. You mentioned Genesis, and this is true of their original early issues. The mix was bad, muddy and veiled like a blanket over your speakers, it happens engineers are human. The recent reissues by Rhino Records are like listening to that music for the first time. Nick Davis remixed and used half speed mastering to create some amazing sounding Genesis reissues. The King Crimson reissues are amazing as are the JTull remixes by Steven Wilson. Current technology has been a tremendous help in getting these older recordings to sound new again and with so much more life that the originals in most cases.

That does not mean that all originals sound bad, there are tons that sound better than the new reissues, there are things that sometimes cannot be improved on.

So again, you will need to educate yourself and go out and hit the used record stores and have a ton of fun!

Both Discogs and the Steve Hoffman forums are excellent resources about records and the different versions available. You will find tons of suggestions on what sounds best.

As far as here you can go to the Vinyl section where some of us post and discuss records/vinyl most of it from the prog rock genre....There are 186 pages, I would start at the end...The first many pages got into sound discussions that got off track, but you should read thru it when you have time, but that thread is about having fun!

Above all have fun, it's a great media!