I really like this recording
I studied (a small) part of it for O-level music way back when. My music teacher drummed into us that it’s ‘Messiah’, not ‘The Messiah’ (he was a pedant too). You’ll come across a lot of The though
I must admit, I’m really quite intimidated by the whole classical thing, mainly the plethora of recordings of a particular composition that are considered to be the definitive performance. To the extent that I end up being dismissive by saying something stupid like “Well, they’re all just cover versions at the end of the day, so which is the best?”.
Naturally, this pisses off anyone who might have been interested in helping me.
All that matters is whether you enjoy listening to it. It’s like anything, people can get very anal about it.
I don’t think it’s any different to any other type of music tbh - if it doesn’t float your boat no point wasting valuable listening time on it. 
Well, there are certainly plenty of classical pieces that I like, it’s actually quite hard to avoid hearing the stuff after all.
Maybe I need to stop thinking about what’s the best version, and just start listening to this lot that I was recently given…
Which again, is quite intimidating.
people can get more anal (and snobby) about classical music that many other things.
It is easy to become obsessive about some pieces, listen to Russian recordings of shostakovich against some of the Western recordings. I find it interesting but there’s no doubt a bit geekiness about it, but then Jazz have their “standards” which are continually regurgitated by all and sundry.
Dive in and enjoy (or not) 
As with most things in life, one man’s best version is another’s worst version.
I bet on vinyl you have stuff that probably hasn’t even seen a digital version done yet.
Listen and enjoy the discovery
Is that mono or stereo?
Mono
Thought so. Most of the mono discs I own from that era sound really good (to my ears) 
Some part of the Enigma Variations will be recognizable. I own a couple of versions
I’ll definitely know Nimrod. Nothing so far is ringing a bell.
Plus the record has obviously been played a lot but never ever cleaned. Someone loved the music at least.
And all the records smell like my late aunt Nora’s house in St Anne’s on Sea, with the addition of fag smoke.
I’ll bet it cleans up a treat
Not sure, just got to Nimrod, and the run in is fucked, guess what their favourite track was!
Yes, a lot of old records were played with very crude styli. After cleaning, a modern profile diamond often contacts parts of the groove that have never been “played”
Fucks sake. Microline stylus, vs 60-odd years of shite, despite using a carbon fibre brush before playing…
don’t forget if it’s a mono then the groove may well be different than a stereo groove so subsequently may well be getting some distortion as well.
I have some great sounding Decca LXT and seriously contemplated getting a mono cart back in the day. Some mono recordings are really excellent, even played with a stereo cart.
It’s cleaner now 
