Can anyone recommend any great Louis Armstrong pressings/records worth picking up?
If you're interested in used, The Louis Armstrong Story comps are pretty great. The recording quality is variable (although I have heard the original 78s are better sounding.) I have the first 33rpm ones from 1951, but I have heard that the reissues from the early 70s (ish) are also good. Might even have a better chance of good pressing quality.
The four volumes are:
Louis Armstrong And His Hot Five
Louis Armstrong And His Hot Seven
Louis Armstrong and Earl Hines
Louis Armstrong Favorites
I think vol. 3 is my favorite.
All the different volumes' covers look similar to each other but are different for the early 50s ones. Discogs is a mess for them, unfortunately.
Here's the first volume of ones I have:
View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 1951 Vinyl release of "The Louis Armstrong Story, Volume I: Louis Armstrong And His Hot Five" on Discogs.
www.discogs.com
Here's the first volume of the 70s reissues:
View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the Vinyl release of "The Louis Armstrong Story - Vol.1" on Discogs.
www.discogs.com
I think there are also some 2 eye and 6 eyes in between, but if you can find them cheap all are probably worth a shot. I found all mine on eBay in great shape (look new but not silent unfortunately). For <$10 a piece.
You're not going to get an audiophile pressing of this stuff, for that you'll need to go to his late releases, but this is more essential IMO.