Album Reviews

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Album Reviews
David Bowie’s Groundbreaking 1973 Covers LP Pin Ups Gets New 180g 1LP 50th Anniversary Half-Speed-Mastered Treatment
Mark Smotroff  |  Oct 17, 2023  |  4 comments

David Bowie’s October 1973 covers album, Pin Ups, was actually somewhat of a placeholder, made with the intention to fulfill contractual requirements for his then-label, RCA Records — but it actually became a smash hit. To celebrate the album’s 50th anniversary, Parlophone is releasing a 180g 1LP half-speed-mastered edition on October 20. Read Mark Smotroff’s review to see if the new Parlophone Pin Ups is a worthy addition to your LP listening queue. . .

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Album Reviews
UMe’s New 1LP Reissue of Steely Dan’s Seminal Hit 1977 Album Aja Indeed Has Merit for Those Seeking a New, Clean-Sounding Vinyl Edition Without Breaking the Bank
Mark Smotroff  |  Oct 11, 2023  |  20 comments

The new Geffen/UMe 1LP edition of Steely Dan’s seminal September 1977 album, Aja, sounds pretty darn good, all things considered, given that it bears a key difference from the other entries in this reissue series to date. Read Mark Smotroff’s review to see what that difference is, and if this new edition of Aja is right for you either way. . .

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Album Reviews
Meet The New LP Boss, a.k.a. the Abbey Road Half-Speed-Mastered, Plangent Processes-Restored 180g 1LP Edition of The Who’s Seminal 1971 Masterpiece, Who’s Next
Mark Smotroff  |  Oct 03, 2023  |  17 comments

It looks like the old Who’s Next. It feels like the old Who’s Next. But the new 180g 1LP half-speed-mastered 50th anniversary edition of The Who’s seminal August 1971 masterpiece Who’s Next sounds arguably bigger and better than any commonly available version of the original mix of Who’s Next that we’ve heard to date on vinyl. Read Mark Smotroff’s review to see why this new Abbey Road half-speed-mastered, Plangent Processes-restored 180g 1LP Who’s Next belongs on your turntable, pronto. . .

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Album Reviews
New All-Analog Small Batch One-Step RTI-Pressed 180g 1LP of Thelonious Monk’s Breakthrough 1957 Album Brilliant Corners Is a Clear Winner, as It Sounds More Realistic, Full-Bodied, Natural, and Richer
Mark Smotroff  |  Sep 21, 2023  |  7 comments

How great is it that jazz pianist Thelonious Monk’s April 1957 breakthrough album Brilliant Corners is the latest entry in Craft Recordings’ notable Small Batch series of limited-edition, definitive, all-analog, audiophile-grade releases? Read Mark Smotroff’s review to see if the Small Batch 180g 1LP edition of Brilliant Corners is the right Monk fit for you. . .

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Album Reviews
The Doors’ Live at The Matrix, 1967: The Original Masters Finally Inhabits Comprehensive 5LP+7In Deluxe Edition Box Set Mastered by Bruce Botnick and Bernie Grundman
Mark Smotroff  |  Sep 15, 2023  |  5 comments

The new Live at The Matrix, 1967: The Original Masters super deluxe box set that features early live recordings by The Doors as captured on the cusp of their impending, immense fame is a wonderful historic document on vinyl — and a crucial crossroads moment. Issued for the first time in as complete form as possible — and from better sources than what’s been previously available — these semi-professional recordings give us a glimpse of this legendary L.A. band just before they broke out as international music sensations. Read Mark Smotroff’s in-depth review to see if Live at The Matrix, 1967 deserves a place in your collection. . .

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Album Reviews
Latest R.E.M. 180g 1LP Reissues From Craft Recordings Focus on Two Somewhat Underappreciated But Quite Spin-Worthy 21st Century Albums, 2001’s Classic-Tinged Reveal and 2008’s Punk-Leaning Accelerate
Mark Smotroff  |  Sep 08, 2023  |  9 comments

Craft Recordings just served up the next pair of 180g 1LP offerings in their ongoing R.E.M. reissue series — namely, 180g 1LP editions of May 2001’s classic-sounding Reveal and March 2008’s power-pop punk slammer, Accelerate. Read Mark Smotroff’s combo review of Reveal and Accelerate to see if either or both LPs are worthy additions to your vinyl collection. . .

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Album Reviews
Talking Heads’ Complete Stop Making Sense Concert Film Soundtrack Finally Sees the Expanded Release It Richly Deserves, Via Stunning New 40th Anniversary 2LP Edition From Rhino
Mike Mettler, Mark Smotroff  |  Aug 25, 2023  |  32 comments

For the very first time, Rhino has released the entirely of Talking Heads’ soundtrack to their seminal September 1984 concert film, Stop Making Sense, in a remastered 2LP set. In this all-new combo-style tag-team review, Mike Mettler and Mark Smotroff tell us exactly why this new 40th anniversary 2LP SMS set is the best-sounding edition of SMS to date. . .

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AAA VinylAlbum Reviews
Mal Waldron Sextet’s Mal/2, a Rare 1957 Prestige Records Supersession With John Coltrane and Others, Gets a Long Overdue and Well-Deserved AAA 180g 1LP Reissue From Craft Recordings
Mark Smotroff  |  Aug 17, 2023  |  8 comments

Mal Waldron Sextet’s Mal/2 — a new AAA OJC 180g 1LP reissue from Craft Recordings of what some might deem a “lost classic” of vintage, mid-century 1950s jazz — offers important and wonderful music for fans of not only titular pianist Mal Waldron, but also of saxophone legend John Coltrane in particular. Read Mark Smotroff’s review to see why he considers the new OJC Mal/2 LP is essential listening, and why it’s well worth adding to your collection. . .

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Album Reviews
Steely Dan’s Pretzel Logic Serves Up a Different Listening Experience in Its New, Precision-Pressed 180g 1LP Edition From Geffen/UMe
Mark Smotroff  |  Aug 11, 2023  |  6 comments

Steely Dan and UMe have thrown fans of the band’s music some interesting choices when it comes to their current vinyl reissue series. We all know about the pricier, concurrent AAA UHQR editions from Analogue Productions that all have an admittedly steeper entry fee, but the hard reality is many of us can only afford the standard 180g 1LP editions being released under the Geffen/UMe label banner. What’s a budget-minded, audiophile-leaning Steely Dan fan to do? Read Mark Smotroff’s review of the new Geffen/UMe version of Pretzel Logic to see if it’s the right edition for you. . .

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AAA VinylAlbum Reviews
Steely Dan’s AAA Analogue Productions 200g 45rpm 2LP Pretzel Logic Tackles a Few Twists and Turns to Find Its Way Toward Upholding the UHQR Standard
Mike Mettler  |  Aug 10, 2023  |  21 comments

Pretzel Logic, the third entry in Analogue Productions' comprehensive all-analog 200g 45rpm 2LP Steely Dan UHQR reissue series, is indeed a bit of a different sonic animal than its predecessors, Can’t Buy a Thrill and Countdown to Ecstasy. That’s due in no small part to SD co-founders Walter Becker and Donald Fagen wanting the album to have more of a first-call studio musician feel to it overall. Read AP editor Mike Mettler’s in-depth review to find out if the Pretzel Logic UHQR is the kind of record you want on your phonograph. . .

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Album Reviews
R.E.M. Vinyl Reissues From Craft Recordings Offer Fresh 180g Takes on a Pair of Late-Period Gems: the Mini-Suite Vibes of 2004 2LP Set Around the Sun, and Their Affecting 2011 1LP Studio Swan Song, Collapse Into Now
Mark Smotroff  |  Jul 28, 2023  |  4 comments

Two late-period R.E.M. albums — October 2004’s and March 2011’s Collapse Into Now — have just gotten well-deserved 180g LP upgrades from Craft Recordings. Read Mark Smotroff’s combo review of these two somewhat underappreciated but wholly worthy entries in the Athens, Georgia alt-rockers deep catalog to see if they fit into your own upcoming LP listening plans. . .

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AAA VinylAlbum Reviews
The Wind of Excellence Permeates All Aspects of Peter Frampton’s All-Analog Frampton@50: In the Studio 1972-1975 180g 3LP Collection From Intervention Records — a.k.a., How Vinyl Box Sets Should Be Done
Mike Mettler  |  Jul 26, 2023  |  29 comments

Just how good is Peter Frampton’s excellent new Frampton@50: In the Studio 1972-1975 180g 3LP box set from Intervention Records? The following three numbers tell the tale in shorthand: 100, 50, and 75. Find out what they mean and why this all-analog vinyl collection of three key entries from Frampton’s early solo career sets new standards for box set presentation by reading AP editor Mike Mettler’s in-depth review. . .

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Album Reviews
Mike Oldfield’s Seminal Tubular Bells Album Celebrates 50th Anniversary With New Abbey Road Half-Speed-Mastered 180g 2LP Expanded Edition Directly Overseen by Its Visionary Creator
Mark Smotroff  |  Jul 21, 2023  |  9 comments

The cover image is iconic. The opening strains of the recording are iconic. Even the original label design is iconic. Fifty years on, we now celebrate Mike Oldfield’s landmark progressive masterwork debut album, May 1973’s Tubular Bells, with an expanded 180g 2LP half-speed-remastered edition overseen by Oldfield himself. Read on to get Mark Smotroff’s take on this this avowed timeless classic. . .

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Album Reviews
Rough Mix and Empty Glass Inaugurate Universal’s New Pete Townshend Abbey Road Studios Half-Speed-Mastered 180g LP Reissue Series With Some Quite Striking Sonic Results
Mark Smotroff  |  Jul 14, 2023  |  4 comments

Universal ushers in a new era of limited-edition Pete Townshend solo 180g 1LP reissues with a pair of Abbey Road Studios half-speed-mastered editions: 1) Rough Mix, Pete’s September 1977 collaboration with Ronnie Lane, and 2) April 1980’s Empty Glass. Read Mark Smotroff’s combo review to see how these two new half-speed-mastered versions stack up with the originals. . .

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Album Reviews
Funky Nothingness, Frank Zappa’s New 180g 2LP Set of Unreleased Studio Sessions, Traces His 1970 Sound Shift From the Jazz Fusion Core of Hot Rats to the Bluesy Rocking Undercurrents of Chunga’s Revenge
Mark Smotroff  |  Jul 07, 2023  |  2 comments

The once-buried archival recordings that comprise Frank Zappa’s new 180g 2LP set Funky Nothingness are not just the components of a lost album, but more of an insightful transitional link into FZ’s compositional mindset. This new album also connects many musical dots between the aftermath of FZ’s October 1969 landmark jazz fusion masterpiece Hot Rats and October 1970’s Chunga’s Revenge — and beyond. Read Mark Smotroff’s review to see just how quickly Funky Nothingness should jump to the front of your LP listening queue. . .

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