Michael Fremer

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News
"Electric Ladyland" Box Set Panic! Calm Down, Please!
Michael Fremer  |  Nov 28, 2018  |  First Published: Nov 28, 2018  |  59 comments
During last fall's "Blues Masters at the Crossroads" concert weekend at Chad Kassem's Blue Heaven studios, attendees were invited to tour Quality Record Pressings where workers were busy assembling the just-released Electric Ladyland box set containing a Bernie Grundman all-analog remastering from the original analog tapes of the double LP set, a double LP of early takes, a double LP of Jimi Hendrix Experience Live at the Hollywood Bowl, a Blu-ray disc containing a 96/24 high resolution version of the original double LP, a 5.1 channel Eddie Kramer mix at 96/24 resolution and an expanded documentary including interviews with the late Chas Chandler, Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding and in-the-studio footage. There's also a full-sized 46 page booklet in the box. I'm working my way through the box for a review.

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Book Reviews
"Hi-Fi" — Gideon Schwartz's Image-Rich Coffee Table Book
Michael Fremer  |  Dec 22, 2019  |  First Published: Dec 22, 2019  |  10 comments
Gideon Schwartz's "Hi-Fi" is a sumptuously produced "Coffee Table" style book published by Phaidon, a self-described publisher of "creative arts" books including art, photography architecture, food, travel and fashion.
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Video Reviews
"Last Shop Standing" DVD Celebrates Independent Record Stores
Michael Fremer  |  Apr 26, 2013  |  7 comments
The documentary "Last Shop Standing", subtitled "The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of the Independent Record Shop" consists of a series of interviews with record store owners and fans, some of them famous like guitarist Johnny Marr (The Smiths), Paul Weller and Billy Bragg.

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CES 2014
2014 International CES Opens To News That USA Vinyl Sales Hit 22 Year "Record" High
Michael Fremer  |  Jan 08, 2014  |  4 comments
The 2014 International CES opened yesterday, with attendance down due to the extremely cold weather conditions gripping the nation, but among vinyl fans warm feelings prevailed as sales were the highest in 2013 since the 1991 debut of Soundscan. And it can be argued that Soundscan barely "scratches the surface" of actual record sales.

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AAA VinylAlbum Reviews
Coltrane "Live" At The Village Vanguard  Lives Again!
Michael Fremer  |  Jan 27, 2022  |  23 comments
Listening today to this record originally released February, 1962—60 years ago—it’s difficult to understand why it created controversy so intense that Downbeat’s editor at the time invited Coltrane and Eric Dolphy to “defend” it in print. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a jazz album entry point, this live album probably wouldn’t be it—especially side two. Sixty years on, “Chasin’ The Trane” (name given by RVG who said he literally had to “chase Coltrane” on mic to capture him during the performances) might still send some running for cover (or covers, of which there’s but one on here, Hammerstein and Romberg’s beautiful “Softly As In a Morning Sunrise”).

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AAA VinylAlbum Reviews
Love and Theft  Bob Dylan’s Southern Journey Through Time Finally Shines On Mobile Fidelity Vinyl (Where's Your Copy?)
Michael Fremer  |  Oct 27, 2020  |  34 comments
Talk about bad luck: Love And Theft Bob Dylan’s first album in four years, his 43rd (at the time, including live and studio) and the follow up to the million-selling, triple-Grammy Award winning (including “Album of the Year”) Time Out of Mind had a September 11th, 2001 drop date. Buildings dropped instead.

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Album Reviews
Ensemble HD "Live at the Happy Dog"
Michael Fremer  |  Dec 13, 2013  |  5 comments
Chamber music at a corner dive? Not likely, but this Kickstarter financed double LP set bears witness to the unlikely success of what sounds like an impossible combination of Beethoven and beer at an ex-polka bar located in the recently gentrified but once less than savory area now known as Cleveland, Ohio's Gordon Square Arts District.

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Florida Audio Expo 2020
Florida Audio Expo 2020 Triples In Size
Michael Fremer  |  Feb 23, 2020  |  First Published: Feb 23, 2020  |  6 comments
This year’s Florida Audio Expo (Feb. 7th, 8th and 9th) was three times larger than last year’s show. The second edition of the latest regional American audio show covered 11 floors of the Embassy Suites by Hilton Airport Westshore Hotel.

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Can I Have My Money Back?
I WAS BANNED FROM BOINGBOING!!!!!!
Michael Fremer  |  Mar 11, 2021  |  First Published: Mar 11, 2021  |  68 comments
This is really unbelievable. A reader sent me to a BoingBoing video "A deep dive into the German and UK editions of The Beatles Collection BC13" by "Andrew from Parlogram Auctions". He compares in the 20 minute video, the two versions.

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Set-Up Tips
If You're Using an Oscilloscope to Set Azimuth Here's a Really Handy Program Courtesy WAM Engineering
Michael Fremer  |  Mar 03, 2022  |  First Published: Mar 03, 2022  |  31 comments
If you're using an oscilloscope to set azimuth you are well aware of the math hassles involved. First you have to convert the derived voltages into dBVolts then you have to subtract the smaller number from the larger to determine the crosstalk and you have to do it twice: L-R, R-L.

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