Mark Smotroff

Album Reviews
Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach’s Songwriting Partnership Is Properly Celebrated With Class and Style Via Bob Ludwig-Mastered 4CD/2LP Super Deluxe Box Set and Separate 140g 2LP Edition for The Songs of Bacharach & Costello
Mark Smotroff  |  Feb 24, 2023  |  8 comments

In the mid-1990s, Elvis Costello stunned many in the music world with the release of an outstanding song he composed with no less than the great hit-making maestro Burt Bacharach, the composer of many iconic pop standards, acclaimed film soundtracks, and even a Broadway show. Soon enough, they collaborated on a celebrated full album, Painted From Memory, and now, 25 years later, the scope of their work together is being properly feted in both 140g 2LP+4CD and 140g 2LP editions of The Songs of Bacharach & Costello. Read Mark Smotroff’s review to see which version of the release immediately belongs in your collection. . .

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Album Reviews
New 60th Anniversary Craft Recordings Small Batch One-Step RTI-Pressed 180g 1LP for Vince Guaraldi Trio’s Jazz Impressions Of Black Orpheus Is Well Worth the Freight
Mark Smotroff  |  Feb 17, 2023  |  3 comments

Vince Guaraldi Trio’s acclaimed 1962 release Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus finally receives a truly well-deserved 180g 1LP upgrade via Craft Recordings and the company’s acclaimed Small Batch one-step series. Read Mark Smotroff’s detailed review to see if this very special RTI-pressed edition is worthy of your attention, and your wallet. . .

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Album Reviews
John Lee Hooker’s 1962 Blues Classic Burnin’ Heats Up Turntables Again With New Kevin Gray-Remastered All-Analog 180g LP From Craft Recordings
Mark Smotroff  |  Feb 10, 2023  |  4 comments

There are many reasons why you’ll likely want to pick up the new 180g 1LP remaster of John Lee Hooker’s classic 1962 blues benchmark Burnin’, as great music and great sound are just part of the equation. Read on to get Mark Smotroff’s firsthand experiences spinning this scorchin’ blues classic via this all-analog remastered LP from Craft Recordings. . .

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Album Reviews
Verve By Request Cooks Up Tasty 180g 1LP Reissue of Mel Brown’s 1967 Impulse Records Debut Album Chicken Fat, Pressed by Third Man Records
Mark Smotroff  |  Feb 03, 2023  |  0 comments

As good and desirable as blues guitarist Mel Brown’s 1967 Impulse Records debut album Chicken Fat is, the reality is he’s not quite a household name, even among many jazz and blues aficionados. That said, enough people have discovered Brown’s music to warrant its inclusion in a significant new reissue series from Verve By Request/UMe that’s being pressed by Third Man Records. Read Mark Smotroff’s dive-into-the-frying-pan review to see why you might want to add Mel Brown’s tasty-sweet funky 180g Chicken Fat LP to your vinyl collection. . .

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Album Reviews
The Post-Modern Psychedelic/Progressive Sound Is Alive and Well on Dungen’s Stunning En Är För Mycket och Tusen Aldrig Nog LP
Mark Smotroff  |  Jan 27, 2023  |  2 comments
If you’ve found yourself aching to hear some rich, vintage-sounding, progressive-leaning, post-psychedelic independently made music with authentic roots — but are tired of playing your well-worn copies Pink Floyd’s Meddle, Todd Rundgren’s Something/Anything?, and The Pretty Things’ Parachute — then you might want to check out Sweden’s Dungen (pronounced Doon-yen). Mark Smotroff gets his Moog ‘N’ Mellotron on to explore the band from the land of the ice and snow and midnight sun’s latest, late-2022 LP En Är För Mycket och Tusen Aldrig Nog (which translates to One Is Too Many And A Thousand Never Enough). Read on to get his take on this adventurous post-modern LP release. . .

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Album Reviews
Pioneering Saxophonist Benny Carter’s 1958 Jazz Giant Album Walks Tall on All-Analog 180g Bernie Grundman-Remastered LP From Craft Recordings
Mark Smotroff  |  Jan 20, 2023  |  2 comments

In the annals of jazz history, one artist who often gets overlooked was one of the early architects of the saxophone sound, dating back to the 1920s when he was arranging for Fletcher Henderson. His name is Benny Carter, and his stellar 1958 album simply titled Jazz Giant has just seen a 180g 1LP reissue from Craft Recordings, via an all-analog remaster by Bernie Grundman. Read Mark Smotroff’s review to see if this Jazz Giant is a must-have addition to your jazz vinyl listening experience. . .

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Album Reviews
Pressed on Recycled 180g Vinyl, Brian Eno’s FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE Is an Environmentally Sound and Emotionally Appealing Thinking Person’s LP
Mark Smotroff  |  Jan 13, 2023  |  15 comments

Reviewing a new Brian Eno album is never an easy thing. Inevitably, those of us who have been following him from his earliest days in Roxy Music and nascent solo career have our deeply established favorites from different periods of his work. The fact is, Eno has quite a legacy behind him, so it’s nice to know his latest album, FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE, fits into this continuum — and it’s presented on 180g recycled vinyl to boot. Read on to get Mark Smotroff’s take on how it all sounds, and how this song cycle stacks up with the arc of his life’s work. . .

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Album Reviews
Two Classic Frank Zappa Electric Orchestra Jazz Fusion LPs, Waka/Jawaka and The Grand Wazoo, Are Revived and Rejuvenated Anew Via a Perfect Pair of AAA Grundman-Remastered 180g LPs
Mark Smotroff  |  Jan 06, 2023  |  4 comments

Never one to sit idle, even after a debilitating physical injury he sustained in late 1971, Frank Zappa pushed onward to make some of the most creative music of his entire career. The resultant two albums — July 1972’s Waka/Jawaka (official Zappa album No. 15) and November 1972’s The Grand Wazoo (official Zappa album No. 16) — are two sides of a coin now duly feted in a pair of new, 50th anniversary 180g 1LP editions sporting all-analog mastering by Bernie Grundman. Read Mark Smotroff’s review to find out why you need to get your hands, and ears, on both LPs. . .

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Short Cuts
AnalogPlanet’s Top LPs of 2022, Part II: The Best New Releases of the Year
Mark Smotroff  |  Dec 30, 2022  |  First Published: Dec 30, 2022  |  13 comments

Last week, AP editor Mike Mettler asked ace reviewer Mark Smotroff to come up with a list of his Top 10 vinyl releases of 2022, and it was a much harder task than Mark imagined it would be. “Paring down all the vinyl releases I’ve reviewed in 2022 into a list of just 10 choices?” was Mark’s initial reply. Nonetheless, Mark soldiered on, got his list in fine order, and shared the first 5 of his 10 choices, focusing on archival releases, plus a few bonus selections. This week, Mark shares the other 5 top-shelf choices on his list — all of them new-to-2022 releases — and here they are. . .

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Short Cuts
AnalogPlanet’s Top LPs of 2022, Part I: The Best Archival Releases
Mark Smotroff  |  Dec 23, 2022  |  First Published: Dec 23, 2022  |  4 comments

AP editor Mike Mettler asked ace reviewer Mark Smotroff to come up with a list of his Top 10 vinyl releases of 2022, and it was a much harder task than Mark imagined it would be. “Paring down all the vinyl releases I’ve reviewed in 2022 into a list of just 10 choices?” was Mark’s initial reply. Nonetheless, Mark soldiered on, and got his list in fine order. Read the first 5 of his 10 choices — archival releases, in this case, plus a few bonus extra selections — here. . .

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