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Those who can’t tour, release. That’s what Neil Young has been up to. The latest in his ongoing 2021 series of archival releases is the just announced Young Shakespeare set for March 26th release. It’s a previously unreleased January 22nd, 1971 solo acoustic show recorded at the Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford, Connecticut, mixed from the original 50 year old master tapes “in the highest possible resolution”.

Readers skeptical of the Kirmuss Vinyl Restoration process should examine the above photo. Lately Mr. Kirmuss has been using it to restore Edison cylinders. The results are easier to see here than on a vinyl record.

SOTA turntable co-founder David Fletcher recently passed away at age 81. The experimental physicist left the U.C. Berkeley Particle Lab to be his own boss. In 1972 he co-founded Sumiko. Both companies remain in business though Fletcher long ago sold his shares.

The press release announcing this record out March 26th on Luaka Bop is more coy and less informative, though that will probably change closer to the release date. However, I have a test pressing sent by a friend. Chris Bellman cut lacquers, RTI pressed, I don't care the source

(Copyright 2021, Harvey Kubernik) (Eliot Mazer photo courtesy Burson Audio.)

Elliot Mazer, the recording engineer and record producer who worked with Kenny Burrell, Chubby Checker, Maynard Ferguson, Richie Havens, Janis Joplin, Neil Young, Linda Ronstadt, Bob Dylan, Jack Nitzsche, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and The Band died this past weekend at his San Francisco home at age 79. Cause of death was a heart attack. Mazer had battled dementia for a number of years.

Before getting to the image above, let's reiterate some cartridge set-up facts: despite the instructions that accompany most turntables and tone arms, you can't reliably set stylus rake angle to 92 degrees by putting your tone arm parallel to the record surface. Insuring that the cantilever is perpendicular to the record surface does not mean you've correctly set azimuth. Why do the manufacturers tell you to do those things? To make set up simple, instead of telling you what you need to do to accurately set these critical parameters.