LATEST ADDITIONS

Mark Smotroff  |  Mar 24, 2023  |  3 comments

A new 180g 2LP edition of Elton John’s classic January 1972’s Honky Château album has just been released, and it includes two sides comprising solely of unreleased session demos. Mark Smotroff gives us his take on the expanded edition one of the Rocket Man’s most hailed early LPs, the one that kicked off an incredible chart runs of six consecutive No. 1 albums. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Mar 24, 2023  |  17 comments

Blood, Sweat & Tears were on top of the world — and then, suddenly, they weren’t. A new documentary titled What the Hell Happened to Blood, Sweat & Tears? seeks to set the record straight. Read on to see what BS&T co-founding drummer Bobby Colomby and AP editor Mike Mettler discussed when they got on Zoom together earlier this week to talk about the impetus for the documentary, the secrets contained within the runout grooves of certain records he produced, and his view of what the best-sounding Blood, Sweat & Tears track on vinyl is, and why. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Mar 22, 2023  |  23 comments

Peter, we love your way. To wit: iconoclast British guitarist/vocalist Peter Frampton and Intervention Records have collectively announced that his Frampton@50: In The Studio 1972-1975 180g 3LP box set is being readied for release on July 28. Read on to find out all the details regarding this fine all-analog vinyl collection of three key entries from Frampton’s early solo career. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Mar 21, 2023  |  0 comments

LITE up, everybody. As impressed as we’ve been with Gold Note’s premium PH-1000 phono preamp, we are also looking forward to that flagship model’s offshoot, the PH-1000 LITE. Read on to find out more about the LITE, other forthcoming phono stage offerings from this well-respected Italian manufacturer, and news about their just announced U.S. distribution deal. . .

Mark Smotroff  |  Mar 17, 2023  |  21 comments
Beginning in 1952 and extending into 1953, Savoy Records issued a five-volume series of 10-inch LPs dubbed The Birth of Bop. Taken as a whole, these recordings present a fine snapshot of many movers and shakers in the bebop music-making universe of the times. And now, Craft Recordings has collected them all into the newly remastered The Birth of Bop 10-inch 5LP box set. Read Mark Smotroff’s review to see why this high-quality release belongs in your vinyl collection. . .
Mike Mettler  |  Mar 16, 2023  |  1 comments

Jack White has vinyl in his veins. Okay, maybe that’s a bit of a stretch, but there’s no denying White is front and center when it comes to his all-out passion for vinyl. In the ongoing effort of releasing both new and reissued LPs under his Third Man Records banner, it’s just been announced that one of White’s previous bands, The White Stripes, will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of their fourth studio album Elephant by releasing a limited edition 180g 2LP version of it on color vinyl on April 21. Read on to glean all the Elephant wax stats you need to know. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Mar 15, 2023  |  1 comments

Subtitle this one, …And Vinyl for All. To wit: Metallica and Furnace Record Pressing have jointly announced that Metallica has acquired the majority interest in Furnace, a leading provider of high-quality vinyl and related services based in Alexandria, Virginia. Read on to see what the revised vinyl-oriented partnership entails, and how Furnace founder Eric Astor and Metallica co-founders Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield have to say about it. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Mar 14, 2023  |  26 comments

Some sequels are worth waiting for more than others. Case in point: Andover Audio’s SpinDeck2 turntable, which is the replacement piece for the company’s well-received SpinDeck belt-drive turntable. Read on to glean all the features and specs for the SpinDeck2 accordingly. . .

Mark Smotroff  |  Mar 10, 2023  |  2 comments

In 1972, Stax Records — the influential Memphis-based label that brought the likes of Otis Redding, Booker T. & The M.G.s, and Albert King to the world — recognized the need for a large-scale, highly visible public event to help heal America’s fractured African American communities. Craft Recordings, the current owners of Stax’s tracks, has seen fit to honor the gamechanging event that was duly dubbed Wattstax with a fantastic 50th anniversary reissue series, the jewels of which are a pair of timely analog-mastered gems: Wattstax: The Living Word and The Living Word: Wattstax 2. Get into the Wattstax groove by reading Mark Smotroff’s review of both of these fine 140g 2LP collections. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Mar 09, 2023  |  28 comments

In an official report released today, March 9, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) confirmed what many of us already knew — namely, that LPs outsold CDs in 2022. The RIAA further clarified this is the first time that milestone has occurred since 1987. Read on to get all the official numbers and stats to see exactly how well our favorite format performed last year. . .

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