LATEST ADDITIONS

The notion of Bruce Springsteen releasing a vintage soul and pop covers album this late in his stellar career is not all that surprising, really, if you’ve been following The Boss since the beginning like we have. But does the notion of Only The Strong Survive being a truly good and vital Springsteen album that stands proudly next to the rest of his storied catalog hold sway? Read Mark Smotroff’s review of the 180 2LP edition of Survive to find out if Survive has what it takes on wax. . .

Last week, we sung the praises of the new 180g 1LP Geffen/UMe edition of Steely Dan’s November 1972 debut album, Can’t Buy A Thrill. This week, we cue up Analogue Productions’ 200g 2LP UHQR edition of Thrill, and — spoiler alert! — it’s one of the best listening experiences you’ll have this year (or any other). Read on to find out all the pressing details why this 200g Thrill is one for the ages. . .

Who’d want to stream vinyl playback to other rooms? Well, if you’re in a living situation where multiple listeners are constantly involved in the decisions behind what’s being played and where, it’s something you have to consider, regardless of your own individual sweet-spot-only listening proclivities. Juke Audio understands the inclusionary inclinations for modern multiple-member household scenarios, which is why the burgeoning company is now offering the Juke-6, a multiroom streaming amplifier as a possible gateway device to get other listeners involved, and interested, in what we analog lovers listen to. We peek under the hood of Juke Audio’s philosophy to find out if the Juke-6 is something you can apply to your own home listening setup in order to get and/or entice other household listeners into enjoying the benefits of our preferred aural playback choices. . .

Jim Kerr, lead singer of Simple Minds, is one of us. As a kid growing up in Glasgow, Scotland in the early 1970s, collecting vinyl was of paramount importance, and he got himself a day job just so he could buy records and go see concerts. (Sound familiar?) Read on to find out all the things he said, he said about how important buying vinyl was (and still is) to both him and his Simple Minds songwriting partner, guitarist Charlie Burchill, why it was crucial to shape their new LP Direction of the Heart specifically as a two-sided record, and how important an influence David Bowie albums remain as part of his creative life to this day, and more. . .