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Interviews
The Epic Odessey [Sic] and Ecstasy of Colin Blunstone and The Zombies, and the Different Game They’re Now Playing for Us Today on Vinyl
Mike Mettler  |  Mar 30, 2023

There’s a special intuitive connection certain musicians share that cannot be qualified in technical terms, but can instead be described as being both magical and mysterious. Case in point: the 60-years-and-counting musical mindmeld between lead vocalist Colin Blunstone and keyboardist/vocalist Rod Argent, the twin driving forces behind British invasion stalwarts The Zombies. Still going strong today, The Zombies are on the precipice of the imminent release of their seventh studio album, Different Game, which comes out in fine 1LP form on March 31 via Cooking Vinyl. In a recent Zoom interview with AP editor Mike Mettler, Zombies vocalist Colin Blunstone discussed the connective sonic tissue between Different Game and their 1968 masterpiece Odessey and Oracle, why he prefers hearing songs like “Time of the Season” in mono, and why the Odessey album benefitted from some things The Beatles left behind in EMI Studios while they were recording their legendary June 1967 Sgt. Pepper album. Read on to glean all the properly seasoned details. . .

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Album Reviews
Miley Cyrus Just Might Surprise You With the Breadth of Sounds on Her New Endless Summer Vacation LP
Mark Smotroff  |  Mar 29, 2023

While we haven’t followed every twist and turn of the career of Miley Cyrus, we have kept open ears and open minds regarding her evolution as an adult and bona-fide recording artist, someone not to be dismissed outright because of preconceived notions about who she is and where she comes from. To that end, AP editor Mike Mettler asked Mark Smotroff to check out her hit new LP Endless Summer Vacation, and here’s what he discovered. . .

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Analog Gear News
Michell Gyro SE Turntable
Mike Mettler  |  Mar 28, 2023

For the love of music. It’s a statement of purpose we can all identify with — and it also happens to be the tagline for Michell, the iconic UK audio brand founded back in the mid-1960s long known for their high-quality reference turntables, tonearms, cartridges, and accessories. Of late, we’ve been enamored with the rebranded and duly updated Michell Gyro SE turntable — which, we might add, can also be properly paired with the company’s TecnoArm 2 tonearm. Read on to find out more about this quite cool ’table and tonearm combo. . .

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Album Reviews
Elton John’s Honky Château Books 50th Anniversary Expanded Edition 180g 2LP Set Featuring Bob Ludwig Master and Previously Unreleased Session Demos
Mark Smotroff  |  Mar 24, 2023

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. . .

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Interviews
Bobby Colomby Tells Us Exactly What Happened to Blood, Sweat & Tears, and Why This Groundbreaking Band’s Legacy on Vinyl Holds True to This Day
Mike Mettler  |  Mar 24, 2023

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. . .

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News
Peter Frampton’s Limited Edition Frampton@50: In the Studio 1972-1975 All-Analog 180g 3LP Box Set Is Coming Our Way Via Intervention Records on July 28
Mike Mettler  |  Mar 22, 2023

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. . .

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Analog Gear News
Gold Note PH-1000 LITE Phono Preamp
Mike Mettler  |  Mar 21, 2023

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. . .

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Album Reviews
The Birth of Bop 10-Inch 5LP Box Set From Craft Recordings Celebrates a Pioneering and Truly Influential Jazz Series From Savoy Records Originally Released in 1952-53
Mark Smotroff  |  Mar 17, 2023
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. . .
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News
The White Stripes Set 20th Anniversary Limited Edition Color Vinyl 180g 2LP Edition of Elephant for April 21
Mike Mettler  |  Mar 16, 2023

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. . .

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News
Metallica Secure Controlling Stake in Furnace Record Pressing, Ready to Expand the Scope of Their Blackened Recordings LP and Box Set Catalog
Mike Mettler  |  Mar 15, 2023

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. . .

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