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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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Analog Gear News
Andover Audio SpinDeck2 Turntable
Mike Mettler  |  Mar 14, 2023

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. . .

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Album Reviews
Wattstax at 50: Legendary Music Festival Properly Celebrated With a Pair of New Analog-Mastered 140g 2LP Reissues That Get You Into the Right Groove
Mark Smotroff  |  Mar 10, 2023

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. . .

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News
RIAA Confirms LPs Outsold CDs in 2022
Mike Mettler  |  Mar 09, 2023

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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