In the aftermath of The Mothers’ September 1973 hit LP Over-Nite Sensation, Frank Zappa began a process of trying to capture his amazing band on video for a hopeful television program. It took the better part of a year to eventually accomplish the task, as two trial efforts were deemed unusable at the time. Thankfully, modern restoration techniques have helped salvage such historic works in these 21st century tymes (sic), and that second session — now officially titled Cheaper Than Cheep — is being released by Zappa Records/UMe today, June 27, 2025, as a 180g 3LP set. Read Mark Smotroff’s review to see why Cheep is anything but, and is instead another worthwhile addition to the Zappa-on-vinyl canon. . .

In Part 9 of her ongoing High End Munich 2025 show report series, Julie Mullins gets a firsthand look and listen to a PrimaryControl Kinea II turntable, PrimaryControl FCL tonearm fitted with an AirTight Opus-1 cartridge, and PrimaryControl Solaris tonearm fitted with AirTight PC-1 Supreme cartridge — and then, in another room, she got to bear witness to the Klaudio Magnezar turntable. . .

What’s in your heh-ed, in your he-ehh-ehh-ed? If that deliberately enunciated lyrical refrain instantly brings to mind a certain chilling but ultimately cathartic song by Irish alt-rockers The Cranberries — “Zombie” — then you’ll be eternally pleased to learn that a trio of 30th anniversary vinyl editions of the album that song is from, October 1994’s No Need to Argue, will be released in spurts on both June 27, 2025, and August 15, 2025. Read on to see which version is coming out on wax when, and what tracks each edition contains. . .

In Part 8 of her continuing High End Munich 2025 show report series, Julie Mullins looks into the latest Bluetooth turntable and accessories offerings from Lenco. . .

Vienna waits for you — or, in this case, we are the ones who will all just have to wait a little bit longer to attend and cover High End Vienna 2026, as the High End Society had to move the transplanted audio trade show ahead one week for a very important reason. Read on to see the new when, and the actual why. . .

Candid Records was a short-lived (1961-63) but respected label out of New York City owned by producer, arranger, and musician Archie Bleyer, and it was helmed by legendary jazz critic Nat Hentoff. A recent spate of Candid reissue LPs have come to our attention, so check out Mark Smotroff’s combo Short Cuts review of three of them — newly cut LPs of vintage albums from underappreciated jazz vocalist Nancy Harrow, noted jazz pianist Jaki Byard, and legendary bluesman Memphis Slim — to see if you need to add any or all of them to your “must get” list. . .

In Part 7 of her continuing High End Munich 2025 show report series, Julie Mullins gets a firsthand look and listen to Ortofon’s new MC X Series cartridge line. . .

It’s a hunka hunka heap of great burning Elvis tracks a-coming on wax! Or, to be more specific, RCA/Legacy is set to release Elvis Presley’s Sunset Boulevard as a 2LP set on August 1, 2025, a collection that will feature a number of rarities that’s also intended to put a spotlight on Elvis’ oft-overlooked 1970s recorded output. Read on to see all that comprises Sunset Boulevard on vinyl. . .

Last week was indeed a tough one for those of us who listen to a lot of music on vinyl that initially made literal waves in the latter half of the 20th Century. Just two days prior to Beach Boys architect Brian Wilson’s passing at age 82 on June 11, 2025, funk/soul pop pioneer Sly Stone also passed away at age 82 on June 9, 2025. In the following in-depth analysis, AP editor Mike Mettler and our chief album reviewer Mark Smotroff combine forces to give us their collective overview of Sly’s best moments on vinyl. . .