I’m driving around the outskirts of Salt Lake City, where any city’s used-record and bookstores and antique shops and Methadone clinics are usually found. Sure enough, around the corner and down the block from the biggest used-book store is Randy’s Record Shop, billed as having “Utah’s best and largest selection of vinyl—LPs/45s/78s.”

I've referenced this record in a few Stereophile equipment reviews but somehow neglected to give it the deserved full review. The adventurous pianist Jamie Saft steps back in time here to produce an album that on "Vessels", the opening original tune, should immediately remind you of the classic '60s Coltrane quartet, though I'm not suggesting the players are in any way trying to copy Coltrane, Tyner, Garrison and Jones.

Another IGOR review??? Yes.

My initial plan was to follow the original 3500-word review with a later update on the vinyl edition’s sound quality, but plans change. I got a bit of exclusive information from Jack White about “ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?”, which I reported on, but even more happened with this LP. As advance copies of IGOR’s CD edition circulated, word spread that Tyler quietly dropped a physical-only (vinyl, CD, and cassette) “bonus track” entitled “BOYFRIEND.”

This extraordinary blues festival staged on an athletic field at the University of Michigan, Friday through Sunday August 1-3 in-between the moon landing and Woodstock, was almost lost to time—except to the 10,000 or so mostly white high school and college kids lucky enough to have the good fortune (and taste) to attend.

Memphis based "garage rocker" Jack (Yarber) Oblivian, formerly with Johnny Vomit & the Dry Heaves among other groups, recently released this adrenalin charge on Black&Wyatt Records and someone (I don't know who) sent it my way thinking I might like it even though the sound is, let's say "primitive" (no top, not much bottom, just some stuff in the middle) in a good way (some recorded to 4 track M.C.I.) but all of it purposefully squashed in a way that sort of reminded me of Don Van Vliet ("Sweet Thang"), but maybe that's because in some ways the performances did too, though it's far more punk-rocky and less bluesy.

David Bowie's 1999 VH1 Storytellers appearance before invited guests in an intimate setting and recorded August 23, 1999 at The Manhattan Center's Grand Ballroom was first issued on CD/DVD and as a download 10 years later. Now, 20 years later Parlophone will release the most complete version will be released on a limited edition 2-LP set October 11th.

The misaligned stars leading to yesterday's Dolby screening room software malfunction (you know the story), aligned today. I was on 58th and 3rd at Innovative Audio to spin vinyl and Guy Hayden was just finishing up today's three Abbey Road 50th Anniversary Edition demos (which went off without a glitch).

Hayden emailed asking if there was a chance I could return to the screening room on 58th and 6th Avenue for a proper stereo mix listen. He didn't know I was right down the block! Unfortunately time was too tight for me to get up there, listen and return to Innovative for the 5:30PM event start time so Hayden generously offered to bring the set to Innovative so I could listen on a proper hi-fi system, which seemed like the ideal way to listen to any version of Abbey Road.

This morning at mid-town Manhattan's Dolby Theater (1350 6th Avenue) I got a chance to hear excerpts from Giles Martin's new 50th Anniversary Abbey Road remix in the small, 24 seat screening room filled with invited press, SiriusXM Beatles channel people, others, and members of Ringo Starr's band who were in New York, having played there the previous evening.

Mind-Pop Revolution's Presslift is a complex, approximately 1.6 pound machined brass record stabilizer that is also designed to act as an end of side tone arm lift.

Turbenthal, Switzerland based HiFiction precision-manufactures Thales tangential tracking pivoted pick up arms, battery powered turntables and most recently acquired and now manufactures in-house EMT phono cartridges and a new MC step up transformer.