An email arrived in my inbox a few days ago from Bob Ludwig who had heard from a friend about a 6000 classical LP collection that had recently arrived at Melanie Nelson's Little Red Book Shack in the small Columbia County, New York town of Livingston. How it got there is less important than that it was there.

Update: one online LP seller claims the set will be on four LPs not two. That would be good (but probably costly), but until there's label confirmation it should not be taken as fact. After all, another vendor claimed that Nick Drake's Five Leaves Left was cut from analog. We posted that as fact and were left with an egged face. So four LPs is "what we've heard" until we find out for sure.

Like Marshall Crenshaw’s debut, Cyndi Lauper’s first album would be difficult to top and neither she nor Crenshaw managed to do it. Better to peak early than not peak at all—not that either of them didn’t release some very good follow-ups.

I've been waiting for the right occasion to crack open a sealed-in-the-polyethylene-bag 1A pressing of The Byrds' Mr. Tambourine Man I'd bought a few years ago from a veteran Columbia Records publicist. Today was the day. Wiz reissue producer and Sundazed Records Prez Bob Irwin has just graced me with test lacquers of that album, which he'll release soon on 180gm vinyl, along with Turn! Turn! Turn!, Notorious Byrds Brothers, and Sweetheart of the Rodeo—with others to follow (I hope).

These Irwin-produced sets were issued three years ago to great acclaim on Columbia/Legacy CD (with some cuts, like "Mr. Tambourine Man," mixed analog in stereo for the first time), with lots of great bonus tracks, photos, studio chatter, etc. The new LPs, mastered all-analog using Irwin's custom-rebuilt Ampex ATR-100 playback deck, will contain the remixes, plus one bonus track per side, fitted in without compression. The plan is to issue the LPs with gatefold jackets to allow the inclusion of never-before-seen photos from the original sessions and other cool stuff.

I'll never forget the first time I heard well-recorded vibes on an audio system. It was at an E.J. Korvette's in Douglaston, NY on a pair of their XAM "house brand" speakers playing in the store's record department. I bought a lot of records there. The album was Terry Gibbs Quartet's That Swing Thing (Verve V6-8447) recorded live at Shelley's Mannehole in Los Angeles.

Dear Mr. Fremer:

"21st Century Vinyl" (DVD) was a breath of fresh air. I could feel your passion for your craft. I am 21 years old and have never listened to a properly configured analog system. When i asked myself one day "how do those turntable things even work?"

Some music news transcends formats and this is one that does. The Band's "Rock of Ages" double LP set recently reissued by Mobile Fidelity to great sonic effect has been given a complete "make over" for a new release coming September 17th.

Experience Hendrix LLC and Legacy Recordings Division of Sony Music Entertainment announced today the first ever release of Jimi Hendrix Experience's Miami Pop Festival performance of May, 18th 1968 recorded by long-time Hendrix engineer Eddie Kramer. The album will be a double vinyl set mastered all-analog by Bernie Grundman.

They came to play and boy did they! Led by long time Les Paul Trio member Lou Pallo (Haledon, NJ, age unknown but no "Spring chicken"), and joined by Al Caiola (Jersey, City, NJ age 93!), Bucky Pizzarelli (Paterson, NJ age 87) and Frank Vignola (from Lon Guyland but forgiven and the kid on the block at 47), the quarter produced sublime music and demonstrated throughout guitar virtuosity that was always mesmerizing and occasionally thrilling.

Veteran L.A. used record store owner and more recent character actor "Music Man" Murray Gershenz passed away from a heart attack on August 28th.