Ask Mikey

"360 Sound" vs. "360 Sound"

Michael Fremer  |  Aug 2, 2012

Hey Mikey- I have a question you might post and answer since it's general interest, I think. In your recent Freewheelin' Bob Dylan review you mentioned the white and black label Stereo 360 records from Columbia, and you mention that the black label indicates Columbia's all-tube cutting chain.

News

IMPEX To Issue "Belafonte Sings the Blues" As Double 45rpm Set

Michael Fremer  |  Aug 2, 2012

Ask Mikey

Static Cling!

Michael Fremer  |  Aug 1, 2012

Love the website. I can't stay off of it! I have an "Ask Mikey' question:

"What do you use to control static pops and clicks on your records?"

Letters to the Editor

Bill Evans Box and Separates

Michael Fremer  |  Aug 1, 2012

A couple of years ago I started getting in to vinyl. I’m young enough that I fell in love with music when it was still being produced on vinyl.

Sweepstakes

Lyra Delos Phono Cartridge From Music Direct Sweepstakes

Jon Iverson  |  Aug 1, 2012

Register to win a Lyra Delos Phono Cartridge From Music Direct (MSRP $1,650) we are giving away.

The new design of the Lyra Delos allows the coils of the cartridge to stay aligned with the magnetic circuit while the tracking force is applied. What does this mean? Well, in a nutshell, it means Lyra head designer Jonathan Carr has discovered a way to keep the angles in perfect alignment at all times. This allows the Delos to track better; clearly improving sound quality, particularly low-level resolution, dynamic range, transient impact, and immediacy. It delivers all the accuracy, detail and overall musicality all analog lovers crave.

[This sweepstakes is now closed.]

Record Buying Tips

Reissue Labels To Avoid and Some Best to Proceed With Caution

Michael Fremer  |  Jul 28, 2012

Call me crazy (and you wouldn't be the first!) but when I spend $25 or $50 on a 180 gram reissue, I want to know the source used and who did the cutting, plating and pressing. Don't you? But we don't get that vital information as often as we'd like, do we?

Album Reviews

Clare and the Reasons' Berlin Adventure

Michael Fremer  |  Jul 27, 2012

KR-51
Clare and the Reasons
 
Frog Stand FSR006 LP
Produced by: Clare and the Reasons
Engineered by: Paul Pilot
Mixed by: Paul Pilot
Mastered by: Andreas Stickel (no LP mastering credit)
 
MUSIC
SOUND
This is the third album from Brooklyn based Clare and the Reasons and its first to be issued on vinyl (Clare herself has since emailed to say that all of the group's albums are available on vinyl, but I couldn't find the first two on the label's website. I will look further!). Movie, the group's 2007 debut features Van Dyke Parks and Sufjan Stevens to give you an idea of what's going on here.

Primary Category: 
Album Reviews
Category: 
Album Reviews
Artist: 
Clare and the Reasons
Album: 
KR-51
Cred Label: 
Frog Stand FSR006 LP
Cred Prod: 
Clare and the Reasons
Cred Eng: 
Paul Pilot
Cred Mix: 
Paul Pilot
Cred Mast: 
Andreas Stickel (no LP mastering credit)
Michael Fremer
This is the third album from Brooklyn based Clare and the Reasons and its first to be issued on vinyl. Movie, the group's 2007 debut features Van Dyke Parks and Sufjan Stevens to give you an idea of what's going on here.

Album Reviews

IMPEX Reissues Ellington Columbia Classic AAA

Michael Fremer  |  Jul 27, 2012

Ellington Indigos
Duke Ellington and his Orchestra
 
Columbia/IMPEX IMP 6010 180g LP
Produced by: Irving Townsend
Engineered by: N/A
Mixed by: N/A
Mastered by: Kevin Gray at Cohearant Mastering
 
MUSIC
SOUND
Starting in 1954 the late veteran DJ William B. Williams hosted a long-running radio show on WNEW-AM called "Make Believe Ballroom" (a name, coincidentally, we also used at summer camp for kids who prematurely wore jock straps before they really had a need to).

Primary Category: 
Album Reviews
Category: 
Album Reviews
Artist: 
Duke Ellington and his Orchestra
Album: 
Ellington Indigos
Cred Label: 
Columbia/IMPEX IMP 6010 180g LP
Cred Prod: 
Irving Townsend
Cred Eng: 
N/A
Cred Mix: 
N/A
Cred Mast: 
Kevin Gray at Cohearant Mastering
Michael Fremer
Starting in 1954 the late veteran DJ William B. Williams hosted a long-running radio show on WNEW-AM called "Make Believe Ballroom" (a name, coincidentally, we also used at summer camp for kids who prematurely wore jock straps before they really had a need to).

Album Reviews

Mute Nostril Agony! Analogue Productions Issues "Strange Days" As a Double 45rpm LP

Michael Fremer  |  Jul 25, 2012

Strange Days
The Doors
 
Elektra/Analogue Productions AAPP 740014-45 2 200g 45rpm LPs
Produced by: Paul Rothchild
Engineered by: Bruce Botnick
Mixed by: Bruce Botnick
Mastered by: Doug Sax (with Bruce Botnick) at The Mastering Lab, Ojai, CA
 
MUSIC
SOUND
“Strange Days” was the perfect album for its time. For music lovers at a time when records were the main means by which a generation communicated with its culture, the title, cover art, music and sound resonated with the meaning of the fall of 1967 (even though the album was recorded the previous spring at L.A.’s Sunset Sound).
Primary Category: 
Album Reviews
Category: 
Album Reviews
Artist: 
The Doors
Album: 
Strange Days
Cred Label: 
Elektra/Analogue Productions AAPP 740014-45 2 200g 45rpm LPs
Cred Prod: 
Paul Rothchild
Cred Eng: 
Bruce Botnick
Cred Mix: 
Bruce Botnick
Cred Mast: 
Doug Sax (with Bruce Botnick) at The Mastering Lab, Ojai, CA
Michael Fremer
“Strange Days” was the perfect album for its time. For music lovers at a time when records were the main means by which a generation communicated with its culture, the title, cover art, music and sound resonated with the meaning of the fall of 1967 (even though the album was recorded the previous spring at L.A.’s Sunset Sound).

Set-Up Tips

Stylus Wear And What to Do About It

Michael Fremer  |  Jul 25, 2012

Vinyl fans tend to be obsessive (no news here!). So when you properly install a new cartridge and after the initial break-in, there's a period of calm and satisfaction knowing the stylus is fresh, the sound is spectacular and your records will be well cared for.

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