Audio-Technica Limited-Edition AT-LP2022 Turntable

Audio-Technica has been duly celebrating their 60th anniversary for the balance of the past year, and we would be remiss if we let another week go by without highlighting one of the fine limited-edition products they’ve introduced in celebration of that milestone — namely, the AT-LP2022 belt-drive turntable that sports quite the striking transparent clear-acrylic chassis. Read on to see what else the AT-LP2022 has to offer. . .

Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach’s Songwriting Partnership Is Properly Celebrated With Class and Style Via Bob Ludwig-Mastered 4CD/2LP Super Deluxe Box Set and Separate 140g 2LP Edition for The Songs of Bacharach & Costello

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Category: 
Artist: 
Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach
Album: 
The Songs of Bacharach & Costello
Cred Label: 
UMe
Cred Prod: 
Elvis Costello, Steve Berkowitz (box set edition); Burt Bacharach, Elvis Costello (original Painted From Memory album)
Cred Eng: 
Kevin Killen
Cred Mix: 
-
Cred Mast: 
Bob Ludwig, at Gateway Mastering

In the mid-1990s, Elvis Costello stunned many in the music world with the release of an outstanding song he composed with no less than the great hit-making maestro Burt Bacharach, the composer of many iconic pop standards, acclaimed film soundtracks, and even a Broadway show. Soon enough, they collaborated on a celebrated full album, Painted From Memory, and now, 25 years later, the scope of their work together is being properly feted in both 140g 2LP+4CD and 140g 2LP editions of The Songs of Bacharach & Costello. Read Mark Smotroff’s review to see which version of the release immediately belongs in your collection. . .

MM PRO Phono Preamp by Michael Fidler and Classic Audio

Michael Fidler and Classic Audio are synonymous with making quality phono preamps — a.k.a. phono stages, depending on your nomenclature preferences — as the company’s respective PRO and Spartan series can readily attest. Fidler’s latest offering, the MM PRO, is ready for system-integration duty regardless of which side of the Pond you reside, so read on to find out if it fits your own phono-stage needs. . .

Pathos In The Groove MM/MC Phono Preamp

We’re always on the lookout for good — if not certainly great — phono preamps to get our hands on to review here for the AnalogPlanet faithful, and Pathos’ In The Groove MM/MC phono preamp certainly fits the bill. Read Ken Micallef’s detailed review to see if this well-crafted solid-state phono stage is right for you. . .

New 60th Anniversary Craft Recordings Small Batch One-Step RTI-Pressed 180g 1LP for Vince Guaraldi Trio’s Jazz Impressions Of Black Orpheus Is Well Worth the Freight

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Category: 
Artist: 
Vince Guaraldi Trio
Album: 
Cred Label: 
Fantasy/Craft Recordings
Cred Prod: 
Vince Guaraldi (original album); Mark Piro, Mason Williams (reissue)
Cred Eng: 
Hank McGill; Chris Clough (audio supervision)
Cred Mix: 
-
Cred Mast: 
Bernie Grundman; reissue vinyl manufactured at RTI

Vince Guaraldi Trio’s acclaimed 1962 release Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus finally receives a truly well-deserved 180g 1LP upgrade via Craft Recordings and the company’s acclaimed Small Batch one-step series. Read Mark Smotroff’s detailed review to see if this very special RTI-pressed edition is worthy of your attention, and your wallet. . .

Bob Marley’s Limited Edition 12LP Vinyl Series, Fully Pressed at Tuff Gong International in Kingston, Jamaica, Is Set for March 24

The Legend continues. The Marley Family, Tuff Gong, and UMe are set to commemorate the late, great Bob Marley’s 78th birthday with 12 limited-edition Bob Marley LPs, each of them numbered and pressed exclusively at Tuff Gong International headquarters in Kingston, Jamaica, and set for release on March 24. Read on to find out all the core titles involved, as well as the related pressing stats for each album that’s been culled from the masterful Marley canon. . .

AMG Giro MK II Turntable With 9W2 Tonearm

It’s time for us to show some love to AMG (Analog Manufaktur Germany), who make Großartig (great, that is) turntables and tonearms. The recently upgraded Giro MK II turntable is the focus of our current affection, so read on to see what’s to love about it and its fine spinning capabilities. . .

John Lee Hooker’s 1962 Blues Classic Burnin’ Heats Up Turntables Again With New Kevin Gray-Remastered All-Analog 180g LP From Craft Recordings

Even if you have only been moderately exposed to the universe of blues music, the name John Lee Hooker is among the great artists who belongs alongside other major names like B.B. King, Howlin’ Wolf, Willie Dixon, and Leadbelly (for starters). And while there are certainly no shortage of recordings by John Lee Hooker — whose career stretched from the 1940s on into the early 2000s — finding good-sounding original pressings and/or high-quality reissues of his early material can sometimes present a bit of a challenge for audiophiles and collectors alike.

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Category: 
Artist: 
John Lee Hooker
Album: 
Burnin'
Cred Label: 
Vee Jay/Craft Recordings
Cred Prod: 
Calvin Carter (original recording); Mason Williams (reissue)
Cred Eng: 
-
Cred Mix: 
-
Cred Mast: 
Kevin Gray (reissue mastering at Cohearant Audio)

There are many reasons why you’ll likely want to pick up the new 180g 1LP remaster of John Lee Hooker’s classic 1962 blues benchmark Burnin’, as great music and great sound are just part of the equation. Read on to get Mark Smotroff’s firsthand experiences spinning this scorchin’ blues classic via this all-analog remastered LP from Craft Recordings. . .

Steely Dan’s All-Analog Countdown to Ecstasy 200g 45rpm 2LP Set Establishes the Gold Standard for All Upcoming Releases in This Stellar UHQR Analogue Productions Series

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Category: 
Artist: 
Steely Dan
Album: 
Countdown To Ecstasy
Cred Label: 
Geffen/Analogue Productions
Cred Prod: 
Gary Katz (original LP); Chad Kassem (UHQR edition)
Cred Eng: 
Roger Nichols (original LP)
Cred Mix: 
Roger Nichols (original LP)
Cred Mast: 
Bernie Grundman (reissue vinyl manufactured at QRP)

Can we call it Countdown to Excellence? To wit: Does Countdown to Ecstasy, the second entry in Analogue Productions' comprehensive all-analog 200g 2LP Steely Dan UHQR series, up the ante on the standard they’ve already set with last fall’s inaugural release, Can’t Buy A Thrill? Read Mike Mettler’s in-depth, 2,500-word review to find out. . .

Rekkord’s RCM Record Cleaning Machine Is Slated for Late-February Availability

The more we listen to our vinyl, the more we notice how much our LPs need regular cleaning, regardless of whether they’re new or used copies. Record cleaning devices range widely in terms of performance and options, of course, and we will be reviewing a number of them in the coming months here on AP. In the meantime, one such device that caught our eye recently is one that’s now being offered by noted German manufacturer Rekkord, who are set to serve up the appropriately named RCM recording cleaning machine later in February. Read on to find out more about this well-acronymed RCM. . .

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