News

Lou Reed was — and still is, really — one of rock & roll’s most transformative and influential songwriters and performers. Before he made an indelible mark with The Velvet Underground and then as a solo artist over his five-decade career, Reed honed his craft by penning many a song for other artists as a staff writer for a legendary label during the early rock era. To celebrate that important early chapter of Reed’s history, Light in the Attic, in cooperation with Laurie Anderson and the Lou Reed Archive, has just announced a new 2LP set covering that era, Why Don’t You Smile Now: Lou Reed at Pickwick Records 1964-65, will be released on October 4, 2024. Read on to see all the tracks written by Reed that are included on this important release. . .

You gotta do what you feel is real, and The Tragically Hip continue doing just that with the upcoming 180g 4LP/1BD box set commemorating the 35th anniversary of their September 1989 debut album, Up to Here. An expansive collection featuring scores of unreleased tracks, demos, and live material, The Hip’s Up to Here box is set for release via UMe on November 8, 2024. Read on to see what the Up to Here extras are, and glean all the nitty-gritties about the box set’s wholly analog source material. . .

Maybe we were once too damn cool to buy the 8-track tape, but we’re more than happy to pony up for the upcoming limited-edition Intervention Records 140g yellow-vinyl 1LP edition of Everclear’s July 2000 album Songs From an American Movie Vol One: Learning How to Smile. Set for release on September 13, 2024, it’s the first time this platinum-selling album will be on vinyl. Read on to see how the Intervention team is making sure SFAAM Vol One is going to be one worthwhile analog-centric spin. . .

We do love it when a pressing vinyl matter comes to fruition — or, in this case, the actual pressing of vinyl. Back in Q2 2022, we reported on the imminent opening of Fidelity Record Pressing in Oxnard, California, and we’re now happy to report that they’ve been up and running since January 2024. Read on to see how they’re doing what they do. . .

AXPONA Day 1 is officially in the books! We’ll have our first full in-depth report up in a day or so, so stay tuned. In the meantime, here are more than a few in-the-room photos to whet your analog whistle, including cool new gear from Luxman, Thorens, Vertere, SAT, and Manley. . .

All I need is a cinema show — that, and the radio. Okay, so we slightly butchered the opening lyrics to “Turn It On Again” there, but if you’re a Genesis acolyte and you know (what I like), then you know what we mean. The reason for the above line adjustment is that Genesis is set to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their October 1999 Turn It On Again: The Hits compilation by way of two separate vinyl editions via Atlantic/Rhino on May 3, 2024 — marking the 18-song career-spanning collection’s vinyl debut. Read on to see which tracks are on it, and which specific cut is making its own LP debut. . .

Rhino High Fidelity (a.k.a. Rhino Hi-Fi) is tackling the first quarter of 2024 head on by serving up a half-dozen new AAA 180g 1LP offerings in their acclaimed series of limited-edition vinyl reissues. Read on to see which six albums — a combination of rock and jazz classics — made the 2024 Q1 AAA Hi-Fi cut. . .