Album Reviews

The ongoing impact and popularity of Led Zeppelin’s February 1975 epic 2LP set Physical Graffiti is undeniable. In celebration of that album’s 50th anniversary, the mighty Zep have deemed today, September 12, 2025, as the day to reissue a deluxe remastered 3LP edition of that all-important core album in addition to a separate, companion four-song Live EP, the latter of which houses a quartet of songs that have never been released officially on vinyl until now. Read Mark Smotroff and Mike Mettler’s combo review of both the Physical Graffiti 3LP and Live EP releases to see why they belong in your Zep-centric vinyl collection ASAP. . .

Often dividing fans as far as favorite Steely Dan albums go, their fifth studio LP on ABC, May 1976’s The Royal Scam, is an arguable breakpoint between the harder-rocking early incarnations of the group and the more progressive, smoothly jazz-infused albums to come. Read Mark Smotroff’s combo review of the recently released Analogue Productions 200g 45rpm 2LP UHQR edition and companion “standard” remaster 1LP version from Geffen/UMe to see why The Royal Scam deserves a reassessment by those who may not be giving it its proper due. . .

When it comes to recordings of the blues, there are different pockets of reissue-related activity that remain of interest to many music enthusiasts these days. Three new recent LP upgrades from three different iconic names span several generations of interest — namely, mid-20th-century icons John Lee Hooker and Memphis Slim along with Furry Lewis, who began recording in 1927. Read Mark Smotroff’s combo Short Cuts review to see if BMG’s new reissue of Hooker’s 1992 Pointblank/Charisma album Boom Boom, along with Craft Recordings’ Bluesville Series reissues of both pianist Memphis Slim’s 1959 Vee-Jay debut At The Gate of Horn and acoustic fingerpicking/slide guitarist Furry Lewis’ 1961 Prestige/Bluesville LP Back on My Feet are all worthy of buying and spinning. . .

Talking Heads’ 1978 sophomore album More Songs About Buildings and Food — which was released 47 years ago this month on July 14, 1978 — marked the beginning of the burgeoning NYC band’s fertile association with visionary producer/artist Brian Eno. Sire/Rhino’s 4LP super deluxe edition of More Songs About Buildings and Food — which just dropped today, July 25, 2025 — is the latest entry in a much-anticipated series of remastered vinyl and expanded offerings that are being released in conjunction with the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Talking Heads’ formation. Read Mark Smotroff’s review to see why this most excellent Food box set belongs on your table — turntable, that is. . .

Two iconic pillars of fantastic, fast ’n furious funkified artistry are the focus for today’s deep funk ‘n’ soul edition of our ongoing Short Cuts review series: 1) Fire on the Bayou, the Allan Toussaint-produced, Reprise-released July 1975 sixth LP from New Orleans legends The Meters, and 2) The Baby Huey Story: The Living Legend, the lone LP from James “Baby Huey” Ramey, an album that went on to become an influential, and heavily sampled, release for the hip-hop generation. Read Mark Smotroff’s combo Short Cuts review to see how Rhino Reserve has brought these two classic LPs new life on 180g vinyl. . .

Last week was indeed a tough one for those of us who listen to a lot of music on vinyl that initially made literal waves in the latter half of the 20th Century. Just two days prior to Beach Boys architect Brian Wilson’s passing at age 82 on June 11, 2025, funk/soul pop pioneer Sly Stone also passed away at age 82 on June 9, 2025. In the following in-depth analysis, AP editor Mike Mettler and our chief album reviewer Mark Smotroff combine forces to give us their collective overview of Sly’s best moments on vinyl. . .

Several iconic, pop-rockin’, punk-adjacent artists from the late 1970s and early 1980s new-wave era have new albums out now — and there are also a number of encouraging audiophile-oriented reissues as well. For this somewhat thematic Short Cuts installment, Mark Smotroff zeros in on a mixture of both by exploring a pair of fun new releases from The Vapors and Peter Holsapple, plus an AAA reissue of a Violent Femmes album we suspect many of us overlooked at the time of its original 1984 release. . .