Interviews

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Mike Mettler  |  Sep 18, 2024  |  6 comments

JD Souther, a consummate American songwriter known for co-writing hits and choice deep cuts for (and with) the Eagles as well as for his poignant collaborations with James Taylor, Roy Orbison, and onetime life partner Linda Ronstadt, passed away at age 78 at his home in New Mexico on September 17, 2024. In an updated and expanded interview with AP editor Mike Mettler, Souther discussed his appreciation for good turntables and mastering for vinyl, how long it took “New Kid in Town” (one of the many hit Eagles songs he co-wrote) to finally come to full fruition, and what artists/producers must do to make “great” vinyl masters. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Sep 05, 2024  |  3 comments

Some artists give great lip service to being humble, spiritual messengers of their artistic muse — and then there’s Jon Anderson. The eternal voice of vintage Yes just keeps on keeping on, with his instantly recognizable alto tenor at the forefront of True, a vibrant new album credited to Jon Anderson & The Band Geeks that was released in various 2LP forms — including transparent blue, gold, and black vinyl — by Frontiers on August 23, 2024. During a recent Zoom interview with AP editor Mike Mettler, Anderson discusses how True came to be, what his favorite Yes tracks on vinyl are and why, and what Yes album Rahsaan Roland Kirk once told Jon he personally admired. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Aug 08, 2024  |  3 comments

Bassist Roger Glover is the secret sauce of Deep Purple. His pub-rock roots fuel the sonic elixir that gives Purple’s musical bouillabaisse blend of rock, classical, and progressive the extra oomph it needs — and it’s something that’s well in evidence on Deep Purple’s latest, and 23rd, studio LP, the 180g 45rpm 2LP set named/numeraled = 1, which was released by earMUSIC/Edel on July 19, 2024. On a recent Zoom call with AP editor Mike Mettler, Glover discussed his instinctual connection with drummer Ian Paice, which version of the band’s classic 1972 LP Machine Head is his favorite, and what vintage Deep Purple albums he’d like to remix himself. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Jul 24, 2024  |  3 comments
John Mayall, the undisputed father of the British blues movement, passed away at age 90 in California on July 22, 2024. Mayall emerged in the heyday of the ’60s blues-rock scene in Britain, and over the ensuing years, he shepherded the ace guitar-slinging likes of Eric Clapton, Peter Green, and Mick Taylor. In an updated and expanded interview with AP editor Mike Mettler, Mayall discussed why he preferred to cut his tracks in as few takes as possible, what specific factor he based his sequencing choices on, and how his 1966 Blues Breakers With Eric Clapton LP truly opened up a new avenue of recording. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Jul 05, 2024  |  5 comments

Bill Payne is a glue guy — as in, the co-founding keyboardist of Little Feat is the connective tissue that sweetens the musical pot of everything he touches, something that’s in full effect on Little Feat’s new 145g studio LP, Sam’s Place. In a recent Zoom interview with AP editor Mike Mettler, Payne discussed how Sam’s Place came together so instinctively, what some of his favorite vintage Little Feat tracks are on vinyl and why, and how the band mixes complexity and beauty together to create such a signature sound. . .

Mike Mettler  |  May 01, 2024  |  3 comments

Staying power. That’s UFO in a nutshell — the pioneering British hard rock band that’s been flying high on an international scale ever since their formation in London in 1968. Best known for FM favorites like “Too Hot to Handle,” “Lights Out,” “Only You Can Rock Me,” and “Doctor Doctor,” the band soldiered on throughout occasional lineup changes over the decades, with the one constant on all UFO releases being lead singer Phil Mogg. In a recent phone interview with AP editor Mike Mettler, Mogg discussed how pleased he is with Chrysalis’ recent 180g 3LP reissue of UFO’s best-selling 1977 album Lights Out, how the band changed their approach in the studio for the Lights Out recording sessions, and why his creative sensibilities meshed so well with UFO’s album-art design team at Hipgnosis.. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Apr 19, 2024  |  4 comments

Sometimes, musicians come together at a specific moment in time and capture lightning in a pop bottle. Such was the case with Tinted Windows, the unfortunately short-lived post-punk power-pop foursome that came together in 2009 and was comprised of the late, great bassist/composer Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne), guitarist James Iha (The Smashing Pumpkins), lead vocalist Taylor Hanson (Hanson), and drummer Bun E. Carlos (Cheap Trick). In honor of the self-titled album’s 15th anniversary, BMG is releasing Tinted Windows on vinyl for the first time on April 20, 2024, as a Record Store Day Exclusive in a limited edition of 1,800 copies. In a recent Zoom interview with AP editor Mike Mettler, Hanson discussed how rewarding it’s been to finally have Tinted Windows available on vinyl, how the “bliss” of record listening is inevitably intertwined with the vinyl experience, and how the very existence of music helps further the tenets of human connection. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Mar 21, 2024  |  3 comments

Eleven days ago, we lost another good one. Karl Wallinger, the visionary bandleader, singer, songwriter, composer, and all-around sonic Svengali of the alt-pop-leaning British collective known as World Party, sadly passed away on March 10, 2024, at the still young age of 66. In a recently unearthed, previously unpublished interview with AP editor Mike Mettler from 2012, Wallinger discussed the importance of how to properly sequence song cycles on LPs, why he once wanted to open his own record store, and his early proclivity for listening to progressive artists like Yes, Pink Floyd, and ELP on vinyl — plus, he shows us, on video, his unique DIY double-tracking vocal technique. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Mar 10, 2024  |  0 comments

If there’s a musician who’s taking better advantage of that figurative Dorian Gray picture on their wall than singer/songwriter/guitarist Dion DiMucci, we haven’t met them. The eternal Bronx-born Wanderer is still going strong at age 84, having issued three all-new 180g 2LP sets in the past four years. The most recent of which is Girl Friends, a four-sided, 12-track affair that celebrates Dion’s collaborative spirit and spark with a plethora of female artists, and it was just released by Keeping The Blues Alive this past Friday, March 8. In a recent Zoom interview with AP editor Mike Mettler, Dion discussed why he sequences his LPs like a live show, how “The Wanderer” is one of his definitive “bragging rights” songs, and why he’s considering resurrecting some of his personal favorite songs from years past on vinyl. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Mar 03, 2024  |  2 comments

Paula Cole didn’t want to wait any longer to take full control of her career — so the acclaimed, heart-on-her-sleeve singer/songwriter started her own 675 Records label a little over a decade ago, and she hasn’t looked back since. The latest fruit of Cole’s vinyl-centric labors is a new 2LP studio set, Lo, her 11th solo album, which was released on 675 on March 1. Produced by Cole herself, Lo teems with the caliber of songwriting depth and arrangement breadth she’s long been known for as an artist. In a recent Zoom interview with AP editor Mike Mettler, Cole discussed why listening to vinyl is a “full body” experience, why Lo had no choice but to be spread across three LP sides, and why she feels passionate about reclaiming the rights to re-release her first three albums on her own label.. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Feb 15, 2024  |  7 comments

Whenever the calendar turns, almost inevitably, new Steve Hackett music is on the horizon — and thus we have before us the British guitar maestro’s 30th solo album, The Circus and the Nightwhale, which is being released tomorrow, February 16, 2024, as a 180g 1LP set via InsideOut Music. In a recent Zoom interview across the Pond with AP editor Mike Mettler, Hackett discussed the genesis (pun intended) of Nightwhale music, the importance of deploying volume dynamics whenever possible, and why Genesis was in no way going to compromise the depth and the integrity of the song arrangements they came up with for the initial vinyl release of their groundbreaking 1972 LP, Foxtrot. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Jan 19, 2024  |  3 comments

The impetus for Sleater-Kinney’s powerful, personal, and punishing new LP Little Rope — out today, January 19, 2024, on Loma Vista — emerged from a devasting event experienced by one of their co-founding bandmembers. During a recent Zoom interview with AP editor Mike Mettler, Sleater-Kinney vocalist/guitarist Corin Tucker discussed why listening to test pressings remains such an important part of the band’s process, who the “bigger” audiophile in her family is and which high-end turntable proves the point, and why gauging the correct microphone distance is absolutely crucial for how her commanding vocal range is captured in the studio. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Dec 19, 2023  |  4 comments

Even though they initially took flight in the burgeoning digital age as the calendar turned to the 1990s, The Black Crowes have always had an analog-centric mindset. During a recent Zoom interview with AP editor Mike Mettler, Black Crowes lead vocalist Chris Robinson and lead guitarist/vocalist Rich Robinson, alongside producer George Drakoulias, all came together to discuss how finding the original quarter-inch master unlocked the Southern Harmony vinyl collection, which vintage turntables both Brothers Robinson swear by, and why sequencing the album for vinyl playback was always of primary consideration. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Nov 08, 2023  |  4 comments

David Rawlings had a clear mission ahead of him. His dream was to release Gillian Welch’s acclaimed June 2011 alt-rural album The Harrow & The Harvest on reel-to-reel tape — but just how would he go about doing it? One word: DIY. During a recent phone interview with AP editor Mike Mettler, Rawlings discusses how The Harrow & The Harvest made its transition to tape, why making tape duplicates is a challenging process, why he also still loves cutting lacquers, and which Welch album might just make its reel-to-reel debut next. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Nov 03, 2023  |  2 comments

Phil Manzanera is quite the worldly musician. Lately, the guitarist/composer has been on a tear with his Roxy Music bandmate, saxophonist Andy Mackay, with three LPs en route: AM PM, Roxymphony, and Christmas — plus a fourth with Tim Finn, a limited edition 3LP set. During a recent Zoom interview with AP editor Mike Mettler, Manzanera discusses how AM PM instinctually came together, the differences between composing instrumentals as opposed to music accompanied by lyrics, and which Roxy Music album he feels is perfectly sequenced for vinyl playback. . .

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