AAA Vinyl

Analogue Productions have recently released a tremendous 200g 2LP 45rpm UHQR version of The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s December 1967 album, Axis: Bold As Love in both stereo and mono. Read Mark Smotroff’s review of the stereo edition (and AP editor Mike Mettler’s extended footnotes) to find out why it’s worth the investment, and then carry on into Mettler’s footnotes to see why the mono edition is also top-shelf. . .. . .

The October 1975 live album bearing the compelling title of Bongo Fury that features Frank Zappa and legendary/visionary composer Captain Beefheart holds a special place in both artists’ catalogs as their only official live collaboration recording. A new expanded 180g 2LP set of Bongo Fury — which is officially credited to Zappa / Beefheart / Mothers — was released a week ago by Zappa/UMe on March 20, 2026, and it not only celebrates the 50th Anniversary of this sometimes-overlooked album of joyfully swaggering blues-centric madness but offers incredible new insights into the music and improvements to its overall sound. Read Mark Smotroff’s review (and AP editor Mike Mettler’s extensive footnotes) to see if Bongo Fury 50 will provide the proper hard-core vinyl ecstasy we’re all seeking. . .

A new audiophile-worthy, restored 180g 2LP reissue of Peter Frampton’s breakthrough mega-hit double-live January 1976 Frampton Comes Alive! album seems more than appropriate, especially in order to celebrate this landmark live set’s 50th anniversary. To that end, the new Frampton Comes Alive! Vinylphyle edition that was released as part of UMe’s thus far outstanding Vinylphyle series on January 22, 2026, is on our review slate today. Read Mark Smotroff’s review review (and AP editor Mike Mettler’s footnotes) to see why this AAA Vinylphyle edition of Alive! adds new life to an already stellar live double album. . .

At the tail end of last year, we reviewed the inaugural release in UMe’s most excellent new Vinylphyle reissue series — The Velvet Underground & Nico’s 1967 self-titled debut LP — and this week, we’re going to dig into two more offerings from this most excellent series’ first run of releases: a) Bob Marley & The Wailers’ June 1977 global breakthrough LP Exodus, and b) The Band’s underappreciated yet iconic November 1975 original-lineup studio swan song, Northern Lights – Southern Cross. Read Mark Smotroff’s two-fer review to see why both of these Vinylphyle LPs deserve your immediate attention. . .

Since we ended 2025 with a review of one of the two best-selling jazz albums in history, it is only appropriate — and remarkably timely! — that we begin 2026 by reviewing a most important 180g 2LP update of the other album of such esteemed, 5x-platinum-selling lineage: Miles Davis’ August 1959 Columbia landmark, Kind of Blue. The offering of a new, definitive audiophile version of Kind of Blue from Analogue Productions — one that is based on the much-sought-after speed-corrected edition originally issued by Classic Records in 1995 — is certainly big news, so read Mark Smotroff’s review to see if this new Kind of Blue release is worthy of getting in your hands and onto your turntable ASAP. . .

Oh, where did the time go. . .? It’s been yet another year of acquiring, archiving, cleaning, spinning, and listening to LP after LP, and box set after box set — and sometimes, even some EPs and 45s got into that mix as well! Naturally, before the big mid-week holiday festivities take over our front-of-mindsets, we here at AP feel it’s the exact right time to determine the best of what we’ve heard on vinyl during the past 12 months — and we’ll be covering our favorites of the year in two installments. Between the two of us — i.e., 1) Mike Mettler, your intrepid AP editor, and 2) chief LP reviewer, Mark Smotroff — we have listened to multiple-hundreds’ worth of albums on vinyl in 2025 apiece, so check out Part 1 to see what our 10-plus favorite archival reissue LPs of the year are. . .

Fans of The Monkees will be pleased to learn that a new release from Rhino’s esteemed High Fidelity reissue series shows how they took significant steps to deliver a significant update of the band’s November 1967 smash hit album Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.. Read Mark Smotroff’s review to see why the new 180g 1LP Hi-Fi edition of Pisces trounces all previous editions. . .