AAA Vinyl

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Mike Mettler  |  Aug 02, 2024  |  0 comments

Have mercy! Rhino High Fidelity (a.k.a. Rhino Hi-Fi) does it again with today’s special box set release — namely, ZZ Top’s From The Top: 1971-1976, a limited-edition vinyl reissue collection containing the first five LPs from that little ol’ band from Texas — ZZ Top’s First Album (1971), Rio Grande Mud (1972), Tres Hombres (1973), Fandango! (1975), and Tejas (1976). Read on to learn about the source materials, the SRP, and where you can get From the Top exclusively. . .

Mark Smotroff  |  May 04, 2024  |  2 comments

Part 2 of our RSD 2024 Short Cuts roundup focuses on a pair of Holy Grail releases for reviewer Mark Smotroff — Gandalf’s self-titled 1969 debut and Parliament’s own 1970 debut, Osmium, the latter of which is now expanded into a 2LP Deluxe Edition. Read on to see if either or both of these RSD offerings are worthwhile additions to your own collection. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Feb 28, 2024  |  1 comments

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. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Feb 22, 2024  |  1 comments

There are seminal jazz albums — and then there is John Coltrane’s January 1965 Impulse! masterpiece, A Love Supreme. Numerous Supreme LP upgrades have been issued over the years — including the most recent and most excellent 11/11 UHQR edition from Analogue Productions — and now VMP enters the picture with their upcoming 180g 8LP mostly AAA limited edition box set that’s been earmarked for a late summer release. Read on to see all that this historic Supreme vinyl box set entails. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Jan 11, 2024  |  3 comments

Craft Recordings and Acoustic Sounds have just announced the latest entries in their rightly acclaimed Contemporary Records Acoustic Sounds series. An even-dozen AAA 180g 1LP titles will be released all throughout 2024, starting on February 23. Read on to see which titles will be in this rightfully acclaimed AAA LP reissue series, and when they’re coming. . .

Mike Mettler, Mark Smotroff  |  Dec 30, 2023  |  18 comments

Looks like another year has gone by with a seemingly endless release-cycle parade consisting of scores of brand-new LPs from both known artists and untested newcomers alike, along with a myriad of archival vinyl reissues and overstuffed box sets galore — a good number of them presented in the much-preferred AAA form to boot. With the calendar set to turn over to 2024 any day now, that means it’s high time to assess the best of what we’ve heard on wax during the past 12 months. Read on to see AP editor Mike Mettler and chief LP reviewer Mark Smotroff’s respective lists of the top archival and new LP releases of 2023. . .

Michael Fremer  |  May 16, 2022  |  48 comments
LOS ANGELES, May 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Sony Music and the Estate of Michael Jackson today announced that it will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Michael Jackson’s Thriller, the biggest selling album of all time, with the November 18 release of Michael Jackson Thriller 40, a double CD set comprised of Michael’s original masterpiece Thriller and an exciting second disc full of surprises for fans including never-released tracks which were worked on by Michael for the Thriller album. To date, the album has amassed in excess of 100 million in sales worldwide.

Michael Fremer  |  May 05, 2022  |  39 comments
Los Angeles – May 5, 2022- Verve/Ume and Acoustic Sounds announces the following titles coming throughout the year followed the April 29th release John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman (Impulse!, 1963).

Michael Fremer  |  Apr 13, 2022  |  68 comments
Craft Records today announced Miles Davis’s Relaxin’ as the next “Small Batch” limited to 5000 copies release. The pre-sale launches Friday April 15th at 2:00 PST/5:00 EST on the “Small Batch” website.

Michael Fremer  |  Apr 09, 2022  |  45 comments
When Craft Recordings rolled out its exclusive "Small Batch" limited edition "One Step" series last year it thought it had done a good thing.

Michael Fremer  |  Mar 24, 2022  |  14 comments
Blue Note today announced the next series of affordable Classic Vinyl 180g, all-analog reissues mastered by Kevin Gray using the original master tapes plated and pressed at Optimal in Germany. The records come in standard packaging to keep the costs down. Blue Note president Don Was and Cem Kurosman curate.

Michael Fremer  |  Mar 19, 2022  |  18 comments
Candid Records, founded in 1960 with Nat Hentoff as A&R director produced a catalog of great jazz and blues releases that also featured superb sound. A label relaunch was announced last week with 5 exceptionally fine titles leading the way, mastered by Bernie Grundman. The press release didn't specify if BG mastered from tape or from hi-res files so before posting this I asked the publicist to clarify.

Michael Fremer  |  Jan 06, 2022  |  36 comments
The Electric Recording Company announced today it will be releasing John Coltrane's ground breaking 1959 Atlantic album Giant Steps cut from the original Atlantic master tape using a mono cutter head on its 1965 all tube Lyrec cutting system.

Michael Fremer  |  Dec 07, 2021  |  12 comments
Coming January 28th: a 6 LP all-analog 180g "Tone Poet"vinyl box set containing all six 1960s Blue Note Ornette Coleman albums including his five as a leader (the two volume At The 'Golden Circle' Stockholm (1965), The Empty Foxhole (1966), New York Is Now! (1968), and Love Call (1968)—as well as Coleman's lone sideman appearances on saxophonist Jackie McLean's New And Old Gospel (1967).

Malachi Lui  |  Nov 28, 2021  |  14 comments
(Vinyl Reports is an AnalogPlanet feature aiming to create a definitive guide to vinyl LPs. Here, we talk about sound quality, LP packaging, music, and the overarching vinyl experience.)

Real-life used record shopping is as joyful as it is potentially frustrating. These days, I mostly find used record bins of previous decades’ detritus; however, a recent browse through Asheville’s Harvest Records yielded luck. Following are reviews of three of those finds, plus one used LP ordered on Discogs.

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