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AAA VinylAlbum Reviews
Analogue Productions’ UHQR 200g 45rpm 2LP UHQR Version of Steely Dan’s Gaucho Finally Actualizes the Near-Perfection and Soulful Grace Lurking Amidst the Grooves of Its Clinically Clean, Grammy Award-Winning Original 1980 Vinyl Edition
Mike Mettler  |  May 15, 2024

Gaucho is the fifth entry in Analogue Productions' comprehensive 200g 45rpm 2LP Steely Dan UHQR reissue series, and this one has been sourced from a 1980 analog tape copy originally EQ'd by Bob Ludwig, who also mastered the original album itself. Read AP editor Mike Mettler’s in-depth review to find out if the new Gaucho UHQR improves upon the original release’s Grammy-winning sonics. . .

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AAA VinylAlbum Reviews
John Lee Hooker Conjures Acoustic Fire on AAA Acoustic Sounds-Curated 60th Anniversary 180g 1LP Reissue of Burning Hell Via Craft Recordings
Mark Smotroff  |  Jun 28, 2024

Original pressings of it from 1964 are scarce, as it was initially issued primarily in the UK. What’s a vinyl-loving fan of acoustic blues on a budget to do? Fortunately, Craft Recordings has come to the rescue, seeing fit to reissue John Lee Hooker’s legendary 1964 Riverside Records LP, Burning Hell as part of their new Bluesville series. Read Mark Smotroff’s review to see if this AAA edition of Burning Hell should be fired up or your turntable sooner than later. . .

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AAA VinylAlbum Reviews
The Doors’ L.A. Woman Puts You Right in the Band’s Rehearsal Room on Acoustic Sounds’ Stunning New 200g 1LP UHQR Edition
Mike Mettler  |  Oct 02, 2024

In honor of Audiophile Day (October 2), I spent the balance of my afternoon and evening hours spinning some of my favorite LPs, both new and old alike. With that in mind, let me tell you a story about The Doors and the big beat of Analogue Productions’ new 200g 1LP UHQR edition of their April 1971 studio swan song with Jim Morrison behind the mike during his lifetime, L.A. Woman. Read on to see why this new Clarity Vinyl edition belongs on your turntable now. . .

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AAA VinylAlbum Reviews
Talking Heads: 77 Gets Well-Deserved, and Totally Killer, 4LP + 4 7-Inch Singles Super Deluxe Edition Box Set Treatment, With Original LP –> AAA All the Way
Mike Mettler  |  Nov 08, 2024

The phrase “auspicious debut” is often overused when discussing many an upstart band’s first album — but when it comes to Talking Heads, it’s a phrase that certainly fits the bill whenever you’re both discussing and listening to the fledgling punk/new wave NYC quartet’s first LP, September 1977’s Talking Heads: 77. And now, this important debut album gets its full box set due today, November 8, 2024, with Rhino’s 4LP + 4 7-inch singles-comprised Talking Heads: 77 – Super Deluxe Edition box set, with the original album therein remastered AAA all the way. Read AP editor Mike Mettler’s review to see why 77 is another vital vinyl box set to add to your collection — plus see his suggestion for the official, more affordable alternate option of half the box’s contents if your bankbook is currently lacking. . .

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AAA VinylAlbum ReviewsBeatles
The Beatles’ 1964 U.S. Albums in Mono 180g 8LP Box Set Offers All-Analog Updates That Will Appeal to Enthusiasts and Newbies Alike
Mark Smotroff  |  Dec 06, 2024

In the Beatleverse, it is generally well known and quite accepted that the mono mixes of the early Beatles recordings are considered superior to the stereo counterparts for many reasons. Thus, a new box set assembling 21st century recreations of the U.S. Beatles albums in their original monaural sound has a special sort of appeal — and that’s where the 1964 U.S. Albums in Mono 180g 8LP box set, which was released by Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMe on November 22, 2024, comes into play. Read Mark Smotroff’s review to see if The Beatles’ 1964 U.S. Albums in Mono 180g 8LP box set is fab enough to put on your holiday-purchase list, or if you should buy each album individually. . .

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AAA VinylAlbum Reviews
Miles Davis’ Birth of the Blue 180g 1LP Set From Analogue Productions Is an Astounding-Sounding Companion to His Seminal 1959 LP, Kind of Blue
Ken Micallef  |  Jan 17, 2025

As noted in our coverage of the press event that happened in NYC back in December 2024, Miles Davis’ Birth of the Blue assembles, “in a single release, music recorded in 1958, one year prior to the landmark Kind of Blue.” Read Ken Micallef’s review to see if this AAA 180g 1LP release from Analogue Productions lives up to its advance billing. . .

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AAA VinylAlbum Reviews
The 200g 45rpm 2LP UHQR Edition of Steely Dan’s Katy Lied Sounds As Good As Any Vinyl World That It’s Welcome To
Mike Mettler, Mark Smotroff, Ken Micallef  |  Feb 20, 2025

Who are these children / Who scheme and run wild. . . No, that’s not a comment on the youth of today, but rather a piercing lyrical couplet of sorts that can only mean one thing — it’s time for us to dive deep into the just-released 200g 45rpm 2LP UHQR edition of Steely Dan’s March 1975 treasure of an LP, Katy Lied. Read Mike Mettler, Mark Smotroff, and Ken Micallef’s combo review to see if the UHQR version of Katy Lied meets and/or exceeds the standards set by its companion SD releases in this all-important reissue series. . .

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AAA VinylAlbum Reviews
Bill Evans Trio’s Masterful Final Studio Recording, 1961’s Explorations, Receives a Most Excellent AAA 180g 1LP Small Batch Treatment
Mark Smotroff  |  May 09, 2025

Explorations, the 1961 second and final studio release by the classic first Bill Evans Trio featuring piano maestro Bill Evans, bassist Scott LaFaro, and drummer Paul Motian, is remarkable on many levels. Craft Recordings’ recent, late-2024-released Small Batch AAA 180g 1LP edition of this influential, highly sought after jazz classic is sure to be appreciated by jazz aficionados and audiophiles alike who have been searching for as definitive a pressing as possible. Read Mark Smotroff’s review to see why this Small Batch Explorations LP is well worth your time and money. . .

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