Michael Fremer

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AAA VinylAlbum Reviews
It Could Happen To You: Chet Baker Sings From Craft Is Another AAA Reissue Great
Michael Fremer  |  Nov 29, 2019  |  comments
Chet Baker was 29 years old when he recorded this album of vocals with occasional trumpet back in the summer of 1958 released today, 61 years later for RSD Black Friday.. He sounds like a kid. Actually you could argue he sounds positively girl-ish, which back then must have driven them pretty crazy—even crazier than did his chiseled, pugilistic face.

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AAA VinylNews
Joan Armatrading  Back on From Intervention
Michael Fremer  |  Mar 02, 2020  |  First Published: Mar 02, 2020  |  comments
Intervention's long delayed release of Joan Armatrading's eponymously titled third album is now set to ship this May. It's now available for pre-order on the Intervention Records website.

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News
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band The Ultimate Collection  From UMe Drops April 16th
Michael Fremer  |  Mar 04, 2021  |  First Published: Mar 04, 2021  |  comments
John Lennon's raw, jarring solo debut album first released December 11, 1970 gets the 50th anniversary treatment in a multi-release series coming this April 16th. For those experiencing the album when it was first released 50 years ago, it was at first an ugly shock to hear a former Beatle (the phrase "former Beatle" was to fans shocking enough) bare his soul and express his personal anguish and pain, while simultaneously declaring "the dream" (whatever it was) "over".

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Album ReviewsFeatures
Joni Mitchell The Reprise Albums (1968-1971) —The Perfect Box Set Reissue?
Michael Fremer  |  Sep 02, 2021  |  First Published: Sep 02, 2021  |  comments
Joni Mitchell first came to the attention of some folk music enthusiasts from the three songs heard on Tom Rush’s 1968 release The Circle Game (Elektra 74018). Rush covers “Tin Angel”, “Urge For Going” and of course “The Circle Game.” Rush also covers on the album songs from Jackson Browne and James Taylor before they too became well known.

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AAA VinylAlbum Reviews
Katanga! Proves West Coast Jazz Need Not Be "Cool"
Michael Fremer  |  Oct 05, 2021  |  comments
Everything is true that you might have heard or read about this “off the beaten Tone Poet path” release.

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AAA VinylAlbum Reviews
la Spagna  One of Stan Ricker's Final Cuts is a Gift to Audiophiles
Michael Fremer  |  Aug 24, 2015  |  comments
Originally released in 1980 on the Swedish BIS label, the double LP la spagna became an instant, certified “audiophile classic”. It was on the late Harry Pearson’s “Super Disc” list since forever, with used copies regularly fetching upwards of $200.

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News
Lazaretto  Sells 40,000 Vinyl Copies, Opens at #1 on Billboard Charts
Michael Fremer  |  Jun 19, 2014  |  First Published: Jun 19, 2014  |  comments
Jack White's new Third Man/Columbia album Lazaretto opened at #1 on Billboard's album charts, selling 138,000 copies, 40,000 of which were the "ultra" vinyl edition, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It was the biggest vinyl seller since the beginning in 1991 of Nielsen SoundScan's music tracking service.
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Album Reviews
Led Zeppelin   Debut Reissue Gets Respect
Michael Fremer  |  Jul 10, 2014  |  comments
“Bloated Blimp”. That’s what I called the band after hearing this album for the first time. I also thought the Hindenburg disaster album cover in bad taste. But then I was in law school in 1969 and trying the straight and narrow after “widening” (not around the waist) in college.

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AAA VinylAlbum Reviews
Legrand Jazz Gets Grand IMPEX AAA Reissue
Michael Fremer  |  Sep 03, 2017  |  comments
"Mood music" is how the annotation characterizes this album of medium-sized ensembles imaginatively arranged by the then still in his 20s French jazz enthusiast Michel Legrand. Previous to these 1958 sessions Legrand had released three "mood music" concept albums: I Love Paris (CL555), Columbia Album of Cole Porter (C2L4), Legrand in Rio (CL 1139) and I Love Movies (CL 1178). This was his first stab at a real jazz album andgiven the assembled cast of greats what a heady experience it must have been for him to both arrange and conduct in New York City those three days in early summer, 1958 .

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AAA VinylAlbum Reviews
Legrand Jazz  Even Grander on IMPEX Double 45 AAA Reissue
Michael Fremer  |  Sep 03, 2019  |  comments
This is the 45rpm version of IMPEX's 2017 33 1/3 all-analog reissue of Michel Legrand's somewhat overlooked musical and sonic treasure featuring many of the greatest jazz artists of the era. Nothing other than Legrand's passing has changed since the original reissue review, so I'm just repeating it, other than to add that it sounds even "Legrander" at 45rpm, though if you already own IMPEX's 33 1/3 version, it's not really necessary to buy it again, unless you must! An enticement might be the now glossy laminated jacket and gatefold booklet with a very useful and informed essay by KCRW's Tom Schnabel.

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