Mike Mettler

Jamie West-Oram is a master of texture. Forty-plus years ago, the long-tenured guitarist of The Fixx forged a signature soundscape bed for the band’s chief lyricist and lead vocalist Cy Curnin to weave his timeless tales around, typically buttressed by adventurous keyboard figures from Rupert Greenall and more often than not buoyed by the studio acumen of producer Rupert Hine and engineer Stephen W. Tayler. During a recent Zoom interview with AP editor Mike Mettler, West-Oram discusses the genesis of his new solo album Skeleton Key, why The Fixx couldn’t just leave Side D of their 2022 2LP set Every Five Seconds blank, and how their 1983 breakthrough LP Reach the Beach retains such palpable resonance on vinyl to this very day. . .

We have not yet given proper due to nor spotlight on the Döhmann Helix Two Mk3 turntable, so no better time than the present to get up to speed with this most current, and quite formidable, offering from the noted Australian manufacturer. Read on to glean all the features and specs for this truly top-tier, Aussie-made, work-of-art turntable. . .

Pretzel Logic, the third entry in Analogue Productions' comprehensive all-analog 200g 45rpm 2LP Steely Dan UHQR reissue series, is indeed a bit of a different sonic animal than its predecessors, Can’t Buy a Thrill and Countdown to Ecstasy. That’s due in no small part to SD co-founders Walter Becker and Donald Fagen wanting the album to have more of a first-call studio musician feel to it overall. Read AP editor Mike Mettler’s in-depth review to find out if the Pretzel Logic UHQR is the kind of record you want on your phonograph. . .

We here at AP felt it was high time for a state-of-the-art update on Audio-Technica’s ART series of moving coil (MC) cartridges, so we’re going to take a closer look at the four models currently being offered under the company’s ART umbrella. Read on to see what all the features and SRPs are for the A-T ART cart series quartet accordingly. . .