Mark Smotroff

AAA VinylAlbum ReviewsVinyl Reports
New Vinylphyle 180g 1LP Edition of I Want You, Marvin Gaye’s Acclaimed 1976 Love-Letter Album, Delivers the Sultry Goods, While Companion I Love You 2 180g 2LP Set of Alternate Takes, Remixes, and Outtakes Makes Its Vinyl Debut
Mark Smotroff  |  Jun 12, 2026  |  First Published: Jun 12, 2026  |  comments

Continuing the sexy, soulful long-form song-cycle format of its predecessors while embracing fresh funky flavors of the day, Marvin Gaye’s 1976 LP I Want You has gone on to become quite revered over the years. And now, Tamla/UMe is feting I Want You with a 50th anniversary Vinylphyle 180g 1LP edition alongside a separate 180g 2LP rarities edition titled, naturally, I Want You 2. Read Mark Smotroff’s review to see if both releases are essential adds to your collection. . .

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Album ReviewsBeatlesVinyl Reports
The Two Remaining Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, Reflect on Their Respective Long and Winding Life Paths on a Pair of Concurrent New Solo LP Releases, The Boys of Dungeon Lane and Long Long Road
Mark Smotroff,  |  Jun 05, 2026  |  First Published: Jun 05, 2026  |  comments

Both surviving members of The Beatles — Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney — have just released fine new solo albums that take different approaches toward reflecting on their respective long and winding careers. Ringo released his Long Long Road LP on April 24, 2026, while Sir Paul released The Boys of Dungeon Lane a little more than a month later on May 29, 2026. Read Mark Smotroff’s combo review (and AP editor Mike Mettler’s detailed footnotes) to see if either or both of these Fab Two LPs are worthy of purchase and repeat spins accordingly. . .

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New Vinylphyle & DSS 60th Anniversary Reissues of The Beach Boys’ Seminal 1966 Masterpiece Pet Sounds Both Raise the Audiophile Bar in Their Own Respective Ways
Mark Smotroff  |  May 22, 2026  |  First Published: May 22, 2026  |  comments

Today, we’re delving into two new versions of The Beach Boys’ seminal May 1966 masterpiece, Pet Sounds, which has been released in two separate high-grade vinyl editions in celebration of its 60th anniversary: a) Capitol/UMe’s Vinylphyle series 2LP mono/stereo set, and b) Interscope/Capitol’s ultra-premium Definitive Sound Series (DSS) One Step edition. Read Mark Smotroff’s in-depth review of both editions to see how and why they’ve each met our own exacting standards, and how a long-lost 1972 master put one of them over the top. . .

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Album ReviewsVinyl Reports
The Beach Boys’ The Pet Sounds Sessions Highlights 2LP Set Curates Peak Moments From 30th Anniversary CD Box Set on Vinyl for the First Time
Mark Smotroff  |  May 21, 2026  |  First Published: May 21, 2026  |  comments

It was 60 years ago this week that Brian Wilson taught bands to play a different way with the release of The Beach Boys’ masterwork LP Pet Sounds on May 16, 1966. As part of this celebration, the first-time vinyl release of The Beach Boys’ The Pet Sounds Sessions Highlights 2LP set came out a week ago via Capitol/UMe on May 15, 2026. Read Mark Smotroff’s review to see why the building blocks of one of the most seminal releases in popular music history deserve your undivided vinyl attention. . .

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Album ReviewsVinyl Reports
Reconsidering ’80s Visionaries Talk Talk Via Excellent Half-Speed-Mastered Reissues of 1988’s Spirit of Eden and 1984’s It’s My Life, Plus 2025’s Newly Revampled The Very Best of Talk Talk 2LP Set
Mark Smotroff,  |  May 15, 2026  |  First Published: May 15, 2026  |  comments

Talk Talk is one of those groups that often fall through the cracks of both music history and mainstream consciousness — beloved by some, overlooked by many. Luckily, we have a pair of new half-speed-mastered LPs from their catalog to share a proper (re)assessment. Read on to see Mark Smotroff’s review of the HSM LPs for 1988’s Spirit of Eden and 1984’s It’s My Life, plus find out what AP editor Mike Mettler thinks of the merits of 2025’s The Very Best of Talk Talk 2LP set. . .

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Album ReviewsVinyl Reports
Mobile Fidelity’s UltraDisc One-Step 180g Editions of Michael Jackson’s Career-Defining Albums Off the Wall and Thriller Are Both Stunning Upgrades, and the 180g 2LP Original Master Recording Edition of Dangerous Is Right Behind Them
Mark Smotroff,  |  May 08, 2026  |  First Published: May 08, 2026  |  comments

In the wake of the success of Michael, the recent biopic that focuses on Michael Jackson’s extraordinary musical career, we here at AP wanted to recommend his best work on vinyl. Thankfully, Mobile Fidelity has a trio of audiophile-level MJ releases all worthy of our needle-drop attention. Read on to see Mark Smotroff’s review of the MoFi One-Step versions of Off the Wall and Thriller, while AP editor Mike Mettler tackles the Original Master Recording version of Dangerous (and offers his thoughts on the other two MoFi MJ releases in his footnotes). . .

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Analogue Productions’ Stellar 200g 2LP 45rpm UHQR Edition of The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s December 1967 Masterpiece Axis: Bold As Love Is a Revelation in Stereo (and in Mono Too)
Mark Smotroff,  |  May 01, 2026  |  First Published: May 01, 2026  |  comments

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. . .. . .

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Album ReviewsVinyl Reports
Record Store Day 2026 Roundup: Essential Releases From XTC, Buster Williams, and Brian Wilson, Albeit for Different Reasons
Mark Smotroff,  |  Apr 24, 2026  |  First Published: Apr 24, 2026  |  comments

Back on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, we here at AP shared our respective Record Store Day 2026 experiences, along with assessments of some of our purchases that day. In that post, we also mentioned that we would be delving into three more RSD 2026 releases at a later time — and that time is now. Read Mark Smotroff’s review (and AP editor Mike Mettler’s footnotes) to see why the RSD 2026 releases from XTC, Buster Williams, and Brian Wilson are all worthy of your attention — albeit for quite different reasons. . .

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Record Store Day 2026: Pink Floyd, Robert Plant, Billy Squier, Freddie King, XTC, and More Rule the RSD LP Roost
Mike Mettler,  |  Apr 22, 2026  |  First Published: Apr 22, 2026  |  comments

By almost all accounts, Record Store Day 2026, which took place last Saturday, April 18, 2026, was a rousing success. We here at AP were, of course, out in full force that day, and we can now report back on what we were able to get our hands on in the moment and what we think of them. (Some of our thoughts may surprise you.) We’ll also discuss what we didn’t get, and/or what we’re still looking to get our hands (and ears) on. Read on to see AP editor Mike Mettler and chief LP reviewer Mark Smotroff’s mutual RSD 2026 assessments. . .

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AAA VinylAlbum ReviewsVinyl Reports
One-Step DSS AAA Pressing of Chronic Town and Murmur, Two Truly Seminal Early R.E.M. Releases Featured Together in a 180g 2LP Set, Simply Astounds
Mark Smotroff,  |  Apr 03, 2026  |  First Published: Apr 03, 2026  |  comments

Athens, Georgia’s legendary indie rock band R.E.M.’s back-to-back initial releases on I.R.S. — August 1982’s five-song Chronic Town EP, and April 1983’s full-length album debut Murmur — are now featured together in a Definitive Sound Series (DSS) One-Step 180g 2LP set from Interscope/Capitol. Read Mark Smotroff’s review — and AP editor Mike Mettler’s extensive footnotes — to see if this double release is well worth the DSS investment. . .

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