Mark Smotroff

Album Reviews
Second Volume in Ella Fitzgerald And Louis Armstrong Collaboration Trilogy, Ella And Louis Again, Mixes Fine Duets With Individual Showcase Moments on New 180g 2LP Masterpiece from Verve and Acoustic Sounds
Mark Smotroff  |  Oct 14, 2022  |  17 comments

Your decision as to whether you need the second volume in the 1950s trilogy of recorded collaborations between Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong — October 1957’s Ella And Louis Again — may depend on how much of a fan you are of the Great American Songbook and vocal jazz in general. Read on to see if this 180g 2LP offering from Verve and Acoustic Sounds whets the audiophile palate. . .

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Album Reviews
Outstanding Blue Note Tone Poet Series Reissues of John Coltrane’s Eternal Jazz Classic Blue Train in Separate 180g 1LP Mono and 180g 2LP Stereo Editions Beg the Question: Do You Get One or Both Versions?
Mark Smotroff  |  Oct 07, 2022  |  15 comments

John Coltrane’s landmark lone album for Blue Note Records, January 1958’s Blue Train, is an acknowledged jazz classic that has only grown in stature over the years. In fact, the album is so highly revered and so popular that demand for original 1950s pressings have escalated on the collector’s market, putting those editions essentially out of reach for most consumers. Fortunately, the good folks behind Blue Note’s Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue series have crafted not one but two releases to celebrate the 65th anniversary of this most beloved Trane album — namely, separate 180g 1LP mono and 180g 2LP stereo editions. This likely raises a slight dilemma for some of us as to which version of we should buy. Read on to find out if one, or both versions are worth obtaining. . .

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Album Reviews
Idris Muhammad’s Lost 1971 Soul Jazz Jam Album, Peace and Rhythm, Spins Fresh, Rippled Gold for a New Generation Via a 180g 1LP VMP Reissue Relatively Unaffected by Its Color-Vinyl Presentation
Mark Smotroff  |  Oct 06, 2022  |  4 comments

Unlike household names like John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Herbie Hancock, respected drummer Idris Muhammad is perhaps not all that well-known to most mainstream jazz music fans. Luckily, the good folks at Vinyl Me Please — working in conjunction with Craft Recordings’ Jazz Dispensary series — have just released a quite fine, RTI-pressed, Kevin Gray-remastered-and-lacquer-cut 180g 1LP reissue of Muhammad’s rare second solo album made for Prestige Records, 1971’s Peace and Rhythm. Read on to find our why you need to get your hands (and ears) on this long-lost limited-edition soul jazz classic. . .

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Album Reviews
The Breadth of the Music Heard on Pink Floyd’s New Animals 2018 Remix Shines Through, But Some Copies of the First Pressing of the 180g LP Are Experiencing Playback Issues
Mark Smotroff  |  Sep 30, 2022  |  17 comments

We’ve been talking about Pink Floyd’s Animals 2018 Remix LP for a few months now, and we’ve finally gotten copies in hand to spin on the AnalogPlanet reviewing turntable. How good does this new Animals 180g LP sound, you ask? Read on to find out what Mark Smotroff finds — as in, what’s truly great, and what’s not-so-great — in his in-depth review. . .

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Album Reviews
Chick Corea’s New Montreux Years 2LP Set Shines Via Remarkably Consistent Sounding MQA-Mastered 180g Vinyl
Mark Smotroff  |  Sep 23, 2022  |  7 comments

The latest album in Claude Nobs’ amazing series of official private-collection releases features none other than the late, great keyboard master, Chick Corea. Culled from the archives of The Montreux Jazz Festival, Chick Corea: The Montreux Years 2LP 180g set via BMG sounds remarkably fine and consistent across the years that span the multiple eras of these recordings. Read on to learn more about how the MQA-mastered Montreaux Years makes the grade on wax. . .

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Album Reviews
Acoustic Burnside, Duwayne Burnside’s New Acoustic Field Recordings LP, Pays Tribute to His Late Father and to an Era of Simpler Production Aesthetics
Mark Smotroff  |  Sep 09, 2022  |  9 comments

There’s a fine new acoustic blues album by an artist some of you may not have heard of: Duwayne Burnside. Acoustic Burnside was made in the style of classic field recordings from a half-century or so ago using a vintage microphone and a monaural analog reel-to-reel tape machine. Burnside, who has an established electric blues career, also happens to be the son of the late, great R. L. Burnside. Read on to discover why this sweet field-recording LP bridges the generations. . .

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Album Reviews
Elvis Costello and The Brodsky Quartet Go Against the Grain With a New Limited Edition 180g 1LP Purple LP Edition of The Juliet Letters
Mark Smotroff  |  Sep 02, 2022  |  9 comments

In January 1993, Elvis Costello spearheaded a fascinating album inspired by a newspaper article about a professor from Verona, Italy who had taken it upon himself to write replies to letters that were addressed to Shakespeare’s tragic — and imaginary — character, Juliet Capulet. Called The Juliet Letters, Elvis’ song cycle imagined and brought these letters to life, as backed by a highly talented string quartet known as The Brodsky Quartet. It may be a good time for reconsidering this wondrous recording, now that The Juliet Letters is available on 180g 1LP limited-edition purple vinyl. Read on to discover more about this new vinyl edition of one of Elvis Costello’s most ambitious musical works. . .

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Album Reviews
The Abbey Road Half-Speed Mastered 180g 2LP Reissue of The Who’s Tommy Is an Amazing Vinyl Journey, Delivering A Dramatically Improved, Rounder & More Robust Listening Experience
Mark Smotroff  |  Aug 26, 2022  |  20 comments
In May 1969, The Who’s Tommy was a near instantly iconic release which — in a make-or-break moment — stabilized the then-precarious career of Britain’s now legendary rockers. As one of the first rock operas — and still one of the best and most successful of them — Tommy caused quite a sea-change in the pop/rock music world by opening new doors and possibilities for composers, producers, and fans alike, and its impact is still felt to this day. The good news is, Tommy has just been reissued by Polydor/UMC in a quite wonderful half-speed-mastered 180g 2LP edition. Read on to find out exactly why this version of Tommy belongs in your collection and on your turntable, post-haste. . .

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Album Reviews
Ella And Louis Serve Up Sweet ’N’ Salty Vocals With a Side of Rich Trumpet for This Terrific Verve & Acoustic Sounds Mono 180g LP Reissue
Mark Smotroff  |  Aug 19, 2022  |  16 comments

The ongoing Verve Records and Acoustic Sounds reissue series has once again delivered a new vinyl edition of an iconic album that is arguably better than the original in most every way. This new reissue of the October 1956 mono vocal jazz classic Ella And Louis features singing legend Ella Fitzgerald at a superstar-ascending crossroads, teamed with one of the architects of modern jazz, Louis Armstrong — a.k.a. “Pops,” a.k.a. “Satchmo,” a.k.a. “Satch.” Read onward to find out why this new 180g edition honors the now-rare originals while improving upon them in many ways. . .

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Album Reviews
Exemplary New Abbey Road Studios Half-Speed-Mastered 180g 1LP Of The Who Sell Out Delivers a Rich, Warm & Round Listening Experience
Mark Smotroff  |  Aug 12, 2022  |  10 comments

An excellent new, 180g half-speed-mastered vinyl reissue of The Who’s December 1967 classic third studio album The Who Sell Out has recently been released by Polydor/UMC, and the results are quite impressive. If you are a serious fan of this record, there is enough significant new detail resonating in this new Abbey Road Studios-cut 1LP edition to make it worth your while to pick up. Read on to find out all the details. . .

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