In Heavy Rotation
October 8th, 2025
An Incredibly Spectacular Experimental Album Featuring Early Works By Yoko Ono This album is special in many ways. How did I come across this album? Let me start at the beginning ... By: Frank WonnebergBerlin, the city where I was born, grew up, and still live today, was divided for three decades. The Berlin Wall stood here, and the city was perhaps the most famous border between East and West. The Wall completely enclosed West Berlin, but also ran right through the middle of historic Berlin. The Wall separated not only the country and its people, but also its culture. Most of the theaters, opera houses, museums, and libraries were located in East Berlin, which was... Read More
Comments: 0October 8th, 2025
The Audio Salon Hosts Rhino's First Reel To Reel Tape Releases! Can't mention the titles but they are great choices! By: Tracking AngleThis Thursday, Oct 9th from 7-9PM, The Audio Salon is honored to be hosting a reel-to-reel tape listening event. Join us for drinks and the world premier of the re-release of two amazing CLASSIC ROCK albums. Please RSVP to amickum@shorefire.com if you would like to attend. Read More
Comments: 0October 7th, 2025
‘Everything Louder Than Everything Else’ - Deep Purple Conquers with “Made in Japan” Steven Wilson works his remixing magic on the archetypal hard rock double live album By: Dylan PegginDeep Purple’s Mark II lineup of Blackmore/Lord/Paice/Gillan/Glover, strayed from the group’s psychedelic origins, adapting to the harder-rocking style of contemporaries like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, which became the pillars of what became heavy metal. Fueled by lengthy and dynamic improvisations, the group was an untamable force on the live stage, something that worked in favor of their reputation and against the notion that it would translate efficiently on... Read More
Comments: 5October 6th, 2025
Rhino High Fidelity Unzips a Flaccid "Never Mind The Bollocks Here's The Sex Pistols" kinda soft By: Michael FremerOkay, here's my sub mission: I'm spoiled. I have the original 11 track Virgin U.K. release (A2/B1) issued in haste and quickly corrected to the 12 track standard version. You want Steve Jones's snarling, fibrillating singular animal guitar (arguably the glue that holds the record together, created by reproducing his guitar part an octave down as explained in Chris Thomas's notes in this reissue) make your ears sizzle. You want Lydon/Rotten's... Read More
Comments: 17October 6th, 2025
The Sharp Notes Record Store Opens in The Garden State Plaza Mall! our Evan Toth opens it and hosted Grand Opening Saturday October 4th By: Michael FremerContributing writer Evan Toth opened The Sharp Notes record store in the sprawling Garden State Plaza shopping center last month and on Saturday, October 4th held a grand opening celebration. It's the first new record store in the mall in at least 30 years. That one was Coconuts back when there was Bananas (still there in St. Pete), Coconuts, Peaches, Strawberries, Licorice Pizza, and other fruit cocktail record stores.The mall parking lots were filled so people... Read More
Comments: 5October 5th, 2025
Technics' $899.99 SL-50C Direct Drive Shakes Up the Under $1000 Turntable Market. built-in phono preamp, Ortofon 2M Red and 3 speeds too By: Michael FremerTechnics recently introduced a pair of under $1000 direct drive turntables. The less costly SL-40CBT includes Bluetooth connectivity and a less costly cartridge. Technics sent for review the $899.99 SL-50C, featuring the Ortofon 2M Red, built in defeatable phono preamp and 3 speed operation.Built-in MM phono preampHow did Technics achieve cost savings to bring the price down to $900? Not by skimping on the direct drive motor. The SL-50C uses an "SL-1500C... Read More
Comments: 2October 5th, 2025
Resolution Audio's Brooklyn Headquarters Spared from Fire But Nonetheless Suffered Severe Smoke and Water Damage Go Fund Me Project underway to help By: Michael FremerResolution Audio's 7500 square foot hi-fi / smart home facility in Brooklyn recently experienced a 5-alarm fire—or more specifically the entire building was hit one way or another. While the fire did not spread directly to Adam Wexler's retail space (spotlit in a June post), there was water and smoke damage caused by the fire, which burned for more than 24 hours. On September 23rd, DeVore Audio's John DeVore organized a Go Fund Me campaign to help... Read More
Comments: 1October 3rd, 2025
Zombies "Odessey and Oracle" Always Meant to Be Mono available in mono (in America) for first time in decades By: Michael FremerIf the music wasn't so interesting and singular, the story behind the album recorded in 1967 and released in 1968 would easily be more so. Dumped by Decca after having a string of great singles including "She's Not There", the group self-financed this project, recorded much of it at what later would be called Abbey Road Studios (with some at Olympic), signed to CBS, put out two singles and then this album released April, 1968 a month after the band... Read More
Comments: 7October 3rd, 2025
Acoustic Sounds Distributes Limited Edition Joan Baez Spoken Word Album 1000 copies only of "When You See My Mother, Ask Her To Dance" By: Tracking AngleJoan Baez has sung for presidents, marched for justice, and filled concert halls with her voice. But here, for the first time, she sets aside the guitar and lets her words do the singing. When You See My Mother, Ask Her To Dance is Baez's debut book of poetry — now transformed into a limited-edition spoken-word album, exclusively distributed by Acoustic Sounds.With her unmistakable warmth, wit, and wry honesty, Baez narrates poems about the icons she knew (Bob... Read More
Comments: 3October 3rd, 2025
Four New Strata-East Titles Cut From Tape Announced one for RSD "Black Friday" the others Dec. 12th By: Tracking Angle
October 2, 2025: Today, Mack Avenue Music Group and Strata-East Records announced the physical release of four legendary albums from the Strata-East catalog. Celebrating the revolutionary spirit of one of the most influential artist-owned independent jazz labels in history, Strata-East titles from Charles Tolliver & Stanley Cowell, The Heath Brothers, Cecil McBee, and The Descendants of Mike and Phoebe will be released on CD and 180-gram vinyl, with audio cut directly from the original master tapes. The vinyl release for The Descendants of Mike and Phoebe is out on November 28 as a Record Store Day Black Friday 2025 exclusive, while the other three albums will be released on December 12. |
October 3rd, 2025
"Miles Davis Live at the Plugged Nickel" 10 LP Mosaic Box Set Reissued by Sony Music Entertainment! no info yet as to sourcing, mastering or pressing...will update ASAP By: Tracking AngleOctober 3, 2025 – Six decades later, the music still wows, baffles, and inspires. What happened over two nights in a tiny, unassuming Chicago club under a bakery was a fascinating and unplanned documentation of a pivotal moment in the evolution of Miles Davis's leadership and sound. Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, today announce the reissue of these legendary recordings: THE COMPLETE LIVE AT THE PLUGGED... Read More
Comments: 7October 2nd, 2025
"The Jazz Detective" Zev Feldman Announces Time Traveler Recordings a multiple genre venture that begins with reissues from the Muse Records catalog By: Michael Fremer"The Jazz Detective" Zev Feldman best known for his worldwide vault discovery jazz issues on Resonance, Elemental and other labels, just announced a new venture: Time Traveler Recordings —a wide ranging program of reissues and newly discovered recordings that will cross over beyond jazz to other musical genres. For starters though Feldman is reissuing, in association with Craft Recordings, titles from the long dormant Muse Records catalog. The "Master... Read More
Comments: 2October 2nd, 2025
Parlophone Finally Finishes Ruining David Bowie’s Catalog Mastering (PART 2) The botched 'I Can't Give Everything Away' box set plus two others By: Malachi LuiNow for part two of our David Bowie vinyl guide aka “how Parlophone botched most of their current remaster series” (part one here). Before we dive in, I’ve read all the comments about part one and have a couple things to address:Yes, the '70s albums inherently aren’t the most dynamic mixes, nor would I want them to be. Yes, Bowie and Visconti (when applicable) often went for a thick, processed sound, and they achieved that on the originals. That’s what Bowie... Read More
Comments: 15October 2nd, 2025
The Monkees "Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones LTD." First Ever Sourced From Original Master Tape Rhino High Fidelity Limited edition By: Tracking Angle(October 2, 2025 - Los Angeles, CA) Rhino revisits The Monkees’ most sonically adventurous studio album with two new editions of Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. On October 3, the album will receive its first-ever vinyl pressing from the original analog stereo master reels as part of the Rhino High Fidelity series. Alongside the High Fidelity pressing, returns in an expansive 4CD/7-inch Super Deluxe Edition featuring previously unreleased recordings, new... Read More
Comments: 6October 1st, 2025
Cécile McLorin Salvant's "Oh Snap" (!!) Our greatest singer gets funky By: Fred KaplanBack in 2016, while interviewing her for a New Yorker profile, I asked Cécile McLorin Salvant, who was 28 years old and just emerging as the era’s greatest jazz singer, whether she might cover contemporary pop tunes. The question made her wince. “There are some new songs that I really like,” she replied, “but I never think, ‘Maybe I’ll sing this song.’ I don’t care whether what I do is modern or of our time. I want to sing songs that have this timeless quality… I love... Read More
Comments: 0October 1st, 2025
Intervention Records to Release Sun Record Classic "Dance Album of Carl Perkins" Cut AAA 180g, 45rpm mono cut from original analog tapes for first time in decades! By: Tracking Angle(Press release): 10/1/2025 Intervention Records is proud to announce the first vinyl release in its Intervention Sun Records Hi-Fi Series, Carl Perkins' groundbreaking rockabilly classic, 1957's Dance Album of Carl Perkins.This December 2025 premium vinyl release commemorates the 70th anniversary of Sun's Sam Philips recording Carl Perkins' smash "Blue Suede Shoes," which was released as a single on New Year's Day 1956. Dance Album... Read More
Comments: 4September 30th, 2025
The Lamb STILL Lies Down on Broadway Rael’s story gets retold for its 50th anniversary By: Dylan PegginBy 1974, Genesis was on its way from being lauded an underground cult favorite to an entity with commercial potential within the English progressive rock scene. Selling England By The Pound peaked at No. 3 in the UK album charts, and it spawned their first minor hit, “I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe).” In a concert setting, frontman Peter Gabriel became the group’s central figure, captivating audiences with an abundance of costumes and headdresses that elaborated... Read More
Comments: 8September 29th, 2025
REL Acoustics Celebrates 35 Years With New S Serie Subwoofers & HQ Event I attended and learned a lot from the team By: Michael FremerCelebrating 35 years in the subwoofer business this year was a major landmark for REL Acoustics. On September 23rd, 2025 the company launched a completely new and "reimagined" Serie S line featuring four new models: the 212 Black Label, Carbon Special Black Label, S/850 and S/550. REL also held a September 17th and 18th event at its Berkeley CA headquarters, inviting journalists from traditional print magazines and websites as well as a group of "brand... Read More
Comments: 3September 27th, 2025
Decoding the Dawn of Modern Music - The Original Source Offers Fresh Illumination of Karajan and the BPO's Groundbreaking Survey of the Second Viennese School - PART 3 The Karajan Effect By: Mark Ward
In Part 3 of my detailed survey of these groundbreaking recordings, I examine the unique qualities Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra brought to these still benchmark accounts of this challenging repertoire. I also offer a detailed review of each record, and suggestions for further exploration of the Second Viennese School - on vinyl, CD, SACD and in a fine new biography of Schoenberg. (Part 1 of this series of articles presented an account of Schoenberg's development of atonality and serialism, and Part 2 examined the history of recordings of this repertoire prior to the original release of Karajan's set in 1974).
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