April 30th, 2025
Elemental Music Offers More Live, Unheard Bill Evans & Art Pepper: Pristine-Sounding Records For Completists PURCHASE THESE IF ART PEPPER’S SUNSET YEARS COMPEL YOU — AND IF NO AMOUNT OF BILL EVANS IS ENOUGH By: Morgan EnosZev Feldman’s devotion to Bill Evans borders on evangelism — and the flock is growing. While prepping 2023’s Treasures: Solo, Trio & Orchestra Recordings, the Resonance Records co-founder dropped into Crooked Beat Records in Alexandria, Virginia, only to learn the shop had pre-ordered 30 copies — an eye-popping tally for a niche archival set. “We’ll have 300 people around the block,” owner Bill Daly reported. “Your Bill Evans records — everybody wants them.”... Read More
Comments: 0April 30th, 2025
This "Lost Recording" is Definitely Worth Finding! beautifully recorded in stereo by Berlin-Brandenburg Radio in Saal 3 studio (Hall 3) East Berlin By: Michael FremerHonestly at this point with the Ward/Johnson team writing for Tracking Angle, I often feel inadequate writing about classical music but I'll do my best. The Spanish concert pianist Alicia De Larrocha (1923-2009) gained fame in America touring in 1954 with The Los Angeles Philharmonic. She left an extensive discography that included many sonically outstanding recordings for Decca/London, highlighting Spanish composers including Granados, Rodrigo, Falla, Albéniz... Read More
Comments: 2April 30th, 2025
On "Coastal" Neil Young Reemerges on the Bumpy Tour Road Soundtrack to the Daryl Hannah-directed tour documentary By: Brian FisherNeil Young has been perfectly and, for some, frustratingly in the moment since the 1960’s. But, what does that look like in 2025? Prior to the pandemic, Neil was recording and touring with Promise of the Real, a band largely made up of Willie Nelson’s kids. Decades younger, and with a vibrancy that goes hand-in-hand with youth, the members of Neil Young’s backing band seemed to be just as inspired by his fire as he was by theirs. That era in Neil’s music was truly... Read More
Comments: 0April 29th, 2025
Lori Lieberman Covers Lou, Scott, Traci, Robert, Ron, Alan and Lori— Releases a Live In The Studio All-Analog Record yes, that "Perfect Day", "Secret Heart", "Big Louise" and more By: Michael FremerLori Lieberman has released albums aimed at the so-called audiophile market for almost 30 years, but this one is the first (since her days on Capitol) with full analog bonafides. That's no guarantee of great sounding results, anymore than her previous digitally recorded ones did not have superb sound, because they did—2022's American Songbook themed Truly for instance. Here she's also gone "live in the studio", which adds considerable risk.... Read More
Comments: 1April 29th, 2025
Rhino Reserve Premium Vinyl Series Celebrates Black Music Month With Baby Huey's "The Baby Huey Story", The Meters' "Fire on the Bayou", And Otis Redding's "Blue" CUT FROM THE ANALOG TAPES AND PRESSED ON 180-GRAM BLACK VINYL By: Tracking Angle(April 29, 2025 - Los Angeles, CA) In celebration of Black Music Month, Rhino Reserve continues with the next installment of the acclaimed premium vinyl series with Baby Huey’s The Baby Huey Story: The Living Legend, The Meters’ Fire On The Bayou, and Otis Redding’s Otis Blue. This next set of Rhino Reserve titles are pressed on 180-gram premium-quality black vinyl locally at Fidelity Record Pressing’s brand-new plant in Oxnard, CA, and cut by the highly respected... Read More
Comments: 2April 28th, 2025
AXPONA Video 5 And MF's Show Wrap-Up I second Ken Redmond's "Best Yet"! By: Michael FremerYes, it's an audio show, but I'd rather cover what was new there to see rather than how the gear sounded in hotel rooms. Sure, some rooms made pretty compelling music and it wasn't necessarily based on cost, but when I hear equipment at shows that I've had at home or own, it never sounds as good in a hotel room or a hotel ballroom. So I don't think it's of much value to tell readers about the "great sound" in any good sounding... Read More
Comments: 3April 28th, 2025
What The Man Said: "Venus and Mars" Cut at Half-Speed WINGS' HIGH WATERMARK GETS A HALF CENTURY REISSUE By: JoE SilvaFreshly sprung from his contractual ties to the other Fabs, the McCartneys and Co. in January of 1975 lit upon New Orleans. With a batch of new songs that he was sure would surpass those on Band On The Run, contemporary reports found that Paul was feeling as toppermost as he had in years. And by settling on the Crescent City as his recording venue, he may have been hoping to recapture the magic (and the Grammy noms…) he’d found by once again working outside of the... Read More
Comments: 0April 28th, 2025
On the “De Lane Lea Demos” Hear 'Pre-Coronation" Queen This is what the ‘Queen I’ remix should’ve sounded like! By: Dylan PegginQueen’s legacy is at the same ante as the Beatles, where one in every four households is likely to own their Greatest Hits compilation. Best known for crafting mini operatic suites and sports stadium anthems, the casual listener is probably not in tune with Queen’s hard-rocking origins. Hollywood Records focused on that era with the release of Queen I last year. Different release configurations transformed it from a remix of their self-titled debut into a period deep... Read More
Comments: 0“…. It’s on to Chicago and AXPONA 2025, where the show is large, the atmosphere is more businesslike, and there's always a sense of urgency. While I enjoy the big shows and the variety of products I encounter there, I'm already looking forward to SWAF 2026 and another trip to Dallas.” That was the closing paragraph from my SWAF 2025 show report as I prepared to head to Chicago and subject myself to the mentally and physically overwhelming experience known... Read More
Comments: 1April 25th, 2025
Sutherland Dos Locos Transimpedance Phono Preamplifier A sonic change is in the Sutherland air By: Stephen CP CarrollA piece of gear with no dials, knobs, switches, or any way to indulge my illusion of control over the sound coming out of my system? Hmmm... Out of the box that’s the energy the Sutherland Dos Locos phono preamplifier arrived with—a “my way or the highway” vibe. Input, output, power, and grounding connections. That’s it – just a blank face with one small light confirming it’s powered up and ready to dance (a choice of blue light in the black face or amber light in the... Read More
Comments: 5April 25th, 2025
Going for the Gold: The Score for "Goldfinger" Remastered and Reassessed - PART 2 LaLaLand Records’ latest offering of John Barry’s iconic score is an Essential Slice of Pop Culture History, one worth exploring By: Mark Ward
Film music specialist LaLaLand Records continues its series of comprehensive 007 reissues with the score that set the musical template for the entire series. I continue my deep dive into the story behind the creation of this iconic piece of 60s pop culture with a detailed assessment of this important restoration and reissue. Barry, Bassey and Bond - nobody does it better…
Read More Comments: 2April 25th, 2025
Treasures Untold : A Modern 78 RPM Reader Book Review and Interview with editor Josh Rosenthal By: JoE SilvaNo matter how long the line was you were standing in for Record Store Day, it’s unlikely there was anyone in that queue who cared about 78s. Because even if your local had put out a moldy crate or two of shellac just for kicks, the serious collectors had already been through them weeks ago. In general, RSD 2025 is no place for the hardcore.That said you might have had a few few exceptions waiting on line considering that RSD was also the release date of Josh... Read More
Comments: 0April 24th, 2025
P-VINE Reissuing Clifford Jordan's Mapleshade Albums on CD and Vinyl first time on vinyl and first time in Japan on any format By: Michael FremerP-VINE Records recently announced it is re-issuing Clifford Jordan’s four Mapleshade albums on CD and vinyl. This is the first time any of these recordings have been released in Japan or have ever been available on vinyl. Older readers will most likely be familiar with both Mapleshade and these recordings, produced and engineered by the late Pierre Sprey. Please hit that hyperlink because I suspect many who knew about these records and Pierre, had no idea about his... Read More
Comments: 18April 24th, 2025
The Persisting Significance of the String Quartet “Eat Your String Quartets! They Are Good for You!” By: John Marks
My thesis is that music written for the ensemble of two violins, one viola, and one cello constitutes the musical art form that most nearly approaches perfection, both in its past achievements and its present possibilities. The greatest minds and most perceptive dispositions find in the literature and performance of string-quartet music an endlessly self-renewing source of wonder and delight. The string quartet is a most felicitous meeting of potential and realization.
Read More Comments: 7April 23rd, 2025
Going for the Gold: The Score for "Goldfinger" Remastered and Reassessed - PART 1 LaLaLand Records’ latest offering of John Barry’s iconic score is an Essential Slice of Pop Culture History, one worth exploring By: Mark Ward
Film music specialist LaLaLand Records continues its series of comprehensive 007 reissues with the score that set the musical template for the entire series. Take a deep dive into the story behind the creation of this iconic piece of 60s pop culture, and a detailed assessment of this important restoration and reissue. Barry, Bassey and Bond - nobody does it better…
Read More Comments: 4April 22nd, 2025
78 Year Old Record Producer/Engineer/Songwriter Roy Thomas Baker R.I.P.—Died April 12th, Family Just Announced your record collection is surely filled with his work By: Michael FremerRoy Thomas Baker, one of the rock era's most successful producer/engineers, best known for producing Queen's first five albums, as well as the first four albums by The Cars, died at age of 78 at his home in Lake Havasu City, AZ on April 12 his family just revealed. Cause of death not known. (Photo credit: Jimmy Steinfeldt)Baker's best known production, Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" released in 1975 is currently the most streamed song... Read More
Comments: 6April 21st, 2025
Nancy Harrow, Jaki Byard, Memphis Slim: Candid Records’ Reissue Campaign Does Justice To Its Original Run IT’S FASCINATING THAT THIS LABEL EXISTED AT ALL — AND WE’RE REAPING THE BENEFITS IN 2025 By: Morgan EnosSome of the most glorious moments in music history owe to a glitch in the mainframe — those fleeting, thrilling ruptures where the real shit breaks through. Case in point: Cadence Records, and its short-lived but seismic sister label, Candid Records.From 1952 to 1964, Cadence mostly trafficked in vanilla fare — Andy Williams’ supper club ballads, the Everly Brothers’ clean-cut harmonies, the Chordettes trilling “Mr. Sandman” and “Lollipop.” There were outliers, sure:... Read More
Comments: 4April 20th, 2025
Counterpoint: Rhino HF Series Black Sabbath "Paranoid" LP Vs. US and UK Originals a classic fave deserves a second listen comparison By: Randy WellsDylan Peggin did a great job writing for Tracking Angle recently when he gave us the back story of the making of Black Sabbath’s Paranoid album. He also gave us the scoop on the new Rhino High Fidelity pressing, giving it very high marks for packaging, music and sound.For comparison, he used the well-regarded 2006 Rhino pressing of Paranoid cut AAA by Kevin Gray, which was subsequently repressed on colored vinyl in 2015 for Vinyl Me Please. He also had the Rhino vinyl... Read More
Comments: 7