In Heavy Rotation
September 3rd, 2025
Little Feat "The Last Record Album (Deluxe Edition)" Drops October 24 Deluxe CD set includes 1975 Boston Orpheum Theater Halloween Concert— Feat Fans rejoice! By: Tracking AnglePress Release: (September 3, 2025 - Los Angeles, CA) Little Feat’s The Last Record Album arrived in October 1975, lean and sly, with the band deep in its creative stride. Nearly 50 years later, the album returns in a newly remastered and expanded edition that brings fresh light to one of the most quietly compelling records in the band’s catalog.(no mastering, pressing or source credits included in press release)The Last Record Album (Deluxe Edition) will be available... Read More
Comments: 0September 2nd, 2025
Jerome Sabbagh Reconvenes His Longstanding Quartet for the First Time in More Than a Decade for the Timely "Stand Up"! Due Out October 17, 2025 via Analog Tone Factory, the Album Features Guitarist Ben Monder, Bassist Joe Martin, and New Addition, Drummer Nasheet Waits By: Tracking Angle(Press release): Saxophonist and composer Jerome Sabbagh has always prided himself on being an artist who stands up strongly for the qualities and principles that he believes in – artistic integrity, bold individuality, social consciousness, and a distinctive personal vision. His vibrant new album, Stand Up!, asserts those values in a number of ways, wedding memorable compositions to fervent playing by Sabbagh’s longtime quartet. Stand Up! was recorded live to analog... Read More
Comments: 4September 1st, 2025
New HANA-Umami Black Continues the Brand’s Legacy of “Brilliant and Gorgeous” Sound diamond cantilever and newly developed "OKD" high efficiency generator are two of the $11,500 cartridge's core features By: Tracking Angle
(Press release): The HANA-Umami Black continues the brand’s legacy of “Brilliant and Gorgeous” sound. Master cartridge designer Masao Okada-san of Excel Sound celebrates over 5 decades of innovation and excellence with his new masterpiece, featuring a diamond cantilever and new “OKD” High-Efficiency Moving Coil Generator. The Umami Black is much more than just an Umami Red with a diamond cantilever.
September 1st, 2025
Legacy Assembled—The Record Plant Story Told Book Review: "Buzz Me In, Inside The Record Plant Studios" By: JoE Silva
Martin Porter and David Goggin’s detailed history of the famed U.S. recording facilities
Read More Comments: 0August 29th, 2025
Analogue Productions Gets ‘Proggy’ with July’s ATL75 Titles Yes and Genesis, two genre giants! By: Dylan Peggin‘Progressive rock’ was a taboo phrase amongst many music consumers in the 1970s. Instead of artists being lauded for top-tier musicianship, the genre became stigmatized for songs enduring intimidating lengths beyond the 6-minute mark and neo-classical approaches that seemed indulgent to those who preferred the simplicity of ‘three chords and an attitude.’ Regardless of varying perception, there’s no denying that the limitless boundaries of sonic exploration gave way... Read More
Comments: 1August 29th, 2025
Caelan Cardello's "Chapter One" Drops Today Digitally, Vinyl Edition On the Way! (updated with link to JazzTimes story) Caelan's first studio album with his working trio— 8 original tunes, two covers By: Michael FremerBefore you read Caelan's personal press release, check out this Jazz Times story (Caelan's personal press release): A quick story about the conception of this album - I was playing a trio show at Mezzrow jazz club in New York City one night in February of 2024, and was approached afterwards by Geoff Hoefer (producer on the album and owner of JazzBird Records). He expressed to me how moved he felt by my performance, and then said he wanted to be the one to... Read More
Comments: 14August 29th, 2025
Rhino High Fidelity Does The Sex Pistols "Never Mind The Bollocks Here's The Sex Pistols" Kevin Gray Cut Using Master Tapes By: Tracking Angle
(August 29, 2025 - Los Angeles, CA) Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols, an album that rewired 20 years of rock in under 40 minutes, is available today from Rhino High Fidelity (Rhino Hi-Fi), the premium vinyl reissue series.
Read More Comments: 8August 28th, 2025
dCS's David Steven Unpacks a LINA Streaming DAC it unfolds like origami! By: Michael FremerdCS's Managing Director David Steven was among the industry leaders I interviewed this past spring at Imacustica in Lisbon, Portugal. The store is one of the best I've ever visited and the event was a multi-day celebration of great music and audio. In addition to David, D'Agostino Master Audio's Dan D'Agostino was there to introduce the $150,000 stunning sounding Relentless preamp (I reviewed it for The Absolute Sound) and Bill Peugh was there... Read More
Comments: 2August 28th, 2025
'Argus' Marches Off from Analogue Productions Sean Magee's 45 RPM treatment for Analogue Productions polishes the helmet of Wishbone Ash's defining LP By: Abigail DevoeWishbone Ash’s Argus was made in rock-and-roll’s golden age; when labels pelted fistfuls of money at any band with guitars, bass, drums, someone who could shake a tambourine, and someone who could sing harmony. This is evidenced by a minor-gods-canon band like Wishbone Ash getting the esteemed honor of a Hipgnosis cover. Assistant Bruce Atkins was dressed up in a costume borrowed from The Devils and posed over the Verdon Gorge in France. When folding out the jacket,... Read More
Comments: 20August 27th, 2025
Craft Recordings OJC Series Closes Out the Year With Seven New Reissues more great titles! By: Tracking Angle(Press release): Los Angeles, CA (August 27, 2025)—Craft Recordings is rounding out 2025 with seven reissues in the Original Jazz Classics series, which revisits celebrated, seminal, and rare jazz albums. The latest reissues include Hank Mobley’s Jazz Message #2, Wes Montgomery’s Boss Guitar, Art Pepper’s Surf Ride, Sonny Rollins’ Plus 4, Yusef Lateef’s Jazz Mood, and Red Garland Quartet’s Soul Junction and After Hours featuring Thad Jones, Frank Wess, Kenny Burrell... Read More
Comments: 6August 26th, 2025
More Stellar Shostakovich from Boston: Yo-Yo Ma Digs Deep and also Takes Off in the ‘Cello Concertos Another outstanding recording from Producer/Engineer Shawn Murphy helps stick the landing By: Mark Ward
Deutsche Grammophon rounds off its new cycle of major works by the Russian composer from Andris Nelsons and the Boston Symphony with another essential purchase for lovers of this composer’s music and dedicated audiophiles. Digital done right.
Read More Comments: 17August 25th, 2025
Analogue Productions' Sonny Rollins "Way Out West" UHQR—What A Long Strange Trip It's Been! was it worth the time and effort? By: Michael Fremer
Our reissue story starts May 27th 2015 at Bernie Grundman mastering, Gower Avenue, Hollywood, CA. Chad Kassem is there, Contemporary Records founder Lester Koenig's son John is there, I am there. Most importantly the master tape of Sonny Rollins' Way Out West is there.
Read More Comments: 25August 25th, 2025
Strong(er) Moonlight POST-PUNK CLASSIC GETS 45TH ANNIVERSARY AAA REISSUE By: JoE SilvaWhere, in 1980, was there room for The Soft Boys? The U.S. charts were distended with the dregs of Disco while England was being detained by the onset of synthpop. No one particularly wanted to know about a band of Cambridge smarties who wrote songs that sounded as if they’d be drawn from a tincture of Yves Tanguy.Still, they had their admirers. And when Robyn Hitchcock leant starboard towards a solo career, most of them disembarked with him. That left two albums and... Read More
Comments: 1August 24th, 2025
"Fleetwood Mac" Gets Rhino High Fidelity Edition a band no longer singing the blues By: Michael FremerThe Buckingham-Nicks, Fleetwood Mac hook-up post the Bob Welch exit created a monster rock group but it took more than a year following the July, 1975 release for Fleetwood Mac to reach No. 1. Fans of the original blues group Fleetwood Mac were mostly disenchanted if not disgusted (my wife), but this group's success cannot be denied. It gave 1975 rockers what they wanted and at this point why it did is a waste of time to reiterate.If you think this release is a... Read More
Comments: 19August 22nd, 2025
Grace Bergere Is A New York Rocker Extraordinaire you want it even darker? By: Michael FremerFirst thought upon seeing Grace Bergere's cover portrait was "punk Ida Lupino" but that's not a good way to start a review since how many readers today know Ida Lupino? So let's just say a young woman with an attitude. A dark attitude. And a genuine one. She doesn't look like a poseur. It goes deep. That's before opening and playing the record and reading the lyrics.It's difficult enough in 2025 to pull off a rock record that... Read More
Comments: 6August 22nd, 2025
Verve Label Group and UMe Announce "Verve Vault"—A New Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series definitive HQ Pressings of essential jazz records from vast, legendary catalog By: Tracking Angle
Los Angeles – August 22, 2025 – Verve Label Group and UMe, the global catalog division of Universal Music Group, are proud to announce Verve Vault, a new audiophile vinyl reissue series highlighting iconic jazz albums as well as overlooked gems from Verve’s vast catalog. The series will offer definitive, all-analog 180-gram vinyl pressings newly-mastered from the original analog master tapes by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound and pressed at Optimal in Germany. Each release will combine exceptional audio fidelity with meticulous attention to detail — from mastering to jacket reproduction. The LPs will be packaged in high-quality tip-on gatefold jackets, replicating the original packaging.
Read More Comments: 7August 21st, 2025
Expanded Beatles "Anthology Collection" Due November 21st—Multi-Date Roll Out For Book and Documentary Stream restored and expanded to four volumes—12 LPs, 8 CDs & digital collections By: Tracking Angle
The Beatles Anthology 2025", a sprawling effort that includes newly expanded music, book and streaming editions was announced today worldwide.
London – August 21, 2025 – First released three decades ago, The Beatles’ eight-part “Anthology” series reinvented the music documentary. Instead of a standard treatment centered on an outside narrator and talking heads, “The Anthology” featured John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr candidly telling their own story, with all its complexities and contradictions. It introduced The Beatles to new generations of viewers and listeners and marked the start of a creative and commercial afterlife that continues to this day.
Now, The Beatles Anthology returns in its ultimate form for a comprehensive global release campaign—on screen, on record, and in print.
Read More Comments: 9August 20th, 2025
A Pro-Ject T1 Turntable Tale! (Graphs added) a reader sounds off about a T1 then offers to send it for me to check out...here's what happened By: Michael FremerA reader sent a distressed, somewhat angry email rant about how bad was Project's low priced T1 turntable ($599 with built-in defeatable phono preamp, Ortofon OM10 cartridge & electronic speed control) and how not being able to adjust anti-skating had ruined the Ortofon OM10 stylus and how Pro-Ject wouldn't honor the warranty, and on it went! He said the anti-skating didn't work and wasn't adjustable. And that's true it isn't!... Read More
Comments: 9