Neil 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

Lori 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

(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

Yes, 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

Freshly 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

Queen’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

“…. 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

A 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

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…

No 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

P-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

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.

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…

Roy 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

Some 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

Dylan 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

AXPONA 2025 Video 4 has plenty of analog but it also spotlights the miniaturization trend on display—at least among a few companies. In the Sound Organization room (Rega, Chord importers) you'll see the new miniature Chord Suzi modular system featuring a very small yet powerful stereo amplifier into which you can plug a preamp, or a DAC or a phono preamp total size that of shoe box. Sound Org also showed the new Rega Mercury preamp and Solis power amp—as Rega... Read More