January 17th, 2025
Evacuating my Life in Records - in 15 minutes... PART 2 Choices and Reflections from the Los Angeles Wildfires of 2025By: Mark Ward
Last Friday night, with the Palisades Fire moving in the direction of our house, my wife and I loaded the car with photo albums, sleeping bags and a tent, and had our suitcases ready to go. Then, I realized I might have time (and the space) to pick out some records to take with me. In Part 1 I talked about my classical selections. In Part 2 it is time to go through my rock, jazz and film music collection and make my choices...
Beyond the seriousness of this moment, you might call this an impromptu tour through some of the highlights of my record collection: a diversion in harrowing times.
Read MoreJanuary 16th, 2025
Evacuating my Life in Records - In 15 Minutes... PART 1 Choices and Reflections from the Los Angeles Wildfires of 2025By: Mark Ward
As the LA Fire Tyger Roars, I decide which music to save that has accompanied me across 50 years and two continents...
Beyond the seriousness of this moment, you might call this an impromptu tour through some of the highlights of my record collection: a diversion in harrowing times. Part 1 focuses on my classical records; Part 2 on my rock, jazz and film music titles.
Read MoreDecember 31st, 2024
007 for the Holidays: The John Barry - James Bond Soundtracks PART 2 “Do you expect me to talk?” -- “No, Mr. Bond. I expect you to groove…”By: Mark Ward
With due apologies to Auric Goldfinger as he leered over Sean Connery about to have the family jewels melted by a laser beam, we continue our holiday stroll down Vinyl (and occasionally CD) Memory Lane and through the used bins for some choice Bondian music picks: original soundtracks and compilation albums, all featuring the indelible music of John Barry. (You can read Part 1 of this survey here).
Read MoreDecember 29th, 2024
007 for the Holidays: The John Barry - James Bond Soundtracks PART 1 “Do you expect me to talk?” -- “No, Mr. Bond. I expect you to groove…”By: Mark Ward
With due apologies to Auric Goldfinger as he leered over Sean Connery about to have the family jewels melted by a laser beam, let’s take a holiday stroll down Vinyl (and occasionally CD) Memory Lane and through the used bins for some choice Bondian music picks: original soundtracks and compilation albums, all featuring the indelible music of John Barry.
Read MoreDecember 10th, 2024
Ravel + Ozawa + Original Source = An Orgy of Orchestral Fabulousness Just Announced: Deutsche Grammophon celebrates Ravel’s 150th in the best way possible with this box set of outstanding recordingsBy: Mark Ward
Christmas comes early for followers of the spectacular Original Source vinyl reissues. Prime your bank accounts for preorders starting December 13th… (Plus the winners of the OSS Test Pressing raffle are announced - in a unique way...)
Read MoreDecember 10th, 2024
Fred Kaplan's Best Jazz Albums of 2024 Plus sound quality bonus sectionBy: Fred Kaplan
My main job in real life (to the extent any of our lives are real) is national-security columnist for Slate. Around this time every year, since 2003, its indulgent editors have let me write a piece on what I see as the year’s best jazz albums, usually the 10 best new recordings and the three best historical releases (which I have usually confined to music that for the most part hasn’t been issued before—in other words, excluding mere reissues). This past Wednesday,... Read More
November 28th, 2024
History Etched on Vinyl: Wilhelm Furtwängler and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra - The Radio Recordings (1939 - 1945) PART 2 The In-House Label of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra presents a Compelling Survey of the Legendary Conductor at work in Wartime GermanyBy: Mark Ward
Part 2 of my examination of this landmark release of Furtwängler's wartime recordings with the BPO continues with a detailed discussion of the music and performances contained on these records, and of their cultural, historical, and political context and significance.
You can read Part 1 here.
Read MoreNovember 26th, 2024
History Etched on Vinyl: Wilhelm Furtwängler and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra - The Radio Recordings (1939 - 1945) PART 1 The In-House Label of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra presents a Compelling Survey of the Legendary Conductor at work in Wartime GermanyBy: Mark Ward
In this limited edition 8-vinyl LP set of recordings drawn from its epic 22 CD/SACD of the wartime recordings of Wilhelm Furtwängler and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, we have a unique and compelling portrait of music-making as an act of cultural and political assertion, latterly embodying defiance in the face of defeat and fear. These were also recordings made with a higher level of sonic fidelity than hitherto available, made possible by the new technology of tape and tape recorders developed and built in Germany in the 1930s. That any of the original master tapes themselves survived the fall of Berlin and their removal to the Soviet Union is just one aspect of the fascinating tale told by these legendary recordings and the beautifully presented accompanying materials in this remarkable set. Part 1 features an overview of the set, a discussion of Furtwängler’s unique place amongst conductors, and the story behind how these recordings came to be made, and the technology developed to make them. Part 2 continues with a detailed discussion of the music and performances contained on these records, and of their cultural, historical, and political context and significance.
Read MoreOctober 31st, 2024
Deutsche Grammophon Announces New Original Source Releases, Re-Pressings - and EBS Has a Signed Test Pressing Giveaway All the latest news from the Original Sources Series - and a Call for Questions from Emil Berliner Studios, plus a chance to win a Free Signed Test PressingBy: Mark Ward
We break down the latest Original Source releases announced by Deutsche Grammophon, plus a Video Request from Emil Berliner Studios to send in your questions to Rainer Maillard and Sidney C. Meyer about all things Original Source. Send in your question(s) to oss@ebsberlin.com and you will get a chance to win a Test Pressing signed by Rainer and Sidney (Deadline is November 30th).
Read MoreOctober 24th, 2024
Piano-Palooza Virtuosic performances on the keyboard from Maurizio Pollini and Friedrich GuldaBy: Michael Johnson
The music of Polish composer Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) has, for most of my musical career, more or less eluded me. It may be because of his lack of non-piano output, or perhaps because his two piano concertos, while containing inspiring piano writing, didn’t really pass on that inspiration to the orchestral parts. I remember many rehearsals of boredom counting rests while listening to the brilliant melodic lines that Chopin gifted to the piano, but not us!My... Read More
October 5th, 2024
Musical Nationalism: The Subject of the Latest 'Original Source' Reissues Emil Berliner Studios tackles Dvořák and Grieg orchestral standardsBy: Michael Johnson
Four new ‘Original Source’ titles recently arrived on my door marking the start of fall, and the first new batch of releases following the company’s monumental Karajan/Bruckner box set reviewed here by my colleague Mark Ward. This batch fit nicely into two categories: symphonic orchestral works, and piano repertoire. This review will cover the just released two LPs of symphonic music. The first work needs very little introduction. If you are even peripherally aware of... Read More
October 5th, 2024
Dream Theater Flaunts Technical Prowess on “Vol. 1” Rhino reissues the first installment of the prog metal giants’ discographyBy: Dylan Peggin
Though progressive rock peaked in the 1970s, next gen prog bands continued exploring adventurous compositional directions. Dream Theater, and bands like Queensryche and Fates Warning, embraced the technicality of Yes and Rush while honing in, with a hint of technical prowess, on the harder edges of Iron Maiden and Metallica. Each Dream Theater member is a virtuoso of his craft as evidenced, for example, by drummer Mike Portnoy's double kick drum patterns and... Read More
October 3rd, 2024
Classical Audiophile Vinyl Reissues - Past, Present, and Future: Part 2 An In-Depth Look at Where we've been, and Where we might be heading...By: Mark Ward
October 1st, 2024
Classical Audiophile Vinyl Reissues - Past, Present, and Future: Part 1 An In-Depth Look at Where we've been, and Where we might be heading...By: Mark Ward
With the success of the Deutsche Grammophon Original Source Series, are we poised on the cusp of an exciting future for audiophile vinyl reissues of classical music? Or will the other classical labels opt for expediency over quality if and when they decide to embark on their own vinyl reissue programs? There are clues to be found in the history of this small but significant market for audiophile vinyl reissues...
Read MoreAugust 24th, 2024
"L.A. Woman" DCC Compact Classics, 45rpm and Plangent File Comparisons you axed for it!By: Michael Fremer
Here's what happened and why the original review did not include comparisons to the DCC Compact Classics version, the Sax cut double 45 and the Plangent processed edition: just as I'd done the original vs UHQR comparison, it was time for a major loudspeaker install so I was down for two days. Rather than wait I chose to post what I already had. Now here's the rest.First, with the new speakers set up for review (Acora VRCs), I re-listened to tracks from... Read More