November 27th, 2023
An Interview With Mastering Engineer Dave Gardner Gardner Discusses His Longtime Career and Recent RSD Black Friday ReleasesBy: Evan Toth
Record Store Day - Black Friday Edition - is here and this year ORG Music has two interesting releases in store for listeners. The first release finds David Grisman & Jerry Garcia taking an interlude into jazzy territory on the reissue of So What on a two-disc vinyl set. The album - recorded in the early 90s, but released in 1998 - has never seen a vinyl release until now. The second release ORG offers is Creative Improvisation Ensemble by Marion Brown & Leo... Read More
November 19th, 2023
Atlantic Records Chairman and CEO Craig Kallman In Conversation with Michael Fremer recorded Friday November 17th in Mr. Kallman's homeBy: Michael Fremer
Atlantic Records Chairman and CEO Craig Kallman and Tracking Angle editor Michael Fremer discuss Atlantic Records' 75th anniversary celebration, the storied label's history, the vinyl records resurgence, Kallman's rise to become Chairman and more in this exclusive half-hour interview conducted in Kallman's Manhattan listening room November 17th, 2023. Read More
September 5th, 2023
Steve Albini—The "Dean" of Alternative Rock Engineers, 1993 Interview 1993 Interview originally produced for The Absolute SoundBy: Michael Fremer
I conducted this interview with the great Steve Albini way back in 1993, before MP3, before the iPod, back when all but a few outspoken critics like Albini, Neil Young and a few others had anything negative to say about the digital recording revolution. It's fascinating to read Albini's thoughts from back then today. He was right on target then and now, but of course keep in mind this are his thoughts 30 years ago. This interview was conducted after... Read More
August 18th, 2023
A Deep Dive Past and Present Into the Many Records Released by Deutsche Grammophon Mark Ward and Michael Johnson discuss the rich Deutsche Grammophon recorded historyBy: Michael Johnson
Tracking Angle writers Mark Ward and Michael Johnson sit down to discuss their collecting history with the storied German label, and the advent of the new "Original Source" series cut by Emil Berliner Studios. Filmed in late July, look for the follow up to this conversation in Michael's review of the second batch of Original Source titles. . Read More
July 25th, 2023
Mastering Engineer and Audio Restoration Expert, Michael Graves, Discusses the Stax/Craft Recordings Boxset, "Written in Their Soul: The Stax Songwriter Demos" Graves Shares the details of the ambitiously expansive projectBy: Evan Toth
When we listen, what are we really hearing? Are we transfixed on the mastering, the quality of the vinyl, the hardware we’re using? Or, perhaps we are merely listening to the sound and skill that the musicians are creating as a group? The truth is we’re listening to all of those things, but there is one element that we often tend to forget about and it reminds me of the old adage, if a tree falls in the woods - and there’s no one there to witness the event - does it... Read More
May 17th, 2023
Acid Arab Releases Its Third Album, "Trois" western electronic music meets the middle eastBy: Evan Toth
Looking to get away from the same old, same old? Yearning for a new view? Perhaps you’ve got a hankering for some exotic spices that you’ve never tasted before. Well, you could zip around the internet and book a trip to a distant and far-off locale. Or, you could simply broaden your musical horizons by buying something new for your turntable that has the ability to transport you to a place - or time - that you’ve never visited. After all, what starts as simply a... Read More
May 1st, 2023
Cool Cleveland's Thomas Mulready Asks Me About "Diversity" in Audio some found it "off topic" but I thought it appropriate to askBy: Michael Fremer
At every AXPONA Cool Cleveland's Thomas Mulready asks attendees a question about the show. This year he asked about "diversity" in the audio industry. I thought it was a legitimate question and answered it earnestly and honestly as you'll see in this video, but many of his YouTube followers thought otherwise. Thomas's circling video shoot style might make you dizzy!
Read MoreApril 30th, 2023
An Interview With Sundazed Music's Jay Millar discussing the label's recent Howard "Youngblood" Bomar releaseBy: Evan Toth
The vinyl resurgence has thankfully brought with it many years of necessary and important reissues. However, it has also presented label owners with a challenge: that is, they must continually unearth high-quality music in need of a fresh remaster. They must also have the attention of the eager ears of the modern record-buying public. While some releases are wholly familiar to music lovers - even if they weren’t well-received upon their original release - other... Read More
March 30th, 2023
Peter Frampton Interviewed Alive! spend 1/2 hour with the great Peter FramptonBy: Michael Fremer
I interviewed Peter Frampton via ZOOM about his newest project, a recently announced 3 LP box set (as well as on SACD) to be released by Intervention Records, cut by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering from analog tape. The 3 records can be described as a "donut hole" solo period for the guitarist/singer-songwriter.He'd been in Humble Pie with Steve Marriott, but left to start a solo career. Eventually it paid off hugely with "Comes... Read More
February 9th, 2023
Burt Bacharach, Dead at 94 But His Songs Will Live On songs with lyrics by Hal David created a decade's mainstream soundtrackBy: Michael Fremer
Beck, Crosby, Verlaine and today Burt Bacharach. He was 94. No one reading this needs a list of his memorable, hummable tunes sung by The Shirelles, Dusty Springfield, Dionne Warwick, The Beatles, Burt and Elvis Costello. Burt and Hal David channeled through their songs a woman's world as few if any male songwriters managed.This is a sad but appropriate time to re-publish this interview that first appeared in The Absolute Sound that I conducted by phone with Burt... Read More
January 4th, 2023
Tracking Angle Interviews World Famous Record Holderupper Dizzy! Dizzy came to Tracking Angle studios for this rare interviewBy: Michael Fremer
Dizzy, the Internet's most prolific and self-important record holderupper paid a visit to the Tracking Angle studios and I interviewed him! Nothing more needs to be written. Dizzy speaks for himself, or doesn't. Read More
November 7th, 2022
"Vintage" Walter Becker/Donald Fagen Interviews Still Hold Interest So Cal's Harvey Kubernik conductedBy: Harvey Kubernik
(Photo by Henry Diltz, courtesy of Gary Strobl). Prolific rock writer and chronicler of the Southern California rock scene Harvey Kubernik interviewed more than a few times Walter Becker and Donald Fagen. Here are some lengthy excerpts including how the duo visited Kubernik's late night KPFK-FM radio show to play an acetate and debt "Aja" on the show. What a scoop!
Read MoreNovember 5th, 2022
Zachary Cale Interviewed Cale Discusses the Production Behind His Newest Release, "Skywriting"By: Evan Toth
Is this where you finally meet Zachary Cale? The songwriting troubadour has been writing, performing and recording for nearly two decades now, having created his own niche, building upon his upbringing in St. Tammany Parish in Louisiana, spending some time living in Jakarta, Indonesia, as well as in Washington State, and as you'll read, listening to a lot of music many of us hold dear. Cale sought to craft his own brand of folk/punk sound before moving to the... Read More