July 26th, 2024
Marking the Passing of an Exceptional Man: Thomas Andrew MacNab (“Tam”) Carlson (1941-2024) (Tam Created the Ralston Listening Room at the University of the South)By: John Marks
By the time all the construction dust had settled (in the summer of 2010), more than a million dollars had been spent to transform a section of the second floor of Sewanee’s Jessie Ball duPont Library into a world-class audiophile listening room rivaling the playback in the most famous recording studios and mastering labs worldwide.
Read MoreJuly 24th, 2024
Next Two Pablo Titles Ship July 26th Norman Granz's "underdog" label finally rises to the topBy: Michael Fremer
Tom Fine explains the history in the liner notes accompanying each of these Pablo reissues, that in 1960 label founder Norman Granz sold Verve Records to MGM and moved to Europe where he promoted concerts and collected art. When his non-compete agreement expired in the early '70s he noted that many of his jazz friends, who like him, were now older but hardly "washed up", were without recording contracts. Two, Ella and Oscar, he also managed. You'll... Read More
July 18th, 2024
Rhino Reissue of Talk Talk's "It's My Life" Coming October 4th 40th anniversary release overseen by Talk Talk drummer Lee Harris and Mark Hollis's son CharlieBy: Michael Fremer
Though most older fans today consider later albums "The Colour of Spring" (1986) and Spirit of Eden (1988) and to a lesser degree 1991's Laughing Stock to be Talk Talk's peak (though younger crowds especially prefer the last two albums), It's My Life from 1984 was the beginning of the band's rise to musical excellence (though critics mostly hated Spirit of Eden when it was first released and it was a commercial failure).Rhino Records on... Read More
July 12th, 2024
Rhino High Fidelity Does Eponymous "Bad Company" and Yes "Relayer" sit down! see yourself! stand up! turn around! buy these!By: Tracking Angle
LOS ANGELES—Rhino High Fidelity (Rhino Hi-Fi) returns with the latest additions to its acclaimed limited-edition, high-end vinyl reissues. Bad Company’s Self-Titled(1974) debut and Yes’s Relayer (1974) are available today exclusively at Rhino.com and internationally at select WMG stores. Each release is limited to 5,000 individually numbered copies priced at $39.98Rhino High Fidelity has set the industry standard for sound quality and packaging, demonstrating... Read More
July 2nd, 2024
UHQR Bill Evans "Sunday At the Village Vanguard" and "Waltz For Debby" Coming from Analogue Productions Kevin Gray mastered from the original analog tapesBy: Tracking Angle
Great titles, oft-released, first time on UHQR. What else is there to say? At least until we get to hear it. Read More
June 29th, 2024
"Because Sound Matters One-Step"/Warner Records Series Launches With Three Linkin Park Releases "Hybrid Theory", "Meteora" and "Minutes to Midnight" for audiophiles?By: Michael Fremer
Below is the press release for a new and some might think surprising "One-Step" audiophile vinyl release for three classic Linkin Park releases, under the "Because Sound Matters" banner relaunched by Warner Records, which now has an online store using that name. "Because Sound Matters" was a vinyl series originally created almost twenty years ago by Tom "Grover" Biery when he was working at Warner Brothers Records. The vinyl... Read More
June 21st, 2024
Craft's Bluesville Series Announces Albert King's "Live Wire Blues Power" & Lightnin' Hopkins' "Last Night Blues" All analog series in association with Acoustic Sounds curated by Scott BillingtonBy: Michael Fremer
Los Angeles, CA (June 20, 2024)—Craft Recordings and Bluesville Records proudly announce a pair of classic reissues from two of blues music’s most influential artists: Albert King’s career-defining 1968 concert album, Live Wire/Blues Power, and 1961’s poignant Last Night Blues from Lightnin’ Hopkins with Sonny Terry. Releasing September 13 and available to pre-order today, these titles mark the latest releases in the acclaimed new series, which celebrates America’s... Read More
June 21st, 2024
Joni Mitchell's 6 LP "The Asylum Albums (1976-1980)" Out Now Bernie Grundman cut lacquers sourced directly from master tapesBy: Tracking Angle
LOS ANGELES – After The Hissing Of Summer Lawns tour, Joni Mitchell retreated to Neil Young’s beach house to recover. Eager to travel but undecided about a destination, Mitchell was unexpectedly invited on a cross-country road trip with friends. It was one of three road trips she took between 1975 and 1976 and the beginning of a period defined by wanderlust, both in her physical travels and musical exploration. This transformative phase is the focal point of The... Read More
June 20th, 2024
Gene and Dean Ween's "Chocolate and Cheese" Gets Deluxe 3 LP Issue funny, off-kilter, irreverent music gets Bernie Grundman remaster from tapeBy: Michael Fremer
This is great news! Ween's 1994 classic "Chocolate and Cheese" is getting a deluxe, expanded 30th anniversary reissue including original double LP plus fifteen unreleased demos. Bernie Grundman ...well, read the press release below:Since its debut 30 years ago, Ween’s Chocolate and Cheese has become an alternative rock classic and a highwater mark for Gene and Dean Ween’s polished songwriting and irreverent humor. To celebrate the anniversary, Rhino... Read More
June 20th, 2024
Craft Announces "Final Batch" in Its OJC Reissue Series five more great titles!By: Tracking Angle
Los Angeles, CA (June 18, 2024) – Craft Recordings announces the final batch of 2024 reissues for its Original Jazz Classics series, beloved by collectors and critics alike. The latest reissues include Clark Terry Quartet & Thelonious Monk’s In Orbit, Mal Waldron’s The Quest, Thelonious Monk Septet’s Monk’s Music, Blue Mitchell’s Blue’s Moods, and Cal Tjader’s Latin Kick. All of these titles can be pre-ordered today. As with previous releases, these new reissues... Read More
April 30th, 2024
Three Selections From Record Store Day 2024 Releases from David Bowie, Blur, and The 1975By: Malachi Lui
While I’ve attended Record Store Day since 2014 (!), this was the first year since 2020 that I actually lined up. The lists in 2021 and 2022 were rather boring, and the main release I wanted last year was so heavily allocated in the US that I would’ve had to camp overnight. And really, are any newly manufactured records worth camping overnight for? I don't think so.Though this year’s UK RSD list is superior to the US list (I secured online and will soon review... Read More
April 30th, 2024
Joni Mitchell's "The Asylum Albums (1976-1980)"—6 LP Limited Edition AAA Set Due June 21st Via RHINO Mitchell's most adventurous jazz-tinged albumsBy: Tracking Angle
The press release: LOS ANGELES – After The Hissing Of Summer Lawns tour, Joni Mitchell retreated to Neil Young’s beach house to recover. Eager to travel but undecided about a destination, Mitchell was unexpectedly invited on a cross-country road trip with friends. It was one of three road trips she took between 1975 and 1976 and the beginning of a period defined by wanderlust, both in her physical travels and musical exploration. This transformative phase is the focal... Read More
April 23rd, 2024
Andrew Singer, Legendary NYC Audio Retailer Dies beneath the bluster sound by singer store owner was a sweet manBy: Michael Fremer
Andrew Singer, New York City audio retailing legend, passed away this past Sunday April 21st at age 73, succumbing to pancreatic cancer after a prolonged battle that for a while he seemed to be winning. Singer was opinionated, gruff, didn't suffer fools and could be very difficult to deal with but beneath all of that he did have the proverbial heart of gold as anyone who dealt with him over time and got to really know him can attest. He also knew the equipment... Read More
April 20th, 2024
Michael Cuscuna, Jazz Producer, Record Label Founder, Blue Note Discogropher Dies at 75 Mosaic co-founder set the standard for jazz reissue compilationsBy: Michael Fremer
Sad to report that record producer, Mosaic Records co-founder, reissue supervisor and Blue Note discographer/historian Cuscuna passed away yesterday. He was 75 and had been fighting cancer for a number of years. Until very recently he was doing well. Cuscuna began his storied music career in the late '60s as a disc jockey and music journalist, writing for Down Beat and Jazz and Pop magazines. He moved on to producing records in the mid 1970s for Capitol, Arista,... Read More
April 20th, 2024
Record Store Day at Factory Records in Dover, New Jersey my first RSD ever because of previous AXPONA conflictsBy: Michael Fremer
Factory Records in Dover New Jersey (not far from Rockaway, NJ where RCA pressed its east coast records) is a really big record store that opened 3 years ago. Today was my first visit but as Arnold said, "I'll be back". Friendly people, a huge inventory, more new than used, and an enormous selection of vintage audio gear, which you'll see in this video.I talked to people on the line waiting to get in and glad I did. One guy played on the Bernie... Read More
April 15th, 2024
Lost Recordings Finds Getz Quartet and Astrid Gilberto Live at the Berlin Jazz Festival 1966 analog stereo recording in Berlin Philharmonie acousticsBy: Michael Fremer
This press release got me to drop the $92 (with shipping). This is a Getz Quartet featuring Gary Burton, Chuck Israels and Roy Haynes, plus Astrid—not the one that recorded Getz Au Go Go, but what a quartet! And recorded at the Berlin Philharmonie—a modern, fairly dry space that hopefully produced a vibrant, direct recording! It's limited to 3000 copies. The "lost" tapes sat untouched until they were found!"The Lost Recordings" found the... Read More