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Book Reviews
"Abbey Road to Ziggy Stardust": Engineer/Producer Ken Scott Looks Back On An Amazing Career (so far).
Michael Fremer  |  Apr 29, 2013  |  First Published: Dec 31, 1969  |  23 comments
Can a recording engineer's memoir be a "real page turner" as the book trade likes to characterize a suspenseful novel? Yes, if the engineer is Ken Scott and yes if you're a true fan of the art and science of recorded music and you revel in minutiae and historical perspective that adds depth to your appreciation of your favorite records.

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Analog Corner
Analog Corner #36
Michael Fremer  |  Apr 28, 2013  |  First Published: Dec 31, 1969  |  4 comments
One of the fascinating things about watching your personal odometer piling on the miles is that, whatever your self-image, you're leaving an ever-lengthening trail that becomes more difficult to deny with every glance in the rearview mirror.

I can't escape it: I love old things. I drive an old car not because I can't replace it with a new one, but because the experience of driving it is irreplaceable. New cars don't look, feel, sound, or even smell like my old Saab: the roar of the throaty engine, the sound of the air being sucked into the carburetor, the visceral connection between the road and my hands on the non-power steering wheel—new cars can't provide these sensations. New cars hide their mechanical nature. Old cars celebrate it.

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Video Reviews
"Brick and Mortar Love" Traces the Indie Record Store Story In America Through the Travails of One
Michael Fremer  |  Apr 26, 2013  |  4 comments
Arguably a more thorough, probing and compelling indie record store documentary than "Last Shop Standing"—and not because it's about America and I'm an American—"Brick and Mortar Love" views the state of the indie record store in America mainly through the eyes, heart and bank account of John Timmons, owner of Louisville Kentucky's once thriving record store ear X-tacy.
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Video Reviews
"Last Shop Standing" DVD Celebrates Independent Record Stores
Michael Fremer  |  Apr 26, 2013  |  7 comments
The documentary "Last Shop Standing", subtitled "The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of the Independent Record Shop" consists of a series of interviews with record store owners and fans, some of them famous like guitarist Johnny Marr (The Smiths), Paul Weller and Billy Bragg.

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Album Reviews
Thom Chacon Delivers It Straight Up On Sophomore Effort
Michael Fremer  |  Apr 25, 2013  |  1 comments
Singer/songwriter Thom Chacon delivers hardscrapple tales in a voice well-suited to the task that will immediately remind you of what's his name? Maybe John Prine, or John Mellencamp, or Steve Earle or Bruce or Guy Clark or?

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Features
TAD's Andrew Jones Designs Surprising Sounding Budget Speakers For Pioneer (Pricing corrected)
Michael Fremer  |  Apr 24, 2013  |  First Published: Dec 31, 1969  |  24 comments
A young reader inherited a turntable and asked about a modestly priced system he could assemble around it. We know where this will lead and we can all cheer him on, mindful of the fun and fetishing to follow. And we can all sympathize with his bank account—assuming he has one!

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Analog Corner
Analog Corner #35
Michael Fremer  |  Apr 23, 2013  |  First Published: Dec 31, 1969  |  7 comments
The Library of Congress Reading Room. All photos by Michael Fremer.

How was your month? Mine was analogo bizarro.

But before getting to this month's promised story—my visit to the Library of Congress—I have to clear the deck: I received an e-mail from an individual, fairly well known in the grooved world, telling me that I "may not have had all the information" when I wrote in my February R2D4 that Alto Analogue's Ataulfo Argenta Edition (AA006) boxed set was mastered by Nick Webb at Abbey Road from the original analog master tapes.

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Record Cleaning Tips
Can These Records Be Saved?
Michael Fremer  |  Apr 23, 2013  |  First Published: Dec 31, 1969  |  37 comments
An Analogplanet.com reader "lost" much of his collection due to water damage.
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News
Record Store Day April 20th 2013
Michael Fremer  |  Apr 21, 2013  |  First Published: Dec 31, 1969  |  49 comments
The line snaked down the block outside of Music Merchant in Westwood, NJ the morning of Record Store Day April 20th 2013. It was 7:30 AM well before I got there, you can be sure. Others told me about the scene, including the store's owner.

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Album Reviews
Sinatra Swings Because He Can
Michael Fremer  |  Apr 21, 2013  |  10 comments
Frank Sinatra recorded this album for Capitol in the summer of 1960—the same year he left the label and with a few hundred thousand dollars of his own money started Reprise Records. You can be sure plans for the new label were well underway during the production of this thirty three minutes and change long album.

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