At last month's "Making Vinyl" conference in Detroit Keynote speaker Steven Van Zandt chose not to present a formal address. Instead, he sat down with music journalist Gary Graff to talk about his relationship with vinyl records and especially his TeachRock (teachrock.org) organization that provides to schools free of charge music educational resources.
Over the past 70 years, the world has been treated to Christmas songs recorded by Bing Crosby, the Vince Guaraldi Trio, Nat “King” Cole, and many others. These classics evoke the wonderful feelings of the holiday season among listeners of all ages. Happy Xmas is Eric Clapton’s attempt to create his own seasonal classic. With a “slight blues tinge” to holiday favorites, he falls painfully short with an amazingly boring, emotionless, and by-the-numbers album.
AnalogPlanet editor Michael Fremer appears at Ovation A/V Indianapolis on Friday evening November 9th starting at 6PM as part of the two-day 31st Anniversary event. The store's website calls Fremer a 'sell-out', but that's okay. He'll show up anyway. Ovation's site promises big 31st A
This is the 100th "Analog Corner" I've written for Stereophile. Thanks to all for reading the column, and for taking the time to send me and the magazine so many letters, complimentary and otherwise, over the eight years and four months it's taken to reach 100 installments. In that time we've witnessed one of the greatest resurrections since...well, I don't want to get into John Lennon's trap, so let's just say the unlikely survival and rebirth of analog in the age of digital everything has been one of the most gratifying phenomena I've witnessed in my life as an audiophile. If I've played some small part in that, all of the hard work has been worthwhile...
1974's Blood on the Tracks (Columbia PC 33235) was for many at the time a "Bob Dylan's back" album. He was back on Columbia Records after leaving for David Geffen's Asylum for a pair of not particularly well-received at the time albums backed by The Band. But more importantly Dylan was back in the more familiar role as folk-poet and story teller—though spinning more deeply felt tales from various points of view that many observers wrongly thought were personal chronicles.
The Eagles' seven studio albums, three live albums plus a collection of rare singles and B-sides are included in the 15 LP vinyl edition of Eagles Legacy along with a 54 page hard-bound book all in a lavish slipcase package costing $349.98 It includes "Hell Freezes Over" and for the first time
AnalogPlanet editor Michael Fremer makes an in-store appearance at Audio Advisors, 2271A Palm Beach Lakes Blvd. West Palm Beach, Florida 33409 on the evening of November 8th along with Richard Vandersteen, Mat Weisfeld (who's bringing the new VPI HW 40 Direct Drive turntable) and Audio Research's Aldo Fillipelli.
“Why another Axis: Bold As Love?” That’s what I asked myself before buying this SACD. After all, mono and stereo AAA LPs have been in print for several years, and were obviously made for audiophiles. For digital listeners, the most recent CD edition mastered by the late George Marino at Sterling Sound isn’t bad. How much better can this album sound?
79 year old Beverly "Guitar" Watkins, unknown to most in the audience, puts on a fiery, funky and fierce standing ovation hour-long performance on the first night of Chad Kassem's "Blues at the Crossroads" Blues Festival Friday October 26th.