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Album Reviews
Columbus Has Arrived
Michael Fremer  |  Apr 01, 2011  |  0 comments

Little Feat was never an "album" band, even though they released many good records. They were low concept and high boogie. The groove was cerebral though, not the mindless "good time" endless fist pump variety mainly because of the playful and smart Lowell George. Lowell was from Baltimore,MD.

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Album Reviews
Rolling Stones Box Sets: Deal or No Deal? Part II
Michael Fremer  |  Apr 01, 2011  |  2 comments

Still, some might find the new records too aggressive. I’m not in that group, but it sounds as if Mr. Grossinger mastered the original LPs, manipulating the tonal balance as he saw fit, whereas it sounds as if the GZ folks just took the files they were sent and cut. I’m just surmising that. It could be the ‘soft’ lacquer versus the ‘hard’ copper.

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News
TOM WAITS VINYL RECALL ISSUED BY RHINO!
Michael Fremer  |  Mar 30, 2011  |  First Published: Dec 31, 1969  |  1 comments
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News
Elvis Costello Kicks Off Live From the Artist's Den Season Three April 1st
Michael Fremer  |  Mar 28, 2011  |  First Published: Dec 31, 1969  |  1 comments
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Cartridge Reviews
Soundsmith Strain Gauge SG-200 phono cartridge system
Michael Fremer  |  Mar 22, 2011  |  First Published: Dec 31, 1969  |  1 comments
Strain-gauge phono cartridges are rarely made and seldom heard; for most vinyl fans, they are more myth than fact. Panasonic once made one, as did Sao Win, but those were decades ago. I've heard about those two models for years but have never seen, much less heard one.

As if he's not got enough to do building his extensive lines of moving-iron cartridges, preamplifiers, amplifiers, and speakers, Soundsmith's Peter Ledermann also makes a full line of strain-gauge cartridge systems available with a choice of six user-replaceable stylus profiles. I believe the Soundsmith is the only strain-gauge cartridge currently made anywhere in the world. Ledermann says it takes him a full day to build one.

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News
Hear Bob Ludwig, Doug Sax and Michael Fremer at SXSW
Michael Fremer  |  Mar 19, 2011  |  First Published: Dec 31, 1969  |  1 comments
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Album Reviews
Popular Session Guitarist Gets The Spotlight
Michael Fremer  |  Mar 09, 2011  |  0 comments

Underrated and anonymously well-exposed, the Los Angeles session guitarist Howard Roberts played for everyone from Frank, to Elvis, the Beach Boys, the Jackson 5, the Monkees and Dean Martin, to name but a few. That's Howard out front on "The Twilight Zone" theme song, among many others. The guy got around.

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News
HDTracks Gets Rolling Stones Catalog In High Resolution Digital!
Michael Fremer  |  Mar 01, 2011  |  First Published: Dec 31, 1969  |  1 comments
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News
Bigger Soapbox please
Michael Fremer  |  Feb 28, 2011  |  First Published: Dec 31, 1969  |  1 comments
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News
"Station to Station" Review?
Michael Fremer  |  Feb 28, 2011  |  First Published: Dec 31, 1969  |  0 comments
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