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Album Reviews
Latest R.E.M. 180g 1LP Reissues From Craft Recordings Focus on Two Somewhat Underappreciated But Quite Spin-Worthy 21st Century Albums, 2001’s Classic-Tinged Reveal and 2008’s Punk-Leaning Accelerate
Mark Smotroff  |  Sep 08, 2023  |  7 comments

Craft Recordings just served up the next pair of 180g 1LP offerings in their ongoing R.E.M. reissue series — namely, 180g 1LP editions of May 2001’s classic-sounding Reveal and March 2008’s power-pop punk slammer, Accelerate. Read Mark Smotroff’s combo review of Reveal and Accelerate to see if either or both LPs are worthy additions to your vinyl collection. . .

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Analog Gear News
Pro-Ject T2 W Wi-Fi Turntable
Mike Mettler  |  Sep 07, 2023  |  1 comments

In a sign of the times, one of our favorite turntable companies, Pro-Ject, has just introduced their first Wi-Fi-capable ’table, the T2 W — a ’table that also meets the build-quality standards of one of its T Line predecessors: the no-plastic, zero-resonance T1. Read on to find out all the features and specs for the T2 W, as well as see Pro-Ject’s explanation for why the integrity of this turntable’s analog output remains true. . .

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News
In the Groove Hardcover, Which Celebrates 75 Years of the LP, The Rise of Vinyl Culture, and the Ongoing Turntable Revolution, Is Set to Be Published October 17
Mike Mettler  |  Sep 05, 2023  |  11 comments

Has it really been 75 years since Columbia Records released what’s generally agreed to as being the first commercially available 12-inch long-playing record — or LP — in June 1948? Indeed it has — and a new 192-page hardcover book, titled In the Groove: The Vinyl Record and Turntable Revolution, is set to be published October 17. In the Groove covers our favorite format’s history from the first LP needle drop to the ongoing vinyl resurgence of today — and it also includes a chapter penned by a noted AnalogPlanet contributor to boot. Read on to find out more about , and how to pre-order your own copy today. . .

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Short Cuts
Review Explosion Short Cuts Edition, Vol. 6: A Trio of New and Quite Worthy Verve by Request Series 180g 1LP Reissues From Archie Shepp, Yusef Lateef, and The Ahmad Jamal Trio, All Manufactured at Third Man Pressing
Mark Smotroff  |  Sep 01, 2023  |  2 comments

With so many pressing plants being fairly maxed out these days in terms of their production capacity, it’s been nice to see how Detroit’s Third Man Pressing has stepped up to the plate to deliver respectable, audiophile-grade vinyl pressings at fairly reasonable SRPs. Read Mark Smotroff’s combo review of three new Verve by Request 180g 1LP reissues from jazz greats Archie Shepp, Yusef Lateef, and The Ahmad Jamal Trio — all of which have been recently pressed at Third Man — to see if they make the grade. . .

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News
Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon Finally Gets a Standalone 50th Anniversary 180g 1LP Release on October 13
Mike Mettler  |  Aug 31, 2023  |  18 comments

The Dark Side LP eclipse has finally lifted. In other words, Pink Floyd’s truly seminal March 1973 album The Dark Side of the Moon is finally getting a standalone 50th anniversary 180g 1LP release on October 13. Read on to glean all the pertinent individual Dark Side vinyl details as we have them. . .

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News
Onyx Record Press Opens New Vinyl Pressing Plant in Los Angeles Area, Geared Toward Getting More Music by Independent Artists Onto LPs
Mike Mettler  |  Aug 30, 2023  |  1 comments

Praise be to the almighty press! In this case, we’re referring to the all-important process of vinyl pressing, the end-of-creative-cycle production procedure that’s become even more in demand of late and somewhat difficult to schedule in a timely fashion for many an artist as the vinyl revival continues. To that end, Onyx Record Press has just opened its doors in the Los Angeles area, with an impetus to help independent artists get their music onto vinyl at affordable rates and reasonable wait times. Read on to find out about the Onyx team’s pressing plans, and what specific machines they’ll be utilizing to do so. . .

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Analog Gear News
Brinkmann Taurus Direct-Drive Turntable and Optional RöNt Mk III Vacuum Tube Power Supply
Mike Mettler  |  Aug 29, 2023  |  56 comments

We’ve always loved the level of craftsmanship that goes into the making of all the various turntables and tonearms that emerge from the mind and hands of Helmut Brinkmann and how well they consistently perform on the bench and in listening tests, but we’ve never given proper due to the German company’s best-selling Taurus turntable — until right now, that is. Read on to see how the Brinkmann Taurus ’table and its optional RöNt Mk III vacuum tube power supply go together like (insert your own perfect analog-oriented analogy here). . .

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Album Reviews
Talking Heads’ Complete Stop Making Sense Concert Film Soundtrack Finally Sees the Expanded Release It Richly Deserves, Via Stunning New 40th Anniversary 2LP Edition From Rhino
Mike Mettler,  |  Aug 25, 2023  |  30 comments

For the very first time, Rhino has released the entirely of Talking Heads’ soundtrack to their seminal September 1984 concert film, Stop Making Sense, in a remastered 2LP set. In this all-new combo-style tag-team review, Mike Mettler and Mark Smotroff tell us exactly why this new 40th anniversary 2LP SMS set is the best-sounding edition of SMS to date. . .

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News
Frank Zappa’s Seminal Over-Nite Sensation Basks in 50th Anniversary Vinyl Ooze Via Separate 180g 45rpm 2LP and Limited-Edition 180g 3LP Editions From Zappa/UMe on November 3
Mike Mettler  |  Aug 24, 2023  |  8 comments

For those of you who have a penchant for listening to visceral, tall-in-the-saddle sonic tales recounting the finer points of dental floss farming, mindless video drones, and poncho-wearing lotharios, then we have an important release announcement for you. Namely, Frank Zappa’s seminal September 1973 LP Over-Nite Sensation is getting a proper 50th anniversary deluxe reissue treatment via a pair of vinyl options — a 180g 45rpm 2LP set, and a limited-edition splatter-vinyl 180g 3LP edition — both via Zappa Records/UMe on November 3. Read on to see all the mennil-toss flykune-approved ONS 50 pressing stats and sugar-plum tracks accordingly. . .

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Interviews
Guitarist Jamie-West Oram Uses His Personal Skeleton Key to Decipher Why the Textured, Future-Proof Music of The Fixx Always Sounds So Good on Vinyl
Mike Mettler  |  Aug 22, 2023  |  3 comments

Jamie West-Oram is a master of texture. Forty-plus years ago, the long-tenured guitarist of The Fixx forged a signature soundscape bed for the band’s chief lyricist and lead vocalist Cy Curnin to weave his timeless tales around, typically buttressed by adventurous keyboard figures from Rupert Greenall and more often than not buoyed by the studio acumen of producer Rupert Hine and engineer Stephen W. Tayler. During a recent Zoom interview with AP editor Mike Mettler, West-Oram discusses the genesis of his new solo album Skeleton Key, why The Fixx couldn’t just leave Side D of their 2022 2LP set Every Five Seconds blank, and how their 1983 breakthrough LP Reach the Beach retains such palpable resonance on vinyl to this very day. . .

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