You have to hand it to Jack White. The multi-talented, multi-hyphenate producer/vocalist/guitarist has successfully created a personal brand of stylistic flair alongside his own multifaceted music and musical tastes — and he’s also known as the force behind Third Man Records, which he co-founded with Ben Blackwell and Ben Swank in 2001. Read on to see everything our Julie Mullins came across during her recent onsite visit to the Third Man Records record store locale in Nashville. . .

Some high-end turntables are truly works of art and masterful engineering combined, worth admiring in full regardless of the price point of entry. Such is the case with the latest from ace designer Dietrich Brakemeier — namely, the Acoustical Systems Astellar turntable. Read on to see all the specs and features of AS and Brakemeier’s wholly impressive Astellar table. . .

The crux of the biscuit is this — in proper celebration of 50 years of Frank Zappa’s March 1974 solo LP Apostrophe (’), a newly expanded 50th anniversary edition will be released on September 13, 2024, via Zappa Records/UMe in a variety of formats, including 180g 2LP+7-inch and 180g 1 LP color vinyl editions. Read on to see what the bonus material includes and what the color vinyl choices entail, in addition to what you can expect with the wider release of the RSD 2024 180g 2LP Frank Zappa for President collection on July 19. . .

Dwight Yoakam burst on the music scene in the mid-1980s with a refreshing blend of vintage ‘50s/’60s-inspired, truckstop-worthy, country-fried, rockabilly-infused honky-tonkin’ twang and bright, modern sensibilities that captivated new and old audiences alike. On Record Store Day 2024 back on April 20, Reprise/Rhino/Via issued a limited edition (3,500 copies) 4LP box set dubbed The Beginning and Then Some: The Albums of the ’80s to celebrate Yoakam’s fruitful career beginnings. Read Mark Smotroff’s review to see why this reasonably priced box set is worth pickin’ up and spinnin’. . .

We always seem to enjoy whatever gear E.A.T. — short for European Audio Team — has ready to serve us, and we’ve just learned that the Vienna-based company’s New York-based distribution partner, VANA Ltd., is officially bringing their formidable Fortissimo S turntable across the Pond. Read on to see what’s what with the features and specs for the Fortissimo S table. . .

The tape revival continues ever onward. With that in mind, we’re going to take a look at a new tape-related offering from portable-gear manufacturer FiiO — namely, their CP13 transparent portable cassette player. Read on to see what the CP13 has to offer. . .

Bill Payne is a glue guy — as in, the co-founding keyboardist of Little Feat is the connective tissue that sweetens the musical pot of everything he touches, something that’s in full effect on Little Feat’s new 145g studio LP, Sam’s Place. In a recent Zoom interview with AP editor Mike Mettler, Payne discussed how Sam’s Place came together so instinctively, what some of his favorite vintage Little Feat tracks are on vinyl and why, and how the band mixes complexity and beauty together to create such a signature sound. . .

Ever want to build your own turntable, piece by piece? Well, Pro-Ject is letting you do just that with their new Xtension 9 Evolution table. Read on to see just how you can do it by customizing key turntable elements such as tonearm, cartridge, phono preamp, power supply, cabling, and finish, as you see fit. . .

Rega does it again. Part of the company’s burgeoning Nd cartridge line, the Nd5 moving magnet (MM) cartridge is said to be a “world first” (their words) in terms of using a neodymium magnet — hence, the periodic table-like abbreviated “Nd” portion of the cart’s nomenclature, Read on to see what all the Rega Nd5 MM cart’s other features and specs are. . .

Original pressings of it from 1964 are scarce, as it was initially issued primarily in the UK. What’s a vinyl-loving fan of acoustic blues on a budget to do? Fortunately, Craft Recordings has come to the rescue, seeing fit to reissue John Lee Hooker’s legendary 1964 Riverside Records LP, Burning Hell as part of their new Bluesville series. Read Mark Smotroff’s review to see if this AAA edition of Burning Hell should be fired up or your turntable sooner than later. . .