Mark Smotroff

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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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  |  First Published: 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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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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AAA VinylAlbum Reviews
Mal Waldron Sextet’s Mal/2, a Rare 1957 Prestige Records Supersession With John Coltrane and Others, Gets a Long Overdue and Well-Deserved AAA 180g 1LP Reissue From Craft Recordings
Mark Smotroff  |  Aug 17, 2023  |  8 comments

Mal Waldron Sextet’s Mal/2 — a new AAA OJC 180g 1LP reissue from Craft Recordings of what some might deem a “lost classic” of vintage, mid-century 1950s jazz — offers important and wonderful music for fans of not only titular pianist Mal Waldron, but also of saxophone legend John Coltrane in particular. Read Mark Smotroff’s review to see why he considers the new OJC Mal/2 LP is essential listening, and why it’s well worth adding to your collection. . .

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Album Reviews
Steely Dan’s Pretzel Logic Serves Up a Different Listening Experience in Its New, Precision-Pressed 180g 1LP Edition From Geffen/UMe
Mark Smotroff  |  Aug 11, 2023  |  5 comments

Steely Dan and UMe have thrown fans of the band’s music some interesting choices when it comes to their current vinyl reissue series. We all know about the pricier, concurrent AAA UHQR editions from Analogue Productions that all have an admittedly steeper entry fee, but the hard reality is many of us can only afford the standard 180g 1LP editions being released under the Geffen/UMe label banner. What’s a budget-minded, audiophile-leaning Steely Dan fan to do? Read Mark Smotroff’s review of the new Geffen/UMe version of Pretzel Logic to see if it’s the right edition for you. . .

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Short Cuts
Review Explosion, Short Cuts Edition Vol. 5: Stan Getz, Charlie Byrd, Wynton Kelly, and Wes Montgomery All Shine on New 180g 1LP Verve Acoustic Sounds Series Reissues, While a 3LP Sun Ra Deluxe Edition Delivers Cosmically Inspired Sonic Bliss All Its Own
Mark Smotroff  |  Aug 04, 2023  |  First Published: Aug 04, 2023  |  5 comments

We got that jazz-jones thing already going again, so we’re back with another jazz-centric triple-play review. Read Mark Smotroff’s Short Cuts combo take on a trio of jazz classics — both old and newly discovered alike — from Stan Getz & Charlie Byrd, Wynton Kelly Trio & Wes Montgomery, and Sun Ra. . .

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Short Cuts
Review Explosion, Short Cuts Edition Vol. 4: A Trio of Eclectic 180g 1LP Reissue Jazz Offerings From Alice Coltrane, Dorothy Ashby, and Gabor Szabo
Mark Smotroff  |  Aug 03, 2023  |  First Published: Aug 03, 2023  |  2 comments

Collecting original pressings of rare albums can be exciting, frustrating, and even debilitating at times. The good news is, there are a lot of really excellent reissues coming out these days that seem only to be getting better and better. Read Mark Smotroff’s triple Short Cuts review of new 180g 1LP reissues of classic titles from Alice Coltrane, Dorothy Ashby, and Gabor Szabo to see if any of them just might whet your eclectic jazz-listening whistle. . .

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Album Reviews
R.E.M. Vinyl Reissues From Craft Recordings Offer Fresh 180g Takes on a Pair of Late-Period Gems: the Mini-Suite Vibes of 2004 2LP Set Around the Sun, and Their Affecting 2011 1LP Studio Swan Song, Collapse Into Now
Mark Smotroff  |  Jul 28, 2023  |  4 comments

Two late-period R.E.M. albums — October 2004’s and March 2011’s Collapse Into Now — have just gotten well-deserved 180g LP upgrades from Craft Recordings. Read Mark Smotroff’s combo review of these two somewhat underappreciated but wholly worthy entries in the Athens, Georgia alt-rockers deep catalog to see if they fit into your own upcoming LP listening plans. . .

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Album Reviews
Mike Oldfield’s Seminal Tubular Bells Album Celebrates 50th Anniversary With New Abbey Road Half-Speed-Mastered 180g 2LP Expanded Edition Directly Overseen by Its Visionary Creator
Mark Smotroff  |  Jul 21, 2023  |  8 comments

The cover image is iconic. The opening strains of the recording are iconic. Even the original label design is iconic. Fifty years on, we now celebrate Mike Oldfield’s landmark progressive masterwork debut album, May 1973’s Tubular Bells, with an expanded 180g 2LP half-speed-remastered edition overseen by Oldfield himself. Read on to get Mark Smotroff’s take on this this avowed timeless classic. . .

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Short Cuts
Review Explosion, Short Cuts Edition Vol. 3: A Pair of Excellent New AAA Bill Evans Trio and Miles Davis Quintet OJC Studio 180g 1LP Reissues, Plus a Legendary Lost Archival Live John Coltrane With Eric Dolphy 2LP Set (Albeit With One Caveat)
Mark Smotroff  |  Jul 20, 2023  |  First Published: Jul 20, 2023  |  7 comments

Welcome back to the third installment of our ongoing Review Explosion series, Short Cuts edition! This time, we have three new jazz releases sharing some common threads that connect the artists in question, yet are about as different as night and day. Read on to see what Mark Smotroff has to say about a pair of excellent new AAA Bill Evans Trio and Miles Davis Quintet OJC studio 180g 1LP reissues, plus a legendary lost archival live John Coltrane With Eric Dolphy 2LP set — but note that the latter release comes with one important caveat. . .

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