Features

Sort By: Post DateTitle Publish Date
Features
Joe Boyd: collectors choice
Michael Fremer  |  Jun 30, 2003

Michael Fremer picks favorites from the rich Joe Boyd discography

Continue Reading »
Features
John Hartford---Catalogue---Flying Fish 259---The Records You Didn’t Know You Needed #9
Joseph W. Washek  |  Jan 24, 2022
John Hartford (1937-2001) wrote “Gentle On My Mind” which won four Grammys, was chosen by BMI as the #16 Song Of The Century, was in 1990, the fourth most played song in the history of radio, has been covered by dozens, including Elvis, Sinatra and REM and by 2017 had been downloaded 250,00+ times. He was a regular on The Smothers Brothers, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour and the Johnny Cash TV shows. Between 1967 and 1970, he recorded seven albums for RCA which are an uncategorizable mixture of folk, rock, country, bluegrass, easy listening, psychedelic-folk and just plain oddness. If that wasn’t enough, he got hip credentialled by playing on The Byrds’ Sweetheart of The Rodeo LP.
Continue Reading »
Features
Kaikhosru Sorabji: Adventures in Extreme Piano
Steve Taylor  |  Sep 30, 2003

Editor's Note: I am pleased to post this new piece by one of The Tracking Angle's most fearless and original writers, Steve Taylor. When he wrote for The Tracking Angle, Taylor almost always covered lesser known groups and composers. Taylor managed to convey the color, emotional content and meaning of unfamiliar, and often difficult music with great clarity and infectious enthusiasm. With this overview of the composer Kaikhosru Sorabji, Taylor picks up where he left off. We are fortunate to have him back, and hope you agree.

As with the Charles Lloyd piece, because of technical limitations, images of the pianist Michael Habermann and available album cover art will be found in the "Photo Gallery," accessible at the bottom left hand side of the home page.—MF

Continue Reading »
Album ReviewsFeatures
Kanye West’s Donda 2 : Unfinished & Uncomfortable (+ Stem Player Review)
Malachi Lui  |  Mar 24, 2022
Mere months after his patience-testing yet rewarding opus Donda, Kanye West is back with its lazily titled sequel, Donda 2. Don’t expect to find it on streaming platforms or in record stores, however. The artist now legally known as Ye instead independently released it exclusively on the $200 Stem Player, a proprietary, Yeezy Tech- and Kano-developed device that allows users tactile interaction with his last three albums (more about that later). Most of Donda 2’s media coverage centers around the Stem Player situation, how everyone thinks Kanye is “crazy” to so highly value his art by making everyone pay $200 for it. Yet, Donda 2 itself doesn’t cost $200; it’s a free download accessible only via the $200 Stem Player, meaning he doesn’t technically have to pay anyone royalties or sample clearances. Kanye would tell you he’s winning, except it’s his own game designed to eliminate any threat of competition. (Either way, Billboard ruled the album ineligible to chart. Kanye’s decision to keep Donda 2 off streaming is immensely respectable, though I wish he also put out a more convenient $20 CD or tape.)

Continue Reading »
Features
Keith Carlock
Michael Fremer  |  Jul 01, 2007

Eager anticipation turned into bitter disappointment early as Steely Dan played its final Beacon Theater (NY) concert last night (June 13th 2007). Opening tunes can’t be counted upon for greatness, as the band warms up and the mixer dials in the sound, but unfortunately, last night’s thin, sizzly, musically disjointed opener set the stage for an evening of thudding, overblown drumming, and an excruciatingly thin, sizzly, sibilant vocal mix on Donald Fagen’s clearly fatigued voice.

Obviously, drummer Keith Carlock is a talented and energetic drummer, but his playing last night had very little to do with Steely Dan’s slinky, insinuating sound, and much more to do with a Heavy Metal concert.

Continue Reading »
Features
Kinks Remastered to SACD: The Inside Story
Michael Fremer  |  Jan 31, 2005

Back in 1998 KOCH licensed both the RCA and Arista Kinks catalogs from BMG. Ray Davies supervised and approved the transfer from two-track analog masters, which was accomplished using an Ampex ATR102 directly feeding a Pacific Microsonics Model One A/D converter running at 88.2k/24 bit PCM (bonus tracks were sourced from Ray's DAT tapes). The files were sent to Bob Ludwig's Gateway Mastering for final mastering, including HDCD encoding.

Continue Reading »
Features
Last Minute Holiday Gift Giving Suggestions—But Hurry!
Michael Fremer  |  Dec 21, 2017
Here are some gift-giving ideas for this holiday season that come late, but not too late! Among the suggestions are books, record cleaning accessories,records and vinyl boxed sets. The embedded video has more suggestions.

Continue Reading »
FeaturesNews
Late, Great Music Visionary Herb Belkin’s Amazing Collection, Including Many of His Own Original Rare & Low-Number MFSL Limited-Edition LPs and Box Sets, Is Set for Auction by Thomaston Place Auction Galleries on June 29
Mike Mettler, Mark Smotroff  |  May 27, 2025

Herb Belkin was one of a kind. A lifetime record executive who was instrumental in taking a onetime field-recording audio company known as Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (a.k.a. MFSL) to the next, audiophile-grade level in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Belkin (1939-2001) also amassed quite the robust collection of vinyl, CDs, LDs, and other music-related memorabilia over the course of his rich life. A good amount of Belkin’s personal archive from the MFSL universe (and beyond!) is coming up for auction at 11 a.m. EDT on June 29, 2025, through Thomaston Place Auction Galleries on Day 3 of their Summer Splendor auction series. Read Mike Mettler and Mark Smotroff’s combo report to see what rare items from Belkin’s vinyl collection are going up for this auction — and also find out what gear he listened to all of it on back in the day. . .

Continue Reading »
Features
Let's Take a Break From Munich Coverage For This Tune From Sara Gazarek and Josh Nelson
Michael Fremer  |  May 31, 2017
Let's take a (short) break from Munich High End 2017 coverage and instead play a track from this piano and vocal LP produced and engineered by legendary recording engineer Al Schmitt at Capitol Studios mastered by Bernie Grundman and pressed at RTI.

Continue Reading »
Album ReviewsFeatures
Let’s Spin! Celebrating National Vinyl Record Day With a Few of My Favorite Current LPs (and a Cool New 45)
Mike Mettler  |  Aug 12, 2024

The official National Calendar says today, August 12, is National Vinyl Record Day, so I cued up a few of my favorite new vinyl offerings — including the latest 2LP studio set from a longtime favorite, a 4LP box set with an album I’ve been waiting decades to get on vinyl, and a brand-new-to-2024 throwback 45 — to celebrate the theme of the day. Read on to see what they are, and feel free to chime in about your own favorite LPs you were spinning on your own turntable on this most hallowed of days. . .

Continue Reading »
Features
Lirpa Labs John Cage 4'33" Silent Turntable: Yet Another AnalogPlanet Exclusive!!!
Mike Mettler  |  Apr 01, 2025

I thought I was safe this time, but I should have known better.

Continue Reading »
Features
Lirpa Labs Noah’s Arc Turntable: An Analog Planet Exclusive!
Mike Mettler, Ken Micallef  |  Apr 01, 2024

Every now and then, we come across a product that truly defies description — and today’s special featured piece of gear is the ever-loving, AI-living proof. Please welcome the triumphant return of the always estimable Dr. Loof Lirpa, who has given AP exclusive access to his brand-spanking-new Lirpa Labs Noah’s Arc turntable. Read on to see what the M&M team — Mettler and Micallef, that is — think of this one-of-a-kind AAA (as in, absolutely amazing analog) marvel. . .

Continue Reading »
Can I Have My Money Back?Features
Listen to Edgard Varése's "Ionisation" From "Percussion Music" on Nonesuch Records
Michael Fremer  |  Jan 29, 2017
After posting the story "Three Percussion Records You Should Own Bob Ludwig emailed that I should get Percussion Music (Nonesuch H-71291). I emailed back that I had it and that prompted the decision to produce an all-percussion show for tomorrow’s WFDU HD2 AnalogPlanet radio show.

Continue Reading »
AAA VinylFeatures
Listening Session Impressions of Miles Davis’ New Birth of the Blue 180g 1LP at All Blues in NYC
Ken Micallef  |  Dec 05, 2024

Last night (i.e., December 4, 2024), a select group of journalists gathered at the All Blues listening bar in New York City’s Chinatown, and were treated to an exclusive preview of Analogue Productions’ special 180g 1LP edition of Miles Davis’ Birth of the Blue, which is set for release on December 13, 2024. Read Ken Micallef’s firsthand listening report to get a taste of what you can expect from this historic LP. . .

Continue Reading »
Features
Long-Awaited The Doors Vinyl Box From Rhino Arrives
Michael Fremer  |  Apr 30, 2010
The long awaited faux lizard skin clad, seven 180g LP The Doors box set has finally arrived, two years late, at a higher than originally announced cost, and for now (May, 2008), in very short supply.
Continue Reading »

Pages

X