The hangman isn’t hanging but Steely Dan are stowin’ away the time, and they’re now back on vinyl where they belong. On November 4, Geffen/UMe and Analogue Productions commence an important year-long reissue series with 180g and 200g versions respectively of Steely Dan’s November 1972 debut album Can’t Buy a Thrill. Read on to find out more about what tapes are being used for this series, and what else is on the way on wax from Steely Dan’s 1972-80 heyday. . .
Our dime dancing is officially through, as we just got the news that the eagerly awaited LP reissue of Steely Dan’s indisputable September 1977 masterpiece Aja has now been given an official release date of September 29. The 180 1LP edition comes via Geffen/UMe, while the 30,000 numbered-copy limited-edition 200g 45rpm version on Ultra High-Quality Vinyl (UHQR) comes courtesy Analogue Productions. Read on to glean more about the source material for the new vinyl versions of Aja, as well as what the respective SRPs will be. . .
English-French avant pop band Stereolab recently announced an extensive reissue series of seven of their albums, starting with 1993’s Transient Random Noise-Bursts With Announcements and its 1994 follow-up Mars Audiac Quintet via Duophonic Ultra High Frequency Disks and Warp Records. Similar to last year’s reissues of Stereolab’s Switched On compilations, the albums are digitally remastered from the original ½” analog tapes by Bo Kondren at Calyx Mastering and supervised by Stereolab’s Tim Gane. These first two reissues will come out on May 2. Emperor Tomato Ketchup, Dots & Loops, and Cobra & Phases Group Play Voltage In The Milky Night will be reissued in August while Sound-Dust and Margerine Eclipse arrive in November. Each album comes with a bonus disc of alternate takes, demos, and unreleased mixes.
Stereophile is pleased to announce the availability of the free 2012 Recommended Components iPad app.
Available Now
The app is available right now for free download to your iPad in the iTunes store. In iTunes, search for "Stereophile Recommended Components" or follow this link to the iTunes store from your web browser.
This app includes all current Recomended Components as listed in the recent issue of Stereophile as well as additional ratings and listings that could not fit in the print version. There are over 700 component rankings in all and the app is compatible with all iPad hardware versions including retina displays.
The Toronto, Canada based newspaper The Globe and Mail published a story last Thursday February, 4th about a Canadian company that has invented and is building brand new record presses.
Yesterday I visited my friend and veteran disc jockey/on-air personality Paul Cavalconte to hang out and to "tweak" the Simon Yorke turntable he bought from me back in 2006 (story forthcoming). These days he's producing from his home a radio show that streams on The Progressive Radio Network (it's not a political show).
SOTA turntable co-founder David Fletcher recently passed away at age 81. The experimental physicist left the U.C. Berkeley Particle Lab to be his own boss. In 1972 he co-founded Sumiko. Both companies remain in business though Fletcher long ago sold his shares.
SAT (Swedish Analog Technologies) announced today two new pick up arms, the LM and CF1 series that replace the original SAT arm, now discontinued after a successful run of 70—an impressive number considering the arm's cost of more than $30,000.
Swedish Analog Technologies today announced two new pickup arms to be introduced "...in the first quarter of 2018". The photo accompanying this news item is of the original SAT Pickup Arm because no photos of the new arms were provided at this time. In fact, this photo taken from the company's website is of an earlier version than the one currently in production.