LATEST ADDITIONS

Michael Fremer  |  Jul 01, 2011  |  1 comments

When Frank left Capitol to start his own Reprise label, his old label made a push to reap the old catalogue's financial benefits. Frank fought back by recording in April of 1963 this album of big Capitol hits with arrangements by Nelson Riddle. Sinatra knew the tunes well, laying them all down live with orchestra in two days.

Michael Fremer  |  Jul 01, 2011  |  0 comments

As the liner notes point out, there’s nothing inauthentic about a Swiss composer conducting a Swiss orchestra performing a ballet written by a Spaniard.

Michael Fremer  |  Jul 01, 2011  |  1 comments

This mostly introspective, Jackie McLean led session featuring trombonist Grachan Moncur III (who contributes three of the four compositions), Roy Haynes, bassist Larry Ridley and Bobby Hutcherson, whose vibraphone add an otherworldly element to the mix, sounds more like something from an eerie “Twilight Zone” episode than what one normally expects or gets from the Blue Note franchise.

Michael Fremer  |  Jul 01, 2011  |  1 comments

Talk about a confusing pedigree: though the jacket reproduces an "electronically reprocessed for stereo" edition of this album, the tape used is  mono, thank goodness.

Michael Fremer  |  Jul 01, 2011  |  1 comments

To those of us at a certain age and religious persuasion, there's something bizarre about Iggy and the Stooges playing  Kutsher's Country Club, once one of the Borscht Belt's premiere venues. Of course Kutsher's and the Borscht Belt aren't what they used to be but Iggy and the Stooges still are!

Michael Fremer  |  Jul 01, 2011  |  1 comments

Neil Young's 1980's country music phase wasn't appreciated by his record label at the time but the fans accepted it, certainly more than they did what came previously: dips into computer music (Trans) and Rockabilly (Everybody's Rockin'), which was digitally recorded. Somehow digital recording and Rockabilly don't go together but it took Neil a while to figure that out. And that Rockabilly record had Neil in an odd mood. Read his biography "Shakey" and it was clearly a difficult time in his life.

Michael Fremer  |  Jul 01, 2011  |  1 comments

The late New York Times rock critic Robert Palmer once wrote a Billy Joel review that was so scathing, so mean, so nasty and couched in personal terms, that even I, a fellow Billy Joel detractor (perhaps even a "hater" back then), cringed with embarrassment.

 |  Jun 28, 2011  |  First Published: Dec 31, 1969  |  5 comments
Enticing more music lovers to try vinyl requires a foolproof, plug'n'play solution. Asking a member of the digital generation to install a cartridge in a tonearm and then set up the VTA, SRA, VTF, etc. is asking too much. It's easier to make such a request of someone already bitten by the analog bug, but with turntables, wishing someone beginner's luck will not guarantee success.
Michael Fremer  |  Jun 15, 2011  |  First Published: Dec 31, 1969  |  0 comments
Michael Fremer  |  May 25, 2011  |  First Published: Dec 31, 1969  |  0 comments

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