Mark Smotroff

If it’s the holidays and we’re talking holiday-centric vinyl, then we should also be talking about Vince Guaraldi and his indelible work for the Peanuts animation franchise. To kick off the holiday season right, LMFP is serving up the first ever vinyl edition of A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving in celebration of the TV special’s 50th anniversary. Read Mark Smotroff’s review to see if the new 180g 1LP edition of A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving should be cued up alongside your turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and/or whatever else is on your festive table. . .

In retrospect, Tom Waits’ trajectory from singer/song writer to down-beaten jazz-fueled street person scowling at the piano in the 1970s made perfect sense. But when he came out of the gate in the early 1980s, his transformation was almost as dramatic as David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust reinvention. Five new of-era 180g 1LP reissues from Island/UMe — namely, 1983’s Swordfishtrombones, 1985’s Rain Dogs, 1987’s Franks Wild Years, 1992’s Bone Machine, and 1993’s The Black Rider — all seek to remind us of just how fertile this period was in Waits’ overall canon. Read Mark Smotroff’s Short Cuts combo review to see if any or all of these new wonderful Waits reissues belong in your collection. . .

The Rolling Stones have just released their first studio album of all-new material in 18 years, Hackney Diamonds. Naturally, it begs the question: Will Hackney Diamonds ultimately become a classic Stones album? We don’t know that answer for sure just yet, but read Mark Smotroff’s review to find out if the 180g 1LP vinyl edition of Hackney Diamonds and/or its litany of variants are worthy of many a repeat spin. . .

David Bowie’s October 1973 covers album, Pin Ups, was actually somewhat of a placeholder, made with the intention to fulfill contractual requirements for his then-label, RCA Records — but it actually became a smash hit. To celebrate the album’s 50th anniversary, Parlophone is releasing a 180g 1LP half-speed-mastered edition on October 20. Read Mark Smotroff’s review to see if the new Parlophone Pin Ups is a worthy addition to your LP listening queue. . .