Michael Fremer

News
Legendary Loudspeaker Designer Andrew Jones Receives LA&OC Audio Society Founders Award
Michael Fremer  |  Dec 14, 2019  |  First Published: Dec 14, 2019  |  2 comments
(Photo: Ben Williams)
Legendary loudspeaker designer Andrew Jones (KEF, Infinity, TAD/Pioneer and now ELAC) received the Founders Award from The Los Angeles & Orange County Audio Society December 8th at the organization's annual Gala. AnalogPlanet editor Michael Fremer was again asked to "roast" and introduce the recipient.

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News
More Blue Note "Tone Poet" All-Analog Reissues Coming in 2020!
Michael Fremer  |  Dec 10, 2019  |  First Published: Dec 10, 2019  |  49 comments
Blue Note Records just announced the 2020 continuation of the acclaimed Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series. "Tone Poet" Joe Harley (so named by jazz great Charles Lloyd) produces the series, originally launched in 2019 to honor the label's 80th anniversary. The all-analog 180g series mastered directly from the original master tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio and pressed at Camarillo, CA-based RTI features deluxe Stoughton Printing "Old Style" Gatefold Tip-On Jackets.

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AAA VinylAlbum Reviews
Marcelle Meyer Plays Debussy Is French Record Company’s Superb AAA Debut
Michael Fremer  |  Dec 04, 2019  |  14 comments
The French Record Company’s first release is a limited to 200 copies edition of a “never before released but should have been” 1958 recording of pianist Marcelle Meyer playing a Debussy program recorded for the Les Discophiles Francais label (DF 211-212).

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Analog Gear NewsNews
SME Exits the OEM and Retail Tone Arm Business
Michael Fremer  |  Dec 04, 2019  |  First Published: Dec 04, 2019  |  27 comments
SME press release (December 3):

SME will exit the tonearm retail and OEM business with immediate effect shifting our focus on our core turntable and tonearm combination business. The decision to leave the tonearm business was not taken lightly, especially as we have played a key role in the design and development of the world’s best tonearms. The growth of our turntable business and commitment to higher production levels means that we cannot continue both streams.

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AAA VinylNews
Craft Recordings Reissues Big Star #1 and Radio City AAA on 180g Vinyl
Michael Fremer  |  Dec 03, 2019  |  First Published: Dec 03, 2019  |  20 comments
"What happens in Memphis stays in Memphis"—at least until you get these home (unless you live in Memphis!) might be Craft Recordings' slogan for this all-analog pair of Big Star reissues, probably the first all-analog reissues of these two ignored when first released but now highly regarded early '70s albums since Classic Records released them in 2009 AAA on Clarity vinyl.

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Turntable Reviews
With the SL-1500C Technics Cuts the Price But Not the Sound Quality
Michael Fremer  |  Dec 01, 2019  |  First Published: Dec 01, 2019  |  31 comments
Technics follows up on its successful re-entry into the turntable business (SL-1200 series, SP10R, SL1000R) with the SL1500C, a lower cost ($1199) direct drive turntable that features a version of the sophisticated coreless, single rotor direct drive motor used on its more costly turntables.

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Audio Video Show Warsaw 2019
Warsaw Audio Video Show 2019 Days Two and Three Coverage
Michael Fremer  |  Dec 01, 2019  |  First Published: Dec 01, 2019  |  19 comments
This video was originally blocked worldwide because one of these artists had a problem with a 10 second piano break that could be heard in the background in a hotel room at this show. Can you guess which?

Was it: Roger Waters, Donald Fagen, Eva Cassidy, Mark Knopfler (Dire Straights), Bebe, Leonard Cohen, Metallica, Patricia Barber, Michael Jackson, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds or Peter Gabriel?

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AAA VinylAlbum Reviews
It Could Happen To You: Chet Baker Sings From Craft Is Another AAA Reissue Great
Michael Fremer  |  Nov 29, 2019  |  3 comments
Chet Baker was 29 years old when he recorded this album of vocals with occasional trumpet back in the summer of 1958 released today, 61 years later for RSD Black Friday.. He sounds like a kid. Actually you could argue he sounds positively girl-ish, which back then must have driven them pretty crazy—even crazier than did his chiseled, pugilistic face.

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Album ReviewsNews
Newvelle Breaks Open the Season Four Box For RSD Black Friday
Michael Fremer  |  Nov 27, 2019  |  First Published: Nov 27, 2019  |  0 comments
Newvelle’s Season Five Box is ready, but sorry, we’re behind so here’s coverage of Season Four’s box just in time for the subscription-based label’s Black Friday Record Store Day “open box” specials.

First the specials: eleven individual albums from the label’s first four years, including two from Season Four’s box, will be available exclusively from Wednesday, November 27th to Monday December 2nd, on the Newvelle website. There are albums from familiar names like the late Don Friedman and Ben Allison and others as well including from season four, Billy Lester’s From Scratch and Kenny Werner’s Church on Mars.

In addition, the label is offering during this Wednesday-Monday Black Friday RSD promotion, free shipping when you purchase the full Season Four box set.

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AAA VinylAlbum Reviews
Motown's "Tone Poet" Series—First Three Editions
Michael Fremer  |  Nov 26, 2019  |  8 comments
I'd be surprised if someone at UMe didn't look at the success of Blue Note's "Tone Poet" series and say to themselves "maybe the way to launch a Motown reissue series is to do it with the highest possible quality" because Motown/ UMe's new 5 LP Motown mono series duplicates in every way Blue Note's "Tone Poet" series: Kevin Gray cut from mono master tapes, RTI plated and pressed on 180g vinyl and the records are packaged in Stoughton tip on jackets.

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