3rd Edition
Pathos In The Groove MM/MC Phono Preamp
We're always on the lookout for good if not certainly great phono preamps to get our hands on to review here for the AnalogPlanet faithful. Since I had recently reviewed the Pathos InPol Remix MkII integrated amplifier for our sister site Stereophile, I was intrigued to see if the company's latest iteration of the Pathos In The Groove phono preamp might be worthy of our attention.
New 60th Anniversary Craft Recordings Small Batch One-Step RTI-Pressed 180g 1LP for Vince Guaraldi Trio's Jazz Impressions Of Black Orpheus Is Well Worth the Freight
While everyone loves the man's jazzy instrumental music on the Peanuts TV specials -- particularly the classic holiday soundtrack to 1965's A Charlie Brown Christmas (the expanded 180g 2LP reissue of which we reviewed here, back in December 2022) to really appreciate Vince Guaraldi's career one needs to go back to the early 1960s, when one recording pretty much changed the trajectory of his life.
Bob Marley's Limited Edition 12LP Vinyl Series, Fully Pressed at Tuff Gong International in Kingston, Jamaica, Is Set for March 24
The Legend continues. The Marley Family, Tuff Gong, and UMe are set to commemorate the late, great Bob Marley's 78th birthday with 12 limited-edition Bob Marley LPs, each of them numbered and pressed exclusively at Tuff Gong International headquarters in Kingston, Jamaica, and set for release on March 24.
AMG Giro MK II Turntable With 9W2 Tonearm
It's time for us to show some love to AMG (Analog Manufaktur Germany), who make Großartig (great, that is) turntables and tonearms. The recently upgraded Giro MK II turntable is the focus of our current platter affection.
John Lee Hooker's 1962 Blues Classic Burnin' Heats Up Turntables Again With New Kevin Gray-Remastered All-Analog 180g LP From Craft Recordings
Even if you have only been moderately exposed to the universe of blues music, the name John Lee Hooker is among the great artists who belongs alongside other major names like B.B. King, Howlin' Wolf, Willie Dixon, and Leadbelly (for starters).
Steely Dan's All-Analog Countdown to Ecstasy 200g 45rpm 2LP Set Establishes the Gold Standard for All Upcoming Releases in This Stellar UHQR Analogue Productions Series
Steely Dan were finally hitting their stride with July 1973's Countdown to Ecstasy. After setting the SD sonic template with November 1972's debut LP on ABC Records, Can't Buy Thrill, they reshuffled some personnel for one thing, original co-lead vocalist David Palmer departed (albeit providing some backing vocals here and there), while keyboard whiz kid Donald Fagen took over essentially all the lead vocals fulltime, from this point forward and the five-piece collective worked out much of their sophomore album's core material live onstage during 1973's hectic tour schedule, all of which added to Countdown's inherent interactive grit.
2nd Edition
John Lee Hooker's 1962 Blues Classic Burnin' Heats Up Turntables Again With New Kevin Gray-Remastered All-Analog 180g LP From Craft Recordings
Even if you have only been moderately exposed to the universe of blues music, the name John Lee Hooker is among the great artists who belongs alongside other major names like B.B. King, Howlin' Wolf, Willie Dixon, and Leadbelly (for starters).
Steely Dan's All-Analog Countdown to Ecstasy 200g 45rpm 2LP Set Establishes the Gold Standard for All Upcoming Releases in This Stellar UHQR Analogue Productions Series
teely Dan were finally hitting their stride with July 1973's Countdown to Ecstasy. After setting the SD sonic template with November 1972's debut LP on ABC Records, Can't Buy Thrill, they reshuffled some personnel — for one thing, original co-lead vocalist David Palmer departed (albeit providing some backing vocals here and there)...
Rekkord's RCM Record Cleaning Machine Is Slated for Late-February Availability
The more we listen to our vinyl, the more we notice how much our LPs need regular cleaning, regardless of whether they're new or used copies. Record cleaning devices range in terms of performance and options, of course, and we will be reviewing a number of them in the coming months here on AP.
Verve By Request Cooks Up Tasty 180g 1LP Reissue of Mel Brown's 1967 Impulse Records Debut Album Chicken Fat, Pressed by Third Man Records
Mel Brown's Chicken Fat was something of an anomaly for pioneering jazz label Impulse Records in 1967, with perhaps its closest of-era relatives being Shirley Scott's swinging, organ-driven, bluesy soul-jazz releases.
Janis Ian Sheds Some Inner Light on Following Her Analog Roots When Mastering New Music for Vinyl
“It's nice to talk analog. You're speaking my language.” That's Janis Ian, the iconoclast singer/songwriter who's made a lifetime-slash-career out of breaking barriers and forging new paths when it comes to making music that is equal parts folk, country, rock, and all points in between. And she's very much speaking our language too, of course.
Andrew Bird Seeks to Resolve His Ever-Changing Moods on Quite the Intriguing 180g 1LP Treatise, Inside Problems
To what extent can you judge an album by its cover? The outside of Andrew Bird's mid-2022 studio LP Inside Problems reflects what's happening inside musically — and perhaps personally — to some degree.
1st Edition
Rekkord's RCM Record Cleaning Machine Is Slated for Late-February Availability
The more we listen to our vinyl, the more we notice how much our LPs need regular cleaning, regardless of whether they're new or used copies. Record cleaning devices range in terms of performance and options, of course, and we will be reviewing a number of them in the coming months here on AP.
Verve By Request Cooks Up Tasty 180g 1LP Reissue of Mel Brown's 1967 Impulse Records Debut Album Chicken Fat, Pressed by Third Man Records
Mel Brown's Chicken Fat was something of an anomaly for pioneering jazz label Impulse Records in 1967, with perhaps its closest of-era relatives being Shirley Scott's swinging, organ-driven, bluesy soul-jazz releases. Neither pure jazz nor rock, this album of funky-slinky, bluesy guitar workouts was hyped on the album cover as "An Impulse Discovery," which is at least partially true.
Andrew Bird Seeks to Resolve His Ever-Changing Moods on Quite the Intriguing 180g 1LP Treatise, Inside Problems
To what extent can you judge an album by its cover? The outside of Andrew Bird's mid-2022 studio LP Inside Problems reflects what's happening inside musically and perhaps personally to some degree.
HRS's Next-Gen E1X Isolation Base Minimizes Noise-Related Complications for Turntables & Amplifiers
You can have the best gear in the world in your system ready to play all those new and/or vintage LPs in your collection, but if any piece of equipment in the playback chain is not properly stabilized especially when it comes to fortifying your turntable and/or amplifier(s), for example then you're just asking for unnecessary noise-related complications.
Vincent Audio's PHO-701 Is a Classy Hybrid Two-Chassis MM/MC Phono Preamp Option
Vincent Audio knows from phono preamps, and the company's PHO-701 MM/MC hybrid two-chassis model now emerges in the wake of its vaunted PHO-700 predecessor. First, the two-chassis PHO-701 MM/MC is said to improve upon the PHO-700 by offering added adjustability to match your cartridge options, and second, it also includes a USB output.
AnalogPlanet's Top Jazz Albums of 2022
AP editor Mike Mettler asked ace reviewer Ken Micallef to come up with a list of his top jazz releases on vinyl for 2022, and Ken happily complied, and compiled accordingly. Herewith is his list of ten listening year 2022 jazz faves on wax, presented in no particular order.
Source AnalogPlanet
