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Duke Ellington – Blues In Orbit
58,00 €Add to cartIt’s tempting for Blues in Orbit to be overlooked when Duke Ellington’s best albums are discussed, but truly it’s an undisputed gem. There are 11 tracks, none of them is longer than 4:50 and it is all good stuff. There are some familiar favorites such as “In a Mellotone” and “C Jam Blues” as well as less often heard gems like “Blues in Blueprint and “Sweet and Pungent.” It is also in stereo, and the arrangements are superb. The featured performers include Ellington stalwarts Johnnie Hodges, Ray Nance, Harry Carney and Jimmy Hamilton, as well as the less familiar Booty Wood and Matthew Gee. Johnnie, in particular is well showcased here, taking the lead not only in slow pieces like “Brown Penny” and “Sentimental Lady”, but also in the rousing, “Smada.” The full Analogue Productions reissue treatment is at work on this smashing LP — famed mastering engineer Bernie Grundman handled the remastering from the original analog tapes. The lacquers were plated and pressed at Quality Record Pressings, maker of the world’s finest-sounding LPs. Lastly we’ve stashed each super-silent 180-gram disc in a premium Stoughton Printing gatefold jacket. All of the takes were recorded during after midnight sessions recorded over two nights starting on December 2, 1959 in New York at Columbia Records’ studio on East 30th Street. Each night Duke’s late dinner arrived at 2 a.m. — a sizzling steak, a pot of coffee with lemons in it, portions of American cheese, and grapefruits. After dinner, and a breather for the band, the sessions finished around dawn in a swinging fashion. If you’re just getting into jazz, this album is highly recommended as a great way to initiate your collection. The sound is incredible, with packaging to match. Another audiophile home run.
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Eric Dolphy – Far Cry (Stereo)
58,00 €Add to cartA half-century after his death at 36, the astonishing saxophonist and flutist Eric Dolphy is still influencing and inspiring the most adventuresome jazz musicians. Dolphy was daring and iconoclastic while fully immersed in the jazz tradition. His musicianship was so thorough that innovators like Charles Mingus and John Coltrane held him in awe. In a dream partnership, Dolphy and trumpeter Booker Little made a handful of recordings in 1960 and '61, shortly before Little's own premature death. The first of them are in this album. With Jaki Byard, Ron Carter and Roy Haynes.
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Billie Holiday – Lady In Satin
88,00 €Add to cartLady in Satin was released in 1958 on Columbia Records, catalog CL 1157 in mono and CS 8048 in stereo. It is legendary singer Billie Holiday’s penultimate album completed by the singer and released in her lifetime (her final album, Billie Holiday, being recorded in March 1959 and released just after her death). AllMusic says: “The feeling and tension she manages to put into almost every track set this album as one of her finest achievements. ‘You’ve Changed’ and ‘I Get Along Without You Very Well’ are high art performances from the singer who saw life from the bottom up.” The song material for Lady in Satin derived from the usual sources for Holiday in her three-decade career, that of the Great American Songbook of classic pop. Unlike the bulk of Holiday’s recordings, rather than in the setting of a jazz combo Holiday returns to the backdrop of full orchestral arrangements as done during her Decca years, this time in the contemporary vein of Frank Sinatra or Ella Fitzgerald on her Song Books series. The album consists of songs Holiday had never recorded before. Bandleader Ray Ellis used a 40-piece orchestra, complete with horns, strings, reeds and even a three-piece choir. It would turn out to be Holiday’s most expensive music production. Soloists on the album included Mel Davis, Urbie Green, and bebop trombone pioneer J. J. Johnson. Now with our 45 RPM release, mastered from the original analog tape by Bernie Grundman, and pressed by our own Quality Record Pressings, the best-sounding version of this historic album gives listeners an even richer sonic experience. The dead-quiet double-LP, with the music spread over four sides of vinyl, reduces distortion and high frequency loss as the wider-spaced grooves let your stereo cartridge track more accurately. Original album produced by Irving Townsend, and engineered by Fred Plaut.
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Sarah McLachlan – Afterglow
88,00 €Show itemThe Analogue Productions/QRP pressing reissue treatment delivers sonics and luxury packaging second to none for discerning collectors. Now we've given three titles by Canadian songstress Sarah McLachlan this premier makeover and you reap the benefits: Solace, Mirrorball and Afterglow. Each on 45 RPM LP and Hybrid SACD. McLachlan's rebellion is hushed on Afterglow, her first studio album since 1997's Surfacing. "At times even the piano chords at the heart of the sound are tucked neatly beneath layer upon layer of strings and overdubbed voices. Listen to what’s being sung within this soothing aural bed, though, and hear the just-before-sleep murmurings of the quietest riot grrl: "I’m a train wreck waiting to happen.... a wildfire born of frustration," "How stupid could I be.... you’re no good for me, but you’re the only one I see," "I have to push just to see how far you’ll go." The latter song ("Push") resolves itself with the assurance, "You complete me." Ultimately, McLachlan fans will be comforted again by what turns out to be her reliably untroubled aesthetic." —Amazon.com
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12.75″ Dual Pocket ( Pack of 25 )
31,50 €Add to cartNote that these sleeves are currently only available with resealable tape on the flap. Fits: 12" record jackets up to .25" (6 mm) thick (most single albums, some double albums)* Dimensions: 12.75" x 12.75" (324 mm x 324 mm) Pockets: Dual Flaps: One, sealable, tape on flap, 1.25" (32 mm) Material: 4mil cast polypropylene Please note all outer sleeves have a size tolerance of +/- 2mm
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Eric Dolphy – At The Five Spot, Vol. 1 (Stereo)
58,00 €Add to cartOne night during a one-time, two-week engagement at the Five Spot produced enough music of lasting merit for three albums. When Rudy Van Gelder took his portable equipment down to the fabled Cooper Square jazz club on July 16, 1961, he captured the interaction of an extraordinary quintet. Eric Dolphy, Booker Little, Mal Waldron, Richard Davis and Ed Blackwell had formed a cooperative group and, if LIttle had not died in October 1961, there is no doubt that it would have been a potent force in the music of the 1960s and beyond. Dolphy himself died in June 1964, after establishing himself as one of the important contemporary reedmen. Here his alto saxophone and bass clarinet and Little’s trumpet explore three originals: "The Prophet" by Dolphy, "Bee Vamp" by Little, and "Fire Waltz" by Waldron. It’s time caught in a bottle — music for the ages.
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Bill Evans – At Town Hall Vol. 1
44,00 €Add to cartOf pianist Bill Evans' many live albums, At Town Hall ... Vol. 1 has always been among his most delicate and elegant, writes Marc Myers for JazzWax. Evans' playing is taut and graceful, with lovely long improvisational lines and a snappy, fluid attack on the keyboard. The mix of standards and two originals — one was a suite in memory of his' father, who died just three days earlier — also were neatly selected and assembled. Despite playing New York club dates for 10 years, the Town Hall recording on February 21, 1966 was Evans' first New York concert appearance. Evans played the first half of the Town Hall concert with just bassist Chuck Israels and drummer Arnie Wise, and the second half with an orchestra. The orchestra performed four Al Cohn-arranged tunes: "Willow Weep for Me" and "What Kind of Fool Am I" as well as Evans' originals "Funkallero" and "Waltz for Debby." Musicians: Bil Evans - piano, keyboards Chuck Israels - bass Arnold Wide - drums Orchestra: Ernie Royal, Clark Terry and Bill Berry - trumpets Bob Brookmeyer, Quentin Jackson and Bill Watrous - trombone Bob Northern - French horn Jerry Dodgion, George Marge, Eddie Daniels, Frank Petrovsky and Marvin Holladay - reeds
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Harry Belafonte – Belafonte Sings The Blues
58,00 €Show itemA favorite off the recommended list by The Absolute Sound magazine, and, as expressed in the liner notes, Harry Belafonte’s favorite recording. Belafonte has never before sung on records as he does in this album. He is freer, more earthy, more exultantly identified with his material than ever before. He has always communicated an often ferocious power as well as lyrical sensitivity, but in this collection he achieves a unity of emotional strength in and understanding of his material that marks an important stage in his evolution as an artist. Includes classic songs “Cotton Fields,” “God Bless’ The Child,” “Hallelujah I Love Her So.” Recorded in New York City in January and March 1958, and in Hollywood, California, in June 1958. As the liner notes by Nat Hentoff state, there is not much to say about the individual performances that is not entirely clear on hearing them. Truly a classic for discerning audiophiles, Belafonte Sings The Blues was the first Belafonte album recorded in stereo. The sound is incredible, and the dead-silent backgrounds of QRP 200-gram vinyl preserve every exquisite detail! This is one of Belafonte’s most satisfying set of performances.
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Dr. John – Dr. John’s Gumbo
58,00 €Show itemDr. John’s Gumbo is the fifth album by New Orleans singer and pianist Dr. John, a tribute to the music of his native city. The album is a collection of covers of New Orleans classics, played by a major figure in the city’s music. Dr John’s Gumbo was released in 1972 and is in many ways a tribute by Dr. John, aka the Night Tripper, to his hometown New Orleans. It features excellent interpretations of New Orleans traditionals (“Iko Iko”, “Tipitina”, “Junko Partner” and “Stack-O-Lee”) and contemporary R&B written or played by the likes of Huey Piano Smith (“Blow Wind Blow” and “Huey Smith Medley”) and Earl King (“Big Chief” and “Those Lonely Lonely Nights”). Dr. John delivers a strong set of infectious songs drenched in good vibes and spiced with a pinch of voodoo. His eccentric (stage) appearance adds unique color to his stature as master of the ivories and as an entertainer. This great album receives the full Analogue Productions reissue treatment here, starting with Kevin Gray’s remaster from the original analog tapes. Then we back that up with 200-gram plating and pressing on super-silent vinyl by our own Quality Record Pressings. Finally it’s all housed in a tip-on gatefold jacket from Stoughton Printing. Deluxe all the way; you’ll be ecstatic with the results!
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Steely Dan – Two Against Nature
88,00 €Show item“’Everything’ appeared on vinyl in Europe shortly after its release, and Rhino put out a 2LP ‘Two Against Nature’ (with the fourth side blank) for Record Store Day in 2021. I haven’t heard the Euro pressing, but I have the Rhino. The Acoustic Sounds reissue is pressed from the same digital master (by Scott Hull), so its only distinctions are the QRP pressing and 45 RPM speed, but that makes a big difference. Fagen’s voice is clearer, the guitars are pluckier, the horns are brassier, the drums are more eye-blinkingly smacked, and the rhythm is more coherent. The improvement isn’t huge, but it’s obvious. (The improvement over the CD is fairly large.) The Rhino LP package is out of print and sells on Discogs for hundreds of dollars, so the Acoustic Sounds package, at $60, is a relative bargain. Everything Must Go was released on vinyl in Europe, and while it too is better than the CD (I have both), the Analogue Productions reissue, which is mastered by Bernie Grundman, is much better still. Here, too, comparisons are academic, as the Euro LP is out of print and selling for three-digit prices on the secondary markets. Both albums are also among AP’s handsomest productions, with a Tip-on gatefold jacket, lush color reproduction, and dead-quiet 180-gram virgin vinyl. If you missed these albums when they came out, at the start of the century, it’s time to catch up, since the times have caught up with them. There’s never been a better way to do so.” — Fred Kaplan, Revinylization, for Stereophile, September 2022. Order both albums here. Two Against Nature brought Steely Dan renewed commercial and critical success. Their first studio album after a 20-year hiatus, the album was released on February 29, 2000. At Metacritic.com, which assigns a rating on a scale of 100 to reviews from professional critics, the album drew a “generally favorable” average score of 77, based on 13 reviews. Writing in March 2000 for The Village Voice, Robert Christgau applauded the music as an excellent “rock comeback” and a “jumpier and snappier, sourer and trickier and less soothing” iteration of the jazz pop featured on Steely Dan’s 1977 album Aja, describing it as “postfunk.” Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic appreciated the “sharp humor” in the lyrics, but was especially impressed by the music’s “depth and character,” as he observed “nearly endless permutations within their signature sound.” Analogue Productions is honored to reissue these Steely Dan albums in a way that best shares the group’s unmistakable sound with decades of devoted fans. This reissue is newly remastered by Scott Hull at Masterdisk and cut at 45 RPM. The dead-quiet double-LP, with the music spread over four sides of vinyl, reduces distortion and high frequency loss as the wider-spaced grooves let your stereo cartridge track more accurately. The result is more sonic punch and more expression is captured. The Quality Record Pressings 180-gram vinyl ensures a virtually silent playing surface. Founded by core members Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, Steely Dan’s popularity rose throughout the late 1970s on, and their seven albums over that period of time blended elements of jazz, rock, funk, R&B, and pop. Steely Dan created a sophisticated, distinctive sound with accessible melodic hooks, complex harmonies and time signatures, and a devotion to the recording studio. Becker and Fagen, with producer Gary Katz, gradually changed Steely Dan from a performing band to a studio project, hiring session musicians to record their compositions. The duo didn’t perform live between 1974 and 1993. But their popularity nevertheless grew throughout the ’70s as their albums became critical favorites and their singles became staples of Adult Oriented Radio and pop radio stations. Becker (bass) and Fagen (vocals, keyboards) were the core members of Steely Dan throughout its incarnations. Since reuniting in 1993, Steely Dan has toured steadily and released two albums of new material, the first of which, Two Against Nature (2000) earned a Grammy Award at the 2001 ceremony for Album of the Year as well as three other Grammys: Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Engineered Album — Non-Classical, and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal (for the single “Cousin Dupree”). Commercially, it peaked at No. 6 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and sold more than 1 million copies, earning a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. After a brief battle with esophageal cancer, Walter Becker died on September 3, 2017 at the age of 67. Steely Dan has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2001. VH1 ranked Steely Dan at No. 82 on their list of the 100 Greatest Musical Artists of All Time. Rolling Stone ranked them No. 15 on its list of the 20 Greatest Duos of All Time.
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Tennessee Ernie Ford – Country Hits…Feelin’ Blue
58,00 €Add to cart“The sonics are the point here, or at least the main point. Ford’s deep, resonant voice, with a bit of reverb, is very well recorded. You could consider this a voice-fetish record of the ‘Wonderful world of … Vocals’ variety, and I’m sure many will buy it for that reason. But I hope some will buy it for the music: It may be an acquired taste for 21st century hi-fi sophisticates, but on its own terms, it’s good, so broaden your horizons. Pressed on flat, quiet 180g vinyl.” — Jim Austin, Stereophile, January 2021
Country Hits…Feelin’ Blue, released by Tennessee Ernie Ford in 1964, is a throwback — or as the liner notes to this country classic (perhaps Ford’s best) say, “You don’t hear much singing like this nowadays — just a voice with easy guitar and bass accompaniment.” But oh, what a voice. Ford’s resonant-voiced baritone might be best known for his 1955 cover of Merle Travis’ grim coal-mining song “Sixteen Tons,” with sales topping 4 million copies. The hit cemented Ford’s place as one of America’s top entertainers — a singer and TV host who enjoyed success during the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s in multiple musical genres — country, pop, and gospel.
He first guested on the Grand Ole Opry in 1950, and in 1953 he became the first country singer to appear at London’s prestigious Palladium. Soon NBC hired him to emcee the television game show Kollege of Musical Knowledge, and also to host his own weekday program. His subsequent prime-time network variety programs made “Bless your little pea-pickin’ hearts” a household catch phrase and provided wide exposure for his musical renditions of great country and gospel favorites.
The songs chosen by Ford for Country Hits…Feelin’ Blue are all favorites, some of the best tunes from the inspired pens of such country composers as Hank Williams, Fred Rose, Jenny Lou Carson, Willie Nelson, and Don Gibson. The album (one of Ford’s favorite LPs) was recorded with backup provided by just two musicians; guitarist Billy Strange and bassist John Mosher.
Some of these songs go back to the start of Ford’s career when he and Strange were working together as cast members of Los Angeles’s Hometown Jamboree country music radio show. Mosher was a member of Ford’s TV show band since its inception. Strange created the musical arrangements for Country Hits…Feelin’ Blue — a quiet, simple get-together with the songs they had been playing and singing down through the years. That’s why it’s more than just another album. You can hear the affection and understanding coming through.
For this Analogue Productions reissue we turned to the experts who once again bring their stellar craftsmanship to the creation of a phenomenal-sounding release. Lacquers were cut by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio who mastered the LP from the original tape. Plating and 180-gram pressing was by our own Quality Record Pressings, makers of the world’s finest-sounding LPs noted for their superior sonics and silent backgrounds. And nothing less than a Stoughton Printing old-style tip-on jacket would suit such a great LP.
Albums have been made with lots more people and lots more sound. But quantity never did mean quality. This is just a simple, great album. Great voice, great guitar and bass, and great songs — the best of each.
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Ben Webster – Gentle Ben
88,00 €Add to cart“The soundstage is intimate and inviting, Webster’s horn beautifully captured with sweet, rich overtornes, the bass liquid, chugging, and textured, piano and drums easy and natural. As with each title, the music emerges from QRP’s beautifully flat and wonderfully silent surfaces with that much more “there-ness.” Sonics = 4/5; Music = 3.5/5 — Wayne Garcia, The Absolute Sound, January 2013
“…Webster’s trademark sensual sound is on full display and, of course, he’s backed by Montoliu, an outstanding Spanish piano veteran who accompanied all the great jazz artists passing through Europe…This is one of the first releases by Analogue Productions pressed at their new in-house pressing plant Quality Record Pressings, and the record bears a close resemblance in appearance to records from Pallas – beautiful looking and perfectly quiet…The superb 200-gram LP comes in a rice paper sleeve and jacket of heavy cardboard…Highest Recommendation.” Recording = 10/10; Music = 8.5/10 — Dennis D. Davis, Hi-Fi+, Issue 81
This recording was made 10 months before Ben Webster’s death in 1972. Webster, who had left the United States in 1965 to settle in Europe — first in Copenhagen and then in Amsterdam — was visiting fellow musician and friend Tete Montoliu in Barcelona. Webster and pianist Montoliu went back a ways, having played together regularly in Webster’s Copenhagen days. In fact, Montoliu cited Webster and Don Byas as his two chief musical influences. Webster and Montoliu understood each other deeply, and their comfort with on another is palpable in this recording. Their accompaniment of one another is seamless. On board with these two is Montoliu’s regular working trio-mates, Eric Peter on bass and Peer Wyboris on drums.
There’s no shortage of Webster’s trademark breathy, fat tenor tone here. In fact, given the sparse arrangement, that rich, humid, giant sax blooms like on few other recordings. Highlights include “Ben’s Blues,” “Sweet Georgia Brown,” “The Man I Love” and “Don’t Blame Me.”
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Steely Dan – Everything Must Go
88,00 €Add to cartEverything Must Go was Steely Dan’s second album after their 20-year studio hiatus spanning 1980 through 2000, when they released Two Against Nature. Everything Must Go is the last studio album with founding member Walter Becker before his death in 2017 and their most recent album to date. Analogue Productions is honored to reissue these Steely Dan albums in a way that best shares the group’s unmistakable sound with decades of devoted fans. This reissue is newly remastered by Bernie Grundman and cut at 45 RPM. The dead-quiet double-LP, with the music spread over four sides of vinyl, reduces distortion and high frequency loss as the wider-spaced grooves let your stereo cartridge track more accurately. The result is more sonic punch and more expression captured from the tape. The Quality Record Pressings 180-gram vinyl ensures a virtually silent playing surface. Founded by core members Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, Steely Dan’s popularity rose throughout the late 1970s on, and their seven albums over that period of time blended elements of jazz, rock, funk, R&B, and pop. Steely Dan created a sophisticated, distinctive sound with accessible melodic hooks, complex harmonies and time signatures, and a devotion to the recording studio. Becker and Fagen, with producer Gary Katz, gradually changed Steely Dan from a performing band to a studio project, hiring session musicians to record their compositions. The duo didn’t perform live between 1974 and 1993. But their popularity nevertheless grew throughout the ’70s as their albums became critical favorites and their singles became staples of Adult Oriented Radio and pop radio stations. Becker (bass) and Fagen (vocals, keyboards) were the core members of Steely Dan throughout its incarnations. Since reuniting in 1993, Steely Dan has toured steadily and released two albums of new material, the first of which, Two Against Nature (2000) earned a Grammy Award for Album of the Year They followed up with Everything Must Go (2003). The album drew a 71 favorable review score on the review compilation site Metacritic.com, with Launch.com summing up their findings: “‘Everything Must Go‘ is another great Steely Dan album, a hardy inclusion to their splendid canon.” Blender said: “Though their restraint can be alienating, Steely Dan sound hungry, relevant and full of ideas.” After a brief battle with esophageal cancer, Walter Becker died on September 3, 2017 at the age of 67. Steely Dan has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2001. VH1 ranked Steely Dan at No. 82 on their list of the 100 Greatest Musical Artists of All Time. Rolling Stone ranked them No. 15 on its list of the 20 Greatest Duos of All Time.“’Everything’ appeared on vinyl in Europe shortly after its release, and Rhino put out a 2LP ‘Two Against Nature’ (with the fourth side blank) for Record Store Day in 2021. I haven’t heard the Euro pressing, but I have the Rhino. The Acoustic Sounds reissue is pressed from the same digital master (by Scott Hull), so its only distinctions are the QRP pressing and 45 RPM speed, but that makes a big difference. Fagen’s voice is clearer, the guitars are pluckier, the horns are brassier, the drums are more eye-blinkingly smacked, and the rhythm is more coherent. The improvement isn’t huge, but it’s obvious. (The improvement over the CD is fairly large.) The Rhino LP package is out of print and sells on Discogs for hundreds of dollars, so the Acoustic Sounds package, at $60, is a relative bargain. Everything Must Go was released on vinyl in Europe, and while it too is better than the CD (I have both), the Analogue Productions reissue, which is mastered by Bernie Grundman, is much better still. Here, too, comparisons are academic, as the Euro LP is out of print and selling for three-digit prices on the secondary markets. Both albums are also among AP’s handsomest productions, with a Tip-on gatefold jacket, lush color reproduction, and dead-quiet 180-gram virgin vinyl. If you missed these albums when they came out, at the start of the century, it’s time to catch up, since the times have caught up with them. There’s never been a better way to do so.” — Fred Kaplan, Revinylization, for Stereophile, September 2022. Order both albums here. -
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Box Set Outer Sleeve (Pack of 10) – With Flap
48,00 €Add to cartAvailable with or without flap. There really aren't any "great" outer sleeves for box sets on the market. They are either really loose bags, too thin (1.6 mil BOPP), have corners that stick out or made from foggy polyethylene. Until now! I have developed a special crystal clear super strong 3 mil cast polypropylene (CPP) outer sleeve that has a square bottom. This sleeve is actually the same shape as the box set! Made from the same material as all of my other outer sleeves and tested to ISO 18916! For closing the flap, I'd recommend using a small piece of soft release tape or you can purchase my resealable sticker (as shown in the picture) , once they are available. Size 326mm x 326mm x34mm.
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Box Set Outer Sleeve (Pack of 10) – Without Flap
45,00 €Add to cartAvailable with or without flap. There really aren't any "great" outer sleeves for box sets on the market. They are either really loose bags, too thin (1.6 mil BOPP), have corners that stick out or made from foggy polyethylene. Until now! I have developed a special crystal clear super strong 3 mil cast polypropylene (CPP) outer sleeve that has a square bottom. This sleeve is actually the same shape as the box set! Made from the same material as all of my other outer sleeves and tested to ISO 18916! For closing the flap, I'd recommend using a small piece of soft release tape or you can purchase my resealable sticker (as shown in the picture) , once they are available. Size 326mm x 326mm x34mm.
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Taj Mahal – Labor of Love (33 RPM)
78,00 €Add to cart"In the late 1990s, Taj Mahal went on a 42-city tour with a gang of old, pure blues musicians. The producer, Tim Duffy, recorded several sessions on audiophile gear, but the tapes were stashed away, until a couple years ago, when the two took a listen, popped their eyes, and arranged with Chad Kassem, proprietor of Analogue Productions and owner of some of the world's best vinyl pressing plants, to put it out on LP. The music is a thorough delight; the sound quality is you-are-there vivid." — Fred Kaplan, Slate.com, December 2017 "Labor of Love began to become an audiophile reality when the founder and CEO of Analogue Productions, Chad Kassem, visiting his father in Raleigh, North Carolina, met (Tim) Duffy (of the Music Maker Relief Foundation) and heard the tapes. Nearly 20 years later, a deal was struck, a DAT arrived at Kassem's home base of Salina, Kansas, and Labor of Love, pressed on two 180-gram LPs, was born. 'The great thing is that we got to do it with Chad Kassem, Acoustic Sounds, and he did a wonderful job," Mahal says. "The record itself — the packaging, the 180-gram vinyl, and the sound — is just immaculate." — Robert Baird, Stereophile magazine, May 2017 "It's delicious stuff. Mahal was miked up close, allowing every crisp nuance of his voice and guitar to be recorded cleanly and clearly; that guitar work, especially, is so in-your-face that you'll feel like you're sitting at the artist's feet. Some of the material will be familiar to anyone who's followed Taj Mahal, or at least his brand of acoustic blues, for any length of time. The opening number, 'Stagger Lee,' is given a reverential traditional treatment, and 'Fishin' Blues,' regardless of how many times he's cut it, still delights. Mahal takes lyrical and rhythmic liberties with 'Walkin' Blues,' presented here in a bare-bones rendition even starker than the familiar Robert Johnson version; and Mississippi John Hurt's' 'My Creole Belle' is sweet and tasty. The duets, for the most part, are enjoyable as well-the slide guitar on 'John Henry,' with Etta Baker, is sharp and sleek-but in the end, you may end up wishing that the entire set could've been just pure Taj and nothing but Taj." — Jeff Tamarkin, Relix, April 11, 2017. Read it all here. "What we have here is magic: classic blues tunes — 'Stagger Lee,' 'My Creole Bell,' 'Mistreated Blues,' 'Zanzibar,' 'John Henry' and more — treated with such love and wit and heartache and (to use a tired term that's appropriate here) authenticity. Few field-hand recordings are drenched with this much sweat. And none of those field-hand recordings (few live or studio recordings, period) sound so vivid." — Fred Kaplan, Stereophile.com, March 6, 2017 Read the whole review here. "Of course this music and this project is at the core of what Analogue Productions' Chad Kassem has been about since he began producing vinyl reissues so it was only natural and fitting that these two LPs have been released on the Analogue Productions label, lacquers cut by Kevin Gray, pressed at QRP and housed in gatefold 'Tip-on' Stoughton Press jackets festooned with evocative black and white session photos. Even if you know these chestnuts like 'Creole Bell,' 'John Henry' and 'Hambone' by heart, you'll experience them here with fresh life breathed into their musical arteries. ... Among my favorites is Taj's instrumental 'Zanzibar,' but really, every track is a treasure. ... Don't be a fool and let the resolution stop you. These are probably the best sounding damn "field recordings" you're likely ever to hear and the stripped-down music is transportive and magical." — Music = 9/11; Sound = 9/11 — Michael Fremer, AnalogPlanet.com. To read Fremer's full review, click here. "The solo acoustic tunes rank among some of the most relaxed and intimate that he has recorded in the latter part of his career. Even on 'Fishin' Blues' — familiar territory that he has traversed countless times in a career — Taj sounds spontaneous and genuine, often improvising quick guitar fills that substitute for words in some of the verses. ... A noteworthy album by any measure, the stripped-down vibe of these recordings also makes Labor Of Love a nice counterpoint to Taj's last (and more stylistically diverse) full-length studio release, 2008's Maestro." — Roger Gatchet, Living Blues Magazine, February 2017 "Taj Mahal has been tapping into his traditional blues roots since the '60s, but these intimate acoustic sessions from the mid '90s, released here for the first time (and on 180-gram vinyl-only format to boot) are something special. ... The audiophile presssing makes a big difference too: if you've ever longed to have Taj Mahal in your living room this is as close as you're likely to come." — Jim Allen, CultureSonar.com, December 2016 "Labor of Love is a time capsule. Even if 1998 doesn't seem that long ago, it was. Stripping down a record to voices and acoustic instruments will cause anyone to think throwback, yet few can pull it off as genuine and procure it quite like Taj Mahal and friends. Proof positive that all it takes is a soul with something to say and a way to catch it on tape to light that fire in the listener. If you're akin to the blues, God bless you. If you're not, let this be your easing in, you'll find that at the heart of any Labor Of Love there's a definitive true blues." Read the whole review here. — Glide Magazine, January 2017 "Music Maker Foundation founder Tim Duffy has managed to capture Mahal at his most skeletal on this vinyl-only release, culled mostly from Duffy's archives of off-the-cuff performances recorded in 1998 on a 42-city Music Makers tour with Mahal headlining. Some of the cuts were recorded after the shows, late at night in hotel room jams, and some were taped at Duffy's Pinnacle, North Carolina, Music Makers studio/residence. ... Music Maker Foundation releases are always special, but this one should be on your Christmas list and receive your attention all year long. It's a gift that keeps on giving." — Grant Britt, nodepression.com. Read the entire review here. "Mahal's 47th (no, not a typo) album, Labor of Love, features some of the blues musician's greatest tunes. It consists of solo favorites from almost twenty years ago, and collaborations with the Music Maker Relief Foundation artists. ... He's a storyteller who incorporates his deep musical history in every note that's played. "Stack-O-Lee" is timeless, really... talking about that "bad man." Collaborations on Labor of Love include "John Henry" with the late Etta Baker. Baker's Piedmont blues experiences flood the listeners with a chilling journey into the Mississippi Delta. This stripped down release matches that photo of Taj Mahal on his website — laid back, at ease, welcoming listeners to pull up a chair and leave their cares at the door." — Brenda Hillegas, Elmore Magazine, January 2017 "The album is Taj Mahal's 47th. On it are six solo performances by Taj and seven more duets recorded with Music Maker Relief Foundation artists. All of the songs are previously unreleased performances recorded in 1998. ... Taj states that he enjoyed getting to know the musicians lives and "how they made things work" while getting "closer to the source." — Richard Ludmerer, makingascene.org The blues live on because the blues give people life, not the other way around. Talk about the blues with Grammy winning singer-songwriter and composer Taj Mahal, or Tim Duffy, founder of the Music Maker Relief Foundation, and you'll quickly understand how deeply they grasp this. So it's no surprise that their shared love of blues has created a special vinyl-only album release that's got the loose, easy feel of a porch-sitting guitar strum, sipping sweet tea on a warm summer day. It is, as Taj himself exclaimed upon receiving his copy of this exquisite album — a "great package, mind-blowing sound!!" Labor of Love comprises recordings made by Duffy, hanging out with Taj and other artists in a Houston hotel room and during visits to the Music Maker Relief Foundation headquarters in Hillsborough, North Carolina. Taj and Tim first connected in the mid-1990s as Tim was establishing the foundation. The foundation is dedicated to preserving Southern roots music by directly supporting senior artists in need, while documenting their music and sharing their stage and recording talents with the world. A CD collection released by the foundation featuring Music Maker artists caught Taj's attention. Tim invited Taj to his place in rural Pinnacle, N.C., where he hung out with several of the artists. Taj loved how they played and sang, but he especially loved "getting to know their lives and how they made things work." Not much time passed before a performing tour was launched, with Taj as the headliner. Meanwhile, Tim, sensing an incredibly rich opportunity, was hauling along with the tour, high-end recording gear. He set it up in hotel rooms hoping to capture an impromptu session. One night in Houston, magic happened. A few senior bluesmen, Tim, Taj and the daughter of Katie Mae, immortalized in the Lightin' Hopkins classic "Katie Mae Blues" hung out together in a hotel room in Houston. Taj picked up an acoustic guitar and started in on classic tunes — "Stack-O-Lee," "Walking Blues," and more. The tape was rolling. During the time of the tour, Taj was also visiting during hang-out, barbecue and recording sessions at Music Maker's new North Carolina headquarters in Hillsborough. When the music got going, Taj would play some piano, bass, harp, banjo, mandolin and whatever else was needed. Now is the time for these immortalized sessions to be heard. So here they are on a solid piece of wax. And what wax it is — a full-on 180-gram vinyl Analogue Productions masterpiece plated and pressed at Quality Record Pressings, maker of the world's best-sounding LPs. Packaged in a Stoughton Printing tip-on gatefold jacket. You won't find a more intimate portrayal of Taj as a freewheeling, fun-loving, always-in-the-pocket sideman. •••••• "Once again, the legendary Taj Mahal dives in knee-deep in the folk blues waters, and rises to the surface with a musical document that chronicles and ties the past to the present. And what a present this is-to each and every true folk blues fan. This double disc rarity finds Taj Mahal spreading his wings and sharing the wealth of his talents with unsung musical heroes of North Carolina-his multi-talented gifts on vocals, banjo, 6-string acoustic, 12-string guitar, piano, and upright bass are all on display here, and the results are breath-taking. "For starters, Taj treats us to a rare and refreshing take on the classic "Stagger Lee," weaving his rich voice with his "Ting-a-Ling" guitar picking like only the Maestro can. Mahal then casually switches it up and frails on the banjo while veteran Neal Pattman wails on vocals and harmonica for "Shortening Bread." "Taj uses his gorgeous tenor vocals to great effect on "My Creole Belle," along with what I naturally assumed was his mastery of the delicate Piedmont guitar fingerpicking style. "Not exactly!" says Maestro, correcting me, his pupil. "It combines Mississippi John Hurt's fingerpicking style with that of Elizabeth Cotton and Mrs. Etta Baker, both from North Carolina, but all are influenced by the West African pickin' of the Mandinka!" "Algia Mae Hinton's regional Carolina-inflected voice permeates the arrangement of "I Ain't The One You Love," with Hinton playing 12-string acoustic and Taj strolling with the leisurely two-step acoustic bass line underneath. "Of course, this collection would not be complete without a fresh version of "Fishin' Blues." Its probably his most well-known and often-performed piece, and it never gets old-mainly because Taj finds a new way to deliver the lyrics, injecting real feeling, passion, and humor into each rendition. "Taj continues to display his virtuosity by switching to feverish honky-tonk piano as he accompanies John Dee Holeman's wicked vocal delivery of "Mistreated Blues." "A special treat for followers of Mahal's career comes in wonderful sparse arrangement of "Zanzibar," an original tune that has appeared on a few previous recordings in ensemble setting but has never been heard as a solo guitar feature until now. "Taj's whining harmonica solo "So Sweet" With Cootie Stark who sings in a vocal style that can only be ripened with age, experience, and wisdom. "The opening of Maestro's "Spike Drivers Blues" is delivered in an intense-yet-sultry "talkin' blues" style quite different from Leadbelly's standard version, which is better known as "Take This Hammer." And it is here that Taj gives me yet another mini-history lesson. "I along with Alhaj Bai Konte (kora master of the Gambia) toured and played separately and together over a period of weeks back in the mid-70's, and there is a recording on Flying Fish label of Bai Konte and his son Dembe and I playing ‘Take This Hammer.'" "Listeners get transported to "a cabin in the pines" with the tune "Hambone," featuring Dee Holeman's smooth delivery on vocals, and Taj providing complimentary body percussion-the two of them both slappin' and clappin' their hands, chests and thighs, perfectly synchronized against the rhythms and rhymes of the lyrics. "Mahal then offers "Walkin' Blues," best known by the "crossroads" legend Robert Johnson-but this time it's done in the inimitable Taj Mahal manner, with his words tumblin' out like he's kickin' a rolling rock down a Mississippi dirt road. The Maestro does more than just conjure Robert's spirit; he transforms it, transcends it even. "The sole offering with Mrs. Etta Baker on this double disc set is "John Henry" which finds Baker playing her classic guitar slide style, with Taj playing accompanying guitar. "The final bonus, "Song For Brenda," is an amazing performance that the listener is simply not ready for! Cool John Ferguson has George Benson-like chops that are breathtaking-not to mention the double stops and rhythmic riffs that remind you of the legendary Phil Upchurch! It's a bit alarming when one realizes that Ferguson plays single-note runs on his National steel string with greater ease than most guitarists can handle on their electric Fender or Gibson-it's an impressive change of pace in the song cycle and a great way to close the album. "These thirteen tracks compiled here are a stunning achievement-not only for the excellent artists and performances gathered throughout, but also for the determined and indefatigable founder of the Music Make Relief Foundation, Tim Duffy, whose unwavering efforts cannot be overestimated or ignored. The notion that these gems have sat on the shelf unreleased is almost unbelievable-it's such a great treasure trove for us listeners to discover, and we have Tim to thank for that. "Duffy has-in one fell swoop-turned back the hands of time, and, like magic, simultaneously reset the clock twenty years forward and backwards, chronicling a series of most auspicious occasions that stretched from Houston to Hillsborough. Indeed, these wonderful musicians-led by griot Taj Mahal-came together to remind us that the very best music in the world is, in a word, timeless." — Dr. Wayne Everett Goins, University Distinguished Professor and Director of Jazz Studies, Kansas State University. Dr. Goins is the author of the forthcoming book "Maestro: The Life and Music of Taj Mahal," published by University of Illinois press.
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Ella Fitzgerald – Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas
44,00 €Add to cart"Ella Fitzgerald's Christmas album is a secular holiday delight sure to please every listener, even atheists and agnostics. Originally released in 1960, the sound here is warm and inviting as a Yule log burning in the fireplace ... Perfect QRP pressing too." — Music = 9/11; Sound = 9/11 — Michael Fremer, AnalogPlanet.com. To read Fremer's full review, click here. A holiday album from the jazz legend! Have a swinging Christmas and a jazzy new year with this joyous 1960 Ella LP in your collection. She sings (and swings) "Jingle Bells," "Sleigh Ride," "Winter Wonderland," and more! She puts her singular stamp on everything from a sultry vamp like "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" to the sweet and cozy "The Christmas Song." Even potentially shopworn standards like "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" sound fresher when they're coming from Ella Fitzgerald.
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Klaudio – Automatic Disc Loader (KD-ATL-RCM05)
3.650,00 €Add to cart(Record cleaning machine is not included.) Klaudio's disc loader queues up to five records for automatic cleaning and drying. Each LP is lowered and raised with a motorized arm, and its status is displayed by an LED (red=dirty, green=clean). Records can be exchanged continuously, so there's no need to wait for all five discs to finish. The auto-loader will track the cleaning status and location of newly added discs. The automatic loader installs easily onto Klaudio's KD-CLN-LP200, KD-CLN-LP200S & brand new KD-CLN-LP200T ultrasonic cleaners using the included thumb screw and auxiliary power cable.
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Klaudio – Replacement Filter Core for KL Audio w/ External Reservoir (KD-FLT-01)
9,80 €Add to cartThis is a single filter core replacement for the KD-FLT-TAP02 tap water kit, used with Klaudio's KD-CLN-LP200S cleaners.
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Lightnin’ Hopkins – Lightnin’ (Stereo)
58,00 €Add to cart“For music once treated so cavalierly by the major labels, the blues yielded numerous magnificent recordings, light years away from the primitive sonic quality of, say, Robert Johnson’s pre-WWII sessions. In a similar vein to Muddy Waters’ oft-reissued Folk Singer is this superlative acoustic session from rural blues legend Lightnin’ Hopkins, from late 1960. Playing guitar and backed by just bass and drums, he delivered ten tracks of which at least half are staples of the genre, timed just as the folk revival was giving the blues a much-needed boost. ‘Automobile Blues,’ ‘Mean Old Frisco,’ ‘The Walkin’ Blues,’ — for those who crave unvarnished authenticity, but with in-the-room presence, this is a tonic.” — Sound Quality: 90% – Ken Kessler, Album Choice Hi Fi News, July 2018 “Recorded for Prestige’s Bluesville subsidiary in 1960, Lightnin’ is among the rewarding acoustic dates Lightnin’ Hopkins delivered in the early ’60s. The session has an informal, relaxed quality, and this approach serves a 48-year-old Hopkins impressively well on both originals like ‘Thinkin’ ‘Bout an Old Friend’ and the familiar ‘Katie Mae’ and enjoyable interpretations of Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee’s ‘Back to New Orleans’ and Arthur ‘Big Boy’ Crudup’s ‘Mean Old Frisco.’ Hopkins’ only accompaniment consists of bassist Leonard Gaskin and drummer Belton Evans, both of whom play in an understated fashion and do their part to make this intimate setting successful. From the remorseful ‘Come Back Baby’ to more lighthearted, fun numbers like ‘You Better Watch Yourself’ and ‘Automobile Blues,’ Lightnin’ is a lot like being in a small club with Hopkins as he shares his experiences, insights and humor with you.” — All Music Guide
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Klaudio – Silencer Acoustic Dampening Case for KL Audio w/ External Reservoir
1.990,00 €Add to cart- Not for use with auto-loader arm
- Record cleaning machine is not included
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Bill Evans – Riverside Recordings
1.150,00 €Show item"these are, for the most part, extraordinary-sounding recordings, better than any you're likely to find. If you love the music, you should consider the purchase." — Fred Kaplan, Stereophile, Nov. 1, 2017 Of everything Analogue Productions has reissued, nothing has come close in sales or accolades to the 45-RPM versions of Bill Evans titles from his Riverside catalog. And now we've compiled all of them into one irresistible box set package. Includes facsimiles of each original jacket along with an 18-page booklet detailing Evans' career and Riverside era. Titles Included: New Jazz Conceptions, Everybody Digs Bill Evans, Portrait In Jazz, Explorations, Sunday At The Village Vanguard, Waltz For Debby, Moonbeams, Know What I Mean?, Interplay, How My Heart Sings! and At Shelly's Manne-Hole.
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Klaudio – Silencer Acoustic Dampening Case for KL Audio w/ External Reservoir and Auto Loader (KD-SIL-S2ATL)
2.790,00 €Add to cart- Note: This dampening case is for the Klaudio record cleaning machine plus automatic disc loader.
- There is different case for the record cleaning machine without the automatic disc loader.
- Record cleaning machine and automatic disc loader are not included
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Klaudio – Tap Water Delivery and Filtering Kit for KL Audio w/ External Reservoir (KD-FLT-TAP02)
630,00 €Add to cartThis kit allows the KD-CLN-LP200S and KD-CLN-LP200T LP vinyl ultrasonic cleaners to use plumbed building water for their source during washing cycles. Electronic solenoid valves automatically control water filling and draining at the appropriate times. A filter removes minerals from the tap water, and an extra replacement filter core is included. No external reservoir is required when using this product with the KD-CLN-LP200S or KD-CLN-LP200T cleaners. Instead, fresh tap water (approximately 34 fl.oz., 1 liter) enters the cleaner during each wash cycle. The record cleaner should be located at least 6.5 ft (2m) from a water source and drain in order to use this product. NOTE: Klaudio’s tap water kit includes a splitter to connect with 1/4-inch or 3/8-inch NPT (FIP) threaded plumbing fixtures, such as a faucet or toilet shutoff valve. Countries other than the U.S. may require the purchase of compatible thread adapters or a separate splitter with ball valve. If inexperienced in working with water supply lines, it is recommended to have a plumbing professional install this device. Improper installation or sealing could result in leaks and water damage.
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Various Artists – The Wonderful Sounds Of Quality Record Pressings
125,00 €Add to cartCelebrate the technical expertise of the world’s finest LP pressing plant — Quality Record Pressings — with the finest LP sampler ever assembled! The Wonderful Sounds Of Quality Record Pressings includes music handpicked by Acoustic Sounds CEO Chad Kassem and classical music tracks chosen by the team at Reference Recordings. Every song meets the criteria of excellent performance, perfect recording and flawless mastering. What better way to celebrate such a monumental anniversary for one of the absolute leading brands in analog high fidelity than with this to-die-for LP sampler? Contains most genres of music — blues, jazz, classical, R&B and female vocal. From now on, you’ll only need to carry one demo record around with you. Vinyl expert Michael Fremer, of The Tracking Angle and The Absolute Sound, gives you a track-by-track tour of the history and production of the songs on this special album. What separates our world-renowned Quality Record Pressings LPs from other manufacturers? Since Acoustic Sounds CEO Chad Kassem launched QRP in 2011, the focus has been on producing consistently virtually silent vinyl playing surfaces. The craft of pressing fine vinyl is perfected in such details. Such as plating lacquers within 24 hours of their arrival at the plant. Cut grooves are prone to change with temperature fluxuations, high humidity and time. The sooner that lacquers are plated, the better the fidelity of the final pressing. Other keys include using a proprietary silver spray formulation, made fresh daily. The result — more consistency in each LP. The ultimate sonic advantage.