from our friends at SoundStageDirect
The Beatles in mono: This is how most listeners first heard the group in the 1960's, when mono was the predominant audio format. Up until 1968, each Beatles album was given a unique mono and stereo mix, but the group always regarded the mono as primary. The Beatles’ nine U.K. albums, the American-compiled Magical Mystery Tour, and the Mono Masters collection of non-album tracks will be released in mono on 180-gram vinyl LPs with faithfully replicated artwork. Newly mastered from the analogue master tapes, each album will be available both individually and within a lavish, limited 14-LP boxed edition, The Beatles In Mono, which also includes a 108-page hardbound book.
In an audiophile-minded undertaking, The Beatles’ acclaimed mono albums have been newly mastered for vinyl from quarter-inch master tapes at Abbey Road Studios by GRAMMY®-winning engineer Sean Magee and GRAMMY®-winning mastering supervisor Steve Berkowitz. While The Beatles In Mono CD boxed set released in 2009 was created from digital remasters, for this new vinyl project, Magee and Berkowitz cut the records without using any digital technology. Instead, they employed the same procedures used in the 1960's, guided by the original albums and by detailed transfer notes made by the original cutting engineers. Working in the same room at Abbey Road where most of The Beatles’ albums were initially cut, the pair first dedicated weeks to concentrated listening, fastidiously comparing the master tapes with first pressings of the mono records made in the 1960's. Using a rigorously tested Studer A80 machine to play back the precious tapes, the new vinyl was cut on a 1980s-era VMS80 lathe.
Manufactured for the world at Optimal Media in Germany, The Beatles’ albums are presented in their original glory, both sonically and in their packaging. The boxed collection’s exclusive 12-inch by 12-inch hardbound book features new essays and a detailed history of the mastering process by award-winning radio producer and author Kevin Howlett. The book is illustrated with many rare studio photos of The Beatles, fascinating archive documents, and articles and advertisements sourced from 1960's publications.
- Limited Edition 14-LP Boxed Set With Exclusive 108-Page Hardbound Book
- The Beatles’ Original Mono Studio Albums Remastered At Abbey Road Directly From The Analogue Masters For Vinyl Release By Sean Magee and Steve Berkowitz
- Lacquers Cut Using Neumann VMS-80 Lathe
108 Page Hardback Book
Please Please Me Mono Vinyl LP
With The Beatles Mono Vinyl LP
A Hard Days Night Mono Vinyl LP
Help Vinyl Vinyl LP
Rubber Soul Vinyl LP
Revolver Vinyl LP
Beatles For Sale Vinyl LP
Sgt Pepper Vinyl LP
Magical Mystery Tour Vinyl LP
The Beatles (White Album) Vinyl 2xLP
Mono Masters Vinyl 3xLP
Via Michael Fremer (Analog Planet) on the mastering process:
"The EQ applied was based upon the original cutting engineers’ notes as well as careful listening to original first lacquer, first mother, first stamper EMI pressings (-1, 1, G matrix). The cartridge used was Ortofon’s 2M Black.
It’s important to remember that the tapes have aged—some as much as fifty years—and the monitoring, playback and mastering equipment have changed as well, even though the work was done in the very same room in which the originals were mastered. Solid state has replaced tubes in the cutting chain.
Lacquers were cut using Abbey Road Studios’ Neumann VMS-80 lathe, equipped with a Neumann SX-74 cutter head. The originals were cut on a Scully lathe, perhaps with a Westrex cutter head."
Pre-Order at SoundStageDirect
“Listen to This.” As the original working title for Bitches Brew, the invitation resonates as the best way to approach a record that shattered conventions, altered music history, and still sounds far ahead of its time. The aural Mount Rushmore of jazz fusion, Bitches Brew is rightly ranked by virtually every significant press outlet among the 100 greatest albums ever made in any genre.
Sewn together with vibrant colors, voodoo textures, and ethereal moods, the 1970 landmark emerges with supreme detail and nonpareil feeling on Mobile Fidelity’s definitive 180g 2LP. Mastered from the original master tapes, these audiophile editions join the ranks of eleven other essential Davis sets given supreme sonic treatment by Mobile Fidelity.
Davis conceived Bitches Brew by having the musicians stand in a semi-circle, where he pointed at them with vague directions for tempo, solos, and cues. The collective improvisation and interplay spawned a galaxy of melodies and grooves later spliced together by producer Ted Macero. Here, these distinct creations take shape with utmost realism. Mobile Fidelity’s reissues envelop you in expansive warm tonal blankets.
Gathering a Hall of Fame-worthy lineup of musicians, Davis follows through on his idea to “put together the greatest rock and roll band you ever heard” on Bitches Brew. The vast psychedelic expanses of warped echoes, liquid reverb, and tape loops speak to the leader’s ambitious contrasts of light and dark, fear and hope. Yet the most absolute characteristic of this watershed effort lies in how it encourages free thought—the very principle with which Davis conceived the everlasting beauty that is Bitches Brew.
- Monumental 1970 Double Album is Signpost for Jazz Fusion: Psychedelic Record Still Sounds Ahead of Its Time More Than 40 Years Later
- Otherworldly Sonics: Mobile Fidelity Delivers the Consummate Pressing of the Uncompromising Work Ranked by Rolling Stone as Among the Greatest 100 Albums of All Time
- Grammy Award-Winning Set Ignores Convention, Pursues Funk and Rock Directions Via Innovative Rhythms and Groundbreaking Ensemble Configurations
- A Dozen Five-Star Miles Davis Albums Spanning 1958-1971 Available from Mobile Fidelity on Definitive-Sounding LP
This Week's Bestselling Vinyl Records at SoundStageDirect
1. The Beatles Mono Box Set (Pre-Order) (On Sale)
2. Mark Kozelek & Jimmy Lavalle - Perils From The Sea (Pre-Order)
3. Jack White - Lazaretto (Pre-Order - Awaiting Repress)
4. Led Zeppelin III (Deluxe Edition) (On Sale)
5. Led Zeppelin II
6. Led Zeppelin I
7. Dave Matthews Band - Remember Two Things
8. Led Zeppelin III
9. Led Zeppelin II (Deluxe Edition) (On Sale) (Pre-Order - Awaiting Repress)
10 Jethro Tull - This Was
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Pressed on 2 blue LPs, Overstep is Mike Gordon's fourth solo studio album, following Moss, The Green Sparrow, and Inside In.
Gordon and Scott Murawski penned the songs for Overstep during a series of writing retreats in New England. He turned over the producing reins to Paul Q. Kolderie (Radiohead, Uncle Tupelo, Pixies) and invited a few new players into the studio, including legendary drummer Matt Chamberlain (Jon Brion, Fiona Apple).
"Yarmouth Road," the infectious, reggae-inspired number is already familiar to Phish fans after its debut (along with "Say Something") on the band's Summer 2013 tour. Distant industrial noise gradually gives way to lush guitars and welcoming vocal harmonies in "Ether," the album opener (listen to the track here), while "Jumping" is a rhythmic puzzle box, detailing a series of thoughts that take place in a fleeting 1.5 seconds.
Many of these songs promise huge payoffs in a live environment, most notably two plunging grooves that seem capable of bringing a house down. "Tiny Little World" opens with a polite reverie about a fetching woman in a coffee shop, but morphs quickly into pulsing boogie as the narrator is carried away by desire and bravado. Debauched exhortations to dance surface again in "Face," which chugs along atop Chamberlain's simple but undeniable pocket.
Each LP includes a voucher to download an MP3 version of the album.
Order HERE
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Jack White’s Lazaretto breaks the record for most vinyl sales in a week
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Queen Concerts From 1974 to Be Released as Live Double Vinyl Album
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Garden State soundtrack to be released on vinyl for the first time
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Ben Frost & Richard Mosse release The Enclave as limited edition vinyl
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Vital Vinyl: Tombs Frontman Mike Hill Discusses the Band’s ‘Savage Gold’ LP
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Two more rare Aphex Twin test pressings up for auction
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Amazon's Top Ten Best Selling Vinyl
1. In the Lonely Hour ~ Sam Smith
2. Led Zeppelin II (Deluxe Edition Remastered)
3. Led Zeppelin III (Deluxe Edition Remastered).
4. Led Zeppelin II (Remastered Original Vinyl)
5. Gimme Something Good (7" vinyl) ~ Ryan Adams
6. XSCAPE ~ Michael Jackson
7. Led Zeppelin I (Remastered Original Vinyl)
8. Led Zeppelin III (Remastered Original Vinyl)
9. Familiars (2xLP+CD) ~ The Antlers
10. Stay Gold ~ First Aid Kit
Amazon's Top Ten Best Selling Music
1. The Hunting Party ~ Linkin Park
2. Ultraviolence ~ Lana Del Rey
3. In The Lonely Hour ~ Sam Smith
4. Band of Brothers ~ Willie Nelson
5. Lazaretto ~ Jack White
6. Frozen 2 Disc Deluxe Edition Soundtrack ~ Demi Lovato
7. Platinum ~ Miranda Lambert
8. Ghost Stories ~ Coldplay
9. Ultraviolence ~ Lana Del Rey
10. Led Zeppelin I (Deluxe CD Edition)
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BecauseSoundMatters Top 10 Best Sellers
1. Mastodon - Once More ‘Round The Sun (Deluxe 2LP)
2. Mastodon - Once More ‘Round The Sun (2LP)
3. The Orwells - Disgraceland (Clear Vinyl)
4. Alt-J - An Awesome Wave
5. LP - Forever For Now (Vinyl + Poster Bundle)
6. Portugal. The Man - Evil Friends
7. The Orwells - Righteous One (12-inch Vinyl Single)
8. Grouplove - Never Trust A Happy Song
9. Wiz Khalifa - O.N.I.F.C.
10. Portugal. The Man - The Satanic Satanist
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GRIMEY'S BEST SELLERS 6/09 - 6/15, 2014
Vinyl Top 25:
1. Jack White - Lazaretto
2. First Aid Kit - Stay Gold
3. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II
4. Jack White - Lazaretto 7"
5. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin III
6. The Black Keys - Turn Blue
7. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin I
8. Courtney Barnett - The Double EP
9. Conor Oberst - Upside Down Mountain
10. Parquet Courts - Sunbathing Animal
11. Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire For No Witness
12. Weezer - Weezer (The Blue Album)
13. The War On Drugs - Lost In The Dream
14. Ray Lamontagne - Supernova
15. St Paul & The Broken Bones - Half The City
16. Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon
17. Alt-J - An Awesome Wave
18. The Strokes - Is This It
19. Michael Jackson - Xscape
20. The Orwells - Disgraceland
21. Nickel Creek - A Dotted Line
22. Alice Coltrane - A Monastic Trio
23. Explosions In The Sky - Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place
24. Radiohead - Kid A
25. Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue
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album cover art of the day:
New Album "Shit City" Announced By Lonely Kamel
