Muddy Waters – I’m Ready – Pure Pleasure Records 180g Vinyl LP
At the end of his storied career, the great Chicago blues man, Muddy Waters, had one last period of resurgence. He made a trilogy of albums produced by Johnny Winter-Hard Again, I’m Ready, and King Bee. Winters’ formula was fairly straight forward-surround Muddy with his touring band and add some special guests to light his fire-while recording a mixture of hit singles with new material. Then let Muddy cut loose and burn down some electric Chicago blues. It was a winning combination and you can sense the joy that Muddy felt in his bantering between songs. His last hurrah was a barnburner.
Nat King Cole – After Midnight – Pure Pleasure Records 180g 2LP Gatefold Sleeve Vinyl LP
Nat ‘King’ Cole’s music is the perfect combination of romantic charm and musical invention.
Cole is renowned for his big production numbers and pop hits such as ‘Stardust,’ but he was also an accomplished and unique jazz pianist and excelled in a small-group setting.
After Midnight’s album cover states that this is a ‘trio’ release.
New York Dolls – New York Dolls – 180g 45RPM Mofi Vinyl 2 LP
Available To Pre-Order
Landmark Debut Established Punk and Glam Foundations: New York Dolls Explodes with Raucous, Swaggering Rock ‘n’ Roll, Includes “Personality Crisis” and “Trash”
Hear the 1973 Record Rolling Stone Named the 301st Greatest Album of All Time in Audiophile Sound for the First Time: Mobile Fidelity’s 180g 45RPM 2LP Set Reveals Brilliance of Todd Rundgren’s Production
1/4” / 15 IPS Dolby A analog master to DSD 256 to analog console to lathe
Nina Simone – In Concert (Philips Acoustic Sounds) 180g Vinyl LP
“Mississippi Goddam” staked out Nina Simone’s support of the Civil Rights movement when this album debuted in 1964, helping make it probably the most personal album that Simone issued during her stay on Philips during the decade.
Seeking to offer definitive audiophile grade versions of some of the most historic and best jazz records ever recorded, Verve’s Acoustic Sounds vinyl reissue series utilizes the skills of top mastering engineers and the unsurpassed production craft of Quality Record Pressings. All titles are mastered from the original analog tapes, pressed on 180-gram vinyl and packaged by Stoughton Printing Co. in high-quality gatefold sleeves with tip-on jackets. The releases are supervised by Chad Kassem, CEO of Acoustic Sounds, the world’s largest source for audiophile recordings.
Oscar Peterson Trio: Very Tall – Verve Acoustic Sounds Series 180g Vinyl
Very Tall, released in 1961, features the first partnership between Oscar Peterson and vibraphonist Milt Jackson. The quartet set (which also includes bassist Ray Brown and drummer Ed Thigpen) swings as hard as one might expect. Highlights include “On Green Dolphin Street,” "John Brown's Body" (a jam on "Battle Hymn of the Republic") and "Reunion Blues." Verve’s Acoustic Sounds Series features transfers from analog tapes and remastered 180-gram vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging.
Paris ’58 – Donald Byrd & Bobby Jaspar – Sam Records 180G Vinyl LP
Peter Frampton “Frampton’s Camel” – Intervention Records SACD
Peter Frampton “Frampton” – Intervention Records SACD
Peter Frampton “Wind of Change” – Intervention Records 180g Vinyl
Peter Frampton “Wind of Change” – Intervention Records SACD
Pharoah Sanders – Shukuru – Pure Pleasure Records 180g Vinyl LP
Pharoah Sanders’ “Shukuru” is noteworthy as being the album that reunited Sanders with vocalist Leon Thomas, who sang on some of Sanders’ most endearing and powerful compositions– among them the legendary “The Creator Has a Masterplan”.
Thomas only joins the band on two tracks– “Mas in Brooklyn (Highlife)” and “Sun Song”. The former gets a full calypso reading complete with steel drum sounds and chanted vocals traded between Sanders and Thomas. It’s a lot of fun, but by and large, throwaway. The latter is one of the true gems on the album– a pretty ballad that serves as both a launching point for Sanders’ best balladry and Thomas’ vocal, with the latter soaring in his upper register wordlessly between verses intoned in his trademark baritone. It’s by and large simply stunning.
