blog.audiophileusa.com

Hi folks…Audiophile International is on the move. Well, it’s only a mile or so down the road, but it’s a move nonetheless. Ever move a (very) large record collection? If you have, you can empathize. If you haven’t, trust us, you never, ever want to. So, we’re hopeful of making this as quick and painless a transition as possible, both for you and us. However, please know that we will more or less be unavailable to answer emails or phone calls tomorrow (Friday, April 25th). Our expectation is that we will be back up and running normally come Monday. Cross your fingers.

In addition we have a new employee, so please join us in welcoming Ben into the Audiophile fold. He started yesterday and had no idea he would need moving logistic skills to work here. But hey, it’s good somebody here has ‘em.

 I think that’s it for now. So again, please be as patient with us as possible over the next several days. Yes, some orders will take a little more time than usual to get to you. But they will indeed get to you. Once we get through next week, things should be relatively back to normal. And yes, that will be a good thing.

Cheers!

A year-at least-in the making, this long anticipated vinyl box set is finally set to ship, with an expected arrival of next week. Well, *some* of our order is expected next week. It looks like while Elektra will technically make street date, the bulk of distributor orders will be shipping at some unspecified time in the near future, so expect possible availability issues in the short term. However, we have yet to take any orders on this set, so everything we have coming in is, at the moment, available.  If you would like us to hold a copy for you, our favorite customer, just send an email to thefolks@audiophileusa.com with the subject header Doors and we’ll make sure we set one aside for you.

Sadly, one event of very recent vintage in regards to this package was a price hike - we were notified about two weeks ago that the price was moving from $149.99 to $174.99. From what we know, no additional components were added except for dollars. (Hey, Densmore, Krieger and Manzarek gotta eat).

Just to remind everyone what that $174.99 gets you - this is a seven-disc box encased in faux lizard skin and housing the six Morrison-fronted classic albums, issued on 180gm HQ vinyl in the original stereo mixes and pressed at RTI. If you’re doing some math right now and finding the count one short, there will also be a disc featuring the original mono mix of the band’s self-titled debut. Lacquers were cut at Bernie Grundman Mastering under the supervision of original producer Bruce Botnick and Elektra founder Jac Holzman. This set is super strictly limited to 12,500 copies worldwide, with little more than half that number allocated for the US.

 So, come and get ‘em, while we have ‘em.

Hey all…just a brief missive to let you know that we have been down one person for the past two weeks. We’re striving to address our orders and emails as promptly and effectively as possible, but it’s taking a tad more time than is typical for us to do so. Please know that everything we do, we do for you. We’re just doing it a little slower this week. We’ll have a new person in place shortly, so please hang in there with us during this brief period while we reload. Thanks a bunch!

Hope it’s been a good one. All has been quiet on the blog front as we have been one man, er, person, down this week. We’ll get some posts up here next week that provide some actual information. Maybe. What we’re really looking forward to-eventually-is posting some reviews of records that everyone can then argue about endlessly. Hey, we had a couple of new releases come in and go out quickly this week, so if you happen to be hankering for that 2LP 45RPM pressing of the new R.E.M. record, Accelerate, or the 2LP reissue of Nick Lowe’s Jesus Of Cool that combines all the US and UK tracks in one beautiful 180gm gatefold package, please send us an email and we’ll make sure you’re taken care of when we get more back in. And hey, that brings to mind new releases in general - if there is a new title that you’re in need of and don’t see on the site, please let us know. Chances are most excellent that we can score a copy for you. Okay? Okay. Until next week…

Not to be outdone by competing series of classic Blue Note reissues, Metallica is jumping into the audiophile waters with 45RPM pressings of the band’s first two albums - Kill ‘Em All and Ride The Lightning. These deluxe sets, due on April 15th, feature two 180gm 45RPM vinyl discs pressed at RTI and half-speed mastered by Stan Ricker from the original analog tapes at Mobile Fidelity. Both are packaged in a Stoughton gatefold jacket with a “Louder Faster Heavier” bellyband. Hi Fidelity thrash, indeed. Oh, and both will be available in a single disc 33 1/3RPM issue as well. Retail on the 45RPM sets is $30 and the single disc regular version goes for $17. Feel free to email us at thefolks@audiophileusa.com to reserve copies.

The next two titles in Music Matters’ 45 RPM Blue Note reissue series-Hank Mobley’s outstanding Soul Station and Horace Parlan’s sublime Us Three-are due any day now. The second flight of MM releases flew out the door far quicker than the intial two titles, and we expect an even greater reponse to this pair of jazz classics. In addition, Analogue Productions just rolled out the first two titles in their own Blue Note 45 RPM reissue series with Dexter Gordon’s Dexter Calling and Jackie McLean’s Capuchin Swing, both of which should be in stock shortly. Please let us know if you need us to reserve copies of any of these two-disc beauties by emailing us at thefolks@audiophileusa.com.

Billboard reports that Elvis Costello and his label, Lost Highway, intend to completely bypass the compact disc configuration for the artist’s upcoming April 22nd release, Momofuku. As it stands now, the new record will only be available on vinyl, and will include a free digitial download of the entire album. We won’t be surprised at all to see it made available as a straight download via iTunes, Amazon and other digital players. However, it appears that a black wax platter will be the only physical goods version available. It will be very interesting to see if, going forward, other artists and labels decide to follow this somewhat daring release model.

 We interrupt ourselves for this recently issued statement from Classic Records…

“Due to circumstances beyond our control, at the present time, Classic Records has no other option than to press some of our back catalog titles on 180g conventional profile pressings rather than our preferred and better sounding 200g Super Vinyl Profile. Please note that ALL Blue Note releases will continue to be released as 200g Super Vinyl Profile non-groove guard LPs as they have been for the past 5 1/2 years.

This hopefully temporary situation in no way should be construed as Classic Records taking a step backwards - we consider RTI 180g pressings to be of the best in the world and second only in fidelity of playback to our 200g Super Vinyl Profile. It should also be noted that the 180g records we press at RTI will use our vinyl formulation which employs our own quality control standards and we judge to be the best sounding vinyl formulation available. We will continue to pursue the production of the finest sounding and highest quality pressings possible and we appreciate your support as we move forward.”

Please be aware that Speakers Corner & Pure Pleasure recently raised prices on the vast majority of its catalog. All single discs that could previously be had for $30 have now moved to $35. Our guess is that you are about as fond of this news as we were when we first heard it. We’re simply a messenger here, and the message is it will now cost a little more for any future 180gm love from the Speakers catalog.

Yes, that’s right - we have made the rash decision to enter the blogosphere. Not that there appears to be an overwhelming demand for yet another blog, but we simply felt that we needed a forum in which we could regularly communicate with you, our customer. These missives could take one of many forms - we will use this arena to pass along news from labels and suppliers in regards to upcoming new releases and/or pricing changes, posting reviews of records that we might fancy at any given moment or maybe just hipping you to when we’re ready to add a slew of new records to the site. And we’ll try to ensure that quality trumps quantity. But hey, that’s always going to be the judgement of the person reading it, which is why you also have the ability to respond to anything  we post (all we ask is that you play nice).

That’s it for the introductions. Thanks so much for checking us out and we hope you find the contect here useful and entertaining. Ideally, both.