Audiophile Vinyl

Talk about an unexpected blessing: our March LP of the Month, Dr. John Plays Mac Rebennack, just solo Dr. John on piano and vocals, was a double treat. It contained not just a fresh pressing of the album, but an entire LP of unreleased material. The original recordings yielded an audiophile classic, the late Dean Roumanis (who worked for Mark Levinson and Krell and knew sound quality) producing an album to delight the hi-fi community as well as Dr. John fans. Lo and behold, Sundazed found another LP’s worth of unreleased tracks from the 1981/82 sessions and they are simply as spectacular as the previous releases. Possibly, this is the finest piano-only recording I have ever heard. KK

Sound Quality: 90%

Paul McCartney & Wings
One Hand Clapping
MPL/Capitol/UM 602465081633 (two 180g LPs + 7in single)

Another for Beatles collectors: here, at last (50 years late!), is the complete song selection of the film of the same name, a ‘rockumentary’ performed live in the studio in 1974 after the recording of Band On The Run. Various tracks have appeared over the years, legitimately in Macca’s archive releases as well as via bootlegs, the film itself having been held back until 2010 for the Band On The Run multi-disc set. This is a real delight, the band running through a mix of Wings, solo McCartney and Beatles songs, all familiar yet sounding fresh due to different arrangements. Added appeal is the 7in single, with six tracks including two Buddy Holly covers. KK

Sound Quality: 85%

Ravi Shankar
The Shankar Family & Friends
Mobile Fidelity MFSL 1-522 (180g vinyl)

Not had enough Beatles-related releases this month? This enchanting LP was produced by George Harrison, who also performs on it, as do Tom Scott, Klaus Voormann, Ringo Starr, Billy Preston, Jim Keltner, Alla Rakha and others. A star-studded affair, it was first released on Harrison’s Dark Horse Records in 1974, a wonderful entry to Indian music for those interested but unsure. As much western as eastern, with jazz and pop elements, it was therefore more accessible than even the Shankar-related Buddy Rich/Alla Rakha collaboration [HFN Oct ’24]. For years a costly rarity, this superb edition (even via DSD256) is terrific. KK

Sound Quality: 90%

The John Wright Trio
South Side Soul
Craft Recordings/Prestige CR00721 (180g vinyl)

After a cluster of blues-inspired jazz LPs, this masterpiece from 1960 celebrates the soul element, just as that genre was emerging to dominate African-American popular music. Simply put, this is one of the smoothest, most engaging albums I’ve heard this year, Wright’s piano sharing a well-defined soundstage with Wendell Roberts on bass and Walter McCants on drums. While casual listening places this in the wide and deep pool of jazz trios of the era, close listening discerns gospel and bop elements, adding to its freshness 60-plus years later. This was the Chicago musician’s debut, the first of five recorded for Prestige, and it will leave you wanting more. KK

Sound Quality: 90%