Mark Smotroff

1 week ago | analogplanet.com | Mark Smotroff

Candid Records was a short-lived (1961-63) but respected label out of New York City owned by producer, arranger, and musician Archie Bleyer. It was a subsidiary of the somewhat iconic Cadence Records, original home to no less than The Everly Brothers.

1 week ago | ecoustics.com | Mark Smotroff

Some readers here may recall from my past writings that I’ve long been a fan of Plangent Processes’ audio restoration technology. Used and endorsed by artists like Bruce Springsteen, The Who, and The Grateful Dead—along with early support from the late, great producer Phil Ramone—Plangent has earned its reputation for precision. Now, that same technology has been applied to one of the most iconic Bossa Nova/Jazz recordings ever made: Getz/Gilberto by Stan Getz and João Gilberto.

1 week ago | analogplanet.com | Mike Mettler |Mark Smotroff

Mike Mettler: Last week was indeed a tough one for those of us who listen to a lot of music on vinyl that initially made literal waves in the latter half of the 20th Century. On Friday, June 13, 2025, I tasked my colleague Mark Smotroff to write about the rich recorded legacy of Brian Wilson, the eternal Beach Boy who passed away at age 82 on June 11, 2025. You can read Mark’s wonderful full-bodied surf through Wilson’s formidable vinyl catalog here.

2 weeks ago | analogplanet.com | Mark Smotroff

’Cause it’s gettin’ heavy. . . Well, I thought it was already as heavy as can be–The Flaming Lips, “Waiting for Superman” (1999)Wow, it’s been quite a hard week for hardcore music fans like us, hasn’t it? There are few things I can add to the masses of text and tributes circulating the music universe and socials-posting stratosphere right now about Brian Wilson, the musical genius who passed away June 11, 2025, at 82 — and only a few days after Sly Stone passed, also at age 82, on June 9.

2 weeks ago | ecoustics.com | Mark Smotroff

I don’t usually open with a cheesy pun, but here goes: Reverend Peyton’s new album Honeysuckle is pure honey. In case you haven’t been paying attention, the good Reverend Peyton and his not-so-big but seriously badass band have been turning heads worldwide with a gritty blend of rural blues, filtered through a 21st-century lens.