New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Razor & Tie has announced the launch of Analog Spark, a new audiophile imprint focused on the reissue of classic and acclaimed albums on 180-gram vinyl and SACD. Razor & Tie is no stranger to reissues, having produced essential CD reissues for artists such as Johnny Cash, Alex Chilton, Duke Ellington,
George Jones and countless others that are still sought after by collectors and music fans today. More recently, Razor & Tie has worked on catalog releases for Emerson, Lake and Palmer and the ZTT and Stiff Records catalogs. The newly formed imprint boasts an impressive list of initial releases, including The Sound Of
Music original soundtrack on vinyl and SACD in honor of the film's 50th anniversary.
Future releases include albums from Kate Bush,
Ben Folds Five, The Dave Brubeck Quartet and
Laura Nyro. Analog
Spark aims to establish itself as one of the prominent audiophile reissue labels in the country.
The announcement was made by Razor & Tie Co-Owners Cliff Chenfeld and
Craig Balsam. They comment, "We're very excited about the launch of Analog
Spark and the reissue of this important historical music. These albums are deserving of the highest quality and we are confident our releases will become the go-to versions for both casual listeners and audiophiles alike."
Analog
Spark is the brainchild of musical curator Mark Piro, whose passion for audiophile reissues inspired his idea for the imprint. Piro remarks, "Our intention is to bring the listener as close as possible to the original recording by using the best sources, mastering engineers and pressing plants. We hope to build a lasting relationship and dialogue with our audience - so that each time they purchase an Analog
Spark release, they will have musical curation and quality that they can trust."
The label's repertoire will stretch across eras and musical genres and hopefully bring light to artists and albums that have been overlooked thus far. Piro adds, "As more and more new listeners discover and value well-mastered vinyl and SACDs, there is an increasing demand for titles that are either out of print or unreleased on these formats. We hope to provide our listeners with the best sounding releases of these titles and also remain faithful to the artist's intent."
ANALOG SPARK 2015 RELEASE SCHEDULE
MARCH
The Sound Of
Music 50th Anniversary Edition180-GRAM 2LP
The Sound Of
Music Original
Soundtrack 180-GRAM LP
The Sound Of
Music Original
Soundtrack SACD
In conjunction with Legacy Recordings and
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, Analog
Spark is proud to release The Sound Of
Music 50th Anniversary Edition on 180-gram vinyl, as well as the Grammy Hall Of Fame-inducted RCA Victor soundtrack album on 180-gram vinyl and SACD.
APRIL
KATE BUSH: The Red Shoes 180-GRAM LP
Out of print since its original issue, Kate Bush's seventh studio album is her highest U.S. charting album to date and features the single "Rubberband Girl" and guest appearances from Jeff Beck, Gary Brooker,
Eric Clapton and Prince. This new vinyl reissue was cut from the original analog tapes by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound and pressed at RTI.
THE DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET: Jazz Goes To College 180-GRAM LP
Before there was Time Out, there was Jazz Goes To College. This incredible album documents the 1954 North American college tour of The Dave Brubeck Quartet and features Paul Desmond on alto saxophone, Bob Bates on double bass and Joe Dodge on drums. Following the album's original release, Dave Brubeck landed on the cover of Time Magazine and was declared "the most exciting new jazz artist at work today." This new vinyl reissue was cut from the original analog tapes by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound and pressed at RTI.
FUTURE RELEASES INCLUDE:
BEN FOLDS FIVE: The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner 180-GRAM LP
LAURA NYRO: New York Tendaberry 180-GRAM LP
Razor & Tie
With over 40 million units sold, 24 plus years in business and multiple Grammy Awards, Razor & Tie is one of the largest privately owned independent music labels and publishing companies in North America. The full service label (which was founded in 1990 and has been co-owned since its inception by entrepreneurs Cliff Chenfeld and
Craig Balsam) employs an expert staff that provides strategic marketing, publicity, new media/online marketing, tour marketing, radio and video promotion, as well as in-house creative team and video production services. The rapidly expanding roster includes a variety of both established and developing artists including All That Remains, The Pretty Reckless, Attila, Starset, The Ready Set, Yellowcard, Chelsea Grin, For Today, Hatebreed, HIM, KYNG, Nonpoint, Norma Jean, Protest The Hero, The Sword, Sworn In and many more. In 2014 Razor & Tie also formed the imprint Washington Square, which features such acts as The Hold Steady, Dar Williams,
Jon Batiste and Stay Human and indie rockers Born Cages. The label also created and owns the multiplatinum children's audio brand Kidz Bop.
www.analogspark.com
www.razorandtie.com
