We interviewed John Cale in issue #156 around the time of his previous release, Mercy. He has just released POPtical Illusion, a collection of synth and keyboard heavy tunes that carry a heavy, and at times angry message about the state of the world. That is not to say that that Cale has lost all hope and there is optimism that we can still bring about change. POPtical Illusion was produced by Cale along with longtime artistic collaborator Nita Scott.
Bass player Herbie Flowers had a front row seat for some of the most iconic recordings of the late sixties and seventies. He played on a staggering number of classic albums from artists such as David Bowie, Elton John, George Harrison, Harry...
In the never-ending, century-old battle between corporations and content producers: I give you the latest bit of pro-artist activism. This is taken directly from the Grammy Foundation's website:
Tell Congress to Save Music and Stop the "Pandora...
A Guided Tour of High Vis’ Guided Tour at Holy Mountain Studios.
By Sam Retzer
Engineer Stanley Gravett is retreating down the stairs to Holy Mountain Studio after being ‘bullied’ upstairs at the Crypt of the Wizard record...
Here's a recent email I received:
"I am interested in what you do and how you do it. I guess I am not the average person looking to get into audio engineering. I am 44 and I am an anesthesiologist looking for a second career. I am an audiophile,...
We got this letter from J. Robert Lennon, a sometimes contributor here at Tape Op. I figured I'd better answer it. -Larry Crane
"A thought struck me while I was reading Adam Kagan's very informative review of the Chandler Little Devil...
Reader Mike Petkau dropped a line about the cool site and collaboration he started:
"I wanted to point you to a project I've currently wrapped up. For 16 weeks, every Wednesday, I've brought 3 very different musicians from different backgrounds to...
After reading Larry's "Eliminate Variables" End Rant from last issue, I was compelled to write a response. Don't get me wrong, I agree completely with everything he said; so before you read any further, revisit the back page of issue #92.
I...
Guitarist Michael Belfer passed away March 20, 2022 from a series of compounding health issues. He was a friend and my bandmate in Black Lab back in the late ’90s. His unique playing and sound was an influence on players such as Sonic...
For his new release, Honey, Caribou's Dan Snaith (Tape Op #35, #105) wears his Detroit techno influences on his sleeve, and uses AI to explore and reimagine vocals as well as manipulate his voice, to create an album of dance tracks that...