Caropop Mark Caro

Impex Records has been releasing stellar audiophile recordings since Abey Fonn founded the small label in 2009. Impex’s offerings have included 33 and 45 rpm LPs (including Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin and Paco De Lucía’s Friday Night in San Francisco and Saturday Night in San Francisco) as well as deluxe 1Step releases such as Getz/Gilberto, Patricia Barber's Companion and, coming June 14, Sing and Dance with Frank Sinatra. Here Fonn pulls back the curtain on how Impex chooses and makes deals for its titles, what the competition is like with the larger audiophile labels, how Impex decides which format is best for an album, whether original master tapes have become harder to obtain, whether a one-to-one analog transfer is superior to a high-res digital copy, which act has been Fonn’s white whale and which one she was happiest to land.

After co-producing R.E.M.'s Murmur and Reckoning, Don Dixon got calls from other bands, often southern and jangly, seeking his services. He produced three albums by Guadalcanal Diary, another Georgia band, but it was his work with New Jersey's the Smithereens that took him to another level. It also prompted Nirvana to ask him about producing Nevermind. Dixon was pursuing his own career as well while thinking U.S. labels had slighted his previous band, Arrogance. What happened when the head of Enigma Records approached him in a European airport about releasing the song "Praying Mantis"? What unorthodox scheme did Dixon propose to the label in lieu of releasing albums? Why does he, of all people, think recording ruined music? Dixon has enough great stories and insights to fill two episodes. This is the second.

Don Dixon already had spent 13 years playing, singing and writing with the North Carolina indie band Arrogance when he joined Mitch Easter to co-produce R.E.M.’s trailblazing first two albums, Murmur and Reckoning. He went on to produce the first two crunchy-and-sweet Smithereens albums plus music from Guadalcanal Diary, Matthew Sweet, Marshall Crenshaw and Marti Jones, to whom he remains married. His own infectious “Praying Mantis” got him some airplay as well. Did he see himself more as a soul singer, a songwriter, a bassist or producer? What are the secrets to being a strong producer? What happened when Nirvana asked him about producing Nevermind? Dixon has enough great stories and insights to fill two episodes. This is the first.

William Bell is a soul legend who scored an early hit for Memphis’s Stax Records with 1961’s “You Don’t Miss Your Water” and wrote and sang such much-covered classics as “I Forgot To Be Your Lover,” “Everybody Loves a Winner” and “Every Day Will Be Like a Holiday.” He and Booker T. Jones co-wrote Albert King’s “Born Under a Bad Sign,” and Bell vividly recalls the story behind that one. He also recounts his friendship with Otis Redding and how Redding’s death, followed by Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination, affected him, Memphis and beyond. At age 84, Bell continues to make music, releasing the Grammy-winning album This Is Where I Live in 2017 and One Day Closer to Home last year. His voice and writing—as well as his wit and memory—remain impressively strong.

We were devastated to hear of Steve Albini’s death at age 61 of a heart attack. He was a titanic figure in the music world and a mensch among musicians who were not well known yet were able to book time with one of the industry’s most supportive, talented engineer/producers. Albini spoke with us for back-to-back Caropop episodes posted in January 2022. The first took place in his Electrical Audio studio on Chicago’s North Side and dug into analog vs. digital technology and preservation. The second was conducted over Zoom and zoomed in on his work with Nirvana and his refusal to take artist royalties. We’re combining these two conversations into a supersized episode so we can revisit his fierce intelligence and stubborn integrity. We wish we could hear more from him.

I spoke with Grant Achatz, one of the world's most talented, creative and thoughtful chefs, as his 50th birthday and his Chicago restaurant Alinea's 19th anniversary approached. He has received just about every possible accolade for a chef, including multiple James Beard awards, Alinea being named the country's best restaurant, and three Michelin stars being awarded to Alinea every year since 2011. Early in this spectacular run, he successfully fought stage 4 cancer of the tongue through innovative treatments at the University of Chicago. Yet despite all he has accomplished and been through, including the pandemic-time transition of Alinea to a carryout restaurant, he keeps restlessly pushing forward. What might the next culinary revolution look like, and how can he be at its forefront? Why does he wish Alinea were more like a rock band?