Mobile Fidelity Rock & Indie 21 Items

ULTIMATE-SOUNDING VERSION OF THE HARMONY-RICH LANDMARK: DELUXE AUDIOPHILE PRESSING LIMITED AND NUMBERED COPIES
1/4" / 15 IPS analogue master to DSD 256 to analogue console to lathe


The enduring charm, contemporary relevance, and harmonic convergence of Crosby, Stills & Nash's fabled self-titled debut owe not only to impeccably played songs and resonant lyrics, but to career-defining performances by music's first genuine supergroup. Crosby, Stills & Nash lingers as an example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. Factor in phenomenal studio production and acoustic-based architecture that served as guideposts for myriad albums that followed, and popular music would never be the same.

Limited and numbered, pressed on MoFi SuperVinyl at RTI, and mastered from the original master tapes, Mobile Fidelity's UltraDisc One-Step 180g 45RPM 2LP collector's edition enhances the incalculably influential work for the ages to come. Surpassing the sonics of any prior version, it peels away any limitations to provide a transparent, ultra-nuanced presentation of a record that birthed the Laurel Canyon movement and established a precedent for close harmony singing that has never been eclipsed. The organic presentation of the textures; expanse and depth of the soundstages; fullness of tones; natural extension of the acoustic guitar strings; realistic rise and decay of individual notes; seamless blending of the vocals – all those important sonic facets (and more) reach demonstration-grade levels.

The packaging features the same attention to detail. Housed in a deluxe box, the Crosby, Stills & Nash UD1S pressing features special foil-stamped jackets and faithful-to-the-original graphics that illuminate the splendour of the recording and the reissue's premium quality. Aurally and visually, MoFi's UD1S copy exists as a curatorial artifact meant to be preserved, touched, and examined. It is made for discerning listeners that prize sound quality and production, and who desire to fully immerse themselves in the art – and everything involved with the album, from the images to the finishes.

The backstory of how Crosby, Stills & Nash came to be nearly matches the import of its content. Already a renowned multi-instrumental virtuoso, Stephen Stills sought a fresh beginning after Buffalo Springfield splintered. Similarly, vocal powerhouse David Crosby arrived after leaving the Byrds and gaining a reputation for being difficult. Graham Nash drifted over after a frustrating stint in the Hollies. He met his new mates at a party. When the three sang together informally for the first time, their fate was sealed. To further tie their fortunes together, the singers used each of their surnames to identify the group to ensure the collective could not exist or continue on without all three members.

From the opening of the lead track, the multi-part "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," written for Judy Collins, it's apparent the trio's dynamic cannot be replicated or substituted. Originally released in May 1969 on Atlantic, the eponymous debut cracked the Billboard Top 10 and spent almost two years on the charts. Such longevity can be credited to the distinctive traits each member lends to a record Rolling Stone cites as the 252nd Greatest Album of All Time. Stills trades in folk, country, and rock accents while handing a majority of the instrumental duties (organ, bass, and lead guitar included). Crosby paints with mood and atmosphere, as well as direct political commentary. Nash ties everything together with accessible pop melodies.

More than five decades later, the ensemble's mellifluous singing and homespun arrangements continue to soar. The evidence pervades Crosby, Stills & Nash, whose magnetism reflects in standards such as the breezy "Marrakesh Express," protesting "Long Time Gone," poignant "Helplessly Hoping," and poetic "Wooden Ships." No wonder the trio's chemistry – as well as the distinctive traits of each member's singing, interwoven guitar parts, and contrasting personalities – became a permanent part of an American culture dealing with conflicting themes of peace and war, love and violence, and change and status quo.

More About Mobile Fidelity UltraDisc One-Step and Why It Is Superior
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab's UltraDisc One-Step (UD1S) technique bypasses generational losses inherent to the traditional three-step plating process by removing two steps: the production of father and mother plates, which are created to yield numerous stampers from each lacquer that is cut. For UD1S plating, stampers (also called "converts") are made directly from the lacquers. Since each lacquer yields only one stamper, multiple lacquers need to be cut. Mobile Fidelity's UD1S process produces a final LP with the lowest-possible noise floor. The removal of two steps of the plating process also reveals musical details and dynamics that would otherwise be lost due to the standard multi-step process. With UD1S, every aspect of vinyl production is optimized to produce the best-sounding vinyl album available today.

MoFi SuperVinyl
Developed by NEOTECH and RTI, MoFi SuperVinyl is the most exacting-to-specification vinyl compound ever devised. Analog lovers have never seen (or heard) anything like it. Extraordinarily expensive and extremely painstaking to produce, the special proprietary compound addresses two specific areas of improvement: noise floor reduction and enhanced groove definition. The vinyl composition features a new carbonless dye (hold the disc up to the light and see) and produces the world's quietest surfaces. This high-definition formula also allows for the creation of cleaner grooves that are indistinguishable from the original lacquer. MoFi SuperVinyl provides the closest approximation of what the label's engineers hear in the mastering lab.

2LP, 180 Gram Audiophile Vinyl, Numbered Limited-Edition

2 x Vinyl, LP, 45 RPM, Album, Limited Edition, Numbered, Reissue, Remastered, Stereo

Limited to 10,000 copies
1/4" / 15 IPS / Dolby A analog master to DSD 256 to analog console to lathe
Copyright 1975 Elektra/Asylum Records, a division of Warner Music Group

180 Gram 45RPM Audiophile Vinyl, Numbered Limited-Edition

180g 2LP 45rpm Gatefold Sleeve

MASTERED FROM THE ORIGINAL ANALOGUE MASTER TAPES, PRESSED AT RTI ON MOFI SUPERVINYL, AND LIMITED TO 10,000 NUMBERED COPIES
1/4" / 15 IPS analogue master to DSD 256 to analogue console to lathe

Originally intended as a clever poke at the era's trends that critics maintained were making the band irrelevant, the title of and music on The Long Run continue to prove the Eagles got the last laugh. Created in the wake of the group's demanding tour for the blockbuster Hotel California, the 1979 record ultimately became the final record the Eagles would create for nearly three decades. Stacked with first-rate material and three mammoth singles, the seven-times-platinum effort ensured the Eagles never drifted far from the public's consciousness.

Mastered from the original analogue master tapes, pressed on MoFi SuperVinyl, and limited to 10,000 copies, Mobile Fidelity's UltraDisc One-Step 180g 45RPM 2LP vinyl box set presents The Long Run in unparalleled sound. Akin to the audiophile label's prior Eagles UD1S sets, this collectible edition plays with extreme clarity, organic richness, tube-like warmth, spectacular dynamics, and microscopic levels of detail. Songs come across with an epic sweep and feature front-to-back soundstages that give the music unprecedented air, roominess, and separation.

As for the noise floor? Practically non-existent. Though the Eagles are renowned for great-sounding albums, The Long Run might be the most note-perfect work in their catalogue – the result of more than 18 months of painstaking recording sessions. This UD1S version demonstrates why. The placement of the rounded bass lines, extension of the piano accents, and golden tones of the blended harmonies are constantly identifiable and practically take you inside the arrangements.

Complementing the gorgeous sonics, the premium packaging of the UD1S The Long Run pressing befits its esteemed status. The deluxe box features foil-stamped jackets and faithful-to-the-original graphics that illuminate the splendour of the recording. This UD1S reissue exists as a curatorial artefact meant to be preserved, touched, and examined. It is made for discerning listeners that prize sound quality and production, and who desire to fully immerse themselves in everything involved with the album, including the artwork.

Intentionally simple, the cover is designed by John Kosh, who devised the art for the Beatles' Abbey Road and The Who's Who's Next. The stark black-and-gray colour palette speaks to the exhaustion the band was feeling at the time – as well as the malaise conveyed in several songs. Kosh's creation also can be seen to reflect a gravestone, and though the Eagles would fall dormant for more than two decades, the tombstone interpretation is line with the tongue-in-cheek nature of the album title: The Eagles would return and outlast a majority of their lesser contemporaries and joyless critics.

"Who is gonna make it?/We'll find out in the long run," posits Don Henley on the album's opening track, an R&B-fuelled classic that reached No. 8 on the charts. Henley later addressed the irony of the lyrics; his group was in the process of breaking apart when he wrote it. Yet the singer-songwriter and colleague Glenn Frey clearly knew something others failed to recognize. Related themes of survival, resilience, and dark humour course throughout The Long Run, which also marks the arrival of bassist Timothy B. Schmit. His lead vocal anchors the No. 8 hit "I Can't Tell You Why," a staple he co-wrote with Henley and Frey.

That dynamic duo has a hand in all but one of the songs, "In the City," Joe Walsh's slide-guitar-appointed ode to endurance. Walsh also shares a writing credit on the closing "The Sad Cafe," a melodramatic favourite whose lineage extends to another of the band's long-time collaborators, J.D. Souther. He, along with Frey and Henley, teamed with Detroit legend Bob Seger on penning the record's signature anthem: the Grammy-winning "Heartache Tonight." Fuelled by rhythmic handclaps, a romping groove, and the band's trademark California-bred country-rock style, the chart-topper comfortably sits alongside deep cuts such as the winking shuffle "The Disco Strangler" and cinematic "King of Hollywood."

The challenges and pressures associated with making The Long Run after dealing with the unimaginable success of Hotel California ended up grounding the Eagles. Yet the album's enduring merit, performances, and melodies confirmed Henley and Frey's beliefs. The Eagles are still thriving. They made it. The long run continues.

Mastered From THE Original Master Tapes With Mobile Fidelity's One-step Process: Pressed ON Mofi Supervinyl, Limited TO 7,500 Copies. Janis Joplin wouldn't be denied on Pearl. The powerhouse vocalist had kicked her addictions, teamed with a stupendous band, and partnered with a producer who knew how to best showcase her voice on record. She came to the sessions with an armload of astonishing songs, and a burst of creative energy that mirrored her rejuvenated emotional state and undeniable spirit. You can hear it on every note of the 1971 record. Ranked #135 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list, Pearl sold more than four million copies and stands as the first female rock superstar's definitive studio work. Mobile Fidelity's Ud1s 180g 45rpm 2LP box set presents the landmark effort like never before.

Audiophile Vinyl, limited & numbered!

Limited, numbered box set edition on 45 rpm 180 gram audiophile vinyl!

180g 45rpm