MFSL article (some Who content) (long)

[MHND71F@prodigy.com (STEVE MARSHALL)]

MOBILE FIDELITY SOUND LABS -- AN AUDIOPHILE'S DREAM
by Steve Marshall


In 1977, Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs began producing the
first true audiophile albums -- the trademarked Original
Master Recordings. Starting with such classic titles as Pink
Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" & The Beatles' "Abbey Road"
(later to be followed by the entire Beatles catalog), MFSL
quickly became known as the industry leader in
state-of-the-art recordings. In several instances (such as
the majority of The Beatles' catalog), the MFSL vinyl
versions were sonically superior to their commercially
available compact disc counterparts.

In the following years, other companies (such as Nautilus)
tried to compete for a share of the market. As technologies
developed further, MFSL produced its exclusive UHQR (Ultra
High Quality Record) series. Pressed on 200 grams of pure
virgin vinyl and limited to only 5000 copies, each title
quickly became highly sought after by collectors. While MFSL
continued to get the top artists in the music business, the
competition couldn't keep up. In 1984, as vinyl began fading
from public acceptance, MFSL entered the CD market and had
released 16 titles by year's end.

In 1987, the 24 karat gold Ultradisc made its debut. After
additional refinements in the mastering process, they
introduced the Ultradisc II -- now recognized as the new
standard in recorded music by critics and consumers alike.
Due in part to the titles MFSL has chosen, and their new
trademarked GAIN System (Greater Ambient Information
Network) used to master the new releases, the Ultradisc II
series has met with great critical and commercial success.
Using the new GAIN System technology, MFSL has also returned
to manufacturing audiophile vinyl releases with its new
Anadisq 200 series.

The next portion of this article will focus on five of
MFSL's gold Ultradisc II releases, while the following part
will take a look some of the company's new Anadisq 200 vinyl
releases.

MFSL's 1990 release of The Who's classic double album,
"Tommy", finds the two albums combined onto one CD (before
MCA did it). The sound on the newly remastered MCA version
is crisper, but the MFSL one is warmer -- especially on
"Sparks". The percussion is very clear on the song, more so
than on the MCA version. The drums are louder and a bit
muddier on the MFSL version, but it sounds more like the
original vinyl release of the album. The lyrics and the rest
of the booklet have been faithfully reproduced. The main
thing that will make collectors seek out this CD though, is
the alternate version of "Eyesight to the Blind" -- only
available on the MFSL CD -- featuring a different vocal
track by Roger Daltrey.

Next up is the 1993 release of the Derek and the Dominos
double album, "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs". Using
the original mix of the album (which is good), as opposed to
the remixed one currently available from Polydor, the MFSL
version has a higher output level than it's Polydor
counterpart. The vocals are slightly distorted at times, as
if the levels were a bit too high during the mastering
process. Even with the minor distortion on the voices, the
sound is still markedly better than the original vinyl.
There is some tape hiss evident on the MFSL version that
isn't heard on the Polydor release, but it's usually not
enough to be distracting. The best thing about the MFSL
release though, is the booklet. It features an informative
six-page essay by the album's executive producer, Tom Dowd
on the recording of the album. It also contains photos not
found in the original album, as well as a fold-out poster of
the album's inside photo collage.

In the spring of 1994, Mobile Fidelity released the first
album by The Alan Parsons Project, "Tales of Mystery and
Imagination". On this CD, like the "Layla" release, MFSL
used the original 1976 mix rather than the 1987 one. However
after hearing the 1987 version, with the Orson Welles
narration during "A Dream Within a Dream" and the additional
guitar solos added throughout the CD, the MFSL version
sounds like something is missing. The CD has a warm timbre
and good separation, but pales slightly when compared to the
original vinyl, which is crisper  and has more punch. Since
the original mix of the album is not available on CD though,
MFSL deserves kudos for using the original mix rather than
putting out another copy of the 1987 version.

1995 saw the MFSL release of Clapton's first solo album,
"Eric Clapton". Channel separation on the CD is excellent.
The entire album sounds much more spacious than the original
CD. Throughout the album, the instruments are distinct and
very well defined. For example, on "Let it Rain" (a song
I've heard thousands of times), I was able to hear things
I've never heard before, and with a clarity that was
startling. Clapton's solo in the bridge of the song sounds
better than ever. The bass guitar on the CD was resonant,
never muddy.

Also released by MFSL in 1995 was Todd Rundgren's double-LP
masterpiece, "Something/Anything?". Originally released on
Bearsville in 1972, "Something/Anything?" contains some of
Rundgren's biggest hits. Where the Ultradisc II version
really shines however, is on the more obscure tracks like
"One More Day (No Word)" and "Wolfman Jack", with all the
instruments and voices sounding distinct and natural. It's a
shame that MFSL couldn't get the alternate version of
"Wolfman Jack" with the Wolfman himself sharing the vocals
for their version of the CD. Encased in a handsome slipcover
featuring the original cover art, the two CDs come with a
24-page booklet containing several new photos, a
reproduction of the poster that came with the album, plus
lyrics and full liner notes for all the tracks. In addition,
the booklet has it's own slipcover explaining the GAIN
System (on the inside) as well. The only thing wrong with
the packaging on "Something/Anything" is the inclusion of at
least one pho
to from a different time period. Aside from that, MFSL did a
superb job on this one.

Time to move on to the vinyl releases now. Utilizing the new
GAIN System technology, and a new high-end pressing
facility, MFSL debuted the Anadisq 200. These numbered
limited edition vinyl pressings pick up where the Original
Master Recordings left off -- only better. Each title is
strictly limited to 500 pressings per stamper to assure that
the quality remains consistent throughout the production
process. Also the new albums are heavier than their OMR
predecessors, pressed on 200 grams of high definition virgin
vinyl. All the Anadisq 200 releases are mastered at
half-speed to allow every nuance of the master tapes to be
accurately transferred to the vinyl. The albums are then
specially packaged to maintain flatness & prevent warping.
Each album is limited to 5000 copies. On rare occasions,
there may be additional pressings.

One such title was the debut release of the new Anadisq 200
series, Muddy Waters "Folk Singer". Originally released by
MFSL in the spring of 1994, "Folk Singer" is now on it's
third pressing, and understandably so. There are not enough
superlatives in the English language to come close to
describing the sound quality on this album. It won the
prestigious 1995 Golden Note Award for Best Reissue from The
Academy for the Advancement of High End Audio, and
deservedly so. The Anadisq pressing was extremely quiet, no
surface noise whatsoever. The dynamic range and clarity of
the 1963 recording are nothing short of amazing. As if the
sound quality wasn't enough, the performance is equally as
good. "Folk Singer" boasts an all-star lineup of musicians
with a young Buddy Guy on guitar on all but one song, and
the great Willie Dixon on upright bass on four songs. If you
want to hear a classic acoustic blues album, performed by a
group of legendary musicians that sound like they're in the
same r
oom with you -- buy this album. It doesn't get any better
than this.

Also in the spring of 1994 (as noted above), MFSL released
the debut album from The Alan Parsons Project. The album
sounds very warm and clear, although this particular copy
had an excessive amount of surface noise. Overlooking the
poor pressing, the sound quality is superb and free of any
distortion. The album's separation and dynamic range are
superb. The orchestra is simply breathtaking on "The Fall of
the House of Usher". The whirling middle section in "The
Tell-Tale Heart" is mesmerizing. The booklet from the
original album is included here (in full size). Dim the
lights and turn up the volume.

1995 has seen the release of several fine new titles in the
Anadisq 200 series. Todd Rundgren's "Something/Anything?" is
one such title. The packaging isn't quite as elaborate as
the Ultradisc II version, but  the sheer bulk of the 2LP set
is impressive in itself. The Anadisq 200 version comes with
a 22-inch square rendition of the poster, with the complete
lyrics & liner notes on the back. Sound quality is
excellent, much clearer than the original issue in 1972. The
output level is low here, but the instruments and vocals
seem more natural & have greater dynamic range.

Also released this year was the vinyl version of Eric
Clapton self-titled solo album, "Eric Clapton". As is the
case on some of the Anadisq 200 titles, the output level is
low. However, by simply turning up the volume when you play
the album, you will find the instruments all very well
defined. The bass is extremely distinct throughout the
album. Clapton's guitar work on the album has never sounded clearer.

Keeping in a guitarist vein, we move on to the MFSL release
of B.B. King's classic 1968 album "Lucille". Like the Muddy
Waters album, the pressing is free of any surface noise. The
sound quality on the album is incredible. Captured in just
two days of recording sessions in December 1968, the album
sounds like it could have been recorded yesterday. The album
has an almost big-band sound to it at times, and the horns
are all clear & easily distinguishable from each other.

The last album to be reviewed here is R.E.M.'s debut album,
"Murmur". The sound quality on the Anadisq 200 is much
better than it's original release. The highs are crisp and
clear, the bass is deep & resonant. The guitars on "Talk
About the Passion" sound more natural than ever before. Mike
Mills' bass guitar is full of punch, especially on "9-9" and
"Catapult". There was a scratch on the second side of the
copy I received that caused a skip during "Sitting Still".
However, when played a second time, the scratch was not
audible at all.

All of the titles in the Anadisq 200 series have a
disclaimer (as did their OMR predecessors) concerning pops
and ticks being heard during playback of the albums. It
explains how the metal parts in the mastering process are
not de-horned to retain the transients of the musical
signal. As the discs are played more, the stylus will polish
the grooves and actually improve the sonic quality of the album.

Mobile Fidelity continues to release a wide variety of
titles from across the musical spectrum, and makes no
compromise in the production of it's Ultradisc II and
Anadisq 200 series of audiophile recordings.  The only way
you'll hear these releases in better quality is to listen to
the original master tapes.