Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
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Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (MFSL or MoFi) is a company that produces reissues of classic albums. All releases are made from the first generation master tape and mastered at half-speed, allowing for the finest sound quality possible. In the past, MFSL has produced cassette tapes, LPs, CDs, and even VHS releases of a few titles. In addition, each title is licensed to be mastered, manufactured, and sold within a specific time frame, and because of the limited quantities produced, the releases are highly sought after by collectors.
Although Mobile Fidelity existed prior to 1978, MFSL's popularity began at that time with the Original Master RecordingTM LP. The first titles in the series were classical releases by the Mystic Moods Orchestra. The label hit mainstream appeal with their release of Supertramp's Crime of the Century. To this day, this release is touted by many as the finest available version of the album. Other popular titles followed, such as Steely Dan's Katy Lied, George Benson's Breezin', Fleetwood Mac's S/T, and Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, all to critical acclaim.
MFSL's releases became highly publicised in 1981 when they released a box set of Beatles recordings. This comprised all thirteen original British versions of their albums, mastered from the original Abbey Road Studio master tapes. With the high-density "virgin" vinyl and half-speed mastering, these versions produced sonic nuance never previously heard on earlier Beatles releases[citation needed]. Each album cover had a picture of the actual studio tape in its box along with the engineer's log sheet. An album-sized booklet displaying the original album covers was also included. The box set was such a success that they followed up with box sets of Frank Sinatra and The Rolling Stones.
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[edit] Releases
[edit] Ultra High Quality Records
In addition to the regular weight LP releases and box sets, MFSL also released seven UHQR titles. These included:
- Supertramp - Crime of the Century (MFQR 1-005)
- Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon (MFQR 1-017)
- Earl Klugh - Finger Paintings (MFQR 1-025)
- Cat Stevens - Tea for the Tillerman (MFQR 1-035)
- The Alan Parsons Project - I Robot (MFQR 1-084)
- The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (MFQR 1-100)
- Maazel & The Cleveland Symphany - Feste Romane (MFQR 1-507)
- Sir George Solti & The London Philharmonic - Holst: The Planets (MFQR 1-510)
Each was a single-record box set limited to 5000 copies, each individually numbered. UHQRs were pressed on heavy-weight (200 gram) virgin vinyl. Advantages included a flat cross-section, rather than tapered, which allowed for better tracking. This, along with the dead-quiet LPs, resulted in the ultimate in listening experience.[citation needed] The line was ultimately unsuccessful mainly due to the cost of each title.
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[edit] CD
MFSL entered the CD market with its line of aluminum CDs. The CD line continued into 1987, when the Ultradisc was first released. The Ultradisc was a gold plated disc, allowing for a more reflective surface. The Ultradisc titles sounded superior to their standard release counterparts.[citation needed] MFSL located the master tape for each title, and the tape was transferred directly to the CD master. In many cases, no sonic manipulation took place, so what you is heard on the disc is a digital copy of the studio master tape.
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Ultradisc and Ultradisc II titles are as follows:
UDCD 501 Mobile Fidelity Jazz Sampler
UDCD 502 Mobile Fidelity Classical Sampler
UDCD 503 Joe Jackson Will Power
UDCD 504 The Power And The Majesty The Power And The Majesty
UDCD 505 Supertramp Crime Of The Century
UDCD 506 Dave Grisman Hot Dawg
UDCD 507 Blind Faith Blind Faith
UDCD 508 Various Artists A Very Special X-Mas
UDCD 509 Huey Lews & The News Sports
UDCD 510 Jethro Tull Thick As A Brick
UDCD 511 The Police Synchronicity
UDCD 512 The Moody Blues Days Of Future Passed
UDCD 1-513 Allman Brothers Eat A Peach (2:1)
UDCD 1-514 Ellington/Armstrong Great Reunion (2:1)
UDCD 515 Steely Dan Aja
UDCD 516 Elton John Madman Across The Waters
UDCD 517 Pink Floyd The Dark Side of the Moon
UDCD 518 Pink Floyd Meddle
UDCD 519 Cat Stevens Tea For The Tillerman
UDCD 520 Def Leppard Pyromania
UDCD 1-521 The Beach Boys Surfer Girl/Surfin’ Usa (2:1)
UDCD 522 John Klemmer Touch
UDCD 523 Jeferson Airplane Crown Of Creation
UDCD 524 Jethro Tull Stand Up
UDCD 525 The Carpenters A Song For You
UDCD 1-526 Elton John Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (2:1)
UDCD 527 The Band Music From Big Pink
UDCD 528 Sting Dream Of The Blue Turtles
UDCD 529 Various Artists After The Hurricane
UDCD 530 Hall And Oates Voices
UDCD 531 Jeff Beck Wired
UDCD 532 Rod Stewart Every Picture Tells A Story
UDCD 1-533 The Who Tommy (2:1)
UDCD 534 Supertramp Breakfast In America
UDCD 535 Boz Scaggs Silk Degrees
UDCD 536 Elton John Honky Chateau
UDCD 2-537 Pink Floyd The Wall
UDCD 538 Frank Sinatra Songs For Swingin Lovers
UDCD 539 Joe Jackson Night And Day
UDCD 540 Jefferson Airplane Volunteers
UDCD 541 Harry Nilsson Nillson Schmillson
UDCD 542 Various Artists Red Hot And Blue
UDCD 543 Elton John Tumbleweed Connection
UDCD 544 Bryan Adams Reckless
UDCD 545 Steely Dan Gaucho
UDCD 546 Sting Nothing Like The Sun
UDCD 547 John Coltrane Blue Train
UDCD 548 B.B. King Live At The Regal
UDCD 549 Earl Klugh Finger Paintings
UDCD 2-550 The Who Quadrophenia (2 CD Set)
UDCD 551 Tom Petty Damn The Torpedoes
UDCD 552 Santana Abraxas
UDCD 553 Eric Clapton Slowhand
UDCD 554 Stevie Wonder Innervisions
UDCD 555 Roy Orbison Mystery Girl
UDCD 556 Lynyrd Skynyrd Second Helping
UDCD 557 Keith Richards Talk Is Cheap
UDCD 2-558 Allman Brothers At Fillmore East (2 CD Set)
UDCD 559 Blood, Sweat And Tears Blood, Sweat And Tears
UDCD 560 Elvis Presley That's The Way It Is
UDCD 561 The Who Who Are You
UDCD 562 Cream Disraeli Gears
UDCD 563 Cannonball Adderley Somethin' Else
UDCD 564 Robert Cray Strong Persuader
UDCD 565 Tom Petty Hard Promises
UDCD 566 Jimmy Reed At Carnegie Hall
UDCD 567 John Lee Hooker The Healer
UDCD 568 Queen A Night at the Opera
UDCD 569 Rush Moving Pictures
UDCD 570 Joni Mitchell Wild Things Run Fast
UDCD 571 U2 War
UDCD 572 Traffic Mr. Fantasy
UDCD 573 Dave Mason Alone Together
UDCD 574 Aretha Franklin I Never Loved A Man
UDCD 575 Otis Redding Otis Blue
UDCD 576 The Moody Blues Search Of The Lost Chord
UDCD 577 Albert King Born Under A Bad Sign
UDCD 578 Manhattan Transfer Extensions
UDCD 579 Steve Winwood Arc Of A Diver
UDCD 580 Def Leppard Hysteria
UDCD 581 Willie Nelson S. Willie + Phases & Stages (2:1)
UDCD 582 Boston Third Stage
UDCD 583 James Brown Live At The Apollo
UDCD 2-584 Neil Diamond Hot August Night (2 CD Set)
UDCD 585 Derek & The Dominos Layla
UDCD 586 Ella Fitzgerald Wished You A Swingin X-Mas
UDCD 587 Domingo, Pavarotti, Carreras In Concert
UDCD 588 Queen News Of The World
UDCD 589 Bobby Short Live At The Café Carlyle
UDCD 590 Rush 2112
UDCD 2-591 Todd Rundgren Something/Anything (2 Cd Set)
UDCD 592 Mel Torme & Buddy Rich Together Again
UDCD 593 Muddy Waters Folk Singer
UDCD 594 Eric Clapton 461 Ocean Blvd
UDCD 595 Pink Floyd Atom Heart Mother
UDCD 596 MJQ Blues At Carnegie Hall
UDCD 597 Heart Heart
UDCD 598 Emerson, Lake & Palmer Tarkus
UDCD 599 Charles Mingus Mingus At Carnegie Hall
UDCD 600 John Lennon & Yoko Ono Double Fantasy
UDCD 601 Art Blakey Night In Tunisia
UDCD 602 Neville Brothers Fiyo On The Bayou
UDCD 603 John Hiatt Bring The Family
UDCD 604 John Mellencamp Scarecrow
UDCD 605 John Coltrane Giant Steps
UDCD 606 Alan Parsons Tales Of Mystery and Imagination
UDCD 607 Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto Getz/Gilberto
UDCD 2-608 Eric Clapton Just One Night (2 CD Set)
UDCD 609 Traffic The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys
UDCD 610 Queen The Game
UDCD 611 Steve Winwood Back In The High Life
UDCD 612 The Moody Blues Threshold Of A Dream
UDCD 613 Jean Michel Jarre Oxygene
UDCD 614 Rush Signals
UDCD 615 XTC Skylarking
UDCD 616 John Mayall Bluesbreakers
UDCD 617 Allman Brothers Brothers & Sisters
UDCD 618 Robbie Robertson Robbie Robertson
UDCD 619 Dr. John The Right Place/Gumbo (2:1)
UDCD 620 Cray, Collins & Copeland Showdown
UDCD 621 Emerson, Lake & Palmer Trilogy
UDCD 622 Vangelis Chariots Of Fire
UDCD 623 Aretha Franklin Now/Lady Soul (2:1)
UDCD 624 U2 Unforgettable Fire
UDCD 2-625 Cream Live Vol. I & II (2 CD Set)
UDCD 626 Neville Brothers Brother's Keeper
UDCD 627 Dave Brubeck We're All Together Again
UDCD 628 Bob Marley Exodus
UDCD 629 Traffic Traffic
UDCD 630 Woody Herman Fourth Herd & New World (2:1)
UDCD 631 Joe Cocker Sheffield Steel
UDCD 632 Modern Jazz Quartet At Music Inn Vol. II
UDCD 633 Rick Wakeman Journey To The Centre
UDCD 634 John Mellencamp The Lonesome Jubilee
UDCD 635 Albert Collins Cold Snap
UDCD 636 Elliot Lawrence The Music Of Elliot Lawrence (2:1)
UDCD 637 Utopia Oops Wrong Planet
UDCD 638 Sy Oliver Oliver's Twist & Easy Walker (2:1)
UDCD 639 Eric Clapton Eric Clapton
UDCD 640 Marianne Faithful Broken English & Strange Weather (2:1)
UDCD 641 Sonny Terry & Brownie Mcgee Sonny Terry & Brownie Mcgee
UDCD 642 R.E.M. Murmur
UDCD 643 The Moody Blues Every Good Boy Deserves Favour
UDCD 644 Gerry Mulligan Meets Ben Webster Gerry Mulligan Meets Ben Webster
UDCD 645 Howlin' Wolf The Real Folk Blues
UDCD 646 Joan Baez Diamonds And Rust
UDCD 647 Jean Michel Jarre Equinoxe
UDCD 648 Mulligan/Desmond Blues In Time
UDCD 649 Cat Stevens Teaser & The Firecat
UDCD 650 U2 Joshua Tree
UDCD 2-651 Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong Again (2 CD Set)
UDCD 652 Count Basie April In Paris
UDCD 653 Eric Clapton Backless
UDCD 654 Bob Marley Catch A Fire
UDCD 655 Oscar Peterson & Milt Jackson Very Tall
UDCD 656 Bernard Herrmann The Fantasy Film World of Bernhard Herrmann
UDCD 657 Alexis Korner R & B From The Marquee
UDCD 658 Billie Holiday Body And Soul
UDCD 659 B.B. King Lucille
UDCD 2-660 Derek & The Dominos In Concert (2 CD Set)
UDCD 3-661 Cat Stevens Numbers, Izitso & Back To Earth (3 CD Set)
UDCD 662 John Mayall The Blues Alone
UDCD 663 Neil Young Old Ways
UDCD 664 Counting Crows August & Everything After
UDCD 665 Sonic Youth Goo
UDCD 666 Nirvana Nevermind
UDCD 667 The Searchers It's The Sreachers/Take Me For What I'm Worth (2:1)
UDCD 668 Queen A Day At The Races
UDCD 669 Traffic Shootout At The Fantasy Factory
UDCD 670 Bing Crosby & Buddy Bregman Bing Crosby & Buddy Bregman
UDCD 671 The Moody Blues To Our Children’s Children's Children
UDCD 672 Bernard Herrmann The Four Faces Of Jazz
UDCD 673 The Jam All Mod Cons & Sound Effects (2:1)
UDCD 674 Steve Winwood Talking Back To The Night
UDCD 675 Iron Butterfly In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
UDCD 2-676 Canned Heat & John Lee Hooker Heat & Hooker
UDCD 677 R.E.M. Reckoning
UDCD 2-678 Peter Frampton Frampton Comes Alive (2 CD Set)
UDCD 679 The Kinks You Really Got Me & Kinda Kinks (2:1)
UDCD 680 The Bee Gees Trafalgar
UDCD 681 Cream Goodbye
UDCD 682 XTC Oranges & Lemons
UDCD 683 Red Hot Chili Peppers Mother's Milk
UDCD 684 Robin Trower Bridge Of Sighs
UDCD 685 Thelonious Monk Monterey Jazz Festival Vol. 1
UDCD 686 Thelonious Monk Monterey Jazz Festival Vol. 2
UDCD 687 Ten Years After Ssssh & Cricklewood Green (2:1)
UDCD 688 Ben Sidran Mr. P's Shuffle
UDCD 690 Nirvana In Utero
UDCD 691 Steve Winwood Steve Winwood
UDCD 692 Bernard Herrmann Mysterious Film World
UDCD 693 The Searchers Meet The Searchers & Sounds Like Searchers (2:1)
UDCD 694 Zoot Sims & Kenny Drew Zoot Sims In Copenhagen
UDCD 695 Velvet Underground Nico
UDCD 696 weets" Edison ockjaw" Davis
UDCD 697 Blue Oyster Cult Agents Of Fortune
UDCD 698 Dinah Washington What A Diff'rence A Day Makes
UDCD 699 Guns N' Roses Appetite For Destruction
UDCD 700 The Moody Blues Long Distance Voyager
UDCD 701 Bernard Herrmann Music From The Great Film Classics
UDCD 702 Ted Hawkins The Next Hundred Years
UDCD 703 Bud Powell Bouncing With Bud
UDCD 704 John Hiatt Riding With The King
UDCD 705 Don Henley Building The Perfect Beast
UDCD 706 Herbie Hancock Man-Child
UDCD 707 Warne Marsh & Lee Konitz Live At The Montmarte Club
UDCD 2-708 Jethro Tull Living In The Past (2 CD Set)
UDCD 709 Cheap Trick Live At Budokan
UDCD 710 Louis Armstrong Master Of Jazz Live In Chicago 1962
UDCD 711 Guns N' Roses Use Your Illusion I
UDCD 712 Guns N' Roses Use Your Illusion II
UDCD 713 Jimmy Buffett Son Of A Son Of A Sailor
UDCD 714 Steppenwolf Steppenwolf
UDCD 715 Edgar Winter White Trash
UDCD 716 Soundtrack Saturday Night Fever
UDCD 718 The Moody Blues Seventh Sojourn
UDCD 719 Duke Ellington Jazz Party In Stereo
UDCD 720 Jethro Tull A Passion Play
UDCD 721 Don Henley The End Of The Innocence
UDCD 722 The Byrds (Untitled)
UDCD 723 Stevie Ray Vaughan The Sky Is Crying
UDCD 724 Velvet Underground White Light/White Heat
UDCD 725 Benedictine Monks Of Santo Domingo Chant
UDCD 726 James Taylor Dad Loves His Work
UDCD 727 Jeff Beck Blow By Blow
UDCD 728 Don Mclean American Pie
UDCD 729 10cc The Original Soundtrack
UDCD 730 Tears For Fears Songs From The Big Chair
UDCD 731 John Coltrane Ballads
UDCD 732 Simon & Garfunkel Bookends
UDCD 733 Loggins & Messina Full Sail
UDCD 734 Jethro Tull Songs From The Wood
UDCD 735 Tom Petty Full Moon Fever
UDCD 736 Joe Cocker Mad Dogs & Englishmen
UDCD 737 The Moody Blues A Question Of Balance
UDCD 738 Blue Oyster Cult Tyranny & Mutation & BOC (2:1)
UDCD 739 Squeeze East Side Story
UDCD 740 John Coltrane & Johnny Hartmann John Coltrane & Johnny Hartmann
UDCD 741 John Hiatt Slow Turning
UDCD 742 Blood, Sweat & Tears Child Is Father To The Man
UDCD 743 Tony Bennett With The Count Basie Orchestra In Person!
UDCD 744 The Mahavishnu Orchestra The Inner Mounting Flame
UDCD 745 Jethro Tull Warchild
UDCD 746 Jimmy Buffett White Sport Coat & A Pink Crustacean
UDCD 747 Toto Toto IV
UDCD 748 Guns N' Roses GN'R Lies
UDCD 749 The Pointer Sisters The Pointer Sisters
UDCD 750 Counting Crows Recovering The Satellites
UDCD 751 Joe Satriani Surfing With The Alien
UDCD 752 Rob Wasserman Trios
UDCD 753 Johnny Winter Second Winter
UDCD 754 The Who Who's Next
UDCD 755 The Who Live At Leeds
UDCD 756 Art Garfunkel Breakaway (Unreleased)
UDCD 757 Duke Ellington Blues In Orbit
UDCD 758 Roy Orbison Lonely And Blue
UDCD 759 John Lennon Imagine
Each Ultradisc was made in Japan, until the release of Queen's A Night at the Opera. At this point, discs were made exclusively in the US and given the Ultradisc II designation. Many of the early Ultradisc titles were re-pressed in the US, and given the Ultradisc II designation. In the case where both exist (such as Supertramp's Crime of the Century), most believe there is no audible difference between the two, but the subject is open to debate.[citation needed]
Whether discussing aluminum or gold compact discs, it is important to note that each release remains faithful to the master tape, in that the dynamic range is never compromised. This digital compression is detrimental to the sound quality when reproduced on most equipment, and is part of the reason Mobile Fidelity releases are so highly regarded and sought after.[citation needed]
Current MFSL releases include SACDs and LPs, as well as the traditional Ultradisc II gold discs. The original company folded in November, 1999 when their main distributor went bankrupt, taking a large chunk of deliverable money with them. In 2002, the label was resurrected by Music Direct and has been producing well received Super Audio CDs, GAIN 2 Ultra Analog Limited Edition vinyl, Ultradisc II Gold CDs and Ultradisc CD-Rs since then.
MFSL has had a small number (four) of excellent mastering engineers over the years. Currently, Shawn R. Britton is mastering all MFSL titles (as he has been since 1996), and at the time of this writing is coming up to speed with LP cutting. Engineers Stan Ricker (denoted by "SR/2" in the deadwax) and Jack Hunt ("JH") mastered all of MoFi's half-speed vinyl releases in the 1970s and 1980s.
