Mastered from the original master tapes and pressed at RTI on dead-quiet 180g vinyl, Mobile Fidelity’s numbered-edition 180g LP of Local Hero gives the beloved effort audiophile-grade sound on a par with the reference-quality sonics afforded Dire Straits’ Mobile Fidelity reissues. In each arrangement, Knopfler’s methodical guitar lines emerge with supreme transparency and multi-hued textural detail. The intricate notes, finger-picked passages, and cosmopolitan lines come across as if they’re transmitted just feet away from you in real time.
Ditto the diverse accompaniment, including the Celtic-themed effects, supplemental jazz accents, and folk inflections. The keys to the nearly 44-minute effort’s success and continuity relate not only to Knoplfer’s laidback style and low-key approach, but his ear for uncanny melody and blues traces. Woven acoustically and electrically, his tapestries benefit from the newfound airiness, openness, and balance that live on this reissue. No matter the instrument or treatment, the music arrives with pinpoint imaging and vibrant liveliness. Close your eyes, and the Mobile Fidelity version of Local Hero projects movies in your head.
For instance, take the closing “Going Home,” a cherished instrumental whose proud spirit resonates with English football fans and features saxophone playing by the late, great Michael Brecker. Heard before every Newcastle United F.C. home game, it has become an anthem on both sides of the Atlantic. Or, look to “The Ceilidh: Louis’ Favorite Billy’s Tune” on which Scottish-flavored vibes and dance tempos conjure a festive jig until a transition gives the number a more subdued, romantic feel. Then, the pattern repeats. Seeking to expand beyond the parameters of Dire Straits, Knoplfer taps into a global economy of structures and sounds, and takes anyone with a sense of adventure along for the ride.
Not that his hallmark six-string is absent from the proceedings. It frames the lovely tin-pan whistle motif of the aptly titled “Whistle Theme,” acts as a beacon for the elegant, vibraphone-kissed “Smooching,” and pushes forward the jovial, top-down momentum of “Freeway Flyer,” among other highlights. Knopfler also receives assistance from session pros Mike Mainieri, Steve Jordan, and Terry Williams, as well as vocalist Gerry Rafferty on the set’s sole vocal tune, “That’s the Way It Always Starts.”
Track Listing
The Rocks and the Water
Wild Theme
Freeway Flyer
Boomtown (Variation Louis’ Favourite)
The Way It Always Starts
The Rocks and the Thunder (I)
The Ceilidh and the Northern Lights
The Mist Covered Mountains
The Ceilidh: Louis’ Favourite, Billy’s Tune
Whistle Theme
Smooching
Stargazer
The Rocks and the Thunder (II)
Going Home (Theme of the Local Hero)
Music Vinyl LP's
Alan Parsons – I Robot – MoFi Ultradisc 180g 33RPM 2LP Box Set
AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER
MASTERED FROM THE ORIGINAL MASTER TAPES: ULTRADISC ONE-STEP LP ELEVATES THE AUDIOPHILE STANDARD WHILE OFFERING ONE-FLIP CONVENIENCE Most audiophiles know Alan Parsons Project’s I Robot by heart. Engineered by Parsons after he performed the same duties on Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, the 1977 record reigns as a disc whose taut bass, crisp highs, clean production, and seemingly limitless dynamic range are matched only by the sensational prog-rock fare helmed by the keyboardist. Not surprisingly, it’s been issued myriad times. Can it be improved? Relish Mobile Fidelity’s stupendous UltraDisc One-Step 180g 33RPM box set and the question becomes moot.
Alan Parsons – I Robot – MoFi Ultradisc 180g 45RPM 2LP Box Set
AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER
MASTERED FROM THE ORIGINAL MASTER TAPES: ULTRADISC ONE-STEP SET IS THE ULTIMATE ANALOG VERSION OF 1977 AUDIOPHILE STANDARD Audiophiles don’t need any introduction to the Alan Parsons Project’s I Robot. Engineered by Parsons after he performed the same duties on Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, the 1977 record reigns as a disc whose taut bass, crisp highs, clean production, and seemingly limitless dynamic range are matched only by the sensational prog-rock fare helmed by the keyboardist. Not surprisingly, it’s been issued myriad times. Can it be improved? Relish Mobile Fidelity’s stupendous UltraDisc One-Step 180g 45RPM 2LP box set and the question becomes irrelevant.
Alan Parsons Project – Eye in the Sky – MOFI 2 x 180g 45RPM Vinyl
IN STOCK NOW
You don’t need to be ‘Old & Wise’ to know this is an absolute essential!
Mastered from the original master tapes, Mobile Fidelity’s RTI pressed 180g 45RPM 2LP and hybrid SACD versions of Eye in the Sky feature succulent warmth, magnificent balance, low-end heft, and see-through transparency that take you into the studio with Parsons at Abbey Road Studios. Each note seems perfectly placed, every sequence painstakingly considered. Boasting front-to- back depth, concert-hall-level separation, realistic presence, and bang-on accuracy, the reissues illustrate the lasting importance of perfectionist-minded engineering and recording techniques. These releases will test the capabilities of the world’s finest stereo systems. There’s more information, more texture, more nuance— more of everything to be experienced. British progressive rock would never again sound so sophisticated, suave, or steady.
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