Straight up - I was ok, but not overwhelmed, by some of the Mobile Fidelity vinyl so far. My Aim Is True sounds fabulous, and the others do also, but from "This Years Model" through "Get Happy" I felt the sound was too polite - too smooth - lacked the rock. The hard edge that the prime period Costello needs to have. In truth, I felt my Japanese Radar copy of Get Happy walked all over the MOFI - even though it is cut at 33 and the MOFI at 45.
But "Almost Blue" is a much different story. And I suspect it has much to do with the return of Krieg Wunderlich to the mastering credits.
The sound is everything one comes to expect from MOFI - deeply transparent and revealing, vocals crystal clear and out front surrounded by air in a realistic space, bass tight and beautifully clear, harmonically and rhythmically organic sound - warm, detailed, open, real.
If you have felt something was missing, or not all together right about previous MOFI Costello, don't be put off from getting this one. It's the best Costello yet from MOFI - and if "Imperial Bedroom" is this good, I hope it gets out soon.
Same thing with Dylan and The Band's Basement Tapes. Let's look at this realistically - they really are 'basement recordings', rather primitive, probably not intended for release (and got released largely because of how widely they were bootlegged), minimal ability to do a great mix...and so on. So what you get sonically is a mixed bag - on some tracks, the bass is weak, on others, the mix less than ideal. But again here, we have Wunderlich doing some magic on the master tapes - he achieves a huge upgrade in clarity, voices in particular coming through with superb definition and clarity. There is really nothing 'primitive' or dated here sonically - MOFI gives this a brilliant transparency, while retaining the rootsy and spontaneous feel of the recordings. A superb job here, that demonstrates that superbly engaging sound can be obtained from even rather limited sources. The Basement Tapes have never sounded this immediate - and this good. Highly recommended.
Both very good, clean, quiet RTI pressings. A welcome return for Krieg Wunderlich.
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