Audiophile Vinyl

With the vinyl revival now so firmly established that new pressing plants are being built, the competition has heated up regarding mastering, pressing techniques, vinyl thickness, playback speed and, as seen here, presentation. Deluxe packaging and pressings cost more, so it is applied mainly to milestone albums.

Every one of the 20 LPs here has earned the deluxe presentation they have been afforded thanks to both content and sound. Think of these as you would the luxurious Folio editions of classic books such as Frank Herbert's Dune. Among these LPs are cloth slipcases, superior gatefold sleeves, new or extended liner notes - Impex's Getz/Gilberto booklet is astonishing, as are the notes for The Sound Of Music - and bonus tracks, which only add to the joy of ownership.

Posh Platters

Yes, most cost more than standard releases, though some are offered in less elevated form, for example, Mobile Fidelity issuing 33.3rpm versions of certain 2x45rpm titles and single-LP One-Step reissues. But still they better what are regarded as regular releases.

Although these may be too dear for some of us, approach deluxe vinyl this way: treat yourself to a personal favourite on occasion, just as you might alternate a steady flow of plonk with a fine wine. And a note to those curious about the steps taken in the production chain: MoFi now states on each release if it was mastered via DSD256. And they still sound superb.

The Youngbloods
Elephant Mountain
Impex Imp6051 Hq-180 180G Vinyl

Indisputably one of the most underappreciated bands of the 1960s, The Youngbloods are remembered mainly for the anthemic 'Get Together' but their third LP, from 1969, was their magnum opus. Produced by the late, great Charlie Daniels, it starts with 'Darkness Darkness' (covered by no less than that man of taste, Robert Plant) and includes the gorgeous 'Sunlight', the joyful 'Beautiful' and more. This masterpiece has - at last! - been reissued with the presentation it deserves. New liner notes explain why I consider myself blessed for seeing them twice when they toured to support it.

Wes Montgomery
The Complete Full House Recordings
Craft Recordings/Riverside
00888072530287 3Lps 180G Vinyl

For me, Montgomery was the greatest of jazz guitarists, so I'm predisposed toward this exceptional 3LP set containing the complete sessions recorded in Berkeley, California on the 25th of June 1962. His group featured Wynton Kelly on piano, Johnny Griffin on sax, Paul Chambers on bass and Jimmy Cobb on drums - A-listers all. Craft restored the unedited sources of the original edited release and added an entire LP of alternate takes and outtakes. Marking Riverside Records' 70th anniversary and Wes's centennial, the tri-fold sleeve is rich with extensive liner notes.

Isaac Hayes
Hot Buttered Soul
Craft Recordings Cr00504 One-Step 180G Vr900 Vinyl

Hayes' chef-d'oeuvre from 1969, beyond even his Shaft soundtrack, did more to expand the soul genre than just about anything prior, paving the way for classics such as Marvin Gaye's What's Going On, as well as Stevie Wonder's renaissance. This reverential edition - in a luxury linen-wrapped slipcase - allows you to lose yourself in the radical 12-minute reading of 'Walk On By' and the nearly-19-minute extended version of 'By The Time I Get To Phoenix'. Mastered by Bernie Grundman, this release ensures Hayes will be remembered as more than Chef from South Park. In-depth liner notes complete the package.

Paul Mccartney & Wings
Band On The Run
Mpl Communications
602455435620 2Lps 180G Vinyl

Even if you own one of the earlier reissues, eg, 2010's 3CD/DVD 'archive' edition, there is much to explore in this 50th anniversary remastered vinyl set. Its slipcase contains a second LP that adds previously unreleased rough mixes of the original nine tracks and in a different order while the main LP contains the US track listing, which added the hit, 'Helen Wheels'. A must-have for Beatles and Macca devotees.

Peter Frampton
Frampton@50
Intervention Ir-032/33/34 3Lps 180G Vinyl

The words 'Artist-Approved' mean that authenticity is assured for these three studio LPs from the start of Frampton's solo career: Wind Of Change, Frampton's Camel and Frampton. Also available separately, they deliver superb sound, all the better to hear that not only is Frampton a fine vocalist, he's also a superb guitarist. The lacquers were cut at Bernie Grundman Mastering, and the sleeves are 'old school' heavy quality. (The SACDs will be reviewed next month.)

Cannonball Adderley With Bill Evans
Know What I Mean?
Craft Recordings/Riverside Cr00716 180G Vinyl

Too much Cannonball Adderley is an impossibility, so this 1961 release sits nicely alongside MoFi's One-Step of Somethin' Else. Three years on from that milestone, Adderley's new outfit was certainly equal to the earlier group: Bill Evans on piano, Connie Kay on drums and Percy Heath on bass. It's a chance to hear Adderley and Evans together again after their stint with Miles Davis. And is there a cooler take of 'Nancy (With The Laughing Face)'?

Original Soundtrack
The Sound Of Music
Craft Recordings Cr00447 3Lps

As befits one of the most popular musicals of all time, this 3LP set expands 1965's 20m-copy-selling original. For the first time, cineastes can access the complete score's incidental music, fragments and more, remixed and remastered from the multi-track source tapes for 46 cuts. The tri-fold sleeve's inner panels are filled with detailed liner notes. If this won't satisfy your passion for the film, the 100-track 4CD set contains the original album in Dolby Atmos on audio Blu-ray.

Billy Idol
Rebel Yell
Capitol 02458 769234 2Lps

Given that rock fans who grew up in the 1980s are now part of the nostalgia demographic, post-glam, indie and other genres of that era have yet to be treated like '60s/'70s music. Thus an expanded version of Billy Idol's sophomore release from 1983 is an unexpected treat - the qualification for its inclusion here is a second LP with rarities including demos and the previously unreleased cover of Rose Royce's 'Love Don't Live Here Anymore'. And the title track? It's killer!

Bruce Springsteen
Greetings From Asbury Park
Mofi Ud1S 1-055 33.3Rpm One-Step

Though not the first of the Boss's albums to enjoy audiophile treatment, it just may be the best-sounding to date. This is part of MoFi's more economical One-Step series - a single 33.3rpm LP instead of two 45s - but I doubt much is lost with the slower speed as it sounds so forceful. (An added boon is that it takes up less space.) If, like me, you found Bruce's lyrics incomprehensible back in 1973, then this 50th anniversary reissue of his debut LP is an interpreter.

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers
Caravan
Craft Recordings/Riverside Cr00717 180G Vinyl

This hard bop gem from 1962 featured one of the greatest drummers leading his Jazz Messengers with the peerless lineup of Curtis Fuller, Freddie Hubbard, Cedar Walton, Wayne Shorter (who passed away in 2023) and Reggie Workman. Technically the group's third lineup, they joined Blakey for his first for Riverside, the percussionist generously affording each player his due after the title track's stupendous opening salvo.

Jennifer Warnes
Famous Blue Raincoat
Impex Imp6033-1 3Lp 45Rpm 1Step

Ms Warnes' album of Leonard Cohen songs has been reissued in the most lavish form yet: three 45rpm VR-900 Supreme Vinyl 1Step LPs mastered by Bernie Grundman from the analogue master tapes and with the warning to devotees that it's 'The Final Ultimate Vinyl Edition'. The sticker also tells you that the tapes will now be 'Retired to the vault'. The sound is simply breathtaking, the slipcase package so luxurious that you wish all milestone LPs were so treated.

Ron Carter
Where?
Craft Recordings/New Jazz Cr00718 180G Vinyl

Carter's solo debut from 1961 is perfect for bass devotees who value small groups recorded with finesse. Rudy Van Gelder is responsible for the sound of this sublime LP, Carter sharing the stage with Eric Dolphy and Mal Waldron, with George Duvivier also providing bass and Charles Persip on drums. More experimental than the other jazz titles in this round-up, Where? is as much a Dolphy experience. If you want to stretch your system, the title track is a challenge.

Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto
Getz/Gilberto
Impex Imp6041-1 1Step 2X45Rpm Lps

While 2024 is far from over, this is unlikely to be beaten as Audiophile LP of the Year. True, the 45rpm 1Step status gives it an advantage, but the source tapes used, the mastering and the VR-900 Supreme Vinyl ensure that you are unlikely to hear a better version of this never-out-of-print masterwork. With Antonio Carlos Jobim as a guest and the recently-departed Astrud Gilberto's performance on 'The Girl From Ipanema', this set is instantly familiar. It's no wonder this 1964 album is one of the best-selling jazz titles of all time. With two bonus tracks and the most lavish packaging possible, it ranks with Aja for sheer splendour.

Joni Mitchell
Blue
Mofi Ud1S 2-050 One-Step 2X45Rpm Lps

Mild controversy here, because one Mitchell devotee I know found the sound 'sharp' relative to his mint US original. Conversely (or perversely), I didn't mind it at all because Joni's voice appears so vividly in the room, even when compared to the recent box set. That, though, is by-the-by if (like me) you're a fan of MoFi's One-Step releases. Blue is considered to be Joni's finest work, and it totally justifies two gatefold 45rpm LPs.

Steely Dan
Aja
Analogue Productions Uh Qr0014-45 2X45Rpm Lps

Vinyl Adventure is gonna struggle to keep this in stock. Hand-pressed on crystal-clear Clarity vinyl, packaged to standards suitable for fine watches, Analogue Productions' edition of what is for many Steely Dan's finest moment epitomises this round-up. Like The Eagles' Hotel California, Supertramp's Breakfast In America or the (1960s) Casino Royale soundtrack, Aja is one of a handful of LPs which transcends generations because it sounds so amazing even in standard form. Hard to believe, but AP has elevated it even further - this is rock for grown-ups and even jazzers who hate anything that isn't Miles or Coltrane.

Van Halen
Van Halen
Mofi Ud1S 2-032 One-Step 2X45Rpm Lps

As if to enrage those who think hard rock doesn't merit audiophile treatment, this superb One-Step of the band's eponymous debut will drive 'em crazy. Regarded as one of the greatest-ever first albums, it redefined the guitar hero via Eddie Van Halen while David Lee Roth emerged as one of the most dynamic frontmen. Full of fist-pumping anthems, it's a monster, the young band having guts for daring to cover The Kinks' 'You Really Got Me'.

The Eagles
The Long Run
Mofi Ud1S 2-029 One-Step 2X45Rpm Lps

Unless MoFi does One-Steps for The Eagles' live or reunion albums, this signals the end of the reissue series, finishing on a high. The sound reminded me why this album, like its predecessor, was played to death at shows, not least for the mighty drum sound. But a trigger warning for sensitive types as there's a DSD256 step between the 15ips Dolby A analogue master tape and the analogue mastering console. Ignore that, or you'll be cutting your ears off to spite your soul.

Joe Henderson
Power To The People
Milestone/Craft Recordings Cr00655 180G Vinyl

Said to be its first vinyl reissue in over 50 years, this 1969 release was among those which demonstrated that jazz was as socially conscious as soul during that feverish decade. Saxophonist Henderson fronts a super group of Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Jack DeJohnette and Mike Lawrence, melding hard bop with an irresistible funk feel. It sounds sensational in Craft's/Jazz Dispensary's Top Shelf series, cut from the original tapes (AAA) by Kevin Gray and pressed on 180g vinyl.

Cannonball Adderley
Somethin' Else
Mofi Ud1S 2-022 One-Step 2X45Rpm Lps

Like Kind Of Blue or A Love Supreme, anyone with even a passing interest in jazz must already own one of the many reissues of this Blue Note gem from 1958. However, MoFi takes it to another level, daring your system to match its brilliance. With Miles Davis on trumpet, Hank Jones on piano, Sam Jones handling bass and Art Blakey on drums, Somethin' Else earns five stars from nearly every critic. High points? 'Autumn Leaves' and 'Love For Sale' are breathtaking.

Frank Zappa
Over-Nite Sensation
Zappa Records/Um Zr20044-1B 3Lps 180G Vinyl

Zappa's estate always adds bonus tracks to its reissues, the extra 33.3rpm LP bursting with unreleased material. But this 50th Anniversary set employs an unexpected audiophile touch as the original album - remastered by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman's - is spread over two 45rpm discs, unusual for a mainstream label to adopt this high-end practice. The tri-fold sleeve contains a fine booklet, but for more info, turn to Steve Sutherland's excellent feature in HFN Feb '24.