Mobile fidelity reissues of Almost Blue and Imperial Bedroom

[strangerinthehouse]

The 2012 Music Direct catalog arrived in the mail today and it featured this:

photo2.JPG (21.7 KiB) Viewed 77599 times

Looks like there will be reissues of Imperial Bedroom and Almost Blue.

I couldn't find them on either the Mobile Fidelity or Music Direct sites but they did the same thing last year with Get Happy! before it was announced. Looks like something to look forward to.

[cwr]

Are they skipping TRUST?

Why would they skip TRUST? Weird.

[sweetest punch]

Pre-order Almost Blue: http://www.amazon.com/Almost-Blue-Elvis ... 429&sr=1-4

Pre-order Imperial Bedroom: http://www.amazon.com/Imperial-Bedroom- ... 472&sr=1-5

[millaa]

Hi, I've only started getting back into vinyl. How many have Fedility Mobile reissued so far?

[sweetest punch]

Hi, I've only started getting back into vinyl. How many have Fedility Mobile reissued so far?

The first four. See: http://www.mofi.com/store/pc/showsearch ... =Go+%3E%3E

[cwr]

What possible reason could Mofi have for skipping TRUST???

[johnfoyle]

http://www.musicdirect.com/p-16867-elvi ... 0g-lp.aspx
Music Direct - ELVIS COSTELLO - IMPERIAL BEDROOM (NUMBERED LIMITED EDITION 180G LP)


http://www.musicdirect.com/p-16865-elvi ... 0g-lp.aspx
Music Direct - ELVIS COSTELLO - ALMOST BLUE (NUMBERED LIMITED EDITION 180G LP)

[Who Shot Sam?]

Sweet. These are outstanding reissues, though the omission of Trust does seem strange.

[johnfoyle]

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showt ... ost7717251


Got mine today from Music Direct, #121! I have a NM original US version and this blows it away in my book. I live in Nashville so perhaps it sounds extra good to me, haha. My pressing is flat and dead quiet. I like the punchy, solid, in-the-pocket bass sound on this issue, which is perfectly complemented by the pedal steel and Nieve's piano. The drums sound a bit subdued, but I have a feeling that's just due to the mixing/production.

[johnfoyle]

I so wish I could afford these!

http://robertmusic.blogspot.com/2012/05 ... e-bob.html

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.

[johnfoyle]

I really shouldn't be torturing myself with these accounts of these re-issues which I just can't afford!

Still no sign of a similar re-issue of Trust.

http://www.musicdirect.com/p-82609-elvi ... 0g-lp.aspx

ELVIS COSTELLO - PUNCH THE CLOCK (NUMBERED LIMITED EDITION 180G LP)

Price: $29.99
Quantity:
Brand: MOBILE FIDELITY
Category: Music, Vinyl, 180g Vinyl.
SKU: LMF389
Availability: TBA

(extract)

Half-speed mastered from the original master tapes, Mobile Fidelity’s numbered limited edition 1980g LP presents the hyper-literate fidelity and refined melodies in astonishing sonics, navigating the multiple layers of information, brassy effects, and background vocals to present a unified whole replete with stellar front-to-back depth. Akin to the reissue label’s previous acclaimed Costello reissues, Punch the Clock is vastly improved, the opened-up perspective, pronounced instrumental separation, and textural clarity enhancing all the details within the grooves.


http://www.musicdirect.com/p-16881-elvi ... 0g-lp.aspx



ELVIS COSTELLO - KING OF AMERICA (NUMBERED LIMITED EDITION 180G LP)
Price: $29.99
Quantity:
Brand: MOBILE FIDELITY
Category: Music, Vinyl, 180g Vinyl.
SKU: LMF362
Availability: TBA

(extract)

Mastered from the original master tapes and pressed at RTI, Mobile Fidelity’s 180g LP of this masterpiece broadens the live-in-the-studio intimacy and opens up the midrange, highs, and lows of Burnett’s fabulously de-congested mix. Made with few overdubs or effects, King of America relishes organic approaches and faithful tones—as well as a vast spaciousness and balance not always evident on Costello’s efforts with the attractions. Finally, Mobile Fidelity transports the listener to the semicircle of players that surrounded Costello in the studio, and highlights the benefits of the center-of-the-production miking technique employed on the singer’s voice and guitar playing.

[cwr]

I wonder what possible reason they could have for skipping TRUST? Is there a technical problem, something that would prevent them from giving it the full Mobile Fidelity treatment? We know Costello holds the album in high regard-- I can understand him skipping Goodbye Cruel World, maybe figuring that its 80s sound didn't "deserve" the upgrade, but I can't figure out why he would leave Trust out of this reissue series.

[sulky lad]

Back home for the first time for 3 weeks and found my early self-indulgent Christmas present to me waiting. Almost Blue is outstandingly clear and so well balanced, Steve's piano seems sharper and further forward in the mix, whilst in no way suppressing the rhythm section. On "I'm Your Toy", it's John McFee's steel guitar that takes more of a back seat and the piano is much more evident and "Why Don't You Love Me " really storms, though the fullness of the sound from the double take stil doesn't show any glitches between takes, a real testament to their collective musicianship !

[sweetest punch]

Amazon.com has October 22, 2013 as releasedate for the Vinyl reissue of Punch The Clock: http://www.amazon.com/Punch-Clock-Elvis ... s+costello

[sweetest punch]

The vinyl reissue of Trust will be released next year: http://www.musicdirect.com/p-111936-elv ... 0g-lp.aspx

Elvis Costello Trust on Numbered Limited Edition 180g LP from Mobile Fidelity

Trust Is Most Eclectic and Ambitious Record of Elvis Costello’s Career: “[His] Summit as a Singer, Songwriter, and Miserable-Irish-Bastard Pin-Up Boy” Says Rolling Stone

Mastered from the Original Master Tapes: Mobile Fidelity LP of Trust Enhances the Realism of the Songs’ Advanced Arrangements and Nimble Accents

1981 Album Mixes R&B Rhythms and New-Wave Melodies: Includes “Clubland,” “Watch Your Step,” and “Strict Time”
Costello’s My Aim Is True, This Year’s Model, Armed Forces, Get Happy!!, Almost Blue, Imperial Bedroom, Punch the Clock, Goodbye Cruel World, King of America, and Blood & Chocolate Also Available from Mobile Fidelity on 180g LP

The album cover to Trust speaks volumes: Elvis Costello, bathed in shadows, his eyes nervously peering out from behind his sunglasses, his face conveying a combination of edgy noir purpose and guilt-ridden anxiety. Indeed, the tension-rich songs within largely convey the opposite meanings of the record’s title, with the British icon musing on what lies beyond arrogant youth and immediate success with a jaundiced, scarred perspective informed by his country’s political climate and his own experiences.

Of course, this being Costello and the Attractions, everything is wrapped into a catchy batch of songs that encourage listeners to hear them multiple times before they reveal their true intent. On Trust, almost nothing is what it seems, a condition that only enhances what remains the most diverse set of Costello’s career. Mastered from the original master tapes and pressed at RTI, Mobile Fidelity’s transparent analog reissue lets music lovers in on the secrets via unsurpassed clarity and breathtaking immediacy.

Whether the full, rounded tones of Bruce Thomas’ bass or complete extension and decay of Steve Nieve’s organ, every instrumental accent is delivered with lifelike detail and superb balance. Melodicas, drums, pianos, and guitars similarly come across faithfully and richly, the blend freed of constricting sonic veils and dynamic compression. Heard anew on this pressing, Trust emerges as one of the most satisfyingly complex and expertly played albums of its era. Costello’s singing, too, reveals intricate tonal shadings and implied meanings, with slower tracks such as the hypnotic “Watch Your Step” and Tin Pan Alley-inspired solo tour de force “Shot With His Own Gun” ravishing with enhanced emotional investment.

As is often the case with great (and sophisticated) albums, Trust—which retains a five-star review from the most recent Rolling Stone Album Guide—didn’t spawn any Top 40 hits at the time of its release. Yet age has been more than kind to the effort Costello said aimed to cross the rhythms of Get Happy!! with the melodies of Armed Forces, and which more than achieves the exacting goal. Admittedly made in a haze of booze and pills, the 1981 affair plumbs issues of disillusionment, romance, and sin with barbed wit and unvarnished honesty.

Country, soul, pop, rockabilly, two-step, punk-shot-through rock, jazz—Costello and the Attractions explore and master it all on Trust, all the while performing with an unencumbered directness and on-point coherence. No better example of the singer’s simultaneous stylistic reach and virtuosity exists. Experience it like never before on this phenomenal-sounding pressing.

Secure your lowest-numbered copy of Trust from Music Direct today!

Elvis Costello Trust Track Listing:

1. Clubland
2. Lovers Walk
3. You’ll Never Be a Man
4. Pretty Words
5. Strict Time
6. Luxembourg
7. Watch Your Step
8. New Lace Sleeves
9. From a Whisper to a Scream
10. Different Finger
11. White Knuckles
12. Shot With His Own Gun
13. Fish ’n’ Chip Paper
14. Big Sister’s Clothes

[sulky lad]

Whoopee, at last