Blood On The Tracks MoFi UD1S
Got mine today and can confirm that this is the best sounding version of this recording I've ever heard.
Anyone else get theirs?
Anyone else get theirs?
36 responses Add your response
Blood On The Tracks UD1S. £90 plus £40 shipping from the USA. I hummed, I hawed, I pulled the trigger. I cannot justify the expense but I have number 3995 of 9000 on the shelf. The packaging is second to none if the contents (records aside) a little disappointing. The records are a thing of beauty, transparent and beautifully weighted. The moment you drop the needle you get that ‘bump’ and then nothing until the music begins. This is where the problems began for me. Setting aside the issues around what was committed to tape and focussing on what UD1S and the super vinyl bring to the party... Every flaw from vibrating string and bum note are brutally exposed and brought to the fore. You can hear things going on in the room that leave you distracted and wondering what’s going on. I spent the first couple of listens critiquing and longing for the muddiness that masked. There were moments though when the technique and format just allowed the music to soar and it was exhilarating. Closing my eyes I could imagine being in the studio with the band. So as you can tell I was genuinely feeling very mixed and conflicted about the box set until last night when something just clicked. I got past the whole format and resolution stuff and I just reconnected with what made me love this album when I first heard it on cd through my wee Sony stereo with 15 watt speakers all those years ago... as you know it’s a truly fantastic album, raw with emotion and lyrically beautiful. Do you need to own UD1S to enjoy it? Definitely not but I will keep my copy. Crucially, will I buy more? Yes. Monk and Mingus are scheduled for release (don’t hold your breath I’m told) and I think these will be better examples for the method and higher quality vinyl. |
daveyf I could not agree more. You have to here some direct to disk recordings such as the JVC Lee Retinour series or Sheffield Labs Tower of Power Direct. Those records tell you where ultimate is and none of the MoFi discs compare sonically. Maybe the new supervinyl is as good as the old JVC stuff but most if not all of MoFi's releases are available in Hi Res digital for $17.00. Lets see, $17 indestructible, $125 one drop and you are done, wears out, more distortion even though may be euphoric. I'm having a hard time choosing. |
@hdm I think with the 'One Steps' it is a good idea to be somewhat cognizant of what the original master recording sounds like before placing an order.For example, what you stated about the Gaye release is to be somewhat expected based on what the original sounded like. Same goes for BOTW and to some extent The Nightfly. I am currently of the opinion that MoFi is picking these releases based on what they expect as the overall appeal to the general consumer out there.... NOT necessarily taking into consideration what the original master recording has to offer from a SQ perspective. Consequently, their appeal can be larger ( sales volume wise) than a release that offers incredible sonics at the cost of general appeal. What does concern me a little is the fact that MoFi is marketing these releases as superior sounding recordings, when in fact they really are NOT that special compared to some other superior sounding, but less widely appealing, recordings. IMHO. |
Probably a pressing issue of some kind Jollytinker (either a faulty early pressing or a later reissue resulting in poor sound quality) as I have a Canadian first pressing in fabulous condition that sounds very good. So much so that I'm not inclined to want to purchase the Mo-Fi. My experience with the Mo-Fi one-steps is limited. I've heard the Abraxas and thought it was very good but not enough for me to want to replace the earlier 2008 Mo-Fi which I already own. Was quite impressed with what Mo-Fi did on the one step of The Nightfly and found it to sound noticeably better than the Masterdisk RL I have, and although I like that record, I again don't like it enough to have popped for the Mo-Fi. After looking for a while for a decent copy of Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" I did spring for the One Step of that. While it sounds ok, it just does not inspire me to order any more of the One Steps but the Gaye is admittedly supposed to be one of the weakest, if not the weakest One Steps out there. I listen to more jazz than anything at this stage; well recorded and pressed jazz from the late 50's to mid 60's, either in original or reissue form can be outrageously good sounding if you like the performances. I picked up a pristine copy of Curtis Counce's "Counceltation", a 1972 reissue of "You Get More Bounce with Curtis Counce" on the original Contemporary label, for $20 while on holidays in eastern Ontario a couple of weeks ago and it is every bit as much of an audiophile demonstration record as any of the One Steps. While some of them are good (and some are inevitably better than others), they are very pricey. |
I just pulled out my old copy of Blood on the Tracks, inspired by this thread, and man did it sound crummy. Just dull and lifeless and muddy. Could be the LP itself I guess. So bad that I tossed it in the cull bin. It makes me wonder - what Dylan LPs sound the best? Putting aside artistic value, how do they rank to audiophiles? I’ll say that Shot of Love is a great sounding record in my system. gutsy but clear and you really hear the room. I love playing it. Also Nashville Skyline sounded good last time I heard it but that was a long time and many upgrades ago. |
I hear ya, @viridian. The NY-recorded version of BOTT came out on LP this past Record Store Day, and it really makes you question Dylan's judgment. Who knows what he is listening for. A similar thing transpired with Lennon's "comeback" album Starting Over. He recorded it first with Cheap Trick as his band, but decided to redo it in a more "Pop" (radio-friendly?) style. He later said he regretted that decision, and wished he had used the more Rock 'n' Roll-style Cheap Trick recordings. So do I, not at all liking the released album. At least Mommy, I mean Yoko, isn't on it ;-) . |
@jollytinker I don't think there is anything I could say to convince you that this is worth the money. It really depends on how much you like this album and what you're willing to spend for it. One thing that might help you justify it is that I believe it will hold its value or increase in value over time. All of the releases so far in this series have held their value, and none of them have been as major as BOTT IMHO. |
1graber2, are you kidding? JVC did it 3 and some decades ago. I have several JVC direct to disc albums on Super Vinyl. Which were not undermodulated like the early MoFi discs were and still sound pristine to this day. If MoFi were interested in more than just separating us from our money they would do all their regular discs on Super Vinyl just like they use to and not just their 2 disc buck and a quarter versions. Just think. If they just gave us the 33 1/3rd versions they could cut the expensive vinyl and plating techniques in half. |
Im sure it sounds amazing, its not only 45 rpm, but "Developed by NEOTECH and RTI, Mobile Fidelity SuperVinyl is the most exacting-to-specification vinyl compound ever created. Analog lovers have never seen (or heard) anything like it. Extraordinarily expensive and extremely painstaking to produce, the special proprietary compound addresses two specific areas of improvement: noise floor reduction and enhanced groove definition. The vinylcomposition features a new carbonless dye (hold the disc up to the light and see) and produces the world’s quietest surfaces. This high-definition formula also allows for the creation of cleaner grooves that are indistinguishable from the original lacquer. Mobile Fidelity SuperVinyl provides the closest approximation of what the label’s engineers hear in the mastering lab." I'd like to hear The Basement Tapes on UD1S !! |
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Dylan himself said recently that his own LPs never sounded that great because they did too much compression to get more music on each one. Sorry I don't have a cite for that. Debating the best Dylan LP is fun but also a very deep and beguiling rabbit-hole. I wonder if OP or other owners can give more detail (no pun) on why this pressing is worth the big bucks. (If you can't tell, I'm looking for an excuse to pull the trigger!). |
The first Bob Dylan album I bought was Bringing it all back home, I could'nt believe how good it was and with It's alright Ma, I'm only Bleeding..that just blew me away. The original vinyl pressings were probably more raw, but the 45 rpm 2 LP pressings are more enjoyable. Also Subterranean Homesick Blues...unbelieveable. Truly the first Rap track ever....So along with Blonde on Blonde these are my favourite Dylan LP'S....Here in the UK the 2LP sets costs around £60 apart from B.O.B that can go for about £80/120. |
Analogvm, you forgot Desire. All MoFi discs use to be on JVC Super Vinyl. The "regular" discs were 150 gr I believe. The UHQ discs were either 180 or 200 gr also JVC Super Vinyl. It is nice to see a new "Super Vinyl" but all the regular MoFi discs are plain old regular vinyl and I have not been super impressed with their quality. I have not gotten one of the new discs yet but am leaning heavily towards the Thelonius Monk disc just to see what it is all about. $125 is steep. I would like to see them going back to using Super Vinyl on all the regular discs as well. Just like the old days. |
The first for me was John Wesley Harding, but I’m old ;-). Then I liked Nashville Skyline, found Self Portrait fascinating, funny, a real hoot (it was brutally panned by critics, who later realized they just didn’t get it at the time), loved New Morning and then Planet Waves. Blood On The Tracks didn’t speak to me (Dylan himself has said he himself doesn’t understand why people would want to listen to his pain---the separation and divorce from Sarah is the source material of the album's songs), but by then I had gone back and absorbed Blonde On Blonde and the two before that incredible masterpiece. |
Blood was the first real Dylan album that I fell in love with, and became my favorite of his for years, but as time has passed and I've heard most of his work I can say it's no longer my favorite, and is even sometimes a bit annoying. That said, I recognize it as an all time classic and I'm happy that MoFi released this in the UD1S series. |
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