Special Section: Audiophile Discs

Dinah Washington – What A Diff’rence A Day Makes (1959) {1997, MFSL, Remastered}

Dinah Washington - What A Diff'rence A Day Makes (1959) {1997, MFSL, Remastered}

Dinah Washington – What A Diff’rence A Day Makes (1959) {1997, MFSL, Remastered}
EAC Rip | FLAC Image + Cue + Log | Full Scans Included
Total Size: 189 MB | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: MFSL, UltraDisc II | USA | Cat#: UDCD 698 | Genre: Vocal Jazz

One of the more notorious albums in the history of vocal music, What a Diff’rence a Day Makes! is the lush session that bumped up Dinah Washington from the “Queen of the Blues” to a middle-of-the-road vocal wondress — and subsequently disenfranchised quite a few jazz purists. Continue reading “Dinah Washington – What A Diff’rence A Day Makes (1959) {1997, MFSL, Remastered}”

Judas Priest – Hell Bent For Leather (1978) {2010, Audio Fidelity, HDCD Remastered}

Judas Priest - Hell Bent For Leather (1978) {2010, Audio Fidelity, HDCD Remastered}

Judas Priest – Hell Bent For Leather (1978) {2010, Audio Fidelity, HDCD Remastered}
EAC Rip | FLAC Image + Cue + Log | Full Scans Included
Total Size: 297 MB | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: Audio Fidelity | USA | Cat#: AFZ 066 | Genre: Heavy Metal

Killing Machine (known as Hell Bent for Leather in the U.S. due to controversy at the time of its release) is the fifth studio album by British heavy metal band Judas Priest. With its release in October 1978, the album pushed the band towards a more commercial style; however, it still contained the dark lyrical themes of their previous albums. Continue reading “Judas Priest – Hell Bent For Leather (1978) {2010, Audio Fidelity, HDCD Remastered}”

John Coltrane – 4 Albums {DCC, 24-Karat Gold Disc Remastered}

John Coltrane - 4 Albums {DCC, 24-Karat Gold Disc Remastered}

John Coltrane – 4 Albums {DCC, 24-Karat Gold Disc Remastered}
EAC Rip | 4xCD | WavPack/APE Image + Cue + Log | Full Scans Included
Total Size: 887 MB | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: DCC Compact Classics / DCC Jazz | Genre: Avant-garde Jazz
 
Soultrane (1958) | Traneing In (1958) | Cattin’ with Coltrane and Quinichette (1959) | Lush Life (1961) Continue reading “John Coltrane – 4 Albums {DCC, 24-Karat Gold Disc Remastered}”

The Kinks – Kinks (You Really Got Me) & Kinda Kinks (1964) {1996, MFSL, Remastered}

The Kinks - Kinks (You Really Got Me) & Kinda Kinks (1964) {1996, MFSL, Remastered}

The Kinks – Kinks (You Really Got Me) & Kinda Kinks (1964) {1996, MFSL, Remastered}
EAC Rip | WavPack Image + Cue + Log | Full Scans Included
Total Size: 384 MB | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: MFSL UltraDisc II | USA | Cat#: UDCD 679 | Genre: Classic Rock, Rock & Roll

Mobile Fidelity reissued the Kinks’ first two albums, You Really Got Me and Kinda Kinks, on one gold CD. Although they have their moments, these records are uneven, and most casual fans will prefer to hear the highlights on hits collections. Continue reading “The Kinks – Kinks (You Really Got Me) & Kinda Kinks (1964) {1996, MFSL, Remastered}”

The Beach Boys – Surfin’ U.S.A. / Surfer Girl (1963) {1989, MFSL, Remastered}

The Beach Boys - Surfin' U.S.A. / Surfer Girl (1963) {1989, MFSL, Remastered}

The Beach Boys – Surfin’ U.S.A. / Surfer Girl (1963) {1989, MFSL, Remastered}
EAC Rip | FLAC Tracks + Cue + Log | Full Scans Included
Total Size: 316 MB | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: MFSL UltraDisc | Japan | Cat#: UDCD 521 | Genre: Rock & Roll, Surf Rock

The real breakthrough, as Brian Wilson asserts himself in the studio as both songwriter and arranger on a set of material that was much stronger than Surfin’ Safari. Besides the hit title track and its popular drag-racing flip side (“Shut Down”), this has a lovely, heartbreaking ballad (“Lonely Sea”) and a couple of strong Brian Wilson originals (“The Noble Surfer” and “Farmer’s Daughter”). Continue reading “The Beach Boys – Surfin’ U.S.A. / Surfer Girl (1963) {1989, MFSL, Remastered}”

Nat King Cole – The Very Thought Of You (1958) {1997, DCC, 24-Karat Gold Disc Remastered}

Nat King Cole - The Very Thought Of You (1958) {1997, DCC, 24-Karat Gold Disc Remastered}

Nat King Cole – The Very Thought Of You (1958) {1997, DCC, 24-Karat Gold Disc Remastered}
EAC Rip | FLAC Tracks + Cue + Log | Full Scans Included
Total Size: 279 MB | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: DCC Compact Classics | USA | Cat#: GZS-1119 | Genre: Vocal Jazz

Nat King Cole possessed one of the most accessible and appealing voices of any singer in the 1950s. This ballad-oriented set puts the emphasis completely on his voice (there is no piano playing or any hint of his jazz-oriented past) and features Cole accompanied by Gordon Jenkins’ sweet arrangements for a string orchestra. Continue reading “Nat King Cole – The Very Thought Of You (1958) {1997, DCC, 24-Karat Gold Disc Remastered}”

Steve Miller Band – Fly Like An Eagle (1976) {1993, DCC, 24-karat Gold Disc Remastered}

Steve Miller Band - Fly Like An Eagle (1976) {1993, DCC, 24-karat Gold Disc Remastered}

Steve Miller Band – Fly Like An Eagle (1976) {1993, DCC, 24-karat Gold Disc Remastered}
EAC Rip | FLAC Image + Cue + Log | Full Scans Included
Total Size: 231 MB | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: DCC Compact Classics | Japan | Cat#: GZS-1033 | Genre: Blues Rock, Pop Rock

Steve Miller had started to essay his classic sound with The Joker, but 1976’s Fly Like an Eagle is where he took flight, creating his definitive slice of space blues. The key is focus, even on an album as stylishly, self-consciously trippy as this, since the focus brings about his strongest set of songs (both originals and covers), plus a detailed atmospheric production where everything fits. Continue reading “Steve Miller Band – Fly Like An Eagle (1976) {1993, DCC, 24-karat Gold Disc Remastered}”

Pat Benatar – In the Heat Of The Night (1979) {1994, DCC, 24-karat Gold Disc Remastered}

Pat Benatar - In the Heat Of The Night (1979) {1994, DCC, 24-karat Gold Disc Remastered}

Pat Benatar – In the Heat Of The Night (1979) {1994, DCC, 24-karat Gold Disc Remastered}
EAC Rip | WavPack Image + Cue + Log | Full Scans Included
Total Size: 263 MB | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: DCC Compact Classics | USA | Cat#: GZS-1056 | Genre: Hard Rock, Pop Rock

With her debut recording In the Heat of the Night, Pat Benatar wasted no time starting out of the gate with the furious leadoff track “Heartbreaker,” which solidified her place in a class of women who were taking the rock world by storm in the late ’70s. Continue reading “Pat Benatar – In the Heat Of The Night (1979) {1994, DCC, 24-karat Gold Disc Remastered}”

The Band – The Band (1969) {2009, Audio Fidelity, HDCD Remastered}

The Band - The Band (1969) {2009, Audio Fidelity, HDCD Remastered}

The Band – The Band (1969) {2009, Audio Fidelity, HDCD Remastered}
EAC Rip | WavPack (.wv) Image + Cue + Log | Full Scans Included
Total Size: 275 MB | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: Audio Fidelity | USA | Cat#: AFZ 032 | Genre: Southern Rock, Country Rock

The Band’s first album, Music from Big Pink, seemed to come out of nowhere, with its ramshackle musical blend and songs of rural tragedy. The Band, the group’s second album, was a more deliberate and even more accomplished effort, partially because the players had become a more cohesive unit, and partially because guitarist Robbie Robertson had taken over the songwriting, writing or co-writing all 12 songs. Continue reading “The Band – The Band (1969) {2009, Audio Fidelity, HDCD Remastered}”

Billy Idol – Rebel Yell (1983) [2010, Audio Fidelity, Remastered]

Billy Idol - Rebel Yell (1983) [2010, Audio Fidelity, Remastered]

Billy Idol – Rebel Yell (1983) [2010, Audio Fidelity, Remastered]
EAC Rip | FLAC Image + Cue + Log | Full Scans Included
Total Size: 279 MB | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: Audio Fidelity | US | Cat#: AFZ 036 | Genre: New Wave, Post-Punk

A slick, carefully crafted follow-up to his debut, Rebel Yell was Billy Idol’s catchiest, most consistent fusion of synth-driven new wave pop and hard rock guitar pyrotechnics (courtesy of Steve Stevens). The eerie ballad “Eyes Without a Face” gave Idol his first U.S. Top Ten hit, while “Flesh for Fantasy” and the title track became MTV staples. Like much of Idol’s solo output, it’s all calculated for maximum appeal, but Rebel Yell also works too well not to be an infectiously guilty pleasure. Continue reading “Billy Idol – Rebel Yell (1983) [2010, Audio Fidelity, Remastered]”

Queen – 4 Albums (MFSL, Remastered, 24-Karat Gold CD) UPDATE

Queen - 4 Albums (MFSL, Remastered, 24-Karat Gold CD)

Queen – 4 Albums (MFSL, Remastered, 24-Karat Gold CD)
EAC Rip | 4xCD | FLAC Tracks & Image + Cue + Log | Full Scans @300 dpi, JPG, PNG, Included
Total Size: 1.41 GB | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: MFSL (UltraDisc II) | Cat#: UDCD 558, 588, 610, 668 | Genre: Hard Rock
 
Original Limited Edition 24-karat Gold Audiophile CD
A Night At The Opera (1975), A Day At The Races (1976), News Of The World (1977) & The Game (1980)

Continue reading “Queen – 4 Albums (MFSL, Remastered, 24-Karat Gold CD) UPDATE”

U2 – 3 Albums (1983-1987) {MFSL, 24-Karat Gold Disc Remastered}

U2 - 3 Albums (1983-1987) {MFSL, 24-Karat Gold Disc Remastered}

U2 – 3 Albums (1983-1987) {MFSL, 24-Karat Gold Disc Remastered}
EAC Rip | 3xCD | FLAC Tracks + Cue + Log | Full Scans Included
Total Size: 966 MB | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: MFSL UltradDisc II | USA | Genre: Pop Rock
 
War (1983), The Unforgettable Fire (1984), The Joshua Tree (1987) Continue reading “U2 – 3 Albums (1983-1987) {MFSL, 24-Karat Gold Disc Remastered}”

The Cars – Candy-O (1979) {2011, MFSL, Remastered}

The Cars - Candy-O (1979) {2011, MFSL, Remastered}

The Cars – Candy-O (1979) {2011, MFSL, Remastered}
EAC Rip | WavPack (.wv) Image + Cue + Log | Full Scans Included
Total Size: 236 MB | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: MFSL UltraDisc II | USA | Cat#: UDCD 782 | Genre: New Wave

Since the Cars had created a perfect album with their 1978 self-titled debut, it would be nearly impossible to top it. Instead of laboring long and hard over a follow-up like many ’70s bands did after a huge commercial success, the band cranked out their sophomore effort, Candy-O, almost exactly one year later from the first LP. Continue reading “The Cars – Candy-O (1979) {2011, MFSL, Remastered}”

The Cars – Shake It Up (1981) {2009, MFSL, Remastered}

The Cars - Shake It Up (1981) {2009, MFSL, Remastered}

The Cars – Shake It Up (1981) {2009, MFSL, Remastered}
EAC Rip | FLAC Image + Cue + Log | Full Scans Included
Total Size: 275 MB | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: MFSL UltraDisc II | USA | Cat#: UDCD 788 | Genre: New Wave

By augmenting their sound with more synthesizers, electronics, and drum machines, the Cars’ fourth release, Shake It Up, helped bridge their hard rock-based early work (1978’s The Cars) with the futuristic-pop direction of 1984’s Heartbeat City. The band’s sound may have been evolving with each succeeding album, but Ric Ocasek was still writing compelling new wave compositions despite all the change, many of which would ultimately become rock & roll standards. Continue reading “The Cars – Shake It Up (1981) {2009, MFSL, Remastered}”

The Cars – The Cars (1978) {1993, DCC, 24-Karat Gold Disc Remastered}

The Cars - The Cars (1978) {1993, DCC, 24-Karat Gold Disc Remastered}

The Cars – The Cars (1978) {1993, DCC, 24-Karat Gold Disc Remastered}
EAC Rip | FLAC Tracks + Cue + Log | Full Scans Included
Total Size: 230 MB | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: DCC Compact Classics | USA | Cat#: GZS-1032 | Genre: New-Wave

The Cars’ 1978 self-titled debut, issued on the Elektra label, is a genuine rock masterpiece. The band jokingly referred to the album as their “true greatest-hits album,” but it’s no exaggeration — all nine tracks are new wave/rock classics, still in rotation on rock radio. Continue reading “The Cars – The Cars (1978) {1993, DCC, 24-Karat Gold Disc Remastered}”