Special Section: Audiophile Discs

The Byrds – Younger Than Yesterday (1967) [2011, Audio Fidelity Remastered, 24-Karat Gold CD]

The Byrds - Younger Than Yesterday (1967) [2011, Audio Fidelity Remastered, 24-Karat Gold CD]

The Byrds – Younger Than Yesterday (1967)
[2011, Audio Fidelity Remastered, 24-Karat Gold CD]
EAC Rip | FLAC Tracks + Cue + Log | Full Scans Included
153 MB | 3% RAR Recovery

Younger Than Yesterday was somewhat overlooked at the time of its release during an intensely competitive era that found the Byrds on a commercial downslide. Time, however, has shown it to be the most durable of the Byrds’ albums, with the exception of Mr. Tambourine Man. David Crosby, Roger McGuinn, and especially Chris Hillman come into their own as songwriters on an eclectic but focused set blending folk-rock, psychedelia Continue reading “The Byrds – Younger Than Yesterday (1967) [2011, Audio Fidelity Remastered, 24-Karat Gold CD]”

Billy Joel – Glass Houses (1980) [2012, MFSL Remastered, CD-Layer + Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Billy Joel - Glass Houses (1980) [2012, MFSL Remastered, CD-Layer + Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Billy Joel – Glass Houses (1980)
[2012, MFSL Remastered, CD-Layer + Hi-Res SACD Rip]
SACD-ISO / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz
DSF Tracks / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz
FLAC Tracks / 24bit / 88.2kHz
CD-Layer / EAC Rip / FLAC Tracks + Cue + Log
Full Scans Included
648 MB (CD-Layer) + 1.44 MB (DSF) + 662 MB (FLAC) + 1.47 GB (ISO)
Update: Missing files have been added

Glass Houses is mastered from the original master tapes and made available on fully transparent hybrid SACD. Honing in on producer Phil Ramone’s radio-tailored albeit looser, straightforward production, this edition opens up the previously veiled soundstages, spotlights the clean yet raucous arrangements, and decongests the imaging so that every note comes to the fore. Continue reading “Billy Joel – Glass Houses (1980) [2012, MFSL Remastered, CD-Layer + Hi-Res SACD Rip]”

Billy Joel – Glass Houses (1980) [2010, Audio Fidelity Remastered]

Billy Joel - Glass Houses (1980) [2010, Audio Fidelity Remastered]

Billy Joel – Glass Houses (1980) [2010, Audio Fidelity Remastered]
EAC Rip | FLAC Tracks + Cue + Log | Full Scans Included
258 MB | 3% RAR Recovery
Update: Missing file has been added

The back-to-back success of The Stranger and 52nd Street may have brought Billy Joel fame and fortune, even a certain amount of self-satisfaction, but it didn’t bring him critical respect, and it didn’t dull his anger. If anything, being classified as a mainstream rocker — a soft rocker — infuriated him, especially since a generation of punks and new wave kids were getting the praise that eluded him Continue reading “Billy Joel – Glass Houses (1980) [2010, Audio Fidelity Remastered]”

R.E.M. – Murmur (1983) [1995, MFSL Remastered, CD-Quality + Hi-Res Vinyl Rip]

R.E.M. - Murmur (1983) [1995, MFSL Remastered, CD-Quality + Hi-Res Vinyl Rip]

R.E.M. – Murmur (1983) [1995, MFSL Remastered, CD-Quality + Hi-Res Vinyl Rip]
Vinyl Rip | Hi-Res / FLAC Tracks / 24bit / 96kHz | CD-Quality / FLAC Tracks / 16bit / 44.1kHz
Full Scans Included
965 MB (Hi-Res) + 291 MB (CD-Quality) | 3% RAR Recovery
Update: Missing files have been added

Leaving behind the garagey jangle pop of their first recordings, R.E.M. developed a strangely subdued variation of their trademark sound for their full-length debut album, Murmur. Heightening the enigmatic tendencies of Chronic Town by de-emphasizing the backbeat and accentuating the ambience of the ringing guitar, R.E.M. created a distinctive sound for the album — one that sounds eerily timeless. Continue reading “R.E.M. – Murmur (1983) [1995, MFSL Remastered, CD-Quality + Hi-Res Vinyl Rip]”

The Byrds – Mr. Tambourine Man (1965) [2005, MFSL Remastered, CD-Layer + Hi-Res SACD Rip]

The Byrds - Mr. Tambourine Man (1965) [2005, MFSL Remastered, CD-Layer + Hi-Res SACD Rip]

The Byrds – Mr. Tambourine Man (1965)
[2005, MFSL Remastered, CD-Layer + Hi-Res SACD Rip]
SACD-ISO / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz
DSF Tracks / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz
FLAC Tracks / 24bit / 88.2kHz
CD-Layer / EAC Rip / FLAC Tracks + Cue + Log
Full Scans Included
1.87 GB (ISO) + 1.80 GB (DSF) + 709 MB (FLAC) + 230 MB (CD-Layer) | 3% RAR Recovery
Update: Missing files have been added

One of the greatest debuts in the history of rock, Mr. Tambourine Man was nothing less than a significant step in the evolution of rock & roll itself, demonstrating that intelligent lyrical content could be wedded to compelling electric guitar riffs and a solid backbeat. It was also the album that was most responsible for establishing folk-rock as a popular phenomenon, its most alluring traits being Roger McGuinn’s immediately distinctive 12-string Rickenbacker jangle Continue reading “The Byrds – Mr. Tambourine Man (1965) [2005, MFSL Remastered, CD-Layer + Hi-Res SACD Rip]”

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
238 MB | 3% RAR Recovery
Update: Missing file haS been added

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]”

Eric Clapton – Just One Night (1980) [1994, MFSL Remastered]

Eric Clapton – Just One Night (1980) [1994, MFSL Remastered]

Eric Clapton – Just One Night (1980) [1994, MFSL Remastered]
EAC Rip | 2 x CD | FLAC Tracks + Cue + Log | Covers
566 MB | 3% RAR Recovery

Just One Night is a 1980 double album by Eric Clapton, recorded live at the Budokan Theatre in Tokyo, Japan, in December 1979 when Clapton was touring to support Backless, his latest record at that time. The album reached No. 2 in the US and No. 3 in the UK. Continue reading “Eric Clapton – Just One Night (1980) [1994, MFSL Remastered]”

Eric Clapton – 461 Ocean Boulevard (1974) [1993, MFSL Remastered]

Eric Clapton - 461 Ocean Boulevard (1974) [1993, MFSL Remastered]

Eric Clapton – 461 Ocean Boulevard (1974) [1993, MFSL Remastered]
EAC Rip | FLAC Tracks + Cue + Log | Full Scans Included
248 MB | 3% RAR Recovery
Update: Missing file has been added

461 Ocean Boulevard is Eric Clapton’s second studio solo album, arriving after his side project of Derek and the Dominos and a long struggle with heroin addiction. Although there are some new reggae influences, the album doesn’t sound all that different from the rock, pop, blues, country, and R&B amalgam of Eric Clapton. Continue reading “Eric Clapton – 461 Ocean Boulevard (1974) [1993, MFSL Remastered]”

Eric Clapton – Slowhand (1977) [1991, MFSL Remastered]

Eric Clapton - Slowhand (1977) [1991, MFSL Remastered]

Eric Clapton – Slowhand (1977) [1991, MFSL Remastered]
EAC Rip | FLAC Tracks + Cue + Log | Scans Included
227 MB | 3% RAR Recovery
Update: Missing file has been added

After the guest-star-drenched No Reason to Cry failed to make much of an impact commercially, Eric Clapton returned to using his own band for Slowhand. The difference is substantial — where No Reason to Cry struggled hard to find the right tone, Slowhand opens with the relaxed, bluesy shuffle of J.J. Cale’s “Cocaine” and sustains it throughout the course of the album. Continue reading “Eric Clapton – Slowhand (1977) [1991, MFSL Remastered]”

Dean Martin – This Time I’m Swingin’! (1960) [2013, MFSL Remastered, CD-Layer + Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Dean Martin - This Time I'm Swingin'! (1960) [2013, MFSL Remastered, CD-Layer + Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Dean Martin – This Time I’m Swingin’! (1960)
[2013, MFSL Remastered, CD-Layer + Hi-Res SACD Rip]
SACD-ISO / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz
DSF Tracks / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz
FLAC Tracks / 24bit / 88.2kHz
CD-Layer / EAC Rip / FLAC Tracks + Cue + Log
Full Scans Included
203 MB (CD-Layer) + 1.39 GB (DSF) + 674 MB (FLAC) + 1.41 GB (ISO) | 3% RAR Recovery
Update: Missing files have been added

This Time I’m Swingin’! is an album recorded by Dean Martin for Capitol Records. The sessions yielding this album’s songs were recorded in May 1960. While thirteen tracks were recorded during the three sessions, only twelve of them made it onto the album when it was released October 3, 1960. Continue reading “Dean Martin – This Time I’m Swingin’! (1960) [2013, MFSL Remastered, CD-Layer + Hi-Res SACD Rip]”

Big Brother & The Holding Company – Cheap Thrills (1968) [2012, Audio Fidelity Remastered]

Big Brother & The Holding Company - Cheap Thrills (1968) [2012, Audio Fidelity Remastered]

Big Brother & The Holding Company – Cheap Thrills (1968)
[2012, Audio Fidelity Remastered]
EAC Rip | FLAC Tracks + Cue + Log | Full Scans Included
Size: 280 MB | 3% RAR Recovery

Cheap Thrills, the major-label debut of Janis Joplin, was one of the most eagerly anticipated, and one of the most successful, albums of 1968. Joplin and her band Big Brother & the Holding Company had earned extensive press notice ever since they played the Monterey Pop Festival in June 1967, but for a year after that their only recorded work was a poorly produced, self-titled album that they’d done early in their history for Mainstream Records Continue reading “Big Brother & The Holding Company – Cheap Thrills (1968) [2012, Audio Fidelity Remastered]”