Mobile Fidelity 'Live Dead' Grateful Dead

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IslandPink
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#1 Mobile Fidelity 'Live Dead' Grateful Dead

Post by IslandPink »

Continuing the observations ( from thread in 'My Favourite Artists' ) on my copy of 'Live Dead' received today : Mobile Fidelity pressing . This has recently been released on their 'Gain 2' analogue remasters .

Have been able so far to listen to 'The Eleven' and 'Dark Star' in some detail, comparing against my normal copy on Warners 'Burbank' label, which I guess is a second pressing .
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IslandPink
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#2

Post by IslandPink »

My first impression, from the other thread :
"Umm.. confused.
I'll start a new thread on this one on the Vinyl section I think .
Pluses and minus so far... and I think these are different mixes from the original .... :!: "

From a PM to Nick later :

"Yeh, so far they are definitely different mixes, on 'The Eleven' and 'Dark Star' for sure . Inferior mixes, too , Garcia placed lower in volume and very off-centre on 'Dark Star' for example. Bass up a lot . On 'The Eleven', keyboards up a lot and almost intrusive on the LHS .
On the plus side, the overall fidelity of all the tracks ( in the mix ) is slightly higher, definitely higher in the treble, some nice delicacy on the high frequencies . You get a bonus extra 10 sec or so on the start of 'Dark Star' that only fades in on the normal LP .
Dynamics seem to be typically a little lower, though in some case it's the mix that has robbed the track of some drive , this being the case on 'The Eleven' ."

Listening currently to 'Death has no Mercy' . Sounds closer to the normal mix , quite dynamic . Haven't listened to the normal LP on this one yet .

more soon ...
"Once you find out ... the Circumstances ; then you can go out"
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IslandPink
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#3 Hmm...

Post by IslandPink »

More listening, getting more grumpy .
'Feedback' on the MoFi issue is a disaster area, but pinpoints one of the faults of this reissue, and I notice ( from AA Vinyl Asylum ) some concerns on other LP's they brought out recently .

'Feedback' is a spacious, ambient track that relies heavily on low-level sounds ( between the notes ) , spatial info about the venue and reverb decay . The MOFi release is lacking low-level musical info . The mid and high-level sounds are very nice, with extra tone and more class than the standard LP, but the sound just drops off a cliff somewhere below the normal musical sound level into nothing . Hence the feeling of space and the interconnection of sounds & 'flow' is lost . It sounds like a disjointed collection of musical sounds that are not associated together . Not 'musical' at all .

Oh Dear ... :(

I just wonder if they applied some sort of 'Dolby-ing' to the originals, to reduce tape hiss or something ? Classic way to lose the life and soul of any music .
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#4 Original first pressings from USA, England, France & Ger

Post by Barolojoe »

'

Hello from Heidelberg,

has anybody compared this new remastered MoFi-Edition not only to earlier Vinyl releases from the seventies & eighties but also to some very first pressings released in 1969 in America, England, France & Germany ?


I have the very first US pressing (in VG+ condition) and the very first German pressing (in NM- condition) in my collection - both released on Warner Brothers Seven Arts in 1969. (Later releases were on Warner Brothers only, without 'Seven Arts' on the label).

In comparison to later pressings from the early and mid-seventies those first pressings are a bit more dynamic, clearer, warmer in my ears.

So, if there is already some discussion that these remastered Mofi releases, despite of a little higher solution, do not match the pressings of the seventies in other terms (naturalness of the sound, spatial resolution etc.), well, most likely then the very first WB-7Arts pressings put those Mofi-recordings even more to shame.... 8)

'
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Live Dead, first pressing Germany on 'Warner Brothers Seven Arts'.jpeg
Live Dead USA, first pressing on 'Warner Brothers Seven Arts'.jpeg
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ed
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#5 Re: Hmm...

Post by ed »

IslandPink wrote:More listening, getting more grumpy .

Oh Dear ... :(
IMO a classic example of this hifi malarky getting in the way of the music

:)
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IslandPink
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#6

Post by IslandPink »

Indeed !
There are so few reissue companies who seem to have people who are capable of understanding some basic things about how the original records should sound . 'Classic Records' and 'Sundazed' are the only two I can recommend myself .

Those early versions look very nice Barolojoe. I must try get an earlier pressing of it myself . I've never seen an example of the brown US first-pressing, that's very good info to have .
It's probably worth making sure you have a good copy of the 1980's-issue CD version too . I'd not be surprised if the current CD copies have been messed-about-with . The CD I have is very nice and gets used a lot in the car.
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#7

Post by Barolojoe »

'


The label of the first US pressing on Warner Bros. Seven Arts above looks brown, but on most releases it is more a greenish brown. The German first edition on WB7 is a little greener.

Highly regarded in quality & sound are also the first pressings released 1969 in England (red WB) and France (green WB) :arrow:


'
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Live Dead, France first Pressing 1969 on WB green label.jpeg
Live Dead, first pressing England on 'Warner Brothers Red Label'.jpeg
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#8

Post by andrew Ivimey »

I am sure I used to have a red /brown label . The copy I have now is green and the serial number is R1 74935.

I have no idea where my original went to and no idea where this one came from. weird - maybe there is a god ...

This one is on totally mint condition and as I have it on CD -> flac it is almost definitely true to say that this green label vinyl is mint unplayed (but probably a re-master.)

This is a double LP I would like to compare and contrast with other versions.

I think the only LP (double) that I am so interested in is Electric Ladyland where I have the original Track pressing, the original German and USA pressing and long ago made a frisbee out of the Polydor version.

Live Dead is a wonderful album where despite the mixing to get what we have it sounds magical and I am so sure that the audience loved every inch of it - it sounds so LIVE!
Philosophers have only interpreted the world - the point, however, is to change it. No it isn't ... maybe we should leave it alone for a while.
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