James Taylor - Flag - 180g LP

Product no.: MFSL1-355

In stock

James Taylor - Flag - 180g LP
£49.99
Price includes VAT, plus delivery


Available delivery methods: UK Tracked with Signature, UK Express, Airmail Tracked with Signature, UK Standard, Heavy Item

Mobile Fidelity - MFSL 1-355 - 180 Gram Virgin Vinyl -AAA 100% Analogue

Numbered Limited Edition - Pressed at RTI 

Pure Analogue Mastered by Kreig Wunderlich from the Original Master  tape

Half Speed Mastered on the Mobile Fidelity The Gain 2 Ultra Analog System

Flag is Classic James Taylor: At-Home Folk Arrangements, Soft-Rock Coziness and Captivating Emotion. Narratives on this 1979 Gem peer into the heart of every man and every woman. Mastered from the Original Master Tapes: Sonics as mellifluous as Taylor's voice on a Cool Summer Night

James Taylor was in an interesting place when he recorded the colossally underrated Flag. Fresh off his double-platinum J.T., the artist who defines the singer-songwriter genre had just collaborated with Art Garfunkel and Carly Simon, undertaken a Broadway musical, and become more active in political affairs. All these factors contribute to this 1979 treasure, which finds Taylor plying more of his trademark mellow vibes and insightful, soul-gazing lyrics. 

Mobile Fidelity’s brilliant-sounding 180g LP is, and the results are as spectacular as chilling out to Taylor’s mellifluous voice on a summer night. Flush with exquisite acoustic textures, beautiful tonalities, and studio-perfect dynamics, this audiophile version brings Taylor’s music to life like never before. 

Having landed in the Top Ten and sold more than two million copies, Flag nonetheless remains one of Taylor’s most under-appreciated efforts. And it’s not because the content is lacking. The beloved singer enters his hallmark storytelling mode on “Sleep Come Free Me” and dizzies the senses with the beloved “Rainy Day Man.” Drawing from his musical Working (based on legendary author Studs Terkel’s book of the same name), “Millworker” and “Brother Trucker” are lessons in character studies, Taylor’s narratives peering into the heart of blue-collar America and reflecting his knack for the everyman — and everywoman. 

Similarly, a pair of covers—“Up on the Roof” and “Day Tripper” — show his knack for reverent interpretation as well as originality. Flag reveals why we love JT. The literary descriptiveness, at-home folk arrangements, soft-rock fireplace coziness, captivating emotion, faithful tones, and stellar sense of instrumental placement, be it backing vocals, nuanced percussion, pedal-steel guitar, or subtle horns, the latter courtesy of do-it-all saxophonist David Sanborn. Alas, many of these facets have long gone unnoticed. 

Ever since its original release, Flag has been plagued with muddled sound. No longer. Mobile Fidelity’s analog reissue unlocks the well-kept sonic secrets and floods the record with the intimacy and impact that have always lurked underneath the surface. Finally, Taylor’s finite acoustic playing, well-mannered melodies, reflective words, and refined singing are experienced as a whole. The amount of new musical information that’s been uncovered will boggle the minds of even the most ardent Taylor fans. 

Trust us: Flag is one of Taylor’s finest works. After three decades, hear it all for yourself. And discover what is certain to become of your new favorite records. 

Features:
• Numbered, Limited Edition
• Half-Speed Production and Mastering by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
• Specially Plated and Pressed on 180 grams of High Definition Vinyl
• Special Static Free - Dust Free Inner Sleeve
• Heavy Duty Protective Packaging
• Mastered from the Original Master Tapes

Acoustic Guitar – James Taylor

Bass – Leland Sklar
Clavinet – Don Grolnick
Drums – Russell Kunkel
Electric Guitar – Danny Kortchmar

Selections:
Side One: 

1. Company Man
2. Johnnie Comes Back
3. Day Tripper
4. I Will Not Lie For You
5. Brother Trucker
6. Is That the Way You Look?
Side Two: 
1. B.S.U.R.
2. Rainy Day Man
3. Millworker
4. Up On The Roof
5. Chanson Francaise
6. Sleep Come Free Me

James Taylor - Flag - 180g LP
Image result for mofi mobile fidelity sound lab
 
GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ is a proprietary cutting system built and designed by legendary design genius Tim De Paravicini, with consultation from one of MFSL’s founding fathers – Stan Ricker, an audio engineer responsible for many of MFSL’s most heralded past releases.

The GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ system is comprised of a Studer™ tape machine with customized reproduction electronics* and handcrafted cutting amps that drive an Ortofon cutting head on a restored Neumann VMS-70 lathe. (*It is worth noting that independent studies have confirmed that the GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ system can unveil sonic information all the way up to 122kHz!)

First and foremost, we only utilize first generation original master recordings as source material for our releases. We then play back master tapes at half speed enabling the GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ system to fully extract the master’s sonic information. Our lacquers are then plated in a specialized process that protects transients in the musical signal. (Due to this process, there may be occasional pops or ticks inherent in initial play back, but as the disc is played more, a high quality stylus will actually polish the grooves and improve the sound). We further ensure optimum sound quality by strictly limiting the number of pressings printed for each release. These limited editions, in addition to being collectors’ items, ensure that the quality of the last pressing matches the quality of the first.

As you can imagine, all these efforts involve a tremendous amount of time, technology, cost and effort. The introduction of GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ maintains Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab’s position as the world’s leading audiophile record label, where a passion for music with extraordinary sound quality matters most.

 

Customers who bought this product also bought

* Prices include VAT, plus delivery

Browse this category: ROCK & POPULAR