Mobile Fidelity -  MFSL 1-487- 180g Virgin Vinyl 

Mastered  by Kreig Wunderlich 

3,000 Numbered Limited Edition   

1/4" / 15 IPS / Dolby A analog master to DSD 256 to analog console to lathe

Bob Dylan's Iconic Soundtrack for Sam Peckinpah's Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid Western Film Teems with Personalities, Moods, and Feelings: Includes Original Version of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" 
Mastered from the Original Master Tapes, Pressed at RTI, and Strictly Limited to 3,000 Numbered Copies on 180g Vinyl LP: Unprecedented Sound, Separation, Texture, and Tonality

 
On the surface, Bob Dylan's Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid serves as a potent soundtrack to Sam Peckinpah's western of the same name. Dating from 1973, the Grammy-nominated set continued a rustic current Dylan explored on prior efforts such as Nashville Skyline and John Wesley Harding. It also demonstrated the singer could successfully lend his talents to a film and produce music that not only illuminated the mood, personalities, and actions on screen but exist and thrive independent of them. Yet Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid is much more, and most importantly, finally receives its just sonic due more than four decades after its initial release.

Mastered from the original master tapes on Mobile Fidelity's world-renowned mastering system, pressed at RTI, and strictly limited to 3,000 numbered copies, this 180g vinyl LP features reference-level instrumental separation and full-bodied tones that allow the songs to blossom amidst soundstages whose dimensions are limited only by the breadth of your stereo system. The flinty, raw acoustic edge of Dylan and Bruce Langhorne's guitars come into immediate relief. Booker T. Jones' relaxed albeit taut bass, Jolly Roger's down-home banjo, Russ Kunkel's textured bongos, and the crucial string accompaniments similarly flourish.

Indeed, Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid remains both distinctive and intriguing for the cast Dylan assembled for its creation – and their collective performances. Echoing Ry Cooder's adventurous, epoch-defying journeys that would soon follow, the 10-track album effortlessly breathes with country, folk, blues, and old-time pop flavors. A-list collaborators, including drummer Jim Keltner, fiddler Byron Berline, and Byrd legend Roger McGuinn, assist Dylan in making instrumental portraits such as the pensive "Catalina Theme (Working for the Law") and the spry "Turkey Chase" teem with detail, character, and a definite sense of place. Heard anew on Mobile Fidelity's exquisite remaster, they take on deeper meaning and convey elevated levels of enjoyment.

Of course, we should mention the other main reason why Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid remains one of Dylan's most famous works: "Knockin' on Heaven's Door." Transcending the mere status of song, the Bard's simple albeit poignant tune was ostensibly about Sheriff Colin Baker's death in Peckinpah's film yet has gone on to become nothing short of an anthem – a symbolic hymn whose expressiveness encompasses resilience, sorrow, forgiveness, readiness, and more. Covered by dozens of artists and, most famously, by Guns N' Roses, who turned it into a live staple recognized by new generations of fans, the classic is here in its original form, never sounding more significant than it does now.

Dylan's series of three "Billy" numbers, the record's other vocal tracks, also hold up to any other fare in the vocalist's rich catalog. There's not a misstep here or vacant feeling on this expertly executed album, which, for Dylanologists and historians, also represented the icon's first original material in three years – and a prelude to his reunion with the Band and, ultimately, 1975's bracing Blood on the Tracks. In every regard, Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid reigns as a towering statement.

Secure your lowest-numbered copy of this collectible edition 

Numbered, Limited Edition
Strictly Limited to 3,000 Numbered Copies
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
Pressed at RTI
Mastered From Original Tapes

Main Title Theme (Billy)
Cantina Theme (Workin' for the Law)
Billy 1
Bunkhouse Theme
River Theme
Turkey Chase
Knockin' on Heaven's Door
Final Theme
Billy 4
Billy 7

 

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.

 

 RTI 180 HQ Vinyl

Record Technology is a world class record pressing plant located in Camarillo, California. We have been operating since 1974, pressing for most audiophile record labels and for many quality minded independent and major record labels from around the world.