Mobile Fidelity - UDSACD 2064 - SACD Hybrid Stereo

Numbered Limited  Edition - Plays On All CD Players 

Mastered by Shawn R. Britton from the Original Master Tape at MFSL

Mastered on the Mobile Fidelity GAIN 2™ Mastering Technology for Ultradisc UHR™ Hybrid SACD

Los Lobos might have touted themselves as “just another band from East L.A.,” but it’s quite likely that even the group’s humble members recognized that few—if any—other artists in the late 1980s rivaled their soulful music, rousing performances, and eclectically blended arrangements. While lacking the commercial status of the quintet’s subsequent La Bamba release, By the Light of the Moon stands as the band’s most enjoyable excursion into American-hued soul, penetratingly reflective lyrics, and earnest roots rock. The music making is simply extraordinary.

These 11 songs come to life and out of the clouded, foggy sonic environment in which they’ve remained for more than two decades. For the first time, T Bone Burnett’s stripped-back production functions as it should. Namely, Los Lobos sound as if they’re playing at a small, sweaty neighborhood joint late on a Sunday night for an audience of locals, friends, and family.

The group’s uncanny ability to switch between instruments and effortlessly play each as if it’s their innate right—listen to the seamless fashion in which electric and acoustic guitars, marimbas, organs, saxophones, harmonicas, and percussion create strikingly memorable soundscapes—comes to light amidst a warmer, airier, more organic and deep-black background. David Hidalgo’s sweet, honeysuckle timbre, he and Cesar Rosas’ overlapping tremolo guitars, and stacks of interwoven rhythms jump with vibrant electricity.

Shifting into storytelling mode, Los Lobos use By the Light of the Moon as an opportunity to meditate on everyday America and channel the fate of normal communities. Issues of faith, mortality, love, disillusionment, and melancholy inform narratives that are on the same socially conscious level as those of period-era Bruce Springsteen and John Mellencamp. As for the songs, they crackle, waltz, shuffle, dance, tremble, and kick. The band almost dares listeners not to care.

Whether leaning into twangy two-step country-rock (“One Night In America”), dual-guitar shootout rockabilly (“Shakin’ Shakin’ Shakes”), swinging jump R&B (“Is This All There Is?”), tequila-spiked East Los Angeles-style rock (“Set Me Free (Rosa Lee)”), searing Latin-tinged blues (“My Baby’s Gone”), or poignant gospel-lined folk (“River of Fools”), Los Lobos’ Tex-Mex gumbo continually impresses and delights.

Don’t pass up one of the best releases of the 1980s and one of Los Lobos’ definitive statements.

You’ll never hear a better Vesion. Boleros, rancheros, and more await!

Los Lobos By the Light of the Moon Track Listing:

1. One Time One Night – 4:48
2. Shakin' Shakin' Shakes – 4:13
3. Is This All There Is? – 4:00
4. Prenda Del Alma – 3:21
5. All I Wanted To Do Was Dance – 3:57
6. Set Me Free (Rosa Lee) – 3:35
7. The Hardest Time – 3:12
8. My Baby's Gone – 3:41
9. River of Fools – 2:55
10. The Mess We're In – 3:01
11. Tears of God – 3:46

Mobile Fidelity believes that mastering systems should be neutral and transparent. The essential idea is to unveil all the detailed musical information on the original master recording without adding deterioration, coloration or other sonic artifacts. 

It is worth noting that Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab stands out as one of few record labels that independently invests in research and development of audio technology. With proprietary innovations such as GAIN 2™, general music enthusiasts and audiophiles alike have reaped the benefit of a higher consumer audio standard without investing in costly new hardware. Mobile Fidelity is pleased to work with a variety of engineering legends and companies including Tim de Paravicini, Ed Meitner, Pass Labs, Theta Digital and Sony Electronics. 

Our joint efforts to seek out the ultimate audio experience, has resulted in significant advances for the technology of music reproduction. 

GAIN 2™ Mastering Technology for Ultradisc UHR™ Hybrid SACD and Ultradisc II™ 24kt Gold CDs 

For over twenty years, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab has continually searched for the ultimate audio experience. During this search MFSL engineers and associates created The GAIN™ System, a proprietary mastering technology which brought warmth and ambience to the compact disc format. A few years ago - with higher resolution formats on the horizon - the vision of GAIN 2™ began. As it stands today, GAIN 2™ is one of the greatest technical advancements in analogue and digital technology in the last ten years. It consists of a series of critical modifications and new components to Mobile Fidelity's proprietary mastering chain. 

We feel that GAIN 2™ has come extremely close to meeting this goal. The key accomplishments of GAIN 2™ System are 1) the ability to extract all the musical information as possible through the Ultra High bandwidth analogue tape playback system with proprietary custom tape playback heads, reproducer electronics and 2) transparently capturing and storing that information with the Direct Stream Digital recording system.