n listening to the CD layer of “Anticipation”, you gain an appreciation of the benefits of SACD as a medium to present high quality audio. The overall sound is markedly superior to the CD layer. Certainly, I have a few minor quibbles about drums on a few tracks of the SACD but overall the fidelity is very good. The instruments are marked by superb separation perfectly supporting Carly Simon’s distinctive vocals. This is one of Simon’s best albums and MFSL’s release is worthy of consideration. Sound 4/5 HR Audio

 

Carly Simon's Gold-Selling Anticipation Steeped In Romantic Yearning: Largely Biographical Record Boldly Addresses Longing, Love, and Vulnerability 

 

Mastered from the Original Master Tapes: SACD Lays Bare Personal Emotions, Rich Acoustic Arrangements, and Vocal Nuances on Carly Simon's Sophomore Album

 

Quietly Intense Songs Informed By Simon’s Personal Experiences and Romantic Relationships: Top 20 Title Track and “Legend In Your Own Time” Inspired by Cat Stevens

 

 

Mastered from the original master tapes, Mobile Fidelity’s numbered limited edition hybrid SACD lays bare the rich acoustic tapestries afforded by the spare blend of soft guitars, mellow orchestration, and dreamy melodies. Simon’s attachment to and investment in each lyric is made evident by way of the intimate, hushed atmospherics and expanded dynamic range. The rhythmic framework supplied by session pro Andy Newmark’s drumming is also vastly improved, with songs showcasing a better-defined midrange and low-end. And just as Simon’s vocals sound more transparent and direct, so, too, do the supporting choral arrangements. 

 

Released during a time before the 70s singer-songwriter movement reached full bloom, Anticipation is remarkable not only for the consistently high quality of songwriting but for Simon’s gutsy stance. The arresting album cover—depicting the artist holding the gates at Queen Mary’s Garden in Regent’s Park and seemingly defying anyone to take her on—serves as a metaphor for the content within. Beginning a now-famous string of high-profile relationships with fellow celebrities, Simon was heavily involved with Cat Stevens leading up to the recording of Anticipation, and drew from her experiences to craft tunes that continue to resonate because of their honesty, realism, and strength.

 

Of course, none are more widely recognized than the Top 20-charting title track, which Simon composed in just 15 minutes as she waited for Stevens to pick her up for a date. Imbued with the nervousness, tension, and excitement that accompany the moments when a romance could go either way, the Grammy-nominated “Anticipation” presages the feminist-minded vulnerability and burning longing that informs a majority of the record. On the soulful “Legend In Your Own Time,” also inspired by Stevens, Simon harnesses yearning as a conduit to feel-good paradise. Deemed by Rolling Stone an “absolute clincher, an awesome description of the psychic ravages of gone-nuts, know-nothing love,” her cover of Kris Kristofferson’s “I’ve Got to Have You” moans with no-holds-barred desire and breathtaking sensuality.

 

For all the wanting impulses Simon pursues on Anticipation, her way of keeping in control—vocally and personally—make the record such a courageous statement of contemporary femininity. Vide, the bossa-nova-etched “Summer’s Coming Around Again,” somber “Share the End,” soothing “Three Days,” and sincere “Julie Through the Glass,” a tribute to her young niece. Simon would soon realize international fame with her next album, No Secrets, yet as Mobile Fidelity’s caring reissue shows, Anticipation suggests the rest of the world was just a little late catching up to her.

 

Carly Simon Anticipation Track Listing:

 

1. Anticipation 

2. Legend In Your Own Time

3. Our First Day Together

4. The Girl You Think You See

5. Summer’s Coming Around Again

6. Share the End

7. The Garden

8. Three Days

9. Julie Through the Glass

 

 

 

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.