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Mobile Fidelity - MFSL 1-404 - 180 Gram Virgin Vinyl - AAA 100% Analogue
Numbered Limited Edition - - Pressed at RTI -
Half Speed Mastered on the Mobile Fidelity The Gain 2 Ultra Analog System
Brassy 1957 Affair Swings Hard, Follows in Path of Songs For Swingin’ Lovers Mastered from the Original Master Tapes: Mobile Fidelity Mono LP Restores Immediacy and Presence Absent for Decades Concept Record Flies High on Sinatra’s Interpretations of Cole Porter Tunes, American Songbook Classics, and Steely Self-Assured Attitude Another Iconic Nelson Riddle-Frank Sinatra Collaboration from Artists’ Peak Era
Swing, swing, swingin': There’s nothing wrong with taking a proven concept, tweaking and bettering it, and then doing it all over again. While many sequels fail to hit the mark, Frank Sinatra slams another proverbial ball of the park on 1957’s A Swinging Affair!, an unofficial follow-up of sorts to the previous year’s smash Songs For Swingin’ Lovers! Hitting slightly harder than its predecessor, with revered self-assurance and horn-stoked energy, the Capitol classic remains quintessential Ol’ Blue Eyes.
Mastered from the original master tapes, Mobile Fidelity’s numbered limited-edition 180g LP presents in mono another supreme collaboration between Sinatra and longtime creative companion Nelson Riddle. Imaging, dynamics, separation, airiness, and tonalities experience significant enhancement and restoration, particularly compared to what’s present on digital and analog pressings made over the past four decades. A Swingin’ Affair! now sounds how it was intended, with the spatial dimensions of Capitol’s Studio A and depth of Sinatra’s mellifluous baritone realistically present and balanced.
While largely similar to Songs For Swingin’ Lovers! in approach and execution, Sinatra’s 1957 treasure steps up the brassiness and boldness. Riddle’s charts teem with color, charm, and sophistication, the instrumental touches in sync with the Chairman’s phrasing and diction. Jut one close listen reveals why so many Sinatraphiles believe the Sinatra-Riddle pairing tops any other during the vocalist’s illustrious career. Brisk tempos and rousing crescendos drive the songs ahead, and Sinatra latches onto the attack, singing as if nothing is ever going to contain him.
Exuberance, swagger, and smoothness abound. So do memorable ballads on which Sinatra’s voice seems to simply glide. His interpretations of Cole Porter’s “At Long Last Love,” the bluesy torch classic “No One Ever Tells You,” and Rodgers and Hart’s “I Wish I Were In Love Again” rank amongst his finest mellow moments. Regal atmospherics and thrilling climaxes punctuate a majority of the material, while the song selection is utterly infallible. If only all second acts were this good.
1. Night and Day
2. I Wish I Were In love again
3. I Got Plenty o’ Nuttin’
4. I Guess I’ll Have to Change My Plans
5. Nice Work If You Can Get It
6. Stars Fell on Alabama
7. No One Ever Tells You
8. I Won’t Dance
9. The Lonesome Road
10. At Long Last Love
11. You’d Be Nice to Come Home To
12. I Got It Bad (And That Ain’t Good)
13. From This Moment On
14. If I Had You
15. Oh! Look At Me Now
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.
