Mobile Fidelity - UDSACD 2205  - Hybrid SACD Stereo 

2,000 Numbered Limited Edition -   

Mastered by Kreig Wunderlich from the Original Master Tape at MFSL 

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

Pop-Rock Classic Epitomizes Timeless Early 1970s AM Radio Sounds and Includes Four Top 40 Hits: Bread's Baby I'm-A Want You Features Finessed Playing, Sturdy Melodies, Passionate Harmonies 
Mastered from the Original Master Tapes and Limited to 2,000 Copies: Mobile Fidelity Numbered-Edition Hybrid SACD Plays with Engrossing Warmth, Clarity, Nuance, Smoothness, and Balance
Any way you slice it, the template for the mellow sounds that dominated AM radio in the 1970s starts with Baby I'm-A Want You. Bread's finest effort stands the test of time by way of the band's sturdy melodies, the former studio professionals' finessed playing, and some of the choicest harmonizing to ever come out of Los Angeles. Anchored by four Top 40 hits, the pop-rock classic radiates with golden-hued textures and pitch-perfect tones – particularly on this long-overdue reissue.

Mastered from the original master tapes and strictly limited to 2,000 copies, Mobile Fidelity's numbered-edition hybrid SACD delivers engrossing levels of warmth, clarity, nuance, and smoothness that elevate Bread's 1972 release to audiophile heights. For the first time, the quartet's polished musicianship and vocal blends come across as if you're hearing them happen live in the studio. Previously muddled elements are clarified, and the band's choruses and treble-ringing notes opened up so they can fully blossom, pulling you closer to the combination of serious emotion and comic-infused romance. In particular, leader David Gates' quasi-falsetto and other vocal touches get their just due.

Baby I'm-A Want You spills over with vocal goodness on par with the Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel. In his feature review for Rolling Stone, David Lubin observed: "Melodically and vocally Gates approaches the best of his love songs with a freshness that makes him, as did the early and middle [Paul] McCartney, sound like he's never ever said before those words ‘he's longed to say.' Even when the ballads on the album are suffused with the passion of unrequited love, Bread never forces [its] feelings upon you. [The group] has developed an undefinable taste, or class, whatever you want to call it, which was totally absent in [the past]."

The evidence arrives in the form of a quartet of songs that dominated the Billboard Top 100 charts – the title track (which climbed to #3), "Everything I Own," "Diary," and "Mother Freedom." Throughout, melodramatic strains, complementary keyboard lines, and a fine equilibrium of poised grit and well-crafted instrumentation dot the music with sequin-like detail that glistens anew and rewards repeat listening. Bread's mix of sentimental ballads and revved-up rock tracks ("Down on My Knees," "Nobody Like You") furthers the appeal of a record teeming with sweet and sour flavors.

It's also worth mentioning Baby I'm-A Want You marks the first appearance of Grammy-winning pianist/organist Jimmy Knechtel on a Bread album. Together with Gates, guitarist and Academy Award-winner Jimmy Griffin, and in-the-pocket drummer Mike Botts, Knechtel gives the quartet the butter its songs need – and the ingredients missing from some of its earlier work. Puns aside, the delicious back beats, buzzing guitars, complementary keyboard runs, and steadying bass evident on every track serve to confirm all 12 songs are bread winners – literally and figuratively.

Get yourself a slice and secure your lowest-numbered collectible SACD

This Hybrid SACD contains a 'Red Book' Stereo CD Layer which is playable on most conventional CD Players!
• Mastered From Original Master Tapes
• Ultradisc UHR Gain HD with 4X DSD

Lead Vocals – David Gates  James Griffin
Producer, Arranged By – David Gates
 

Selections:

1. Mother Freedom
2. Baby I'm-A Want You
3. Down On My Knees
4. Everything I Own
5. Nobody Like You
6. Diary
7. Dream Lady
8. Daughter
9. Games of Magic
10. This Isn't What the Governmeant
11. Just Like Yesterday
12. I Don't Love You

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.