The Pretenders-"Learning To Crawl"
MOFI, Gain 2, Ultra Analog, Limited Edition, 180 Gram
Showing 50 responses by mofimadness
Just received this in the mail this morning. Miles Davis-Dark Magus (Live At Carnegie Hall) Brand new MOFI, 2LP
The story behind Dark Magus is nearly as unbelievable as the spur-of-the-moment compositions that resulted when Davis brought drummer Al Foster, bassist Michael Henderson, percussionist James Mtume, horn virtuoso Dave Liebman, and guitarists Pete Cosey and Reggie Lucas together, and, in a new twist for the concert’s second half, added guitarist Dominique Gaumont and tenor saxophonist Azar Lawrence to mix. That the latter two instrumentalists had never seen each other until that night adds to Davis’ legend — and penchant for bold, unorthodox moves. Ditto Davis’ own actions that spring evening, which reportedly included showing up to the show an hour late and taking the stage with his back facing the crowd. The strategy worked. Davis inspired the group to play in a bold manner that few, if any, had heard before. Dark Magus is a rhythmic bonanza. Rooted in Afro-centrist techniques, avante-garde sensibilities, and exploratory moods, the songs eschew set arrangements and solos, and, for the most part, melodic devices. For Davis, Dark Magus represented a personal triumph amid a period marked by health issues, addictions, and critical decline. The latter slight would be corrected, but not until decades later when Dark Magus saw Stateside release in 1997 via a CD reissue. Of course, the free-form patterns, unpredictable passages, dense structures, and distorted blues that course through the songs — titled after Swahili numerals — are not for everyone. And certainly not for the fainthearted. Though Dark Magus contains majestic moments marked by quiet restraint and something on the level of balladry, its rich and radical concoction of tormented thwacks, thumps, cracks, clatters, wails, bleeps, burbles, stomps, and enigmatic beats remains its adventurous heart and soul. Primal and enigmatic, fierce and jagged, forceful and revolutionary, jolting and terrifying, Dark Magus seemingly attacks from any and all directions. Turn it up loud and let the prophetic brilliance of this inimitable and relentlessly funky album wash over you. |
@slaw...I'm a huge MOFI fan and find that almost all of their titles are pretty damn good. I know that a lot of people were put off with "The MOFI Scandal". IMHO, I don't care how it gets on the record, I care what comes off. Most of the releases are close to, if not the best recordings I have in my collection... |
@paqua123...I have thousands of records from the 70's & 80's. Some are really good and some are really awful. It depends on the mastering, who mastered it, where it was mastered, where it was pressed, the materials used, etc. I am not from the camp that all original pressings are better, because I have just as many from both sides that are good and bad. YMMV. |
Here are a couple of good articles about reissues, remasters and repressings: https://www.vinylchapters.com/original-pressing-vinyl-or-reissue/ https://waxtimes.com/repress-reissue-and-remaster-explained/ |
Half Speed explained: https://thesoundofvinyl.us/blogs/vinyl-101/half-speed-mastering Mobile Fidelity was the reissue label that more or less started that. I'm a huge MOFI fan. |
