The Absolute Most Essential MSFL Discs To Own

After finding out that I was close to having one of the apparently best-sounding MOFI's (see "MFSL score!" thread), I want to know which MFSL Gold discs are so faboulous in sound, that they beat any CD issue or heck, any issue of the particular album in question. (BTW, I would like this thread to be for everybody, not just me in particular, but Gold disc newbies like me that appear here) Please do not turn this into a UD1 vs. UD2 thread, also; just the best MFSL's ever made.

 

Out of the dozen or so MFSL's I have, Elton John's "Honky Chateau" UD1 sticks out.

Fun thing to do -- compare the equivalent tracks on this disc with Steve's DCC Elton John GH! Come to think of it, I'll go do that now.

Before I joined this forum, you wouldn't catch me dead with two versions of the same song. Now, I seek out the opportunity to compare.

 

So, which version do you like best, the DCC or MFSL?

 

Out of the 20 I own:

Innervisions
Blood Sweat & Tears

 

Allman Brothers Band - Eat a Peach
Boz Scaggs - Silk Degrees
Eric Clapton - Slowhand
John Lennon & Yoko Ono - Double Fantasy
Dr. John - Gumbo/In The Right Place (2 'fer)

Well those are 5 that I can think of offhand anyway...

 

My ten favorites:

Cannonball Adderly - SOMETHIN' ELSE

Bobby Bland - TOUCH OF THE BLUES & SPOTLIGHTING THE MAN

John Coltrane - BLUE TRAIN

Derek & The Dominos - LAYLA & OTHER ASSORTED LOVE SONGS

Bob Marley- EXODUS

R.E.M. - MURMUR

R.E.M. - RECKONING

Sonny Terry & Brownie McGee - SONNY & TERRY

Sarah Vaughan - LIVE IN JAPAN

Muddy Waters - FOLK SINGER

 

The DCC Elton John is in a league of it's own.

 

AAAAHHHHH...YES....THE first commandment for becoming a REAL audiophile. (No expensive equipment necessary) JUST compare. Without the willingness to compare you are always going to think that what you already have is the best just because you don't want to spend more money or admit that you made the wrong choice the first time. Maybe you just don't want to risk buying something worse than what you already have.

I say: "seek out the opportunity to compare".

Chrischross

 

You'll probably get dozens of answers to this question. I will recommend Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends as an essential. This just blew away the previous CD's although I do not have the current re-master.

 

OK -- finally did an fairly exhaustive comparison of "Honky Cat" between the MFSL and Steve's DCC. At first, I preferred the MFSL, as the level is boosted slightly, so the initial banjo?? plink sounds great. When playing the DCC, I pushed the volume up slightly to equalize the MFSL, and it just has it all over the MFSL, especially with the horn section and bass. Oh -- and Elton's vocals.

Not to say the MFSL is bad mind you, but the DCC is on another level. Have to say I agree with Dave on this one!

 

In the other thread, fellow member Dave said that the UD1 MFSL discs are essential, with a few exceptions. Can you please name the stinkers in this group, fellow SH Forum members?:

UDCD 503
Joe Jackson
Will Power

UDCD 504
Brad Miller
The Power and the Majesty [Vol. 1]

UDCD 505

Supertramp
Crime of the Century

UDCD 506
Dave Grisman
Hot Dawg

UDCD 507
Blind Faith
Blind Faith

UDCD 508
Various Artists
A Very Special Christmas

UDCD 509
Huey Lewis and the News
Sports

UDCD 510
Jethro Tull
Thick as a Brick

UDCD 511
The Police
Synchronicity

UDCD 512
Moody Blues
Days of Future Passed

UDCD 513
Allman Brothers Band
Eat a Peach

UDCD 514
Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington
Together for the First Time/The Great Reunion

UDCD 515
Steely Dan
Aja

UDCD 516
Elton John
Madman Across the Water

UDCD 517
Pink Floyd
Dark Side of the Moon

UDCD 518
Pink Floyd
Meddle

UDCD 519
Cat Stevens
Tea for the Tillerman

UDCD 520
Def Leppard
Pyromania

UDCD 521
The Beach Boys
Surfin' U.S.A./ Surfer Girl

UDCD 522
John Klemmer
Touch

UDCD 523
Jefferson Airplane
Crown of Creation

UDCD 524
Jethro Tull
Stand Up

UDCD 525
The Carpenters
A Song for You

UDCD 526
Elton John
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

UDCD 527
The Band
Music from Big Pink

UDCD 528
Sting
The Dream of the Blue Turtles

UDCD 529
Various Artists
After the Hurricane: Songs for Montserrat

UDCD 530
Hall and Oates
Voices

UDCD 531
Jeff Beck
Wired

UDCD 532
Rod Stewart
Every Picture Tells a Story

UDCD 533
The Who
Tommy

UDCD 534
Supertramp
Breakfast in America

UDCD 535
Boz Scaggs
Silk Degrees

UDCD 536
Elton John
Honky Chateau

UDCD 537
Pink Floyd
The Wall

UDCD 538
Frank Sinatra
Songs for Swingin' Lovers

UDCD 539
Joe Jackson
Night and Day

UDCD 540
Jefferson Airplane
Volunteers

UDCD 541
Harry Nilsson
Nilsson Schmilsson

UDCD 542
Various Artists
Red Hot and Blue

UDCD 543
Elton John
Tumbleweed Connection

UDCD 544
Brian Adams
Reckless

UDCD 545
Steely Dan
Gaucho

UDCD 546
Sting
Nothing Like the Sun

UDCD 547
John Coltrane
Blue Train

UDCD 548
B.B. King
Live at the Regal

UDCD 549
Earl Klugh
Finger Paintings

UDCD 550
The Who
Quadrophenia

UDCD 551
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Damn the Torpedoes

UDCD 552
Santana
Abraxas

UDCD 553
Eric Clapton
Slowhand

UDCD 554
Stevie Wonder
Innervisions

UDCD 555
Roy Orbison
Mystery Girl

UDCD 556
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Second Helping

UDCD 557
Keith Richards
Talk is Cheap

UDCD 558
Allman Brothers Band
Live at Fillmore East

UDCD 559
Blood, Sweat & Tears
Blood, Sweat & Tears

UDCD 560
Elvis Presley
That's the Way it Is

UDCD 561
The Who
Who are You

UDCD 562
Cream
Disraeli Gears

UDCD 563
Cannonball Adderley
Somethin' Else

UDCD 564
Robert Cray
Strong Persuader

UDCD 565
Tom Petty
Hard Promises

UDCD 566
Jimmy Reed
Jimmy Reed At Carnegie Hall / The Best of Jimmy Reed

UDCD 567
John Lee Hooker
The Healer

 

Argghh -- duhhh! Forgot about that one -- got this one long before joining the forum and I have to agree.

 

MFSL's so far (UD2's only; still waiting for replies about which UD1's to avoid):


John Lennon & Yoko Ono - Double Fantasy
Dr. John - Gumbo/In The Right Place (2 'fer)
Bobby Bland - TOUCH OF THE BLUES & SPOTLIGHTING THE MAN
Derek & The Dominos - LAYLA & OTHER ASSORTED LOVE SONGS
Bob Marley- EXODUS
R.E.M. - MURMUR
R.E.M. - RECKONING
Sonny Terry & Brownie McGee - SONNY & TERRY
Sarah Vaughan - LIVE IN JAPAN
Muddy Waters - FOLK SINGER
Simon and Garfunkel - Bookends
The Alan Parsons Project - Tales of Mystery & Imagination
XTC - Skylarking

 

The Alan Parsons Project - Tales of Mistery and Imagination

This one is completely, absolutely SUPERIOR to Alan Parsons' own 1986 remixed CD. Night and day difference.

 

Chiron -

Just a note that of my picks, only Muddy Waters's FOLK SINGER is a flat-out audiophile demo disc of the highest sound quality. The others are merely (!) five-star performances in the best sound I've heard. You'll note a preference for jazz and blues.

The R.E.M. gold discs are significantly better than the current regular issues. The Bob Marley disc has subterranean bass appropriate to the music. If I could add one more rock disc to your list, it'd be XTC's SKYLARKING.

And while the Cannonball Adderly and John Coltrane discs seem to get re-remastered somewhere around the world every other year, the MFSL gold discs remain the best issues I've heard of these Hard Bop classics. The recent RVG editions of these titles are a bit, ahem, sharp. (I haven't heard previous Japanese editions, however: $$$).

The MFSL Bobby Bland is preferable to the current MCA catalog equivalents. It and the otherwise unavailable Sarah Vaughan are tough finds, though. The SONNY & TERRY disc is just flat-out enjoyable, and can still be had for less than original asking price.

One MFSL to avoid, for price and sound, is WHO'S NEXT. Another couple discs that aren't as good as the current regular issues include the Aretha Franklin titles, due to MFSL using the weaker stereo mixes.

 

Dave's avatar says it all.

Another prime example of MFSL is the BOC 2 for 1

 

Low Spark - Traffic

 

Traffic - Shootout At The Fantasy Factory
U2 - Joshua Tree
Robin Trower - Bridge Of Sighs
Pink Floyd - The Wall
Blue Oyster Cult - first 2 albums on 1 CD

I did not like Lennon's Double Fantasy that much. It's better than the normal CD, but the vocals still sound thin.

 

Never a UDI - UDCD 564 Robert Cray Strong Persuader

Supposedly a UDI, but as far as I know, no one has seen it - UDCD 565 Tom Petty Hard Promises, UDCD 567 John Lee Hooker The Healer

The absolute worst UDIs are:

1. UDCD 506 Dave Grisman -- Hot Dawg
2. UDCD 508 Various -- A Very Special Christmas
3. UDCD 547 John Coltrane -- Blue Train

These are absolute trash. If you ever see one, just call me and I'll make sure they are disposed of correctly.

Regards,
Geoff

 

Allright, here's what I've got so far on the avoid list:

The Who - Who's Next and Live at Leeds
Aretha Franklin - I Never Loved A Man... & Lady Soul/Aretha Now
The Kinks - The Kinks/Kinda Kinks
Queen - A Night At The Opera (DCC version instead)

Plus, I don't think I'm going to buy any titles from The Pointer Sisters or Guns N Roses. Actually, is there any reason to get any MFSL's of albums made in the 90's? I mean, since digital masters are used, that they don't sound too different than their regular counterparts, right? Fill me in...

 

More titles:

Blue Oyster Cult - Tyranny and Mutation/Blue Oyster Cult
Traffic - Low Spark of the High-Heeled Boys
Traffic - Shoot out at the Fantasy Factory
U2 - The Joshua Tree
Robin Trower - Bridge of Sighs


(So it seems the UD1's technically end at 563-Cannoball Adderly Somethin Else)

EDIT: Couldn't forget Surfing With The Alien...

 

Chiron,

Here is the post you requested moved from the other MFSL thread...

Any artist on MFSL between the catalog numbers UDCD 503 to UDCD 567 with only a couple of exceptions that you enjoy should be in your collection. MFSL Aluminum CD's are also desired for your collection as their sound is often better than the UD2's. Here's a place to do the homework. http://www.aurealm.com/

Now, the ones that I don't like are Pink Floyd: Dark Side Of The Moon as the Japanese pressing for the US. Toshiba/EMI is by far superior. The Wall as the first issued N. American pressings are miles away from the MFSL. I also prefer any of the DCC's over the MFSL's as they are sonically better as evidenced time and time again. Even Steve's MCA Who masterings are better than the MFSL Who masterings. Same with the Beach Boys. BTW Tom Petty: Hard Promises and John Lee Hooker: The Healer were only made as UD2's. All of the others are fantastic as far as the UD1's go with Boz Scaggs: Silk Degrees standing out front for me personally.

In regards to your list here the Bobby Bland MFSL is actually an MFSL Aluminum as is Sarah Vaughan.

John Lennon & Yoko Ono - Double Fantasy
Dr. John - Gumbo/In The Right Place (2 'fer)
Bobby Bland - TOUCH OF THE BLUES & SPOTLIGHTING THE MAN
Derek & The Dominos - LAYLA & OTHER ASSORTED LOVE SONGS
Bob Marley- EXODUS
R.E.M. - MURMUR
R.E.M. - RECKONING
Sonny Terry & Brownie McGee - SONNY & TERRY
Sarah Vaughan - LIVE IN JAPAN
Muddy Waters - FOLK SINGER
Simon and Garfunkel - Bookends
The Alan Parsons Project - Tales of Mystery & Imagination

The only 2 that I don't like are the R.E.M simply because they are bright by the choice of mastering decisions that were made. However, they are still the best sounding of those albums available on CD. The others are all great.

PS. All in one man's humble opinion.

 

Blood, Sweat and Tears ... of course this was always a very well-recorded work, to begin with. MFSL did an excellent job, though.