Bob Dylan LP remasters by Mobile Fidelity starting w/Freewheelin' & Another Side...

Thanks. I'm in the process of collecting the MoFi releases but I tend to listen to a lot of music on my phone with my expensive headphones through Poweramp, so I was wondering which digital versions were the best.

 

Local record stores tend to get large boxes full of LPs, carried into the store by the UPS man. If you order a single MOFI LP from Music Direct, it may be delivered by a FedEx driver who flings it like a frisbee onto your porch from the sidewalk. That’s been my experience with seam splits on MOFI records. In fairness, that treatment would cause seam splits on any record. It happens from rough handling—the record shifts within the sleeve.

 

I’ve probably received four or five shipments from Music Direct over the past year. For some of them, I’ve been home when the driver arrived, for others I haven’t. When the driver drops off the packages at my house, nine times out of ten, he or she puts the package in a chair on my front porch. I’ve never experienced the driver who “flings packages like a frisbee” at my house. The USPS driver who regularly comes to my house doesn’t do that, nor do the UPS or other delivery service drivers.

Again, to me, Music Direct’s packaging is as good as it gets. On the rare occasions where I have asked to return a record, they have also given me a no questions asked return with no hassle.

 

The Mofi are the best digital releases (except maybe for H61R stereo and Nashville Skyline).

The Hi-Res downloads are yet again different remasters from the 2003 SACDs, and the mixes are the most up to date official versions of the mixes -meaning 1999-2005 remixes or in some cases reverting back to the original mix remastered (Street Legal). It is a mess to keep track of, but they sound good.

Sadly ISIS is not up to date and has some errors.

 

I wish I had your driver. I’m speaking from experience, not making a broad generalization, to be clear. I’ve watched my driver throw packages onto my porch from the sidewalk. My home office overlooks my front gate. The last several packages I’ve received from Music Direct have been MOFIs that arrive with split seams. Their packaging can’t save a forceful throw with a hard stop against a door or wall.

 

Music Direct has excellent packaging. Nonetheless, I’ve had multiple LPs with seam splits. Much more frequently than other, non-MFSL releases. Including several Dylan albums.

 

For digital (I don't want to go off topic, so I am linking you to my list of favorite Dylan digital), this thread should help: Dylan on MFSL SACD: which ones are definitive? stereo & mono

 

I’ve never had this problem with Music Direct, with LPs from any label. I’ve quit ordering LPs from Amazon, because I find they do tend to stick albums in big, loose, boxes where they can rattle around in transit.

 

Acoustic Sounds also has great packaging for LPs. Never had a problem with either them or MD.

 

You may want to check the current prices of those MoFi releases on Discogs. Some of them at original retail may be a heck of a deal.

 

How is it that some of these Dylan mono 45 issues (limited to 3,000) are still available some 4 years later? I don't recall there being any criticism or lackluster impressions.

 

Because there aren't really that many people that 1) collect vinyl, and 2) collect audiophile 45rpm vinyl, and 3) are fans of Bob Dylan, and 4) prefer, or are even aware of, the mono mixes, and 5) are down to pay $50 for one of these.

 

Probably has a lot to do with the quality, value and availability of the Sony mono AAA box.

 

The minute they run out they will be priced $200 on Discogs. The MoFi out of print titles are escalating in value weekly, and are difficult to find from a US seller.

 

They sound amazing. My theory is that so many listeners already bought the stereo counterparts (which came out 1st) and that when the monos were released a lot of people didn’t feel the need to double dip. I agree that when they go OOP they will escalate in value.

 

I’m surprised there aren’t 3,000 such people in the world. The MoFi double 45 rpm Freewheelin’ mono and the MoFis of the other early mono “one man and a guitar” LPs are in the top five percent of records I own. I have original mono pressings of the all the albums except for the debut, and I never play them anymore. Because the MoFis are definitive.

My theory as to why they haven’t sold out is that most of the people in the target market, including me, have already bought some or all of these albums 1) in the original Columbia two-eye monos, 2) the Sundazed mono vinyl reissues, and 3) the Sony CD and LP mono box. Not to mention the stereo 2003 SACDs. The Sundazed LPs and the Sony mono box are good for what they are, but the MoFis are just on a different level. I agree that prices on these will skyrocket once the original 3,000 copies are finally gone.

 

Today I got the notification that my backorder of the Oh Mercy 45 RPM from importcds was cancelled (from 11/11). I searched for the item on their site and it is not listed anymore.

 

Just my thoughts. I have all the MoFi stuff by Bob on vinyl and sacd. The electric band album Highway 61 Revisited really does benefit both in stereo and mono being spread across 2 45rpm records as does the stereo Blonde on Blonde. Also Desire. The early one voice guitar and harmonica (a piano on Another Side) do sound lovely both mono and stereo but I do like the Sony mono vinyl box. The downside of course particularly in my country is the high cost.

 

Finally got a chance to spin MoFi “Love and Theft” last night and it sounded great! Much better than the standard reissue LP from Sony. I have all of the Dylan Mofi titles, so glad i invested in them as they have and continue to bring hours of joy into my otherwise dull life!

 

I have a Mofi of every Dylan title they have released. For the albums that have a stereo and a mono version, I just have the mono versions. These are among the nicest sounding records in my collection, and Dylan is a favorite artist so I’m very glad to have these.

With the Mofi release of Love and Theft, I’m cautiously optimistic that we could see Mofi versions of more “modern” Dylan titles.

 

I’m looking for the rest of the 70s lps. And that Mofi collection gap I have right now from a lack of Self Portrait and GH II Mofis doesn’t sit well at all.

 

Amen. Street Legal and Slow Train are worthy of the Mofi treatment. I actually don’t have the GH Mofi as I’m kinda anti-greatest hits albums, despite the fact that many years ago the CD was my 1st proper introduction to Bob. If nothing else, Self Portrait needs to happen to connect the run of studio albums.


With the excitement around Love and Theft one would think that Time Out of Mind and Modern Times would also do well with buyers.

 

There isn't anything different about Mofi Jackets they use the same materials (printed at Stoughton) going to the other labels that use the same ones.
The vast majority of seam splits are due to shipping damage, especially when one or 2 LP's are mailed in a box that gets banged around.
Shipping bigger boxes to retail stores is probably safer, when the box is full and quite tightly packed.

I ordered the 4 Dire Straits Mofi LPs, from the Mofi site last year, and all 4 were badly seam split on the bottom edge.
They were sent UPS in a loosely packed box from Chicago to Florida. I own 40-50 other Mofi titles
that were purchased either instore or from Acoustic Sounds (gold standard of boxing), and haven't had another split.

Same for all the Analogue Productions, Intervention Records, MMJ, Tone Poets and most other LP's
that use the same jacket. They aren't prone to seam splits unless the box gets hammered.

 

I think that's a myth.

 

Perhaps, but I had three RSD titles – all in thin gatefolds with shrink-wrap – that were pretty badly warped. One was pressed at Pallas, from which I don't think I've ever got a warped disc.

Obviously, I can only speculate, but as most of these titles were pressed and package before the original April RSD date, I suspect they were perhaps not stored correctly for the many months they sat around. And that's where the tight shrink, combined with thin jackets that bend under the pressure, can, I suspect, come into play.

I know, not really relevant to this thread, as MoFi's jackets are superb, just an observation prompted by these messages.