Dave's MFSL CD recommendations

Revised by: Gary at the request of Dave on Dec 20, 2006.

For the MFSL Aluminums...I've only heard one bad one. MFCD 1-898
Allegro Jazz Ensemble: Sphinx.

Not everyone might agree and that's ok. If you are sure of a better version please speak up, but let's not turn this into a major debate thread. If it's not here either I haven't heard it or it doesn't sound the best. Thanks.

My MFSL Gold CD recommendations: *= UD only, not UDII

UDCD 505 Supertramp: Crime of the Century *

UDCD 507 Blind Faith: Blind Faith *

UDCD 512 Moody Blues: Days of Future Passed *

UDCD 513 Allman Brothers Band: Eat a Peach *

UDCD 516 Elton John Madman Across the Water

UDCD 518 Pink Floyd: Meddle *

UDCD 519 Cat Stevens: Tea for the Tillerman *

UDCD 520 Def Leppard: Pyromania *

UDCD 523 Jefferson Airplane: Crown of Creation

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 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 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 550 The Who: Quadrophenia *

UDCD 551 Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Damn the Torpedoes *

UDCD 552 Santana Abraxas (under review)

UDCD 553 Eric Clapton: Slowhand *

UDCD 554 Stevie Wonder: Innervisions *

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 561 The Who: Who are You *

UDCD 562 Cream: Disraeli Gears *

UDCD 564 Robert Cray: Strong Persuader (not perfect, but still the best I've heard)

UDCD 565 Tom Petty: Hard Promises

UDCD 567 John Lee Hooker: The Healer

UDCD 569 Rush: Moving Pictures

UDCD 572 Traffic: Mr. Fantasy

UDCD 573 Dave Mason: Alone Together

UDCD 574 Aretha Franklin: I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You

UDCD 575 Otis Redding: Otis Blue / Otis Redding Sings Soul

UDCD 576 Moody Blues: In Search of the Lost Chord

UDCD 577 Albert King: Born Under a Bad Sign

UDCD 578 Manhatten Transfer: Extensions

UDCD 579 Steve Winwood: Arc of a Diver

UDCD 584 Neil Diamond: Hot August Night

UDCD 585 Derek & The Dominos Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (under review)

UDCD 593 Muddy Waters: Folk Singer

UDCD 594 Eric Clapton: 461 Ocean Boulevard

UDCD 600 John Lennon & Yoko Ono: Double Fantasy

UDCD 606 Alan Parsons Project: Tales of Mystery and Imagination

UDCD 609 Traffic: The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys

UDCD 611 Steve Winwood: Back in the High Life

UDCD 618 Robbie Robertson: Robbie Robertson

UDCD 619 Dr. John: In the Right Place / Gumbo

UDCD 620 Albert Collins, Robert Cray & Johnny Copeland: Showdown!

UDCD 624 U2: The Unforgettable Fire

UDCD 629 Traffic: Traffic

UDCD 635 Albert Collins: Cold Snap

UDCD 645 Howlin' Wolf: The Real Folk Blues

UDCD 649 Cat Stevens: Teaser and the Firecat (possibly not the best though)

UDCD 650 U2: The Joshua Tree (not great, but the best I've heard so far)

UDCD 651 Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong: Ella & Louis Again

UDCD 658 Billie Holiday: Body and Soul

UDCD 659 B.B. King: Lucille (Perhaps not the best, but still decent)

UDCD 661 Cat Stevens: Three: Numbers, IZITSO & Back to Earth (3 CD Set)

UDCD 669 Traffic: Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory

UDCD 674 Steve Winwood: Talking Back to the Night

UDCD 675 Iron Butterfly: In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida

UDCD 676 Canned Heat & John Lee Hooker: Hooker 'N' Heat (just ok IMO)

UDCD 678 Peter Frampton: Frampton Comes Alive!

UDCD 684 Robin Trower: Bridge Of Sighs

UDCD 687 Ten Years After: Ssssh / Cricklewood Green

UDCD 691 Steve Winwood: Steve Winwood

UDCD 702 Ted Hawkins: The Next Hundred Years

UDCD 704 John Hiatt: Riding With The King

UDCD 709 Cheap Trick: Live at Budokan

UDCD 714 Steppenwolf: Steppenwolf

UDCD 715 Edgar Winter: Edgar Winter's White Trash

UDCD 721 Don Henley: End of the Innocence (better than the standard version)

UDCD 723 Stevie Ray Vaughan: The Sky Is Crying

UDCD 730 Tears For Fears: Songs from the Big Chair

UDCD 732 Simon & Garfunkel: Bookends

UDCD 735 Tom Petty: Full Moon Fever (better than the standard version)

UDCD 742 Blood, Sweat & Tears: Child is Father to the Man

UDCD 747 Toto: Toto IV

UDCD 753 Winter, Johnny: Second Winter

UDCD 757 Duke Ellington: Blues In Orbit (Dual Layered SACD/DSD)

 

Dave,

Thanks for posting your MFSL list.



Ed Hurdle
HeavyDistortion

 

This info is a natural for Keith's audiophile wiki. Dave, okay if we paste it in there, too?

And thanks for posting the list.

 

Hi Dave,

THANKS!

The only one's i don't agree w/ are that i think Joshua Tree is much better than The Unforgettable Fire (which is one of my least fav's for MFSL) and i just find the MFSL Aja to sizzle my ears. Nevertheless, your list supports my opinion that the vast majority of the MFSL's are very good!

Thanks again, Mr. Digital,
Jeffrey

 

I dumped both Aja and Gaucho since they were too bright for me...there was just something about them that was unpleasant and I never liked the sound of them. Lately, though, I'm finding anything Gaucho and after to be overly clinical and antiseptic, which to me is the production technique and not the particular recording...albums like Royal Scam just sound "meatier" (for lack of a better term). I'm not even enjoying the DVD-A or SACD titles either, at all. (I've probably played them only a couple of times each, and since I only do two-channel, maybe I'm missing something?) I'm at the point now where I'd probably be happier with some "scratchy old rekkids". Aja on MoFi vinyl is still bright, but not as much as the CD was, IMHO.

This one's difficult to describe. It might be a good sounding version, but it's basically a doctored, partly remixed version of the original album. Universal's "Remastered Classics" series is the one to get: it's the original LP mixed, undoctored and unfutzed with. No, not a sonic knockout, but certainly not bad either. Far as I can tell, it's pretty much a good, straight transfer of the original LP master, warts and all.

 

Dave,

The MoFi aluminum is the *only* CD release for this title. What did you compare it with to come to this conclusion?

 

Dave,

With all that gold, you give Fort Knox a run for their money.

Seriously, thanks for posting this.

 

Didn't need to. It just sounds bad.

 

Dave, is the Don McLean/American Pie omitted because you didn't hear it, or because it was bad? Thanks again for posting this!

 

Thank you Dave!!!
Still kicking myself for not picking up that Steppenwolf...

 

Dave,

So, do like the sound of MoFi's smiley face EQ? I ask because many of your recommendations (ie. U2, Steely Dan, Rush, Gn'R, etc.) have it?

BTW, Thanks for posting your list?

 

Michael, I haven't heard it, but from what I've been told by someone whose ears I trust, I wouldn't even chance it myself.

 

Leppo, no I do not like it. The only reason I've listed those is because they are the best that I've heard so far and are better than the regular standard releases, such as they are.

 

Gardo, please feel free my friend.

 

How is "Toys in The Attic", just got off ebay for $20?

 

Rudy my man, Until I'm able to score a SH Aja, this is the best there is on CD IMO.

Yes, I knew about the Carpenters, but it still is mastered well.

 

Mastersound, not MFSL. The Japanese "First-Pressing" (regular Aluminum) is better IMO.

 

Dave,

Is it safe to assume then that you have not heard the original MCA CD of Aja for example? I ask because it's clearly *better* than the smiley faced MoFi. With most of your recommendations it would appear that the MoFi is the *only* version that you've heard. Is this true?

 

Yes I have heard the original MCA and I still think the MFSL is of better quality sound-wise. I do own the Roger Nichols master of Aja.

No, it isn't true. In fact, I have heard the majority (where applicable that they even exist) in both the original N. American pressings and the MFSL's.

 

So Dave,

Let me get this straight. Are you suggesting that *in general* you prefer a smiley faced Mofi CD instead of a flat original CD? I ask because you are *recommending* smiley faced CDs over flat originals while at the same time claiming to not like the smiley faced sound. Again, let me use Aja as an example. The MFSL is overly bright and bloated with the mid-range suck out while the original Nichols MCA CD is a flat transfer, which sounds more natural and better balanced – just like a clean original LP pressing. Personally in a case like this, I’ll take the flat transfer every time and unfortunately this is too often the case with MoFi.

 

Dave,

Thanks for the list! Wow! I had a lot of those, too bad I sold 'em all! Couldn't stand that EQ!

 

Dave...

are you sure Peter Frampton is a winner? No chance against the SACD or Deluxe Edition (IMHO)

 

No, that's not what I'm suggesting at all. I'm comparing them right now and the MFSL sounds more laid back and relaxed. Are listening to the UD2 version? I find the bass pumped up a bit on the Nichols version, in fact it almost sounds like some compression was used or possibly NR. I find the MFSL more realistic on my UD1. My version isn't smiley-faced eqed at all. Plenty of midrange on my version and no suck-out what-so-ever. I really don't know, perhaps my MCA isn't the Nichols version after all, but the MFSL I own doesn't sound hot in the top end like you are describing. As far as some of the recommendations ie. U2 etc., yes, they are smiley-faced, but like I stated in the begining post, I have yet to hear a better version and it easily beats the common domestic releases. I agree, they could be better, but until I hear one, this is it. BTW this does not apply to the UD1's between catalog numbers UDCD 504 to UDCD 567 so far.

 

Claus, I have heard the Deluxe edition and it is just too bright for me personally and I do like the MFSL better. The SACD I honestly can't comment on because I haven't heard it yet although I have been less than thrilled with most SACD releases. I know, I'm the different one.