Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (MFSL, or "MoFi") is a company that produces audiophile releases of classic CDs and vinyl records.

Many commercial CDs undergo dynamic range compression in order to sound "louder" when played on radio or low-end systems. Some consider this detrimental to the sound quality when reproduced on high-quality equipment. Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab releases are highly desirable due to their attention to detail concerning the audio mastering process. Some of the techniques used are half-speed mastering and pressing gold-plated CDs. MFSL also releases record albums meant to be played at 45 RPM instead of the standard 33â…“ RPM, for better sound quality. These albums must be released on two or three discs, as less music can be held at increased speed.

MFSL only acquires the license to reproduce releases for a specific time period, and because of the limited quantities produced, they are highly sought after.

The Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab Philosophy

Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab's ongoing quest is to deliver the foremost sounding audio entertainment software that technological innovation can provide. From our first UHQRâ„¢ vinyl LP to our latest Ultradisc UHRâ„¢ SACD, we have been and will remain a steadfast innovator in the audiophile frontier. We further believe that technological development serves best when accompanied by a profound awareness and appreciation for the elusive magic and mystery that comprises music itself. Our greatest hope is that our products will serve as conduits for ears ands souls to experience premium, pure, natural sound reproduction of diverse, pre-eminent original master recordings across the entire musical spectrum.


...Probably their second best album, this one marks the transition into the stable, steady and flourishing period of 1969-71 - the brief shining moment when Procol Harum was, arguably, the world's best art rock band. Of course, the individual albums and songs varied in quality, but the richness of sound generally just couldn't be topped, and, moreover, they were probably the only band that managed not to sound pretentious by tackling material which in any other hands would only cause brows to be raised and shoulders to be shrugged. Shine On Brightly, even with all of its glorious highlights, was somewhat patchy and insecure - it was like they were painfully trying to find the perfect balance between all band members, and ended up almost disqualifying Trower. A Salty Dog finds the band in perfect state: the songs are still mostly based on Brooker/Fisher's piano/organ interplay, but Trower's guitar re-instates itself as a third equal and, in fact, quite a lot of songs on here are only made significant by Trower's contributions (most notably 'The Milk Of Human Kindness' and 'All This More').
Here they abandon the pomposity of 'In Held Twas In I' and mostly stick to relatively short, tight, compact songs, few of which have as much immediate impact as their debut album (that is, if you heard that one first), but most of which turn out to be little musical chef-d'aeuvres in the end. Keith Reid is also at the peak of his lyricist talents, turning in one blistering set of imagery after another and interchanging them with emotional confessions. The title track is a genuine Procol classic - when the orchestra comes in, it's like I'm right there in the middle of the sea together with the salty dog, in the 'parts unknown to men/Where ships come home to die'. It sounds very close to 'A Whiter Shade Of Pale' and yet it ain't no rip-off, 'cause the mood it sets on you is totally different. Anyway, stop crabbing and realize that Procol Harum is probably the only art-rock band in the world that could make real good use of strings when it came to orchestration.
Then there's the menacing, almost burning 'The Milk Of Human Kindness', highlighted by fantastic Brooker/Trower interplay; that fuzzy guitar riff simply shakes my bowels and the 'quiet desperation' of the song is unsurpassed. 'Too Much Between Us' is another nice ballad built on acoustic guitar, although I admit it might sound boring to you if you're not in the mood; me, I find the melody charming in its almost childish naivety, and Brooker's plaintive, sentimental rerrain is so sensitive and movving that it almost makes one cry. Trower shines on the rockers 'The Devil Came From Kansas' (although this is probably one of the weakest tunes on here, because the melody is totally primitive and they don't compensate it with their pedestrian singing either) and 'All This And More' (much, much better, the second best guitar line on the album is here - Trower's climactic flourishes after each verse are exceptional, almost trumpet-imitating).
The album's also much more democratic than before: not only are Trower and Fisher allowed to offer their own contributions (most of the songs on the previous two albums are credited to Brooker/Reid), they're even allowed to sing them - and they got better voices than Gary, even though all the diehard fans might disagree. Well, screw the diehard fans, I say. Have you heard 'Crucifiction Lane'? It's built on the same generic melody that's featured on 'House Of The Rising Sun' and that the Stones would simply steal for 'I Got The Blues' two years later (which is, strange enough, a worse song than this), but somehow they manage to make the best out of it, and Robin offers a blistering solo, too. Fisher's contributions aren't bad, either: 'Boredom' is folkish fun and 'Wreck Of The Hesperus' is the album's second orchestrated epic (besides the title track). It was like Matthew was holding a competition with Brooker, but I'm not sure who won. Gary probably won in the 'commercial' sense, since it's 'A Salty Dog' that became a fan favourite, but 'Wreck Of The Hesperus' is almost just as good. Funny thing: George Harrison, a close friend of Brooker, also wrote a song called 'Wreck Of The Hesperus' for his 1987 Cloud 9 album. But that's a different matter. Fisher also gets the honour of closing the album with the contemplative 'Pilgrim's Progress', a relative throwaway but a pleasant tune by itself.
The only misfire is Trower's two-minute 'Juicy John Pink', a raw recording of a heavy blues tune: it doesn't sound at all bad, but it just doesn't fit in with the band's sound. I don't mind diversity, but this is a peculiar oddity rather than an attempt to diversify the style. Get that on a B-side and gimme something like 'Boredom' instead. But, anyway, this is as cleverly crafted a collection of songs as you're ever going to get. Yes, the sound is a wee bit more uniform than before, but you have to get over that. After all, this is what they call symph rock, isn't it? Classical music transformed into rock. Few bands managed the transgression; get this record and learn all the benefits of great art rock.
But I warn you - you'll have to relax and get into it. This ain't the kind of music that makes you clench your fist or tap your feet. No music-hall sendups here, either: everything is getting very serious. That's why I can't quite award this a 10: too much mid-tempo and too much sameyness. I really can't blame the melodies, but I think that the album's structure and composition leave something to be desired. Although I certainly can see as to why this is universally acclaimed as the band's finest moment, and is generally the diehards' best bet for a true chef-d'oeuvre...



Download (Rapidshare.com):
A Salty Dog MFSL - Part One
A Salty Dog MFSL - Part Two
A Salty Dog MFSL - Part Three

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Pass: www.AvaxHome.ru

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A SONIC WORK OF ART. This Rare long Out-Of-Print Aluminium CD Album is an audiophile collectors item that simply gives the feeling of being directly in the studio with the artist. This recording is mastered from the Original Session Tapes and the disc is custom pressed. These gems are the Lambo's of the audiophile CD market. Many over the last year have rised in value for more then 5 times. You will be one of only a few thousand in the world owning this audiophile classic release! Another one MUST HAVE... You need FEURIO,NERO, Alcohol, EAC to burn image to music CD; load CUE file... easy... :-)

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The Show Must Go On!