Buckingham Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham & Stevie Nicks, Rhino High Fidelity Records (33 RPM LP)
Kevin Gray's success with the Fleetwood Mac discography and related recordings continues to amaze. My go to copy for Rumors is the 2020 45 RPM reissue cut and mastered by Kevin Gray along with Steve Hoffman. My go to copy for the Fleetwood Mac (self-titled) album is the 2025 33 RPM Rhino High Fidelity reissue also cut by Kevin Gray. And now we have the 2025 33 RPM Rhino High Fidelity Buckingham Nicks reissue, again cut by Kevin Gray. The good vibes keep on flowing!
This latest reissue has all the standard Rhino High Fidelity perks and advantages. Maybe we have grown so accustomed to these differentiators that we have now taken the Rhino High Fidelity reissues for granite. We shouldn't! For the $39.98 list price, Rhino has really found the sweet spot. You get a limited edition and numbered album (limited to 5000), which is impeccably pressed on 180 gram vinyl at Optimal in Germany. Very flat and very quiet. You get a beautiful heavyweight glossy gatefold jacket and a distinctive OBI with album and pressing information. This reissue also features an exclusive insert with new liner notes from David Fricke in conversation with both Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham. And lastly, but possibly most importantly, we have this new cut provided by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes.
Released in 1973 on the Polydor label, I think we all know the story by now. Recorded at the famous Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, CA, Mick Fleetwood was introduced to the music from this recording by the album producer Keith Olson while visiting the studio. Guitarist Bob Welch had just left Fleetwood Mac, and Mick was looking for a replacement. A few calls later, both Lindsey and his girlfriend Stevie Nicks where all signed up. The story also goes that Lindsey insisted that Stevie had to be part of the deal, or it was no deal. The rest is history.
Apparently there are a couple of OG pressings floating around out there for potential comparisons. One was mastered by Robert Ludwig with the infamous Sterling RL in the deadwax. Another only has Sterling in the deadwax. The engineer who cut this second pressing has still yet to be identified. In any case, I only have a copy of the RL pressing for this review. From the first needle drop, I was quickly reminded how fantastic this OG really is. The sound was very dynamic and detailed. Bass was fairly substantial with good weight and authority. Mids were not exactly warm, but they were less glassy than many recordings from that era. There was definitely some RL magic going on.
This new Rhino High Fidelity reissue somehow manages to take the music to even a higher level of excellence and satisfaction. The soundstage is much more expansive in all directions. There is an inner density and resolution that makes virtually all the instruments and vocals much more clearly defined. The music literally jumps out of your loudspeakers with a new life and freshness. The overall tone at all frequencies is significantly more saturated and full bodied.
I especially loved the closely miked acoustic and electric guitar riffs throughout the album. Drums also had some additional whack and muscle. The track "Lola (My Love)" is a perfect example. Lindsey can sometimes just unsettle you with the clarity and visceral impact of his guitar on this track. Jim Keltner on drums is now unleashed with an immediacy and drive that is just not clearly articulated on the OG. Everything is nicely spread across the soundstage with a seamless transparency that is quite thrilling.
Now that this new reissue has really brought the album to the forefront with all the fanfare and exposure, no doubt that prices for the fairly rare OG will increase in price for interested collectors. The median price on Discogs is currently at $77 with a high of $225. For me, this new Rhino High Fidelity reissue is the one to own, and at a much more reasonable price! Before it's too late or too expensive, I highly recommend that you grab a numbered copy (sold out on Rhino but available on Discogs), or an un-numbered copy (still available from Rhino). Such a fantastic album and it now sounds better than ever!
Purple Rain, Prince And The Revolution, Because Sound Matters (33 RPM LP, One-Step)
When some folks use the term "iconic" for almost every album, I find that it is typically more hyperbole than reality. In the case of Purple Rain, nothing could be more appropriate then the use of this descriptor! Many readers have told me that this album often played an important role in their younger years, and also even later in life. I remember a time during the 1980's that seemingly every bar that I entered had one or two tracks playing on the juke box, with multiple couples letting it all hang out on the dance floor. Wonderful music for wonderful times!
Released in 1984 on the Warner Brothers label, Purple Rain was Prince's sixth album and it was his first to reach number one on the Billboard 200. It remained number one for 167 weeks. Purple Rain won Grammy Awards for "Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group," and "Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media." It also won the Academy Award for "Best Original Score." Purple Rain has sold over 25 million copies worldwide and was certified 13X Platinum by the RIAA in 1996. Rolling Stone named Purple Rain number 8 on its 2020 ranking of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time." Lastly, the album was added to the Library of Congress National Recording Registry in 2012. Yes, Purple Rain was a huge success and is loved and adored by many!
As with most of Prince's albums, the music on Purple Rain has been described as extremely creative if not experimental. Though there are clear ties to both Rock and Rhythm & Blues, there is also plenty of quieter acoustic elements in contrast to several huge swings of keyboards, synthesizers, and drum machines. The music is broad and expansive with somewhat of a large band feel on certain passages. It has also been stated by Prince himself and band members, that many of the compositions and melodies were a true collaborative effort. Prince was supposedly very open minded and aggressively sought out new ideas and originality.
Though I have not been able to verify it, one interesting piece of folklore ties the song "Purple Rain" to Stevie Nicks, who was of course a member of Fleetwood Mac at that time (see above review). The song was supposedly written as a country song, and was allegedly offered to Stevie as a potential collaboration. Prince would write the instrumental elements and Stevie would write the lyrics. In the end, Stevie turned it down. I can only wonder how even more fun this song could have been!
Selecting Purple Rain for a One-Step treatment was assuredly an inspirational choice by Tom "Grover" Biery, one of the key strategic and marketing leaders over at "Because Sound Matters." I also love his other One-Step selections, which includes titles from Green Day, Linkin Park, k.d. lang, and now Prince (Purple Rain) and Tom Petty (Wild Flowers). He even has something up his sleeve for Chet Baker (to be announced soon). Limited to 6000 numbered copies, Purple Rain is packaged in an attractive and uniquely designed purple and gold slipcase, and with a heavy weight premium gatefold tip-on jacket. You also get the original poster and inner sleeve that came with the OG. Cut at 33 RPM by Levi Seitz at Black Belt Mastering, and pressed at RTI on Neotech VR-900-D2 180 gram vinyl, this reissue was a true labor of love by Tom and his entire team from every perspective. Details matter and they definitely got it right!
I also appreciate the honesty and the information provided on the cutting process. As stated on the slipcover and on the Because Sound Matters website, the primary source utilized for this One-Step was a one-off 192kHz/24-bit digital copy or file of the original EQ'd analog master tapes. Tom felt that even though the original master tapes were in reasonable shape after repeated use for many years, it was more important to preserve that tape by using a digital copy for production. This instead of trying to use it multiple more times to produce 6000 One-Step pressings. Either way, the results are superb and that's what most important! See my comments on sound quality below.
I have the original 1984 OG mastered by Bernie Grundman for comparison. Not an audiophile recording, I still find it to be quite entertaining with plenty of energy and excitement. There is a bunch going on here with layers and layers of instruments and vocals, so I can imagine that the engineers had some distinct challenges while trying to sort it all out. I am only guessing, but possibly for this very reason, there was a slight smearing and edge to some of the tracks. The good news is that the music is so good, that it was easy to ignore this. Surprisingly, my pressing was fairly quiet with only a few ticks and pops, which allowed the music to nicely shine into the listening room and without too much distraction.
In contrast, this new One-Step is more consistent from top to bottom. I would not use the term "warm" to describe what I was hearing, but that smearing effect and edge that I mentioned earlier was eliminated, and was now replaced with additional depth, detail and dynamics (the big three as my audio buds like to say). The opening track, "Let's Go Crazy" is a perfect example. Instruments and vocals were now more clearly delineated and three dimensional. The sound stage expanded and there was seemingly a new and remarkable sense of presence and palpability. Supplementing it all was a rhythmic vitality and punch that really had me tapping my toes and slapping my knees. Congrats to Tom, Levi and the entire team for another fantastic success story!
Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Mofi (33 RPM LP)
Mofi has been on a roll lately, yet some of their most recent reissues have been slightly under the radar. Yes, the elephant in the room might still be the controversial digital step used in their cutting process. Typically, the process includes a 15 IPS analog master tape copied to a DSD 256 file, then converted and delivered to an analog console, and then lacquers are cut on a lathe for the final step. You can search and read elsewhere on this topic for more detail. The bottom line though, is how does this new reissue sound?
In the case of recent Mofi reissues like Joni Mitchell Hejira (1Step), Santana Abraxas (Supervinyl), Simon & Garfunkel Bookends (Supervinyl), and Lou Reed Berlin (standard vinyl), you have some of the very best sound quality ever for each of these titles. Some might even say that these are the definitive pressings for each.
In addition to the above, the pressing quality coming out of the new Fidelity Record Pressing plant in Oxnard, CA, might just be the best in the industry. The Fidelity Record Pressing plant is owned by the Music Direct/Mofi parent company and it now produces all of the Mofi reissues. This manufacturing quality has set new standards for the ears of many, and has been attracting some of the most important labels and artists to their doorstep, well beyond just the Mofi label.
With all of this backstory information in hand, lets discuss the subject of this review. Originally released in 1971 on the Cotillion Records label in the USA, the album Emerson, Lake & Palmer was the debut album for the band. As somewhat of a supergroup, this trio quickly evolved into one of the most important Progressive Rock bands ever. Keith Emerson (organ and synthesizer) from the Nice, Greg Lake (bass and vocals) from King Crimson, and Carl Palmer (drums) from Atomic Rooster, all provided an eclectic combination of Classical, Rock and even Jazz composition and instrumental skills.
Much of the music on this debut album were Rock adaptations and re-arrangements. This included "The Barbarian" which was based on "Allegro barbaro" by Béla Bartók. "The Three Fates," is based on the Greek myth of the three Moirai (Fates), who were Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos. This three-part suite is named after each of these sisters who were all said to have critical roles in determining the future of the human race. There were also original songs like "Take a Pebble" and "Lucky Man", which were both written by Greg Lake and released as singles.
My only personal experience with ELP was at a concert back in 1978 in the Assembly Hall at the University of Illinois. It was quite memorable for many reasons. All three of these musicians were at the top of their game. All of their musicianship and technical skills were greatly on display. Many argue that Keith Emerson on organ and synthesizer was the most impressive musician in the group, but for me it was Carl Palmer on drums. I have seen some great drummers over the years: John Bonham, Keith Moon, Neil Peart and even Max Roach and Art Blakey. I have never seen anyone who could better Carl Palmer when it comes to basic rudiments, speed, dynamic control and pure physical power.
I have the 1971 OG on the Cotillion Records label for comparison. I also have the 2013 Music On Vinyl (MOV) reissue remixed by Steven Wilson. Though visually in mint condition, the OG falls short from every perspective. Noisy vinyl (even after a double cleaning), and a lack of proper weight and dynamics keeps this one on the shelf for collection purposes only. The MOV is much more interesting. Though Steven Wilson has his fans and critics, I feel like he did a good job on this one. This is a two LP reissue with several outtakes and additional bonus material. For this reason alone it is worth having. I found that his remix had a nice balance of three dimensionality, speed and bottom end muscle. The four different versions of "Lucky Man" were especially impressive—until the Mofi hit the turntable platter!
Bottom line. The new Mofi is the one! I immediately heard many details that just seemed to be smeared over if not completely hidden on the above two pressings. There was now a lifelike immediacy and dynamic verve on all the tracks that really pulled you into the music. On "Lucky Man," the Mofi left the MOV in the dust, as the Moog synthesizer had so much more bottom end wallup that it was almost physically startling. Tight, tight and more tight! Acoustic guitar had a texture and timbral purity that was now more realistic if not thrilling. Greg Lake on vocals was clearly defined with a liquidity and bloom that I have never experienced before in his voice.
All of this was realized with an amazingly quiet and flat vinyl pressing from the Fidelity Record Pressing plant. For your $39.98, you truly do get some top notch value and performance. I cannot wait to hear the new Mofi ELP reissue for Tarkus! My hope is that down the road we will also get ELP reissues for Trilogy and Pictures at an Exhibition. Job well done Mofi! Lets keep the momentum going!
Proper Perspective And Caveats
It cannot be overstated that system synergy and personal taste are critical when evaluating high-end audio products and music. These reviews are based on my subjective listening priorities, my specific system configuration, and my specific listening room. This combination is only one data point of many that exist out there for my components and the music that is played. Please consider my comments and analysis appropriately.
Review System
I have included a comprehensive list of all my components and a description of my listening room. Please click on my name in red above if this information is needed for reference and comparison purposes.
