Uncle Tupelo, Anodyne. Rhino High Fidelity (33 RPM LP)
Anodyne was Uncle Tupelo's swansong album and was released in 1993 on the Reprise label. Originally only released on CD, it was not offered on vinyl until 2010 on the Rhino label. The two key musicians and songwriters for Uncle Tupelo were Jeff Tweedy and Jay Farrar. After Anodyne, they each went their own way to form Wilco and Son Volt respectfully. The rumors for this split are endless, so I will not touch on that here, but you will find a quick search on the subject to be very interesting. Many are familiar with Wilco, but if this type of "Indy Country Rock" or "Americana" appeals to your musical taste, I strongly suggest that you check out the entire family tree. All three groups are considered iconic in their very own way.
All three had roots in the Midwest and specifically in the St. Louis (Missouri), Belleville (Illinois), and Chicago areas. I grew up in the Chicago suburbs and was quite enraptured with the music and the lineage. One of my favorite concerts ever was with Wilco at the Chicago Civic Opera House in December, 2011. My young daughter surprised me by purchasing the tickets herself and then inviting me to join her at the event. I will never forget it! If I were to make album recommendations for these groups during that era, I would start with the last by Uncle Tupelo (Anodyne), and with the followup first albums by Wilco (A.M.) and Son Volt (Trace). All three are considered classics! A.M. and now Anodyne have received the Rhino High Fidelity treatment. Come on Rhino, lets make it three for three with Trace!
I want to make sure that vinyl fans don't treat Anodyne as just another Rhino High Fidelity reissue. Some of us are starting to become somewhat spoiled by this series. We are truly very fortunate to have the master Kevin Gray cutting all of these albums, and for the excellent production and packaging that belies this price point! For roughly $40, you get a very high quality offering that includes a glossy tip-on gatefold jacket, a very cool OBI, and an excellent four page narrative/booklet with essay by Mark Denning. The vinyl is cut from the analog master tapes and pressed at Optimal in Germany on 180 gram vinyl. This is a limited numbered edition of 5000 copies. You get a incredible bang for your buck on virtually all the Rhino High Fidelity reissues, and this one belongs close to the top!
I have the original 2010 Rhino pressing. It's a rare one with median prices on Discogs of $83 and a high sale price of $176. Multiple listings include asking prices of well over $200. Despite the somewhat noisy vinyl, the sound quality is excellent. Expansive and lively, you will get a wall to wall and very musical presentation. You can't go wrong with this pressing (if you can find a clean copy), but the Rhino High Fidelity reissue takes the music even further.
Kevin does his magic again with additional detail and weight from top to bottom. Vocals are more clearly defined and upfront. Mids have a glorious warmth and richness. Bass is not overly stated, but seems appropriate for the way this music hits home and drives forward. One excellent example is the title track "Anodyne" by Jay Farrar. His vocals on this pressing shine with an urgency and emotion that makes this a true masterpiece. The guitars have a natural amount of crispness and bite that pulls you into the music. There is a wonderful rhythm and melody that only makes you admire this album even more! Highly, highly recommended!
Fleetwood Mac, Fleetwood Mac. Mofi UltraDisc One-Step (45 RPM LP's)
This Mofi UltraDisc One-Step reissue of the self-titled 1975 Fleetwood Mac album does not seem to be getting the love that it deserves! I have seen very few reviews on Youtube or the traditional periodicals and websites. This pressing is just yearning for a shootout with all the fantastic reissues out there from the past 50 years or so. That includes the 1975 original on the Reprise label and mastered at Kendun Recorders, which to many ears still beats them all. I do have a fair number of these pressings along with the original. That includes the 1979 Mofi (33 RPM) cut by Stan Ricker, the 2012 Reprise RSD (45 RPM) cut by Chris Bellman, the 2025 Rhino High Fidelity cut by Kevin Gray (33 RPM), and now this 2026 Mofi One-Step (45 RPM) cut by Krieg Wunderlich.
Yes, this number of pressings in one collection is slightly over the top, but this album is one of my all time favorites. I might even like it more than the iconic Rumors! While comparing, and thankfully for my ears and my sanity, I don't have the 2022 Reprise (33 RPM) cut by Chris Bellman, or the 2024 Vinyl Me Please (33 RPM) cut by Ryan K. Smith. I'm not going to list all of the Discogs median and high selling prices for each reissue as I typically do. Let's just say that for many of them, the asking prices are currently in the several hundreds of dollars. BTW, have you ever seen so many all-star Mastering Engineers take on the same title? Some might argue that this is what being an Audiophile is all about. That is, the passion to seek out the very best sound quality, production and packaging when it comes to one's most favorite albums. As stated below, let's not kill the messenger! It's all subjective. Can't we just have some fun with this?
As with all of Mofi's UltraDisc One-Step reissues, packaging and production are some of the finest in the industry. Limited to 7500 numbered copies, this includes an outer slip case with gold foil presentation, two high quality heavy stock LP jackets, and a two fold detailed insert with album and recording information. Again, this two LP 45 RPM reissue was cut by Krieg Wunderlich, who has really been on a roll. You have to admire his recent series of highly praised Mofi reissues for both Emerson, Lake and Palmer, and The Stooges. The Mofi mastering process includes several steps that utilize a 1/4" 30 IPS Dolby A analog master to DSD 256, then to analog console, and then directly to lathe. It was plated at Record Technology Incorporated and pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing on 180 gram vinyl. I must also state, that this relatively new pressing plant at Fidelity continues to produce some of the finest quality vinyl in the industry! This has become one of the best in class pressing facilities for both Mofi and many other labels.
Before diving in, let's take a step back with some background information on the album itself. Fleetwood Mac was the tenth studio album by the group, and the first with Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. As the story goes, Mick Fleetwood was visiting producer Keith Olson at the new Sound City Studios in Los Angeles, to check out the facility for future recording possibilities. While there, Olson played him several demos from the new and soon to be released Buckingham-Nicks album. Fleetwood was particularly enamored with Buckingham's guitar playing. After the departure of lead guitar Bob Welch from Fleetwood Mac, Fleetwood reached out to Buckingham to see if there could be a match. This also included a group interview and jam session with the other band members. When offered a job as lead guitarist, Buckingham agreed, but only if Nicks was included in a package deal. The rest is history. The album Fleetwood Mac reached number one on the Billboard 200, and was certified nine times platinum with sales of over nine million copies in the USA alone.
OK, let's dive in. This will not be a detailed comparison as space is limited. This type of analysis really does deserves a one hour Youtube video with a panel of vinyl community experts! We need to start off by stating that all of these pressings are fantastic and that each could easily be my one and only! The 1975 OG is exceptionally good. It offers plenty of detail and excitement. There is still a certain freshness to the pressing. The 1979 Mofi is not discussed much, but it's a keeper as it takes another step forward with additional transparency and slam. Despite other Mofi reissues at that time, I would not label this pressing as a "smiley face" cut, as I found it to be an excellent presentation on all levels.
The 2012 45 RPM Reprise/RSD was my go to for many years. I thought it could not be bettered. The 45 RPM advantages are very clear, as it has additional detail and three dimensionality. The sound stage is vast with pinpoint imaging and plenty of air around each instrument. The 2025 Rhino High Fidelity beat them all despite being only a 33 RPM cut. I am a huge admiror of everything that Kevin Gray gets his hands on, and in this case, the additional weight and texture in the mids and bass will dazzle your ears and captivate your emotions. Vocals and instruments seemed somewhat more pronounced and even more intimate, if that makes sense for a Classic Rock title.
Well, the 45 RPM Mofi UltraDisc One-Step came charging through the gate like a locomotive thoroughbred on steroids! The extremely quiet vinyl seemed to blanket the background with a blackness and clean slate that cranked everything up a few notches. Vocals and instruments had an amazing density and life like projection, that clearly differentiated the sound quality beyond all of the other highly acclaimed pressings. Despite all of this, the connection to the music was still both natural and harmonically correct. It just felt more right, yet still even more thrilling!
A great example of all of this, is the track "Blue Letter." This song throws a vast wall of sound at you that can smear the imaging and bury the vocals. Not here. The rhythm section with John McVie on bass and Mick Fleetwood on drums are now much more clearly delineated with a muscularity and impact that might just startle you. Lindsey Buckingham's guitar is right there before you as his vocals now just soar out from the sound stage. If you are seeking out the very best and/or considering the addition of this title to your collection for the first time, this is the one to have! Congrats to Mofi and Krieg Wunderlich for establishing a new benchmark!
Bud Shank, Holiday in Brazil. IMPEX Records (33 RPM LP)
Holiday in Brazil was a wonderful surprise! Thanks to Abey Fonn over at IMPEX Records for this recommendation, as I was not aware of how very special this title really is. We had a chance to chat at Axpona 2026, and her presentation/demonstration in the Schaumburg Room was superb as it always is each and every year. You have to admire Abey and her entire team for their excellent taste and continued success. I was also told from another source, that Bob Donnelly (IMPEX, Director of Quality Control) played an important role in this title selection. Based on this and several other choices from the past, someday I would love to see Bob's collection as he must have a room full of hidden and little known gems.
In 1953, Brazilian master guitarist Laurindo Almeida and altoist/flutist Bud Shank collaborated on their first LP for the Pacific Jazz label. Entitled Laurindo Almeida Quartet Featuring Bud Shank, it was an innovative if not trail blazing recording with a fabulous combination of Jazz and Brazilian Somba. This release was also reissued in 1991 on CD as Brazillance, Vol.1 on the World Pacific label.
Holiday in Brazil, also on the World Pacific label. This second recording was then reissued in 1962 as Brazillance, Vol.2. Now IMPEX has reissued this second recording in 2026 as Holiday in Brazil. Whew! I hope that I got this all correct, as I wanted to help all those folks who might have an interest in the vinyl, but who may first want to get a taste of this album while streaming. You might have to search for a few different titles depending on the streaming service.
IMPEX also continues to deliver the goods in terms of production quality and packaging. In some ways, IMPEX has set the standard that other labels are now following. Again we have true value in a roughly $40 audiophile pressing. Pressed at Record Technology Incorporated on HQ-180 gram vinyl, this reissue was mastered from the original analog tapes by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering. Also included are a reverse tip-on jacket and a brown paper label like that of the original release. I am confident that Robert Sliger (Creative Director) had quite the challenge pulling this all together. The new cover art is the icing on the cake—simply glorious! Great job Robert!
When you hear the expression "Brazillian Somba", it might paint a certain musical feeling or picture in your mind. In contrast, I found this album to be as much about traditional Bebop and Swing as Brazillian Somba or even Bosa Nova. You can label this anyway you want, but the bottom line is that the music is extremely accessible and quite lovely to listen to. Smooth, silky and soulful, this is a true late night experience. I don't have an original pressing or any of the several CD and vinyl reissues from past years, but I did stream a few iterations for comparison. Bottom line, Chris Bellman has cut another masterpiece, as once again vinyl is so much better than digital. It truly delivers! The overall sound is warm and very natural. Timbre, tone and pace for all the instruments are spot on and remarkably rich and detailed, though still extremely dynamic and life like. Images are three dimensional and locked in with a broad and airy soundstage.
The track "Mood Antiqua" is my favorite. Laurindo Almeida on guitar is amazingly expressive and alive! The quintessential word for a Brazilian acoustic guitar is "violão." It is characterized by a "swing, syncopated feel (violão gago) and intimate, complex harmonies." That definition truly applies here. Bud Shank on alto flute also adds his extraordinary chops to make this cut really shine. Bright, versatile and extremely lyrical, all you can do is sit back and smile. But we have more! Chuck Flores on bongos just explodes out of a deep black background that will have you jump from your seat when his solo kicks in. Lets not forget Gary Peacock who sets the table with his delightful bass lines. We might be only halfway through the year, but Holiday in Brazil might be my favorite reissue of 2026!
Proper Perspective And Caveats
It cannot be overstated that system synergy and personal taste are critical when evaluating high-end audio components 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.
