Unbiased reviews of new vinyl releases, audiophile reissues, and more

Monday, September 20, 2010

Coming Soon: Neil Young -- Le Noise 180 Gram Vinyl; Foreigner -- S/T Mofi 180 Gram Vinyl

Le Noise

This summer, as Neil Young took his Twisted Road solo tour across North America, his shows focused on new material. At the show I attended at the Fox Theater in Oakland, California, Mr. Young played six of the eight songs to be featured on his new album,  Le Noise. Recorded at the home of oft-U2 collaborator and producer, Daniel Lanois, Le Noise will be released on Sepetember 28, 2010. For the new songs he played live, Young used  his acoustic guitar on only a few--and on the remainder, he wielded one of his several electrics, played through a line of small tweed Fenders with a variety of delays and other effects.


From what has leaked of the album so far, as well as what Lanois has said in interviews about the recording of the album, the songs should sound a lot like they did live--Young's vocals, accompanied by swirling, atmospheric guitar tones.  If you're looking for a re-tread of Harvest, you're not going to find it here. Vinyl mastering duties were handled by Chris Bellman of Bernie Grundman Mastering. He's done all of Young's recent vinyl reissues--and done them quite well.  Click here to read the full review.

Watch an interview with Daniel Lanois about the making of Le Noise:






Related: Neil Young in Concert--Fox Theater, Oakland






Mofi has dedicated much of their recent output of vinyl rock reissues to the late Seventies, with offerings from the likes of Rush, The Cars, and Elvis Costello. Their latest release is the self-titled debut from arena rockers, Foreigner. Released in the midst of the disco era, Foreigner spawned three Top 20 hits, and the album made it to number four on the Billboard Album Chart. While Foreigner sold over four million copies--and there are plenty of original copies floating around, it was released during a time of dubious vinyl quality.

Featuring crunchy guitars, soulful vocals from Lou Gramm, and spacious arrangements with a judicious use of keyboards, Foreigner could certainly benefit from an audiophile mastering. How will Mofi's effort fare against the original vinyl? Click here for the full review.

Click image to buy 
from Music Direct



3 comments:

Music for Songwriters said...

I love Neil Young...cant wait for his vinyl...his music always brings back memories...

Michael said...

>If you're looking for a re-tread of Harvest

Is anyone expecting that anymore?

I love Neil too. His newer stuff is not as immediately gratifying as older classics like Tonight's the Night, but they grow on you and pay off in more complex ways. I can't wait to hear it.

Anonymous said...

The price in my country translates to 56 $, I'll skip this one. What a shame.

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