Mobile Fidelity to re-release Get Happy

[SCIENCEFICTIONTWIN]

Love Hz: Not Happy with the New “Get Happy”
by Mark Smotroff on Jun 13, 2011 at 09:20 AM Add a Comment“What the makeup hides can’t be hidden with a kiss”
“Human Touch,” Elvis Costello (from Get Happy, 1980)

This line—taken out of context from the classic Elvis Costello album Get Happy—kind of sums up how I feel about the Mobile Fidelity uber deluxe 180 gram, 45-RPM, numbered, limited-edition extravaganza. I had high expectations for this reissue of my favorite Elvis Costello album, a disc that is, without question, in my Top 10 favorite rock records list ever. A recording that has taken me on both a record collector’s wet dream and nightmarish journey all in the same breath since it was released in 1980. For proof of my enthusiasm for this album, I took a picture of many of my Get Happy-related items, but there are many more out there.

Get Happy had a difficult birth in the US. I loved the album when I first got it on the US Columbia label, assuming that the boxy sound had to do with the shear number of tracks—10 per side—and perhaps was a tribute of sorts to transistor AM radio. It didn’t matter because the songs were so outstanding.

But then I read an article in a music magazine somewhere raving about the fidelity of the UK pressings. Eventually I was able find one the UK copies of Get Happy (with its pre-worn sleeve looking like a giant old 45 single). Sonically, indeed, the UK pressing made the US version cower in the corner in shame. In comparison, the US LP sounded like it was mastered off a cassette of the UK pressing. (I think in fact that was the comparison the writer made back in the day—credit where credit is due!)

Really.

It was that significant a difference, most notably Bruce Thomas’ hyperactive essential bass, which sounds like it was EQ’d out of the mix in the states. Later I learned about the rare original UK promos of Get Happy, which put five songs per side, spinning at 45 RPM, for better fidelity. When CDs came out, the US version sounded okay, but again, in comparison to the UK CD version, which I eventually got, it was a pale shadow. The later Rykodisc and Rhino Records reissues rectified that situation for the most part.

All this has lead me to believe there are at least two different tapes being used for mastering—perhaps more. I am not sure. I do not have any details on this and am going solely based on my somewhat trained ear and having listened to this album on a multitude of systems over the years.

So, you can imagine how excited I was when I read that Mobile Fidelity was preparing what I was hoping would be the ultimate treatment of this beloved record. A restoration even. I waited patiently and when I saw that Music Direct was taking pre-orders, put in my order for $40, and waited in anticipation for its arrival.

It showed up at my door last week, and with bated breath I began the comparisons. Currently I play my LPs on a Music Hall 7.1 turntable with a Goldring moving magnet cartridge via a Bellari Tube pre amp into my Denon AVR-3802 amp and out of JBL 4410A studio monitors. It’s a respectable set up.

So with all this build up, I hate to report that I am very very disappointed. Here’s why:

a) It doesn’t sound much different than the UK pressing spinning at 33&1/3 RPM with 10 songs crammed onto a side.
b) It doesn’t include the original poster that came with original UK pressings.
c) There are absolutely no liner notes explaining what went into the making of this package.
d) my copy had a visual (but not audible) scratch on the first track.
e) I’ve heard periodic bits of distortion in some songs that I don’t remember hearing on the UK press or the CD.

Given the price and the playing speed, I expected the fidelity to approach the wide-groove splendor of the UK 12-inch single of “High Fidelity” (a standout track from Get Happy). Alas, the Mobile Fidelity pressing of the album doesn’t sound anywhere near that.

For those of you who might be as obsessive about this kind of thing as I am, here is a quick comparison of three different tracks on the album, each of which I played in as close to A/B comparison as possible.

◦"Love for Tender"—as great a kick off track as there ever was
◦"Opportunity"—its quiet pulse, distinct bass, and Steve Nieve’s waltzy wurlitzer type organ haunts in the background
◦"High Fidelity"—quite possibly the best post-Motown song never made in Motown.
My comparison specimens included:

◦US White Label Promo—tinny, boxy bass, high end is somehow masked (compression? more reverb?), tambourines and other details are all but lost. Pressing is quite noisy, too.
◦UK Black Label F-Beat Records XXLP1—has fuller bass and more details; you can hear the organ the snares on the drums very clearly. Disc is noticeably louder and clearer. Pressing is noticeably quieter between tracks. The tambourines are very clear, as is the thump of Pete Thomas’ kick drum and floor toms ("High Fidelity").
◦Dutch White Label F-Beat Records pressing (manufactured by WEA) WEA 58114—Bass on "Love for Tender" is not as full bodied as the UK, but it is still very distinct. Quiet pressing. Handclaps come across nicely. Some sibilance on the vocals on "High Fidelity."
◦"High Fidelity" 12-inch 45 RPM single—proof that there was a lot of music recorded on this album, but in the preparation of the album version it must have been compressed to death in the mastering process—or something! This single version is loud and punchy. Many times louder than even the UK LP. Steve Nieve’s piano is bold and vivid. Bruce Thomas’ Fender bass is fat and pounding. Pete Thomas’ drums are relentless, and the tambourine sounds beautiful cutting through big reverb that decays in time with the rest of the tune.
Again… all this makes me wonder: what source tape was used in the creation of this MoFi pressing? Was it the US tape or the UK press? Was it made off a true analog “master” tape and not a slave copy (digital or otherwise)?

Anyhow, given the scratch alone, I will be returning the MoFi pressing of Get Happy for an exchange for something else. And until something better comes along, you should either pick up the Rhino 2-CD package (50 songs—including essential demos and alternate takes) which sounds quite good, all things considered; or seek out the original UK pressing on the Black Label F-Beat label. It is not that hard to find for $10-$15 these days.

[sulky lad]

Thanks so much for this review - I shan't shell out the £40 or so on this but return to both my 12"High Fidelity single, my promo versions of the album on 45 rpm and also one of my 2 copies on F-Beat (one of which I got when I purchased From head To Toe in St. Austell in 1982 !! It's hugely disappointing to think that this opportunity has apparently been wasted by MoFi when the sound could have been beefed up and made to sound more open than is apparent on all the CD versions of this magnificent classic album

[Pigalle]

Before making any decision you might want to consider the various comments on this thread:

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showt ... +get+happy

[strangerinthehouse]

◦Dutch White Label F-Beat Records pressing (manufactured by WEA) WEA 58114—Bass on "Love for Tender" is not as full bodied as the UK, but it is still very distinct. Quiet pressing. Handclaps come across nicely. Some sibilance on the vocals on "High Fidelity."

I think this is the one I have, I listened to it recently and thought it sounded great, not at all compressed. Bruce Thomas' bass comes across great, expecially in I Stand Accused. So I think I'll stick with it for now. If there's a good deal for it in eBay, i'll grab it.

[johnfoyle]

http://www.tonepublications.com/analoga ... get-happy/


Jeff Dorgay

11 Oct. 13

“High fidelity/Can you hear me?” asks Elvis Costello on the hit from Get Happy, the song cleverly adopting the phrase associated with accurate sound reproduction and using it in the service of describing a fractured relationship. His intention aside, listeners can finally answer the rhetorical question with a sonorous “Yes!”

Mobile Fidelity did an admirable job resurrecting the first three Costello albums, but Get Happy arrives as the audiophile imprint’s masterpiece. Partially because the iconic singer/guitarist’s outstanding 1980 R&B- and soul-drenched studio effort has always begged for more groove space. Featuring 20 tracks crammed onto two sides of a 33RPM record, the original LP is a nightmare of compression and inner groove distortion. (Can anyone say Something, Anything?) No more. Now you can enjoy Get Happy in a way most never thought possible due to the extensive extra room opened up by changing to the 45RPM format.

The new pressing begins with “Love For Tender” on side one, but follows the order of the original cover on the flipside of the jacket, showing “I Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down” as the first track. Side four benefits the least from the MoFi treatment. Songs here still lack dynamics and dimension, yet they’re not in as bad of shape as before.

Revisiting an early copy of Get Happy proved as scary as remembered. The vinyl sounds like AM radio: noisy and zero dynamic range, while the CD adds yet another layer of harshness. Residual compression still exists even at 45RPM, yet the MoFi version is light years ahead. Costello’s voice possesses a lot more body, and the vocal processing is easier to digest. The biggest treat comes via the clarity in which Steve Nieve’s organ parts resonate. “B Movie” and “Motel Madness” are perhaps the best examples; no longer buried in the mix, Nieve finally shines.

Car aficionados like to say “there’s no substitute for cubic inches.” The same holds true for a vinyl record—one can only fit so much musical information in those tiny grooves. Along with dynamics, bass response suffers when tracks are tightly squeezed together. And while the original Get Happy offers no real bass, this pressing has a proper foundation—as well as increased presence of guitar and keyboards.

High fidelity? Indeed. Pitch your old copy and revel in the ability to crank this one up

[sulky lad]

[quote][/ And while the original Get Happy offers no real bass,]
This was the first album that really got me into playing bass along with Setting Sons - I hope the writer is just referring to the US Columbia pressing rather than the F-Beat gem. Bruce is unquestionbly the star of this, apart from the amazing song writing -the first sign Elvis could take a whole style and turn it, totally into his own !