Miles Davis – In a Silent Way (180g LP)

Label: Mobile Fidelity – MFSL 1-377 – 180 Gram Virgin Vinyl – AAA 100% Analogue
Numbered Limited Edition – Pressed at RTI
Pure Analogue Mastered by Kreig Wunderlich from the Original Master Tape
Half Speed Mastered on the Mobile Fidelity The Gain 2 Ultra Analog System
The Absolute Sound Super Disc List TAS Harry Pearson Super LP List

100 Recommended All-Analog ressues Worth Owning – Michael Fremer Analogplanet 2019

Features John McLaughlin, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Dave Holland, and Tony Williams
Spectacular I’ve owned several versions of this on CD. I have many high resolution versions, including SACD. As the resolution gets higher, the sound gets better. However, every single digital version suffers from serious tape hiss.Not so this vinyl record. I won’t listen to another CD version of this album again. First of all, there’s no tape hiss. Secondly, the sound is so fluid and mesmerizing that time passed without knowledge 5/5 LPReview

Few albums are so delicately textured. And on Mobile Fidelity’s meticulous analog reissue, such sulcate elements pour over ink-black backgrounds on a canyon-wide soundstage. In particular, Tony Williams’ inventive percussive touch-he causes the cymbals to shimmer as a pieces of silver tend to do when exposed to sunlight-is broadcast with lifelike three-dimensional qualities, the panoramic view extending to Davis’ nocturnal trumpet, Wayne Shorter’s ribbon-unfurling saxophone, Dave Holland’s extrapolative bass, and the mosaic of keys. If the record’s only accomplishment is its introduction of guitarist John McLaughlin to the world, it alone would be enough. Yet In a Silent Way continues to bedazzle, puzzle, and inspire for myriad reasons-not the least of which is the seemingly telepathic communicative methods employed by the group’s members. The lineup is great on paper, but, if it’s even possible, the octet sounds even better in practice, with the instruments and tonalities conjoining in avant-garde communion like hyper-sensitive tentacles exploring the stippled landscapes of an undiscovered planet.

Diverting from expectation, tubular grooves twist, turn, and spin, sometimes piling atop of each other, always shying away from structure and melody. Ellipsoidal solos provide hesitant guidance, ranging from Chick Corea’s Fender Rhodes phrases to Davis’ decorative spirals. And as color is the primary unit of currency on Davis’ Sketches of Spain, laidback episodes, geometric spaces, and quiet sensuality reign here, with the set’s maverick reputation attained via musings on solitude rather than explosions of noise. Controversial for the period, the heavily edited production of In a Silent Way blew open the once-locked doors on what producer’s could attempt-and how artists could assist them. Knitted together as one would construct a cross-hatched quilt, songs contain grafts of repeat passages that provide unifying structure and experimental continuity. What a statement.

The better RTI pressing quality puts everything in greater three-dimensional relief, helping to create an even more intense ‘day-glo’ effect than does the original. I draw that conclusion after comparing this to two early originals and a Japanese Sony pressing…This would be among my 100 essential reissues, were I to put together such a list…I]t is a genre-defining classic.” – Michael Fremer, analogplanet 10/10 Music, 8/10 Sound

• Numbered, Limited Edition

• Half-Speed Production and Mastering by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab

• Specially Plated and Pressed on 180 grams of High Definition Vinyl

• Special Static Free – Dust Free Inner Sleeve

• Heavy Duty Protective Packaging

• Mastered from the Original Master Tapes