Doobie Brothers' 'Stampede' Getting Audiophile Reissue
(Scoop) Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (MoFi), the leader in high-fidelity audio reissues, is proud to reissue the Doobie Brothers' eclectic 1975 album, Stampede, in audiophile sound on vinyl for the first time at 45RPM.
Sourced from the original analog master tapes (1/4" / 15 IPS Dolby A analog master to DSD 256 to analog console to lathe), mastered by engineer Krieg Wunderlich, pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing in California, and housed in a Stoughton gatefold jacket, MoFi's numbered-edition 180g 45RPM 2LP set (pre-order here) affords Stampede the luxurious room of a 45RPM release.
The Doobie Brothers' first album featuring former Steely Dan guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter as an official member, Stampede takes the band's musicianship, creativity, and arranging to new heights. Collaborations with more than a dozen renowned artists-including Curtis Mayfield, Ry Cooder, Maria Muldaur, and Little Feat keyboardist Bill Payne-attest to the gold-certified record's stylistic breadth and weight. Benefiting from wider grooves, the reissue plays with extraordinary soundstages, ultra-quiet backgrounds, big dynamic swings, and three-dimensional imaging.
Pairing with longtime producer Ted Templeman for the fifth consecutive time, the group traversed a wellspring of styles anchored in roots-rock, southern blues, sliding R&B, and country-rock boogie. The album-opening one-two punch of "Sweet Maxine" and "Neal's Fandango" sets a rollicking pace with barrelhouse piano and twin guitar harmonies, leading into the band's hit rendition of Holland-Dozier-Holland's "Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me)," featuring contributions from Motown legends Paul Riser and Sherlie Matthews alongside former Ikette Jessie Smith.
The collective's adventurous streak shines across fine-tuned instrumental highlights like "Slat Key Soquel Rag" and Baxter's classical guitar solo "Precis." Elsewhere, Mayfield provides brass and string arrangements on the funky "Music Man," Cooder adds jangling bottleneck slide to "Rainy Day Crossroad Blues," and Muldaur contributes passionate vocals to the prog-leaning epic "I Cheat the Hangman."
Stampede 45RPM Track List:
Side One:
Sweet Maxine
Neal's Fandango
Side Two:
Texas Lullaby
Music Man
Slat Key Soquel Rag
Side Three:
Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me)
I Cheat the Hangman
Precis
Side Four:
Rainy Day Crossroad Blues
I Been Workin' on You
Double Dealin' Four Flusher
In addition to the Stampede 45RPM, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab offers a Stampede as a numbered-edition Hybrid SACD mastered by engineer Rob LoVerde, plus a comprehensive selection of classic Doobie Brothers albums presented in audiophile sound. Doobies fans can also pick up the multi-platinum landmarks Toulouse Street (180g 45RPM 2LP) and The Captain and Me (180g 45RPM 2LP), as well as What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits (180g 45RPM 2LP and Hybrid SACD), Takin' It to the Streets (180g 45RPM 2LP and Hybrid SACD), and the Grammy-winning Minute by Minute (180g 45RPM 2LP and Hybrid SACD).
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