AAA Vinyl

Before you pay $100 for any record you have to ask yourself if you really like the music, right? Then the question becomes is this version that much better than the one you already have, assuming you already have one.

The record is Santana's Abraxas the group's second album was released in 1970. If you're of a certain vintage you know the music and especially the hit "Black Magic Woman", which is known to music fans of all ages. The version is the new "one-step" edition 1/2 speed mastered at 45rpm..

There's nothing new about the process. But because of the cost involved it's not commercially practical.

For those who don't know: records are made by first cutting grooves in a lacquer, which is an aluminum disc coated with a soft paint-like compound. The cut lacquer is quickly metal-plated. Prying the metal from the lacquer produces a ridged metal part that can be used to press records. That is how Mobile Fidelity is doing it, and why it's called a "one step" process.

The advantage of course is that you're one generation from the tape. The disadvantage is that once the stamper wears out after around a thousand records you have to cut another lacquer. In the real world of record manufacturing the metal part (called "the father") is again plated resulting in a playable grooved disc commonly referred to as "the mother". The "mother" can be plated to produce a second generation stamper that's used to press records.

The "mother" can then be reused many times to produce well more than one hundred stampers, each of which is capable of pressing many hundred or thousand records. The few times you rely on the same mother to produce stampers and fewer records you press with each stamper, the better the records generally will sound.

Here Mobile-Fidelity produces from the original master tapes a "one step" Abraxas pressed as two 45rpm records packaged in a box reminiscent of but far more opulent and value-packed than the old Mo-Fi's "UHQR" boxed records.

But first the music. That's your call of course. Mine is that I was never much of fan of this album. To me it was like Persuasive (Hispanic) Percussion—a mildly interesting, percussion-heavy, high drama, swaggering entrant into the hyphen rock genre as in "folk-rock", "jazz-rock", "raga-rock" and in this case "latino-rock" or something similar. It's the rock spirit and vibe with something grafted to the body, whether a tabla and sitar as in "tabla-rock" or lilting latino rhythm exclaimed by meaty percussion .

So i paid only minor attention to the record when it first came out though I have two or three versions to which I paid very little attention...until now.

Halfway through this "one step"'s side one I said to myself "This might be the best record I've ever heard". I meant by that the technical quality of the record and how much it resembles tape in four critical parameters: the wide dynamics and low bass response, the unlimited dynamic range, the tape-like sense of flow and especially the enormity of the soundstage presentation. More importantly I got a greater appreciation for the music, the musicianship and the showmanship too.

I had to refresh my sonic memory with the alternative versions I have here that include two originals, a German pressing from the 1990s and the Columbia "Mastersound" half-speed mastered version. First of all, about half of this record is magnificently recorded and hard work would be necessary to make it sound bad but this "one step" version is mind-glowingly better than any of the other versions I have beginning with the earth shaking bass that extends to near-impossible depths, moving on to the enormity of the stage width and especially depth and the transparency and the dynamic slam plus the blackest backdrops you'll hear on a record. I'm telling you, if you love the album it's worth spending $100 on it. Compared to this version the half-speed mastered Columbia sounds like a cassette tape.

The first two sides are so spectacularly recorded and reproduced even if you're not a big fan of the music, you'll find yourself luxuriating in the sonic riches.The spectacular sound got me to listen often just for he sonic thrill, but doing so made me appreciate more the muscular music, now unleashed as never before. The louder you play it the better this record sounds and that 's something that doesn't happen that often.

The percussion explodes forward from the speakers perfectly focused with a dead-black background intensifying the picture. Instrumental textures are visceral while attack is supple yet sufficiently gritty to engage. Sustain is impossibly long and decay into black is audible down to bottom of the sonic pit, which means Carlos Santana's guitar comes to life before you as you're never before heard it—and that's not hyperbole (ok, it is, but....) . If you hear this record on your system as I do on mine and you crank it up to sufficiently realistic SPLs you'll likely exclaim a "wow" or two through side one.

I don't know much about this record's production but it takes a weird sonic turn about half way through. Sonically the first half is truly astonishing and then it head south fast as if the group got tossed from the more costly studio to one they could afford. Not saying the second half sounds bad but it doesn't sound as spacious or textural suave as the first half though it sounds better than any of the other versions.

The packaging puts to shame Mo-Fi's '70s-'80s era "UHQR" boxes. Mo-Fi retains the black foam.The box is finished in a supple, soft matte black stock with gold leaf accents and an especially well reproduced though smaller than the standard cover image of Mati Klarwein's original artwork. Each of the two records repeats the cover motif. The records in a rice paper sleeve are each contained in an inner folded sleeve that produces a tight fit. Also inside is a generously sized cover image reproduced of course without the wrap-around required on the album cover. Also included is a one-sheet explaining the "one-step" process.

So will this limited edition record become a collectible? No doubt. Should you buy a copy to listen to and one to leave sealed? That's up to your investment strategy but if this among your faves, you'll be glad you invested $99 in a copy. (The sound rating is especially for the first of the two records).