Description
Offered for sale is a limited edition Japanese audiophile pressing of Hi Infidelity by REO Speedwagon, issued as part of CBS/Sony’s “Mastersound” series.
This was part of a limited edition, heavy-vinyl series of digitally remastered audiophile pressings.
About this copy: This copy of Hi Infidelity is a 1980 Japanese pressing on the CBS/Sony label.
The cover is VG++ with slight edge and corner wear. The Mastersound inner sleeve is M-.
The lyric insert and generic Mastersound catalogs are M-.
The disc is M- with a couple of spindle marks on the labels, but no marks on the vinyl. Clean disc!
A nice copy of a scarce REO Speedwagon LP and the first copy we’ve ever had for sale.
Background: In 1980, Columbia Records introduced their Mastersound series of albums in the United States and Japan, which included titles that were either digitally remastered or half speed mastered and pressed on heavy, high-quality vinyl.
While most of the titles in the U.S. series were half speed mastered, most of the titles in the Japanese series were digitally remastered. The Japanese series also included titles that were not released in the U.S.
These titles were sold at a premium price, did not sell particularly well, and did not stay in print for very long.
Released in 1980, Hi Infidelity was the ninth album by REO Speedwagon.
The album reached #1 on the U.S. album chart and #6 on the UK chart.
Allmusic.com gave Hi Infidelity a 4 1/2 star review:
Many albums have scaled to the top of the American charts, many of them not so good, but few have been as widely forgotten and spurned as REO Speedwagon’s Hi Infidelity. In a way, the group deserved this kind of success. They had been slogging it out in the arenas of the U.S., building up a sizeable audience because they could deliver live. And then, in 1980, they delivered a record that not just summarized their strengths, but captured everything that was good about arena rock. This is the sound of the stadiums in that netherworld between giants like Zeppelin and MTV’s slick, video-ready anthems. T… It’s easy to dismiss REO Speedwagon, since they weren’t hip at the time, and no amount of historical revisionism will make them cool kitsch. And, let’s face it, their records were usually hit-and-miss affairs. But they did get it right once, and it’s on this glorious record — if you need proof why arena rock was giant, this is it.
| Country of origin: | |
| Size: | 12″ |
| Record Label: | |
| Catalog Number: |
|
| Year of Release: | |
| Format: | Stereo |
| Share: |       |
