Eric Clapton: Slowhand

Eric Clapton, also affectionately known Slowhand, released his fifth studio album of the same name in 1977. The album peaked at number two on the Billboard Albums chart and produced a number of hit singles including "Cocaine", "Wonderful Tonight", and "Lay Down Sally". Rolling Stone magazine ranks the album at number 325 on their "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".

Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab reissued Slowhand just three short years after its initial release. The album was one of many in MOFI's Original Master Recording series that utilized their half speed mastering process, the original master tapes, and were pressed by Victor Company in Japan.

While the MOFI's release is pressed well, producing a very quiet vinyl experience, the overall quality of sound from an audiophile perspective is simply not present. It is expected that an audiophile record will effectively take the listening experience to another level and certainly above that of a mass produced record. This record never quite gets there.

While the vinyl is quieter than those that came before it, the overall sound is not better. As was the case for many Mobile Fidelity releases during this era of MOFI's existence, they were hit or miss. Some were very detailed, spacious, and with great separation, while others were simply nothing to write home about. This release would be one of the latter.

Track List
Side one
1. Cocaine
2. Wonderful Tonight
3. Lay Down Sally
4. Next Time You See Her
5. We're All the Way
Side two
1. The Core
2. May You Never
3. Mean Old Frisco
4. Peaches and Diesel

If your'e looking for an audiophile release of Slowhand, you will need to keep looking. That's because there quite simply is not one out there, yet. The MOFI release is audiophile in name only. And that's only because they were self proclaimed to be audiophile even though many of their releases of this era do not consistently stack up to the billing. You'd be better off to save your money and invest in a recent reissue or a nice 1977 Santa Maria pressing for 1/3 the price.
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