Jackson Browne: The Pretender

The Pretender was Jackson Browne's fourth album and first to be released after the death of his first wife by suicide. The album peaked at number five on Billboard's album chart, with two singles charting in the top 100. One of those songs, "Here Come Those Tears Again", was cowritten by Browne's mother-in-law and was the albums top charting song, reaching number 23. The Pretender was also nominated for a Grammy Award in 1978.

Track List
1. The Fuse
2. Your Bright Baby Blues
3. Linda Paloma
4. Here Come Those Tears Again
5. The Only Child
6. Daddy's Tune
7. Sleep's Dark and Silent Gate
8. The Pretender

Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs' release of The Pretender was cut from the original master tapes, pressed using a half-speed production system, and mastered by Original Mastering Works.™ It was plated and pressed on high definition super vinyl by Victor Company of Japan.

There are two very significant difference with the Mobile Fidelity release as compared to the original release. The first track on side one, "The Fuse" has an alternate 'cold' ending that is similar to Asylum's standard CD release, which is different from the long fade of the original release. The fourth track on side two, "The Pretender", is a shortened version that cuts out the entire second verse, which is similar to the single edit. This same edit was also used on some reissues of the album from Asylum.

The album is mastered very well and the vinyl is certainly quiet. Browne's voice is present and clear, the instruments are presented in great detail, , and the dynamic range is as one would expect from a high quality pressing. It is certainly a much better version of the album than the majority of available releases.

However, while MOFI did a good job with the mastering and pressing of the album, because of the above stated differences from the original release, this album is not worth the investment. Why would anyone want a partial album? 💸

💰 Invest
 💵 Consider
💸 Pass