Beck – Sea Change [Stereo] (Mobile Fidelity GAIN 2 Series Half-Speed Mastered Edition – Black Vinyl)

(DAA) & (AAA) — Lacquers cut from an analog tape transfer of the original digital master for one track (“Lonesome Tears”) and from the original analog master tapes for all other tracks at half speed by Rob LoVerde at Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab.

Beck Sea Change on Numbered-Edition 180g 33RPM 2LP from Mobile Fidelity: Collectible Version Is Out of Print

Every Cut from This Amazing 2002 Album Was Delivered to MoFi Engineers on an Individual Reel

1/2" / 30 IPS analog master to analog console to lathe; applies to all Sea Change tracks but “Lonesome Tears,” which is PCM digital master transferred to 1/2" / 30 IPS analog tape and inserted into master reel for cutting

Beck’s Sea Change remains the best record of the indie icon’s career. And how. The sonic chameleon shocked the world in 2002 with this warm-sounding folk-pop album—a sincere, honest, and mature meditation on the end of a nine-year relationship with his girlfriend. As for the vocalist’s trademark irony, sarcasm, and humor? Not here. In their place is an affecting emotionalism to which anyone who’s ever been in (or out) of love will relate. The music is equally personal and meditative. Gorgeous string arrangements come courtesy of his father, David Campbell, and illustrate the heartbreak that informs the beautiful melodies and tranquil moods.

Best of all, this album is anything but a bummer. Intending to be heard to from start to finish, Beck begins the record with songs conveying emptiness and loss, and gradually moves on to narratives that detail what changes are necessary to regain a sense of identity, purpose, and feeling. By the time he reaches the concluding “Little One,” the healing has begun. Consider this Beck’s mellowest gold—a feat confirmed by its selection as the #2 record of 2002 on Village Voice’s all-encompassing Pazz & Jop poll.

And now, thanks to painstaking remastering efforts, this embraceable and intimate gem sounds better than ever. Master tapes of every cut were delivered to Mobile Fidelity engineers on a separate reel, with the finished product taking months to perfect. No compression or dynamic processing was used, making this 180-gram 2LP set the definitive version.

"I’m not even a huge Beck fan, but this record (especially the LP) is the blueprint of how a great rock record should sound. Huge, expansive soundstage and super smooth sound. The CD sounds better than the original LP, and the LP takes you to straight to heaven the instant you set the stylus on the record."
– Jeff Dorgay, TONE Audio, Issue 25

(Above description from MusicDirect.com)