Supertramp and the MFSL Name
Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs, or MFSL for short, had been around the market for 21 years until they unfortunately had to close the gates just to reopen as 99, but that 21 years was one of the most productive periods in the 20th century for those who are at all interested in progressive rock. They note releases such as the legendary Dark Side of the Moon, or Beatles remasters. Supertramp MFSL CDs are somehow overlooked, or at least they were until you stumbled upon this article.
While some Pink Floyd albums are more sought after, there is no question that Supertramp put some important milestones along the road of progressive rock in the seventies. Their first albums didn’t win them the favor of critics, but now you’d have to look for a long time to find someone, who has never heard of the Logical Song from the 1979 super hit, the Breakfast in America.
When it comes to MFSL CDs, it’s no matter what the content is, sound engineers from the company make sure that you get exactly what the musicians put on the master recording. There are no compressions, jitters, pops and other errors, which gives the listener the impression as if they were there in the recording studio. It’s daunting to even comprehend that Breakfast in America has been available as an MFSL CD release for twenty years.
What’s even more fascinating is that the original CDs are still perfectly playable as if they were just pressed yesterday. No wonder they go for triple digit average bids on the major auction sites. It’s mostly because of the immense amount of research put behind the technology to make the disks sound exactly like the originals. First of all, the reflective layer is 24K gold.
It not only reflects the beam of laser better, but allows for better pit edges resulting in less bouncing around of those beams in the player. The back side of the CD is matte black in finish to further reduce stray reflections and to filter as much jitter as possible. The layer doesn’t oxidize or get old in any way. The plastic is timeless, so is the reflective system.
What a truly remarkable way of saving Supertramp for the future generations, as if they were interested in such masterpieces. For those who want to own a piece of history through a perfect recording from the very best of prog-rock, these disks are still available online.