Los Lobos – By The Light Of The Moon (Ultra Analog, Half-speed Mastering)
ORDER LIMITED TO ONE ITEM PER CUSTOMER
David Hidalgo – lead vocals, guitars, accordion, six-string bass, lap steel, violin, hidalguera, percussion
Cesar Rosas – lead vocals, guitars, bajo sexto, mandolin, vihuela
T-Bone Burnett – vocals
Conrad Lozano – Fender electric bass, acoustic bass, guitarrón, vocals
Louie Pérez – drums, guitars, tenor longneck plectrum, hidalguera
Steve Berlin – tenor and baritone saxophones, harmonica
Alex Acuña – percussion
Mickey Curry – drums
Anton Fier – drums
Mitchell Froom – keyboards
Ron Tutt – drums
Written by David Hidalgo (A1, A3, A5, B2, B4-6), Louie Pérez (A1, A3, A5, B2, B4-6), Cesar Rosas (A2, B1, B3), T-Bone Burnett (A2, A5). A4 is a traditional song
1 LP, gatefold jacket
Limited numbered edition
Original analog Master tape : YES
Half-speed Mastering
Gain 2™ Ultra Analog
Heavy Press : 180g
Record color : black
Speed : 33 RPM
Size : 12'’
Stereo
Studio
Record Press : RTI
Label : MOFI
Original Label : Warner
Recorded at Sunset Sound, Los Angeles, California
Recorded and mixed by Larry Hirsch
Produced by T-Bone Burnett, Los Lobos
Remastered by Krieg Wunderlich
Originally released in January 1987
Reissued in 2012
Tracks:
Side A:
- One Time One Night
- Shakin' Shakin' Shakes
- Is This All There Is?
- Prenda Del Alma
- All I Wanted To Do Was Dance
Side B:
- Set Me Free (Rosa Lee)
- The Hardest Time
- My Baby's Gone
- River Of Fools
- The Mess We're In
- Tears Of God
Reviews :
“On How Will the Wolf Survive?, Los Lobos seemed to be feeling out the boundaries of how much they could say about the hard realities of life within the framework of good-time R&B-flavored rock & roll, and on their next album, 1987's By the Light of the Moon, the group gently shifted their focus to favor their more contemplative side. While the band certainly hadn't lost the ability to rock out (check out "My Baby's Gone" or "Shakin' Shakin' Shakes" for proof), most of the album displayed a lighter touch musically, with David Hidalgo's deft lead guitar and Cesar Rosas' precise rhythm chords fueling lean but smoky R&B numbers like "Is That All There Is?" and "All I Wanted to Do Was Dance" and understated musical snapshots like "One Time, One Night" and "River of Fools." Lyrically, By the Light of the Moon is dominated by the sad mysteries of life and the less-than-generous nature of fate, as ordinary people try to come to terms with death ("One Time, One Night"), disappointment ("Is That All There Is?"), love that's faded into the shadows ("The Hardest Time"), and the mingled comfort and uncertainties of faith ("Tears of God"). While the soundtrack album to the movie La Bamba, released the same year, captured Los Lobos at their most carefree and high-spirited as they called up the spirit of Ritchie Valens, By the Light of the Moon showed the other side of the coin as the group looked into the hearts and souls of themselves and the community around them, and if it's a harder album to enjoy than those that preceded it, its depth rewards repeated listenings.” AllMusic Review by Mark Deming
Ultra Analog™ : The GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ Series stems from the use of the Gain 2 system, mastered at half speed from the original master tapes where possible, capturing and uncovering as before undiscovered sonic information.
Half-speed mastering. In half-speed mastering, the whole process is slowed down to half of the original speed. A typical 33 1/3 rpm record is cut at 16 2/3 rpm. The source material is also slowed down (reducing the pitch in the process) meaning the final record will still sound normal when played back. Slowing the whole process down allows more time, which means the end result sounds better and is more efficient — allowing engineering to minimize the effects of inherent limitations within the vinyl format. The result is a more accurate and more open high-frequency response in the half speed vinyl when compared with a normal speed recording.
Ratings :
AllMusic : 4 / 5 ; Discogs : 4.49 / 5