Famous Blue Raincoat 1STEP
Jennifer Warnes
FAMOUS BLUE RAINCOAT 1STEP
180-GRAM 45RPM 3LP SET | Stereo
CATALOG: IMXLPO6033-1
MSRP: $159.99 USD
1STEP Process 180g 45rpm Triple LP Pressed on VR900-Supreme Vinyl! Cut Using Original Analog Masters from the 1986 digital recordings by Bernie Grundman at Bernie Grundman Mastering! Strictly Limited To 7,500 Numbered Pressings!
Impex Records is celebrating the 35th anniversary of Jennifer Warnes’ seminal audiophile classic with our ultimate collaboration. This authorized production of Famous Blue Raincoat is getting the complete Impex 1STEP treatment! After Bernie Grundman cuts the last lacquers, Jennifer’s analog mixdown master tapes will return to the vault for good.
We have always treasured our work with Ms. Warnes, from the original Famous Blue Raincoat 45 Box, The Well, The Hunter, and her latest LP, Another Time, Another Place. This ultimate release celebrates Jennifer’s singular legacy of musical excellence with exceptional craft in coordination with the original production team of Jennifer, C. Roscoe Beck, and Bernie Grundman.
For FBR’s ultimate Impex release, we return to Jennifer’s first-generation analog mixdown master tapes (from the original digital recordings) and let Bernie work his magic within the laborious 1STEP mastering process on BG Mastering’s tube-cutting lathe. We will cut as many refs and test pressings as needed to get the quietest surfaces and intimate detailing. Final discs will be pressed at RTI on VR-900 super vinyl, illuminating every note and nuance of this cherished masterwork.
The three 1STEP LPs and the elegant new 24-page booklet are housed in a deluxe four-sleeve Monster Pack tip-on jacket and booklet with metallic accents and spot gloss applications. Even if you have every version of this pop classic, you will find considerable value and benefits on this unbeatable production!
The 1STEP Process:
The Impex 1STEP process relies on short, tightly controlled runs that require a new lacquer after each run of 500 pressings. This unforgiving format has the lacquer skipping the regular father-mother process, going right to a single convert and then pressing. Though this dramatically increases mastering and production costs, it also assures each run is more consistent from disc to disc, with less noise, clearer details, and deeper bass.
Reducing production complexity to just a single “convert” disc between the lacquer and the press greatly improves groove integrity, diminishes non-fill anomalies, and increases signal integrity from the master tape to your system.
Two 180-gram 45-rpm LPs (pressed on VR900-SUPREME VINYL) and a deluxe booklet are packaged in a heavy-duty 4-sleeve jacket. The jacket is then placed in a leather-textured-paper slipcase that protects your investment and brings a cool retro-modern look to your shelves.
Features
- Lacquers cut by Bernie Grundman from Jennifer’s 1986 analog master tapes. Each set of lacquers is used for short runs of 500 to optimize detail, dynamics, and soundstage. Doing this required Bernie to cut over 100 lacquers throughout the 1STEP production cycle!
- Pressed at RTI using the world’s finest vinyl formula: VR-900!
- Includes all bonus material from the celebrated Cisco/Impex 45-rpm edition.
- Brand-new design created specifically for this release, featuring never-before-seen photos.
- Beautifully textured paper-bound slipcase, color-coordinated covering with foil stamping.
- Strictly Limited to 7,500 Pressings
SIDE 1
- First We Take Manhattan
- Bird On a Wire
- Famous Blue Raincoat
SIDE 2
- Joan of Arc
- Ain’t No Cure for Love
SIDE 3
- Coming Back To You
- Song of Bernadette
- A Singer Must Die
SIDE 4
- Came So Far for Beauty
- Night Comes On
SIDE 5
- The Ballad of the Runaway Horse
- If It Be Your Will
- A Singer Must Die (8-Track Analog Demo Version)
SIDE 6
- Joan of Arc (Live)
“Impex Records’ new 1STEP reissue of Famous Blue Raincoat updates an already superb recording, offering improved levels of clarity and musicality that simply defy belief.” – Tom Gibbs, Positive Feedback
Read Tom’s full review HERE.
“The IMPEX 1STEP’s are particularly well done and absolutely set the standard for the industry!” – Robert Youman, Positive Feedback
Read Robert’s full review HERE.
“Whether it is the One Step process, the 45rpm speed or the special vinyl formulation, or a combination thereof, this set had me stopping and re-appreciating songs that I have heard countless times but now sounded fresh and new.” – Dennis Davis, The Audio Beat
Read Dennis’ full review HERE.
Sonic Flare’s Danny Kaey compares Famous Blue Raincoat 1STEP to his ultra-rare Crystal Disc version in this video.
Watch the video on YouTube HERE.