Elvis Costello • This Year’s Model
Mobile Fidelity Sounds Lab/Universal MFSL 1-330
33-RPM 180 g LP
Originally released in 1978 and produced by Nick Lowe, This Year’s Model is Elvis Costello’s second studio album. It contains 11 tracks, including the singles Pump it Up and Radio, Radio. Interestingly, the latter wasn’t on the original UK release, where it was only released as a single. In fact, as with the original US release of this album, there are two other differences between the MFSL version and the original: two tracks, (I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea and Night Rally, are missing (they were apparently deemed to be “too English”!).
Beautifully packaged in a heavy cardboard gatefold sleeve featuring the original British artwork (with its deliberate apparently misprinted sleeve), This Year’s Model is another great release from Mobile Fidelity. The sound quality is pretty good, although it would be fair to say that this is no audiophile spectacular. I don’t have an original copy against which to compare this version, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this album hasn’t sounded better.
A first class pressing with silent surfaces, good sound quality, and great packaging at a fair price makes this record hard to not recommend!