EAGLES – Desperado [Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab UltraDisc One-Step 2xLP] (2021) HQ

The EAGLES classic albums are receiving 2021 lavish reissue treatment by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, releasing them on “UltraDisc One-Step” LP and SACD formats. We already featured the band’s self-titled, now here’s their wonderful “Desperado“, including the all-time classics ‘Tequila Sunrise’ and the title track.
Limited to 7,500 copies – and already sold out – “Desperado” is pressed on 2 dead-quiet MoFi SuperVinyl at RTI. ‘UltraDisc One-Step’ format skips the standard three-step lacquer process — using only one — resulting in higher sound quality. All mastered from the original analog master tapes.
The sound quality is simply amazing.

Mobile Fidelity’s ultra-hi-fi UltraDisc One-Step 180g 45RPM 2LP collector’s edition pays tribute to the record’s significance and enhances the experience for generations to come. Playing with reference sonics that elevate an effort forever held dear by audiophiles, it provides a lively, dynamic, transparent, balanced, and intimate view of a release whose contemporary importance continues to grow.
The opportunity to zero in on the particulars of the Eagles’ golden harmonies, distinct vocal timbres, and interplay between acoustic and electric instruments has never been better.

Musically ”Desperado” is a record where appearances matter. Originally conceived as an album revolving around western motifs that involve outlaws, it saw the group dress up as cowboy exiles for a famous front cover shot taken by photographer Henry Diltz.
Metaphorical parallels between outlaws and rock stars carry through nearly every song. And still, the record retains a charm and ease many enterprising sets lack.
Writing for Rolling Stone in 1973, Paul Gambaccini rightly observed: “The beautiful thing about it is that although it is a unified set of songs, it is not a rock opera, a concept album, or anything pretending to be much more than a set of good tunes that just happen to fit together.”

None combine for a more memorable impact than the brilliant title track (recorded with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, cited by Rolling Stone as one of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and sung by Henley in an unvarnished voice) or “Tequila Sunrise,” a shot of courage that triggered Henley-Frey’s collaborative partnership – one that endured for more than four decades.
Also not to be missed: The four- and six-string workouts kicking up dirt on “Doolin-Dalton” and waltz signatures of “Saturday Night.”

”Desperado” would do a slow burn on its way to Rock & Roll Hall of Fame-worthy status. Its era-spanning longevity and reappraisal within critical circles seemingly mirror the agelessness of its most famous songs, which remain staples in the band’s concert staples to this very day.
As much as any record in the band’s catalog, it demands repeat plays. The folk-meets-California-rock feel, flawless craftsmanship, and organic choruses on everything from David Blue’s “Outlaw Man” to “Twenty-One” (a smart reference to the age of Emmett Dalton when he got shot 23 times) practically jump out the LP grooves now that Mobile Fidelity has managed to present the music in the cleanest, clearest sound it’s ever enjoyed.
HIGHLY Recommended

LP 1
A1 – Doolin-Dalton
A2 – Twenty-One
A3 – Out Of Control
B1 – Tequila Sunrise
B2 – Desperado

LP 2
C1 – Certain Kind Of Fool
C2 – Doolin-Dalton (Instrumental)
C3 – Outlaw Man
C4 – Saturday Night
D1 – Bitter Creek
D2 – Doolin-Dalton / Desperado (Reprise)

Glenn Frey – guitars, vocals, keyboards, harmonica
Don Henley – drums, vocals, acoustic guitar
Bernie Leadon – guitars, vocals, mandolin, dobro
Randy Meisner – bass, vocals

out of print:
mofi.com/collections/eagles/products/eagles-desperado-ultradisc-one-step