Rickie Lee Jones

If you’re one of those audiophiles who bemoans the fact that reissue companies seem to keep putting out new copies of music that has been issued over and again, you should probably stop right here. Rickie Lee Jones’ eponymous LP has never seemed to be out of audiophile circulation. Back in the 20th century Mobile Fidelity issued the LP (MFSL 1-089) and that quickly became one of the most sought after out of print Mobile Fidelity titles, with prices on the used market reaching triple digits. As rumours surfaced of a new reissue, prices plummeted and after a couple years delay Rhino reissued the music on an LP mastered by Kevin Gray (RH1 306108) and that version remains available from the usual sources.

Only a few months ago, Mobile Fidelity released a 33 1/3 RPM version (MFSL 1-392), and has now followed suit with this deluxe 45-RPM box set. When Jones released her album in 1979 it immediately became an audiophile favourite, and the reason there are so many versions is that RLJ is the ultimate demonstration disc. This 45-RPM box leads the pack. As good as the Kevin Gray and single disc Mobile Fidelity versions are (and they are very good) the box set pulls out all the stops.