Jennifer Warnes - Famous Blue Raincoat

Impex 1STEP process 180-gram 45 RPM triple LP!

Pressed at RTI on VR-900 super vinyl!

Cut using original analog masters from the 1986 digital recordings by Bernie Grundman

Strictly limited to 7,500 numbered pressings!

Elegant 24-page booklet included, housed in a deluxe four-sleeve Monster Pack tip-on jacket

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.

Features
• Lacquers cut by Bernie Grundman from Jennifer Warnes' original 1986 analog mix-down 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 more than 100 lacquers throughout the 1STEP production cycle!
• Pressed at RTI using the highest-quality 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 new photos
• Beautifully textured paper-bound slipcase, color-coordinated covering with foil stamping
• Individually numbered and limited to only 7,500 pressings!

Side A

First We Take Manhattan

Bird on a Wire

Famous Blue Raincoat

Side B

Joan of Arc

Ain't No Cure for Love

Side C

Coming Back to You

Song of Bernadette

A Singer Must Die

Side D

Came So Far for Beauty

Night Comes On

Side E

The Ballad of the Runaway Horse

If It Be Your Will

A Singer Must Die (8-track Analog Demo Version)

Side F

Joan of Arc (Live)

Customer Reviews (5.00 Stars) 2 person(s) rated this product.

A Raincoat that should be in everyone's (musical) closet posted on 01/09/2024 5 Stars Reviewer: Idea Junkie This! It's the perfect confluence of Jennifer Warnes amazing singing, Leonard Cohen's iconic songwriting skills, and the exceptional sonic qualities made possible by the Impex 1STEP process. This! It's why we devote so much time, effort, and attention-to-detail in selecting the components of our audio systems. This! It's in a class with Patricia Barber's "Nightclub" 1STEP and Steely Dan's AJA UHQR. This! It's going to reveal all the capabilities of your equipment and put a huge smile on your face every time you listen. This! It's why ears were invented.

Just amazing! posted on 12/28/2023 5 Stars Reviewer: RS What an amazing release of one of my favorite albums. Lenard Cohen’s songwriting along with Jennifer Warnes voice is just magic. I do not have any other Vinyl versions to compare, but I cannot see this can be any better. Highly recommended!

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