Curtis Mayfield – Super Fly (The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

SUPERFLY SUPER COMPARISON 👇

This is between the 2016 Charly, the 2019 Mofi and the 2020 Run Out Groove KPG cuts.....

My usual Pioneer PL51 and Project Tube Box S2 phono stage had the AT VM95ML equipped for this test. I use and recommend this cart as its the most neutral and uncoloured "cheapish" (thus more applicable to more folks) mm cart and yet has the most advanced needle of my small selection. Its great for testing for any baked in IGD from poor cutting and its a truth teller beyond reproach for the silly low asking price.

First up, the 2016 Charly on orange vinyl that was an exclusive to Sainsbury stores in the UK. The pressing itself is quite superb... the deep translucent orange just works for this record. The vinyl is dead flat, bang on center and quiet throughout. Mastering wise though, its the lesser of the three copies. Its not bad per sè and it gets closer to the KPG cut than some would expect/accept (at least when levelled as its cut slightly quieter).

The Run Out Groove went second, as even though its newer than the MoFi, it retains the 33rpm playback and i again opted for the potentially noisier orange vinyl pressing again. This is a brighter more opaque colour with a light marbling to it which looks good, but not as lovely as the Charly. However the pressing quality matches the Charly in being flat and super quiet. Furthermore, KPG - and im far from his fawniest commenter - has done a fine job with this master. Against the Charly its got more clarity and sweetness, even if it would be hard to call it an audiophile demo disc. There is a hint of upper mid/lower treble dryness to it thats just about right and doesnt offend my ears which are very sensitive to this area. Despite the brighter sound its not done at the expense of causing sibilance or bittyness or any over emphasis. Its great to hear the improvement already but i will add the Charly press of Mayfield's No Place Like America today flips the switch and sounds better than KPG's Rhino cut.

The MoFi is last up and its clearly an audibly different beast and has some familiar MoFi traits for better or worse. The bass is deeper and chonkier, the mids sit back in deep richness and the treble really comes out to play. At first it sounds almost like a remix by comparison.... where the ROG is just the Charly with added refinement and clarity, this is EQ'd different. There is also the unmistakable notable dynamic ease you get from the 45rpm playback and while theres no less apparant surface noise than the other two cuts its got a blacker background which increases the perceived resolution. So despite the usual RTI unkept look the records are superbly pressed! This edition also has by far the biggest soundstage, sounding far wider and deeper than either 33 cut. But....there is a caveat and that is the treble. I think MoFi have gone close to excess again. Theres no sibilance or harshness but its pronounced enough to mildly distract me when listening and thats not something i positively look for or suits my usual tastes (when conversely the rest of the mastering totally does!)

TO CONCLUDE.... the 2016 Charly is nicely pressed and looks the best with it but sounds the lesser of the three. The bonus disc is nice bit non essential. I would still opt for the ROG as its better mastered, well pressed and has the heavier thicker and plain better jacket with better colour art repro to boot. But the MoFi sounds better on every level albeit with a treble that i cant decide if is a bad mastering decision! My ears may could well be the deciding factor and its not lost on me the AT VM95ML has an upper middy focus that my Nagaoka and Shure carts dont have (but who both have unacceptable IGD). I think most folks would be happiest with the Run Out reissue as for value and quality alround its the obvious winner but those with deep pockets, a patience to flip 45's and a smooth, dark upper mid setups (say a Hana SL or Naga Mp500 on a full valve phono stage) the MoFi will have no audible competition as the soundstage, bass and mids at least are to die for!

The record sounds as great as everyone says, dead silent too. Don't understand the controversy around the gate-fold. Comparing this to my die cut cover (RVC1 524044) it almost looks bleached in comparison. That's just how much much deeper and richer the color is, plus the inside of the gate-fold is just as beautiful. That's not even counting the poster, lyric sheet, bonus vinyl, and the table mat. Think you'd be a fool to this up over something so trivial.

Just got mine. #653, So plenty left? Dead quiet vinyl, and flat. Amazing mastering from Kevin Gray, (naturally). Great packaging, and extras Love that the records were shipped outside the jacket in poly lined sleeves. The turntable mat is friggin dope! Lol. Too bad not die cut, but not a deal breaker for me. Did I mention amazing sound? And yeah, could have been packages a little better. Some minor dings shipped to Canada, but hardly worth mentioning. Doesn't take away from the music! Ha!

Pro-Ject RPM-1 Carbon with Ortofon Blue, Rega Elex-R, and Goldenear Triton 3's

Super quiet vinyl and the usual wonderful presentation from ROG.
Records are placed outside the sleeves, which is a nice touch but didn't prevent mine from being slightly dished - doesn't affect playing though, so that's fine.
The sound on this is fantastic: lively, clear and well defined, with tight bass and percussions.
Comes with very informative notes, including interviews with McMullen and Pate.

For that highly price we paid,they should have recreated the die cut cover !
Like someone said, on their website it looks like we should have that cover, I was really disappointed about that.
Otherwise like every ROG pressing it sounds perfect!

Excited to see this show up after ordering in Dec 2021. Apparently, the listed solid red, solid yellow and solid orange mixed = deep bright orange:) Nice pressing overall so not disappointed with sound and the color is what it is but a goldish look more like the mockup would have still been cooler!

This reissue sounds great and if you don't own a copy, there's nothing wrong with picking one up (albeit with one major caveat). I also own an original pressing on LP and the 30th anniversary deluxe edition Japanese CD. I would say that in of sound they are all pretty close (and they all sound great). Listening critically, I think this new pressing edges out my other copies, but the difference is not huge.

The bonus material on the second LP is a great addition and as far as I know, this is the first time any of it has been released on vinyl. The sequencing is identical to what's been released previously on various "Deluxe" CD editions and I would guess that the bonus LP was most likely cut from digital (and that's okay as far as I'm concerned). The web site says "Original album lacquers cut directly from the master analog tape" which could be interpreted as excluding the bonus tracks.

Beyond the sound however, there are a few things I feel compelled to mention for anyone thinking about purchasing this release. This is the first LP I've ordered direct from Run Out Groove and their packing and shipping cartons (while not horrible) don't come close to the robust packaging you get when ordering from places like Acoustic Sounds or Elusive Disc. My copy arrived with a small corner ding and while the colored vinyl is very cool, I don't think I will order direct from them again for this reason.

Secondly, for what it's worth, this does not feel like a 180-gram pressing. Acoustic Sounds lists the black vinyl version as 180-gram, but there is no mention of this on the Run Out Groove web site for either of the two versions. I have Run Out Groove's black vinyl pressing of "Curtis" and I believe that one is 180-gram.

Finally, the one thing truly disappointing about this release is that they did not include the iconic die-cut cover flap in spite of it being pictured on their web site and other websites where it's currently for sale. To me, this is a big deal and had I known, it would have been a deal breaker. I've read their disclaimer about the photo being a "mock-up" and that's fine when it comes to the exact color of the vinyl and the poster, but this is different and a major detail. Now that it's actually on sale and they are still using a photo showing the flap, it could be argued as a deceptive (even if unintentional) bait and switch. Looking here on Discogs, it appears that previous Rhino reissues do have the flap, so why lose it now? Even the booklet on my Japanese CD has it. I really find this inexcusable for what could have been the ultimate version of Superfly. It's the 50th anniversary, you have the original LP mastered in analog by Keven Gray, beautiful pressing and packaging, and you whiff on recreating the iconic cover? At the very least, the photo should be pulled. It's like Led Zepp III without the wheel or Sticky Fingers without the zipper.

This sounds fantastic! Packaging is also A++. Run Out Groove deserves some serious credit for what they've been doing. This is my fourth Run Out Groove purchase and they've all been fantastic releases. What they're selling, at sub $40 prices, sure makes a lot of other boutique labels seem incredibly overpriced.

Flat and flawless pressing. Not sure we needed it in bright Orange with a felt table mat but whatever. The sound is meatier and clearer than my original. It’s sounds wonderful and worth an upgrade even if your OG copy is in good shape.

Doesn't quite look like the mock-ups does it hahaha. Seems to be a regular occurrence now