Vinyl Reports

At the tail end of last year, we reviewed the inaugural release in UMe’s most excellent new Vinylphyle reissue series, The Velvet Underground & Nico’s 1967 self-titled debut LP. (You can go here to see that review, which posted on December 12, 2025.) This week, as Analog Planet’s other resident — if you’ll pardon the avoidable pun — vinylphile, I’ll dig into two more offerings from the series’ first run of releases: a) Bob Marley & The Wailers’ June 1977 global breakthrough LP Exodus, and b) The Band’s underappreciated yet iconic November 1975 original-lineup studio swan song, Northern Lights – Southern Cross.

Before we dig down deeper into both of these great reissues, let’s first unwind the all-important DNA strands underlying the Vinylphile Series writ large. From the official press materials we learn, “Each Vinylphyle release will feature all-analog mastering from original sources by an elite group of today’s top vinyl cutting engineers. The LPs will be pressed at the world-class Southern California-based audiophile vinyl record pressing plant Record Technology, Inc. better known amongst vinyl lovers as RTI, on 180-gram black vinyl. Similar in presentation and execution to Blue Note’s acclaimed Tone Poet series, the production and packaging seek to honor the stature of these recordings and will include tip-on wrapped gatefold jackets in satin matte finish, printed on clay-coated board, with archival poly sleeves and a four-panel insert featuring new liner notes by notable music journalists, personalities and fans. Backed by RTI’s craftsmanship, these releases are produced at the highest levels and include extensive quality controls at every step of the process, from mastering to plating to pressing and printing, ensuring a superb final product.”

Indeed, the initial titles in UMe’s Vinylphyle reissue series were cut for vinyl by Joe Nino-Hernes of Sterling Sound from the original analog master tapes. Both releases being reviewed here today have also proven to be of a super-high-quality standard, with their respective RTI pressings delivering thick, dark-black vinyl platters that were both perfectly centered and dead-quiet.

The SRP for each of these Vinylphyle LPs is $39.98 respectively, and they are available exclusively at udiscovermusic.com. You can order Exodus by going here, and you can get Northern Lights – Southern Cross by going here.

And now, on we go to the review portion of this post, where you’ll find out just how both of these fine albums fared after having been given the Vinylphyle spa treatment.

BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS
EXODUS
(Tuff Gong/Island/UMe)

There are many great albums in Bob Marley & The Wailers’ storied catalog, but June 1977’s Exodus was a gamechanger for not only their career, but for Marley’s own legendary status as well. It marked the moment of his international ascension to superstardom, in that Exodus delivered five hit singles. The album went gold in the U.S., Canada, and the UK, in addition to making it up to No. 20 on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums list, not to mention staying on the UK charts for 56 weeks, peaking there at the No. 8 spot. The title track hit No. 1 in the UK, Germany, and Jamaica! Exodus was later even named “Album of the Century” by Time magazine.

Consider this detail: The original version of their now-classic Tuff Gong/Island retrospective, May 1984’s Legend: The Best of Bob Marley and the Wailers, features five tracks from Exodus — nearly one-third of the album’s 14 tracks! — which is more than any other LP of theirs represented on that seminal compilation (one that has long since been expanded with various bonus tracks in the interim, both on vinyl and digitally). In many ways, Exodus plays almost like a greatest hits collection in and of itself, home to standards including the title track (Part 1, Track 5), “Three Little Birds” (Part 2, Track 4), “One Love / People Get Ready” (Part 2, Track 5), and the classic “Jamming” (Part 2, Track 1). (Note that the original UK and U.S. Exodus LPs designate each side as a “Part,” so that’s how we’re referring to them here — plus, that’s how they appear on the Vinylphyle labels anyway, even if the OBI strip says differently.)

In preparing for this review, I gave a refresher listen to a very nice stock 1978-81 era 2nd pressing of Exodus that I own, one with the light blue Island labels. It sounded good — but when I put on the new Vinylphyle edition, I immediately realized the earlier pressing is much more compressed, with a less vibrant soundstage. Musically more alive, the new Vinylphyle edition of Exodus offers more distinctive bass, richer, more natural-sounding drums, and a cinematic, widescreen stereophonic soundstage.

I could easily detect loads more studio presence too, such as during Marley’s solo during “Waiting in Vain” (Part 2, Track 2). Within the aforementioned “Jamming” (Part 2, Track 1), I noticed all manner of borderline gimmicky percussion textures ping-ponging between the speakers, something I never noticed on my 2nd-pressing U.S. copy. Yet it never actually feels gimmicky here — it just all feels right.

Now, I know that there are a pair of relatively recent UHQR editions of Exodus released by Analogue Productions in 2023 and 2025. While I’ve never heard them, I’m sure they sound amazing. (Footnote 1) For additional perspective, the 200g 1LP UHQR edition from 2023 seems to be out of print; thus, finding it on the secondary market may cost some significant investment. For example, two copies of that edition on Discogs at the time of this posting are selling for between $200 and $500. The 2025 200g 2LP 45rpm version is still available, however, for $150. With that in mind, getting a sweet, audiophile-worthy Vinylphyle edition of Exodus for about $40 seems very fair, and quite within reach for most consumers these days.

Anyhow, I think you can tell I am very happy with this new Vinylphyle edition of Exodus. The album also comes with super-insightful new liner notes from Don Letts — the entrepreneur, filmmaker, and co-founder of Mick Jones’ brilliant post-Clash band Big Audio Dynamite, who shares great stories about his time getting to know Marley back around the time of this pivotal release.

The cover art on this new Vinylphyle edition is absolutely beautiful, with heavy embossed raised text for the album title (like the original UK editions), and a series-specific, color-coordinated OBI strip on the left. The powers that be also created (as far as I can tell) a slightly enhanced version of original 1977 UK labels with a larger Exodus logo than the OG. It still feels period-accurate, nonetheless.

As for our ratings, Exodus warrants receiving an easy 11 for Music on our scale, especially given its ratio of hits to deep cuts. And, soundwise, this one is a kicker at a solid 9.5 for the Sound rating, allowing for a little wiggle room to acknowledge the UHQR editions. (You can see what AP editor Mike Mettler says about them in Footnote 1.)

BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS
EXODUS
180g 1LP (Tuff Gong/Island/UMe)
MUSIC: 11
SOUND: 10

Original LP produced by Bob Marley & The Wailers
Engineered by Karl Pitterson; assistant engineers: Guy Bidmead and Terry Barham
Mixed by Aston Barrett, Chris Blackwell, and Karl Pitterson
Reissue supervision by Harry Weinger
Vinyl mastering by Joe-Nino Hernes at Sterling Sound, Nashville
Vinyl cut at RTI, in Camarillo, California

Part 1
1. Natural Mystic
2. So Much Things To Say
3. Guiltiness
4. The Heathen
5. Exodus

Part 2
1. Jamming
2. Waiting In Vain
3. Turn Your Lights Down Low
4. Three Little Birds
5. One Love / People Get Ready

THE BAND
NORTHERN LIGHTS – SOUTHERN CROSS
180g 1LP (Capitol/UMe)

The Band’s sixth studio LP, November 1975’s Northern Lights – Southern Cross, often gets overlooked for numerous reasons, of which I can only speculate. But the reality is, this is a fine album, marking an excellent return to the classic trajectory of the group’s initial releases. It’s a logical finale for their original lineup, which sits proudly alongside the group’s iconic first four Capitol LPs — 1968’s Music From Big Pink, 1969’s The Band, 1970’s Stage Fright, and 1971’s Cahoots. While the NL – SC album was not a big chart success — it peaked at No. 26 on the Billboard 200, and the “Ophelia” single stalled at No. 62 — many of its songs were easily welcomed into The Band’s touring canon, two of which had arguably already become instant classics.

Two of my favorite moments from The Last Waltz, April 1978’s epic 3LP soundtrack to the Martin Scorsese-directed documentary of The Band’s November 1976 farewell concert, were in fact tracks that had first appeared on Northern Lights – Southern Cross — the above-noted “Ophelia,” and “It Makes No Difference.” Another NL – SC track, “Acadian Driftwood,” was also performed at that iconic show.

In the wake of the four relatively recent super deluxe box sets celebrating The Band’s impeccable 1968-71 studio run, all of which featured incredible remixes by acclaimed producer/engineer Bob Clearmountain (Footnote 2), it is exciting that some attention is now finally being paid to Northern Lights – Southern Cross. This album has a unique sonic profile, as it was self-produced by the group at their own — and then-new — Shangri-La Studio in Malibu, California. That said, much like those earlier Band albums prior to remixing, NL – SC was never a sonic wonder in its final mix, though it did indeed sound good.

That said, compared to my original ’70s Capitol pressing of Northern Lights – Southern Cross, the new Vinylphyle edition certainly sounds much better on multiple levels. Significantly, the pressing quality is far superior. By the mid-1970s, Capitol wasn’t exactly known for being an audiophile powerhouse, and, coupled with that era’s Middle East oil crisis — which created challenges for any products requiring oil for its manufacture, including vinyl! — the pressings I’ve owned of this LP over the years have been merely adequate. Thus, a nice, new, dead-quiet and perfectly centered audiophile-worthy edition of NL – SC is much welcomed! (Footnote 3)

Ultimately, Northern Lights – Southern Cross still sounds like it should sound. This reissue is not a remix, so the somewhat compressed sound of the album as prepared by the group back in the day is effectively etched in stone (if you will) of the original master mixdown. However, I am hearing more details and clarity on this new pressing. For example, little details like the plinky dings (for lack of a better phrase) at the start of “Ring Your Bell” (Side 2, Track 1) are noticeably clearer. The horns and piano sound much more alive on this pressing, and Garth Hudson’s then-cutting edge and relatively new ARP synthesizer soloing sounds especially eerie and haunting.

Levon Helm’s drums retain a sort of muted presence here, and I would not be surprised if he had a towel or some sort of mute on the snare to tone down the impact of his significant snap on that particular drum head. Yet, somehow, it all works perfectly in the context of the music on Northern Lights – Southern Cross.

Ratingswise, I have no problem giving NL – SC a solid 9 for the Music, especially given the aforementioned trio of songs which, at the time of release, felt like immediately classic Band music — and it comes across even more so today. Sonicswise, this album gets a fair 8.5 for the Sound, acknowledging that it sounds better than the original. Maybe someday, we’ll get treated to a proper remix by Bob Clearmountain, whose vision brilliantly steered all the box set remixing (and often genuine reinvention) of those early Band classics. I suspect there is much more brilliance tucked away within these original mixes yet to be revealed. Until then, the new Vinylphyle edition of Northern Lights – Southern Cross is easily the best version I’ve heard to date.

THE BAND
NORTHERN LIGHTS – SOUTHERN CROSS
180g 1LP (Capitol/UMe)
MUSIC: 9
SOUND: 8.5

Original LP produced by The Band
Engineered by Rob Fraboni, Ed Anderson, and Nat Jeffrey
Mixed by Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Garth Hudson, Rob Fraboni, Nat Jeffrey, and Ed Anderson
Vinylphyle producer: Frank Collura
Vinyl mastering by Joe-Nino Hernes at Sterling Sound, Nashville
Vinyl cut at RTI, in Camarillo, California

Side 1
1. Forbidden Fruit
2. Hobo Jungle
3. Ophelia
4. Acadian Driftwood

Side 2
1. Ring Your Bell
2. It Makes No Difference
3. Jupiter Hollow
4. Rag and Bones

Author bio: Mark Smotroff is an avid vinyl collector who has also worked in marketing communications for decades. He has reviewed music for eCoustics, among others, and you can see more of his impressive C.V. at LinkedIn.

Footnote 1: AP editor Mike Mettler adds: I have both of the Exodus UHQRs in question, and I can report that they each garner an 11 for Music and 11 for Sound, straight up, though I do prefer the deeper bass and various percussion elements on the 2LP 45rpm version overall. But, as Mark rightly notes, the new Vinylphyle edition of Exodus is indeed quite excellent on its own merits, especially at its price point, so I concur with his ratings for this version. If you can’t afford the UHQRs, this is the way to go.

Footnote 2: Mettler again. I spoke with The Band’s late, great chief songwriter/guitarist Robbie Robertson quite extensively about the balance of those wonderfully expanded Band box sets on our also late, also great sister site Sound & Vision, and you can check out what he said about them here; just scroll down to whichever of those Band masterpieces strike your fancy.

Footnote 3: Mettler once more. I also concur with Mark’s NL – SC Vinylphyle ratings. My original, overplayed 1975 Capitol LP (ST-11440) pales in comparison to this new edition — the harmonies on “Acadian Driftwood” alone (Side 1, Track 4) cinched it for me. (Okay, okay, Garth Hudson’s accordion and guest Byron Berline’s fiddle also helped in that assessment.) Another worthwhile investment here, imo.