Legendary Catalog Label Rhino Announces New Premium Vinyl Series 

For the last 45 years, Los Angeles-based imprint Rhino has pioneered the music catalog business in bold and innovative ways that continue to this day.

And once again the iconic imprint is setting the standard with the launch of the exclusive premium vinyl series, Rhino High Fidelity (Rhino Hi-Fi). These high-end, limited-edition vinyl reissues of classic albums represent the pinnacle of sound and packaging. 

The first two Rhino High Fidelity albums are available today exclusively at Rhino.com – The Cars (1978) by the Cars and Coltrane’s Sound (1964) by John Coltrane. Each Rhino High Fidelity title is limited to 5,000 individually numbered copies and retails for $39.98. 

To ensure consistent sonic excellence, renowned engineer Kevin Gray will cut lacquers for all Rhino Hi-Fi releases, and Optimal will press the 180-gram vinyl records. The releases boast high-quality glossy covers and “tip-on” jackets, an old-school aesthetic that evokes the golden age of vinyl. 

“It will be an honor to master this series,” says Gray. “There is so much variety to explore in the Rhino catalog – everything from Jazz to Rock to R&B.  Rhino has a very deep catalog spanning across five decades. The possibilities are incredible! I look forward to all of it.”

Another perk of the new Rhino High Fidelity series is exclusive content that will be included within the packaging. For instance, The Cars features a new interview with guitarist Elliot Easton about the gear used on the album, plus producer Roy Thomas Baker’s tracking notes for “Good Times Roll.” 

Upon hearing the Rhino High Fidelity pressing, Easton said, “It’s like being in your studios. It’s like listening to a studio playback… It just blew my mind.” He then reflected on the making of the album, “We felt like we were doing something that hadn’t been done before, like we were breaking some ground and making some sounds that hadn’t been recorded before. That was very exciting. It was just completely the chemistry of the five of us. It’s nothing you can calculate or plan. It just either happens or doesn’t. It’s magic.”

Coltrane’s Sound includes notes and images from the master tapes along with an archival essay by legendary producer Tom Dowd, the recording engineer on this album, and hundreds of other classics on Atlantic Records. 

“It was amazing, even after an hour of solid playing [Coltrane] would be as calm and composed as when he first started,” Dowd recalls. “Normally when someone works this hard, they tense up. Not John. As I observed him playing, I could not detect any of the joints of his hands or fingers. He didn’t seem to have any bones. He played with ‘feathers.’ His technique involved complete confidence, control, and composure.”

Rhino High Fidelity will take full advantage of Warner Music’s vast music catalog, creating superlative versions of landmark albums from the worlds of jazz, blues, rock, pop, and beyond.

The Rhino High Fidelity series will continue to release two classic albums quarterly, each with the same audio and packaging quality of the initial pair in strictly limited editions. The next round of Rhino High Fidelity releases will be announced in the coming weeks.

THE CARS

Track Listing

Side One

1. “Good Times Roll”
2. “My Best Friend’s Girl”
3. “Just What I Needed”
4. “I’m In Touch With Your World”
5. “Don’t Cha Stop”

Side Two

1. “You’re All I’ve Got Tonight”
2. “Bye Bye Love”
3. “Moving In Stereo”
4. “All Mixed Up”

COLTRANE’S SOUND

Track Listing

Side One

1. “The Night Has A Thousand Eyes”
2. “Central Park West”
3. “Liberia”

Side Two

1. “Body And Soul”
2. “Equinox”
3. “Satellite”

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Ron Hart

Ron Hart is the Editor-in-Chief of Rock and Roll Globe. Reach him on Twitter @MisterTribune.

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