Randy Travis – Storms of Life (Numbered 180g Vinyl LP)

1986 Randy Travis Album Spearheaded the Neotraditionalist Movement and Announced the Arrival of a Golden-Voiced Country Singer: Storms of Life Features the Hits “1982,” “On the Other Hand,” and “Diggin’ up Bones”

Mastered from the Original Analog Tapes and Pressed at RTI for Audiophile Sound: Mobile Fidelity 180g Vinyl LP Issued in Partnership with Warner Nashville, Housed in Tip-On Gatefold Packaging with New Artwork

1/2″ / 30 IPS analog master to DSD 256 to analog console to lathe

Nobody could have predicted the impact Randy Travis’ proper debut would make on country music when it was released in 1986. Recorded by a virtually unknown singer-songwriter who had once been rejected by every major label, and bolstered by production and arrangements that spotlight Travis’ impeccable vocals, Storms of Life spurred a stylistic sea change that would soon sweep Nashville and place the North Carolina native at the center of the neotraditionalist movement. More than three decades later, the LP’s brilliance looms larger than ever.

Mastered from the original analog master tapes, pressed on ultra-quiet vinyl at RTI, and issued in partnership with Warner Nashville in commemoration of the record’s 35th anniversary, Mobile Fidelity’s numbered-edition 180g vinyl LP of Storms of Life stands as the first contemporary country audiophile reissue and a testament to Travis’ Country Music Hall of Fame legacy. Housed in a single-pocket tip-on gatefold sleeve with new artwork, the quadruple-platinum album now boasts stellar transparency, breathtaking clarity, broad dynamics, and gorgeous tonalities that allow listeners the opportunity to experience one of the greatest vocalists in recent memory with unparalleled intimacy, realism, and breadth.

Produced by Kyle Lehning, and shaped to go against the mellowness and softness that were part of the then-current county-pop mold boosted by the popularity of Urban Cowboy, Storms of Life features fully formed architecture and expert instrumental support that benefit from the meticulous sonic restoration. Details such as the patient swell and bloom of pedal-steel guitars; rise and carry of background vocalists; bluesy drift of harmonicas; depth of pianos; airiness, snap and twang of acoustic guitars; back-porch sweetness of fiddles and mandolins; and grounding pace of the drums come across with reference-quality sound. Each contributor gets their own space in the mix. Music aficionados take note: Jerry Douglas, Mark O’Connor, Eddie Bayers, and David Hungate are just a few of the prized session musicians involved.

1. On the Other Hand
2. The Storms of Life
3. My Heart Cracked (But It Did Not Break)
4. Diggin’ up Bones
5. No Place Like Home
6. 1982
7. Send My Body
8. Messin’ with My Mind
9. Reasons I Cheat
10. There’ll Always Be a Honky Tonk Somewhere