High-fidelity reissue leader Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab presents the first-ever audiophile editions of Harry Chapin’s 1974 folk-rock landmark ‘Verities & Balderdash.’ Available now at mofi.com, the album arrives as a numbered 180g 33RPM LP limited to 3,000 copies and a numbered Hybrid SACD limited to 2,000 copies.
Sourced from the original master tapes and mastered from analog to DSD 256 and back to analog, the vinyl is pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing in California and housed in a premium Stoughton jacket with a four-page insert. The Hybrid SACD comes in mini-LP-style gatefold packaging, honoring the album’s era and presentation.
Home to the No. 1 single “Cat’s in the Cradle,” ‘Verities & Balderdash’ remains a generational touchstone. Its tonal balance, instrumental separation, and organic naturalism come into vivid focus in these editions. The surfaces are dead quiet, the imaging expansive, and Chapin’s voice lands with striking realism.
Certified double platinum, the album moves from the romantic “I Wanna Learn a Love Song” to the vivid storytelling of “30,000 Pounds of Bananas.” These reissues spotlight Chapin’s soulful timbre and guitar work with renewed presence. ‘Verities & Balderdash’ stands tall as both a sonic and cultural milestone.
TRACK LIST (VINYL):
Side One:
Cat’s in the Cradle
I Wanna Learn a Love Song
Shooting Star
30,000 Pounds of Bananas
She Sings Songs Without Words
Side Two:
What Made America Famous?
Vacancy
Halfway to Heaven
Six String Orchestra