We had a blurb about this recently in the Day in Pop Digest from FMQB. Turned out some of the info was off, but we now have all of the details for you with the official announcement: Celebrating their 10-year anniversary, independent record label owners, Andy Factor and JP Plunier re-release their first album, Jack Johnson's Brushfire Fairytales, with the help of Bernie Grundman. Pulling the original 1/2" analog masters from the "vault" and re-mastering with the famed engineer, Everloving improved the fidelity of the album and will reintroduce it to old and new fans alike.
The vinyl edition, cut directly from tape to lacquer (AAA to all you audiophiles) is available now at local independent record shops and includes a digital download card with purchase. Two live bonus tracks of "Flake" and "Inaudible Melodies" are offered only on the digital download version of this release.
As an unknown artist in 2001, Jack Johnson and the upstart indie label formerly known as Enjoy Records produced their first album together, Brushfire Fairytales. Plunier states, "Working on the album with Jack was an effort to create a sound that was not commonly heard on the radio and we wanted to bring audiophiles the opportunity to listen to what the surf culture had already been a part of. It was an honor to put Everloving's grass roots efforts into creating a successful and meaningful sound." Both Plunier and Factor took a chance with Johnson when all major labels looked the other way.
A year after its release date and over 100,000 units sold, Brushfire Fairytales' impressive debut finally attracted major record labels with offers to sign Johnson. However, Everloving chief Andy Factor designed a unique and groundbreaking deal in which he signed Brushfire Fairytales to Universal/Republic in January of 2002. "Handing over our album was hard to do but we all agreed it was necessary to see this artist reach his full potential and we ultimately signed to Universal with the understanding Brushfire Fairytales would one day return to our roster and Universal could move forward and continue to grow Johnson's career to the level it has become. In addition, we created the path for future deals to be signed in a similar fashion which transformed music industry deal making at the time," says Factor. Using Universal's colossal machine in a "distribution plus a la carte services" arrangement, the album went on to sell over 2 million copies in the US alone while promising the return of the master after a ten-year period.
Now, a decade later, the album returns to Everloving conservatorship. The reissue receives the royal treatment from one of the most prominent figures in the mastering world, Bernie Grundman. "Our disc cutting system is unique because a large majority of it is custom built by our technical department to optimize the quality of any master to disc. In the case of Jack Johnson' album, there is an added advantage with the master being on analog tape," says Grundman of the re-mastering process. "Our tape playback is a highly simplified tube preamp designed and built by our studio. In addition, the cutting system is all tube electronics yielding a very natural realistic sound. We also used premium lacquers imported from Japan that we find plate well and have ultra quiet surfaces. Everything has been done to ensure the best possible listening experience. I hope you enjoy this album as much as we did."
With Brushfire Fairytales back at home with its Everloving family, the album and label marks a reunion noteworthy of both the artist's and the label's contribution to the ever-changing world of music. Enjoy.
