Baby I'M a Want You

Any way you slice it, the template for the mellow sounds that dominated AM radio in the 1970s starts with Baby I'm-A Want You. Bread's finest effort stands the test of time by way of the band's sturdy melodies, the former studio professionals' finessed playing, and some of the choicest harmonizing to ever come out of Los Angeles. Anchored by four Top 40 hits, the pop-rock classic radiates with golden-hued textures and pitch-perfect tones – particularly on this long-overdue reissue.

Mastered from the original master tapes and strictly limited to 2,000 copies, Mobile Fidelity's numbered-edition hybrid SACD delivers engrossing levels of warmth, clarity, nuance, and smoothness that elevate Bread's 1972 release to audiophile heights. For the first time, the quartet's polished musicianship and vocal blends come across as if you're hearing them happen live in the studio. Previously muddled elements are clarified, and the band's choruses and treble-ringing notes opened up so they can fully blossom, pulling you closer to the combination of serious emotion and comic-infused romance. In particular, leader David Gates' quasi-falsetto and other vocal touches get their just due.

Baby I'm-A Want You spills over with vocal goodness on par with the Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel. In his feature review for Rolling Stone, David Lubin observed: "Melodically and vocally Gates approaches the best of his love songs with a freshness that makes him, as did the early and middle [Paul] Mc