Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs are a company that bases their business on taking previously-released albums and re-mastering them. The albums that are reissued are licensed from the original producers, and the master recordings are use to produce new versions that are often of a better sound quality than the original. The licenses used give MFSL the right to make only a certain number of copies and to sell them within a certain amount of time, giving a somewhat collectors-feel to their products.
The company has been around since the early 70s, but only became popularized in the late 70s to early 80s, after releasing a 13 album set of all the original British recordings of the Beatles back catalog. The set was released on what the company called high-density vinyl, which allowed for half-speed mastering of the LPs.
Although they are still selling vinyl and using some of the original mastering methods, the company now also sells a line of CDs, which are made from aluminum and gold plated the additionally reflective nature of the gold, the company believes, makes for a superior sounding playback. The original master tapes of many of their releases have been used to produce new CD versions.
Nirvana, one of the most popular bands of the late 80s, notably had their album Nevermind remastered by Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs. The Nirvana MFSL Nevemind album, due to its appeal to collectors can now be purchased from enthusiasts however, you should not expect to find a copy for less than 100.
It is undeniable that Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs have their own place in the history of modern rock and pop music the resale price of their albums alone shows that there is high demand for their products, and the quality of their remastered versions is always very high.