Steely Dan Aja vinyl shootout

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Sam, Aug 12, 2013.

  1. motionoftheocean

    motionoftheocean Senior Member

    Location:
    Circus Maximus
    this thread begs a question I've been meaning to ask here for a while:

    are there any very recent pressings of Aja that are worth owning?
     
    John Bliss likes this.
  2. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    Seen a UK Probe CBAT ( no gatefold ), but trashed ..natural pass
    Must have been a party album.
     
    Psychedelic Good Trip likes this.
  3. richbdd01

    richbdd01 Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    The recent Back to Black wasn't bad by any means. However, it has an inner groove distortion issue regardless of setup. It's obviously the way it was cut. If it wasn't for that issue, it would be a pretty good reissue. It's not comparable to the Cisco or an AB pressing but is decent up until the distortion starts kicking in. Shame.
     
  4. Psychedelic Good Trip

    Psychedelic Good Trip Beautiful Psychedelic Colors Everywhere

    Location:
    New York


    Ya think? Hahahahahaha!!:laugh:
     
    alexpop likes this.
  5. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    Well played ..Do it again.:laugh:
     
    Psychedelic Good Trip likes this.
  6. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    Chris here's a quote from forum member W.B.
    "I.I.N.M., the stamped "Union Jack" symbol indicates a pressing by Keel Mfg. (then the custom-pressing division of Pickwick International; later rebranded as Happauge Record Mfg. - the plant, that is) of Hauppauge, NY. Pressings from that plant of Aja may've come from the period when Columbia Records' Pitman, NJ plant (which usually handled ABC product at the time) was on strike, during the spring of 1978."
     
    Dan C, Slick Willie, katstep and 4 others like this.
  7. AnalogJ

    AnalogJ Hearing In Stereo Since 1959

    Location:
    Salem, MA

    My AB 1006 is still my favorite pressing of this, and that includes the MoFi and the Cisco.
     
    jgrillo, Cassius, Cliff and 3 others like this.
  8. Psychedelic Good Trip

    Psychedelic Good Trip Beautiful Psychedelic Colors Everywhere

    Location:
    New York


    WOW!! Same here. Guess it was pressed right the first time 1977.
     
  9. James Glennon

    James Glennon Senior Member

    Location:
    Dublin, Ireland
    Strange, I don't see Aja in the secondhand bins that often anymore, used to be a time they were 10 a penny!

    JG
     
  10. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    Quite a few still floating around my neck of the woods James. Mostly AA runs. A co-worker gave me a Canadian cut last year I've still yet to spin.
     
    James Glennon likes this.
  11. AnalogJ

    AnalogJ Hearing In Stereo Since 1959

    Location:
    Salem, MA
    But not all originals were created equal. Apparently it's the AB1006 that is the one.
     
    Psychedelic Good Trip likes this.
  12. James Glennon

    James Glennon Senior Member

    Location:
    Dublin, Ireland
    Not even UK/German pressings are turning up. Thankfully I got my AB version years ago when I was in the US!

    JG
     
    c-eling likes this.
  13. Psychedelic Good Trip

    Psychedelic Good Trip Beautiful Psychedelic Colors Everywhere

    Location:
    New York

    Exactly
     
  14. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    Excellent! Feels good to be done (on the wallet) with a favorite... :laugh:
     
  15. Psychedelic Good Trip

    Psychedelic Good Trip Beautiful Psychedelic Colors Everywhere

    Location:
    New York
    So the Cisco back to vinyl reissue is good except for the inner groove distortion?
     
  16. AnalogJ

    AnalogJ Hearing In Stereo Since 1959

    Location:
    Salem, MA
    Not in my book. Initially, it sounds like it is more extended in the bass. But the midrange is thick and a bit muddy. The top end lacks air.

    In contrast, my AB1006, while perhaps is not as extended in the bass as the Cisco, is wide open in the midband, and quite airy on top. Unlike the Cisco, this one sounds fast and breezy. I can vouch for the copies I have. As you may know, there are variables in the pressing of each copy which can make each copy sound different.
     
  17. Psychedelic Good Trip

    Psychedelic Good Trip Beautiful Psychedelic Colors Everywhere

    Location:
    New York


    Thanks
     
  18. You seem to be confusing your AJA variations here. The Cisco has zero groove noise and has nothing to do with the ad copy stating/approximating "back to vinyl". That would be an entirely different reissue.
     
    Last edited: Sep 11, 2017
    Psychedelic Good Trip likes this.
  19. Orthogonian Blues

    Orthogonian Blues A man with a fork in a world full of soup.

    Location:
    London, UK
    Yes. I used to have this one. It made the last two minutes of Deacon Blues unlistenable.
     
    Chemguy and richbdd01 like this.
  20. Classicrock

    Classicrock Senior Member

    Location:
    South West, UK.
    There is a Jap 200 gram pressing from a few years ago likely from a DSD source. Sounds pretty good from memory. I think my US copy bought sealed is the AA version. These and the Cisco all have their merits. Later UK MCA copy from the 80s I had sounded poor in comparison.
     
  21. James Glennon

    James Glennon Senior Member

    Location:
    Dublin, Ireland
    Last edited: Sep 11, 2017
    Psychedelic Good Trip likes this.
  22. Psychedelic Good Trip

    Psychedelic Good Trip Beautiful Psychedelic Colors Everywhere

    Location:
    New York
  23. GentleSenator

    GentleSenator what if

    Location:
    Aloha, OR
    they're on to us!!

    can't remember if anyone's blamed them yet, but by "they're" i'm clearly referring to hipsters
     
  24. James Glennon

    James Glennon Senior Member

    Location:
    Dublin, Ireland
    I think this forum should 'go underground'!:cop:

    JG
     
    GentleSenator likes this.
  25. Cliff

    Cliff Magic Carpet Man

    Location:
    Northern CA
    That's good to know! I hear so many high praises for the Cisco and they fetch a small fortune. I have a pretty clean AB1006 and an even cleaner AA1006 but the AB smokes it on dynamics.
     

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