Steely Dan compilations

There's a whole heap of Dan compilations out these days, which is ideal for the more casual fan (in which category I include myself).

But which one to buy?

I have Remastered: The best of Steely Dan Then and Now. This 1993 compilation has a good track lineup, but seems less dynamic than I remember Dan sounding. No bright treble though!

So what's SH Forum's pick for a Dan compilation?

 

If you're willing to shell out for a 2-CD set, go for Showbiz Kids. If a one-CD set is your budget, get A Decade of Steely Dan.

 

Honestly, I don't think Steely Dan could ever be justified into a Greatest Hits compilation. However, if you twisted my arm, Reelin' in the Years: The Very Best of Steely Dan is a 2 CD set that has a LOT of the tracks I would have chosen. The sound is actually very good.



Notice the girl on the front cover has NOTHING to do with Steely Dan, but the compilation is really nice. Each CD is about 41-45 min each. If they were to do something better, they could have tacked on just a couple more songs for the cost...

 

Yeah Showbiz Kids is pretty good for the casual Dan listener. Be warned though, you will be hooked! Eventually you will own the entire catalog. Every album of is fantastic, there are some great album cuts that aren't on that compilation. Sometimes I wish I could hear Aja again for the first time.....

 

Of course, Sckott, that above mentioned compilation (Very Best of) is fine but sans FM, if memory serves. I like Showbiz Kids. Decade is missing Josie and Time Out Of Mind (Showbiz has these plus FM).

Brian

 

You know...

For about $30 on eBay you can buy the "Citizen" box set....

Has all of their studio albums plus some extra cuts, as well...


A bargain.



Ben

 

It's weird...I don't care for my MoFi pressing of AJA all that much--it seems a bit bright and grating in the cymbals. But when I listened to it the other night, it was like old days, having to get up after "Deacon blues" to flip it over and start with "Peg". How many hundreds of times had I done that before I got the CDs? It was just a comfortable feeling to go through that old routine.

 

Money is not the issue here - I pay whatever it costs for the music I want (I'm not married - I can get away with these things )

The information I'm after is more to do with which compilation(s) haven't had the sound screwed with, ie no compression or boosted tops.

Any suggestions?

 

Sckott, is that Reelin' in the Years two-disc set still in print? Also, is it a US release or an import? I've never seen it in stores. Thanks in advance.

 

I don't know if this has come up before, but is there any difference in sound between the gold version of A Decade of Steely Dan and the standard remaster?

 

Re: You know...

ben,

actually there is only one "unreleased song on the "citizen" box set, and it is a demo at that. "here at the western world" is on it too, but i'm pretty sure that is also on "decade".

however, there are TWO versions of "fm" floating around out there, one has a saxophone solo at the end and one has a guitar solo at athe end.
i think the guitar solo is on "decade", but i am not sure. i know someone else here can help me with that.

also, just go out and buy every steely album that you can.

this band never, ever made a bad song.

renny

 

For a good, concise collection, I'd go with A Decade of Steely Dan. Not in chronological order, but the older version has gotten good reviews for sound here, and the track selection is as good as one can hope for a single CD. Again, "Josie" is sorely missed, as is "Dirty Work." "Pretzel Logic," "Any Major Dude Will Tell You," and "Doctor Wu" also would've been great, but there's only room for a few more cuts, and those songs are on Pretzel Logic and Katy Lied, which are my two favorite must-own Dan albums anyway.

 

I would go with the 2-disc Showbiz Kids compilation. Has pretty much every Steely Dan song you need without having to buy all the albums, plus "Here In The Western World", a rare track that somehow seems to make every anthology. Love the Dan!

 

I've always been impressed by the sound (and track listing) of "A Decade of Steely Dan" released in about 1986. I would have liked just a few more tracks, but overall, it is still pretty good.

I have the standard CD version not the Gold that you see on e-bay.

I'd also be interested to hear if there are any major differences in sound quality between them.

 

Yes the guitar "FM" is only on "A Decade of Steely Dan" (possibly Gold, I'm not sure). The versions of "FM" on the boxed set, and Showbiz Kids has the saxophone solo at the end.

I've never heard any gold disc Dan album, either MOFI pressings, or the gold "Decade" disc. With the exception of Katy Lied, the cd remasters sound pretty good.

 

I am hooked in AJA

Regarding the AJA album, I have the original LP, the MFSL LP, the original CD, the MFSL CD and the recent remastered CD. SOmeday I'll have to compare them and try to figure out which sounds best.

 

Yes, it's in print, but it's not popular as far as copies exported. Show Biz Kids IS.

Again, I would say getting the full albums is the way to enjoy the Dan. Even the quirky little titles that didn't mean squat to radio can be fairly impressive. To be without at least "Can't By A Thrill", "Countdown To Extacy", "Royal Scam" and "Aja" in one's collection would be sad, IMHO.

See, then I'm already more than 1/2 way through the ABC/Dunhill years! Oh, crap... I forgot Pretzel Logic... You can't minimize Steely Dan. I really did try once. I got into two discs absolutely full:

I wasn't impressed that "Reelin In The Years" UK import had only filled 2 cds about 46 min worth. So, I went nutty making a Steely compilation that made sense to me. I included "Daddy Don't Work In That NYC No More", "Don't Take Me Alive", "Turn That Heartbeat Over Again", "Aja", "Night By Night", "FM"... I cannot leave these songs alone, and many people aren't familiar with those songs.

Then I thought, wow. My problem is, I'm having a hard time excluding things! Screw this, I'd rather keep the 4CD of Citizen Dan in the car magazine!! (In reference to prev posts)....

Ugh. Music is a very hard resposnibility ! Yup, I working man's band.

I'm still continuely impressed with "Two Against Nature". Lyrically infectious.

 

I agree completely. My favorite tunes tend to be the less popular ones like "Barrytown" and "Only a Fool Would Say That" and "Through with Buzz" and "Rose Darling" and ... Sckott's right, there are too many. The albums are plentiful and cheap, whether you're into LP or CD, and Citizen Steely Dan is a bargain at most any price.

 

I'm just curious, what don't you like about the Katy Lied remaster?

 

Let's not forget Donald Fagen's "The Nightfly". A great CD. Very "undigital" in sound quality.

 

One of my absolute favorites!

 

Hear what they said when they won the Best Album Grammy?

"Thanks to Eminem for taking the heat."

 

Perfect

 

For those enquiring minds that want to know...The MCA Gold CD "A Decade Of Steely Dan" is a complete waste of hard earned money. Bright and irritating, an audio-fatigue special IMHO. Thanks, I'll keep my MoFi UD1's and the original pressings. Don't know about the aluminum version of this one.

 

Hmmm.

I don't regard the gold MCA disc with quite the venom that Dave does

In fact I like it - a lot

It may not be perfect in that it is a little on the bright side EQ wise (but not to the point of unpleasantness) but otherwise I think it's pretty good - very revealing in terms of detail, without sounding hard and unnatural as so many remasters do these days.

Also, it has the "guitar version" of FM which is nice to add to the collection.

As others have said, you should really get all the albums - as soon as you get hooked you won't be able to resist