I was really blown away at how good Steely Dan Gold sounded. My system has undergone several changes since I'd played it last and I honestly couldn't stop moving my feet while it played. It actually made me want to learn the bassline to Green Earrings, which I'd never even considered before, which is weird since that line is just killin'.
I "inherited" a red vinyl "Aja" from a friend and it's definitely a Canadian pressing. Kind of noisy/scratchy, if I recall correctly. I don't know if that's a result of my friend's treatment of the record, an inherent issue with the pressing itself or a combination of the two. Regardless, it's nice to look at!
Since I had everything else the quad versions of the first 3 were essential for me. The mixes are different and some are very noticeable. The quads for CBAT and CTE I consider essential. PL I do not although it is still interesting.
One Aja I have is an AA-1006 with AB scratch out in the run off. The Jacket is an AA but the record is really an AB.
I agree, although we seem to be in minority as far as the merits of "Green Earrings" goes. That song took a thrashing in the Royal Scam section of the Steely Dan album by album discussion...I was surprised!
I collect Steely Dan vinyl more than any other artist outside of the Beatles and I have discovered a few things: The first two albums sound somewhat more "alive" on the Terre Haute pressings (i.e. the ABC "blocks" labels). I still haven't found a holy grail pressing of Pretzel Logic or Katy Lied after several attempts (MoFi, promos, and assorted copies). Royal Scam seems to sound better with the Allen Zentz pressing with the flower on side 1 and the two birds/seagulls on side 2 (rarer than you'd think and I've never seen a flower on side 2). Aja is probably best with a clean copy of the AB-1006 but the Cisco is pretty damned interesting. Gaucho has yet to be surpassed with the original Bob Ludwig master. Greatest Hits is as phenomenal as has been stated in this forum when it's been mastered by Ludwig (though I've never seen an 'RL' on side 4). Almost every time I think I've found the most vibrant copy of a Dan album I compare its similar tracks to GH and invariably Ludwig beats it. I'm still not convinced that Gold is better in a similar way since it was digitally mastered according to the liner notes and I've never felt blown away by its sonics. Japanese pressings are solid for the quality of the vinyl but a shade less "present" than the original US pressings. The same goes for German, Holland and England. Ultimately there's not a huge difference between pressings (except the muffled Coral pressings), but if you're willing to go the extra mile you can still find a great copy of any of their first pressings at an inexpensive price.
There are two different versions of Gold. The regular and "audiophile". I like the latter. Never heard the former, and I generally don't take digital mastering as evil out of hand. Good synopsis though.
I had both the Cisco and the original AB 1006. While the Cisco is "not bad," once you hear the AB 1006 pressing, you'll laugh and chuck your Cisco out the window.
I have both, and I can assure you that I have NOT "chucked the Cisco out the window". Each version has its merits, and I enjoy hearing Aja without the compression that was applied to the original so that the turntables of the day wouldn't skip.
I'm almost 100% certain my original 1977 "Aja" is an AB -1006 but I will look at it again shortly just so I can be absolutely certain.
Not disagreeing about the Cisco - its all about personal preference after all - but the last part of your post is one of the most bizarre I have ever read here. Compression & reduced dynamic range will reduce the likelihood of skipping, not the other way around. And this album is hardly a torture tracker. By 1977 turntables of the day were (and still are) generally excellent as were many cartridges available.
I have a whole collection of AB-1006s and I paid less than $5 for all of them. I give them away to people now. Tampa is overflowing with them. Also, Who's Next W-1s, I keep finding them and I must buy them!
Regarding The Royal Scam, I have three US pressings and a Canadian yellow vinyl pressing, and the music on all four is at a higher speed and pitch than they should be. The Royal Scam songs on my Greatest Hits vinyl are at the correct speed and pitch. Has anyone noticed this phenomenon on their pressings?
Exactly! That's why some light compression was applied to the original mastering. At that time it was thought that some of the turntables in use would not have tracked it if the full dynamics were left intact. The Cisco does NOT have the compression, and that is one of the reasons why I enjoy it so much. Again, you really can't go wrong with either version. I enjoy them both for different reasons.
The discussion concerning "Cisco Aja" vs. "ABC AB-1006 Aja" motivated me to pull out both versions and compare directly. First, I verified that my original copy of Aja from 1977 was indeed an AB-1006. Satisfied that it was, I A/B'd it (no pun intended) with a needledrop of the Cisco that I had made on the same rig, synching and volume-balancing the two so I could quickly switch back and forth for virtually instant comparisons. Obviously, it wasn't a "blind" experiment but after repeated back-and-forth listening I maintain my original favorable impression of the Cisco pressing. I heard no hint of a narrower soundstage, recessed vocals, veiled/cloudy mids and/or highs, or anything else it might have been accused of or that might convince me to reject it in favor of the AB-1006 (or any other version for that matter). The ABC sounded absolutely dandy on its own merits but the Cisco ultimately won out with just a tad more energy in the bass guitar frequency range and a bit more "sparkle" in general. I have no problem understanding and appreciating differences of opinion on this but I hear what I hear and I like what I like. Most of all, I like Steely Dan!
Not what I heard. I had both pieces of vinyl at one time. What stood out to me was clearly that the Cisco was not taken from the master tape, as has been confirmed in earlier posts and threads by Steve Hoffman. Overall clarity and punch went to the original pressing. To me it was night and day, which is why I sold the Cisco. Now, could it be your original pressing? Different pressing plant or worn in some way? Not sure, but the difference was quite apparent to me.
I have a mint copy of Greatest Hits, it’s a Japanese promo pressing with RL etched on all 4 sides. This thing sounds spectacular. My Gaucho MCA RL is also a fantastic listen.
Phoebe Snow and Micheal McDonald. If you can’t stand either one then move on and don’t read further, heavy doses of both here. Fagan’s New York Rock and Soul Revue currently out on Rhino is worth picking up. It’s quiet vinyl and the sound is wonderful. Previously this has only been available on CD. I don’t have it on CD. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy the vinyl if you have a table. There’s no way the CD sounds better than this. If it sounds as good I’d be surprised. Not exactly Steely Dan but it pertains to this thread. Absolutely fantastic.
I respect your opinion here. I’ve gone back and forth between the two. My only point would be why sell number two? I’m not sure it even is number two but if you had a Cisco why sell it? I want both (and I also have the MoFi, it’s not going anywhere either).
I'm not one to sell my records but I can understand why someone might want to cash in on a limited-edition release that they don't really enjoy or want anymore. A 30th anniversary Cisco Aja in good condition can probably fetch some good coin...so why not? I'm sure Sam doesn't regard it as a "number two" Aja. I don't agree with his evaluation but I respect it. Given his poor judgment and hearing , I can certainly understand why he sold it
I've never owned Greatest Hits on vinyl....have it on cd, and like the track selection. I have no idea why I've never gotten around to adding this title to my collection?? I've seen it around many times over the last 20 years of my vinyl hunting, just never have pulled the trigger. However, this thread motivated me to end the dry spell. I found one on-line, it's a US pressing, and hoping it's as nice as the description. I think I have 8 vinyl pressings of Gaucho....when I see those cheap I just can't pass them up.