I recently acquired a YX prefix Japanese copy of SD Aja, with a c date of 1977. This is now my go to copy- exceeding my AB copy and mofi. To my ears this is now the best copy in my collection. MUCH better clarity of instruments and all the little sounds that are part of the performance. Musicians are anchored in the space of a wide and deep soundstage. Wayne Shorter comes in like a soaring angel. In comparison, my AB and other copies sound muddy. Caveat is I think the Japanese engineers boosted the treble slightly while vocals seem farther back in the mix. My opinion others may differ.
Space and money. I try to only keep the best sounding pressings,especially in light of the fact that I got around $100 for it on eBay. I have the mofi as well, but I've held onto that for some reason.
Nice find. I picked up a beautiful 1980 Japan VIM for dirt cheap at a thrift of all places. Mimics my Japan for US JVC compact disc. (Which I enjoy)
My Gold LP sounds excellent -not sure if it's Ludwig mastered by it's mighty fine just the same. Roger Nichols' digital remastering on the tracks seemed to make a sonic difference as well. Steely Dan - Gold I'm not kidding, man, read the comments in the album by album thread- it seemed like myself and maybe two other people had anything good to say at all about "Green Earrings". I was surprised to be honest- I sorta figured it was a more well regarded song than that. Yes. On my Royal Scam LP (Steely Dan - The Royal Scam ) "Kid Charlemagne" plays fast, don't ask me why. Not big time sped up, but enough that it's noticeable. "Babylon Sisters" on my Gaucho LP plays fast as well (Steely Dan - Gaucho ).
Picked up a Santa Maria 1006 AB Aja yesterday for $8 which is the going price in my town. A little surface noise but this thing has the mojo!!!
Green Earrings is a good song, though it really came into its own live with additional horns (e.g. on Alive In America).
I received my Steely Dan Greatest Hits US vinyl with MCA 2-6008 stamped on the cover in the mail today. Both discs are very nice, clean with lots of luster, and play nice and flat. Masterdisk is stamped on all 4 sides, but no sign of RL. However, the sound is fantastic, with no side or song sounding dull or weak. The standout song for me is Bad Sneakers......completely filled my room with that glorious sound. Total cost was $10 including shipping
What different colors of Aja albums do you have and are any of them "Promo" copies or 12" discs? Thanks
You should try the audiophile version if you can. The Aja tracks included on this version of Gold sound better than the versions on my promo original. More clear, bigger sound with better imaging. I have a Red and Yellow translucent colored copy of Aja. I believe both are Canadian, but I'm not home to check. The only promo copy I own is standard black wax shown above.
Has it ever been determined if the Greatest Hits with just "Masterdisk" in the deadwax is the RL mastering or not?
He often didn’t inscribe his initials - for whatever reason. But his handwriting is fairly distinctive - and recognizable if you’ve looked at a lot of dead wax over the years. Just look at the handwriting of the GH LP and compare it to the handwriting of a disc with RL inscribed in the dead wax.
I think I have that Gold LP somewhere. I’ll bet I haven’t listened to it in 30 years. I’ll need to track it down and give it a listen. I also have the red vinyl Aja. Pretty good sound, but not the greatest vinyl.
Just picked up a Greatest hits AK 1107/2 ABC records. It is in really good nick. Sounds good but maybe not as great as what I hoped. On the side 1 deadwax it has A BL scratched followed by a neat Union Jack flag. Then the Ak 1107-2-A 11. Side 2 has AI - KL as initial scratching. No Union Jack. Side A 3 and Union Jack. Side 4 A - 6 and a Union Jack flag. On all sides is masterdisk printed in capital letters. Anyone know anything about the pressing please? BTW listening to 'Josie'. Why do the opening bars of music never get tiring to hear? That opening guitar riff draws you in time after time a 1000 plays later.
The Union Jack indicates Keel record pressing plant from NY. I have an Aja or two from there. Keel Mfg. Corp.
Thanks for the link. So in other words not an RL pressing? I'm still learning. So the record was mastered by Bob Ludwig according to the cover, but actual pressing in this instance happened at Keel. I have since read elsewhere that there was a strike in 1978 and so this record plant took over.
Looks like yours is a variant of this pressing www.discogs.com/Steely-Dan-Greatest-Hits/release/10845061 My Santa Maria copy clearly has "RL" immediately after the masterdisk stamp. Ludwig did not always sign his initials, but his handwriting is distinctive and you can often tell by just comparing the rest of the matrix etchings with other titles he is known to have done. Maybe someone with knowledge of the Keel can confirm.
My wife and I stopped at an estate sale this afternoon. Of course I went straight to the living room to seek out some vinyl treasures, and sure enough there in a liquor box were several albums.....Jimmy Swaggert, Neil Diamond, Barbara Streisand, and plenty of musical soundtracks. I didn't think I was going to score until I saw that beautiful black Aja cover. I pulled the inner and checked the label, AA 1006. The jacket, inner and vinyl looked near perfect, with the spindle hole seeming to be unmolested. I got it For $3, and gave it a good cleaning when I got home. It's been a while and a day since I've had a AA 1006 in my possession. I got rid of two several years ago when I learned the AB 1006 typically sounded better. I did a quick comparison between my cleanest AB and my new AA, and there was virtually no difference between the two on side A. I did notice a difference on side B, especially on the track Peg. The AB sounded more detailed and open, but the AA pressing still has the mojo. If you see a clean AA 1006 out in the wild, don't be afraid to pick one up. I plan on doing some more comparing tomorrow on my new Grado headphones.
