Katy Lied: GREAT Album, FLAWED recording. Pick your poison!!

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by SteelyNJ, Jul 8, 2018.

  1. Phil Tate

    Phil Tate Miss you Indy x

    Location:
    South Shields
    You know the OP linked to this article in the very first post in this thread? :rolleyes:
     
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  2. ohnothimagen

    ohnothimagen "Live music is better!"

    Location:
    Canada
    The Katy Lied section in the Steely Dan album by album thread starts here:
    At last! The STEELY DAN Album-By-Album Thread

    Based on that discussion, we more or less established that "Daddy Don't Live In That New York City No More" was probably the Katy Lied track most adversely affected by the faulty DBX. The drums and vocals on that track sound particularly 'swimmy'.

    Over all, though, IMO Katy Lied doesn't sound that bad...I can only imagine what it sounded like pre-DBX, though.
     
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  3. Plan9

    Plan9 Mastering Engineer

    Location:
    Toulouse, France
    The piano sounds quite "dull" indeed. But the drums and vocals also sound "not optimal".
    But compared to other albums of the same genre and vintage, it still sounds great. That's Steely Dan for you. :laugh:
     
    Last edited: Jul 10, 2018
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  4. Plan9

    Plan9 Mastering Engineer

    Location:
    Toulouse, France
    Here are the same tracks from the Steve Hoffman-mastered original CD: Katy Lied - SH CD samples
     
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  5. ohnothimagen

    ohnothimagen "Live music is better!"

    Location:
    Canada
    Indeed. "Even a bad sounding Steely Dan album still sounds better than most!":righton:
     
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  6. Yost

    Yost “It’s only impossible until it’s not”

    The answer is in the article:
    I don’t know the album that well because I only own the Hoffman mastered Aja and the Decade Of compilation. So don’t blame the messenger. :D
     
  7. Leonthepro

    Leonthepro Skeptically Optimistic

    Location:
    Sweden
    Oh thats interesting. But since middle sounds are a result of 2 simultanious and equal left and right channels why does it disappear completely?
     
  8. StarThrower62

    StarThrower62 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Syracuse, NY
    Imperfection is a good thing. Otherwise you end up with those sterile sounding Fagen solo albums. SD got close enough to perfect on Aja. After that they got the slickness sickness.
     
  9. Yost

    Yost “It’s only impossible until it’s not”

    From which release are these samples exactly? Would you be so kind to provide a Discogs link?

    Bad Sneakers sound 98% identical on the early German mastering of Decade Of. The current master in iTunes sounds brighter.
     
    Last edited: Jul 10, 2018
  10. Yost

    Yost “It’s only impossible until it’s not”

    Probably stretching it, but could you upload the samples to Dropbox and share a link to the Dropbox folder? Would be much appreciated, as zip files don’t work on iOS devices.
     
  11. dance_hall_keeper

    dance_hall_keeper Forum Resident

    When the album first came out, I honestly didn't give much thought to the sonics of the recording.
    Not my favourite album, however it does have its moments of aural grandeur.
     
  12. SteelyNJ

    SteelyNJ Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    New Jersey, USA
    No stretch at all. I'll figure something out for you later tonight or tomorrow when I'm back at home and have the time.
     
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  13. Plan9

    Plan9 Mastering Engineer

    Location:
    Toulouse, France
    Steely Dan - Katy Lied
     
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  14. Bern

    Bern JC4Me

    Location:
    Allegan, Michigan
    One channel is inverted prior to summing. So anything that is common to both channels gets cancelled out. I use it to peek inside recordings...but obviously depends on how it's mixed.

    Bern
     
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  15. marcb

    marcb Senior Member

    Location:
    DC area
    The answer to what is in the article?
     
  16. It does not sound as great as the 3 albums that followed, but not a lot worse than Pretzel Logic to my ears. The only thing that really bothers me is the sound of the vocals on "Daddy Don't Live In That New York City No More".
     
  17. Leonthepro

    Leonthepro Skeptically Optimistic

    Location:
    Sweden
    I thought it was a stylistic choice to distort the vocals on that track. Was it just a technical issue?
     
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  18. Don't know, I always thought it was a technical issue because it's more prominent in some places than in others. But that could of course also be a stylistic choice.
     
  19. ohnothimagen

    ohnothimagen "Live music is better!"

    Location:
    Canada
    If I remember correctly from the album by album thread some of us thought it was some kind of effect they used on Fagen's voice, others thought it was a side effect of the DBX. Worth noting that "Daddy" is also a rare Steely Dan track with no backing vocals/harmonies. The drums sound kinda weird compared to the rest of the album as well. I remember Jeff Porcaro talking about his ride cymbal sound on the album, I think this was the song he mentioned it sounded particularly bad on (Reelin' In The Years bio, I think)

    But what do I know...I'm the guy who reckons The Royal Scam is their best sounding album, not Aja:laugh:
     
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  20. dgstrat

    dgstrat Senior Member

    Location:
    West Islip, NY
    Same!
     
  21. Yost

    Yost “It’s only impossible until it’s not”

    What’s the best version. See the quote in my post. :agree:
     
  22. ZenMango

    ZenMango Forum Resident

    Location:
    Florida
    Katy Lied was my first MFSL and have always enjoyed it. Never owned any other pressing so hard to compare...It's my favorite Steely Dan album
     
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  23. DPM

    DPM Senior Member

    Location:
    Nevada, USA

    Quoted from the Denny Dias link provided by the O.P.

    "On "Daddy Don't Live In That New York City No More" there is no special effect on the lead vocal. For the re-mix Roger implemented a manual phasing technique that required him to stand near a tape machine and slowly turn a dial by hand."
     
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  24. Leonthepro

    Leonthepro Skeptically Optimistic

    Location:
    Sweden
    Ah so it is a stylistic choice.
     
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  25. Denim Chicken

    Denim Chicken Dayman, fighter of the Nightman

    Location:
    Bakersfield, CA
    This thread had me listening to this album today and damn this album just gets better every time you listen to it. Katy Lied, Royal Scam and Aja might just be the greatest triple triple threat of albums ever created. And I love the sound of Katy Lied and I could imagine it sounding any other way.
     
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