Steely Dan- Katy Lied/ DBX Sound Problems-Fixed on the Box Set?

Most serious SD fans know that the sound on Katy Lied was hampered by a faulty DBX machine on the 24 track tape. It was cleaned up on the Citizen Steely Dan boxset and sounds very good to me. Not quite as good as Royal Scam but much better than before. As this is my favorite SD album, I wanted to know how you all feel about this version? Is there another cd version that you think is better? Thanks.

 

Good question. I’d guess there will be a lot of different answers. On all the versions I’ve heard, I can hear the lack of decay on the cymbals so none of them were fixed perfectly.


Katy and The Gremlin

 

Thanks, I've seen that article before. Must have been a hell of a week for everyone involved.

 

My impression is that the dbx problem was with the stereo final mixes and is therefore recorded-in. All of the versions I have ever heard have the same issue. I've heard rough mixes and Rock Band-type stems without the clipping/breathing/phasing artifacts.


Dan

 

This has been gone over in painful detail. I'd do a search before going on about it. But my opinion is they got it to sound really great in the end.

 

Reports from the producers state otherwise. But ok fine.

But... if it was with the stereo mixes, the problem, then it's not recorded in as you call it. Recorded in or baked in would be the multitracks have the issue. I read it's in the multis where decoding went awry.

 

That's interesting, I've heard more than a few accounts that state the 24 track tape recorder had the DBX machine installed.

 

So which CD version sounds best to you? As far as I know, nobody involved was happy with the final mixes and they can't listen to it to this day.

 

I have a Kendun A vinyl pressing that is my go to. Not as clean sounding as the box remaster, but has a slam that the cd lacks.
My favorite SD album. (They could actually rock, and it's not a real polished job like Aja or Gaucho...)

 

A recorded-in issue is a recorded-in issue, whether it's dropouts or bad dbx encoding.

They seemed to get it right here:

Dan

 

For cd it's the Citizen box. Denny Diaz mentioned he thought is was the best (as could be, considering).

 

I bought the Citizen box based on positive raves around here. Katy sounds really nice on it.

 

Thanks, I know their catolouge was remastered again after the box set in the late 90s and possibly again since then, so idk if they improved on it. The box set version sounds good to me also, the only thing is that the overall volume level could be higher, but who cares?

 

I just listened to a new detailed interview with Gary Katz and Bob Lefsetz. He addresses the Katy Lied story in depth, and reiterates that after the recording and mixdown, they realized they were f'd due to the DBX issues, with the only options being re-record the album or release as-is. They chose the latter.

 

The remaster is great too, and is louder. But it might just be a little louder and nothing else done. You know how that goes.

 

I thought the same thing, how much more could they really do with it? They could have thrown on Dallas and especially Sail The Waterway on the box set, but that was never going to happen. Those two songs were actually released on vinyl, so technically they're not outtakes.

 

That's what I thought, can you send a link to that interview if possible?

 

That sounds good, no problem with the drums there, wonder where is this from?

 

Gary Katz-This Week’s Podcast

 

Great, thanks.

 

I like their opening and closing thoughts in the liner notes from the 1999 reissue:

What to call this latest installment in the saga? "Too Little, Too Late"? "Almost Good"? "And Then There Were Three"? The Rape of the Domini'? (Forget it, we're saving that one for later)...

...all things considered, the Katy Lied experience poses, we think, nothing so much as the musical analog of Richard Burton's famous query, in the sword and sandal epic "The Robe" -- "were you...out there?" Yes, we were.

 

I know. It throws a huge question mark up as to what really happened. Those are clean drum tracks, maybe the snare is gated a hair. Were they all on drugs even back then?


Dan

 

I just heard that segment and that's not everything he said. Re-mixing it was one of the options. I still can't believe they flew all the way to Boston and had the dbx guys tweak one of the units with a "greenie"(very small flathead screwdriver often with a green handle for those unfamiliar) and then decide to just go with it. They could have just bitten the bullet and started over, unless ABC was breathing down their necks. They could literally have spent those hours remixing, but at the same time....I kinda feel their pain.


Dan

 

Can you hear me doctor?
Are you with me doctor?

 

LP-Kendun
CD-Japan For US JVC Hoffman
I'm good with these.
Citizen sounded somewhat harsh in spots.