Absolutely no sign of SD releasing remasters or box sets with early demos, alt takes etc.
I assume they are just so chuffed with the released versions they don’t see a need for this.
Or has anyone heard otherwise?
Steely Dan thoughts #2 – no remasters, box sets etc
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During the Twangcast, Twang recommended this podcast with Donald Fagan from 2019
https://podcastaddict.com/the-third-story-with-leo-sidran/episode/141434043
In it, Fagan talks about writer’s block. I’ve hoped, for a long time, that he would take his fabulous live band into a studio and record Becker/Fagan compositions that have never been released before. He has a load to choose from.
This is absolutely the way to go, and provides completeness. Though, tbh, the outtakes available out there suit me just fine. “The Lost Gaucho” is easily found. It’s just a shame to not make this work legal. It would be a nice memorial for Walt, too, who must be rolling in his grave re the forthcoming ‘support’ for the godamned Eagles.
I wouldn’t mind DF and heavy friends recording an album of “Pin-Ups”, as it were; Ray Charles and similar. When I saw him on his solo tour in Atlantic City ( early 2006), he also did a cover of ‘Misery and the Blues’, which was excellent. Though we do have his covers work in “the dukes of September” with Boz Scaggs and Michael McDonald which is all bangers.
maybe wanting more is better than too much; too many artists produce latter period dross which IS NOT “a return to form”.
IIRC, during the Dan’s length sabbatical, DF did a live and with a similar covers band called, I think, The Rhythm and Soul featuring the much-missed and now largely forgotten Phoebe Snow and others
New York Rock and Soul Review?
That’s a beauty. I think it reintroduced DF after a messy late 80s as he and Walt recovered from their various infelicities.
That’s the one
Anyone can change their mind, of course – but it seems to fit with the “control freak/anal-retentive/close attention to minute detail” side of them, that they wouldn’t be interested in releasing demos, etc.
Apart from the recent remasters by Bernie Grundman. 33rpm vinyl in Europe and 2x 45rpm vinyl or SACDs in the US. Straight albums, though, with no bonus tracks.
“mastered by Bernie Grundman from the original analog tapes except for 1977’s Aja, which will be mastered from an analog, non-EQ’d, tape copy, and Gaucho, which will be sourced from a 1980 analog tape copy originally EQ’d by Bob Ludwig. Lacquers for have been cut by Alex Abrash at his AA Mastering studio from high-resolution digital files of Grundman’s new masters and pressed at Precision.
These Universal Music releases are 180g 33RPM vinyl pressings but there are also some Ultra High-Quality Vinyl (UHQR) 45RPM versions available via Acoustic Sound’s Analogue Productions (they are also issuing this series of titles on stereo-only SACD).”
https://superdeluxeedition.com/news/steely-dan-countdown-to-ecstasy-vinyl-reissue/
S
teely Dan
Why remaster? Don’t they sound good enough anyway?
“Chuffed with the released versions” – I mean this is absolutely monstrous. How can these people sleep?
I mentioned it the other day but this endless lust for remixes/remasters puts me in mind of the Platinum Door in Frasier. “This perfect thing we have isn’t perfect enough. It must be made perfecter!”
There were the remasters that were issued in Hi-Res over the past year (I think started at the end of 2022) and I presume these were the same remasters that @fentonsteve mentions above that were issued on vinyl.
The one missing though was Katy Lied – they were releasing in order and then suddenly jumped from Pretzel Logic to Aja. Anyone any idea why this was missed and whether it is still planned to be released ?
Katy Lied had the problematic recording fault didn’t it ?
They sorted that out in the remasters from a few years ago and I have no need for more then those versons.
Nobody really needs them, but the only one I previously had on LP was Aja, and these new ones have all dropped to below 15 quid after a while.
Are you referring to the 1999 remasters from “a few years ago”?
😉
Probably!
For some unknown reason they missed out Katy Lied and The Royal Scam. I think these are due in March and June respectively.
Good to hear. I have the Citizen Dan box but have been looking forward to the remaster of Katy Lied.
Don’t forget Citizen Dan, probably the most half arsed box set ever. Split the records across cds, add in FM, one demo and one totally shite live track. Include a booklet as half arsed s the rest of it and bob’s your uncle.
Oh yes, don’t forget to lie about how there was nothing else available to put on it even though there is loads of stuff out there such as The Lost Gaucho which has been mentioned already.
Agreed.
Given that CDs cost an arm and a leg to buy back when it came out (if substantially less to produce) really cannot comprehend why the albums
were split across discs
Maybe I’ve misunderstood this comment: but if the set came out when CDs cost an arm and a leg, then surely it was a (financial) service to the buyer to reduce the number of discs? I mean, this issue predated the current box set boom, where people will pay anything for any box set filled to the brim with discs, crammed with any old barrel-scraping nonsense.
Seven albums on four CDs with a couple of extras? It must have looked like a bargain at the time…
I bought it when I was spending long hours working in front of a computer screen & 4 full CDs were more convenient than changing discs every 40 minutes – it does mean that I’m a bit unsure on matching tracks to albums, but it’s certainly got played a lot.
I got it as an iTunes download for about a fiver, so “discs” were immaterial
When I (and probably a lot of other AWers) bought the Citizen Dan box not long after it came out in 1993, iTunes downloads were but a twinkle in Steve Jobs’ eye
Yes, it was a bargain. I uploaded to my iPod (remember them?) and sorted them into their respective albums.
I was disappointed that the sound quality was poor when I actually played the CDs through a CD player (I still have one of those). That felt like a more major anti-Dan crime than album tracks spilling over into another disc.
The point I was making is that from day one, CDs cost very little to produce.
While I admire your panglossian faith in record labels’ basic decency, my personal experience is that such businesses have never shown any inclination to try and help their customers to save money
Fair enough. It’s not “Panglossian faith”, though – certain opinions, posted with the benefit of 30 years’ hindsight, bring out the contrarian in me!
Obviously sound quality on Steely Dan CDs has improved since 1993. Also, we’ve got used to box sets at a whole different level of cost and lavishness since then. I don’t believe Citizen buyers were being ripped off in 1993, just because the set can’t compare with current standards.
To be clear, it got brilliant reviews and I loved it for years until I heard the remastered versions.
Also sounded thin and horrible. And the book is crap. Still have my copy though.
Why? Given your opinion of the package…
Well I wouldn’t buy it off him as I’ve still got my own copy
Lethargy really. Anyone want it?
Thanks, but no. I’ve still got my own one. Split the tracks onto individual CD-Rs at one point, but I don’t even know where they have gone now. It really was a cop-out box wasn’t it?
A record company construct, certainly…
Mmmm.. I sorted them back into the correct albums with the art work on the iPod.
Still have my 1980 US copy of Gaucho. Sonically it’s the absolute pinnacle of analogue popular music. How people think this can somehow be upgraded is beyond me.
Afterworders,,/Hoffmanites, having died, sitting on a cloud in a state of perpetual bliss:
“This is 24-bit, right? I assume that there’s going to be a 5.1 mix? ….extra tracks? UPGRADE ME! I AM NOT A CIVILIAN!!”
Still got my copy as well.
Got mine for about two quid in trough vinyl in I think 1996. By god it is preternaturally beautiful
Trough vinyl. Sounds like a Porky’s Prime Cut. Which is a crap joke for the older Afterworders amongst us.
At least one of whom will be awarding your joke the Trademark of Quality
We are not alone.
“Gordianisation by Troeller”
My memory may be playing tricks, @Twang, but I don’t remember it sounding thin and horrible at the time. It pales in comparison with all the subsequent remasters – well, it would, wouldn’t it – but by the standards at the time, I seem to remember it sounded better than the average CD. Was I horribly wrong?
They released Gaucho and Everything Must Go remixed in multichannel, and Fagen’s The Nightfly is available in 5.1 too. Supposedly there are other albums mixed and ready to go, but they are just sitting on them.
Steely Dan albums have always been impeccably mixed and mastered. I don’t see any need for any monkeying with the stereo.
Katy Lied might still be licensed by Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs.
I have a “Morph the Cat” in 5:1. Listening when ‘baked’ (back when I did that sort of thing) was a wonderful experience.
Oh, my!
Two Against Nature was released on DVD-A with high res stereo & multichannel mixes, as was Kamakiriad by DF.
I’d love to hear a surround version of 11 Tracks of Whack by WB, as that’s probably my favourite of the solo albums.
I’ve got the Citizen Dan boxset and all the original 70s vinyl up to and including AJA. The 1999 remasters all seem to be available for under £7 and I’m wondering if it worth buying them. What do you reckon?
Yes, definitely, especially at that price.
If you’re like me, you’ll never need to buy another “upgraded” version again…although I’m sure there will be something in the pipeline for the faithful and the Hoffmanites…
Thanks, I am tempted. On the rare occasion I buy an upgraded version I have only ever done it once so far eg DSOTM 20th anniversary release was enough for me.
Indeed.
I bought the SACD/CD from 2002/3 (roughly 30th anniversary) –
I haven’t felt the need to buy any more recent versions.
I’d say yes. Actually I bought “Everything must go” on a limited vinyl release last year and it sounds amazing, though it’d very good on CD too. Great article on its recording here:
https://www.soundonsound.com/people/steely-dan
Ta, I’ll check that out.
I did a mix
East St. Louis Street Toodle-Oo
Peg
Bodhisattva
Black Friday
FM
Hey Nineteen
Chain Lightning
Time Out Of Mind
Josie
Fire In The Hole
Showbiz Kids
Only a Fool Would Say That
Green Earrings
Rikki Don’t Lose That Number
King of The World
Seems to me, as a lover of The Dan, there’s a reason the Lost Gaucho stuff never has seen the light of official day. At the time it was deemed not good enough, by Becker and Fagen’s exacting standards.
I believe they were right. With the possible exception of The Second Arrangement, a decent version of which has only just surfaced after many years.