Steely Dan is a great sounding group. The only unfortunate thing is there isn't demand to flat transfer all of their albums to DSD and released as SACD. Pretzel Logic was flat transferred to DSD and released, and that is truly a pleasure to hear. I think releasing their albums on SACD would be the greatest thing Steely Dan could do, since they had such high standards in their recording processes. It is such a waste to leave those tapes untouched with the current technology we have to grab every little nuance from the tape. Current technology makes the difference between analog and digital transparent. I wish some audiophile label (like Analogue Productions or Mobile Fidelity) would do the honour of producing a double layered SACD box set of their classic albums from '72 to '80. I see it as a crime to let the full potential of their albums go to waste. I am aware that in the early 1980s, Roger Nichols produced digital archives of all of their albums. Most of it is fine, but the downside is there are anomalies that were created due to the early technology of digital. I believe the transfers were 16 bit 48khz sample rate. I find that to not be ideal, since audiophiles tend to use DSD or 24 bit 192khz sample rate. I wish Steely Dan would get more demand and respect for the quality of their music. I am aware that Donald Fagen can be quite stubborn when it comes to something like this, especially since he, Walter, and Roger saw the 1997 transfers as inferior. Very finicky, if you ask me. I'm sure the tapes sound great, especially with the example of Pretzel Logic and Countdown to Ecstasy. Also, the current CD releases of all of Steely Dan's albums are inferior and suck. They use a crappy noise reduction and compression and sharp equalization which ruins my listening experience. The opposite of audiophile. People are getting the false belief that all their tapes were destroyed but the truth is that not all the tapes were destroyed. Most likely it would be some of the original multi-tracks that would've been lost. Pretty sure all of the original master tapes of the albums are fine, and if some aren't, keep in consideration that Roger Nichols produced 1st generation copies of all Steely Dan's work. He had a second reel-to-reel machine running just to avoid generation loss. So, technically, all of their albums can be transferred and properly mastered to DSD by a well-respected audio engineer.
Steely Dan.... Well Fagen you might as well keep touring... Cause if all the Steely Dan multi tracks and master tapes were in that Universal Fire in 2008 your screwed in ever making another remix or a remaster... And this absolutely sucks... 2008 can you believe how far back this went and the story just hit. The lies deceit and just shitty. Cause these records never really got remixed in the here and now. Gaucho got a surround mix. But still Katy Lied never got the repair it needed since 1975. Steely Dan is really dead. Not just Walter but the work it's fried up ... Unless a miracle their tapes were cleared out of Universal before that freakin building went up all in flames... I doubt it.
What a band!!! For years I reacted towards my dad to playing this... WTF is this mellow shit I asked...He replied its better than the shit you play upstairs...? Back in the late 1980s I was listening to early Electro and Hip Hop... Then I progressed to Techno , New Beat .. Then Acidhouse hardcorerave darkside hardcore jungle gabber and everything in-between.... But my dad got me into King Crimson.. ELP. CSN&Y . Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, "I fear not a man who has practiced 10000 kicks once, but I fear a man who has practiced 1 kick 10000 times" - Bruce LeeAnd Steely Dan... Amongst others... Oh and Hendrix! ... And my mum got me into funk and the electronic side.... Parents are twats most of the time... But music solves or makes you realize the make up of the person.. Ie if the music sounds shit to your ears.. Give it a second try a few years later... If it still sounds shit after that... Forget it! No hesitation!
RedBackMusic
May 4, 2022