The Steely Dan Vinyl Guide - Part 2

[@peterlaffey6328]

Found a US promo copy " Greatest Hits " here in London with MASTERDISK RL on all four sides , so they're out there to be found . Great review by the way .

[@VintageStereoCollectorChannel]

Wow! I just checked and I have the AA 1006 with B scratched out on one side as you mentioned around the 14 minute mark. Thanks Tim👍👍 I also have a Japanese pressing of Aja

[@iliumboy]

There's a story about a junior engineer working on Aja. She threatened to quit after Donald had spent 6 hours mixing 2 words, "Well the ..." on Home at Last. She couldn't take it anymore. Funny thing is, when singing the song live, Donald skips these 2 words.

[@Universityofvinyl]

I think there are a lot of those stories out there....especially during Aja and Gaucho time period :-)

[@brianmedeiros6845]

Amazing historical information explained perfectly. I just got the greatest hits 2-Lp Bob Ludwig really looking forward to playing it. Thank You!

[@Universityofvinyl]

Score!

[@dugaldhutchings404]

Aja and Gaucho are both modern masterpieces. Priceless treasures. Eternal friends.

[@dzikirolnik777]

Great video. I dont give much command for the many KZbin videos I see. But now I have to react. One of the best I have seen on KZbin. Why? Presentation honest and calm. Inside story’s very good. And the best:your recommendations for the best sounding albums I mostly have.!!! Waiting for part 3.

[@Universityofvinyl]

Thanks!

[@10centtunes]

A great series as usual. I had to comment and thank you because you mentioned something about the Aja pressings I’ve never heard anyone talk about before. I’ve always heard that the Aja pressings with AA in the label didn’t sound good and to look for the AB. But I always thought my AA version I bought back in high school sounded great. So I never bothered looking for the AB version. Then you said in the video that some of the AA labels have AB in the dead wax, so I went and checked mine and sure enough it had AB in the dead wax! So thanks for that. I love your videos and always learn something.

[@simonblack301]

WOW! Another AMAZING video! Keep up the great work!

[@jeffreylind3739]

Tim, absolutely love your deep catalog dives and best pressings on deserving artists like Steely Dan. Been listening to and enjoying them since "Reelin' In The Years" first hit the Top 40 airwaves in '72! Keep up the great work- I have no doubt you spend a considerable amount of time putting these together and it's very much appreciated!

[@mikescholz7824]

Watched all your Steely Dan vids so far, and others..... many thanks for the education!

[@fcamiola]

Great work man! Very enjoyable

[@Universityofvinyl]

Thank you

[@clausskovgaardnielsen7777]

thank you for your review on the Steely dan catalog , very very cool - greetning from Claus Skovgaard -Bornholm / Denmark

[@spencehayashi2772]

Great installment Tim, this is Steely Dan at their absolute peak, I have original press copies of both Aja & Gaucho along with the Mofi Aja and the reissue of Gaucho and agree, the original pressings sound the best. Look forward to Vol. 3 in this series.

[@Universityofvinyl]

Thanks Spence

[@LyndonSoulGroove]

Hi Tim, just after this Video i found a copy of Leo Sayer L.P close inspection was very dirty, came home , this weekend cleaned it up , sounds superb ! i do recall seeing this album back in the late 70's , me and my Sister use to laugh at the cover ! we saw it in a Catalogue ( Great Universal a mail order thick book that came out in UK selling everything from clothes to furniture & stereo equipment ) a was 6 my Sister 3 years , we could not stop laughing at Leo in the sky ! glad i re-visited this album thanks, in the 90's dance music became so heavy and distorted, so i would go back to 70's hits for their recordings and catchy songs

[@Universityofvinyl]

Some great players on most of his LPs!

[@VUmeters]

I have to thank Tim for the Greatest Hits recommendation. One of the best compilations in my collection. The only bad news is now I have to find all of the other pressings he recommends.

[@Universityofvinyl]

Happy to help! 👍🏻👍🏻

[@Saltspicious]

Loving the videos so far, learned a lot about those different pressings that I never knew until now. Definitely looking forward to part 3.

[@mlblue5355]

Fantastic video! Lots of magic with the Steely Dan albums. Can’t wait for video 3!

[@dennispaulik3206]

Love your channel. Great insights on the records you present and appreciate the pressings recommendations. Keep up the good work.

[@jasonsmith2032]

Another awesome video and cool to see the Thorens! That's what we have too!

[@Universityofvinyl]

Awesome, I just acquired the Thorens about 2 weeks ago - will probably do an updated system video soon

[@robjohnston7464]

Really enjoying this SD vinyl guide. Looking forward to pt3.

[@super12892]

Excellent job Tim. Highly enjoying this series.

[@Universityofvinyl]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@fer.morellich]

Great video as always! Thank you sir.

[@recordmannj]

Loved the post. Very informative. Love the in-depth background information. I own three OG Aja copies. None are the AB but two are the AA with the scratched out B. The sound terrific. I also have the two disc comp. Mint and it's a gold stamp promo. Wow, the sound and quiet. Keep up the quality content.

[@Universityofvinyl]

Thank you!

[@cyclesgoff9768]

Greetings again from Scotland. Checked my greatest hits and it’s marked on the run off on all four sides 👍🏻. Shame I’ve worn it grey 😱. Keep up the good work.

[@61chickens]

On the UK issue of 'Gaucho', the guy responsible for the lacquer cut, Dennis Blackham, best known by his signature tag 'Bilbo' also scratched '(well) worth waiting for' in the deadwax - he was right too! Thanks for these videos which have confirmed that I have a largely inferior set of pressings - amends must be made!

[@Universityofvinyl]

Lol- good luck!

[@RomanSkateboarding]

Some great information in this one! I'm excited for part 3 since I'm least familiar with their last two albums. I was listening to Keith Jarrett's My Song Album (1978) for the first time today and was so confused when I could not figure out what my head wanted the last tune's melody to turn into. Anyone who isn't familiar with the song writing credits on all Steely Dan songs, give this a listen and be surprised. As for the FM movie: for me, it's one of those movies that are obviously flawed but have such a special charm to them that I'll return one day. But of course I'm deeply biased with that amazing soundtrack and especially the Dan's title track.

[@carolecavallaro5039]

I love Steely Dan and now I will check out my marks in the reads as of 7 of the 8 albums you highlighted. Good band of the 70s just like Fleetwood Mac! Thanks for your background info!

[@Universityofvinyl]

Thanks for watching!

[@VintageStereoCollectorChannel]

Hi Tim, I was able to find an “RL” (Masterdisk) on all four sides of the two LPs. Textured cover too👍👍

[@Universityofvinyl]

Damn!!! Congrats! Still looking for all 4 here 🤔

[@VintageStereoCollectorChannel]

@@Universityofvinyl - Tim, you are the Ph.D. of vinyl. Watched all 3 parts of your SD series. An ungodly amount of research and production time. You ROCK

[@CUBICUB]

Well done!

[@jameschant2740]

Well Tim, part 2 was an awesome follow-up to part 1 and again the details about the band, discography and vinyl history were totally captivating. Once again my collection is bereft of any of the original studio pressing from ABC for albums 5, 6, and 7 nor do I have the MCA pressing for Gaucho. Sadly, I don't have any copy of the double compilation album either. It is refreshing to know however, that the tracks taken from Katy Lied are phonically a notch up from the original album. So this album is definitely on my list of highly sought after albums. You know Tim, I think I may have finally figured out something about Steely Dan that I didn't realize before thanks in large part to your retrospective video. I always wondered why Steely Dan hadn't re-released their entire catalogue of albums in either a box set format or perhaps individually in the last ten years with a audiophile calibre to them. Except for Aja and Gaucho which I believe were re-released circa 2014 on 180 gram vinyl I haven't seen any other title. I bought both of these titles but something tells me they were cut from a digital file, I may be wrong however. Anyways, was it the fire in Hollywood that nixed everything or was it something else that prevented the catalogue from being re-issued ? If these albums were to come to market like they have for many other bands like Led Zeppelin The Beatles and Dire Straits, to name just a few, the frenzy would take off in earnest for the final 2 albums among collectors without a doubt. In any event, here's looking forward to part 3 of your retrospective and collector tips on these iconic records Tim. Cheers !

[@boydsargeant7496]

Love it, part 2 as good as part 1! Bring on part 3😀 I’m trying to build the full album collection on vinyl, so this is really helping! Oh, maybe you can do a video on your hi-if one day?

[@smkordis]

Thanks again for your opinion and insights into Steely Dan. I was a senior in high school when their first album was released and a fan ever since. Other than Miles Davis, I can’t think of any other band that has worked with so many great musicians. I hope that whatever master tapes remain, someone (MOFI, Speakers Corner or Blue Note?) does justice to their music in a high end reissue .

[@Universityofvinyl]

Totally agree, would love to see new audiophile pressings hit the market - I'm sure they'd sell quickly

[@petesplasticproblem]

These are great - thank you!

[@BenHughes3]

I've been a Steely Dan fan since the beginning and bought every release when they came out. Like many people I got rid of them all when CDs came around (no big regrets, they were played to death). However, I was a snob when it came to greatest hits albums -- I had all the songs already, they were for casual fans, etc... Thanks to your guide I now know that there is good reason to buy their first Greatest Hits LP -- so today I went into my favorite used record store and found a near-mint promo copy for $10. (RL is only on one side). I have to say, it sounds amazing - I still need to do some side by side song comparisons, but I'm very pleased. Thanks for the tip!

[@Universityofvinyl]

Great price!

[@Jamko1970]

The famous Purdie shuffle is on Home At Last (Aja)! The Great Bernard Purdie on drums who created that shuffle style. Another awesome Video Tim!!

[@Universityofvinyl]

Thanks! I covered a bit about Purdie on Part 1 but should’ve talked more about him here also!

[@MichaelTrogdon1990]

The Purdie Shuffle is only on “Home at Last”.

[@savariaxa]

Kulee Baba one of the best tracks they ever made finally a nice demo still exist!Steve Kahn guitar Jeff Porcaro drums Donald Fagen vocals and Chuck Rainey bass that’s confirmed !

[@Universityofvinyl]

You gotta luv it!

[@BenHughes3]

I loved that you actually looked up to see if Hicksville was real.

[@Universityofvinyl]

Thank you, at your service…. ;-)

[@wylieroth3145]

Well done and greatly appreciated. I have read of the ins and outs of the legendary Dan recording sessions, but this dive into the minutiae of the pressings themselves is fun. I don't know if this qualifies as an actual Steely Dan recording (probably not) but I wondered if you might touch on the 1983 release on AERO Records called Becker/Fagen, The Early Years...? Fun stuff.

[@casablanca2745]

Kudos Tim, looking forward to EP3. Regarding the display, you went from FZ’s Chunga’s Revenge to Overnite Sensation while retaining The Rollins LP. The Saxophone Colossus is over 90 now and still playing (take that Tom Brady). Great dive on the Dan!

[@Universityofvinyl]

Good eye…….

[@funtobuild9968]

Great video Tim! I have a Club CRC issue of Gaucho, just curious how the sound my pressing might compare to to the Masterdisk RL pressing? Thanks.

[@Universityofvinyl]

Hmmmm, I would recommend finding the Masterdisk RL and trying a play test to see what you think; only your ears really matter. Keep the volume at the same level and play Babylon Sisters on your CRC and then switch to the RL pressing; I'd love to hear any followup thoughts

[@colincampbell8871]

Interesting details on the recording of these LP's. Love the two Gaucho outtakes you used. Do you know if this is only available as a download file? Great video's on Steely Dan's Golden decade! Moving along to the next installment which I suspect your take on the last 2 albums will be similar to mine!!???

[@TheDanVault]

Loving this man!!

[@lamusicadealdo]

Hi Tim! I have 2 Steely Dan greatest hits! one has only the Masterdisk stamp with out the ( RL ) . I just found my second one with the Masterdisk and the RL on the four sizes for 18 dlls. I wonder if 18 dlls was an amazing price or not. thank you! I will like a comment from you! will mean a lot! thanks again.

[@Universityofvinyl]

Very nice! That is definitely a great price for a 4-side RL - enjoy. Thanks for commenting, always appreciated. -Tim

[@dawnpatrol700]

A lot of MCA vinyl I have has specks of paper pressed into the vinyl. They had poor quality control

[@JodyM2]

I have a scratched out Aja & an AA with a Union Jack stamped in

[@Cripplecreekcarl]

There’s an aa-1006 Kevin Gray cut when he was at MCA in the 80s. I’ve done an A/B vs ab-1006 and it holds up. I would recommend for an under the radar copy

[@Cripplecreekcarl]

@@taralewis9375 yes kpg @ mca

[@raynewcomb337]

My copy of Aja has the crossed out B on side 1, but not on side 2. Is it possible 2 different stampers were used here?

[@Universityofvinyl]

Yes, have heard of similar instances

[@arshadmuzaffar8520]

Great video!! I have a copy of Aja with AA (B scratched out) 1006 on side 1 but AA 1006 on side 2. Any ideas why it's different on side 2 please? Thanks!

[@Stuck_in_the_70s]

I’d like to get a copy of that Lost Gaucho it seems strange they left a couple of those tracks off, they’re great! I have the ‘Sun Mountain’ boot from the mid 80s, made up of recordings 1968-71 - sound quality not amazing but some good music on there. Also the ‘You gotta walk it like you talk it’ soundtrack I picked up a couple of years ago is a bit of a mixed bag, but has a couple of outstanding tracks on it. Also I’ve got the (UK only I think) ‘+Fours EP’ which has great sounding versions of Do it again and Haitian Divorce on, as well as the two tracks from their debut single ‘Dallas’ and ‘Sail the waterway’ that they they hated apparently, but I quite like them. You can pick the EP up in the UK for under £10, so well worth it as the only other place you can find those 2 tracks is on the original single, and as you can imagine they’re about as easy to find as rocking horse shit!

[@chrisguygeezer]

This almost makes me want to buy that Leo Sayer record. lol

[@festersuncle6298]

I'm in my 50's and I guess I can say I grew up listening to Steely Dan. I loved them as a kid in the 70's, and in the first half of the 80's. Suddenly I found myself thinking the music was corny and dated.... Older and wiser now, I have a nice little SD collection. That's what it's all about I guess. I own a NM AB 1006 (B scratched) and Back and Black.

[@Universityofvinyl]

Very nice! We are similar, I got re-interested in them when the Citizen box set and Kamakiriad were released in the early 90s.

[@robjohnston7464]

What brand of gatefold sleeves do you use? Thanks.

[@Universityofvinyl]

Hi Rob, for single LPs: vinylstoragesolutions.ca/collections/12-inch-lp-record-products/products/copy-of-pre-order-sale-4-mil-single-pocket-12-inch-lp-vinyl-record-outer-sleeves-crystal-clear-cpp-25-sleeves-to-a-pack-3-options-without-a-flap-a-resealable-strip-flap-or-tuck-able and then 2 of these for Gatefolds: vinylstoragesolutions.ca/collections/12-inch-lp-record-products/products/4-mil-dual-pocket-lp-vinyl-record-outer-sleeves-resealable-crystal-clear-cpp-25-sleeves-to-a-pack. The very best in my opinion

[@robjohnston7464]

@@Universityofvinyl Thank you!

[@Stuck_in_the_70s]

Another great video, many thanks Tim. Btw If anyone in the UK is interested in the Back to Black pressing of Aja (which sounds pretty darn good imo!) I have a NM copy for sale. I could prob also be persuaded to sell my 2nd copies of Can’t buy a Thrill and Katy Lied as I’m running out of space 😕

[@Universityofvinyl]

Ah yes……space, the eternal nagging issue.

[@rEdf196]

I have a Canadian ABC pressing of Steely Dan's Greatest Hits with the discs in near mint condition included in a 400+ record collection I acquired for free in 2002.

[@Jkel913]

I just bought this 2022-1107 (lower right back cover) Canadian version going off this video. Question…I can’t find RL at all in the dead wax on any of the sides. Ludwig still the guy on this pressing, right? 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@dhpbear2]

IMHO, "Hey, Nineteen" and "Time Out of Mind" are my least favorite Steely Dan tracks, but "Glamour Profession" is one of my favorites. I guess Wendel was not to blame! :)

[@hammer3921]

A bit off topic so forgive me. I’m wondering about the guitar on the wall. Is it a Martin?

[@Universityofvinyl]

👍🏻 D28

[@dugaldhutchings404]

Tim do you think Gary Katz contributed anything musically to Steely Dan ? I can't imagine Donald and Walter deferring to anyone on musical matters. Was he more of a manager / administrator ?

[@Universityofvinyl]

I’ve read that he was tasked with carrying out Don & Walt’s decisions, hiring, firing session musicians, booking studios, admin work, scheduling press interviews, etc

[@quikspecv4d]

I’ve had the AB-1006, AA-1006, AA scratched B, and now the Cisco pressing. The AB and AA scratched B is really good. AA isn’t great. In my opinion the Cisco just beats out the AB. I’m pretty glad I got a copy of the Cisco when the price was just high but not stupid high.

[@gerardfletcher1203]

i still have double yellow vinyl on abc records. with steely dan. u learnt about other artists it was the whos who tom scott skunk baxter steve gadd etc.

[@mikescholz7824]

I watched the movie "FM" on a Pan Am flight from Seattle to London in the summer of 1978...it was a dud, but good tunes....LOL

[@zackamania6534]

Got all of the “good pressings” except for Cant Buy Thrill for which I have a Japanese pressing by pioneer on the MCA label. I’ve been a steely Dan fan since 1993 when I was 15 going on 16 and the greatest hits cd was constantly in my stereo that I had worked all summer at my local Winn Dixie grocery store to pay for (along with gas, weed, stuff for my girlfriend Kasey) and we rocked hey 19 on my Pioneer DEH 500 all during my sophomore football season.

[@Universityofvinyl]

Love hearing this!

[@zackamania6534]

@@Universityofvinyl thanks for all the great videos and scholarship!

[@simonhodgetts6530]

Gaucho is one of my all-time favourite albums - lush, decadent, sonically sublime, sophisticated - I cherish my vinyl copy (and also of its follow-ups, The Nightfly and Kamakiriad by Don Fagen) - they just don’t make music like this anymore!

[@Universityofvinyl]

Agree!

[@Brio-ko8lf]

I have an early pressing of AB-1006 which is good but does not compare to my MCA Gaucho MCA-2470-1D in dead wax- Columbia NY in dead wax!! This version is demo quality and my go to when I want to show off my system!!!

[@arblankenship54]

I’d have to disagree with the mofi aja take, I have a very clean promo copy of aja and my friend has a very clean mofi pressing and with direct comparison the mofi Has much less surface noise and is considerably sharper and faster

[@oscar542241]

Found me Aja AB-1006 promo for 12 bucks

[@Universityofvinyl]

Damn!

[@oscar542241]

@@Universityofvinyl exactly what I said, and I've not seen one sold in years

[@audiotomb]

The Cisco is better tonally balanced and more detail and impact but the AB original is no slouch I bought it for $35 new The Mofi and Japanese Aja are muddy