New Steely Dan Remasters
 

Just pre-ordered (from Acoustic Sounds) the new 45 RPM remasters of Steely Dan's later LP's "Two Against Nature" and "Everything Must Go" both of which I like quite a bit.

Well, come to think of it, I like their entire catalog quite a bit. :banana:

Amazing artist, one of my all-time favorites. Why 45 rpm and not 33-1/3?

More waveform definition, normally better audio quality.

The Joy of 45 Collecting

Ordered Both :ok:

+1

You are my Ambassador of Quan. :tiphat:

I get that, yet 1-2 songs/side gets to be more bothersome than any sonic improvement is worth, except on a very few favorites, IMO. Of course, YMMV.

The fact my listening position is one very comfortable recliner has nothing to do with this opinion... :D

Wasn't 'waveform' and limited realestate for track grooves one of the limitations of the LP, especially for rock music or music that had a lot of bass?

I looked up the remasters at Acoustic Sounds after FreddieFerric's post and it take two pressings to get what used to fit on an LP. That would not be a high price to pay for me but the first thing that went though my mind was digitizing a 45 - that's just he direction my skewed thinking takes :thought:

Just a few songs per side, yes. But you can hear the quality difference. It’s so worth it.

Flipping records is part of the experience. It’s fun. It makes you pay more attention to the music. Dropping the needle reengages you. You anticipate the last song of each side. And most important of all, if I’m old enough for a recliner than I know I need the exercise :D

I have an absolute wonderful streaming setup. It’s superb. And when I’m lazy I use it. But I really love a good vinyl setup. I was without it for many years. Only when I got back into it did I realize how much I missed it.

Analogue Production pressings are awesome IMO:

I agree that cutting from the original master-tapes, using an all analogue signal-path, results in the closest to the original release as possible. However, cutting using both digital and analogue tools doesn’t have to be poor (but some are poor …). You have the opportunity to get the best of both worlds: the unbelievable texture and sonic depths from the analogue tape, as well as the precision and transparency from the digital process. It can be an awesome combo.

On the Steely Dan reissue, “Two Against Nature,” it is recorded to “a multi-track analog tape, mixed to 24/96 and mastered.” They state, “The dead-quiet double-LP, with the music spread over four sides of vinyl, reduces distortion and high frequency loss as the wider-spaced grooves let your stereo cartridge track more accurately.”

You can count on their description. I own and enjoy numerous AP pressings (Brubeck, Doors, Norah Jones, Shelby Lynn, Otis Redding, etc.). AP reissues are dead quiet and very high quality. They are costly, but well worth it. CRÈME DE LA CRÈME :thumbsup:

JMO

Just need to move your TT next to your recliner so you don't need to get up to flip sides. With a bit of practice, feel sure you can safely flip the LP without any danger to the stylus/cantilever. :thumbsup: ;)

That said, I'll likely stick with 33s.

I have a slightly different take. I find that, rather than paying more attention to the music, the end of the short side breaks my focus on the music. A side that was meant to be listened to in its entirety is now interrupted, breaking my concentration and enjoyment. I agree there can be an improvement in sound quality, but for me it's not worth it because of the impact it has on the flow of the music and the listening experience.

That's why I record my 45 double LP's to open reel. Sonic heaven. :yes:

I understand your point. I grew up in the 50’s forward, so flipping records isn’t a distraction for me, just part of the overall experience. We collected singles. I have tons of singles even now. For me, The Beatles is best served on singles … it’s just the way we played them - part of my experience.

So, I’m use to it and for me I listen closer, because I know I have to get up at a particular point and do the flip. IMO I’ve became a better listener because of it. I hear details that otherwise I may have missed. And I so enjoy those details.

But I understand your point and so I have a lot of 33s as well and of course CDs and streaming …. but ultimately the 45s continue to impress and I get more than one song now! :music:

I understand your point. I grew up in the 50’s forward, so flipping records isn’t a distraction for me, just part of the overall experience. We collected singles. I have tons of singles even now. For me, The Beatles is best served on singles … it’s just the way we played them - part of my experience.

So, I’m use to it and for me I listen closer, because I know I have to get up at a particular point and do the flip. IMO I’ve became a better listener because of it. I hear details that otherwise I may have missed. And I so enjoy those details.

But I understand your point and so I have a lot of 33s as well and of course CDs and streaming …. but ultimately the 45s continue to impress and I get more than one (two) song now! :music:

I'm not far behind you, I grew up in the 50s-60s, but I never got into singles, I came of age with LPs, so that may partly explain my aversion to the 45. I had to wait for the Beatles albums to play them on the Zenith console[emoji41].

Ditto, though we had a Magnavox.

Anyone know the provenance of the masters used to cut this new release? The original vinyl was mastered off of a 24/96 digital mix by Scott Hull. He’s mastering this 45 rpm re-issue as well but the Acoustic Sounds write up doesn’t mention the provenance of the master. I ask because there were also analog backups made.

Vinyl newbie but Steely Dan fanatic here--I bought the UHQR Can't Buy a Thrill and Countdown to Ecstasy so I'd have them to demo my first turntable in 30 years--they are amazing!

One of the small frustrations of the true fanboy is that the original vinyl and their CD offshoots did not have adequate separation to capture the music's nuances. These are really the only versions outside of a concert venue that do the music justice--that allow you to hear everything. Will be purchasing all of the SD UHQR (now I just need storage room for the over the top packaging...)

But I do not see post-listening opinions from other UHQR purchasers. I hope to hear from Freddie and others...

The UHQR of Can't Buy a Thrill is nothing short of amazing can't believe how my better it is to my 1st press and it sounds good.

+1 Looking forward to the rest.

Looking forward to The Royal Scam. It's the hole in my multi-format collection of the SD catalog.

Edit: Just ordered the 33.3rpm Universal/Geffen version of Can't Buy A Thrill from Amazon. Music Direct was out of stock and curiously, Acoustic Sounds is not offering this version on their webstore.

Thanks! I was not aware of 33 availability elsewhere, and just followed your lead--I'm still trying to figure out of 45rpm is worth the up and down...

I wonder if AS is holding back on the 33s until the 45s are sold out? The 33s are unlimited in number, correct?

Through odd coincidence, I just found my original Royal Scam and Aja vinyl from the 70s. They sound great! (at least compared to CD)

I wouldn't say "unlimited." They will all go OOP in due course. For me, I've pretty much had it with the $150.00 lp's. I've gotten to the point that the only time I buy them is if I know they're going on the 2-Track Tascam for recording. YMMV.

"Can't Buy A Thrill" is excellent.
Have you found a way to pre-order "The Royal Scam"? Was able to do so for CBAT, but have not seen anything on TRC.

I preordered all of them last September when Acoustic Sounds made the release announcement. So they did at one point.

I have a pristine original copy, so I'm looking forward to the comparison. I have 3 pressings of TRS on vinyl and they all have this weird surface noise that no amount of cleaning can remove. I think it's baked into the vinyl itself. The redbook copy of TRS that I bought years ago is really uninspiring.

A couple of years ago I was able to get most of the entire SD catalog on those Universal Japan Super High Material Single Layer SACD's and those are excellently done. They were supposed to release TRS on that format but the release was suddenly cancelled without any explanation as to why. I heard rumors that SD was rather miffed about that too.

Understood on the numbers, thanks, I will order quickly once I decide on version.

Agreed on the 45 issue too. At least with respect to Steely Dan, the money is irrelevant to me. The whole set can be had for less than I would have spent on one of their concerts that I've missed during covid. (and I probably would have attended 4 or more) But at some point, enough is enough--Am I going to buy 50 or 60 of my favorite albums @$150? Do I really need to flip the disc every 8 minutes every time I listen to one of my faves? Can't I just be grateful for very highly reviewed 33 played on a great system? After all, as I presume is the case with you, when I play good vinyl at home today, I am getting an experience light years beyond what I had in my youth or what 99% of other listeners have now. My hope with purchasing the CBT 33 is that I'll decide to stop with the 45s (sorry if this is a rant--a complex emotional topic, haha)

The drawback to my system today is the quality of my hearing. It isn't what it used to be. :no:

Now eating my own words just a few hours later, haha...

The 33 arrived a few hours ago--it took a full 30 seconds or so (just the intro to Do It Again) to understand that although the 33 is great, the 45 is essentially a different medium. The most obvious difference is fuller sound, almost 3D in its effect compared to the 33. The music pressurizes the room--switching back and forth between the versions is similar to flipping the subwoofer on and off--you feel the difference even when they sound the same. This carries to guitars, drums, congas and other instruments--the 45 captures the texture of each.

Freddie, thanks for your help. I don't think typical age-related hearing loss will be a problem here. For those who love the Dan and have a system and budget that allows, the 45s are great!

Thanks for the feedback Peter. Now you've got me thinking...:scratch2: