Official Steely Dan AJA thread

[Mike Lindsey]

Hi David,

PM me your address and we'll work out the details. The vinyl is in great shape and I just played it again today. It's been cleaned with my Nitty Gritty Mini-Pro and comes with inner and outer sleeves.

Mike

[Travis In Austin]

Luther,

I dug into my Aja stash, I found another one for you to try. ABC/GEMA 1977 (same matrix No. as your MCA, it was just sold in Germany and then sent over to U.S later on)

Travis

[Mike Lindsey]

I spent 4 years in Germany from 78 - 82 and own a number of German (GEMA) pressings, but Aja is not one of them []

Some of my best sounding records are German pressings. Heart/Dreamboat Annie is phenomenal, Pink Floyd/Wish You Were Here and Alan Parsons/Tales of Mystery and Imagination are just a few that come to mind.

Mike

[Travis In Austin]

So did Donald Fagan and Walter Becker give thier blessing for this "Official" thread?

I will defer to counsel.

"We're in negoiations"

[Seadog]

Mike, you have a PM. I'm looking forward to listening to it. Thanks for offering it here.

Hi David,

PM me your address and we'll work out the details. The vinyl is in great shape and I just played it again today. It's been cleaned with my Nitty Gritty Mini-Pro and comes with inner and outer sleeves.

Mike

[Mike Lindsey]

Mike, you have a PM. I'm looking forward to listening to it. Thanks for offering it here.

Hi David,

PM me your address and we'll work out the details. The vinyl is in great shape and I just played it again today. It's been cleaned with my Nitty Gritty Mini-Pro and comes with inner and outer sleeves.

Mike

Sent one back... []

[Travis In Austin]

Luther,

You get your Cisco Aja yet? I am dying to hear what you think. This is what Fremer thinks, I usually take what he says and do the opposite, but he makes a couple of interesting observations here.

Review by: Michael Fremer
2007-09-01

Lets get right to the point of this reissue, which is the sound, since anyone shelling out big bucks for it is doing so because he or she is familiar with the music and loves it to death.

This new Cisco reissue is vastly superior to both the original pressing (ABC AA 1006) and to Mobile Fidelitys ½ speed mastered reissue (Mobile Fidelity MFSL 1-0333).

If your stereo system (or your personal savior/used record dealer) tells you otherwise, blame it and/or him, not Elliot Scheiner, one of the original engineers on Aja who oversaw this reissue, or Donald Fagen (no introduction necessary), or Kevin Gray and Robert Pincus who mastered it from the original analog tape at AcousTech.

Let me tell you why this new reissue is easily the best sounding Aja yet. The bass on the original is (only by comparison to this reissue) a mushy, indistinct, unformed blob. The originals top end (I sampled four clean ABC originals), particularly the cymbal shimmer and ring, is undernourished, soft and shelved back in amplitude. The midrange is pushed forward, creating a false zone of warmth that gives the upper range of the kick drum a highly colored but forward thonk.

The entire picture is mildly compressed and Fagens voice is thin and sounds tracked with a phasey aural exciter (in reality it's layers of voice overdubbing as Fagen covers his tracks to produce a fatter vocal sound). Back in those days it was impossible to manipulate the multiple tracks to match perfectly. Today thats relatively easy to accomplish.

That's a fine formula for FM radio, college dorm and crash pad stereos and mass vinyl production circa 1977, but for a high resolution, high dynamic system in 2007? No. The superb recording and pristine production by Roger Nichols, Elliot Scheiner, Bill Schnee and Al Schmitt (a CSN&Y-like super group of recording engineers) had much more to give.

The Mobile Fidelity piles on even more blobby bass and while the half speed high frequency groove etching is incredibly detailed and well-focused, its also been bleached and brightened and the upper mids have been sucked out to make the high frequency transients stick out.

This reissues bass is tight yet lithe, well-focused and harmonically complex, texturally detailed, solid and revealing. You'll follow the bass line tune with new ease.

However, if your system doesnt go all the way down, it wont sound like theres great bass and probably the original and/or the Mo-Fi will sound richer and fuller but thats because the original was produced for mass, not audiophile consumption.

The cymbal crashes have that I can count the rivets quality my friend Frank Doris used to write about Bill Porter's productions, revealing incredible detail that glistens with sweet brassy, percussive textures and extends to the stratosphere without sounding tipped up or in the least unnatural.

Putting it more bluntly, this is a stupendous production. If it doesnt sound good on your system now, it awaits being revealed for how good it really is when your systems is elevated to match the occasion.

If you hear hashy, sizzly highs, thats your system speaking. If you hear anemic bass, same thing, and if the original sounds more dramatic, vivid and full, dont blame the reissue. The better your system, especially in terms of dynamics, bass weight and slam and transient clarity, the better this reissue will sound.

The title track reveals layers of hidden detail and dynamic nuances and layering buried on the original. Steve Gadds drumming has never sounded as dramatic or full-bodied. There are small percussive accents including triangle and wood block that emerge from the former haze to become cleanly rendered events without sounding bright, bleached or etched and Fagens voice layers become full bodied and easily separated yet the totality of the desired intended effect becomes more fully expressed.

This remaster exudes the kind of musical honesty you might expect when one of the original engineers and the artistic center of gravity are involved in its production.

Truthfully, Ive not heard a truly bad sounding edition of Aja. Its such a well recorded, sumptuous production one would have to work hard to make it sound bad. Compared to most pop/rock recordings, any edition of Aja (that Ive heard) sounds good. This one sounds great.

So, this most elegant and ambitious of Steely Dan albums featuring jump in production depth and cinematic sweep has never sounded better in my opinion. The tape has obviously held up as well as the music. I cant imagine the upcoming Japanese reissue at best mastered from the analog tape copy originally sent to Japan, sounding any better, though Ill be sure to have a listen.

By the way, if someone says the reissue doesnt sound any good, be sure to ask about that persons playback system. For the record I listened on The Continuum Caliburn turntable with Cobra arm, the Grand Prix Monaco turntable with Graham Phantom arm and the Merrill MS21 turntable with Triplanar arm. Cartridges included Lyra Titan i, Koetsu Urushi Vermillion and Air Tight PC-1. Phono preamps included Einstein Turntables Choice and Manley Steelhead. Preamp was darTZeel and amps were Musical Fidelity kWs driving Wilson MAXX2s. Cables were TARA Labs Zero interconnects and Omega speaker cable. Believe me, I heard whats on the vinyl loud and clear and it's spectacular!

[Wardsweb]

Luther,

You get your Cisco Aja yet? I am dying to hear what you think.

Not yet, but now I don't know if I'm waiting to hear how great this issue of AJA is or if I'm waiting to see how good my system is with this pressing; maybe both. Either way, my world will stop when it arrives and I will let myself get lost in the music and some smokey scotch.

[WopOnTour]

I bought the 180g Cisco AJA from Acousticsounds back in June. I've pretty much worn it out over the summer (est near 100 playbacks) []

Just an amazing body of work wrapped up in an all-new better sounding package IMO - the Cisco pressing JUST PLAIN ROCKS!

So I'm ordering a second copy for "special occasions"

Interesting though it went up in price. I paid $29.98 in June , now it's $32.98 ! That's better than my GM stock! [:^)]

WOT

[Mike Lindsey]

Do you also have the MFSL pressing?

[WopOnTour]

Unfortunately no

I'm sure I had a few of the original Canadian versions back in the late 70s (college), but they were certainly thrashed and trashed long ago...

I had forgotten how much I listened to and enjoyed this album back in the day, and was thrilled when Acoustic Sounds sent out the preorder back last spring

I love this album

One Sunday in July I bet I listened to Side-A 25 times as I rolled output tubes through my Citation II []

Now if only some outfit would reissue Badfinger "Straight Up"

WOT

[Wardsweb]

Ok a long time coming but more than worth the wait. What is it the kids say these days ...SNAP!

Hands
down this is the best I have ever heard this album. Many of you already
know I have more copies of AJA than make any sense. These include
original, MFSL, Simply Vinyl and pressings from around the world.
Before I opened the CISCO copy, I put on the MFSL to get a baseline. It
sounded great as usual. Then I placed the "heavy" vinyl on the platter,
gave it a quick wipe with a carbon brush and dropped the
needle.............nice, VERY nice. For me the difference is
instantanious. The detail and dynamics are fantastic. Not that the
other pressing are bad, quite the contrary, they are very good. This
one just takes it up a notch. I wouldn't say the MFSL was veiled but
the CISCO version opens up more and with more detail. You get every
nuance of the music.

Now the only downside has more to do
with manufacturing and not the production or engineering. The vinyl is
noisey between tracks and the runout is even worse. Now at this level I
would have expected the vinyl to be dead quiet. Maybe I'm just to picky
but I am who I am. Maybe it is from the orignal master tapes, I don't
know. The aural bliss of this album out weight the brief period of less
than perfection, so I'll let it slide. This one is now grouped
with my reference vinyl.

Playback system: Clearaudio Champion
II with a Benz Micro Glider mounted on an SME 309 arm, McIntosh C36
preamp feeding Shanling SP80 mono blocks and some custom DIY
horns.

[oldtimer]

You have every right to expect quiet between tracks and in both the run in and run out. The mfsl pressing is, so why isn't this one? glad the music sounds great on it though. I know when I get down to Austin or wherever you are you will spin it as a demo. Rock on!

[Edgar]

Anybody know if they ever found the missing master tapes for Black Cow and Aja?

[Mike Lindsey]

Thanks, Luther... that's all I needed to hear!

Edit: Just ordered mine. []

[Duke Spinner]

Luther,

You get your Cisco Aja yet? I am dying to hear what you think. This is what Fremer thinks, I usually take what he says and do the opposite, but he makes a couple of interesting observations here.

Review by: Michael Fremer

2007-09-01

Lets get right to the point of this reissue, which is the sound, since anyone shelling out big bucks for it is doing so because he or she is familiar with the music and loves it to death.

This new Cisco reissue is vastly superior to both the original pressing (ABC AA 1006) and to Mobile Fidelitys ½ speed mastered reissue (Mobile Fidelity MFSL 1-0333).

If your stereo system (or your personal savior/used record dealer) tells you otherwise, blame it and/or him, not Elliot Scheiner, one of the original engineers on Aja who oversaw this reissue, or Donald Fagen (no introduction necessary), or Kevin Gray and Robert Pincus who mastered it from the original analog tape at AcousTech.

Let me tell you why this new reissue is easily the best sounding Aja yet. The bass on the original is (only by comparison to this reissue) a mushy, indistinct, unformed blob. The originals top end (I sampled four clean ABC originals), particularly the cymbal shimmer and ring, is undernourished, soft and shelved back in amplitude. The midrange is pushed forward, creating a false zone of warmth that gives the upper range of the kick drum a highly colored but forward thonk.

The entire picture is mildly compressed and Fagens voice is thin and sounds tracked with a phasey aural exciter (in reality it's layers of voice overdubbing as Fagen covers his tracks to produce a fatter vocal sound). Back in those days it was impossible to manipulate the multiple tracks to match perfectly. Today thats relatively easy to accomplish.

That's a fine formula for FM radio, college dorm and crash pad stereos and mass vinyl production circa 1977, but for a high resolution, high dynamic system in 2007? No. The superb recording and pristine production by Roger Nichols, Elliot Scheiner, Bill Schnee and Al Schmitt (a CSN&Y-like super group of recording engineers) had much more to give.

The Mobile Fidelity piles on even more blobby bass and while the half speed high frequency groove etching is incredibly detailed and well-focused, its also been bleached and brightened and the upper mids have been sucked out to make the high frequency transients stick out.

This reissues bass is tight yet lithe, well-focused and harmonically complex, texturally detailed, solid and revealing. You'll follow the bass line tune with new ease.

However, if your system doesnt go all the way down, it wont sound like theres great bass and probably the original and/or the Mo-Fi will sound richer and fuller but thats because the original was produced for mass, not audiophile consumption.

The cymbal crashes have that I can count the rivets quality my friend Frank Doris used to write about Bill Porter's productions, revealing incredible detail that glistens with sweet brassy, percussive textures and extends to the stratosphere without sounding tipped up or in the least unnatural.

Putting it more bluntly, this is a stupendous production. If it doesnt sound good on your system now, it awaits being revealed for how good it really is when your systems is elevated to match the occasion.

If you hear hashy, sizzly highs, thats your system speaking. If you hear anemic bass, same thing, and if the original sounds more dramatic, vivid and full, dont blame the reissue. The better your system, especially in terms of dynamics, bass weight and slam and transient clarity, the better this reissue will sound.

The title track reveals layers of hidden detail and dynamic nuances and layering buried on the original. Steve Gadds drumming has never sounded as dramatic or full-bodied. There are small percussive accents including triangle and wood block that emerge from the former haze to become cleanly rendered events without sounding bright, bleached or etched and Fagens voice layers become full bodied and easily separated yet the totality of the desired intended effect becomes more fully expressed.

This remaster exudes the kind of musical honesty you might expect when one of the original engineers and the artistic center of gravity are involved in its production.

Truthfully, Ive not heard a truly bad sounding edition of Aja. Its such a well recorded, sumptuous production one would have to work hard to make it sound bad. Compared to most pop/rock recordings, any edition of Aja (that Ive heard) sounds good. This one sounds great.

So, this most elegant and ambitious of Steely Dan albums featuring jump in production depth and cinematic sweep has never sounded better in my opinion. The tape has obviously held up as well as the music. I cant imagine the upcoming Japanese reissue at best mastered from the analog tape copy originally sent to Japan, sounding any better, though Ill be sure to have a listen.

By the way, if someone says the reissue doesnt sound any good, be sure to ask about that persons playback system. For the record I listened on The Continuum Caliburn turntable with Cobra arm, the Grand Prix Monaco turntable with Graham Phantom arm and the Merrill MS21 turntable with Triplanar arm. Cartridges included Lyra Titan i, Koetsu Urushi Vermillion and Air Tight PC-1. Phono preamps included Einstein Turntables Choice and Manley Steelhead. Preamp was darTZeel and amps were Musical Fidelity kWs driving Wilson MAXX2s. Cables were TARA Labs Zero interconnects and Omega speaker cable. Believe me, I heard whats on the vinyl loud and clear and it's spectacular!

the original was recorded onna 1/2" Ampex machine ..

the result, wart's 'n all are that of a junior producer ..

who didn't know the Equipment > record interface

i spent years in an all Ampex outfitted Studio, in the '70's

[Travis In Austin]

Luther,

You get your Cisco Aja yet? I am dying to hear what you think. This is what Fremer thinks, I usually take what he says and do the opposite, but he makes a couple of interesting observations here.

Review by: Michael Fremer

2007-09-01

By the way, if someone says the reissue doesnt sound any good, be sure to ask about that persons playback system. For the record I listened on The Continuum Caliburn turntable with Cobra arm, the Grand Prix Monaco turntable with Graham Phantom arm and the Merrill MS21 turntable with Triplanar arm. Cartridges included Lyra Titan i, Koetsu Urushi Vermillion and Air Tight PC-1. Phono preamps included Einstein Turntables Choice and Manley Steelhead. Preamp was darTZeel and amps were Musical Fidelity kWs driving Wilson MAXX2s. Cables were TARA Labs Zero interconnects and Omega speaker cable. Believe me, I heard whats on the vinyl loud and clear and it's spectacular!

the original was recorded onna 1/2" Ampex machine ..

the result, wart's 'n all are that of a junior producer ..

who didn't know the Equipment > record interface

i spent years in an all Ampex outfitted Studio, in the '70's

Duke,

I am not sure what you are referring to. Aja was tracked on a 2" 24 track machine. There were 3 engineers, and they won a Grammy for the recording. It was the only Grammy the lp won. I cannot confirm the machine yet, but it would not surprise me that it was an Ampex. It was mastered on an all tube Ampex 350 1/4" machine by Bernie Grundman at A&M, the best in the Biz.

Travis

[Duke Spinner]

uh-oh ..

should proof my own text ..

yes, i meant 2" .

but Donald Fagen overrode the engineer's ..

as to how he " Wanted Things "

[boomac]

Wardsweb said, studying the transcribed Steve Gadd drum solo this was one of those performances you learn how to play your instrument from.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It would seem you would have to be very adept at your instrument before even attempting this or any other Steve Gadd solo. Hes UFB!

Where did you see a transcription and is it possible to pick one up?

Im not a big fan of the vocals but the music is fantastic and even the CD is well recorded. I ordered the LP today and it will be enjoyable to compare.

[Wardsweb]

I'm not sure if this is what you want, but try this link:

http://www.ttabs.com/tabs.php?id=9429