STEELY DAN, Aja USA EXC- LP Black Cow/Peg/Josie/Deacon Blues AUDIOPHILE STAMPER

$

39

Steely Dan ?– Aja Label: ABC Records ?– AA 1006 Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Gatefold; Santa Maria Pressing  Country: US Released: 1977 Genre: Jazz, Rock Style: Jazz-Rock, Classic Rock Tracklist Hide Credits A1 Black Cow Backing Vocals – Clydie King, Rebecca Louis, Sherlie Matthews, Venetta Fields Bass – Chuck Rainey Clavinet – Joe Sample Drums – Paul Humphrey Electric Piano – Victor Feldman Guitar – Larry Carlton Lead Vocals, Synthesizer – Donald Fagen Tenor Saxophone – Tom Scott 5:07 A2 Aja Backing Vocals – Tim Schmit* Bass – Chuck Rainey Drums – Steve Gadd Electric Piano – Joe Sample Guitar – Denny Dias, Larry Carlton, Walter Becker Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Synthesizer – Donald Fagen Percussion – Victor Feldman Piano – Michael Omartian Tenor Saxophone – Wayne Shorter 7:56 A3 Deacon Blues Backing Vocals – Clydie King, Sherlie Matthews, Venetta Fields Bass – Walter Becker Drums – Bernard Purdie Electric Piano – Victor Feldman Guitar – Larry Carlton, Lee Ritenour Lead Vocals, Synthesizer – Donald Fagen Tenor Saxophone – Pete Christlieb 7:26 B1 Peg Backing Vocals – Michael McDonald, Paul Griffin Bass – Chuck Rainey Clavinet – Don Grolnick Drums – Rick Marotta Electric Piano – Paul Griffin Guitar – Steve Khan Guitar [Solo] – Jay Graydon Lead Vocals – Donald Fagen Lyricon – Tom Scott Percussion – Gary Coleman, Victor Feldman 3:58 B2 Home At Last Backing Vocals – Tim Schmit* Bass – Chuck Rainey Drums – Bernard Purdie Guitar – Larry Carlton Guitar [Solo] – Walter Becker Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Synthesizer – Donald Fagen Piano, Vibraphone – Victor Feldman 5:31 B3 I Got The News Backing Vocals – Clydie King, Michael McDonald, Rebecca Louis, Sherlie Matthews, Venetta Fields Bass – Chuck Rainey Drums – Ed Greene (2) Guitar – Dean Parks Guitar [Solo] – Larry Carlton, Walter Becker Lead Vocals, Synthesizer – Donald Fagen Piano, Vibraphone, Percussion – Victor Feldman 5:03 B4 Josie Backing Vocals – Tim Schmit* Bass – Chuck Rainey Drums, Percussion – Jim Keltner Electric Piano – Victor Feldman Guitar – Dean Parks, Larry Carlton Guitar [Solo] – Walter Becker Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Synthesizer – Donald Fagen 4:30 Companies, etc. Phonographic Copyright (p) – ABC Records, Inc. Copyright (c) – ABC Records, Inc. Pressed By – Columbia Records Pressing Plant, Santa Maria Published By – ABC/Dunhill Music, Inc. Recorded At – The Village Recorder Recorded At – Producers Workshop Recorded At – Warner Bros. Recording Studios Recorded At – ABC Recording Studios Recorded At – Sound Labs, Hollywood Recorded At – A&R Studios Mastered At – A&M Studios Credits Arranged By [Horns], Conductor [Horns] – Tom Scott Arranged By [Rhythm Charts Prepared By, In Collaboration With The Composers] – Dean Parks, Larry Carlton, Michael Omartian Brass – Chuck Findley, Lou McCreary*, Slyde Hyde Engineer – Al Schmitt, Bill Schnee, Elliot Scheiner, Roger Nichols Engineer [Assistant] – Ed Rack, Joe Bellamy, Ken Klinger, Lenise Bent, Linda Tyler, Ron Pangaliman Engineer [Executive] – Roger Nichols Mastered By – Bernie Grundman Producer – Gary Katz Saxophone, Flute – Bill Perkins, Jackie Kelso, Jim Horn, Pete Christlieb, Plas Johnson, Tom Scott, Wayne Shorter Sleeve Notes – Michael Phalen, Steve Diener Words By, Music By – Donald Fagen, Walter Becker  

USA REPRESS FROM FIRST GENERATION MASTERS VINYL ALBUM IN GATEFOLD SLEEVE WITH ORIGINAL PRINTED INNER SLEEVE.

ABC Records raised the dealer price of 'Aja' by $1.00 two weeks after it was released when they realised they had a big hit on their hands, therefore the catalogue number changed from AB-1006 to AA-1006.  The initial AA pressings were still being cut from the original AB first pressing matrix, which can be found hand-crossed out in the run-offs. 

Nothing sounds as great on a quality hi fi system as the initial stock pressings of Aja.  Although it sold well, clean copies are becoming hard to come by, and all the reissues, CDs, remasters and even the infamous Cisco audiophile pressing, pale in comparision to a decent early copy.

MATRIX:  SIDE A: S 2 AA 1006(RE-4) 1C / SIDE B: 1S AA[B crossed out]1006(RE-3)-B-1B XX C6.

SLEEVE: VERY GOOD+, JUST SOME LIGHT SHELF, CORNER, EDGE AND RING WEAR, 'O' INDENTATION BOTTOM RIGHT FROM, OVERALL A VERY CLEAN SLEEVE CONSIDERING IT IS GLOSSY BLACK.  INNER SLEEVE VERY GOOD+ WITH NO SEAM SPLITS.

DISC: EXCELLENT MINUS. NO SCRATCHES, JUST A FEW VERY LIGHT HAIRLINES AND FINGERPRINTS. CLEAN LABELS.

Why buy a first or early pressing and not a re-issue or a ‘re-mastered’ vinyl album?

First and early pressings are pressed from the first generation lacquers and stampers. They usually sound vastly superior to later issues/re-issues (which, in recent times, are often pressed from whatever 'best' tapes or digital sources are currently available) - many so-called 'audiophile' new 180g pressings are cut from hi-res digital sources…essentially an expensive CD pressed on vinyl.  Why  experience the worse elements of both formats?  These are just High Maintenance CDs, with mid-ranges so cloaked with a veil as to sound smeared.  They are nearly always compressed with murky transients and a general lifelessness in the overall sound.  There are exceptions where re-masters/re-presses outshine the original issues, but they are exceptions and not the norm.

First or early pressings nearly always have more immediacy, presence and dynamics. The sound staging is wider.  Subtle instrument nuances are better placed with more spacious textures. Balances are firmer in the bottom end with a far-tighter bass. Upper-mid ranges shine without harshness, and the overall depth is more immersive.  Inner details are  clearer.

On first and early pressings, the music tends to sound more ‘alive’ and vibrant.  The physics of sound energy is hard to clarify and write about from a listening perspective, but the best we can describe it is to say that you can 'hear' what the mixing and mastering engineers wanted you to hear when they first recorded the music.  

• 1. USA BY MEDIA MAIL IS $5.99 FOR ANY AMOUNT OF LPs PURCHASED AND PAID FOR AT THE SAME TIME

           

• 2. INTERNATIONAL BY AIR MAIL IS $34.99 [EXCEPT CANADA, WHICH IS $27.99, AND ITALY, WHICH IS $49.99 REGISTERED/SIGNED-FOR AIR MAIL]

     Add $12.00 for each additional LP purchased at the same time





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