News

The hangman isn’t hanging but Steely Dan are stowin’ away the time, and they’re now back on vinyl where they belong. To wit: Steely Dan’s classic ABC and MCA Records catalog will return to vinyl with an extensive, year-long reissue program featuring the band’s first seven records that were initially released between 1972 and 1980. The initial offering in this Steely Dan reissue series, all of which is being personally overseen by founding member Donald Fagen, comes out on November 4, and it will be the band’s November 1972 debut album, Can’t Buy a Thrill.

These SD LPs will be available in two ways: 1) on 33 1/3rpm 180g black vinyl via Geffen/UMe, and 2) on limited edition 45rpm Ultra High-Quality Record (UHQR) vinyl from Analogue Productions. Considering how good, rather, how great Analogue Productions’ recently released 180g 45rpm versions of a pair of latter-day Dan releases — February 2000’s Two Against Nature and June 2003’s Everything Must Go — are, we here at AP expect even greater things from the UHQR editions to come.

Additional albums in SD’s storied ABC/MCA catalog will roll out periodically throughout 2022 and 2023. For now, you can pre-order Can’t Buy a Thrill here. The Geffen/UMe version of Thrill lists for $29.99, while the Analogue Production version goes for $150. (Actually, you can preorder the entire UHQR series here, if you want.)

Here are the key SD LP stats: All albums in this reissue series are being remastered by Bernie Grundman from the original analog tapes except for 1) September 1977’s Aja, which will be mastered from an analog, non-EQ’d, tape copy, and 2) November 1980’s Gaucho, which will be sourced from a 1980 analog tape copy originally EQ’d by Bob Ludwig. How come, you ask? According to the label, there is “no evidence the original tapes containing the flat mixes of Aja and Gaucho were delivered to the record label and it’s presumed the tapes no longer exist.”

Lacquers for UMe’s standard 180g version of Can’t Buy a Thrill will be cut by Alex Abrash at his renowned AA Mastering studio from high-resolution digital files of Grundman’s new masters, and pressed at Precision. These LPs will be housed in reproductions of the original artwork.

Meanwhile, the 45rpm UHQR version of Can’t Buy a Thrill will be pressed at Analogue Productions’ Quality Record Pressings on 200g Clarity Vinyl, packaged in a deluxe box, and will include a booklet detailing the entire process of making a UHQR along with a certificate of inspection. Each UHQR is pressed using hand-selected vinyl.

In case you’re not quite up on your Steely Dan stats and FAQs, here’s a brief primer about the albums to come in this reissue series. The kickoff release, November 1972’s Can’t Buy a Thrill, contains the band’s breakthrough hits “Do It Again,” “Reelin’ in the Years,” and the recently viral “Dirty Work,” the latter of which features David Palmer on lead vocals. (And, hey, this first reissue salvo coincides perfectly with the album’s 50th anniversary too!)

The band’s sprawling July 1973 sophomore LP, Countdown to Ecstasy, houses such standouts as “Bodhisattva,” “Show Biz Kids,” and “My Old School” — all sung by Donald Fagen, who officially took over as the fulltime SD lead vocalist. February 1974’s jazzier Pretzel Logic was SD’s first Top 10 album with the massive hit, “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number.” March 1975’s swing-pop perfection platter, Katy Lied, has “Black Friday,” “Bad Sneakers,” and “Doctor Wu” among its highlights, with the addition of Michael McDonald on background vocals. May 1976’s guitar-driven The Royal Scam features standouts like “Kid Charlemagne” and “The Fez.”

September 1977’s aforementioned, platinum-selling jazz-rock masterwork Aja includes three hit singles — “Deacon Blues,” Peg,” and “Josie” — and, of course, the elegant title cut. Lastly, SD’s final album for MCA, December 1980’s brilliant Gaucho, is home to “Hey Nineteen” and “Time Out of Mind,” the latter of which features Mark Knopfler on guitar.

“Time Out of Mind” happens to be one of my personal favorite Steely Dan tracks, in addition to the title track for Aja — that interplay between tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter and drummer Steve Gadd gets me every time.

What are your faves? Share your thoughts about them, and what you think of this Steely Dan reissue series overall, in the Comments section below, following the tracklisting for Can’t Buy a Thrill.

STEELY DAN
CAN’T BUY A THRILL
180 1LP (Geffen/UMe) / 200g 2LP (Analogue Productions)

Side 1
1. Do It Again
2. Dirty Work
3. Kings
4. Midnite Cruiser
5. Only A Fool Would Say That

Side 2
1. Reelin’ In The Years
2. Fire In The Hole
3. Brooklyn (Owes The Charmer Under Me)
4. Change Of The Guard
5. Turn That Heartbeat Over Again