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"...I Detect The El Supremo..."
How do you follow a debut
like "Can't Buy A Thrill" - classy, precise, rammed to the gills with
tunes that still stand up a whopping 44 years? And it had two-headed sucker
punch of tunes - the Farfisa organ twinkle of "Do It Again" and
Elliott Randall's Guitar pyrotechnics on "Reelin' In The Years". How
do you follow one of the best starts? Simple – for round two - you go one
better.
Yet their second platter of
brilliance "Countdown To Ecstasy" (along with 1975's "Katy
Lied") always seems to lag behind - overlooked for the obvious genius of
1976's "The Royal Scam" and especially 1977's meisterwork -
"Aja". Yet of all the albums I play to death from that Golden Era -
it's "Countdown To Ecstasy" that amazes me the most. With the twin
vocalists of Don Palmer and Donald Fagen on the debut reduced to just Donald
Fagen - this record feels like the first 'real' Steely Dan album - a
Becker/Fagan album - their sound - their songs - done their way. Which brings
us to this gorgeous Japan-Only SHM-CD reissue...
This review is for the 25
June 2008 SHM-CD Issue of "Countdown To Ecstasy" by STEELY DAN on
Universal/Geffen UICY-93518 (Barcode 4988005518309). It comes in 5" Mini
LP Repro Artwork (the US album on ABC Records) and includes a repro of the
lyric insert that came with original copies (41:13 minutes total playing time).
There's an outer OBI band with reissue details, the fold-out colour booklet
that came with the 1998 Becker/Fagen CD Remasters (their caustic liner notes)
as well as a separate 16-page Japanese booklet in white (all details in
Japanese). Please also note that this SHM-CD of "Countdown To
Ecstasy" was reissued October 2011 (Standard Jewel Case) and 29 December
2011 in Repro Artwork with the same catalogue-number and Barcode (to confuse
matters). There's even been a further Platinum SHM-CD version too in Repro
Artwork and Presentation Box from July 2014 using a new remaster and Hi Res
Cutting of the disc.
What is a SHM-CD and does it
sound better than the standard 1998 issue that's available very cheaply? Some
say yes, others say it's a con. It was developed in 2008 by JVC as a brand new
form of CD with far better retrieval capabilities. The problem is that they are
ONLY available in JAPAN and usually at considerably higher cost. Also one of
the biggest arguments put forward 'against' them is that you need a high-end
player to get the best out of these CDs. I don't agree. I own about 15 of these
beauties and the sound on all is more than impressive - it's in the musicality
- it's in the details. I would say however that if the remaster is recent - and
its on SHM - and you've a half decent player - then the combo of all 3 will
produce wonderful sonic results (see my recent review for James Taylor's
"Mud Slide Slim And The Blue Horizon" on Japanese SHM-CD). Let's get
to the album itself and the Audio on this 2008 and 2011 SHM-CD reissue...
1. Bodhisattva
2. Razor Boy
3. The Boston Rag
4. Your Gold Teeth
5. Show Biz Kids
6. My Old School
7. Pearl Of The Quarter
8. King Of The World
Tracks 1 to 8 are their 2nd
studio album "Countdown To Ecstasy" - released July 1973 in the USA
on ABC Records ABCX-779 and September 1973 in the UK on Probe Records SPB 1079
(reissued October 1974 in the UK on ABC Records ABCL 5034). Produced by GARY
KATZ and Engineered by ROGER NICHOLS - it peaked at No. 35 on the Pop Charts in
the USA but didn't chart in the UK.
It opens with utter
brilliance - "Bodhisattva". Described on their lyric insert as 'Diaz
the Bebopper meets Baxter the Skunk beneath the Bo Tree in this altered Blues'
- you're immediately walloped with the clarity of Jim Hodder's Drums and both
Denny Dias and future Doobie Brother Jeff "Skunk" Baxter tearing it
on their respective guitars. As Guitar Rock goes – it’s a stormer. The Victor
Feldman Vibes and Donald Fagen Piano playing on "Razor Boy" is
startling - that beautifully tight rhythm section too sailing out of your
speakers with a sexy swagger. In August 1973 both ABC in the States and Probe
Records in the UK put it on the B-side of “Show Biz Kids” as a 45 (ABC Records
11382 vs. Probe PRO 602). On the strength of the A-side – it peaked at No. 61
in the USA.
Brilliant is the only word
to describe the deceptively simple Guitar run that works its way throughout the
whole of "The Boston Rag". You can now also hear those Acoustic
Guitars played by guest musician Ben Benay. I’ve still no idea what the “...Lonnie
was the Kingpin...” lyrics are about - but given those guitar solos and clever
keyboard breaks – I get the lyric insert explanation telling us that ‘several
members of The Dan get to “stretch out”’ on the song. Side one ends with the
seven-minute chug and shug of "Your Gold Teeth". A wickedly groovy
keyboard jaunt with Donald disdainfully sneering as he sings "...Torture
is the main attraction...I don't need that kind of action..." I'd also
forgotten how good the guitar flicks throughout are - that keyboard solo - and
the treated backing vocals of Sherlie Matthews, Myrna Matthews, Patricia hall,
David Palmer, Royce Jones, James Rolleston and Michael Fennelly - it all sounds
amazing on this SHM-CD.
Probably the bitterest and
most self-knowing of songs in their amazing repertoire – "Show Biz
Kids" lays into self-obsessed party types and showcases the extraordinary
Slide Guitar of Rick Derringer who gives the song the kind of muscle and magic
Elliott Randal gave to “Reelin’ In The Years”. As the girls chant "...it's
only life's wages..." and sing "...while the poor people sleepin'
with the shade of the light...all the stars come out at night..." - many
of them wearing Steely Dan teeshirts as they make films about themselves. The
chipper "My Old School" features a four-man Brass Section arranged by
Jimmie Haskell and was also chosen as an A-side on both sides of the pond in
November 1973 (ABC Records 11396, Probe Records PRO 606). As it jaunt and funks
along like its Tower Of Power meets Steely Dan - the lyrics tell us that Daddy
is going to be "...quite surprised to find you with the working girls in
the County Jail..."(nice). “My Old School” is a brilliant little bopper
and an emotional upper on a largely sarcastic album.
The lovely pedal steel of
"Pearl Of The Quarter" (the B-side of "Show Biz Kids" on
both sides of the pond) bolsters up a gorgeous melody and the closest the album
gets to an actual 'love song'. The audio on this baby perhaps impresses most.
It ends on the weird yet thrilling wah-wah rhythms of "King of The
World" - treated guitars and keyboards while Jim Hodder keeps it so tight
on the drums. The Remaster brings out all those guitar and keyboard parts as
Fagan sings "...no marigolds in the promised-land...there's a hole in the
ground where they used to grow..." And that stomping break towards the end
is fucking brilliant...
Even now - with a distance
of 43 years - I'm gobsmacked at the musical accomplishment on "Countdown
To Ecstasy". Rooted in the brilliance of their October 1972 "Can't
Buy A Thrill" debut LP and yet advanced a million miles away from it in
less than nine months.
You can get the 1998 CD for
peanuts - but if like me you have to have the best when it comes to the best
band of the Seventies - then these dinky Japanese SHM-CDs are the 'gold teeth'
for you...
FOR INFO PURPOSES
JAPANESE REISSUES for STEELY DAN
on the SHM-CD, SACD and PLATINUM SHM-CD Formats...
The Japanese reissue program
surrounding STEELY DAN and their core catalogue of albums between 1972 and 1980
("Can't Buy A Thrill" through to "Gaucho") for the three
formats of SHM-CD, PLATINUM SHM-CD and SHM-SACD is a tangled minefield of
reissue after further reissue – a long list of endless upgraded versions. This
list is an attempt to sort out what’s what.
Audio wise – most of the
2008 to 2011 issues are based on the Donald Fagan and Walter Becker approved
remasters of 1999 - all of which are easily available as US and European MCA
Remastered CDs (and cheaply too). But for those who crave best ever sound from
this most Audiophile of American bands – the Superior Formats and repro packaging
imitating original US album artwork are more than enticing.
There are also reissues from
2014 in Japan that have exclusive Remasters using US analogue tapes (listed
below). And all though they’re constantly reissued – technically all Japanese
CD reissues of back-catalogue are limited editions (they sell out quickly and
become deleted soon after). So I’ve included exact barcodes to find the right
issues when looking for them on various sale/auction sites.
This list is accurate to May
2017...
SHM-CD (Jewel Case AND Mini
Repro LP Artwork Versions):
1. "Can't Buy A
Thrill" (1972)
(i) Standard Jewel Case
SHM-CD released 12 October 2011 on Geffen/Universal UICY-20122 (Barcode
4988005639240) – 1999 Remaster
(ii) Mini LP Repro Artwork
SHM-CD released 29 December 2011 on Geffen/Universal UICY-93515 (Barcode
4988005518293) – 1999 Remaster
2. "Countdown To
Ecstasy" (1973)
(i) Standard Jewel Case
SHM-CD released 12 October 2011 on Geffen/Universal UICY-25036 (Barcode
4988005677754) – 1999 Remaster
(ii) Mini LP Repro Artwork
SHM-CD released 29 December 2011 on Geffen/Universal UICY-93516 (Barcode
4988005518309) – 1999 Remaster
(iii) Mini LP Repro Artwork
SHM-CD re-released 30 July 2014 on Geffen/Universal UICY-76427 (Barcode
4988005831552) - features 2014 DSD Remastering from original US analogue master
tapes and HR Cutting on the Disc
3. "Pretzel Logic"
(1974)
(i) Standard Jewel Case
SHM-CD released 12 October 2011 on Geffen/Universal UICY-25037 (Barcode
4988005677761) – 1999 Remaster
(ii) Mini LP Repro Artwork
SHM-CD released 29 December 2011 on Geffen/Universal UICY-93517 (Barcode
4988005518316) – 1999 Remaster
(iii) Mini LP Repro Artwork
SHM-CD re-released 24 September 2014 on Geffen/Universal UICY-76524 (Barcode
4988005838209) - features 2014 DSD Remastering from original US analogue master
tapes and HR Cutting on the Disc
4. "Katy Lied"
(1975)
(i) Standard Jewel Case
SHM-CD released 12 October 2011 on Geffen/Universal UICY-25038 (Barcode
4988005677778) – 1999 Remaster
(ii) Mini LP Repro Artwork
SHM-CD released 29 December 2011 on Geffen/Universal UICY-93518 (Barcode
4988005518323) – 1999 Remaster
5. "The Royal
Scam" (1976)
(i) Standard Jewel Case
SHM-CD released 12 October 2011 on Geffen/Universal UICY-25039 (Barcode
4988005677785)
(ii) Mini LP Repro Artwork
SHM-CD released 29 December 2011 on Geffen/Universal UICY-93519 (Barcode
4988005518330)
6. "Aja" (1977)
(1) Standard Jewel Case
SHM-CD released 23 January 2008 on Geffen/Universal UICY-90764 (Barcode
4988005502070)
(ii) Standard Jewel Case
SHM-CD released 24 June 2009 on Geffen/Universal UICY-91430 (Barcode
4988005560810)
(iii) Standard Jewel Case
SHM-CD re-released 12 October 2011 on Geffen/Universal UICY-25040 (Barcode
4988005677792)
(iv) Mini LP Repro Artwork
SHM-CD re-released 29 December 2011 on Geffen/Universal UICY-93520 (Barcode
4988005518347)
(v) Mini LP Repro Artwork
SHM-CD re-released 25 September 2013 on Geffen/Universal UICY-75768 (Barcode
4988005782274) – HR Cutting
(vi) Non SHM CD Issue
(standard CD) in a Standard Jewel Case re-released 17 May 2017 on
Geffen/Universal UICY-78312 (Barcode 4988031220726)
7. "Gaucho" (1980)
(i) Standard Jewel Case
SHM-CD released 12 October 2011 on Geffen/Universal UICY-25041 (Barcode
4988005677808)
(ii) Mini LP Repro Artwork
SHM-CD released 29 December 2011 on Geffen/Universal UICY-93521 (Barcode
4988005518354)
PLATINUM SHM-CD (Mini LP
Repro Artwork inside a White Bordered Box):
"Can't Buy A
Thrill", "Katy Lied" and "The Royal Scam" – not issued
on this format as of May 2017
1. "Countdown To
Ecstasy" (1973)
(i) Released 30 July 2014 on
Geffen/Universal UIGY-9566 (Barcode 4988005831590) - features 2014 DSD
Remastering from original US analogue master tapes
(ii) Re-released 24 August
2016 on Geffen/Universal UIGY-15005 (Barcode 4988031161814) – features 2014 DSD
Remastering from original US analogue master tapes
2. "Pretzel Logic"
(1974)
Released 24 September 2014
on Geffen/Universal UICY-40085 (Barcode 4988005838155)
3. "Aja" (1977)
(i) Released 25 September
2013 on Geffen/Universal UICY-40007 (Barcode 4988005782175)
SHM-SACD:
These Japanese SHM-SACD
releases require a CD player that has SUPER AUDIO playback facilities - they
will NOT PLAY IN A STANDARD PLAYER. There are two variants of Remasters - 2010
DSD versions done exclusively in Japan and based on Japanese original analogue
tapes – and 2014 variants based on US analogue tapes with HR Disc Cutting. The
2014 variants come in white-bordered boxes like the Platinum SHM-CD issues.
"Can't Buy A
Thrill", "Countdown To Ecstasy" and "Katy Lied" – not
issued on this format as May 2017
1. "Pretzel Logic"
(1974)
Released 24 September 2014
on Geffen/Universal UIGY-9568 (Barcode 4988005838223) - features 2014 DSD
Remastering from original US analogue master tapes and HR Cutting on the Disc
2. "The Royal Scam"
(1976)
(i) Released 28 September
2011 on Geffen/Universal UIGY-9501 (Barcode 4988005653628) – Withdrawn
3. "Aja" (1977)
(i) Released 30 June 2010 on
Geffen/Universal UIGY-9026 (Barcode 498800 5614384) – features 2010 DSD
Remastering
(ii) Re-released 26 November
2014 on Geffen/Universal UIGY-9591 (Barcode 4988005857439) –features 2010 DSD
Remastering
4. "Gaucho" (1980)
(i) Released 24 October 2010
on Geffen/Universal UIGY-9039 (Barcode 4988005633330) in oversized Card Repro
Artwork
(ii) Released 26 November
2014 on Geffen/Universal UIGY-9592 (Barcode 4988005857446) in SACD Jewel Case
