Countdown To Ecstasy[LP]

One of their best albums grab your headphones and enjoy some of the best produced albums of all time

Classic Steely Dan at its finest and now back on top grade vinyl so that my turntable can bring the warmth of the original release out once again.

I just received this LP in the mail today, somewhat ahead of its scheduled delivery. It's on 180g vinyl and completely flat and dust-free. However, it would have been nice if the inner sleeve had been poly and not thin cardboard, which is already showing the beginnings of a slight split on one side. The record is not entirely noise-free, but only has a bit of noticeable inter-track crackle. Now, this remastering and remix is very good with great separation; no trace of sibilance at all. It's not perfect, and audiophiles might want to spend the extra dough on the Analogue Productions 2 LP set at 45 rpm.This is really the only album Steely Dan did as a true rock band with Donald doing all the vocals. More rocking than their first record, but it also has some more pronounced jazz riffs going on, which points the way toward the jazzy direction that we hear later on Katy Lied and beyond. I completely wore out my original 1973 copy and am quite pleased to be listening again to it on vinyl. Apparently, there are plans to release Katy Lied again on vinyl, which should be an interesting occasion, as Don and Walt couldn't get over the infamous dbx machine failure and purportingly never listened to the final product. Valiant efforts were made to improve the sound when Citizen Dan was put together. Stay tuned!

Nice pressing, not too much noise between tracks. I know this is supposed to be as "rock" as the Dan ever got. The black an white picture on the back has certain aspects colorized as if to emphasize them, including the meters on the board, lit up red. Were they trying to emphasize turning it up and is this reissue looking to make that point clear, or rather muddy ? When Skunk's guitar, Fagan's electric piano and vocal all hit at once, it has the feel of being over-driven, almost muddy. It subsides as soon as the quieter mid-range portions return. The material has always been great, I'm just not sure what to make of the sound, and I'm not convinced it is an improvement from the digital playback

I grew up with Steely Dan and saw them live a couple of times. They don't disappoint even though Donald Fagen is the only original one left touring with the band. I have their CD's but wanted the vinyl also. The difference isn't huge but I still value the turntable experience that I grew up with.

IT IS AVAILABLE IN VINYL

Now, this is as much a plea for intervention as it is a review. I love all the Steely Dan records. So much I bought the new 45rpm version in it’s fancy case. That version was $175 plus shipping. This is done by the same people, but a different pressing. They both sound amazing! Everything you love from the original mix, but there’s more to hear. The drums have so much more presence and the locals are sharper and clear. I think there is more I can hear on the 45rpm virgin vinyl pressing, but if I was being rational (not that anything about vinyl is rational) I don’t think there’s a $125 difference between this and the fancier version. If you have the funds and don’t mind flipping the 45rpm version more often get the expensive set. Otherwise, get this and be 100% happy with your purchase (and happy about saving money).

I really wanted a clean copy of this album for not too much money and was excited when it showed up, but it was a big disappointment - the vinyl had a noisy background, the highs were nonexistent, and the dynamics that I heard so well were just not there. It was a muddy mess overall. Stick to streaming this album, get a good used copy or via CD/DVD.

One of STEELY DAN'S early efforts that holds such wonderful tracks as BHODDISATVA, GOLD TEETH, and some others along with some tracks that I had not heard before. This rather elderly disc by the now defunct Rock and Roll wonderkindt Donald Fagan, and Walter Brecker that made up the band STEELY DAN. This only goes to prove the rule that GREAT ROCK AND ROLL NEVER DIES. This Lp has been around for many decades now and it is still as relevent today as it was the day it was recorded back in the Seventies. Well worth the investment and bound to put a smile on your ears, COUNTDOWN TO ECSTACY.

Top quality sound and well worth getting.

Llegó en muy bien estado y en el plazo indicado

No scratches and surprisingly no warping. It’s been common with my vinyl orders from Amazon to come in warped so I was very happy to see this in good condition. The sound is pretty crisp and this album is growing to be one of my favourites from Steely Dan.

A brilliant album