Quad LP/Tape Poll Steely Dan: Can't Buy A Thrill [QS/Q8]
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I've had a QS LP>DVD-A rip for some time and I've really tried to like the Quad mix as I love the album.. but there's too much reverb in the rears on various tracks.. that and the radically different guitar work on "Reelin'.." I just can't get into.. and what wrecks every other song in the Quad mix for me is that drums seem to be very recessed (apart from cymbal crashes, which are weirdly phase-y, bright and overemphasised) and the bass guitar is much more forward in the mix than it is in the stereo. At least its more discrete than Pretzel Logic.. 
himey
2K Club - QQ Super Nova
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I've had a QS LP>DVD-A rip for some time and I've really tried to like the Quad mix as I love the album.. but there's too much reverb in the rears on various tracks.. that and the radically different guitar work on "Reelin'.." I just can't get into.. and what wrecks every other song in the Quad mix for me is that drums seem to be very recessed (apart from cymbal crashes, which are weirdly phase-y, bright and overemphasised) and the bass guitar is much more forward in the mix than it is in the stereo. At least its more discrete than Pretzel Logic..
What do you think about Countdown to Ecstasy? Pretzel Logic is just sad and unlistenable as you already know.
The reverb on "reelin'" is the only song it bothered me on CBAT. I like the origional album in stereo a lot but I am not going to pretend I know it like it's an all time favorite and I can tell you where every instrument is in the mix like some other albums I know. That does make a difference when judging a multichannel mix. Ignorance is bliss sometimes.
I've not heard the CTE Quad, I ran out of steam with the other two! I've heard people say they really like the Pretzel Logic quad.. even though to me its pointless near-double stereo.. so it's all good in my book, whatever floats one's boat
I don't have a problem normally with new and different stuff popping up in Quad and 5.1 music mixes but those Steely Dan records were just so perfectly crafted.. and I could probably recite them all in my sleep so really it is a pretty hard listen for me with that CBAT Quad, it doesn't have many of the great qualities of the stereo mix, apart from the fantastic music of course!
inquadwetrust
300 Club - QQ All-Star
Native playback from a VG+ QS LP via a Surround Master is my method of listening for this review and I have to say I like the fidelity of this a lot. Yes, it's maybe a shade dry and brittle in the mids but the bottom end is rounded and full. It's a tight and strident mix and as many have pointed out does differ from the stereo version throughout. Lots to engage you throughout, a pleasant swagger to the sharp percussion that spreads itself through to each corner and again, as others have also pointed out, the differing lead vocals spotlights are a joy. Pianos are sonorous and organs whirr pleasantly as maracas shimmy and pop from front to back. Still a crying shame it hasn't turned up in a higher fidelity format but I am very happy indeed with this version if it truly is the end of the delivery line for this mix.
himey
2K Club - QQ Super Nova
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Yes it is excellent and needs a proper release.
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UPDATE Hadn't listened to this closely in over ten years until tonight.
There are a number of flaws in the mix I'd forgotten about, many quite jarring.
Reelin' Covered in my original post.
Do It Again In addition to the alternate organ solo second half already mentioned, there are two guitar tracks (LF and RR) that are left open the whole song, unlike the stereo mix which punched out most of them. When you are asked to follow along with guitar fills throughout a track and you're not Rick Derringer, your batting average ain't gonna be 1000. This makes for quite a mess, distracting from the song's driving groove and mood. I really can't enjoy this version, sorry.
Fire in the Hole Extra vocalizations, including an opening grunt and a falsetto "Ah wa wa wa wa wa!" during the piano solo. We can do without either.
Only a Fool Would Say That One of the most irritating recurrent themes in surround "aftermixes" is an instrument -- often one highlighted in the original -- potted down too low for no good reason. Here the falsetto vocal lead into the solo ("Only a FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL .... ") placed in the rear, is barely even audible. The high harmony vocal on "feel no pain", a track highlight, is also not loud enough.
Change of the Guard The chorus of "Na na na na na na na naaa" is almost dry, sounding quite awkward without the reverb of the original. It's the chorus, for God's sake. The electric guitar of the solo is both too low and too filled with reverb, smoothing over every edge of what should be one of the best of all Steely jams. This part should bark hard, but here it just whimpers.
Turn that Heartbeat Over Again Quite a few issues here with vocals, which are generally out of balance. Mostly the harmony vocals are too low, especially in the chorus where you really mostly hear Fagen's lead instead of a blend of three voices.
After that you might think there's no good news, but there is. Apart from these problems, some of which make the associated tracks unlistenable, there are several that are good and faithful to the originals, such as Dirty Work and Kings. Those two are just not as dramatic as I'd hoped for. Why, for instance, doesn't the appearance of the backing vocals in the former's chorus give me chills as they do in Elton John's Rocket Man? That's the art and science of mixing for you.
The standout track, for me, is Midnight Cruiser. Really expands from the stereo, although some purists will object to rears loaded with lead guitars and accoustic piano. It works for me, especially in the contrast created by the quiet passages' percussion.
Despite all the sloppiness and gimmicky reverb, its still one of the better 70's mixes. The shame here is how easily it could have been a better one.
There are a number of flaws in the mix I'd forgotten about, many quite jarring.
Reelin' Covered in my original post.
Do It Again In addition to the alternate organ solo second half already mentioned, there are two guitar tracks (LF and RR) that are left open the whole song, unlike the stereo mix which punched out most of them. When you are asked to follow along with guitar fills throughout a track and you're not Rick Derringer, your batting average ain't gonna be 1000. This makes for quite a mess, distracting from the song's driving groove and mood. I really can't enjoy this version, sorry.
Fire in the Hole Extra vocalizations, including an opening grunt and a falsetto "Ah wa wa wa wa wa!" during the piano solo. We can do without either.
Only a Fool Would Say That One of the most irritating recurrent themes in surround "aftermixes" is an instrument -- often one highlighted in the original -- potted down too low for no good reason. Here the falsetto vocal lead into the solo ("Only a FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL .... ") placed in the rear, is barely even audible. The high harmony vocal on "feel no pain", a track highlight, is also not loud enough.
Change of the Guard The chorus of "Na na na na na na na naaa" is almost dry, sounding quite awkward without the reverb of the original. It's the chorus, for God's sake. The electric guitar of the solo is both too low and too filled with reverb, smoothing over every edge of what should be one of the best of all Steely jams. This part should bark hard, but here it just whimpers.
Turn that Heartbeat Over Again Quite a few issues here with vocals, which are generally out of balance. Mostly the harmony vocals are too low, especially in the chorus where you really mostly hear Fagen's lead instead of a blend of three voices.
After that you might think there's no good news, but there is. Apart from these problems, some of which make the associated tracks unlistenable, there are several that are good and faithful to the originals, such as Dirty Work and Kings. Those two are just not as dramatic as I'd hoped for. Why, for instance, doesn't the appearance of the backing vocals in the former's chorus give me chills as they do in Elton John's Rocket Man? That's the art and science of mixing for you.
The standout track, for me, is Midnight Cruiser. Really expands from the stereo, although some purists will object to rears loaded with lead guitars and accoustic piano. It works for me, especially in the contrast created by the quiet passages' percussion.
Despite all the sloppiness and gimmicky reverb, its still one of the better 70's mixes. The shame here is how easily it could have been a better one.
I'm still praying for this to be released in 5.1. Maybe I should have asked the Pope for a miracle when he was here.
Unfortunately no. None of the steelys were released on reel.
Might have been a Columbia House offer only, not the real reel thing.
If you look at the photos on both auctions, the labels on each reel have the code "crc". This denotes that it was manufactured for/by the Columbia Record Club. The CRC would sometimes make certain titles available on formats that weren't otherwise offered at retail. The CRC was still offering albums on 8-track for several years after 8-tracks were no longer available at traditional retail. In effect, that does mean that these are "real" (i.e. not counterfeits) as they would be licensed by the artists' record companies.
However, I believe we're drifting slightly off topic here. I think the original inquiry was whether or not any of Steely Dan's quad mixes were ever available on the open reel format. Unfortunately, the answer to that question is no. Their three quads (Can't Buy a Thrill, Countdown to Ecstasy and Pretzel Logic) were only available on quad LP and quad 8-track.
However, I believe we're drifting slightly off topic here. I think the original inquiry was whether or not any of Steely Dan's quad mixes were ever available on the open reel format. Unfortunately, the answer to that question is no. Their three quads (Can't Buy a Thrill, Countdown to Ecstasy and Pretzel Logic) were only available on quad LP and quad 8-track.
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Don't quite know if Elliot Scheiner got around to mixing the 5.1 of this disc when he was working on the Steely Dan catalogue remixing all of the Universal's for 5.1 SACD , but it sure would be nice to see this out .
And if not I'll take a quad copy, it is without a doubt my favourite Dan disc
gave it a 10, even though the quad mix is lacking a bit, the music is sublime with any surround.
And if not I'll take a quad copy, it is without a doubt my favourite Dan disc
gave it a 10, even though the quad mix is lacking a bit, the music is sublime with any surround.
The internet has decided, vaguely, that CBAT was released sometime in November 1972. (Crazy that the exact date should be lost in the mists of time. It was only 50 years ago!) If that's true, then Friday, November 1st is a likely candidate. By the 4th, both Billboard and CashBox reported "Do It Again" getting lots of airplay, though the album itself appeared on CashBox's list of Top 100 (actually 150) albums as early as October 21st.
Anyway, I'm Doing It Again repeatedly today, in both stereo and quad.
For my money, here's the best thing ever written about CBAT. It's Sasha Geffen, in Pitchfork:
https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/steely-dan-cant-buy-a-thrill/
Anyway, I'm Doing It Again repeatedly today, in both stereo and quad.
For my money, here's the best thing ever written about CBAT. It's Sasha Geffen, in Pitchfork:
https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/steely-dan-cant-buy-a-thrill/
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