Steely Dan - Countdown To Ecstasy Label: Analogue Productions - CAPP 135 SA, Geffen Records - B0035157-06, Universal Music Special Markets - B0035157-06, UMe - B0035157-06 Format: SACD, Hybrid, Stereo, Album, Reissue, Remastered Country: US Released: Jun 2023 Genre: Rock Style: Jazz-Rock, Pop Rock SACD ISO Tracklist 01 - Bodhisattva 5:16 02 - Razor Boy 3:10 Bass [String Bass] - Ray Brown 03 - The Boston Rag 5:48 04 - Your Gold Teeth 6:58 05 - Show Biz Kids 5:21 Slide Guitar - Rick Derringer 06 - My Old School 5:44 Arranged By [Saxes] - Jimmie Haskell Saxophone - Bill Perkins, Ernie Watts, John Rotella, Lanny Morgan 07 - Pearl Of The Quarter 3:49 08 - King Of The World 5:03 Companies, etc. Recorded At - The Village Recorder Recorded At - Caribou Ranch Manufactured By - Universal Enterprises Phonographic Copyright ℗ - UMG Recordings, Inc. Copyright © - UMG Recordings, Inc. Glass Mastered At - Sony DADC - A0103431711-A911 Glass Mastered At - Sony DADC - A0103431711-B911 Credits Acoustic Guitar - Ben Benay Backing Vocals - David Palmer, James Rolleston, Michael Fenelly, Myrna Matthews, Patricia Hall, Royce Jones, Sherlie Matthews Bass Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals - Walter Becker Design - Dotty Of Hollywood Drums, Percussion, Vocals - Jim Hodder Engineer - Roger (The Immortal) Nichols Guitar, Mixed By [Stereo Mixmaster General] - Denny Dias Guitar, Pedal Steel Guitar - Jeff "Skunk" Baxter Mastered By - Bernie Grundman Photography By - Ed Caraeff Piano, Electric Piano, Synthesizer, Vocals - Donald Fagen Producer - Gary Katz Vibraphone, Marimba, Percussion - Victor Feldman Written-By - D. Fagen, W. Becker Barcode and Other Identifiers Barcode (Text): 7 53088 01356 0 Barcode (Scanned): 753088013560 Matrix / Runout (Outer ring): A0103431711-A911 1000 1A00 Matrix / Runout (Inner ring): A0103431711-B911 14 A00 Mastering SID Code (Outer ring): IFPI LY23 Mastering SID Code (Inner ring): IFPI L551 Mould SID Code: IFPI 94B1 Rights Society: ASCAP foobar2000 1.5 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1 log date: 2023-08-24 19:47:16 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Analyzed: Steely Dan / Countdown To Ecstasy -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DR Peak RMS Duration Track -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DR10 -7.45 dB -20.79 dB 5:16 ?-Bodhisattva DR10 -7.99 dB -21.32 dB 3:11 ?-Razor Boy DR11 -7.82 dB -22.21 dB 5:40 ?-The Boston Rag DR11 -7.69 dB -20.96 dB 6:59 ?-Your Gold Teeth DR11 -6.94 dB -20.05 dB 5:25 ?-Show Biz Kids DR12 -5.81 dB -20.84 dB 5:40 ?-My Old School DR12 -6.65 dB -21.14 dB 3:44 ?-Pearl Of The Quarter DR11 -6.71 dB -20.63 dB 5:00 ?-King Of The World -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Number of tracks: 8 Official DR value: DR11 Samplerate: 2822400 Hz / PCM Samplerate: 44100 Hz Channels: 2 Bits per sample: 1 Bitrate: 5645 kbps Codec: DSD64 ================================================================================ Countdown to Ecstasy is the second studio album by American rock band Steely Dan, released by ABC Records in July 1973. It was recorded at the Village Recorder in West Los Angeles, California, except for Rick Derringer’s slide guitar part for “Show Biz Kids”, which was recorded at Caribou Ranch in Nederland, Colorado. After the departure of vocalist David Palmer from Steely Dan, the group recorded the album with Donald Fagen singing lead on every track. Mastered direct to DSD from the original master tape by Bernie Grundman. Allmusic Review: Can’t Buy a Thrill became an unexpected hit, and as a response, Donald Fagen became the group’s full-time lead vocalist, and he and Walter Becker acted like Steely Dan was a rock & roll band for the group’s second album, Countdown to Ecstasy. The loud guitars and pronounced backbeat of “Bodhisattva,” “Show Biz Kids,” and “My Old School” camouflage the fact that Countdown is a riskier album, musically speaking, than its predecessor. Each of its eight songs have sophisticated, jazz-inflected interludes, and apart from the bluesy vamps “Bodhisattva” and “Show Biz Kids,” which sound like they were written for the stage, the songs are subtly textured. “Razor Boy,” with its murmuring vibes, and the hard bop tribute “Your Gold Teeth” reveal Becker and Fagen’s jazz roots, while the country-flavored “Pearl of the Quarter” and the ominous, skittering “King of the World” are both overlooked gems. Countdown to Ecstasy is the only time Steely Dan played it relatively straight, and its eight songs are rich with either musical or lyrical detail that their album rock or art rock contemporaries couldn’t hope to match. — allmusic.com Transfer Notes Digital transfers from SACD with love by Darkivist, 2023-06-15. Pick your preferred format(s): If you don’t have a DSD-capable DAC, grab the Oppo analog transfers If you’ve already got a good DSD-capable DAC and/or can play back SACD ISOs burned to a DVD-R, grab the DSF files or the SACD ISO. Technical info: SACD ISO and DSF files were created directly from the physical discs using Sonore’s ISO2DSD software and the Oppo BDP-105D as a disc transport.