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Music Music Vinyl Vinyl 180 Gram Vinyl LP

Steely Dan - Aja

Steely Dan - Aja

Cisco

Pop/Rock


180 Gram LP      

$39.99
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Also available on:
Preowned Vinyl LP
200 Gram Vinyl LP
Japanese Import - Limited Edition

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Don't Miss This One! Don't Even THINK About Missing This One!

"…This new Cisco reissue is vastly superior to both the original pressing and to Mobile Fidelity's ½ speed mastered reissue…This is sublime ear candy and more importantly magnificent music making. No wonder it retains its attraction 30 years after first being issued. More proof that we're living in the second coming of analog." Music = 10/11; Sound = 10/11 – Michael Fremer, www.musicangle.com

"If you were an audiophile in the 70s, you owned Aja." – Rolling Stone, 2001, placing it No. 145 of the 500 Greatest Albums Ever Recorded

And now, in commemoration of its 30th anniversary, Aja IS BACK – IN EVEN GREATER GLORY! Remastered by Kevin Gray, cut at AcousTech Mastering, Pressed on virgin 180-gram vinyl at RTI! Aja has now gotten the royal treatment!

This Cisco reissue has been personally approved by Donald Fagen and Walter Becker as well as Aja recording engineer Elliot Scheiner.

"(Aja) is the most perfect thing I have ever heard in my life. It is a religion." – Gareth Jones, renowned record producer/engineer

Long argued as one of the (if not THE) best rock recording ever and a permanent fixture on many a demo system in the late '70s and '80s, Aja was the culmination of everything Donald Fagen and Walter Becker aspired to accomplish in their storied careers. It was the first album certified platinum (eventually selling more than 5 million copies in the U.S.) by the then-new RIAA sales tracking system. It made Steely Dan superstars. It contained three ubiquitous U.S. Top 40 singles in "Peg," "Josie" and "Deacon Blues," though each of the seven tracks are wonderful.

And then there's the sound. Deservedly winning the 1978 Grammy Award for non-classical engineering, Roger "The Immortal" Nichols was helped by a who's-who of the top audio guys in the industry: Bill Schnee, Al Schmitt and Elliot Scheiner. The meticulous recording is almost fetishistic in its attention to detail. Every note of even the densest tracks can be clearly heard, with every instrument perfectly placed.



1.   Black Cow
2.   Aja
3.   Deacon Blues
4.   Peg
5.   Home At Last
6.   I Got The News
7.   Josie
Customer Reviews (4.33 Stars) 30 person(s) rated this product.
Another huge triumph for Cisco Music posted on 08/08/2007
5 Stars
Reviewer: Sckott
There's nothing more satisfying than an audiophile LP done correctly and perfectly. Steely Dan's "Aja" is a selfish pleasure; most people either swoon over the music or hide the fact they own (or bought) 13 copies of it on LP, CD and even other formats. Enough has been written about the music on this record, even a DVD with the "making of" done years ago. Becker and Fagan tracking this album and going through session musicians like cheap tube socks to get what they wanted.

If you've bought 2-3 dollar bin copies, you can put them back to rest. Beautiful heavy constructed jacket, beautiful glossy art coverage. Music comes through with clarity, separation and character I've never heard on this LP previous. Not splashy or bass bloated. It's a real pleasure to hear this record "again, for the first time".

There have been many issues in many countries and there will always be a new company that cuts and presses "Aja". Kevin Gray did a wonderful job cutting it.

You must own this LP.


Perfect! posted on 08/11/2007
5 Stars
Reviewer: Eric Jacobson
Congrats to Elliott!


Fantastic! posted on 08/13/2007
5 Stars
I have 2 older pressings of this album and this is by far the best. I hear things that I had never heard before. It is one of the few times that was blown away by a recording. Get it, it's a no brainer.


changing a classic posted on 11/09/2007
2 Stars
Reviewer: jay
its worth owning for sure, but compared to the original pressing and the recent japanese mini disc, becker and fagen's approved vinyl is indeed not the same mix as the original. just got the japanese vinyl from acoustic sounds and its the real deal.....a solid five stars!!!!!!!!


almost as good posted on 08/20/2007
4 Stars
Reviewer: namotuman
i own a master recording and even w/a few pops and clicks, it still outplays this pressing. don't get me wrong, this pressing is excellent, head and shoulders above the store bought pressing i also possess. it is just not quite as crisp sounding as the master......


Disappointment posted on 09/01/2007
3 Stars
Reviewer: Mandoman
Sorry -- for all the "don't miss this" hype I'm really disappointed! The sound quality on this recording is something akin to listening to the performance at the end of a short piece of ventilation shaft. It's all midrange with highs seriously attenuated and indistinct bass.

Wish I'd waited for the Japanese import -- it couldn't be any worse!


Not wholly convinced. posted on 09/10/2007
4 Stars
Reviewer: Mikey
Well, after all the hype, I expected heaven and earth with this one. Yep, it's good, especially at the bottom end of audio spectrum but mid and top are no better, in my opinion, to the Jap. MOFI of all those years ago. I'd go as far as to say the top end is inferior. All in all it's not bad but not what I expected.


Whats all the hype posted on 09/12/2007
4 Stars
Reviewer: Tom S
It's a great sounding album. Not nearly as good as the MOFI. It still sounds better than the ABC first pressings. I hope some of the other albums that are hyped like this are worthy of it.


Analog Nirvana posted on 09/14/2007
5 Stars
This is the definitive AJA album. I own it on regular vinyl and CD and this one is by far the best recording. Bass is tight, mids are clear and the soundstage is amazing. You will hear things on this album you never heard before. Get it before it is gone.


Nicely Done posted on 09/14/2007
5 Stars
Reviewer: Emmett
Holy Toledo!,I like this version better than any other I've heard.Some of the others may have a little better this or that,but the overall presentation is the best on this one.Detail is clear without being too bright.Bass is well defined.Pick up a copy. Highly recommended.


Whats with all the negativity? posted on 01/20/2008
5 Stars
Reviewer: Chris W
Absolutely stunning sound. The vinyl was dead quiet. This has to be the best version of Aja ever released. Now just get Steve Hoffman and Kevin Grey to remaster the whole Steely Dan catalog and we'll be all set. :)


Not as good as I expected posted on 09/26/2007
2 Stars
Reviewer: Andy Schaub
I got this LP eagerly anticipating the ultimate version of "Aja". I have to say, I was a little disappointed. It sounded okay but was very inconsistent. Some tracks reminded me of my original copy from the 70's while others reminded me of the Simply Vinyl release. Overall, I would say I preferred the Simply Vinyl. It sounded much more alive and open. Still, if you don't have access to the Simply Vinyl -- or to an original pressing -- it *might* be worth the money, hard to say.


Remaster Blues posted on 10/18/2007
1 Stars
I just don’t understand the logic. Take a masterpiece, like, say the Mona Lisa. Something universally acclaimed as one of the great artistic works of all time. Critics and observers alike puzzle over the subtleties in composition, choice of color and execution. Now someone comes along and says – “Hey, sure this is a masterpiece – and old Leonardo really outdid himself here but I think it could use a little sprucing up – let’s make the eyes a little brighter, bring the background forward a bit. Just a couple of tweaks, really.” Preposterous, right? Well why, then, are we subjected to these remastered reissues? We all loved the original Aja for a million reasons and mastering can have a profound effect on the finished product.

This is a fatally flawed reissue. The bass which is quite detailed and full at high playback volume is lost at normal listening levels. There is a very unbalanced dynamism where the comping instruments seem to leap from the speakers and assault the listener with each chord. (This is particularly noticeable on the title track.) I find this LP more fatiguing than any CD I own.


Oh, yes! posted on 10/19/2007
5 Stars
Reviewer: RiP
A/B comparisons of this vinyl LP recording to a CD of the same will convince even the untrained listener that vinyl playback of recorded music is the better option, given a choice. The advantages of "continuous resolution" over even "high resolution" SCADs is that all of the complex & delicate phase relationships of the original music performance's direct, ambient, fundamental, & harmonic sound waves are retained & presented with their order intact. Liquid sonic texture that is free from false resolution is 1 benefit of not discretizing recorded sound. Life-like "phantom" stage between & beyond the speakers is another. This product is a superbly dynamic & realistic recording of some wonderful music which needs no introduction. If you like this music from this band, you will love this recording of it. RiP


Excellent posted on 01/09/2008
4 Stars
Reviewer: Robert Shaw
This version let me hear the complexity of the writing. Very quiet. Does not seem nearly as compressed as the original.


Outstanding pressing! posted on 01/08/2008
5 Stars
Reviewer: Jeff
Extremely high quality album/cover. Better than the original. Thanks!


Amazing!! posted on 04/02/2008
5 Stars
Reviewer: Tommy
the clarity and subtle sounds make this a classic all over again. definitely one of my favorites.


Wow! posted on 04/04/2008
5 Stars
I cannot use enough superlatives to describe the sound on this Cisco LP. Kevin Gray did an exemplary job mastering this release and the sound is unmatched by any other release of this title. Also, RTI did a clean 180 gram pressing that does the mastering justice.


Where the heck have I been? posted on 04/28/2008
5 Stars
Considering the fact that I purchased my first LP in 1957, The Ventures Walk Don't Run, (actually,my mother bought it after the most undignified display of begging immaginable by your's truly) I find it hard to believe any album by Steely Dan, in any format, was not in my collection. Oh sure I heard their music on FM and Satellite,but they never really floated my boat. But I, like other stereo nuts (that is what we were called before someone invented the lofty term of Audiophile) am always looking for another recording that is capable of showing off the sound machinery. AJA was so highly recomended I thought, why not? But after listening to side one,I could not decide what surprised me more. How good the music was,or how good my system sounded. It is truly a work of recording art in the Rock genre. It is the album to show off your stereo to your friends. But especially your envious friends. But now I must decide which is better, AJA,or Dark Side Of The Moon. To be continued.....


An amazing recording and a pressing that does it justice! posted on 11/22/2008
5 Stars
Reviewer: Michael
I have read the varied reviews here, and I fully recommend this pressing over all others I've heard. The fact that Fagen and Becker approved it is further proof that this is the way the album was supposed to sound. I used to have a copy of the MoFi pressing years ago, and got rid of it after several years. As with many of the 70's and 80's era MoFi productions, the high end was too emphasized and brittle. Legend has it that some of the MoFi management (who were older and possibly missing some high end hearing) asked to have highs (and lows) beefed up for the recordings. I remember listening to the title track during the long instrumental part, bracing myself for the hi-hat that just pierced your eardrums with sibilance. On this reissue, the highs are velvety-smooth, present but not overpowering. The bass is full and rich. The vocals, guitars, and horns are so present but not blaring. Everything is balanced so nicely, and there is absolutely no fatigue in loud, loud listening. A+++!!!!


After almost 30 years it is still great! posted on 01/08/2009
5 Stars
Reviewer: ron kolbash
I had not heard many of the cuts for quite awhile and was just so pleased to hear them again. The recordings are timeless and the music comes through as soft and smooth. My wife and I sit down with a nice glass of wine and enjoy these fantistics recordings, very relaxing


Best version I've heard posted on 01/30/2009
5 Stars
I own the original MCA LP as well as the Mobile Fidelity CD and LP but this pressing blows the others away. There is tight bass, incredible clarity of the vocals, and the cymbals are no longer tinny sounding and distorted during the drum break in Aja. This is truly a pleaurable listening experience.


Exceptional recording posted on 09/01/2009
5 Stars
Reviewer: Steve Elliot
I already own the MFSL 1-033 copy that I purchased back in the 70's. It was always one of the really good records that I owned. After reading the review of Michael Fremer I was intrigued. Gareth Jones says "It's the most perfect thing I have heard in my Life". Well I had to see for myself. It IS absolutely stunning. It beats out the MFSL copy. I'm playing it on a Rega P1 with a Ortofon 2m Black and an acrylic platter added on. The amp is tube from Red Rose Music as are the preamp and ribbon speakers. If you like Steely Dan it is a must buy. Even the record cover is beautiful with a high gloss black. It feels good just to touch it. Why not impress your friends. It's only $40 bucks and someday you may wish you had bought it just like you wished you had bought all of those MFSL UHQR's. Ha! You won't be disappointed!


Stunning posted on 11/04/2009
5 Stars
Reviewer: Simon
If you into Steely Dan and you want a fantastic sounding LP then don't pass this one up. Clean & clear, so well cut / pressed etc... Makes my analogue system sound out of this world.


Great sound. posted on 11/26/2009
5 Stars
Fantastic sounding album, much fuller and clearer, if that makes any sense, than my original copy. However, I did need to use the MoFi deep cleaner to get all the mold release compound out of the grooves. It was noisy out of the package, but after 2 deep cleanings, sounds fantastic. Just took a little elbow grease, but well worth it.


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