Steely Dan - Katy Lied

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Katy Lied — Steely Dan's gold-selling fourth studio album now on UHQR!

Definitive reissue Ultra High Quality Record, the pinnacle of high-quality vinyl!

45 RPM LP release limited to 20,000 numbered copies

Mastered directly from the original master tape by Bernie Grundman

Pressed at Quality Record Pressings using 200-gram Clarity Vinyl®

Purest possible pressing and most visually stunning presentation and packaging!

Tip-on old style gatefold double pocket jackets with film lamination by Stoughton Printing

"It's absolutely in another league and I think you know it really is a case of having heard (the UHQR version) there's no way I could listen to the other versions again. They just sound like utter crap in comparison." — Dave Denyer, YouTube video

"This new UHQR absolutely destroys the 3 Kendun-mastered originals I have, as well as the bumpy and brittle ½ speed mastered Mobile Fidelity edition. ... I don't care how you've previously consumed this album, play this UHQR edition and you're likely to have a 'heard it for the first time' experience — at least on some tracks. I did, and I've been listening to this record for just short of 50 years. Not the best sounding Steely Dan album by far but the best sounding version of it that I've heard. Based on that, if we had a third knob for "reissue quality relative to previous versions," it would get a 10 or 11. But based on its intrinsic sound quality, 8 will do." — Music = 9/11; Sound = 8/11 — Michael Fremer, TrackingAngle.com. To read the full review, click here.

Katy Lied, Steely Dan's fourth studio album, originally released in 1975 by ABC Records, was certified gold-selling and peaked at No. 13 on the U.S. charts. The single "Black Friday" also charted at No. 37. Showcasing the band's blend of jazz, rock and pop music, its songs explore themes of betrayal, deception, and disillusionment with a sophisticated and cynical edge.

From the opening track "Black Friday" with its upbeat tempo and biting lyrics about a stock market crash, to the mournful ballad "Doctor Wu," Katy Lied delivers a range of musical styles and emotions. The album's standout tracks include "Bad Sneakers," a catchy and upbeat tune about a drug dealer, and "Chain Lightning," a dynamic rock song with a powerful guitar solo.

One of the defining features of Katy Lied is Steely Dan's meticulous production techniques, which included multiple studio overdubs and the use of top-notch session musicians. The result is a polished and nuanced sound that highlights the band's musical virtuosity and attention to detail.

Pitchfork noted: "(Katy Lied) captures Steely Dan in the thick of it all, still hungry and energized by their early burst of creativity but not taking anything for granted. Before Katy Lied, Steely Dan was a rock band, but this is the record where they became something else."

Founded by core members Walter Becker (bass) and Donald Fagen (vocals, keyboards), Steely Dan's popularity rose throughout the late 1970s on, and their seven albums throughout that period of time blended elements of jazz, rock, funk, R&B, and pop. Steely Dan created a sophisticated, distinctive sound with accessible melodic hooks, complex harmonies and time signatures, and a devotion to the recording studio. Becker and Fagen, with producer Gary Katz, gradually changed Steely Dan from a performing band to a studio project, hiring session musicians to record their compositions. The duo didn't perform live between 1974 and 1993. But their popularity nevertheless grew throughout the '70s as their albums became critical favorites and their singles became staples of Adult Oriented Radio and pop radio stations.

Katy Lied marks the first appearance of singer Michael McDonald on a Steely Dan album. Best known for his soulful voice as a member of the Doobie Brothers, McDonald is a five-time Grammy winner and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Doobie Brothers in 2020.

The album cover features a picture of a katydid, a "singing" (stridulating) insect related to crickets and grasshoppers. This is most likely a pun on the album's title; the "singing" of a katydid sounds as though they're saying "Katy did, Katy didn't." Lyrics in the song "Doctor Wu" include "Katy tried, I was halfway crucified" and "Katy lies, you can see it in her eyes." The premise of the theme of Katy "lying" is based on a quote from Denny Dias when he came to the studio to play on "Your Gold Teeth II." Jeff Porcaro, then only 21 years old, played drums on all the songs except "Any World (That I'm Welcome To)," which features legendary session drummer Hal Blaine.

After a brief battle with esophageal cancer, Walter Becker died on September 3, 2017 at the age of 67. Steely Dan has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2001. VH1 ranked Steely Dan at No. 82 on their list of the 100 Greatest Musical Artists of All Time. Rolling Stone ranked them No. 15 on its list of the 20 Greatest Duos of All Time.

This stereo UHQR reissue will be limited to 20,000 copies, with gold foil individually numbered jackets, housed in a premium slipcase with a wooden dowel spine.

Overall, Katy Lied is a masterful album that showcases Steely Dan's unique sound and stands as a testament to the band's enduring legacy in the world of rock and jazz fusion.

 

Music

Sound

Ratings from Michael Fremer @ trackingangle.com/

LP 1 Side A

1. Black Friday

2. Bad Sneakers

LP 1 Side B

1. Rose Darling

2. Daddy Don't Live In That New York City No More

3. Doctor Wu

LP 2 Side A

1. Everyone's Gone To The Movies

2. Your Gold Teeth II

LP 2 Side B

1. Chain Lightning

2. Any World (That I'm Welcome To)

3. Throw Back The Little Ones

Customer Reviews (4.80 Stars) 5 person(s) rated this product.

Double wow! posted on 02/17/2025 5 Stars Reviewer: Terrence This is my favorite Dan album from start to finish, so I am happily biased on this one, but I was blown away by Bad Sneakers. The sound stage and separation is stunning. The vocals, especially the harmonies are breathtaking. Doctor Wu has some much detail, and now I now why I love the sound of this piano though out this album, courtesy of Fagen's linear notes,but it is always the alto sax solo that delivers the goods for me and this pressing is stunning! It on another dynamic level for the faithful to appreciate, as Phil Wood's notes explode off the vinyl with such richness and presence. An exceptional job by all at Analogue productions and Quality Record Pressings.

Improvement with what source was used posted on 02/08/2025 4 Stars Reviewer: Willy-T Let me start off by saying Chad is the King of high quality reissues right now. No debating that. In this case the source was a 2 channel stereo tape meaning all tracks have already been mixed down to 2 . That means there is minimal tweaking and improvements that Bernie can achieve. Cleaning up the noise and improving the overall sound with possible eq of said 2 channels is nearly all he can do. I know running the tape signal through his custom electronics could possibly improve the sound . That being said I have a white label promo the one that has “not for sale” on the record label and this reissue and it are very close. I would say there is a touch of improvement in the presence or high frequencies . This reissue is not leaps and bounds better simply because of the limitations of a mixed down 2 channel tape source Bernie had to work with. Separation is improved and instruments are move fleshed out on certain songs. Lyra Kleos SL to Little Loco

This Katy is the Darling! posted on 02/03/2025 5 Stars Reviewer: Dave C. Very impressed with what the AP team was able to accomplish with this UHQR Katy Lied. Compared to my (former) preferred copy (OG SM press), the UHQR both fills out the sound top to bottom and provides additional details while still sounding more natural and appealing. All the UHQRs have been substsantial step- ups over their OG version counterparts (and various remasters), but this one probably demonstrates the biggest individual improvement thus far. Definitely looking forward to The Royal Scam to round out the Steely Dan UHQR series.

Worth the Wait posted on 02/03/2025 5 Stars Reviewer: Rick I'm extremely happy with the UHQR Katy Lied. I've listened to it on two different turntables with passive and powered speakers. I took it for a true test drive. I'm always thrilled when I can take a album that I have always enjoyed and find things that I have never heard before. Katy Lied has always needed a little help because of all the different things going on when it was recorded, as we all know. Most of the people who I know and grew up with are experiencing some kind of hearing problems, and I for one should have been the first and foremost because of my association with the music industry. I've been extremely lucky and knock on wood, will continue to be lucky. Katy Lied has hit the marks I set for it. To me it was well worth it. Now, come on with the Royal Scam.

Superb posted on 02/01/2025 5 Stars Reviewer: Bob H While I have been an SD fan since day one I have never had what I considered to be a really great sounding pressing of Katy Lied, until today. The detail, soundstage, separation are to my ear superb. I am hearing detail that I never knew was there before. Thank you to everyone involved with this amazing sounding pressing.

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