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Why is Fagen´s Sunken Condos so expensive.

I like Two Against Nature, I’ve got the CD and the RSD vinyl. Not their best, but plenty of funky grooves and some funny lyrics. I’ve not connected with Everything Must Go though, again I bought the RSD vinyl (it was at the time the only SD album I’d never heard) and even after multiple plays I can’t remember much if anything about it. I think post Gaucho the SD albums have trailed Donald Fagen’s solos, and very substantially in the case of The Nightfly, but even so I definitely like Two Against Nature and for me it is a great test disk as it can sound boring if a system is poor at timing, get it right and it really grooves!
 
I love 2VN. It's probably the last new release by anybody that i got insanely excited about in the build up to it's release. The recent vinyl version is tremendous. I too never really "got" Everything Must Go. I classed it as "2VN lite" for years but the latest vinyl release seemed to make it work for me.
 
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I've been really tempted by those recent Analogue Productions reissues of Two Against and Everything but decided not to pull the trigger. They'd be a good investment that's for sure, being limited to 4,000 copies, but I don't really like or play either of those albums all that much. John Herrington is just annoying as a guitar player and Walters lead playing wasn't really all that great tbh.

If the analogue masters from the rest of the back catalogue still exist (bit of a to do about that on the internet at the mo) and Analogue Productions get the licence to do it then I'd be in like a shot for some of that regardless of the circus money being asked.
 
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I’d have been very tempted had I not bought the RSD issues. Annoying they came within a year or two.

It is all about the groove for me, the way everything locks together rhythmically on TAN is just amazing IMO. The only solo I notice is the rather wonderful sax on the last track.

I’d love to see what AP could do with Aja, Gaucho and the earlier stuff. My impression is the tapes are just ruined, though the Cisco version of Aja from a decade or so ago is considered best of breed which I don’t understand. I really wish I’d bought one. I’ve got the 1977 Japanese 1st pressing which is the best I’ve heard it sound, but I’d love to see what AP could do.
 
The Alsdorf is not bad at all, but the UK (or I assume US as it appears the UK is from US Masterdisk RL signed lacquers) definitely beats it. I compared them at some length.

PS If buying from a dealer, eBay seller, Discogs etc definitely get the seller to confirm ‘Masterdisk’ and ‘RL’ can be seen in the run-off. It would be a very easy one for an inexperienced seller to get wrong and assume the EU Alsdorf was the UK.
 
All this talk got me digging out the programme from the Wembley gig back in 96. Walter Becker had such a sardonic sense of humour....

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I probably have most releases of all thier albums - of the standard pressings I much prefer the ABC label; they have a lot more weight than others - MCA?

Japanese - gaucho & aja but like most jap pressings, treble emphasised a bit much, little bit clinical maybe.

mfsl Katy Lied good, but so is the original...

Pretz Logic is slways slightly muffled across every pressing.. or shall we say, a totally different balance...

I have a B&W pressing of Nightfly they were giving away when it first came out, as well as the originals, a standar mfsl and the One Step.

Kamakiriad is just as good as nightfly imo - I love it; after that, the really clinical sound came in; they may as well have used a drum machine...

Morph the cat - H gang a great start but I'm really bored by half way.

after that imo it gets even worse. Sunken Condos I do liaten to, but tends to be background music while I'm in the other room doing something...

often thought, for an almost perfect side one of any disc, I'd go for Royal Scam... just those rhythms three different drummers put out; the backing vocals; the jazz-rock merge; that Carlton guitar intro - it don't get any better for me.
 
robbyd said:
Japanese - gaucho & aja but like most jap pressings, treble emphasised a bit much, little bit clinical maybe.
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Which Japanese Aja have you got, the first orange concentric ring ABC or the MCA reissue? I’ve got the former (this one) and love it. It puts the treble where I feel it should be and has a good crisp snare and tight tuneful bass, whereas the UK 1st press I had previously was lovely, but very warm and smooth. I certainly prefer the Japanese copy. I’ve also got the allegedly best of breed digital copy, the mid-80s Japan for US with no bar code, smooth-case, CSR centre and 21A1 matrix and EQ-wise that sits somewhere between the two, though I prefer the Japanese vinyl. I’d love to hear both the US AB matrix vinyl pressing and the Cisco to get a bit more perspective on this one, but I’m certainly happy with both copies.

I’ve got the 1985 Japanese blue rainbow label MCA vinyl copy of Can’t Buy A Thrill and that is bright, but in a good way. It sounds lively and a bit toppy, but fun. The 1st press Aja doesn’t to my ears, it just sounds ‘right’.
 
Sorry folks you need to refer to Two Against Nature as 2VN…as it was known on the Dan “whatever they called chat group things” back in the late 90s.
 
Pretzel Logic is muffled?

The UK Probe first pressing is certainly far removed from that. In fact I'd go as far to say it's one of the best sounding records by the Dan that I have. Well, apart from Can't Buy a Thrill. Or maybe Countdown.
 
Always used to prefer Condos but been spinning them both tonight (on CD) and Morph has well and truly taken the lead. Both sit v well with 2VN.
 
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