Steely Dan - Countdown To Ecstasy (1973) [Japanese Limited SHM-SACD 2014] PS3 ISO + DSD64 + Hi-Res FLAC

Countdown to Ecstasy is the second studio album by the American rock band Steely Dan, released in July 1973 by ABC Records. It was recorded at Caribou Ranch in Nederland, Colorado and at The Village Recorder in West Los Angeles, CA. After the departure of vocalist David Palmer, the group recorded the album with Donald Fagen singing lead on all the songs. Although it was a critical success, the album failed to generate a hit single, and consequently charted at only number 35 on the Billboard 200. It was eventually certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), having shipped 500,000 copies in the United States.

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.

Tracklist:

01. Bodhisattva
02. Razor Boy
03. The Boston Rag
04. Your Gold Teeth
05. Show Biz Kids
06. My Old School
07. Pearl Of The Quarter
08. King Of The World

Personnel
Donald Fagen – acoustic and electric pianos, synthesizer, lead and backing vocals
Walter Becker – electric bass, harmonica, backing vocals
Denny Dias – electric guitar, mixing
Jeff "Skunk" Baxter – electric and pedal steel guitars
Jim Hodder – drums, percussion, backing vocals
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Ray Brown – string bass on "Razor Boy"
Ben Benay – acoustic guitar
Rick Derringer – slide guitar on "Show Biz Kids"
Victor Feldman – vibraphone, marimba, percussion

Universal Music Japan # UIGY-9566


Thanks to Faunts!
Uncompressed SACD ISO size > 1,65 GB
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