Steely Dan – Katy Lied (UHQR 45 RPM 200 Gram Clarity Vinyl)

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

‘…the new UHQR remastering beats my original ABC Records (ABCD-846) and later MCA Records (MCA 37043) LPs decisively. … On the Analogue Productions reissue, there’s magic. There’s more depth, and the various instruments are way more distinct. You can easily tell there are multiple electric and acoustic pianos on the tracks, not just one or two. The guitars have more body. Fagen’s vocals sound more present and nuanced. In fact, the nuances are what set the UHQR reissue apart.’ — Frank Doris, Copper Magazine, March 3, 2025, Issue 216.

‘We have much to enjoy with our repeated listenings of Katy Lied in all its UHQR glory … Pressed in a limited edition of 20,000 copies, the 200g 45rpm 2LP UHQR edition of Katy Lied is presented in admittedly visually stunning manner, just as the entire SD series has been done to date. This is gorgeous, escalated packaging … (Mark Smotroff) … But, of course, the sound of the new UHQR Katy Lied is what most of us want to know about, so I’ll put it this way at the outset — unless there is some future possibility of an SD remix-oriented project utilizing the tech Peter Jackson’s team used for restoring certain Beatles recordings or Jamie Howarth’s Plangent Processes, this new UHQR edition of Katy Lied is not likely to be bested (Smotroff). … This UHQR pressing of Katy Lied isn’t just an upgrade — it’s a remastering-class-worthy revelation. (Ken Micallef) … Katy Lied is an important album in Steely Dan’s evolution, and the vast sonic largesse of its new 200g 45rpm 2LP UHQR edition begs repeated listens and spins to explore its many riches (Mike Mettler).’ Music = 11/11; Sound = 9/11 — Review by Mike Mettler, Mark Smotroff and Ken Micallef, AnalogPlanet.com, Feb. 20, 2025. Read the entire review here.

‘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.

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