Steely Dan album ‘Aja’ remastered from analogue tapes for new vinyl edition
American rock band Steely Dan have announced a vinyl reissue of their landmark 1977 album, Aja.
The album has been remastered from non-EQed analogue tape copies by Bernie Grundman. The prolific audio engineer, who has mastered 37 Grammy-nominated records in his career, previously remastered the band’s other albums Can’t Buy A Thrill, Countdown to Ectascy, and Preztel Logic.
Aja‘s release comes as the fourth instalment in Geffen/UMe’s Steely Dan reissue series, which began in November 2022. It will be released on 180-gram black vinyl on September 29th, pressed to 33 ⅓ RPM.
Additionally, superfans can get their hands on a special audiophile edition from Analogue Productions’ Acoustic Sounds label. Aja will be pressed on Ultra High-Quality Vinyl (UHQR) at 45 RPM, available as a heavyweight 200-gram record.
The album can be bought as a Super Audio CD (SACD), also released by Analogue Productions. All reissues have been monitored by Steely Dan’s lead vocalist Donald Fagen.
This will be the first time Aja has received a reissue in over 40 years. The record debuted in 1977, acting as the band’s sixth album. It showed a more experimental side to Fagen and his bandmates, winning a Grammy Award for ‘Best Engineered Recording – Non-Classical’.
The album was also nominated for ‘Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals’ and ‘Album of the Year’, launching Steely Dan to further recognition.
Aja is available for pre-order now.
