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Ep404: Rediscovering Steely Dan's Lost Song

The Vinyl Guide

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After an accidental erasure in 1979, the song "The Second Arrangement" took on mythic status for fans of Steely Dan. Now a near complete version has turned up on a worktape belonging to engineer Roger Nichols and we speak to Cimcie Nichols, Roger's daughter, about this incredible rediscovery and lots more about the work of her father.

Topics include:

  • Digging through her father’s tapes

  • The story of “The Second Arrangement”

  • Steely Dan attempted to remake “The Second Arrangement”

  • Reacting to the picture of the tape on Facebook

  • Did Roger know the interest in “The Second Arrangement”?

  • The day of the track deletion

  • Working w Steely Dan team after finding the tape

  • The cassette was from the night before of the deletion

  • Roger Nichols clip 1: Driving Lacquer master to Santa Maria

  • Did you find many records amongst her dad’s possessions?

  • Roger Nichols clip 2: Getting rid of the clicks and pops

  • There are some records but most are now gone

  • Then a DAT was found! What was on the DAT?

  • There’s a series of backups and versions are unclear

  • Will there ever be an official release of “The Second Arrangement”?

  • Is Donald Fagan aware of the recent news?

  • Sorting through the tapes for a Roger Nichols’ archive

  • Gary Katz Clip: Mustard on the master tape

  • Roger and Frank Zappa were high school friends

  • Roger’s knowledge of physics gave him a huge advantage as a sound technician

  • Ensuring pressing plants had access to high quality source material

  • Roger Nichols Clip 3: Master tape mixups on “The Nightfly”

  • Interview wrap up

Extended, high-resolution & Commercial Free version of this interview available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide

Listen on Apple: https://apple.co/2Y6ORU0
Listen on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/36qhlc8

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About The Vinyl Guide

If you like records, just starting a collection or are an uber-nerd with a house-full of vinyl, this is the podcast for you. Nate Goyer is The Vinyl Guide and discusses all things music and record-related.