I often come to these huge comprehensive box sets with a bit of skepticism. Everything that’s been included here was recorded and released prior to 1980, meaning the final two Steely Dan albums have not been considered.What makes this one special, and very much to my liking, is that all of the material has been delivered in chronological order, which many such outings fail to do, where Citizen Steely Dan comes off more as a re-issue of the albums, though without each album being assembled on its own disc. Aside from that, the collection also includes the version of “FM (No Static At All)” showcasing the brilliant saxophone coda, which is hands down just killer. There are a couple of additional tracks that show up on the Gold album, as well as their Greatest Hits release, though the only song that has actually never been presented before is an unreleased demo for “Everyone’s Gone To The Movies,” recored during the Katy Lied sessions.What’s missing is surprising, being the 1972 single “Dallas,” along with the flip side “Sail The Waterway.” A shame that neither of those highly sought after, but not entirely that good, songs never found their way to any collection. The reasoning behind that decision is rather straightforward, neither Fagen or Becker thought much of the numbers, nor had they ever embraced the idea of releasing demo or studio outtakes. Finding remasters of the Steely Dan albums was impossible until this collection, though as stated, while all of the songs are here, they’ve not been disseminated as formal albums, and while the albums are presented in timeline order, the songs from those albums do not follow the original album format. And if that weren’t enough for you, there are two versions of this collection. The most notable difference being that the single edit of the song “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number” was included on the early pressings, this leaves out the album version opening of the number, and was sincerely missed by listeners. The second pressing has corrected that situation, though that correction is not noted anywhere, so finding a second pressing of the box set needs to be navigated, meaning you’re surely going to need to find a used collection and have the ability to give a listen prior to purchasing.Sadly, the remastering by Glen Meadows was taken from digital masters and not the source tapes, though that was due to the analog tapes having deteriorated so badly. Nevertheless, the source material is accurate, not like the Mobile Fidelity Gold reissues for Gaucho and Aja, where Roger Nichols (yes, that’s his hand reaching over the console on the back of the Countdown To Ecstasy album) where he discovered that the albums were off-speed, with the Gaucho disc being not only speeded up, but a quarter tone sharper. What this all means, is that one needs to do some investigating before making a serious monetary Steely Dan purchase. Again, Citizen Dan is the only place since the CDs were originally issued, that the source tape material was used … so treasure those original discs, and don’t think of this collection as being of lesser musical value.If I have any complaint about this box, it’s that it incorporated a noise reduction process, that while not immediately obvious, when side by side comparisons are done, a muddiness does show through.Now, if you’re one of those who would like to find their way to the sonically best CD’s, you’re gonna need to find the original MCA discs, they show up often, with people failing to realize what they’re selling, and the sound quality is nothing short of stunning. Roger Nichols was also responsible for the mastering of those original MCA discs. That being said, I much prefer the Steve Hoffman mastering of both Katy Lied and Aja, though they will lighten your wallet.Yes, that’s probably far too much information, and I haven’t even gotten to the SACD’s, so unless you’re an audiophile with a stereo that cost a third as much as a house, there are few people as concerned as I am about the sonic delivery. And overall, just to step back into the realm of reality. You’re going to be delighted with this collection, it really does deliver.*** And for the audiophiles only: The Box Set sounds warmer, yet in a mildly compressed and slightly muddied manner. The Roger Nichols discs are very revealing and in some ways they might just be a bit too revealing, nevertheless, they sound clear open and accurate. What I miss is the tubed magic, the air and the analog-ness on compact disc in general, yet again its all very clean and presented well … and even though I won this assemblage, I’m going to stick with my vinyl.Review by Jenell Kesler