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Steely Dan

'Which leads me to: I'm just about to land a pristine copy of the 180g 2 x vinyl version of Morph The Cat for a mere $NZ 20 - can't wait!'

Has some nice tracks and some indifferent for me - I love 'Mary shut the Garden Door' and 'the night belongs to Mona' - got vinyl and cd versions - not sure about how vocals are recorded - seem a bit too far back in the mix to me.

Not a big fan of either WB solo albums - would buy them if I saw them cheap. Would definitely recommend buying everything else though.
 
thedanfan said:
Even I'd suggest you avoid Circus Money like the plague
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will second that motion :) that we are unanimous on this. Its awful Go and buy "scientist rids the world of scary monsters" on greensleeves label instead if you want to here reggae. Walter should leave it well alone.

What have the other Walter Becker albums Been like? Can Walter cut it without Donald.?

The Kamakiriad album commented on above i love "Tomorrow's girls" for the Drumming "Florida room" great too "on the Dunes" is an awful waste of space a filler if you like. To long too! There is a couple of interesting sounds to listen out for with headphones is the only bit i like about it.
 
Finnegan said:
Gasp!!! Morph is a great album, Kamakiriad is the mediocre offering.
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Exactly! Why any self-confessed Dan fan would fail to rate songs such as H Gang, What I Do, Security Joan and Mary Shut The Garden Door is a complete mystery to me.

However whilst allowing that Kamakiriad is relatively mediocre in the context of the entire Dan canon, it is surely important to remember that this is no ordinary canon, and IMO it's still a great listen.

Over many years SD have spliced themselves into my musical DNA. I purchased my original UK Probe copy of Countdown To Ecstasy on day of release - still got it though it's in a fairly poor state, a testament mainly to its cavalier treatment during my student days. True, I was slow to respond to The Comeback, and only heard Two Against Nature courtesy of an old mate in the UK finally sending me a burn snailmail. But I liked it immediately, and Everything Must Go is even better.

Just one anecdote: scene is in a student dorm in the early seventies and four longhairs are lolling around playing cards in a haze of marijuana smoke, Steely Dan's Reeling In The Years belting out of the speakers. A card is played and the player is duly accused of not following suit, which happens to be diamonds. Someone realises that in that instant the Dan were delivering the line 'You wouldn't even know a diamond if you held it in your hands'! Instant freakout! Complete pandemonium! Took us weeks to get over that...

My own favourites would be Katy Lied and The Royal Scam. Pretzel Logic for me is a bit of a curate's egg, side 1 being IMO very much better than side 2. But like I said, buy 'em all, they're all essential.

Jim
 
Dan hated the recording of katie lied said it was there worst actual recording nothing to do with the music on the Record but they said the master tape quality was awful.
 
First came across them as a 14 year old babysitting for my Mum and Dads friends. At the time it was the 'Electronic way or no way' (Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk etc.).

I found this Album with a pic of some bloke selling pretzels in New York. I liked it but never really got into it. Warp forwards 20 years and I was in the US on business, went into a second hand record store and what should be front and centre, yes 'Pretzel Logic'. I bought it and the rest is history. I am going to see them in Edinburgh in June, can't wait.
 
How do you feel about actual seeing them after the you tube performance live are you expecting it to sound like the records i mean bear in mind there 60 now. i was dishearten by the you tube performances of a few people i swore i never pay to see them live after watching them. As Donald says They are touring for there pension.

Please scoff if you must. But i loved Avril lavigne's "anything but ordinary" was one of my most played tracks then i saw the you tube live vid "whoops". Sorry i feel the same about Dan i rather just enjoy there superb music on my stereo. Sorry.
 
Saw them last year in Auckland - absolutely superb. Fagen joked that he & Becker were the least qualified musicians on stage. The drummer in particular was just stupendous.

Jim
 
St.Noah said:
Exactly! Why any self-confessed Dan fan would fail to rate songs such as H Gang, What I Do, Security Joan and Mary Shut The Garden Door is a complete mystery to me.

However whilst allowing that Kamakiriad is relatively mediocre in the context of the entire Dan canon, it is surely important to remember that this is no ordinary canon, and IMO it's still a great listen.

Over many years SD have spliced themselves into my musical DNA. I purchased my original UK Probe copy of Countdown To Ecstasy on day of release - still got it though it's in a fairly poor state, a testament mainly to its cavalier treatment during my student days. True, I was slow to respond to The Comeback, and only heard Two Against Nature courtesy of an old mate in the UK finally sending me a burn snailmail. But I liked it immediately, and Everything Must Go is even better.

Just one anecdote: scene is in a student dorm in the early seventies and four longhairs are lolling around playing cards in a haze of marijuana smoke, Steely Dan's Reeling In The Years belting out of the speakers. A card is played and the player is duly accused of not following suit, which happens to be diamonds. Someone realises that in that instant the Dan were delivering the line 'You wouldn't even know a diamond if you held it in your hands'! Instant freakout! Complete pandemonium! Took us weeks to get over that...

My own favourites would be Katy Lied and The Royal Scam. Pretzel Logic for me is a bit of a curate's egg, side 1 being IMO very much better than side 2. But like I said, buy 'em all, they're all essential.

Jim
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Royal Scam for me is one of the best Dan albums; up there with Goucho.
 
Thanks Jim. for that gives me a bit of faith in the live shows comments like yours i think the drummer is Kieth carlock Do you know what. I pray well you know what i mean i hope. that the next album they try something a bit different i feel its a bit stuck in a rut now.

"Two against nature" is superb it was only the track "two against nature" i still avoid like the plague. "Almost Gothic" and "Janie runaway" are awesome But now i Have the hoots for "negative girl".
 
"Countdown to Ecstasy' and 'Pretzel Logic' are my faves, but, given that they didn't make many LP's, you may as well get them all up to 'Gaucho'.

Anyone heard Walter Becker's recent, allegedly reggae-fied, solo LP? It's on my list to buy.
 
thedanfan said:
The Dan have always had brilliant drummers - Steve Gadd on Aja being particularly heroic
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there were loads of Drummers on Aja Lad :D For me the one i like is Paul Humphrey on "black cow" Bit of trivia you know the track Boogie oogie oogie the disco song by taste of Honey? That fabulous Bass riff. That woman did not play it on the record Chuck Rainey was the bass player

Aja personnel
Donald Fagen - synthesizer, keyboards, vocals, background vocals, whistle
Walter Becker - bass, guitar, electric guitar, vocals
Chuck Rainey - bass
Timothy B. Schmit - vocals
Paul Griffin - keyboards, electric piano, vocals, background vocals
Don Grolnick - keyboards, clavinet
Michael Omartian - piano, keyboards
Joe Sample - keyboards, electric piano, clavinet
Larry Carlton - guitar, electric guitar
Denny Dias - guitar
Jay Graydon - guitar, electric guitar
Steve Khan - guitar
Dean Parks - guitar
Lee Ritenour - guitar
Pete Christlieb - flute, tenor saxophone
Chuck Findley - horn, brass
Jim Horn - flute, saxophone
Richard "Slyde" Hyde - trombone
Plas Johnson - flute, saxophone
Jackie Kelso - flute, horn, saxophone
Lou McCreary - brass
Bill Perkins - flute, horn, saxophone
Tom Scott - conductor, flute, tenor saxophone, lyricon
Wayne Shorter - flute, tenor saxophone
Bernard Purdie - drums ("Home at Last", "Deacon Blues")
Steve Gadd - drums ("Aja")
Ed Greene - drums ("I Got the News")
Paul Humphrey - drums ("Black Cow")
Jim Keltner - percussion, drums ("Josie")
Rick Marotta - drums ("Peg")
Gary Coleman - percussion
Victor Feldman - percussion, piano, keyboards, electric piano, vibraphone
Venetta Fields - vocals, background vocals
Clydie King - vocals, background vocals
Rebecca Louis - vocals, background vocals
Sherlie Matthews - vocals, background vocals
Michael McDonald - vocals, background vocals

c/w http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aja_(album)

http://www.jaygraydon.com/

http://www.johnvalentimusic.com/index_Anything.html
 
Countdown to Gaucho are all essential albums although, like so many bands, the older the album the better. The solo albums just confirmed what a tragedy the break-up was.
 
Have now got my mits on the Morph vinyls and am well happy. The bass playing on the opening song is worth the price of admission alone - deeply satisfying!

Jim
 
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