Topic: Steely Dan Album Discussion

[HomokHarcos]

Here we are with the band I feel like I'm the most qualified to talk about: Steely Dan. Steely Dan are a band that was mainly popular in the 1970s, known for their style of rock mixed with jazz. They were never the most popular band, but had a very loyal following, especially among audiophiles. At this point in their career they were a full band, but Walter Becker and Donald Fagen were always the primary members of the outfit. You see, despite being the songwriters they were not entirely sure what they wanted to be instrumentalists, as you will notice that a few songs from this period don't feature Donald Fagen on vocals. The other band members during this period were vocalist David Palmer, pedal steel guitarist Jeff "Skunk Baxter", guitarist Denny Dias and drummer Jim Hodder. I'm hoping I can give a good enough review for these releases., although I don't believe I have the encyclopedia knowledge or writing skills of metaldams or Umbrella Sam. 

There were two songs recorded during this period that were not featured on this album, and ended up being released as their first single. "Dallas" is a country style song that is much different from what you'd normally hear from the band, and is one of the songs that featured Jim Hodder as the vocalist. I happen to like this song, especially the chorus which is quite catchy. The B side "Sail the Waterway", is one of the band's weaker tunes and feels more like a generic pop song from the period. No wonder the band referred to the song as "stinko" and refuse to re-release it.

Now onto the album itself. There seems to be two camps when it comes to the opinion of this album: the average classic rock fan and the Steely Dan fan. Classic rock fans will like this album because it is more in line with the rock music that was popular during this time period, and has their most played songs on radio stations. Steely Dan fans will often feel it's not as experimental. My opinion? Maybe not their greatest overall, but a very good debut album.

Things get off the right track with "Do it Again", a Latin based song that many people supposedly mistook for Santana when it came out. One of my favorite openers of all time. I love the sitar solo and the the funky vibe the song gives off. Donald Fagen's vocals are perfect for this song. Can you believe that when the band played live it was David Palmer that sang this instead?

"Dirty Work" is a song that I hear some Steely Dan fans criticize for being too poppy, and yes it is one of the most un-Steely Dan songs in their whole library, partly because David Palmer sings the vocals on this song. I have a lot of nostalgia for this song, so I can't entirely hate on it. Despite never being officially released as a single, it did get quite a bit of radio airplay.

"Kings", another excellent track on this album. If Dirty Work is an unconventional Dan release, this is their song that I think would be the best fit for later album releases. It's got an excellent instrumental section with guitars, keyboards and a chance to hear some great bass and drumming. I like the harmony backing vocals by Venetta Fields, Clydie King and Sherlie Matthews.

"Midnite Cruiser" is another of the songs that was not sung by Donald Fagen, instead having drummer Jim Hodder fill in. A little bit repetitive you could argue, but the chorus is very catchy. Like many of the songs on this album, there is a guitar solo. I think that would be the defining characteristic of this release.

"Only a Fool Would Say That" is one of the songs I hear complaints about from people trying to argue that this is one of their weaker releases for being a "filler song". I feel like this song should be classified as lounge, the guitar is typical of the lounge jazz scene, and I can definitely see a band performing this while in a lounge. The spoken word at the end is provided by Jeff Baxter, in I believe Italian.

Next up, "Reelin' in the Years". If you could call any of Steely Dan's songs hard rock, this would be it. When I worked at my last job I would put on the classic rock station and wait for Steely Dan to come on, and this would always be the song that was played. It's most known for it's excellent guitar solo, played by session musician Elliot Randall.

"Fire in the Hole" is a song that I used to overlook, but is now one of my favorites on the album. It is the most piano driven track on the album, and with one full of guitar solos we get a piano solo on this track. The piano is done in a very jazzy style that also gives me a sense of ragtime and boogie woogie inspiration.

"Brooklyn (Owes the Charmer Under Me)" is another country influenced song based around Jeff Baxter's pedal steel guitars. Instead of Jim Hodder, though, we have David Palmer on vocals again. This will be the last time until 2003 that you hear a vocalist other than Donald Fagen doing leads on a Steely Dan release. This song is so-so for me, I like the harmony backing vocals, but I would have put "Dallas" on the album instead of this track.

"Change of the Guard" is another pop-like song in the album that seemed to have being upbeat as its primary purpose. The guitars throughout are a very nice touch. Perfect for summer weather and hanging out at family parties.

"Turn That Heartbeat Over Again" is a more low-key track to finish out the album. Very relaxing tune, and like "Only a Fool Would Say That" sounds like it would fit in a lounge. The sing and the track ends with wind chimes, and we finish in a peaceful mood.

I'm hoping you will enjoy Steely Dan's music. Next up is one of my favorite albums of all time: Countdown to Ecstasy.

[HomokHarcos]

A music YouTuber my mom likes just released a video on Steely Dan exploring their sound evolution.

[metaldams]

Looking forward to this, as other than playing “Peg” in high school jazz band, I don’t know much of their music.  I’ll check out that video soon, I have watched some of Rick Beato’s other stuff, he’s quite good.

[Umbrella Sam]

Alright, Steely Dan. Unlike Black Sabbath, I came in to this knowing for a fact I know some of their work, including some songs on this album. I’m interested in checking them out more because from my understanding, they’re supposed to be this band that created their own musical identity and have this big following.

The first song is “Do It Again”, probably the Steely Dan song I’m most familiar with. I actually never realized that was an electric sitar solo, but knowing that makes it even cooler. It’s odd to me that fans don’t find this album as experimental as the others, because if that doesn’t scream experimental, I don’t know what does. The later Steely Dan albums must really be out there if that’s the case. I also really like the organ part on this song, which is a part you don’t really ever hear on the radio.

I didn’t recognize “Dirty Work”, but this also sounds like the type of song I could hear on the radio. Very nice chorus, and I really like the acoustic work on it. “Kings” is a really cool song. The electric guitar work on it is great and I like the kind of folk rock feel the song has. I always like when songs go for less conventional rock themes, and a song about a king definitely fits that category. I can hear more of the jazz influence on “Midnite Cruiser”. Once again, another really catchy chorus, and I really like Hodder’s vocal style; it’s a really distinctive voice and it’s a shame he didn’t do more lead vocals for the group after this album.

“Only a Fool Would Say That” is considered filler? I mean, sure, it is the shortest song on the album, but I didn’t really get that vibe from it. To me, it was just another song with good playing, and I too liked that lounge atmosphere it has. “Reelin’ in the Years” is the other song I was already familiar with and, yeah, I agree it sounds more like hard rock than the others. Obviously, it’s a great song; I love the piano work on it and the vocals do have an infectious quality to them that scream “obvious hit”. Also just realized that the percussion is played by Victor Feldman, who also appears on Elton John’s 21 AT 33. “Fire in the Hole” has some really fantastic piano work on it. I can see how this could be overlooked; the chorus isn’t the kind that sticks with you right away, unlike most of the other tracks. But the playing, especially the piano, is so fantastic that it really makes up for that, a really awesome sounding song.

I can see how “Brooklyn (Owes the Charmer Under Me)” is considered weaker, but I still like the summery feel that the pedal steel always seems to naturally bring to these types of tracks. The backing vocals are pretty good on this one too. “Change of the Guard” is another fun, summer-type song, I especially like the electric piano work on it. The closing track, “Turn That Heartbeat Over Again” is my favorite song on the album, no easy task considering how many good songs there are to choose from. I really like songs that can transition naturally between different styles, and this is the type of song that does that, going from country to soft rock to jazz all within the course of one song. I also like how the vocals are split between the group, almost like a duet. The harmonies are fantastic, the chorus is catchy...it’s a really excellent closer.

So, yeah, I liked this album, and I’m looking forward to hearing more, especially since it sounds like other fans consider those albums to be even better than this one.

As for the single-only release, I really like the A-side, “Dallas”, a really catchy country rock song that I could actually see being a radio hit, and it’s cool hearing Hodder on lead vocals again. The B-side isn’t quite as good, but I kind of like the dramatic production it has. I can see why neither one made the album given how removed they are from the album’s style, but I liked both of them to an extent.

[metaldams]

So I had a feeling this would happen.  “Do It Again” and “Reelin’ In the Years” I have definitely heard before and I have a feeling there will be other songs I can say the same.

So my overall opinion of the album?  After one measly listen, it’s OK.  There are some good points, but I’ll get the complaint in there first.  This album, with a few exceptions, lacks dynamics.  Most of it is very mid tempo and easy going.  Nothing too fast, nothing too slow.  Nothing too hard, nothing too soft.  When you listen to Zeppelin, Sabbath and Elton, you can hear the light and shade, you can hear some drama.  I’m missing that here.

On the plus side, “Reelin’ In the Years” is an excellent song.  Also much needed on the album as that swing, boogie beat added some much needed rhythmic variety.  Fantastic double guitar playing, catchy as Hell chorus.  I think “Fire in the Hole” gives the album some needed atmosphere.  So yeah, I like the beginning of side two the best.  “Do It Again” is catchy as well but this album sounds like they’re focusing on the singles from a songwriting perspective.

That said, I can tell these guys are good musicians.  In “Kings” and “Change of the Guard,” I hear some brief guitar work or baroque sounding part that made me take notice.  So yeah, I can hear the potential with these guys and I have a hope they’re going to get more adventurous in the mood and dynamic and tempo aspect.  The instruments, ability for hooks and overall musicianship are certainly there.

[HomokHarcos]

That’s OK if they’re not your cup of tea metaldams. I know a few music fans that are not into them.

I’m glad you enjoyed this album Sam!! I agree that Jim Hodder’s vocals were quite welcome on this album.

[GreenCanaries]

That’s OK if they’re not your cup of tea metaldams. I know a few music fans that are not into them.

Tell me about it -- my dad fucking loathes Steely Dan. Like, I'm pretty sure they're his least favorite band.

As for me: not a huge fan, but ultimately I don't feel too strongly about them one way or the other. I can think of a couple songs of theirs I like -- in fact, one of them is "Dirty Work," which I have heard on my preferred classic rock radio station before (and was probably surprised to find out was them). The other one that comes to mind is "Don't Take Me Alive."

[metaldams]

That’s OK if they’re not your cup of tea metaldams. I know a few music fans that are not into them.

I’m glad you enjoyed this album Sam!! I agree that Jim Hodder’s vocals were quite welcome on this album.

This album had its moments but overall is average.  That said, I’ve been reading online these guys get more adventurous, so I’m open to going further.

[HomokHarcos]

After the commercial success of their debut album, Can't Buy A Thrill, Steely Dan started work on their second album. The lineup was mostly the same with one exception, David Palmer is now gone. As a result, Donald Fagen does lead vocals on every song, and would remain that way, excepting one track on their last album. While their first album had more tracks and were shorter, this album has longer instrumental sections.

"Bodhisattva" is an excellent opener. Rick Beato went into how great this song was in his video, but at its core it's a blues rock song that can shift to a jazz. Two excellent instrumental sections in the song, holy crap. I love it when the bass stands out, and the piano playing is good, too.

"Razor Boy" is a sort of a breather song after the opening track. More low key, and also has a strange mixture of jazz and country. It has both a vibraphone and a pedal steel guitar.

"The Boston Rag" is the first of two epics on the album. It has a jazzy beginning before settling down into a more moody atmosphere. Good guitar playing, but it really gets good with the instrumental section a little past the the three minute mark, where there is there is a buildup to the guitar solo, and a repeat of the chorus.

"Your Gold Teeth" is the longest song on the album, but doesn't have the epic feel to me that two other tracks on this album do. I do still really like this song, though. It is perfect for driving through the streets at night, and also has some progressive rock elements, especially at the end of the song.

"Show Biz Kids": I admit it is very repetitive, with the "Lost Wages/Las Vegas" chants going on the whole song without much change. The instruments are also mostly static without the changes like the other tracks. I personally like the song, though and fit it quite catchy. Has the famous "Steely Dan T-shirt line".

"My Old School" was intended to be the hit track of the album. It has the cheerful, summer feeling of some of their other tracks, such as "Change of the Guard" from their previous album, or "Barrytown from their next". I think it's a good track, but it ended up not being very popular.

After we had "Dallas" with Jim Hodder on lead, and "Brooklyn (Owes the Charmer Under Me)" with David Palmer on lead, we finally get a country track that has Donald Fagen on the lead. I think it is Steely Dan's best country song, as I kid I would like to repeat the "voulez, voulez, voulez" phrase.

The album ends with the second epic, and the song that really got me into Steely Dan, "King of the World". It almost feels like another prog song with the jazzy drums, and my favorite section, the part with the synthesizers. The lyrics is about a man that has survived a nuclear apocalypse, and if I was ever stuck in one this is the song that I would like to listen to before everything goes to crap.

I hope you enjoyed this album. It's one of my favorites, but was their least successful during their original run, only getting Gold when all the others at least went platinum.

[metaldams]

Overall, I can definitely see the jazz fusion influences creeping in a tad more.  CAN’T BUY A THRILL sounds like a bunch good musicians trying to write a pop record in the style of The Eagles and coming up with a few good songs in the process.  COUNTDOWN TO ECSTASY, while obvious the pop hooks are there in several parts, shows the band stretching out instrumentally.  Tons of solos on this album along with Latin type rhythms.  I get the feeling this is artistically a cusp album meaning elements of the first two will show up more solidified on future releases, but I could be wrong.  I’ll have to wait and see.  Overall, I enjoyed it, but some moments definitely stood out more than others.

“Bodhisattva” is an awesome opener, actually my favorite song on the album.  A pretty heavy tone with a lot of great instrumental stuff throughout - very rocking!  Love it.  “Boston Rag” is another standout track.  Has a bit of a Neil Young flavor to my ears with more virtuosic playing, if that makes sense.  “Your Good Teeth” has more cool instrumental stuff and some great percussion stuff as the song fades out.  “King of the World” is  a really cool closer, love the synth part towards the end.  “My Old School” has some cool guitar licks, another one I like.

On the negative side, “Show Biz Kids,” yeah agreed.  That background vocals refrain is a bit repetitive.  The other songs are good, but don’t stand out as much.

Not a perfect album, but enough that I enjoyed.  I’m curious to see where they go forward.

[Umbrella Sam]

Even though I liked the first album, I can kind of see metaldams’s criticism regarding it mostly being midtempo. I can see why that would be a complaint and in lots of cases, I would agree with that, but there’s something about Steely Dan even from the beginning that feels unique, almost like they’re trying to create their own style that others weren’t doing. I think you can see some hints of that in CAN’T BUY A THRILL and it’s more present in COUNTDOWN TO ECSTASY.

The first track is “Bodhisattva”. It has somewhat of a ‘50s feel to it, yet you can also tell it’s clearly from the ‘70s given the use of the synths and the much more complicated guitar playing. I really like this track. The piano playing is cool, I like how the bass kind of goes higher in the mix towards the end. This track just screams “cool” to me. “Razor Boy” is a bit more in line with the songs on the previous album, more midtempo, but, again, I did like most of the songs on the first album and this isn’t an exception. Great vocals on this one.

“The Boston Rag” is my favorite track on the album. I love the focus on the acoustic guitar, the chorus is very catchy, and it has kind of a medieval feel to it at times, not totally unlike John Lennon’s “Steel and Glass”. I love tracks that can create a special kind of atmosphere; it really adds an extra dimension to a genre when it can branch out into older genres. “Your Gold Teeth”, though not as memorable as the first three tracks, is still really good. I agree, the instrumental sections are really cool and I especially liked the bass playing on this track.

“Show Biz Kids”...eh, I kind of agree regarding the backing vocals. They could have pulled back on that a bit, but even then, I didn’t entirely hate that aspect of the song; the backing vocalists do well, and it’s one of those cases where it is catchy at first, which is better than if it had been annoying from the very beginning. My big problem with the song is actually the ending, which has some really annoying saxophone and screaming on it. It’s a shame, because Fagen’s vocals on this are some of my favorites on the album. If they had just changed up a few things, this probably could have worked really well. “My Old School” is a really cool party style song. I think I actually may have heard this one before, because it sounded kind of familiar, so it’s probably something I heard a long time ago and never really heard again. Really love the vocal harmonies here and the saxophones work so much better on it than on the previous track.

“Pearl of the Quarter” is one of the weaker tracks on the album, but it’s still nice to have some variety with the country style it goes for. I like it, it’s just not as memorable as the other tracks. And it ends with a synth-heavy track, “King of the World”. Not much else to add, just another really cool, experimental track.

Another good album. It’s a bit hard to say whether I prefer this or CAN’T BUY A THRILL, mostly for how awful the ending to “Show Biz Kids” is, but it’s a lot like Harry Langdon’s LONG PANTS in that it’s something that could be salvaged with just the right editing work, so I think I will say I prefer COUNTDOWN TO ECSTASY, even though I do really like both and think CAN’T BUY A THRILL is a bit more experimental than people give it credit for (seriously, that electric sitar solo in “Do It Again” was something else). But, yeah, COUNTDOWN TO ECSTASY is definitely more down that path and I think I can see their appeal even more listening to it. They sound like a cool band to be a fan of, and that’s definitely proven by tracks like “Bodhisattva” and “King of the World”.

[HomokHarcos]

I'm glad you're enjoying them Sam!

[HomokHarcos]

After the more jam-based approach taken in Countdown to Ecstasy, we are back to shorter, more accessible tracks. For comparison, Countdown to Ecstasy had 8 tracks that lasted 41 minutes total, Pretzel Logic has 11 tracks and is 34 minutes. I have a feeling that the commercial disappoint of the former album might have influenced this decision. As far as the band lineup, there were no changes here, as it features the same 5 band members. However, this would be the last album to feature a full band, as all future releases would see Steely Dan as a duo.

"Rikki Don't Lose That Number" is a song I've heard a lot growing up, but have only recently discovered some facts behind the track. The first is the instrument being played at the beginning, which is a flapamba. If you've heard this song on the radio, that part might not have been included. The second is the piano riff that follows. It was taken from Horace Silver's bop track, "Song For My Father". I would recommend giving that song a listen, and I actually think it's a shame he wasn't given any songwriting credit for "Rikki Don't Lose That Number". Anyway, I'm a fan of the song itself. I like how it starts off more mellow, than gets more tense in the chorus, and the guitar solo. This would be the highest charting track of Steely Dan's career, peaking at number 4.

"Night by Night" is a good follow up. A song that is a great showcase for Steely Dan's mixture of rock and jazz. The horn section sort of reminds me of what John Coltrane was doing in his Blue Train album.

"Any Major Dude Will Tell You" is one of the more mellow Steely Dan tracks. It might be because I listened we listened to Led Zeppelin's work earlier this year, but the beginning of the track with the acoustic guitar reminded me of their folk-based songs. I never thought of it that way before. Less of a jazz influence than most of their tracks. The guitar line after the chorus is also quite memorable.

Can't Buy a Thrill had "Change of the Guard" and Can't Buy a Thrill had "My Old School", and now Pretzel Logic has "Barrytown" as part of what I consider to be their summer tracks, so to speak. Ones you listen to during a family gathering at a barbecue and a pool. I find this song to be fine enough, but not as good as "My Old School".

Now we go onto "East St. Louis Toodle-Oo". If there's a song I hear Steely Dan fans bash, it's usually this track as it is a mostly straight cover of Duke Ellington's track. It does feel like a very odd track in their catalogue.

We follow up a tribute to Duke Ellington with a tribute to Charlie Parker, "Parker's Band". If the early track can be called filler, that's not the case for this track at all. The hardest hitting track on this album, it gives off a very electric feeling of going down the streets of the city. Great guitar lead with jazz influenced drumming, and the saxophones popping up near the end is the icing on the cake. One of my personal favorite Steely Dan tracks.

"Through with Buzz" Steely Dan doing classical inspired music. The strings in this track are quite beautiful. I think this could have been stretched out to be an epic track, but instead it's very short at only a minute and a half long.

"Pretzel Logic" is another strong track on the album. It features my favorite Donald Fagen vocals on this release, having him do harmonies for himself! I just love the chorus sections where the instruments are actually not very prominent. That doesn't mean we don't have a good instrumental section in this song, with a guitar solo backed up by a trombone.

"With a Gun" is a Western influenced song. If you ever wanted to be an outlaw and listen to Steely Dan doing it, this would be the track. I mentioned before that I liked Donald Fagen backing up his own vocals, but here I think the track would have been better without it.

"Charlie Freak" is a piano based track that also has a jingle-bells near the end. I haven't mentioned the lyrics in the tracks previously, primarily because I'm not somebody who particularly puts too much priority on them, but this is a track that tells a pretty heartbreaking story that I thought I would mention. A man who has lost everything decides to give away his one remaining item (a gold ring) for more drugs, and ends up overdosing.

"Monkey in Your Soul". This song reminds me of 1960s rock music with the fuzzy bass playing throughout, it's the most noticeable part of the track. Whereas the other tracks are more serious in tone, here the band seem to be having more fun.

Primarily due to the success of "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" the album went platinum, a return to form commercially speaking. This would be the end of an era for the band, next album they are studio only and are a duo.

[metaldams]

OK, this is easily my favorite Steely Dan album so far and like CAPTAIN FANTASTIC AND THE BROWN DIRT COWBOY, not very easy for me to go track by track, or almost track by track on, after one listen (I don’t know how you guys do it, youth and better memories perhaps, but I can only do track by tracks well with stuff I’m familiar with).  These songs flow real well together and they’re all pretty short and catchy.  Yet at the same time, they don’t sound like watered down pop either.  There’s always some catchy or interesting instrumental hook or arrangement thing going on.  So intelligent and poppy at the same time, kind of like The Beatles.

So what does stand out?  “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number” you can throw into the category of I’ve heard that song before and never realized it was Steely Dan.  Great song.  “Barrytown” melodically would fit real well as a deep track on a 1964 Beatles album.  “Easy St. Louis Toodle-Oo” obviously stands out being a Duke Ellington cover and man, do I love Jeff “Skunk” Baxter’s wah guitar on that track.

The rest?  In one ear and out the other for only one listen, but in a good consistent way.  Every track in hear and very pleasing and easy to listen to.  I like this album a lot, one I’m sure I will revisit when I want to hear Steely Dan.

[Umbrella Sam]

A very diverse blend of different styles, and it’s interesting to hear them try the more standard shorter form songwriting compared to the previous two albums.

I’ve never actually heard “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number Before”, but I wish I had, because it’s a really solid number and one that I can very easily see why it became a hit. Very catchy chorus, fantastic harmonies, and a clear and consistent atmosphere especially by the percussion help make this a real classic. “Night by Night” had a good groove; it’s a good example of how Steely Dan mixes the old with the new, with the brass representing the older jazz elements and the guitar representing the new. “Any Major Dude Will Tell You” is also really good. Love the focus on the acoustic work and the song overall has a mellow, summer vibe to it that I really like.

“Barrytown” is fine, but nothing super special. It’s funny you mention it sounding like something off of an early Beatles album, metaldams, because it actually reminded me a bit of “Tell Me What You See” from HELP! However, whereas “Tell Me What You See” has the unique electric piano focus to help it stand out, this one is kind of standard in its instrumentation and nothing really pops out, making it kind of sound like filler, but again, it’s still fine, I don’t dislike it.

I actually really liked their version of “East St. Louis Toodle-Oo”. Sometimes, it’s just nice to have a semi-straightforward callback to that era. I do enjoy that style of music even though admittedly I haven’t explored it nearly enough. It’s interesting how people call it too straightforward because while, yes, the piano does sound straight out of the ‘40s, they’re still using more commonly known instruments of the ‘70s for the brass parts. It’s an interesting idea, and I really like the effect.

“Parker’s Band” is really catchy. I agree, that drum beat is fantastic and leads what turns out to be a fun groove. I love the strings on “Through with Buzz”; they kind of have an “Eleanor Rigby” vibe to them, very dark and moody. If anything, I felt this track was too short; it was a really cool idea I felt they could have expanded on nicely. The title track has a nice bluesy atmosphere, and I too like the vocal harmonies on it.

I really enjoyed “With a Gun” with its Country atmosphere. The fast beat, the heavy emphasis on the electric guitar...it honestly sounded like the type of song you’d hear in some sort of Western chase. “Charlie Freak” had some great piano work and I liked the bells on it as well. I agree that “Monkey in Your Soul” kind of sounded like an early 1960s rock track; the opening actually reminded me a bit of “I Saw Her Standing There”. It’s fun, kind of over the top and maybe a bit out of place, but at the very least that gives the album another unique style it could tackle.

Overall, another good album, although I do think there were some questionable decisions in the shorter form writing process, particularly in making “Through with Buzz” too short. But it still has some really memorable tracks like “Rikki” and “With a Gun” and shows that they were a band with a diverse musical background and willing to play around with different styles.

[HomokHarcos]

Wrote a review for Katy Lied, but then I guess the session was too long that I got signed out, so it wouldn't let me post it and I lost the progress.

[metaldams]

Wrote a review for Katy Lied, but then I guess the session was too long that I got signed out, so it wouldn't let me post it and I lost the progress.

I always write my reviews in the notes section of my iPad and copy and paste them to avoid that issue.

[HomokHarcos]

Katy Lied marks a new point in the band's careers. Previously they were a full band, now they are merely a duo with Walter Becker and Donald Fagen. Gone also is the touring, meaning they are completely a studio band now. They make hire a lot of session musicians and sound technicians, making them a favorite of audiophiles. This is an album I previously overlooked, it was not one that I frequently revisited. Hearing it back, though, I enjoyed it a lot, even if I'm not as familiar with it. I did a writeup before, but lost the progress. So I'm writing again!

"Bad Friday" is one of Steely Dan's most rocking tunes, and a great way to open the album. It's got a guitar solo, but unlike many on the album that are done by a session musician, this is done by Walter Becker. This was the first of two singles released, and ended up being a top 40 hit.

"Bad Sneakers" is a more laid back tune, but Steely Dan were great at doing these and they never sound embarrassing. I love the chorus, the lyrics and the pianos bringing a very relaxing tune, and the guitar solo has some very beautiful piano playing in the background. Also featured is Michael McDonald doing backing vocals. This was the second and last single from this album.

"Rose Darling" is probably the biggest revelation on this relisten. I never thought too much of it before, but now it is probably my favorite track. I love the "dun, dun, dun, dun, dun" that precedes the chorus, along with the bluesy guitar solo near the end of track.

"Daddy Don't Live in that New York City No More" is the most repetitive track on the album, but I like the guitar enough that I don't really get sick of it. Even a lesser Steely Dan song is still enjoyable to me.

"Doctor Wu" seems to be the most acclaimed track on this album among Steely Dan fans. It's not my favorite on the album, but I think it's a good jazz pop tune. The saxophone and the piano are definitely putting it into the AOR category (not that that's a bad thing). But then it ends with an even jam session that gives the song some edge.

"Everybody's Gone to the Movies" is an example of a Steely Dan song where the mood of the lyrics are much more cheerful than the dark lyrics. At a glance it can seem like a very happy song, with the upbeat music, but it is about a sexual predator targeting children! The drumming near the end is quite cool.

"Your Gold Teeth II" is a "sequel" a track on Countdown to Ecstasy. This feels like one of the most purely jazz songs Steely Dan have done, the track has excellent piano playing, something was a strength throughout the whole album. Denny Dias, one of the founding members of Steely Dan, provides the jazzy guitar as a session musician. I love the section that highlights both the piano and the guitar.

"Chain Lightning" is a very bluesy track. They weren't a touring band at this point, but this song sounds like it would have been perfect for a live performance. One of the surprising things doing this research is figuring out who was behind some of the music. Rick Derringer plays the guitar on the track, previously I had only known him as the guy who did Hulk Hogan's theme! I guess he was a more prominent musician than I had known.

"Any World (That I'm Welcome To)" is probably my second favorite song on the album. I like how it adds more and more the song, starting off with just the piano, then the vocals come, and then the drums and then WHAM! the chorus. Michael McDonald was also singing in the chorus on this track, I think he really enhanced it repeating the title of the track.

"Throw Back the Little Ones" is another very strong track to close out the album. The horns get a lot of attention here, they even take the spotlight near the end of the guitar solo! One thing I liked about this album is that it brought back some of the instrumental sections, that was mostly missing in Pretzel Logic, and to round out the album is a very beautiful piano section.

I'm not sure why this album didn't get much attention from me before, I enjoyed it immensely on this listen.

[metaldams]

I think out of the four albums we’ve listened to so far, KATY LIED made the least impression on me.  CAN’T BUY A THRILL seemed to be a bunch a pop songs with a few memorable hits, COUNTDOWN TO ECSTASY a bit more progressive and PRETZEL LOGIC more consolidated yet with some good playing and memorable hooks.  Here?  A lot like the last album in that it is consolidated, but the playing and hooks don’t quite stand out as much.  This is the first time they feel like they are treading water a little, but hey, maybe the fact they’re transitioning into a studio band they played it a bit conservative at first.  I’m expecting the next few albums to go somewhere else.  Telling that Homok, a big fan, never had this album make an impression on him until now, so perhaps this is the kind of album that grows on long time fans.

“Black Friday” is a pretty good opener, a bit more rocking than the rest of the album.  I liked the chorus of “Any World (That I’m Welcome To)” with those Uriah Heep sounding harmonies and the drummer catching much needed fire for a few moments.  Agreed that “Everyone’s Gone to the Movies” is a bit creepy and the rest?  Nothing horrible, so there’s a chance this could be a grower, but nothing stood out.

[Umbrella Sam]

I agree, this is probably my least favorite of their albums so far, but there are still good spots and, considering that this was the first album where they relied entirely on session musicians, it surprisingly is kind of a smooth transition. Jeff Porcaro really sounds like he fits in from the beginning (yeah, he was technically on PRETZEL LOGIC, but only a couple tracks). The highlight of this album for me, believe it or not, was “Daddy Don’t Live in that New York City No More”. Outside of the fact that the title is annoying to write out, I actually thought this was a really good track. It had a bit of a bluesy connection in the guitar work, really good vocals and occasional cool keyboard effects. Maybe I’m in the minority, but I didn’t find it repetitive at all. Coming in a close second for me is “Any World (That I’m Welcome To)”. Pretty much agreed with HomokHarcos on this one, the build up is great, the chorus is super catchy, and there’s even a cool key change near the end. Other highlights include “Your Gold Teeth II”, which has some really great, laid back drumming, “Bad Sneakers” which has a catchy chorus, and  “Throw Back the Little Ones”, with its constantly changing styles and really engaging keyboard work.

I also agree that “Everyone’s Gone to the Movies” is really creepy, and that weird saxophone effect in the early verses makes it even creepier. A shame, because the backing vocalists really seem to bring their A-game here, but it’s just so disturbing to listen to. As for the rest of the tracks I didn’t mention, they’re decent, just not super memorable, but I could also see them possibly being growers over time.

[HomokHarcos]

Among Steely Dan these next two albums are the most highly rated, considered the peak of the band's output. After their first studio-only album admittedly did not show great steps in improvement, they have delivered here. This might be my personal favorite release they put out, though it's pretty hard to me to pick an album.

In "Kid Charlemagne" you can hear the funk influence creeping in. When Rick Beato made a video of Steely Dan for his What Makes this Song Great? series, this was the song he picked. Another thing about this album that you'll hear quite often is jazz fusion style guitars. Notably, there's a guitar solo by Larry Carlton. Great vocal harmonies throughout the song, too. This was the lead single, but it did not chart very high.

I felt that "The Caves of Altamira" reminded me of their earlier work, like something you'd hear on Countdown to Ecstasy, and sure enough it was a composition that they had written earlier but didn't record it and release it on an album until now. It still has a Royal Scam feel, notably with the guitars. A pop sounding song for sure, but a strong one.

"Don't Take Me Alive" also has guitar playing from Larry Carlton, and he makes the song here. The beginning has a fuzzy guitar sound to it, and lets you know that the guitar will be the major part of it. About an outlaw being pursued by the cops, the music does a very good at capturing the mood, with a man very determined not to be captured. I am a big fan of the chorus, especially the "I crossed my man back in Oregon, don't take me alive" line that is used throughout.

"Sign in Stranger" is the greatest showcase for the piano on this album, played by session musician Paul Griffin. It's noticeable throughout the song, but my favorite part is the piano solo. It reminds me of hard bop piano players such as Ryo Fukui.

"The Fez" is one of the first songs Steely Dan songs I can remember listening, too. A very catchy pop tune, with more keyboards from Paul Griffin. Admittedly a bit repetitive throughout, but nostalgic value alone makes this song a memorable one for me. It was the second single to be released.

"Green Earrings": One of my favorites! The main riff is very easy to like, and there are jazz fusion sections to bridge the riff from the times it is being played. I would say this is the album that feels the closest to jazz fusion yet. When it goes back to it, it's awesome!

In "Haitian Divorce" the guitar reminds me of the guitar of Steely Dan's performance as "East St. Louis Toodle-Oo". I think it's a unique use for a guitar, and is played over a reggae influenced beat. Many other bands of this era did reggae influenced songs, but this one has a more subtle influence than when Led Zeppelin did it, or when The Police were playing music.

"Everything You Did" is my least favorite track on the album, of course I'm not saying it's a bad song, because it a change of pace from the rest of the tracks. This track is most notable for the "“turn up the Eagles, the neighbors are listening" quote, which supposedly inspired the "steely knives" line in The Eagles' track "Hotel California". The bickering was allegedly in good fun.

"The Royal Scam" is the last track, and also the longest on the whole album. It's based around single riff, but I like the way it the drums heat up occasionally and you get other instruments to shine after those sections. There is a part of the track (around 3:30) where it feels like it's building up to something epic, but then it goes back the same riff, which is my main complaint about this track. I do really like the piano section and the vocal harmonies near the end of the track.

For me it's a tossup between this album and Countdown to Ecstasy, but I lean a little towards the latter for this most recent listen. I hope you'll enjoy.

[metaldams]

      THE ROYAL SCAM is easily my favorite Steely Dan album so far, though I may have discovered the key for me to appreciate these guys - headphones.  This is definitely a headphone band and the production on this album is pristine.  Fantastic separation with all the instruments and some of these guitar solos, sound and feel wise, are  amazing.

      I liked every song here, though I would have to say the standouts for me are “Kid Charlemagne,” “Don’t Take Me Alive,” “The Fez,” “Green Earrings” and the title track.  Hey, that’s about half the album and the other songs aren’t bad.

      When I was listening to “Haitian Divorce” my eyes were on my blu ray shelf.  Literally the moment the line, “She drinks the zombie from the cocoa shell” was sung, my eyes just happened to be on the spine for my blu ray of Lucio Fulci’s ZOMBIE.  Nice timing!

      But yes, an excellent sounding album that I suggest be listened to on headphones.  That album cover is awesome as well.  I imagine if one has this on vinyl, listening to this on headphones while getting lost in the album art must be really cool.

[Umbrella Sam]

THE ROYAL SCAM was an improvement over the previous album, but still didn’t feel quite as immediate to me as the first three. “Everything You Did” and “Sign In Stranger” felt a bit workman like to me, but even then, there were still interesting elements to the tracks, especially the piano solo on “Sign in Stranger”. On the plus side, “Don’t Take Me Alive” feels like a real radio friendly song and even has an interesting Hendrix style opening.

The major highlights to me were “The Caves of Altamira”, “The Fez”, “Green Earrings”, “Haitian Divorce”, and especially the title track. “The Caves of Altamira” and “Green Earrings” felt the most like funk to me, the former because of the catchy horns and the latter because of the keyboard riff. “The Fez” has this really atmospheric sound to it, thanks mainly to the keyboards, and “Haitian Divorce” stands out because of the unique guitar sounds. But the title track was the one that stood out the most. It felt the most varied in terms of style, combining stuff like old blues (the trumpets) with modern jazz fusion elements like the keyboards. Not only my favorite song on the album, but probably one of my favorite Steely Dan songs overall; such a unique combination.

So yeah, some really good songs, a really awesome song, and even the two weaker tracks at least have interesting individual instrumentation to look out for even if I don’t think they flow as well as full songs. Not quite my favorite, but there’s still a lot to recommend from it.

[HomokHarcos]

Steely Dan's music does work with headphones. They put great care into ensuring high audio production, and it has paid off.

[HomokHarcos]

After a strong studio album with The Royal Scam, Steely Dan went to work on their next album, Aja (pronounced Asia). Aja is often considered the band’s masterpiece by fans, and if you look at the website Rate Your Music, it is the highest rated. The album’s mixing and studio sound is fantastic, and we get a great jazz influenced release. However, for fans of rock I have a feeling this may not be your favorite, as they don’t have the all out rockers like before.

“Black Cow” sets the mood for the album. I think this release would fit into the AOR grouping, under a genre called “yacht rock”, which is what Aja is sometimes described as. Very mellow music, one that is great for easy going summer days. The track has very good backing vocals, and saxophone like several songs on the album.

“Aja” is a mixture of jazz, pop, and country. The pedal steel guitar is noticeable because of how much it stands out from the rest of the instruments in the song, almost coming in randomly. They could have easily released it with just the vocal sections as a decent pop song, but they added some very good instrumental sections. They show off some great jazz skills here, with guitars, keyboards, synthesizers and saxophone provided by Wayne Shorter. At almost 8 minutes, it is the longest track on the album.

“Deacon Blues” is another longer track, and again it has a more laid back feel. I personally love these types of tracks, and this album, but I have a feeling there might be a little disappointment at the lack of variety. Mostly a smooth pop song with saxophones. The music you’d hear on easy listening radio stations.

“Peg” is the shortest track on the album, so it’s fitting that it ended up being the hit single. I love this song. Say what you’d like about Michael McDonald, but I think his vocals greatly enhanced the chorus. It is more upbeat than the rest of the album, and features a guitar solo from Jay Graydon.

“Home at Last” is what I’d call the driving track on this album. Sounds like something you’d listen to on the way home, the title of the song even being something you’d say after finally being done for the day. It is probably my least favorite track on the album.

As a piano fan, “I Got the News” is my favorite track. The main piano riff is something I could never get sick of, and I like all the additions throughout such as the guitar, synthesizer, horns. The section from 4:01 to 4:05 I especially like, with very beautiful playing that reminds me of Ryo Fukui’s song “Early Summer.” I’d like to hear more songs in this style, but I’m not exactly sure what it is called.

“Josie” is the last track, and it is the closest to rock on the album. Like “Peg”, it is fitting as a single track. The opening guitar is memorable, and it is followed by a really groovy guitar riff that is used throughout most of the song, aside from a few breaks for the chorus. The feeling I get from most of these tracks are nightlights on city streets, and the lyrics for this song fit that setting. A life of the party woman likes to hang around with men. “Josie” would be another top 40 hit.

This is not necessarily my favorite Steely Dan album, but I am still a big fan of it. Most hardcore Steely Dan fans consider this their masterpiece, however, and view the albums after as lesser. Aja was the band’s best selling album in the United States, going two times platinum.