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.