At last! The STEELY DAN Album-By-Album Thread

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by ohnothimagen, Sep 8, 2017.

  1. Paul P.

    Paul P. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle, WA, USA
    More Donald Fagen liner notes. Again - these aren't the album liner notes - these are the extended notes Donald wrote for the MVI releases.

    Since we're prepping for Kamakiriad, and since I have the discs out right now - this is a pre-emptive strike. Read these when we start discussing Kamakiriad. :)

    Cheers,
    Paul

    ---------------------

    I've never really been into cars. At least not the faux-deluxe CO2-spitting jobs that Detroit was manufacturing when I was a kid. They've got some nicer ones now.

    For me, though, an ideal ride would combine the feel of a monorail - silky and silent - with the woody elegance of an old European touring car. Also, maybe a touch of the space cruiser in the film Silent Running. I'd want a clean alternative to gasoline, a reliable autopilot and excellent sandwiches. Hey, Michelle - any more olives? No? S'alright, ain't no thing.

    TRANS-ISLAND SKYWAY
    Midway upon the journey of our life
    I found myself within a forest dark
    For the straightforward path had been lost

    -Dante's Inferno
    And like that. Our man drives a steam-driven Kamakiri Speed Power 10 through a world that sound suspiciously like a projection of his own psyche. It comes standard with a convertible bubble-top, an advanced positioning system linked to Tripstar (Teleologic Routing Satellite), and a self-maintaining hydroponic garden.

    COUNTERMOON
    If the catalyst to romance in all those popular songs was moonlight, then exposure to countermoonlight must be responsible for all those mid-'80s breakups. Or so I thought at the time. Before the driver leaves the city limits, he witnesses a classic Manhattan scene: a pretty girl crying at a public phone.

    SPRINGTIME
    First stop: a Ray Bradbury-style amusement park where the theme is Lost Youth. Old girlfriends and missed opportunities unreel themselves in multisensual virtual splendor. It's good to get this stuff out of the way right up front. Abbie Hoffmann was right when he famously called nostalgia "a mind form of depression."

    SNOWBOUND
    It's mid-'80s Manhattan in a cold snap, although it's supposed to be a metaphor too (ain't this the College of Musical Knowledge?). Walter Becker and I wrote this tune in New York during the '80s Boom but it seemed to fit in nicely with the others. I remember calling my friend Dr. Richard Ransohoff at the Cleveland Clinic for some advice about how one might suspend a living human heart in a translucent glass case ("You could try an ion grid," he said). Walter and I had a lot of fun writing the bit about sailing the IceKats on the river.

    TOMORROW'S GIRLS
    A low-budget sci-fi feature in which the Earth's females are replaced one-by-one by alien impostors. The bridge conveys the narrator's idea of what life might be like should he be transported to the Planet Sheilus. But my favorite part is where the milkman screams.

    FLORIDA ROOM
    In a desperate regressive lunge, the driver heads south and hooks up, however briefly, with an old girlfriend.

    ON THE DUNES
    Me, I dig resort towns in the off-season. But here, in the wake of a devastating rejection, is where the driver's inevitable confrontation with himself must, you know, moppity-mop d'dweedit and so forth...

    TEAHOUSE ON THE TRACKS
    If Kamakiriad was a Fellini film, this is where the hero would see all of the characters of his life come together; he would be able to forgive himself, arrive at a cheerful acceptance of life as it is, and move on. But it's not a film, it's a just a funky little dance tune. Like I said, ain't no thing.

    -DF​

    NOTE: Some passages of the above have appeared elsewhere in another form.
     
  2. audiotom

    audiotom I can not hear a single sound as you scream

    Location:
    New Orleans La USA
    I love everything about the Dan

    This album leaves me lukewarm

    Snowbound and On The Dunes
    Two glorious songs with strong lush melodies, well conveyed moods

    Several infectuous playful tunes

    Far too many groove based songs with little melodic underpinning

    It's as if Donald was filling time or he wasn't getting a proper tripstar reading
     
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  3. Paul P.

    Paul P. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle, WA, USA
    Heh - remember - we're not discussing Kamakiriad yet. :)

    I'm just posting these Kamakiriad notes as a pre-emptive strike because I have to hand-transcribe them from a TV screen, and I think @ohnothimagen is planning on starting the album tonight-ish.

    For the curious - MVI is basically a weird DVD-V with some PC extensions - not a DVD-A. I'm going to have to hand-type the Morph The Cats notes too. :)

    Cheers,
    Paul
     
    Last edited: Oct 8, 2017
  4. Paul P.

    Paul P. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle, WA, USA
    Oh - so you got a copy of Gaucho? Congrats!!!

    Sounds like you'll have a busy and fun weekend. :)

    Cheers,
    Paul
     
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  5. ccbarr

    ccbarr Forum Resident

    Location:
    Iowa, USA
    Yep, Amazon got it in stock, and it arrived 2 days early. Really liked it on my first listen, I've really dug all seven albums so far. Just going to give Can't Buy A Thrill another listen now.:righton:
     
  6. Paul P.

    Paul P. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle, WA, USA
    I totally understand! Can't Buy A Thrill is unique in their catalog - definitely worth quite a few spins. :)

    Also - one thing to bear in mind when you read reviews in this thread. We might criticize or prioritize one album over another - but - I really do love their entire body of work. I'm trying to be a little critical and distinguish one album from another - pluses and minuses. But - it's an amazing body of work. It's hard to find a group that has this high a level of quality across their entire catalog.

    Cheers,
    Paul
     
  7. ohnothimagen

    ohnothimagen "Live music is better!" Thread Starter

    Location:
    Canada
    Give me about an hour and a half, give or take...
    On Kamakiriad? Nah- they slaved their guts out making that record, almost three years I think...nearly drove Roger Nichols nuts:laugh:
     
  8. ohnothimagen

    ohnothimagen "Live music is better!" Thread Starter

    Location:
    Canada
    And on that note...
    [​IMG]
    Not much of a Wiki write up but here it is just the same:
    Kamakiriad is the second solo album by Steely Dan singer Donald Fagen, released in 1993. It was his first collaboration since 1980 with Steely Dan partner Walter Becker, who produced the album. The album is a futuristic, optimistic eight-song cycle about the journey of the narrator in his high-tech car, the Kamakiri (Japanese for praying mantis). It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1993.

    The album follows a lengthy writer's block for Fagen; the songs are based on personal observations about middle age (as 1982's The Nightfly is lyrically described as fantasies of Fagen's youth and 2006's Morph the Cat ruminations of old age and death).

    Music videos were produced for "Tomorrow's Girls" (starring Rick Moranis) and "Snowbound" (using stop motion animation).

    Fagen and Becker embarked on their first tour as Steely Dan since 1974 to support the album.

    Track listing
    All songs written by Donald Fagen, except where noted.

    1. "Trans-Island Skyway" – 6:30
    2. "Countermoon" – 5:05
    3. "Springtime" – 5:06
    4. "Snowbound" (Walter Becker, Fagen) – 7:08
    5. "Tomorrow's Girls" – 6:17
    6. "Florida Room" (Fagen, Libby Titus) – 6:02
    7. "On the Dunes" – 8:07
    8. "Teahouse on the Tracks" – 6:09
    Bonus tracks, from The Nightfly Trilogy MVI boxed set[edit]
    1. "Big Noise, New York" – 5:21
    2. "Confide in Me" – 4:15
    3. "Blue Lou" – 7:01
    4. "Shanghai Confidential" – 4:54
    Personnel
    Production
    • Producer: Walter Becker
    • Engineers: Phil Burnett, David Michael Dill, Tom Fritze, Andy Grassi, Troy Halderson, Bob Mitchel, John Neff, Roger Nichols, Dave Russell, Jay A. Ryan, Tony Volante, Wayne Yurgelun
    • Mastering: Scott Hull, Glenn Meadows
    • Sample editing: Craig Siegal
    • Digital technician: Phil Burnett
    • Digital delay: Craig Siegal
    • Horn arrangements: Donald Fagen
    • Rhythm arrangements: Donald Fagen
    • Design: Carol Bobolts
    • Photography: James Hamilton
    • Liner notes: Donald Fagen, Tim White
    Charts
    Album

    Year Chart Position
    1993
    The Billboard 200 10
    1993 UK Albums Chart 3
     
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  9. ohnothimagen

    ohnothimagen "Live music is better!" Thread Starter

    Location:
    Canada
    Kamakiriad is my least favourite of Fagen's solo albums, even though as far as I'm concerned given Walter Becker's participation it's a Steely Dan album in all but name. Kamakiriad is sort of unique in their oeuvre as it's kind of a concept album about a guy in the not so distant future dealing with his midlife crisis by buying a funky new car and his adventures (or misadventures) on the road. I can't stand the production though...the sequenced bass they used on some of the songs drives me nuts (surely Becker could have put down an actual bass part) but the drums...they sound like the drums on a cheap Casio keyboard or something:laugh:. Again, they used live drummers on the album, but naturally they WENDELized the crap outta the drums...if I were those drummers I'd be pissed, frankly. Other than that, my only real issue with the songs is that a couple of them -"Tomorrow's Girls" and the intro to "Springtime"- sound like show tunes, something right out of a Broadway musical. I hate musicals:laugh:...they're good songs, of course -there really isn't a bad song on the album- but I get images of a bunch of guys and gals prancing around a stage acting out the songs. For the purposes of this discussion I dusted the CD off for the first time in ages; I enjoyed quite a bit of it, I admit, but at the same time it just reminded me why it's not an album I find myself returning to very often. IMO the best thing about Kamakiriad is that it facilitated the Steely Dan "reunion" that would last another 24 years.

    "Trans Island Skyway" - I understand they started working on the album around 1989 or so...judging from the overall sound of "Trans Island Skyway" I could believe- the keyboard patches Fagen uses sound very eighties. Becker's bass and guitars sound suitably funky, though. It's a good intro for the album, setting the scene but it sort of suffers the Gaucho syndrome of going on a minute or so too long.

    "Countermoon" - Another funk type workout. I like this one. The chorus melody is addictive!

    "Springtime" - Again, I can do without the Broadway-sounding intro, and fer chrissakes, guys, replace that sequenced bass and Casio drums with the real thing. One more fantastic chorus melody, and been as I've already quoted the "Mad Mona" verse earlier in the discussion, it cracks me up. I will assume that "gospel candy" are pot brownies or something.

    "Snowbound" - Hark! The first Becker/Fagen collaboration since Gaucho. Becker's guitar solo is awesome, it's just about there with his solos on "Home At Last" and "Bad Sneakers" for me, jazzy and bluesy at the same time (clearly had yet to reach the 'noodly' phase of his playing). It is kind of a melancholy song, though...Steely Dan for the late eighties for sure.

    "Tomorrow's Girls" - As much as I want to like this song, again, I just can't get past the "show tune" feel of the song...love the verses, hate the chorus.

    "Florida Room" - IMO the weakest song on the album. I don't like the horns at all.

    "On The Dunes" - A masterpiece. This is probably the best song on the album. In the FAQ book "On The Dunes" is compared with "Aja" and rightfully so- it's another tune where yer thinking, "What did I just hear?!" when it's over. The drums sound like a real live human! Chris Parker's fills in the extended coda aren't quite Steve Gadd on "Aja" but near enough.

    "Teahouse On The Tracks" - The big finale; they used this as an encore, as I recall, on the 1993 tour. Like "Florida Room" I'm not a big fan.

    Side one I'll give four outta four, side two I really have no use for other than "On The Dunes".
     
  10. PretzelLogic

    PretzelLogic Feeling duped by MoFi? You probably deserve it.

    Location:
    London, England
    I have always been lukewarm about this album. My Dad absolutely loves it. I got the vinyl for a pretty decent rate and am surprised at how good it sounds for a single LP with that length.

    Anyway, I don't think there's enough of anything to mark it as a classic; it's unfortunate that if you have favourites, you have to have least favourites, and like The Royal Scam, that's Kamakiriad's role.

    The concept is fine, the songs are not bad and the performances are good (some of Becker's greatest bass performances for sure, especially 'Snowbound'). But the production lets it down so much. It feels like it should be lush, reverb-y and enveloping, where it actually comes out quite sterile. If The Nightfly was a shiny floor-to-ceiling glass window in a New York apartment block, Kamakiriad is a featureless bare brick wall.

    It also smacks of missed opportunities - this wouldn't have made it as a Steely Dan album, but 'Snowbound' (and 'Fall Of '92' from Walter's album sessions) showed that there was still magic in the Becker-Fagen songwriting team, and if they'd poured out a few more songs together, this could have been a great bridge album between Gaucho and Two Against Nature.

    Still, in context, it's an enjoyable album that I play less than the other Dan LPs, but I wouldn't say it's terrible compared to something that genuinely stinks.
     
  11. Paul P.

    Paul P. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle, WA, USA
    One thing that, sadly, I can't transcribe for you is the promo interview that's on the Kamakiriad MVI disc. It's from 1993, and it's an hour long interview with Donald interspersed with cuts from the album. One thing he does mention is the New York Rock and Soul Review, and how that was a factor in his return from semi-retirement.

    Wikipedia says: "The New York Rock and Soul Revue was a musical project which evolved from a series of concerts and musical shows produced by Libby Titus (future wife of Donald Fagen) that lasted from 1989 to 1992. The project was led by Donald Fagen (soloist and co-founder of Steely Dan) and included Phoebe Snow, Michael McDonald, Boz Scaggs, Eddie Brigati (formerly of The Rascals), David Brigati (also of The Rascals), the late Charles Brown, and Walter Becker (soloist and co-founder of Steely Dan). The project also featured Jeff Young and the Youngsters, the late saxophonist Cornelius Bumpus (who had formerly worked with Steely Dan, the Doobie Brothers and Boz Scaggs), and the late violinist Mindy Jostyn. The project is perhaps best known for its 1991 live release entitled The New York Rock and Soul Revue: Live at the Beacon, a compilation of material recorded live at New York City's Beacon Theater."

    I have a feeling that this may have inspired both Kamakiriad and 11 Tracks Of Whack. I've ordered a copy of Live At The Beacon - I'll try to include a review of that with Kamakiriad, 11 Tracks of Whack, Alive In America, etc.

    Cheers,
    Paul
     
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  12. smilin ed

    smilin ed Senior Member

    Location:
    Durham
    I like it. Always have. It's different, but there's room for that. Not my least favourite solo album - that's Morph- but this is all relative
     
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  13. uffeolby

    uffeolby Senior Member

    Location:
    Västerås, Sweden
    The 5.1-mix on the DVD-Audio of Kamakiriad is to die for - both the sonics and the mix are really, really good.

    My favorites on this album are:
    • Springtime - melodic, funky, airy and cool - this is Donald Fagen to me
    • Snowbound - moody, dreamy, killer base line - it is a tad too long though...
    • Florida Room - infectious melody and arrangement
    • On the Dunes - I like the sparse arrangement on this one, the song breathes in a nice way

    my least favorites are:
    • Tomorrow's Girls
    • Teahouse on the tracks
     
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  14. pbuzby

    pbuzby Senior Member

    Location:
    Chicago, IL, US
    I remember an article in Musician magazine about Fagen at the time of the New York Rock and Soul Review. Of course it mentioned that fans wanted a Steely Dan reunion, and Fagen resisted the idea, but not all that strongly, so it did not surprise me when he and Becker got back to business a year or two later.
     
  15. Ginger Ale

    Ginger Ale Snackophile

    Location:
    New York
    Kamakiriad.

    Geez, I hate it when I agree with Hitler. :hide:





    *.........even if it's only youtube meme hitler......:laugh:*
     
  16. sekaer

    sekaer Forum Resident

    Location:
    United States
    I find those liner notes DF wrote for Nightfly so telling...that's the voice of SD without Walter's uber-darkness, for sure, unless Fagen was explicitly de-cynicizing himself there.

    Anyway, "Snowbound" and "On the Dunes" are stellar on Kamakiriad, regularly make it on to my playlists of miscellany
     
  17. Jimbino

    Jimbino Goad Kicker, Music Lover

    Location:
    Northern CA, USA
    Is this the same Jean Shepherd who wrote A Christmas Story?
     
  18. PretzelLogic

    PretzelLogic Feeling duped by MoFi? You probably deserve it.

    Location:
    London, England
    Interesting that Donald notes that he and Walter wrote the lyrics for 'Snowbound' together. That's one of their finest capsule descriptive lyrics that they don't get enough credit for:

    "We sail our icecats on the frozen river
    Some loser fires off a flare, amen
    For seven seconds it's like Christmas day
    And then it's dark again"

    There's a few moments where they put you in the song's location so well. That's one of them, and when we hit Everything Must Go, there's another in 'Green Book' that I absolutely love.
     
  19. audiotom

    audiotom I can not hear a single sound as you scream

    Location:
    New Orleans La USA
    I love everything about the Dan

    This album leaves me lukewarm

    Snowbound and On The Dunes
    Two glorious songs with strong lush melodies, well conveyed moods

    Several infectuous playful tunes

    Far too many groove based songs with little melodic underpinning

    It's as if Donald was filling time or he wasn't getting a proper tripstar reading


    Yes it took them almost 3 years to FILL out a record.

    grooves - only a few lush melodies

    the one's that grace the album are timeless and a perfect mood
     
  20. Black Thumb

    Black Thumb Yah Mo B There

    Location:
    Reno, NV
    Ah, 1993. Real instruments were making a comeback, artists were finally purging their work of those pernicious '80s trappings ... Donald Fagen is finally back, Walter Becker is producing, oh joy, oh rapture!

    It's the first Dan product I've ever bought on day of release, excitedly put Kamakiriad in the drawer, press play ... and am greeted with a cheesy '80s clavinet-esque noise. Not promising.

    I gave it a lot of play for six months or so and then it just drifted to the shelf, only to be dusted off every year or so.

    Like most everyone else so far, "Snowbound" and "On The Dunes" are the only two real standouts for me. Most of the rest falls into the enjoyable category, with stuff like "Tomorrow's Girls" approaching forgettable.
     
  21. Black Thumb

    Black Thumb Yah Mo B There

    Location:
    Reno, NV
    He does a fine job but some of it seems a bit - dare I say - clumsy.
     
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  22. Mr Sam

    Mr Sam "...don't look so good no more"

    Location:
    France
    "Snowbound" sounded perfect from first listen. I'll always remember the moment when I checked the (Becker & Fagen) credits: teaming up again and coming up with an instant classic. Wonderful song.

    Florida Room is excellent.
    The rest of the best? The bonus tracks: Confide In Me, Shanghai Confidential, Big Noise - New York. 3 classics imo.
     
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  23. WilliamWes

    WilliamWes Likes to sing along but he knows not what it means

    Location:
    New York
    I think I had Gaucho syndrome since I just couldn't get this review finished until now, amidst a busier than normal week for me. I see we started the next album, so apologies for stepping back to the 80's when we've moved on 11 years.
    ---

    DONALD FAGEN-THE NIGHTFLY (B+)


    1. I.G.Y. (International Geophysical Year) (A+)
    2. Green Flower Street (B-)
    3. Ruby Baby (B-)
    4. Maxine (B+)
    5. New Frontier (B+)
    6. The Nightfly (A-)
    7. The Goodbye Look (B+)
    8. Walk Between Raindrops (B+)
    ________________________________

    1. I.G.Y. (International Geophysical Year) (A+)
    “What a beautiful world this could be. What a glorious time to be free”-

    Like the later “New Frontier”, “I.G.Y.” represents the positivity the future held for those living in the 1950’s when Donald Fagen was growing up. Both use the most contemporary sounds from pop/rock at the time to emphasize that though the album lyrics come from a 1950’s perspective, the sounds were from the 1980’s. But the whole album has a hybrid feel at times alternating with a throwback feel to make it difficult to identify.

    A glorious melody- one of the top melodies from either Fagen, Becker or both represented in a fantastic, hooky horn riff, gorgeous harmonies on the chorus and a loose, skip-a-long beat. Fagen just sounds so good on his phenomenal vocal melody, and with lyrics so boldly bright, the song is clearly the best of either of their careers and can compete with the top 10 Steely Dan songs. The instrumental break with synth and horns teaming up to stir further exciting emotion and the flourishes throughout from all instruments finally feel like they’ve been loosened from the colder restrictions found on Gaucho and can breathe easier. The detail doesn’t feel like a music project but more genuine emotion. Even the opening glittery circular keyboard playing behind the electric piano chording is a great moment of sound. It leads into, for my money, the best horn riff Fagen ever had to sing along side. It stands head and shoulders above the rest of the music here and it's one of the best 'arms wide open under a sunny blue sky' type of song I've heard. I wrestled between an 'A' and 'A+' but the song stays fresh after so many plays after so many years I went with the 'A+' which would beat just about every Steely Dan song except a handful.

    2. Green Flower Street (B-)
    The first song that feels like the 50’s, it comes through in the high jazz content within a pop song, but with a funk rock keyboard rhythm and Larry Carlton plus Dean Parks on guitars, “Green Flower Street” can’t help but be eclectic. Though it’s well played, the average chorus melody keeps it from being better, but the bridge works better.
    Lyrically- The “mandarin plum” and “my squeeze on Green Flower Street”-is Fagen finding love with an Asian woman who lives in a tough neighborhood and has an angry brother.
    “Lou Chang her brother is burning with rage, I’d like to know what’s on his mind/he says ‘hey buddy you’re not my kind’. “The nights are bright, joy in the street, keep my squeeze on Green Flower Street”- This could reference the neighborhood below 34 street where they have vendors selling plants everywhere with the small Korean district just north of there. I’m just guessing of course, but the lyric reminded me of it.

    3. Ruby Baby (B-)
    We’ve got 50s rock, with organ by Fagen, Michael Omartian piano & a piano solo with Greg Phillinganes, both playing with glittering style, and exuding confidence. It’s an effective throwback to a more innocent era using a remade cover of one of the innocent 50’s song. The vocals and beat are very positive for a Steely Dan alum. At points, the chorus doesn’t sound effective and the extended playout is unnecessary.
    Lyrically, it’s simply pining for a popular girl named Ruby.

    4. Maxine (B+)
    Another that sounds pure 1950’s, Fagen croons with backing help on a swaying waltz piano bar tune that strikes nostalgia gracefully. The horns, blues guitar, and sax solo lend themselves well to the lyric of a young couple holding out til high school graduation to consummate their relationship; go to the mall in the suburbs, and take a trip to Mexico City like the young couples of “My Old School”. This seems to be extended on his next album -the road trip from coast to coast found later in Kamikiriad.

    5 New Frontier (B+)
    Lots of 80’s percussion and static synth, it’s fast with more rock plus jazz funk played strong and played by MTV. The double tracked Fagen vocal reveals the lack of brass, and it’s nice to have a hornless track after countless ones in a row-maybe 20 straight Fagen sung tracks back to The Royal Scam, (though I could be forgetting something) and it’s more contemporary than other songs here. The guitar solo by Larry Carlton-nice to have him back and prominent. But without him, there’s not too much to the song’s instrumental detail. It cruises on an 80’s pop groove throughout without much deviation causing it to grow tired by the end of its extended playout.
    Lyrically, nookie can happen anywhere like in a fallout shelter, but the song deserves to have more futuristic synths like it has in rhythm, since the couple are on the ‘new frontier’ – a positive future like “I.G.Y” but again from a 1950’s perspective. “Do you have a steady boyfriend?” “She’s wearing Ambush and a French Twist” -her perfume and hairdo. “Let’s pretend that it’s the real thing and stay together all night long. We’ll open up the doors and climb into the dawn.”

    6. The Nightfly (A-)
    A great uptempo, piano funk pop workout with a bit of 50’s vibe and an inspired lyric as Fagen acts as DJ like the whole record has been a number of 50’s records he’s been airing on radio. It wakes up the album thematically but also exposes Fagen’s purpose wielding an array of 50’s slanted tracks. I.G.Y. then feels like it’s put into its context cause one (like me) could think when they first hear it that they mean the future, not what people in 1959 thought the future would be. The music is fun, interesting, well crafted and executed as well as the lyric. Carlton with Rick Derringer get together on some nice guitar touches. The women singing the jingle chorus with Fagen work their vocals best in this kind of context. Just to have a radio jingle as the chorus is clever.
    As the DJ on WJAZ Fagen sings “I’ve got plenty of java and Chesterfield Kings but I feel like crying, I wish I had a heart like ice”. The more sour side of things peeks through against more positive sounding music as he reveals he’s lonely.

    “Late line til the sun comes through the skyline “Whatever happened to that flame, the answer’s still the same, it was you, tonight you’re still on my mind”

    7. The Goodbye Look (B+)
    A calypso/bossa nova turn on this catchy tune that adds 50’s pop and jazz bop to its joyous, almost holiday-like sound. Musically there’s lots of guitars on this: Dean Parks, Larry Carlton on lead, Hugh McCracken, Steve Khan on acoustic- there’s no brass again, and Greg Phillinganes very good synth styles plus solo on the coda makes for great ear candy. It’s one of the more intricate arrangements on here. The hooks are definitely out on this one, and they cast the line over a good melody. Carlton in particular is beautiful on his solo lines. It ends with some holiday-esque Latin percussion and more marimba.

    Lyrically: Upheaval in Cuba apparently but there’s more to the song that the Wiki mention. The Carribean lyric “quiet island by the bay/the steel bands at night” lends to the calypso atmosphere especially when the marimba (or synth like marimba sound) is so upfront. The couple can no longer vacation and enjoy Cuba because of international tensions with the U.S. He’s getting the ‘goodbye look’ a woman would give a guy or vice versa when the relationship is over but really he’s layering that lyric over Cuba giving a goodbye look to the U.S.

    8-Walk Between Raindrops (B+)
    Another song that has a holiday vibe to it, this is like Christmas 40’s swing with an upbeat rhythm and great synth bass from Phillinganes. The opening organ really pumps up the jazz rhythm when it arrives. The drums have been light throughout but work best here with walking bass, and an organ solo by Fagen added to this bluesy jazz swing.

    Lyrically, it’s a nostalgic look plus wondering what’s ahead in the future- (back to the future visions). The stormy weather represents the previously mentioned Cuban/U.S. issues but also the future’s uncertainty. Still as long as the couple experiencing this ‘new frontier’ stick together, they can walk between the raindrops (negative aspects). Another fine melody, this supposed afterthought is another great throwback on the keys like “Maxine”. One of the few times that a Dan-related song has such a loose swing without relying on funk.

    Overall: (B+)
    With the first half filled with horns and the second half sticking to the band itself, there’s a great balance of modern and old fashioned music with great melodies, arrangements and throwback lyrics that still felt and feel universal. The range of styles include pop, rock, 50’s traditional pop, jazz bop, soul, calypso, bossa nova and jazz swing. Only some of the cynicism and incredible detail in the arrangements are missing from an album that could be what Steely Dan would have sounded like if they were around in the 1950’s. Some of the extended playouts do suffer from the lack of brilliant detailed puzzle-piecing. The clever lyrics are still around and so are the moments where the music is dipped in magic. It doesn’t quite sound like The Dan, and the drums throughout are weaker despite their intent, but it can compete with those great 1970’s works like it’s a likely followup to Gaucho. And at the time, it was all the Steely Dan fan had so in ways, it was a followup. Love plays more of a role on this album than the others because many songs feature a couple going through the song experiences. It’s an album that can qualify as a theme or concept album but rarely gets mentioned in that category.

    Fagen was right about the future, but a distant future. Once past his 1980’s depression and Walter Becker’s inactivity for the entire decade, the future only brightened once the 1990’s came around and fans got more solo albums and Steely Dan back in the recording studio. What a beautiful world.
     
  24. audiotom

    audiotom I can not hear a single sound as you scream

    Location:
    New Orleans La USA
    how was BIg Noise New York not on this album

    If you haven't heard the Jennifer Warnes version
    it is incredible

    she sings lilting Joni-esque passages
     
    Mr Sam likes this.
  25. pbuzby

    pbuzby Senior Member

    Location:
    Chicago, IL, US
    Funny, "Tomorrow's Girls" was the track I heard on radio, and it seemed close enough to the old days that I bought this record. Nothing grabbed me though so I stopped listening to it fairly quickly.
     

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