Except for the sound quality, that is! I don't do vinyl so I bought it on CD and, being used to listen to the DVD-Audios of the former three solo albums, this one I found to be missing the resolution and crispiness I was used to hear from a Donald fagen album. Still, I did and still do love the album - strong songs, arrangement and playing. I recently listened to the album via Tidal HiRes streaming (MQA) and it is definitely a distinct step up from my CD.
all sorts of references here "slow down, I'll tell you when" - pacing thing out "I may never walk again" - a little too randy Classic Albums steered away from it and only played the intro in the closing moments
Sunken Condos still manages to sound a damnsight better than Kamakiriad in my not so humble opinion... Hell, I got those not-so-subtle references right off...we discussed it in the actual Aja section of this thread but in retrospect it's easy to see why they sort of gave "I Got The News" a miss in the Classic Albums documentary. "I may never walk again"...oh, I've been there once or twice, lemme tell ya
Apologies if this has been posted...I'm still several pages (and albums ) behind right now. Bern Walter Becker's Widow Details Swift Illness, Death
Is there an index to this thread, like we had for the Stones album by album threads? 140 pages is a lot to sift through.
And now a flashback to page 95... I always assume he is not talking about 8 apples but about 8mm film, as opposed to 16mm. "He wants to show you the way Right down the hallway with open arms" and for some reason I always see the walls of this hallway as brown wood paneling, which was big in the early 70's.
16 or more - 16 MM = the 70s version of 1080 or HD cameras commonly used in the adult entertainment industry
When I first heard the Sunken Condos CD I was saddened that even the audiophile Donald had become a victim of the loudness war. See here for DR values Album list - Dynamic Range Database Perhaps if Sunken Kondos wasn't so loud I'd be able to enjoy it more. To my ears it sounds smooth, slick & forgettable. I feel sad saying this as I don't like knocking my favourite artists. Although I've not explored streaming to date I'm tempted to try to hear the MPA streamed version if that adds any life to this album.
Yep, the films Mr. LaPage was showing in his den were 8mm stag loops. The '90s equivalent would've been VHS porn vs. DVD.
Here y'go: Thrill to Whack can be found here: At last! The STEELY DAN Album-By-Album Thread Two Against Nature: At last! The STEELY DAN Album-By-Album Thread Everything Must Go: At last! The STEELY DAN Album-By-Album Thread Morph The Cat: At last! The STEELY DAN Album-By-Album Thread Circus Money: At last! The STEELY DAN Album-By-Album Thread
I guess you are referring to MQA streaming via Tidal HiFi... If so, give it a try! It is definitely worth it. Only downside is that you need an MQA capable DAC to enjoy the best possible sound quality. FWIW, I use Bluesound streaming equipment with built in MQA capable DAC. Since I introduced this in my home rig I have stopped bying 2 channel music on physical media (I skipped the downloading era totally ;-))
By the way, finally got my copy of the Steely Dan Ultimate Music Guide today...I've only just flipped through it so far but it looks pretty good! Even though I know this discussion is winding down at a fairly steady pace, I'll give people the weekend to play catch-up and whatnot before I start with the live performances/odds and ends section on Sunday night. I still can't find my copy of Alive In America, for one thing, and I'd feel silly talking about it without listening to it first...I don't just want to rely on my '93/'94 audience and soundboard tapes, even if they are a better listen than AIA is. In the meantime, talk about the compilation albums, miscellaneous tracks, Early Years era stuff, whatever if you feel so inclined...
Can we jump in at the very beginning? Dallas/Sail The Waterway, released 1972. Love this A-side. It's not really an indicator of what would come next, and I can see how it wouldn't attract much attention if you'd never heard another note from the band. But looking back, it's no embarrassment to their catalogue. It's a shame that it continues to be hidden away; at this point, it's almost like stubbornness that it's not had a legit digital release, rather than genuine shame. I'm still curious as to why Jim Hodder got the lead vocal for their first ever release, but he does a great job. There's no indication anywhere that he was ever in consideration to be the primary lead singer, but I do wonder why David Palmer was brought in (beyond the perils of having a singing drummer when performing live) when Hodder had a perfectly serviceable voice. 'Sail The Waterway' is pretty good, but it is B-side material. Not mind-blowing but pleasant enough.
Note Gary Katz was still using his real last name at the time of "Dallas"' release. It's ridiculous. IMO though "Dallas" and "Sail The Waterway" aren't the most distinguished Becker/Fagen tunes in the world there is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of here. I admit I get the impression that Becker was less of a fan of the songs than Fagen was -the only disparaging remarks regarding either track seemed to come from Walter (i.e. his judgment that the songs were "Stinko") whereas Fagen seems pretty silent on the subject. I bet we'll get releases of both songs eventually, but probably not until Fagen and Becker meet up again in the afterlife... I don't think either Palmer or Hodder's delivery of their songs hold a candle to what Fagen could have done with the vocals had he felt so inclined to sing them but I will say I prefer Jim Hodder's earthier sounding voice to David Palmer's sugar-sweetness. If it were up to me "Sail The Waterway" would have been the closing track on Can't Buy A Thrill instead of "Turn That Heartbeat Over Again". Do ya sorta get the idea I'm not a fan of "Turn That Heartbeat Over Again"? Off the top of my head, "Heartbeat" and "Throw Back The Little Ones" probably top my list of least favourite Steely Dan songs.
sunken condos crept up on me... i'm not even sure when i found out when it came out. i really like it a lot more than 'morph the cat', but it's not quite as good as the 'the nightfly' or 'kamakiriad' though. i think it has a great groove to it, and a funkier vibe on it. with the usual topics of women and relationships of course, along with some other fun topics. slinky thing - a very cool opener, nice an funky with a catchy chorus i'm not the same without you - much more of a classic steely dan sound, nice story telling, and upbeat tempo [would fit along with the nightfly songs] memorabilia - kind of a short quirky song, decent weather in my head - a nice slower tempo song, more moodier than the other tracks, nice guitar work the new breed - another mellow song, with some good horns, again more along the lines of the nightfly out of the ghetto - a fun cover song, very groovy and funky, great lyrics miss marlene - as with all donald fagen albums, this track stands out as my favorite, can repeat it over and over and not get tired of it, great lyrics, and excellent instrumentation good stuff - a nice laidback track, great storytelling, smooth chorus, and some cool guitar effects planet drhonda - a rather quiet and contemplative ending to the album will be interesting to see if donald decides to release more solo albums in the future. later -1
for the steely dan and donald fagen collectors: Sunken Condos: ---------------- this album got a very low key release, with only digital, cd and vinyl ----------------- Donald Fagen - Sunken Condos cd: Donald Fagen - Sunken Condos 2xlp clear: Donald Fagen - Sunken Condos Singles -------------- 1 miss marlene - us 1 track promo cd single ------------------------------------------- Donald Fagen - Miss Marlene Tracklist -------------------- 1 Miss Marlene 2 i'm not the same without you ------------------------------ 1 track US promo cd Donald Fagen - I'm Not The Same Without You Tracklist 1 I'm Not The Same Without You 4:33 that should do it for now. later -1
I would have picked up Sunken Condos on vinyl if it was a single album, and not three sided...I hate having to get up every fifteen minutes and flipping the record over unless it's a Beatles album
