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In the category of "we should have given ‘em the Grammy in the first place," the winner is Steely Dan. Perhaps we listeners wouldn't have had to endure the wretched Two Against Nature had this been the case in 1975. The Grammy Awards were a completely different institution in those days, however. Not only did Grammy’s not go to anyone who didn't bring in numbers and avoid controversy, they certainly did not acknowledge a couple of guys named after a sex toy in William Burrough’s Naked Lunch. Of all of the Becker/Fagen records of this time my vote goes to Katy Lied as the best of the lot. Supposedly Fagen and Becker still cringe when hearing this record. Legend has it that the master tapes were run through a DBX noise reduction system on the final copy. However, being new and untested technology at the time, the sound quality was significantly degraded. Vinyl and lifestyle being what they were in those days, I never noticed after about six months of play. The sound quality is much improved on the newest re-mastered version. A solemn follow-up to Pretzel Logic; the hard-nosed cynicism of Daddy Don't Live in That New York City No More and the twisted parody Everyone’s Gone To The Movies give us dark humored insights into modern urban living. Bad Sneakers reflects on the banality of day-to-day living, reminding us that yeah though you walk through the valley, there will be a ditch for you, too. Dr Wu is one of greatest single tunes The Dan every wrote. Katy Lied seamlessly transitioned Steely Dan from modern pop to modern jazz without most listeners even noticing. Also notable are appearances of vocalist Michael McDonald, whose grainy baritone blends particularly well with Fagen’s unique sound, guitarist Rick Derringer, and brand new on the scene, drummer Jeff Porcaro. All this waxing nostalgic for Steely Dan made me pull out that Two Against Nature CD again. Let's just say that none of the songs will be going onto the MP3 player with all the other Dan records. Amazon.com |
Regressive Music Review