IMHO one of my favorite bands ever, Steely Dan, lost the plot near the end of their first recording career. 1977-80 saw the releases ??Aja?? and ??Gaucho??, both of which sold very, very well. But both of them lacked the blistering guitar and sardonic lyrics that adorn the best Dan tracks from earlier days. Perfectly produced? Stellar playing? Yup. Boring and unengaging? Double yup.So, imagine my surprise when I bought their live “reunion” album, ??Live In America??, and found a live version of ??Peg?? (from ??Aja??) that blew away the studio version. I now actually LIKE this song. And, while searching YouTube, found this video of a solo Walter Becker playing ??Haitian Divorce?? I must admit I miss Donald Fagen’s vocals, but Walter does a creditable job with this, and I’m always thrilled to see him step into the spotlight.
deadmandeadman says
Mark, I've been waiting all day to hear this.
I agree it has more punch than the studio version. But the **Starland Vocal Band** had more punch than either of Steely Dan's last two LPs.
dermahrk says
If you mean "last" in their first incarnation, ??Ajaj?? and ??Gaucho??, agreed. If you mean the latest two ??Two Against Nature?? and ??Everything Must Go??, I can only ask:
1) Do you actually *OWN* these babies and heard the entire CDs?
2) If so, are you *NUTS*?
Bartleby says
I must confess that I lose all common sense when it comes to SD. I enjoyed the Aja and this live version just proves that the material is good and has been so from the start. -- Now you can get your rotten tomatoes out and aim.
BrandNewFriend says
wow blast from the past we sometimes forget about such great bands
Loved the 'peg' track but not so sure about haitian divorce
as you commented the vocals are a bit weak
really enjoyed this post derm thanks x
dermahrk says
*Bartleby*: Be not ashamed. ??Aja?? was, if I remember correctly, their best-selling LP. Millions loved it. The fact that their appeal to me lessened as they went from ??Royal Scam?? to ??Gaucho?? has been offset by their return to form since their reunion. I own all of their group and solo CDs, so I'm obviously a big fan too.
*BNF*: I am touched by your attention and loyalty, as always.
IMHO one of my favorite bands ever, Steely Dan, lost the plot near the end of their first recording career. 1977-80 saw the releases ??Aja?? and ??Gaucho??, both of which sold very, very well. But both of them lacked the blistering guitar and sardonic lyrics that adorn the best Dan tracks from earlier days. Perfectly produced? Stellar playing? Yup. Boring and unengaging? Double yup.So, imagine my surprise when I bought their live “reunion” album, ??Live In America??, and found a live version of ??Peg?? (from ??Aja??) that blew away the studio version. I now actually LIKE this song. And, while searching YouTube, found this video of a solo Walter Becker playing ??Haitian Divorce?? I must admit I miss Donald Fagen’s vocals, but Walter does a creditable job with this, and I’m always thrilled to see him step into the spotlight.
Comments (7)
Bad sneakers and a pina colada pina my friend. Wrong song lyrics but got to agree on this live performance. Yeah! Good stuff.
:=)