Steely Dan played live at the Paramount Northwest Theater, Seattle, WA. on July 1st, 1974. There are very few of these 70's Dan live gigs on disc with decent audio quality. However this one is one of the best. If you are a Steely Dan fan you will find it very hard to criticize any of Steely Dan's albums. If you are a lover of great music you will probably recognize the quality of all Steely Dan's albums, (and Don & Walt's solo works). Although Steely Dan's often complex music includes rock, funk, R&B, and pop, all their albums contain a strong jazz element. On their later albums, "Aja", "Two Against Nature", and "Everything Must Go", Steely Dan's sound shifted more into the jazz/jazz rock mould. Many people prefer the '70's Steely Dan sound and would like to hear more rock and blues based songs like "Do It Again", "Reelin' in the Years", "Bodhisattva", "Night by Night", "Pretzel Logic", "Black Friday", and "Kid Charlemagne". Having said that, the Dan's more jazz orientated albums like "Aja", "Two Against Nature", and "Everything Must Go" are magnificent recordings, and even with the lesser emphasis on rock compositions, tracks like "West of Hollywood" from the "2VN" album, "Things I Miss the Most" from "Everything Must Go", and all the tracks from the "Aja" album are works of genius.There are also various recordings of this concert floating around, under various titles like "Live In Seattle '74", "Steely Dan's All American Tour", etc. but many of these recordings contain fewer tracks than the one here, and SQ on most of them is hardly above average. The album here was taken from a recording of one of the last live performances by the 1974 Steely Dan line-up, recorded at Seattle's Paramount Theater on the 1st of July, four nights prior to the Dan's final concert in Santa Monica on the 5th of July, 1974. This release is as near to a full Dan concert you will find on disc. The gig is composed mainly of songs from Steely Dan's first three albums, "Can't Buy a Thrill" from 1972, "Countdown to Ecstasy" from 1973, and "Pretzel Logic" in 1974. The gig here also includes "This All Too Mobile Home" a live band favourite, but never officially released on any Steely Dan studio album. The sound quality here is well above average for a live Dan gig, and it's a shame that albums like this and other Dan albums like "Memphis Blues Again", "Live At Wembley", & "Live At The Record Plant", all from 1974, are not remixed and remastered and released officially. This will probably never happen, but it would make many thousands of Steely Dan fans very happy. It was never easy to say exactly who the Steely Dan band members were. In the early seventies, the band's main members included the nucleus of Walt & Don plus Denny Dias, David Palmer, Jeff Baxter, Jim Hodder, and Elliot Randall. When it came to touring, Steely Dan often drafted in the great vocalist Royce Jones who replaced David Palmer, and used Michael McDonald on vocals and keys. In Seattle, Donald Fagen, Royce Jones, and Michael McDonald shared the vocals, but there are some great harmonies from all band members. Most of the musicians mentioned play on this album, and the late Jeff Porcaro features on drums. It is worth mentioning just how good Steely Dan were as a live band. Listen to Walt's unique bass work on "This All Too Mobile Home." Check out Royce Jones' vocals on "Dirty Work", and "Brooklyn (Owes The Charmer Under Me)". Listen to Jeff "Skunk" Baxter's guitar solos on "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" and "The Boston Rag", his volcanic lead guitar on "Reelin' In The Years" played in the studio by Elliott Randall, and his pedal steel on "Showbiz Kids". Michael McDonald's lead vocals on the same track are terrific. Denny Dias' guitar solos on "Bodhisattva" and "Do It Again" are also brilliant. This album contains several audio flaws, but it's one of Steely Dan's best live '70's performances, and a great chance to hear a legendary band at their peak. Steely Dan resumed touring in 1993 and still play live gigs with musicians like Jon Herington, Keith Carlock, Drew Zingg, and Wayne Krantz, but back in '74 the Dan was playing some magical stuff, with Donald Fagen at his vocal best. This album is VHR by A.O.O.F.C. [All tracks @ 256 Kbps: File size = 139 Mb]
TRACKS
1 Introduction by roadie Chris Adamson 0:20
2 Bodhisattva 5:08
3 Stage Banter 0:34
4 The Boston Rag 6:36
5 Stage Banter 0:47
6 Do It Again 8:08
7 Stage Banter 0:30
8 Brooklyn (Owes The Charmer Under Me) 3:53
9 Song Introduction by Jeff Baxter 0:43
10 King Of The World 4:53
11 Rikki Don't Lose That Number 4:45
12 Pretzel Logic 6:07
13 Band Introductions by Jeff Baxter 1:03
14 My Old School 3:47
15 Tuning 0:46
16 Dirty Work 3:52
17 Your Gold Teeth (instrumental) 1:22
18 Reelin' In The Years 5:43
19 Song Introduction by Jeff Baxter 0:39
20 Show Biz Kids 6:07
21 Stage Banter 1:12
22 This All Too Mobile Home (With excerpt from "Theme From A Summer Place") 8:37
All songs composed by Walter Becker & Donald Fagen, except excerpt from "Theme from A Summer Place" with lyrics by Mack Discant and music by Max Steiner
BAND
Donald Fagen - Piano, Synthesizer, Vocals
Walter Becker - Bass
Jeff Baxter - Guitar, Pedal Steel, Percussion, Background Vocals, Lead Vocals on "My Old School"
Denny Dias - Guitar
Michael McDonald - Fender Rhodes, Vocals, Lead Vocals on "Showbiz Kids"
Jim Hodder - Drums, Percussion, Background Vocals
Jeff Porcaro - Drums
Royce Jones - Percussion, Vocals, Lead Vocals on "Dirty Work" & "Brooklyn (Owes The Charmer Under Me)"
1 comment:
LINK
P/W is aoofc
Post a Comment