Dan Go

For about the thousandth time, these very early recordings by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen that have remained officially unreleased for a reason: they're terrible and only vaguely resemble the actual Steely Dan that came years later. This is not to say that there is no merit to them, only very little, and only for those who are so obsessed by the Steely Dan legend they need to hear every bent note, of which there are plenty here. This is another shabby Dressed to Kill effort that should be avoided. Period.

A couple of years after the pop hits stopped, Dan Fogelberg took this detour down the bluegrass/traditional acoustic music road. The result is a fine collection of mostly original songs, an album that holds up better than much of his earlier, better-known work. Accompanied by some of Nashville's top studio aces, Fogelberg sings of the California gold rush in the beautiful "Sutter's Mill," accompanies Doc Watson, Jerry Douglas and David Grisman on the instrumental bluegrass workout "Wolf Creek," and leads his all-star group speeding through several other bluegrass-flavored rave-ups. There's a touch of gospel here as well, with Vince Gill and Ricky Skaggs pitching in on vocal harmonies. By the time of this album's release in the mid-'80s, pop radio was no longer playing the music of mellow singer/songwriters like Fogelberg, but the lovely ballad "Go Down Easy" found some airplay on contemporary country stations. Although the set-closing "The Higher You Climb" is a too-long slow drag similar to some of the singer's earlier overblown productions, High Country Snows is a surprising musical high point for Dan Fogelberg.

Throughout the '70s, musical trends would come and go, but Steely Dan always remained true to their own blend of Jazz, Pop and Rock. The songs were clever and melodic, the musicianship was top notch and the production was stellar. The band, led by Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, were adored by musicians and non-musicians alike and even the critics eventually warmed up to them. While the band called it a day in 1980 (reuniting a decade and a half later), their fan base continued to grow and their original albums became prized possessions in record collections everywhere. This triple disc collection contains 47 tracks including hits and album tracks released 1972-80. Features 'Do It Again', 'Peg', 'Reelin' in the Years', 'Rikki Don't Lose That Number', 'FM', and many others.

Gold is a compilation album by Steely Dan, released in 1982. It mostly comprises hits both post-dating and not included on their 1978 Greatest Hits, essentially acting as "Volume 2"; it also features additional album tracks, offering a broad perspective on the band's career to that point.