True Audiophile Vinyl Rip
Hard-core Steely Dan fans will find hints of the band in these pre-Dan demos recorded between late 1968 and 1971: there's an early version of "Brooklyn (Owes The Charmer)," and one song even uses the phrase "steely dan." Nevertheless, this is no more than promising juvenilia, not in the same league with the Dan masterpieces, and should be approached as a historical curiosity. This material has been reissued by various record companies in various countries under various titles.
Most rock & roll bands are a tightly wound unit that developed their music through years of playing in garages and clubs around their hometown. Steely Dan never subscribed to that aesthetic. As the vehicle for the songwriting of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, Steely Dan defied all rock & roll conventions…
Ain't no crime in having a good time and everybody partied at the New York Rock & Soul Revue held live at New York's Beacon Theater; the lineup of Phoebe Snow, Donald Fagen, Charles Brown, Michael McDonald, and Eddie and David Brigati (the Rascals) saw to that. While some performances come off as perfunctory and there's nothing you could label outstanding, the soul is real and heartfelt. Top performances come from Brown (the oldest person in the show), Snow and McDonald, Boz Scaggs ("Drowning in the Sea of Love"), and Fagen (a jazzy "Madison Time," which he performs accompanied by Jeff & the Youngsters in a full-blown reprise that closes the concert).
Most rock & roll bands are a tightly wound unit that developed their music through years of playing in garages and clubs around their hometown. Steely Dan never subscribed to that aesthetic. As the vehicle for the songwriting of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, Steely Dan defied all rock & roll conventions.