Steely Dan Katy Lied CD

Steely Dan: Donald Fagen (vocals, piano, keyboards); Walter Becker (guitar, bass).
Additional personnel includes: Denny Dias, Rick Derringer, Dean Parks, Elliot Randall, Hugh McCracken, Larry Carlton (guitar); Phil Woods (alto saxophone); Michael Omartian, David Paich (piano, keyboards); Victor Feldman (vibraphone, percussion); Chuck Rainey, Wilton Felder (bass); Jeff Porcaro (drums, dorophone); Hal Blaine (drums); Michael McDonald, Sherlie Matthews, Carolyn Willis, Myrna Matthews (background vocals).
Recorded at ABC Recording Studios Inc., Los Angeles, California. Includes liner notes by Donald Fagen and Walter Becker.
Personnel: Phil Woods (vocals, alto, horns); Walter Becker (vocals, guitar); Donald Fagen (vocals, piano, keyboards); Carolyn Willis, Sherlie Matthews, Michael McDonald , Myrna Matthews (vocals, background vocals); Dean Parks, Elliot Randall, Elliott Randall, Denny Diaz, Hugh McCracken, Larry Carlton, Rick Derringer, Denny Dias (guitar); Jimmie Haskell, Bill Perkins (horns); David Paich, Michael Omartian (piano, keyboards); Victor Feldman (keyboards, vibraphone, percussion); Hal Blaine, Jeff Porcaro (drums); Mike McDonald (background vocals).
Liner Note Authors: Donald Fagen; Kenta Hagiwara.
Recording information: ABC Recording Studios Inc., Los Angeles, CA.
Arranger: Jimmie Haskell.
Building from the jazz fusion foundation of Pretzel Logic, Steely Dan created an alluringly sophisticated album of jazzy pop with Katy Lied. With this record, Walter Becker and Donald Fagen began relying solely on studio musicians, which is evident from the immaculate sound of the album. Usually, such a studied recording method would drain the life out of each song, but that's not the case with Katy Lied, which actually benefits from the duo's perfectionist tendencies. Each song is given a glossy sheen, one that accentuates not only the stronger pop hooks, but also the precise technical skill of the professional musicians drafted to play the solos. Essentially, Katy Lied is a smoother version of Pretzel Logic, featuring the same cross-section of jazz-pop and blues-rock. The lack of innovations doesn't hurt the record, since the songs are uniformly brilliant. Less overtly cynical than previous Dan albums, the album still has its share of lyrical stingers, but what's really notable are the melodies, from the seductive jazzy soul of "Doctor Wu" and the lazy blues of "Chain Lightning" to the terse "Black Friday" and mock calypso of "Everyone's Gone to the Movies." It's another excellent record in one of the most distinguished rock & roll catalogs of the '70s. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
In 1975 after an extraordinarily successful run of releases which culminated in that "steely" masterpiece, PRETZEL LOGIC, the Dan shifted direction a bit and opened their music up on KATY LIED. The sound is warmer, the already sophisticated harmonies somewhat richer, a little bit closer to combo jazz. It's as if jazz pianist Bill Evans collaborated with Bob Dylan.
KATY LIED contains Steely Dan's most emotional, even passionate music up to that point, matched only by the brilliant AJA a few years later. Donald Fagen's acerbic vocals forgoe the double tracking of the previous albums, the sarcasm melting into something close to vulnerability in a song like "Doctor Wu," maybe the greatest single tune Fagen and Becker ever wrote. KATY LIED is also notable for the appearance of vocalist Michael McDonald, whose grainy baritone blends particularly well with Fagen's unique sound.

Re-Issue