Victor’s taking a break from SDS this week and handing over the reigns to a real knowledgeable Steely Fan aficionado, Preston Frazier. Enjoy!
There aren’t many elements in common between the Steely Dan live show of 1974 and the live show on 1994. However, one element in common between those tours is the song “Bodhisattva.”
The song, rumored to be one if not the only Steely Dan song composed solo by Donald Fagen (though still credited to Becker/Fagen), was alleged to have been written as a song to jam live. It seemed to have served that purpose in 1974, giving the SD guitarist (particularly Denny Dias) an opportunity to stretch.
The version on Alive In America seems to serve the same purpose. Georg Wadenius gets the call to play the first solos and he given it a more rock, less bebop feel than the original. Walter Becker acquits himself just fine on the end solo and drummer Dennis Chambers covers the same space as Jeff Pocaro and Jim Hodder and makes it fit. There are a few new touches (like the 3 piece horn vamp), but “Bodhisattva” proves what we already know…Steely Dan rocks.
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