Walter Becker and Donald Fagen have complementing talents — that’s a major reason of what made their partnership such a success — but there’s some overlap too, and one of the things they are both big on is making their songs groove. You May Also Like: Walter Becker, “Medical ScienceRead More

<<< BACKWARD (“Fall Of ’92”) ||| ONWARD (“Medical Science”) >>> *** STEELY DAN SUNDAY INDEX *** With vicious and vulgar prose, it’s easy to figure out why “Fall of ’92” failed to get included on 11 Tracks of Whack. I’m not really sure what barred “Lies I Can Believe” fromRead More

Coming together in 1962 and originally known as Chad Allan and the Reflections, then Chad Allan and the Expressions, and finally the Guess Who, this Canadian band eventually turned into one of the biggest groups in the world. You May Also Like: The Guess Who – Track Record: The GuessRead More

<<< BACKWARD (“Hat Too Flat”) ||| ONWARD (“Fall of ’92”) >>> *** STEELY DAN SUNDAY INDEX *** Like most rock stars of the 1970s, Walter Becker had lived the whole sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle during that decade. You May Also Like: Walter Becker, “Medical Science [Demo]” (1994):Read More

<<< BACKWARD (“This Moody Bastard”) ||| ONWARD (“Little Kawai”) >>> *** STEELY DAN SUNDAY INDEX *** This detailed re-evaluation of Becker’s first solo record from the mid-90s gave me a better appreciation of the album, but there are some quirks I still can’t overcome and the whole of “Hat TooRead More

<<< BACKWARD (“My Waterloo”) ||| ONWARD (“Hat Too Flat”) >>> *** STEELY DAN SUNDAY INDEX *** Back during the time that 11 Tracks Of Whack was new, I’d pop that CD out of the player after “Girlfriend” most of the time; I thought that most of this album’s filler wereRead More

Last week Boz Scaggs issued his first album since 2008’s Speak Low, another covers-dominant record, but as the name makes clear, Memphis is not a jazz crooner record like his prior two, but rather, a soul crooner record. You May Also Like: Boz Scaggs – Out Of The Blues (2018)Read More

Al Jardine still struggles to put into words exactly what happened at the end of what had once been a celebrated 50th anniversary reunion tour by the Beach Boys. He seems, in many ways, as surprised as anyone on the outside looking in. You May Also Like: Brian Wilson’s NoRead More

<<< BACKWARD (“Cringemaker”) ||| ONWARD (“My Waterloo”) >>> *** STEELY DAN SUNDAY INDEX *** There are some things I don’t like about “Girlfriend” and other things I just love. You May Also Like: Walter Becker, “Cringemaker [Swamp Version]” (circa 1994)

The real charm of 11 Tracks of Whack is not how much it sounds like classic Steely Dan, but how much it distances itself from it. You May Also Like: Walter Becker, “Cringemaker [Swamp Version]” (circa 1994) Walter Becker, “Medical Science [Demo]” (1994): Steely Dan Sunday Steely Dan, “Hey Nineteen”Read More