Steely Dan fanatics John Lawler, Preston Frazier and S. Victor Aaron choose their five favorite songs from frontman Donald Fagen.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNCbJY5647o&w=420&h=315] <<< BACKWARD (“Confide In Me”) ||| ONWARD (“Down In The Bottom”) >>> *** STEELY DAN SUNDAY INDEX *** Another Fagen rarity, first appearing as the B-side to the “Trans-Island Skyway,” and finally finding a long-player home on the Nightfly Trilogy in 2007. No, wait, it actually first appearedRead More

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IoVcBo0eDg&w=420&h=315] <<< BACKWARD (“Teahouse On The Tracks”) ||| ONWARD (“Big Noise, New York”) >>> *** STEELY DAN SUNDAY INDEX *** You can probably find a little bit of Ray Charles in most anything Donald Fagen plays, but on occassion, his affection for the music of America’s most important soulRead More

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_olU7is4jE&w=420&h=315] <<< BACKWARD (“On The Dunes”) ||| ONWARD (“Confide In Me”) >>> *** STEELY DAN SUNDAY INDEX *** And so we reach the conclusion of Kamakiriad with a funky horn-drenched number. You May Also Like: Steely Dan, “Reelin’ in the Years [Live]” (2021): Steely Dan Sunday Donald Fagen, “NewRead More

On every Donald Fagen album, there’s inevitably a track or two that particularly brings to mind Steely Dan’s Aja and on Kamakiriad, that “Aja” track would be the smooth lounge-y jazz-pop number “On the Dunes.” You May Also Like: Steely Dan, “Reelin’ in the Years [Live]” (2021): Steely Dan SundayRead More

<<< BACKWARD (“Tomorrow’s Girls”) ||| ONWARD (“On The Dunes”) >>> *** STEELY DAN SUNDAY INDEX *** When the Doobie Brothers had released One Step Closer in 1980, I eagerly snapped up the album looking forward to another Minute By Minute, but the album was largely a disappointment to me. YouRead More

<<< BACKWARD (“Snowbound”) ||| ONWARD (“Florida Room”) >>> *** STEELY DAN SUNDAY INDEX *** Kamakiriad got its mojo going with “Snowbound” and reached the summit at “Tomorrow’s Girls.” This song was the single spun off the album, and achieved some mild success, reaching #20 on the “Mainstream Rock Tracks” chartsRead More

Like Simon & Garfunkel’s post-band breakup hit “My Little Town,” Steely Dan reconvened for a single, new original song with “Snowbound.” You May Also Like: Walter Becker, “Hard Up Case (Live at Slim’s 1995)” (2024): Steely Dan Sunday Walter Becker, “Three Sisters Shakin’” (circa 1992): Steely Dan Sunday Best JonRead More

<<< BACKWARD (“Countermoon”) ||| ONWARD (“Snowbound”) >>> *** STEELY DAN SUNDAY INDEX *** It’s no fun to write about the failing of an artist for which you have an immense amount of respect and admiration, but we’ve reached that nadir for Donald Fagen with the flaccid “Springtime.” You May AlsoRead More

Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen gets down with the slowed-down, hand-clapping funk of “Countermoon,” but it could have been better.