The Near Perfect Debut Version of the Perfect Band!
Frederick Baptist | Singapore | 10/15/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Did Steely Dan ever really release a bad album? Although each album had its own little idiosyncracy and in this case, the debut, we get a lot more rock and roll than in their future albums but what a debut! Even the great Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin declared that the best guitar solo he had ever heard was the one on "Reelin' In the Years" which also happens to be my favourite as well.
Speaking as a guitarist who has played paying gigs myself believe me when I say that the whole track is one excellent example of great guitar playing and only Dickey Betts'(Allman Bros Band) great solo on "Ramblin Man" and perhaps Terry Kath's (Chicago) great work on "25 or 6 to 4" comes anywhere close. This debut album represents a relatively raw version of the eventual finished product that Steely Dan would continue to progress to from album to album reaching great heights on "Aja" and the very good and hugely underrated Grammy award winner "Two Against Nature" more recently.
Another reason this Dan album stands out is the great vocals of David Palmer who only appears on this album with Fagen taking over on subsequent albums. I used to think that Art Garfunkel had the most heavenly voice ever in pop music but then I heard Palmer and man you've just got to hear the man on "Dirty Work" and "Only a Fool Would Say That"; simply sublime vocal work and what a beautiful voice!
Why the 4 stars you may ask? Well it's nothing to do with the quality of the content with regards the brilliant songwriting and musicianship but although the mini-lp sleeve replica is very well done and includes the lyrics of all the tracks in both English and Japanese with typically humorous liner notes written in 1998 by Fagen and Becker themselves, the disc isn't remastered and so the volume levels and overall clarity of the disc is not exactly what you'd expect given the high quality sound engineering technology that is currently out there.
The good thing is that the original production quality of which the Dan has always been renowned for as being close to perfection means that the sound quality is still quite good. Still, it would have been nice given the high price of this version of the album if the powers that be had invested in a remastering from the best possible masters in the vault.
This is essential listening for all fans of great music and especially for aspiring rock guitarists everywhere. If the slightly less than optimal un-remastered sound and the expensive price doesn't deter you, this comes highly recommended."
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1