Search - Steely Dan :: Decade of Steely Dan

1 of many SD comps, but one oddity helps this disc stand out

Dave | United States | 02/17/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Steely Dan, a definitive soft rock/ jazz rock group, have had a lot of greatest hits/ best of compilations released over the years with a lot of recycling of the same tracks. "A Decade of Steely Dan" was originally released in 1985, & it manages to somewhat stand apart from other Dan compilations such as "Gold" and the 1978 "Greatest Hits". With Steely Dan's 1972-1980 output being, in general, so astonishingly consistent and filled with brilliant songs, plus the fact that their biggest hits do tend to rank among their best work, it's pretty hard to screw things up when assembling a Steely Dan greatest hits/ best of. The tracks on "Decade" are not presented in chronological order, however there is at least one track from each of their '72-'80 albums, & with the track selection being as as strong as it is, this is a great listen and an effective overview of their career. The only inclusion that's particularly questionable is the Duke Ellington/ Bubber Miley-penned instrumental "East St. Louis Toodle-Oo"--yes, I like it, & it's certainly clever, but it's a questionable choice when such total Dan classics as "Any Major Dude Will Tell You", "Any World (That I'm Welcome To)", and "Haitian Divorce", among many others, are missing in action. Still, like I said, this is an effective overview of a band who had boundless creativity when it came to sophisticated, arresting compositions. The thing that really sets this compilation apart is something the previous reviewer has also pointed out--it contains a version of the soundtrack tune "FM" that has a haunting, extended song-ending guitar solo passage from Walter Becker; this is the only Steely Dan CD I know of that contains this superior version of this classic song--the "Citizen" box set, the 2 CD "Show Biz Kids" set, and the aforementioned "Gold" CD all contain the inferior version that ends with an extended sax solo instead. Also, the musician/ performance credits for each individual track are a solid bonus. With a band like Steely Dan, obviously there's a lot more you need than just what's on this disc, but still, it's filled with great songs and is an effective compilation.



(P.S. Somewhere along the line the "A Decade of Steely Dan" CD was indeed re-released ("original recording remastered" as they say), but the packaging remained extremely similar. The sound quality on the older version certainly isn't BAD, so it's a solid bargain if you see it around for a couple bucks somewhere. I wouldn't recommend spending a LOT more for the newer version.)"

Real Solid Introduction for the New Steely fan

mistermaxxx@yahoo.com | usa | 08/31/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"this Set has quite a bit on it&if you are just getting into Steely Dan than this set just might work for you.this disc captures many of there moments from there 70's Albums.this Band hasn't gotten there full Props to me overall but the Music here speaks for itself.Enjoy.they are one of my All-Time Favorite Bands."

"FM" with (extended) WALTER BECKER GUITAR SOLO!

Roger Morgan | baal, california | 06/11/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I was looking for where that version of "FM" was that seemed to only exist on, well... FM radio. I'd always heard the version with the drawn out guitar solo at the end, and then as I bought their albums -- in this case, compilation CDs -- I could only find the version with the floating sax solo that is okay enough but... THIS, folks, is the version of "FM" I like best. Walter Becker's solo sounds a ton like David Gilmour's on HAVE A CIGAR, as do the keyboards in the background sounding like other tunes from WISH YOU WERE HERE... this might have been on purpose, I don't know. Either way, this is the version I like. The rest of the CD is good enough, as in, there are good tracks, as in, your standard BEST-OF fare. I like that "BAD SNEAKERS" closes everything up, which is kind of neat. Although I could mention a ton of other better Dan songs than the ones on this compilation... But, hey... this is the first of many limbo-Dan (in between GAUCHO and TWO AGAINST NATURE) greatest hits packages and for the fact that it holds the best version of "FM", I suggest ya'll buy it!"