Search - Walter Becker, Donald Fagan :: Walter Becker & Donald Fagan

Better compilations exist

Burritoman "USA" | Pennsylvania | 04/17/2002

(2 out of 5 stars)

"This cd is just another repackaging of the pre-Steely Dan demos that Becker and Fagan recorded way back when. If you can get past the often rough sound quality, as I am sure any Dan fan can, there's nothing wrong with the material. In fact, most of it is great. But this release doesn't include all of it. There are better, more complete reissues of this material available. Check out "Android Warehouse", or any of the 2-cd sets of this era for a much better and more definitive collection."

Deconstructing Steely Dan

chgreiner3 | Los Angeles, CA United States | 05/24/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Strictly for the faithful, this rough, but intriguing compilation is the blueprint for some of the greatest music of all time. Some of the tracks are stripped bare (vocals and piano only) and have an alias. "Andriod Warehouse" which is really "The Caves of Altrima" fits this desription. The few tracks that weren't revisited by Steely Dan--"I Can't Function" and "Mock Turtle Song"--are by no means rejects. An early version of "Brooklyn (Owes the Charmer in Me)" with Fagan singing instead of the booted David Palmer is also highly welcomed. The disc does not reveal when and where Walter Becker and Donald Fagan laid down these tracks, but does reveal the promise of Steely Dan. In other words, if you've ever wanted to hear what the first stage of musical genius sounds like....look no further."