Published on Jan 13, 2006
Following the rather drab outing of Pretzel
Logic, Walter Becker and Donald Fagen — the heart of Steely
Dan — must have decided that something in their formula had to
change. Yes, they were still in the mode where they were cranking
out an album a year — and seeing the kind of music they wrote,
being on that kind of musical assembly line didn’t seem to be the
best thing for them.
Yet the addition of studio musicians — hired guns,
if you will — seemed to be a spark that partially re-ignited the
fire of Steely Dan’s work. Their fourth outing, Katy Lied,
contains some tracks that have rightfully taken their place among
the group’s best efforts of all time. Yet there is still a
tentativeness about other tracks, ending up in, at least, a
tentative step in the right direction.
Granted, classic rock radio has threatened to beat
some of these tracks to death, such as “Any World (That I’m Welcome
To),” “Bad Sneakers” and “Doctor Wu,” yet despite the way that
corporate radio has latched onto these tracks like leeches, there
is still something refreshing about hearing them. Maybe it’s the
fact that, when you’re sitting and listening to this album from
beginning to end, you’re hearing these songs in their natural
environment, as it were. Maybe these tracks are just so strong that
they can withstand the barrage of airplay they’ve been given.
Yet other tracks, while getting some airplay to my
attention over the years, almost await re-discovery by the
listener. “Black Friday” is one such animal, a track that captures
the rock essence of Steely Dan more than any single of theirs since
“Reelin’ In The Years.” Despite the overriding cynicism of the
lyrics — a trait common to a lot of Steely Dan’s work — this
jazz/rock fusion is just a lot of fun to listen to.
The same can be said for “Everyone’s Gone To The
Movies,” a track that makes me wonder if there was some kind of
hidden message in its lyrics. While this one may not get the kind
of attention that a lot of Steely Dan’s hits catalog gets, it’s
well worth the time to really focus on. If there was one track off
of Katy Lied that I’d argue is a prime candidate for “hidden
gem,” this one would be it.
Yet Katy Lied doesn’t seem to approach the
same kind of confidence level that other discs such as Can’t Buy
A Thrill or Countdown To Ecstasy had. Any time a group
goes back to repeat an earlier musical effort — in this case,
“Your Gold Teeth II” — it’s usually a red flag that flies up in my
mind. I will admit that this faster-tempoed take of the song works
well, but I have to wonder why they even needed to do so in the
first place. Likewise, “Throw Back The Little Ones” just seems like
a weak way to close the disc — admittedly, something that Steely
Dan has had problems with on most, if not all, of their previous
discs.
Still, Katy Lied, despite a few weak moments,
is a step in the right direction for Steely Dan, and most
definitely was the disc that set the pace for the remainder of the
band’s career until their first retirement.