Originally published on July 7, 2000 By Dan Aquilante New York Post There’s no middle ground. Either you love Steely Dan for its cerebral lyrics that float on its jazz-funk-pop fusion – or you hate their egghead noodling that is the epitome of boring ’70s pop. Steely Dan, which some call more of a concept than […]
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Rain Can’t Dull Edge of Steely
By Jim Farber New York Daily News Steely Dan’s sneaky music has always demanded a lot from its fans. But at the band’s performance Monday (July 3, 2000) at Jones Beach, Long Island (NY), a physical challenge also came into play. At the local stop on group’s first tour featuring new material in 20 years, […]
Jaded, Meticulous, Quirky
By Jon Pareles New York Times WANTAGH, NY — “It’s a strange night,” Donald Fagen said in the middle of Steely Dan’s concert tonight (7/3/2000) at the Jones Beach Theater here. “I’m not kidding.” He seemed about to explain further when his partner, Walter Becker, drily cut him off. “Another strange night,” Mr. Becker deadpanned, […]
Steely Dan is Back With Funkier Edge
By John Young Pittsburgh Post-Gazette “Who makes the traffic interesting, rescues a dreary Sunday?” Fans of Steely Dan’s new album Two Against Nature know that the answer to that musical question is, “Janie Runaway.” Performing for 9,302 at the Post-Gazette Pavilion Sunday night, Steely Dan itself made it worth driving to Burgettstown for an extraordinary Sunday show. Playing […]
Road Trip Highlights Combination of Genres
By Greg Haymes Albany Times Union Saratoga Springs, NY — Don’t call it a comeback. Despite the fact that the recent Two Against Nature is Steely Dan’s first new studio album in two decades, guitarist Walter Becker — who along with keyboardist-vocalist Donald Fagen helms the band — insists that another album never seemed all that far […]
Once Reclusive, Becker and Fagen Step Into Public Eye
By Tony Norman Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Somehow, when we weren’t looking, Steely Dan became part of the background static of our lives. When Donald Fagen and Walter Becker recorded “Do It Again” in 1972, they were a couple of wily obscurants still smarting from an unrewarding stint as songwriters at Manhattan’s legendary Brill Building. Though young, […]
Steely Dan’s Sedate Style Still Slick
By Jason Anderson Toronto Globe and Mail Longtime Steely Dan partners Donald Fagen and Walter Becker seemed middle-aged even when they were still in their 20s. So it’s somehow appropriate that they’re having a career renaissance now, a few decades after the American group’s heyday in the 1970s. Last night’s (6/27/2000) show to 8,000 fans […]
Steely Dan Still Old School
By Jane Stevenson Toronto Sun TORONTO — Donald Fagen, one half of ’70s rock innovators Steely Dan, couldn’t help noticing the slow-setting sun during the band’s concert last night (6/27/2000) at the Molson Amphitheatre — their second ever in T.O. “It’s day here for a long time huh?” said Fagen, 52, looking cool in shades […]
Steely Dan Cruises on Vintage Highway
By Kevin McKeough Chicago Tribune CHICAGO — If rock ‘n’ roll is a vintage convertible barreling down a back road from Memphis to New Orleans at 2 a.m., Steely Dan is a European sedan cruising the Pacific Coast Highway at dusk, its driver musing darkly on the foibles of humanity. Polished craftsmanship, technical precision and cool sophistication were Steely Dan’s […]
CD Adds Modern Touch to ’70s Hits
By Vit Wagner Toronto Star In one of the more peculiar ironies in pop music history, Steely Dan went from being a ’70s studio band that didn’t tour to being a ’90s road act that didn’t have any new material to plug. But, like a weird, cosmic eclipse that occurs every few decades, the group’s […]
