Steely Dan Album: “Katy Lied [Remaster]”

Not telling you anything you don't already know, but this memory surfaces everytime I see the cover of or play any of the songs on Katy Lied. When this album came out, my high school science class was dabbling in entomology (bugs) so I paid attention to the seemingly inscrutable cover art of Katy Lied. Well, as we all know, it's a Katydid... just another sardonic Becker-Fagen play on words. But the knowledge that Katy did, gives an extra punch to Fagen's 'I was half-way crucified' lyric. Dr. Wu is their best song ever.

Steely Dan never made a bad album/CD, period. This is their best. If just for the bass riff in Gold Teeth, you need this CD. The level of muscianship has never been surpassed. The level of sophistication and insight is in a class by itself. The unbelievable quest for perfection that these two guys were on is unique in the pop music world, and I feel that the pinacle was Katy Lied. You can never get tired of this CD, it is timeless and absolutely amazing.

I have several Steely Dan albums, including this one, and they are all filled with great songs, performed well by exceptional musicians (they had great taste in guitarists and really gave them the opportunity to shine) and with excellent production. There are no bad songs on any of the albums I have. I also recommend Aja (sublime), Royal Scam & Gaucho. I should really try some of their newer stuff too (the singles sound great).

And you will listen to it again and again and again over the months and then years and then decades, yes, decades and it will only get better and better. The source of the Nile is "Doctor Wu," an actual romantic and wonderful Steely Dan composition that is just plain unequalled -- dizzy joy, everything is all right. This album is the moment before enlightenment, poised on the edge of -- well, being. It's as far as they could go without burning their ships and accepting the new world.

Can you hear me, Doctor..?

Are you with me, Doctor..?

They could charge five hundred dollars for this album and it would still be an obscene bargain, you just can't find music this good anywhere else.

On "Katy Lied," Steely Dan basically refines what they began in "Pretzel Logic" to a smooth finish; scaling their music back into more concise playing. It may be a pop concession, but it works beautifully on both albums. However, some of the songs on "Pretzel Logic" felt like they were clipped, as if they would've benefited from the band hanging in there for another minute or two. I didn't get that feeling with "Katy Lied," which is why I think it's a better album. For new pop/rock oriented listeners, it's probably the next best album to buy after "Greatest Hits `72-78" or "A Decade of Steely Dan." Each track is enjoyable and impeccably performed, particularly "Black Friday," "Bad Sneakers," and "Doctor Wu." There's one great gem on this album in "Gold Teeth II." It's the one track where the players really get to lay out, resulting in a lovely, supple guitar solo, possibly the most exquisite ever put on a Steely Dan cut. Furthermore, there's also a warmth to the music, not just the sound, that wasn't present in their previous album. Steely Dan has always been more cerebral and complex than emotional and direct, but on a track like "Any World That I'm Welcome To," they show strong hints of the latter.

It's unfortunate the album fell short of the group's expectations: a malfunction in a DBX console flubbed the sound on the master tapes. They couldn't fix it, and neither could DBX, so with only a few days to press time, they mixed down a new master (not rerecord, as some believe), resulting in what was considered inferior to all involved. However, keep on mind these guys are the most meticulous studio artists in the world; "Katy Lied" may fail their standards but it still sounds like solid gold.

One more thing for audiophiles out there: if you end up buying their CD's used, try to get either the initial pressings or the reissues made in 1993 and after. Pressings/issues made in between came from inferior analog tapes rather than the digital masters carefully prepared by Gary Katz in the early 80's or the transfers made in the 90's (see the Steely Dan bio "Reelin' In The Years" for details).