Album: “Gold (Expanded Edition)”

Description

Steely Dan: Donald Fagen (vocals, keyboards); Walter Becker (guitar, bass). <p>Additional personnel includes: Denny Dias, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Elliot Randall, Lee Ritenour, Larry Carlton, Steve Khan, Rick Derringer (guitar); Michael Brecker, Tom Scott (tenor saxophone); Lew Soloff, Randy Brecker (trumpet); Gary Bargeron (trombone); Michael Omartian (piano); Joe Sample (Clavinet); Victor Feldman (keyboards, percussion); Chuck Rainey, Will Lee, Jim Haslip (bass); Jim Hodder, Jeff Porcaro, Bernard Purdie, Steve Gadd (drums); Michael McDonald (background vocals). <p>This album is not a collection of Steely Dan's hits (though it contains four songs--"FM," "Babylon Sisters," "Hey Nineteen" and "Deacon Blues" that also appear on the A DECADE OF STEELY DAN collection), but rather a well-chosen set of FM radio staples and fan favorites. Songs like "Black Cow" and "Here At The Western World" feature the same impeccable jazz-rock musicianship, obtuse lyrics and polished production as Steely Dan's hits, though the songs on GOLD tend to focus on the slightly more adventurous side of Donald Fagen and Walter Becker's music. <p>Adding several tracks that were not on the original vinyl version of the album, this expanded edition of GOLD contains several Fagen solo tracks--"Century's End" and "True Companion"--that could have easily come off of almost any Steely Dan album, plus a smoking live version of Steely Dan's "Bodhisattva." While A DECADE OF STEELY DAN is probably the best place to start your Steely Dan collection, GOLD is a wonderful companion disc that offers a well-rounded look at this group's fascinating music.