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Putting together a "best-of" compilation for a band as hell-bent on achieving perfection as Steely Dan can be a daunting task. Fortunately, The Very Best of Steely Dan takes a kitchen-sink approach as it delivers two discs of remarkably precise jazz-rock from the storied outfit. A career retrospective, the album tracks Steely Dan from their more group-oriented beginning, which found legendary guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter in the lineup, to their more withdrawn period in the second half of their career when Becker and Fagen focused on the perfectionism allowed by the studio environment. This helps to give listeners a taste of the band's complete history all in one shot rather than over the course of a couple of volumes. In the end, The Very Best of Steely Dan is like the closing arguments of two attorneys who are both arguing their client is innocent, just for different reasons, with both of its two discs making a compelling case for why Steely Dan were one of the great soft/jazz-rock bands of the '70s.
© Gregory Heaney /TiVo
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Donald Fagen, Piano, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Victor Feldman, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - JEFF BAXTER, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Steely Dan, MainArtist - GARY KATZ, Producer - WALTER BECKER, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Denny Dias, Electric Sitar, AssociatedPerformer - Jim Hodder, Drums, AssociatedPerformer
(C) 2000 MCA Records Inc. ℗ 1972 Geffen Records
David Palmer, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Donald Fagen, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Electric Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Victor Feldman, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Steely Dan, MainArtist - GARY KATZ, Producer - WALTER BECKER, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Jerome Richardson, Tenor Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Snooky Young, Flugelhorn, AssociatedPerformer - Denny Dias, Acoustic Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Jim Hodder, Drums, AssociatedPerformer
(C) 2000 MCA Records Inc. ℗ 1972 Geffen Records
Donald Fagen, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Elliott Randall, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Victor Feldman, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Steely Dan, MainArtist - GARY KATZ, Producer - WALTER BECKER, Electric Bass, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Denny Dias, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Jim Hodder, Drums, AssociatedPerformer
(C) 2000 MCA Records Inc. ℗ 1972 UMG Recordings, Inc.
David Palmer, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Donald Fagen, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Electric Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Victor Feldman, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Steely Dan, MainArtist - GARY KATZ, Producer - WALTER BECKER, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Denny Dias, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Jim Hodder, Drums, AssociatedPerformer
(C) 2000 MCA Records Inc. ℗ 1972 Geffen Records
David Palmer, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Donald Fagen, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Electric Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Steely Dan, MainArtist - GARY KATZ, Producer - WALTER BECKER, Electric Bass, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Denny Dias, Electric Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Jim Hodder, Drums, AssociatedPerformer
(C) 2000 MCA Records Inc. ℗ 1972 Geffen Records
Roger Nichols, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Donald Fagen, Piano, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Steely Dan, MainArtist - GARY KATZ, Producer - WALTER BECKER, Electric Bass, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Denny Dias, Mixer, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Jim Hodder, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Miss Natalie, Additional Engineer, StudioPersonnel
(C) 2000 MCA Records Inc. ℗ 1973 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Roger Nichols, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Donald Fagen, Piano, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Steely Dan, MainArtist - GARY KATZ, Producer - WALTER BECKER, Electric Bass, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Denny Dias, Mixer, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Jim Hodder, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Miss Natalie, Additional Engineer, StudioPersonnel
(C) 2000 MCA Records Inc. ℗ 1973 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Roger Nichols, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Donald Fagen, Piano, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Steely Dan, MainArtist - GARY KATZ, Producer - WALTER BECKER, Electric Bass, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Denny Dias, Mixer, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Jim Hodder, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Miss Natalie, Additional Engineer, StudioPersonnel
(C) 2000 MCA Records Inc. ℗ 1973 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Roger Nichols, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Donald Fagen, Piano, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Steely Dan, MainArtist - GARY KATZ, Producer - WALTER BECKER, Electric Bass, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Denny Dias, Mixer, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Jim Hodder, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Miss Natalie, Additional Engineer, StudioPersonnel
(C) 2000 MCA Records Inc. ℗ 1973 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Timothy B. Schmit, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Roger Nichols, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Donald Fagen, Keyboards, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Jimmie Haskell, Unknown, Other - JIM GORDON, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Victor Feldman, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - JEFF BAXTER, Guitar, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Steely Dan, MainArtist - GARY KATZ, Producer - WALTER BECKER, Guitar, Bass, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Denny Dias, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer
(C) 2000 MCA Records Inc. ℗ 1974 Geffen Records
Jeff Porcaro, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Roger Nichols, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Donald Fagen, Keyboards, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Jimmie Haskell, Unknown, Other - JEFF BAXTER, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Steely Dan, MainArtist - GARY KATZ, Producer - WALTER BECKER, Guitar, Bass, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Denny Dias, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer
(C) 2000 MCA Records Inc. ℗ 1974 Geffen Records
Timothy B. Schmit, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Roger Nichols, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Donald Fagen, Keyboards, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Jimmie Haskell, Unknown, Other - JIM GORDON, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - JEFF BAXTER, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Steely Dan, MainArtist - GARY KATZ, Producer - WALTER BECKER, Guitar, Bass, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Denny Dias, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer
(C) 2000 MCA Records Inc. ℗ 1974 Geffen Records
Roger Nichols, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Donald Fagen, Keyboards, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Jimmie Haskell, Unknown, Other - JIM GORDON, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - JEFF BAXTER, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Steely Dan, MainArtist - GARY KATZ, Producer - WALTER BECKER, Guitar, Bass, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Denny Dias, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer
(C) 2000 MCA Records Inc. ℗ 1974 Geffen Records
Donald Fagen, ComposerLyricist - Steely Dan, MainArtist - GARY KATZ, Producer - WALTER BECKER, ComposerLyricist
(C) 2000 MCA Records Inc. ℗ 1975 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Donald Fagen, ComposerLyricist - Steely Dan, MainArtist - GARY KATZ, Producer - WALTER BECKER, ComposerLyricist
(C) 2000 MCA Records Inc. ℗ 1975 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Donald Fagen, ComposerLyricist - Steely Dan, MainArtist - GARY KATZ, Producer - WALTER BECKER, ComposerLyricist
(C) 2000 MCA Records Inc. ℗ 1975 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Donald Fagen, ComposerLyricist - Steely Dan, MainArtist - GARY KATZ, Producer - WALTER BECKER, ComposerLyricist
(C) 2000 MCA Records Inc. ℗ 1975 Geffen Records
Rick Derringer, Participant - Donald Fagen, ComposerLyricist - Steely Dan, MainArtist - GARY KATZ, Producer - WALTER BECKER, ComposerLyricist
(C) 2000 MCA Records Inc. ℗ 1975 UMG Recordings, Inc.
DISC 2
Donald Fagen, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Chuck Findley, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Steely Dan, MainArtist - GARY KATZ, Producer - WALTER BECKER, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist
(C) 2000 MCA Records Inc. ℗ 1976 Geffen Records
Donald Fagen, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Chuck Findley, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Steely Dan, MainArtist - GARY KATZ, Producer - WALTER BECKER, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist
(C) 2000 MCA Records Inc. ℗ 1976 Geffen Records
Donald Fagen, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Chuck Findley, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Steely Dan, MainArtist - GARY KATZ, Producer - WALTER BECKER, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist
(C) 2000 MCA Records Inc. ℗ 1976 Geffen Records
Donald Fagen, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Chuck Findley, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Steely Dan, MainArtist - GARY KATZ, Producer - WALTER BECKER, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Paul Laurence Griffin, ComposerLyricist
(C) 2000 MCA Records Inc. ℗ 1976 Geffen Records
Donald Fagen, ComposerLyricist - Steely Dan, MainArtist - GARY KATZ, Producer - WALTER BECKER, ComposerLyricist
(C) 2000 MCA Records Inc. ℗ 1978 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Donald Fagen, ComposerLyricist - Chuck Rainey, Participant - Victor Feldman, Participant - Tom Scott, Conductor, Recording Arranger, Participant, AssociatedPerformer - Steely Dan, MainArtist - GARY KATZ, Producer - WALTER BECKER, ComposerLyricist
(C) 2000 MCA Records Inc. ℗ 1977 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Donald Fagen, ComposerLyricist - Chuck Rainey, Participant - Victor Feldman, Participant - Steve Gadd, Participant - Tom Scott, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Steely Dan, MainArtist - GARY KATZ, Producer - WALTER BECKER, ComposerLyricist - Wayne Shorter, Participant
(C) 2000 MCA Records Inc. ℗ 1977 Geffen Records
Donald Fagen, ComposerLyricist - Victor Feldman, Piano, AssociatedPerformer - Tom Scott, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - LEE RITENOUR, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Steely Dan, MainArtist - GARY KATZ, Producer - WALTER BECKER, ComposerLyricist
(C) 2000 MCA Records Inc. ℗ 1977 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Steve Khan, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Donald Fagen, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Chuck Rainey, Double Bass, AssociatedPerformer - Gary Coleman, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Don Grolnick, Clavichord, AssociatedPerformer - Rick Marotta, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Victor Feldman, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - MICHAEL MCDONALD, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Tom Scott, Unknown, Other - JAY GRAYDON, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Paul Griffin, Rhodes , Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Steely Dan, MainArtist - GARY KATZ, Producer - WALTER BECKER, ComposerLyricist
(C) 2000 MCA Records Inc. ℗ 1977 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Dean Parks, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Timothy B. Schmit, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Roger Nichols, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Donald Fagen, Synthesizer, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Chuck Rainey, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Jim Keltner, Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - BILL SCHNEE, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Victor Feldman, Piano, AssociatedPerformer - Tom Scott, Conductor, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - ELLIOT SCHEINER, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Steely Dan, MainArtist - GARY KATZ, Producer - WALTER BECKER, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Al Schmitt, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - LARRY CARLTON, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer
(C) 2000 MCA Records Inc. ℗ 1977 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Donald Fagen, ComposerLyricist - Steely Dan, MainArtist - WALTER BECKER, ComposerLyricist - Rand Holston, Producer
(C) 2000 MCA Records Inc. ℗ 1978 Geffen Records
Donald Fagen, ComposerLyricist - ROB MOUNSEY, Horn Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Patti Austin, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Tom Scott, Clarinet, Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Randy Brecker, Flugelhorn, Trumpet, AssociatedPerformer - ELLIOT SCHEINER, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Steely Dan, MainArtist - GARY KATZ, Producer - WALTER BECKER, ComposerLyricist - STEVE Kahn, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer
(C) 2000 MCA Records Inc. ℗ 1980 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Donald Fagen, Piano, Vocals, Synthesizer, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Frank Floyd, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Rick Marotta, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - ROB MOUNSEY, Horn Arranger, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Victor Feldman, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Patti Austin, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Hugh McCracken, Guitar, Unknown, Other, AssociatedPerformer - Steve Gadd, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Tom Scott, Clarinet, Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Randy Brecker, Flugelhorn, Trumpet, AssociatedPerformer - ELLIOT SCHEINER, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Steely Dan, MainArtist - GARY KATZ, Producer - WALTER BECKER, Guitar, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Zack Sanders, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - STEVE Kahn, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer
(C) 2000 MCA Records Inc. ℗ 1980 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Donald Fagen, ComposerLyricist - Rick Marotta, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - ROB MOUNSEY, Horn Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Patti Austin, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - MICHAEL MCDONALD, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Michael Brecker, Tenor Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Randy Brecker, Flugelhorn, Trumpet, AssociatedPerformer - ELLIOT SCHEINER, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Valerie Simpson, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - David Sanborn, Alto Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Steely Dan, MainArtist - GARY KATZ, Producer - WALTER BECKER, ComposerLyricist - Mark Knopfler, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - STEVE Kahn, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Leslie Miller, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer
(C) 2000 MCA Records Inc. ℗ 1980 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Donald Fagen, ComposerLyricist - ROB MOUNSEY, Horn Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Patti Austin, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Tom Scott, Clarinet, Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Randy Brecker, Flugelhorn, Trumpet, AssociatedPerformer - ELLIOT SCHEINER, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Steely Dan, MainArtist - GARY KATZ, Producer - WALTER BECKER, ComposerLyricist - STEVE Kahn, Guitar, Electric Guitar, AssociatedPerformer
(C) 2000 MCA Records Inc. ℗ 1980 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Album review
Putting together a "best-of" compilation for a band as hell-bent on achieving perfection as Steely Dan can be a daunting task. Fortunately, The Very Best of Steely Dan takes a kitchen-sink approach as it delivers two discs of remarkably precise jazz-rock from the storied outfit. A career retrospective, the album tracks Steely Dan from their more group-oriented beginning, which found legendary guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter in the lineup, to their more withdrawn period in the second half of their career when Becker and Fagen focused on the perfectionism allowed by the studio environment. This helps to give listeners a taste of the band's complete history all in one shot rather than over the course of a couple of volumes. In the end, The Very Best of Steely Dan is like the closing arguments of two attorneys who are both arguing their client is innocent, just for different reasons, with both of its two discs making a compelling case for why Steely Dan were one of the great soft/jazz-rock bands of the '70s.
© Gregory Heaney /TiVo
About the album
- 2 disc(s) - 33 track(s)
- Total length: 02:33:32
- Main artists: Steely Dan
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Geffen*
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock
© 2000 MCA Records Inc. ℗ 2000 UMG Recordings, Inc.
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