Steely Dan - Countdown to Ecstasy

Styles: Vocal And Guitar Jazz 
Year: 1973
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:24
Size: 94,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:14)  1. Bodhisattva
(3:10)  2. Razor Boy
(5:36)  3. The Boston Rag
(6:35)  4. Your Gold Teeth
(5:23)  5. Show Biz Kids
(5:41)  6. My Old School
(3:44)  7. Pearl Of The Quarter
(4:58)  8. King Of The World

Can't Buy a Thrill became an unexpected hit, and as a response, Donald Fagen became the group's full-time lead vocalist, and he and Walter Becker acted like Steely Dan was a rock & roll band for the group's second album, Countdown to Ecstasy. The loud guitars and pronounced backbeat of "Bodhisattva," "Show Biz Kids," and "My Old School" camouflage the fact that Countdown is a riskier album, musically speaking, than its predecessor. Each of its eight songs have sophisticated, jazz-inflected interludes, and apart from the bluesy vamps "Bodhisattva" and "Show Biz Kids," which sound like they were written for the stage, the songs are subtly textured. "Razor Boy," with its murmuring vibes, and the hard bop tribute "Your Gold Teeth" reveal Becker and Fagen's jazz roots, while the country-flavored "Pearl of the Quarter" and the ominous, skittering "King of the World" are both overlooked gems. Countdown to Ecstasy is the only time Steely Dan played it relatively straight, and its eight songs are rich with either musical or lyrical detail that their album rock or art rock contemporaries couldn't hope to match. 

~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine http://www.allmusic.com/album/countdown-to-ecstasy-mw0000191882

Personnel: Walter Becker (vocals, guitar, harmonica, bass guitar); Donald Fagen (vocals, piano, electric piano, keyboards, synthesizer, percussion); David Palmer (vocals, keyboards, background vocals); Jim Hodder (vocals, drums, percussion); Sherlie Matthews, Patricia Hall, Royce Jones, Michael Fennelly, James Rolleston, Myrna Matthews (vocals, background vocals); Ben Benay (guitar, acoustic guitar); Rick Derringer (guitar, slide guitar); Jeff Baxter (guitar, steel guitar); Denny Dias (guitar); Ernie Watts, John Rotella, Lanny Morgan, Bill Perkins (saxophone); Victor Feldman (keyboards, vibraphone, marimba, percussion); Sherlie Mathews, Pam Hall (background vocals).

Countdown to Ecstasy

---

Marian McPartland & Steely Dan - Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz Radio Broadcast

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 51:09
Size: 117.1 MB
Styles: Jazz, Rock
Year: 2005
Art: Front

[1:39] 1. Conversation 1
[2:42] 2. Limbo Jazz
[5:07] 3. Conversation 2
[3:50] 4. Josie
[3:07] 5. Conversation 3
[3:07] 6. Mood Indigo
[0:13] 7. Conversation 4
[3:21] 8. Star Eyes
[3:38] 9. Conversation 5
[3:26] 10. Hesitation Blues
[5:17] 11. Conversation 6
[3:47] 12. Things Ain't What They Used To Be
[1:41] 13. Conversation 7
[4:44] 14. Chain Lightning
[1:51] 15. Conversation 8
[3:30] 16. Black Friday

It isn't hard to imagine how some jazz purists will react upon seeing the name Steely Dan on one of Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz releases; they're likely to ask, "What, in God's name, is a pop/rock group doing in McPartland's presence?" But even though Steely Dan isn't a jazz act per se, they have always had jazz influences -- and it would be a mistake to think of this CD as strictly a pop/rock disc. Actually, the original material of Steely Dan leaders Donald Fagen (vocals, acoustic piano) and Walter Becker (electric guitar) takes somewhat of a back seat to instrumental straight-ahead jazz when they join forces with pianist McPartland, bassist Jay Leonhart and drummer Keith Carlock. Some longtime Steely Dan enthusiasts might be disappointed to know that only three Fagen/Becker songs are performed: "Josie," "Black Friday" and "Chain Lightning" -- you won't hear "Peg," "Do It Again," "Rikki, Don't Lost That Number," "Deacon Blues," "Hey Nineteen" or "Reeling in the Years." Nonetheless, there are many enjoyable moments, and McPartland has no problem finding common ground with Fagen and Becker -- common ground that includes a healthy appreciation of Duke Ellington's repertoire. Between three songs associated with the Duke ("Mood Indigo," Mercer Ellington's "Things Ain't What They Used to Be" and the lesser known "Limbo Jazz"), W.C. Handy's "Hesitation Blues" and the standard "Star Eyes," Steely Dan's encounter with McPartland is dominated by straight-ahead jazz -- not the jazz-influenced, soul-minded pop/rock that made Steely Dan famous during their '70s heyday. This intriguing CD may not have as many Steely Dan classics as some of their die-hard fans would like, but their appearance on Piano Jazz is full of pleasant surprises and reminds us just how much jazz means to '70s pop/rock icons. ~ Alex Henderson

Marian McPartland (piano); Donald Fagen (vocals, piano); Walter Becker (guitar); Jay Leonhart (bass guitar); Keith Carlock (drums).

Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz Radio Broadcast

---