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Sound Check:
Steely Dan Plays "The Royal Scam" at E.J. Thomas Hall
HRLite House:
Colloquium at University of Akron
Akron Gamer:
Nintendo's Mario endures even as games come and go
Band to re-create two classic albums in Akron concerts
By Malcolm X Abram
Beacon Journal music writer
POSTED: 02:10 p.m. EST, Nov 11, 2009
Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, better known as Steely Dan, have never been known to follow trends, musical or otherwise.
The duo, who throughout the 1970s released painstakingly constructed albums of complex, jazz-inflected and catchy pop-rock, has always existed in a singular space in pop music.
Steely Dan's string of hits includes radio staples such as Rikki, Don't Lose That Number; FM; and Reeling in the Years.
Though the band took the '80s off to tend to personal lives and solo records, it returned to active duty in 2000 with Two Against Nature and was welcomed back and awarded a Grammy for album of the year.
Since re-forming, the band has toured fairly regularly and released Everything Must Go in 2003. But for its current jaunt, dubbed Rent Party '09, the band is playing one of three albums — The Royal Scam (1976), Aja (1977) and Gaucho (1980) on separate nights followed by a set of hits and fan favorites.
Steely Dan will perform Aja and The Royal Scam, respectively, in their entirety Monday and Tuesday nights at the University of Akron's E.J. Thomas Hall. So how did this duo of trend-ignoring individualists and sonic perfectionists seemingly jump on the ''veteran rock band plays beloved album in its entirety'' trend?
''We're amazed that the audience seems to really dig this whole idea of doing an album all the way through,'' singer/keyboardist Fagen said from New York City. ''It was kind of a surprise to me, actually, because when it was first brought up, I didn't see the point.
''Someone in management brought it up a couple of years ago and we completely ignored it, but this year it was brought up again and we said 'Why don't we try it in rehearsal?' '' he said. ''I noticed that the band liked it and it was kind of fun . . . so we picked a couple of albums that we didn't think had any clunkers and the audience liked it, so [the tour] was extended through November.''
Not one for nostalgia
It's the extension that brings the band to Akron after initially keeping the tour to major cities such as Chicago and New York. Both Aja and The Royal Scam have hits that have been in and out of the band's set lists for years, including Kid Charlemagne, Deacon Blues and Peg.
Although the band will play the old albums, Fagen said he's never been one for nostalgia.
''I don't really understand nostalgia or why someone would want to hear something for those reasons,'' he said.
''But there must have been some reason we put the songs in that order so it does have a real musical validity to it and we did organize the albums as a little song suite and I was surprised at how well it worked,'' he continued, admitting he hadn't listened to any of the three albums in total since their original mixing sessions in the '70s. In addition to his lack of a nostalgia bone, Fagen said albums and set lists are very different beasts.
''One reason I had a negative reaction is that albums are organized different than shows and are almost opposites in that you kind of put the high-energy stuff up front because you had to put the needle down on the record and you want the DJs and promotional guys to say 'Hey, this is a high-energy album,' so that enters into the sequencing. It's not the only reason, but it was one of them.
''Shows are organized to build with the high-energy stuff peaking, but the fact is that when you play the album through, although the high-energy stuff isn't near the end, it still has a kind of denouement in a subtle way and it's more of a dramatic presentation,'' he said.
To that end, Fagen said the artist/audience relationship is a bit different when everyone knows what song is coming next. The up-tempo Kid Charlemagne has long been a set closer but is the first song on The Royal Scam and starts the show off on a high-energy note. Since the albums are less than an hour, the band also plays a second set of hits and audience favorites that the band enjoys playing.
Hello, Akron
Because of the multiple-night performances, the band gets to actually spend a little time in each city and save a bit of travel wear and tear, which Fagen appreciates.
''We actually get to walk the streets of aaaa-KRON,'' he said.
With the extra time, perhaps the 2001 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees will take the opportunity to go check out the museum?
''Never been there and someone told me they couldn't even find our exhibit, so it can't be that wonderful, ya know?'' he said.
During the 2001 induction ceremony, Becker and Fagen surprised many with their cavalier attitude about their induction, crystallized by Becker taking the stage to say he was all talked out and would open the floor for questions during his speech time. It's been a few years, but their attitude has not changed.
''I'd like to officially announce that we're still cavalier about that,'' Fagen said, chuckling.
Part of the band's antipathy, he said, stems from the concept of institutionalizing ''something that was at least in some way an outlaw art,'' but he also misses the days before the ceremony became a television show.
''They were a total gas, because you never knew what was going to happen. You'd have this really weird mix of people. There'd be the down-home people from the South getting awards, and if [the honorees] were people who were deceased, they'd have their families, and then you have these narcissistic elite British rock stars, and watching this mix of people was hilarious, and you'd have all these weird, drunken people, and it was really crazy.
''Then they started videotaping and broadcasting, and it became just another award show and everyone started being on their best behavior,'' he said. ''I was very resentful of that.''
After the Rent Party '09 Tour, both men will take some time to do solo recordings, and Fagen said they are considering breaking out one or two more old albums to play in their entirety and that there will be a new Steely Dan album ''eventually.''
Malcolm X Abram can be reached at mabram@thebeaconjournal.com or 330-996-3758.
Details
• What: Steely Dan performs Aja
• When: 7:30 p.m. Monday
• Where: University of Akron's E.J. Thomas Hall, 198 Hill St.
• Tickets: $61, $91, $148
• Information: 330-972-7570, http://www.ejthomashall.com, http://www.ticketmaster.com, 800-745-3000
• What: Steely Dan performs The Royal Scam
• When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday
• Where: University of Akron's E.J. Thomas Hall, 198 Hill St.
• Tickets: $61, $91, $148
• Information: 330-972-7570, http://www.ejthomashall.com, http://www.ticketmaster.com, 800-745-3000
Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, better known as Steely Dan, have never been known to follow trends, musical or otherwise.
The duo, who throughout the 1970s released painstakingly constructed albums of complex, jazz-inflected and catchy pop-rock, has always existed in a singular space in pop music.
Steely Dan's string of hits includes radio staples such as Rikki, Don't Lose That Number; FM; and Reeling in the Years.
Though the band took the '80s off to tend to personal lives and solo records, it returned to active duty in 2000 with Two Against Nature and was welcomed back and awarded a Grammy for album of the year.
Since re-forming, the band has toured fairly regularly and released Everything Must Go in 2003. But for its current jaunt, dubbed Rent Party '09, the band is playing one of three albums — The Royal Scam (1976), Aja (1977) and Gaucho (1980) on separate nights followed by a set of hits and fan favorites.
Steely Dan will perform Aja and The Royal Scam, respectively, in their entirety Monday and Tuesday nights at the University of Akron's E.J. Thomas Hall. So how did this duo of trend-ignoring individualists and sonic perfectionists seemingly jump on the ''veteran rock band plays beloved album in its entirety'' trend?
''We're amazed that the audience seems to really dig this whole idea of doing an album all the way through,'' singer/keyboardist Fagen said from New York City. ''It was kind of a surprise to me, actually, because when it was first brought up, I didn't see the point.
''Someone in management brought it up a couple of years ago and we completely ignored it, but this year it was brought up again and we said 'Why don't we try it in rehearsal?' '' he said. ''I noticed that the band liked it and it was kind of fun . . . so we picked a couple of albums that we didn't think had any clunkers and the audience liked it, so [the tour] was extended through November.''
Not one for nostalgia
It's the extension that brings the band to Akron after initially keeping the tour to major cities such as Chicago and New York. Both Aja and The Royal Scam have hits that have been in and out of the band's set lists for years, including Kid Charlemagne, Deacon Blues and Peg.
Although the band will play the old albums, Fagen said he's never been one for nostalgia.
''I don't really understand nostalgia or why someone would want to hear something for those reasons,'' he said.
''But there must have been some reason we put the songs in that order so it does have a real musical validity to it and we did organize the albums as a little song suite and I was surprised at how well it worked,'' he continued, admitting he hadn't listened to any of the three albums in total since their original mixing sessions in the '70s. In addition to his lack of a nostalgia bone, Fagen said albums and set lists are very different beasts.
''One reason I had a negative reaction is that albums are organized different than shows and are almost opposites in that you kind of put the high-energy stuff up front because you had to put the needle down on the record and you want the DJs and promotional guys to say 'Hey, this is a high-energy album,' so that enters into the sequencing. It's not the only reason, but it was one of them.
''Shows are organized to build with the high-energy stuff peaking, but the fact is that when you play the album through, although the high-energy stuff isn't near the end, it still has a kind of denouement in a subtle way and it's more of a dramatic presentation,'' he said.
To that end, Fagen said the artist/audience relationship is a bit different when everyone knows what song is coming next. The up-tempo Kid Charlemagne has long been a set closer but is the first song on The Royal Scam and starts the show off on a high-energy note. Since the albums are less than an hour, the band also plays a second set of hits and audience favorites that the band enjoys playing.
Hello, Akron
Because of the multiple-night performances, the band gets to actually spend a little time in each city and save a bit of travel wear and tear, which Fagen appreciates.
''We actually get to walk the streets of aaaa-KRON,'' he said.
With the extra time, perhaps the 2001 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees will take the opportunity to go check out the museum?
''Never been there and someone told me they couldn't even find our exhibit, so it can't be that wonderful, ya know?'' he said.
During the 2001 induction ceremony, Becker and Fagen surprised many with their cavalier attitude about their induction, crystallized by Becker taking the stage to say he was all talked out and would open the floor for questions during his speech time. It's been a few years, but their attitude has not changed.
''I'd like to officially announce that we're still cavalier about that,'' Fagen said, chuckling.
Part of the band's antipathy, he said, stems from the concept of institutionalizing ''something that was at least in some way an outlaw art,'' but he also misses the days before the ceremony became a television show.
''They were a total gas, because you never knew what was going to happen. You'd have this really weird mix of people. There'd be the down-home people from the South getting awards, and if [the honorees] were people who were deceased, they'd have their families, and then you have these narcissistic elite British rock stars, and watching this mix of people was hilarious, and you'd have all these weird, drunken people, and it was really crazy.
''Then they started videotaping and broadcasting, and it became just another award show and everyone started being on their best behavior,'' he said. ''I was very resentful of that.''
After the Rent Party '09 Tour, both men will take some time to do solo recordings, and Fagen said they are considering breaking out one or two more old albums to play in their entirety and that there will be a new Steely Dan album ''eventually.''
Malcolm X Abram can be reached at mabram@thebeaconjournal.com or 330-996-3758.
Details
• What: Steely Dan performs Aja
• When: 7:30 p.m. Monday
• Where: University of Akron's E.J. Thomas Hall, 198 Hill St.
• Tickets: $61, $91, $148
• Information: 330-972-7570, http://www.ejthomashall.com, http://www.ticketmaster.com, 800-745-3000
• What: Steely Dan performs The Royal Scam
• When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday
• Where: University of Akron's E.J. Thomas Hall, 198 Hill St.
• Tickets: $61, $91, $148
• Information: 330-972-7570, http://www.ejthomashall.com, http://www.ticketmaster.com, 800-745-3000
Comments
Click here to post your comments
Canal Fulton, Oh
Posted 02:57 PM, 11/11/2009
Man,I'd love to go to either one of these dates!
Ok ok,who wants to buy my ticket.,and I dont mean the 61$one either .hehehe
Canton, OH
Posted 09:34 PM, 11/11/2009
Steely Dan is GREAT !!!!!!!! I saw them in '72 @ Ohio State ( St. John's Arena ) when they opened up for The Beach Boys. . .I wish I could see them again ,next week, in Akron. Their between songs banter is priceless. . .
" Is there gas in the car ? ". . .
Akron, Oh
Posted 07:43 AM, 11/12/2009
Can't wait to see them on the Akron campus on the 16th. Nice job UA!
akron, oh
Posted 05:35 PM, 11/12/2009
"I think the people down the hall know who you are. Careful what you carry 'cause the man is wise; you are still an outlaw in their eyes."
Canal Fulton, Oh
Posted 07:21 PM, 11/12/2009
@Jason,
Im jealous,Id love to be able to go,just not gonna happen,already have plans for both nights,so you have got to give us a report!!
akron, oh
Posted 08:42 PM, 11/12/2009
They have been fabulous the last few times at Blossom.
Posted 08:51 AM, 11/16/2009
wish I had the money. Unfortunately the mortgage comes first.
Alas, I'll have to stay home and drop the needle on Aja just like I did in college.
Well...not "just like"... LOL... some of the other ..ahem... "accoutrements" are missing these days. :)
Hudson, OH
Posted 08:53 AM, 11/18/2009
I went Tuesday, and they put on a phenomenal show. Fagen and Becker were outstanding, and the musicians and singers were top notch. They not only did the entire Aja album, but they also did most of their other hits, including Reeling In the Years. Great show!
