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Alive in America
by Giant Records / Wea
| List Price: |
$7.98 |
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$6.97 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. |
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$1.01 (12%) |
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Audio CD
Publisher: Giant Records / Wea
Format: Live
The eagerly awaited return of the Becker/Fagan axis was widely viewed as an anticlimax in concert, and the same faults that dogged these 1993/94 tour dates--predictable repertoire, play-it-safe arrangements--are reprised here. It's fine as a tour memento, but these dozen classics sound tired and lackluster next to their still-potent studio counterparts. Nice choice, though, as an Christmas present for the pony-tailed dad on junior's shopping list. --Jeff Bateman
| Customer Reviews: |
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| The Dan don't do covers |
| Customer Rating: 4 out of 5 |
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Although surprises are few, this is an interesting album not only for Dan fans, but for beginners as well. The band is really good, and Donald Fagen's vocals are excellent. Walter Becker? Well, you can actually hear him singing on one song, Book of liars from his solo album. Not bad.
So, what's the deal with Alive in America? Well, like any live album, it's kind of a greatest hits collection. But this time without quite a few of the expected ones. Among omitted songs are Do it again, Rikki don't lose that number and Doctor Wu, which for many fans rank among the top ten Steely Dan songs. These omissions pave the way for less salient songs to shine, such as Sign in stranger and the magical version of Third world man. It's done somewhat slower than on Gaucho, and Fagen's vocals are more intense.
in general, though, the songs sound much like the original studio versions. The three concluding albums from the original Dan run dominate, with two songs from Gaucho, three from Aja, and three from The royal scam. These are the most conceptual, held-together albums, and possibly the ones Fagen and Becker are the most satisfied with. So Alive in America could be seen as their own choice of great Steely Dan songs, which differs in several ways from collections like Gold or A decade. This makes the album well worth owning, not only for long-time fans, but definitely for newcomers too.
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| BIGDANFAN |
| Customer Rating: 4 out of 5 |
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Read the reviews some not so great.They were wrong. Great album. The guitar solo on Peg one of the best.I think even better than Larry Carlton on Kid Charlemane from the Royal Scam album.Also usually not a big drum fan but the drums on the album really nice.
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| Excellent |
| Customer Rating: 4 out of 5 |
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This CD captures the skill and talent of Steely Dan and the band members in their mastery of their instruments. Very entertaining to listen to and compare with their studio works. The only reason I gave it a 4 star is not enough songs. They could have added more since it was a compilation of their live performance over a period of time.
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| What a Find! |
| Customer Rating: 4 out of 5 |
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I was looking around in a used music shop for some Donald Fagan albums a couple of months ago when I happened upon this little gem. Being a devoted Steely Dan fan, I decided to give it a try, and boy am I glad I did. I've now listened to it a number of times and it just gets better every time I hear it. That cool, jazzy sound that is inevitably Steely Dan is wonderfully accomodating for a live album such as this, with subtle variations on old favorites like "Reelin' In The Years", and a delightfully spontaneous drum solo in "Josie". Steely Dan generates a cool energy for this live album, and Walter Becker proves that Fagen is not the only one who can tear the roof off the sucker in his vocal performance of "Book Of Liars", my personal favorite.
This album is not just for the hardcore Steely Dan listeners. I would recomend it to anyone brand new to the funky, arcanic world of Steely Dan. And for those who already own every album, well, you can never have too much Steely Dan. A welcome new addition to any collection
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| Just As They Predicted.... |
| Customer Rating: 4 out of 5 |
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Having listened to the music of Steely Dan for some 30-plus years since their first commercial releases back in the early 1970's; I found the numerous reviews of the "Alive In America" CD most interesting as fans express their reactions(both 'pro' and 'con')to live versions of some of the songs presented during their 'reunion' tour that began in 1993 and extended into 1994. I never had the opportunity to meet up with them during my years of working in the music industry; but having listened to and read numerous interviews they've acquiesced to over the years; I found their personal observations from one particular magazine interview that 'previewed' that 1993/94 reunion tour most fascinating and quite insightful; especially in comparison with reviews of this post-tour CD which documents some of the 'highlights' of their first live outing in almost 19 years. Although Steely Dan began as an actual band built around the musical compositions of Walter Becker & Donald Fagen; it wasn't until they became fed up with the grind of live touring and performing that they finally settled into their most creative musical period and produced what critics(and fans)consider the pinnacle of their work. Before they decided to once again take their show 'on the road' the obvious questions were put to them: 1)Why tour now after so long a lapse? Their true answer: Because live touring finally had become sophisticated enough so as to actually make it enjoyable instead of a torturous ordeal. 2)Is this really a reunion of sorts? The answer: Not really. The tour was conceived to coincide with Donald Fagen's second solo album 'Kamakiriad'; produced by Becker and released early in 1993. But manager Irv Azoff convinced them it could be promoted a lot better as 'An Evening With Steely Dan'. 3)Who were the players going to be(since Steely Dan pretty much ceased to be a band after the 'Pretzel Logic' release)? Their answer: Basically; who was available - that we could get, on such short notice(Dennis Chambers was one of their first considerations for the drummer's chair at the outset but he was already committed that year to a Brecker Brothers tour if I remember correctly - they were able to get him in '94). But Peter Erskine's name came up and it just so happened that he wasn't already booked with anyone for that year. Plus Warren Bernhardt(piano/keys)had worked with Erskine in Steps Ahead so they were already tight musically. And they had Drew Zingg from the NYR&S Review; who pulled off an amazing feat - recreating the sound and 'feel' of Larry Carlton & Steve Khan's studio work on the live stage! Then, for me; the crowning touch was Bill Ware on vibes and percussion; adding the 'spice' they got from the late Victor Feldman in the studio! So that '93 tour group was without a doubt the best of all the packages they were able to assemble through the years. I saw their live shows - in '93(along with my wife); with my brother in '94; plus the '96, 2000 & 2006 shows that all featured different lineups of players(I made crib notes on each gig). I also was handed a bootleg of one of the tour nights from 1993 that has nearly the entire show on it(boy, what a deal,eh?)! As far as the song selections that went on the final CD; it essentially came down to their favorite choices from everything that was available to pick from. I was told by a buddy of mine who knew one of the road crew members that Roger Nichols recorded virtually every night and that the musical arrangements for certain songs were actually modified as the tour continued. So, they were progressively tightening things up musically, as they went along. On some of the earliest dates; particularly with the '93 tour there were some serious flubs by Fagen and Becker as well as other players(you'll hear them on the bootlegs)and that's the reason why certain tunes didn't make it to the final CD. The live version of 'Aja' that closes the 'album' out was taken from the second night of two dates they played at Irvine, California in 1994 - the show my brother and I attended together(we're unofficially on the 'record'- in the 'applause' during the turnaround section - screaming - before they go back to the 'top' of the arrangement)! But actually, they opened that show(surprising almost everyone)performing 'Aja' right after the warmup instrumental overture, which contained snippetts from "Here At The Western World"(which I thought was kind of appropos for the Cali shows)! The previous night though; I was told; they did close with 'Aja' - but they sounded a little 'flat'. So they likely chose to move it up to the front on the next night - while they were fresh. And my brother and I both agreed - they were 'on' it that night! Given their penchant for perfection in times past - should we have expected anything different here? And as far as fans reactions to their live presentations of their past works - they fully anticipated that there might be some backlash since those studio concoctions are so highly revered and treasured among 'Danheads'. But they felt no real constraint to have to live up to anyones' preconceived notions in their concerts - especially since most of their repertoire had never been performed live anyway prior to that time. So they resolved to take it all in stride and I'm fairly certain they managed to enjoy themselves in the process and to continue laughing together 'all the way to the bank!' And that's "Steely Dan" - you gotta' love 'em!!!
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Babylon Sisters
Green Earrings
Bodhisattva
Reelin' in the Years
Josie
Book of Liars
Peg
Third World Man
Kid Charlemagne
Sign in Stranger
Aja
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