Katy Lied
Katy Lied | ||||
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ABC, Los Angeles, California | ||||
Genre |
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Length | 35:20 | |||
Label | ABC | |||
Producer | Gary Katz | |||
Steely Dan chronology | ||||
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Singles from Katy Lied | ||||
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Katy Lied is the fourth
In the United States, the album peaked at number 13 on the
Recording
The album was the first one recorded by Steely Dan after guitarist
Band leaders Becker and Fagen said they were dissatisfied with the album's sound quality because of an equipment malfunction with the then-new dbx noise reduction system. The damage was mostly repaired after consulting with the engineers at dbx, but Becker and Fagen still refused to listen to the completed album.[citation needed]
Lyrics
"Black Friday", which features
Title and packaging
The album's title comes from the lyrics of "Doctor Wu" ("Katy lies / You can see it in her eyes"), and the album cover is a picture of a
Critical reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
The Great Rock Discography | 8/10[12] |
MusicHound Rock | 4/5[13] |
Pitchfork | 9.1/10[14] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [15] |
Select | [16] |
Tom Hull – on the Web | A[17] |
Reviewing the album in 1975 for The Village Voice, Robert Christgau said that, while Katy Lied might be Steely Dan's "biggest" album to that point, he found it "slightly disappointing" on a musical level, citing the loss of lead guitarist Baxter and what he perceived as "cool, cerebral, one-dimensional" jazz guitar influences. Nonetheless, Christgau admitted that he played the album frequently,[18] and he voted it the third-best album of the year on his ballot for the 1975 Pazz & Jop critics poll,[19] on which it placed sixth.[20] John Mendelsohn was more critical in Rolling Stone, writing that "however immaculately tasteful and intelligent" Steely Dan's music may be in theory, it did not register with him emotionally and remained "exemplarily well-crafted and uncommonly intelligent schlock". Mendelsohn found the lyrics interesting, but inscrutable, the musicianship tasteful and well-performed, but not stimulating, and Fagen's singing unique-sounding, but seemingly passionless.[21] In a review in Rolling Stone from 1977, Cameron Crowe called the album "anonymous, absolutely impeccable swing-pop" with "no cheap displays of human emotion".[22]
Retrospectively,
Of lead single "Black Friday", Cash Box said that it contains elements that made earlier Steely Dan singles successful, such as "Hot Fender Rhodes piano tracks, lead guitar work, rhythm that won't stop cooking and identifiable vocals and mix that lets you know Gary Katz has been hard at work on the knobs."[25]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Black Friday" | 3:40 |
2. | "Bad Sneakers" | 3:16 |
3. | "Rose Darling" | 2:59 |
4. | "Daddy Don't Live in that New York City No More" | 3:12 |
5. | "Doctor Wu" | 3:59 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
6. | "Everyone's Gone to the Movies" | 3:41 |
7. | "Your Gold Teeth II" | 4:12 |
8. | "Chain Lightning" | 2:57 |
9. | "Any World (That I'm Welcome To)" | 3:56 |
10. | "Throw Back the Little Ones" | 3:11 |
Total length: | 35:20 |
Personnel
- Steely Dan
- Donald Fagen – piano, keyboards, vocals
- Walter Becker – bass guitar, guitar (solo on 1, 2), personnel photos
- Additional musicians
- Denny Dias – guitar (solo on 7)
- Rick Derringer – guitar (solo on 8)
- Dean Parks – guitar (solo on 3)
- Elliott Randall – guitar (solo on 10)
- Hugh McCracken – guitar
- Larry Carlton – guitar (4)
- Michael Omartian, David Paich – piano, keyboards
- Chuck Rainey, Wilton Felder – bass guitar
- Jeff Porcaro – drums (all except 9), dorophone
- Hal Blaine – drums (9)
- Victor Feldman – percussion, vibraphone
- Phil Woods – alto saxophone (5)
- Jimmie Haskell – horn arrangement (10)
- Bill Perkins – saxophone (10)[citation needed]
- Michael McDonald– backing vocals
- Sherlie Matthews, Carolyn Willis, Myrna Matthews – backing vocals (6)
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Charts
Album
Chart (1975) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[26] | 28 |
UK Albums (OCC) | 13 |
US Billboard Top LPs & Tape[2] | 13 |
Singles
Year | Single | Catalogue number | Peak position |
Chart |
---|---|---|---|---|
1975 | "Black Friday" (B-side: "Throw Back the Little Ones") | ABC 12101 | 37 | US Billboard Hot 100[3] |
1975 | "Bad Sneakers" (B-side: "Chain Lightning") | ABC 12128 | 103 |
References
- ISBN 9780862415419.
- ^ a b "Steely Dan Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
- ^ AllMusic. Retrieved 27 October 2004.
- ISBN 9780711982796.
- ^ "How to Pronounce Muswellbrook (NSW)". YouTube.
- ^ "Dr. Wu by Steely Dan - Songfacts".
- ^ Malooley, Jake (July 21, 2023). "Hear Steely Dan's Schlitz beer jingle". Expanding Dan. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ AllMusic. Retrieved 27 October 2004.
- ^ Kot, Greg (August 16, 1992). "Thrills, Scams and Nightflys". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
- ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 9, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
- ISBN 1-84195-312-1.
- ISBN 0787610372.
- ^ Richardson, Mark (November 20, 2019). "Steely Dan: Katy Lied". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
- ^ ISBN 0743201698.
- ^ Prendergast, Mark (September 1990). "Steely Dan: Katy Lied". Select. No. 3. p. 106.
- ^ Hull, Tom (n.d.). "Grade List: Steely Dan". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (April 21, 1975). "What Kind of a Best Rock and Roll Band in the World Is This?". The Village Voice. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (December 29, 1975). "It's Been a Soft Year for Hard Rock". The Village Voice. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
- ^ Anon. (December 29, 1975). "The 1975 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll". The Village Voice. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
- ^ Mendelsohn, John (May 8, 1975). "Steely Dan Katy Lied > Review". Rolling Stone. No. 186. Archived from the original on December 17, 2007. Retrieved 28 August 2007.
- ^ Crowe, Cameron (December 15, 1977). "[no title]". Rolling Stone.
- ISBN 978-1593763480.
- ISBN 9780199831876.
- ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. May 17, 1975. p. 23. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
- ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
External links
- Katy Lied at Discogs (list of releases)
- Complete lyrics