Steely Dan - Everything Must Go

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Free Music Notes for Everything Must Go

Free Music Review: I guess I don't get "real SD fans" who knock this album
Hit: 5 Stars

-First of all, my take on the EMG vs. Two Against Nature debate that seems to surface in many of these reviews. Simply put, 2vN is not my favorite SD album. After the first time I listened to it I kind of stared stupidly at the stereo for a while, wondering exactly what I should do with it. It sounded sterile and unexciting, lacked in up-tempo tunes and featured some seriously uninspired drumming (I completely understand the often stated "sounds like they used a drum machine" criticism). But I continued to listen, and after a few days I began to get it. The lyrics are very well crafted and the recording quality is amazing. I still don't listen to much of the disc, but Almost Gothic has become a personal favorite and Jack of Speed is a good tune. Janie Runaway is pretty cool and I can tolerate Gaslighting Abbie if I'm in the right mood. That's about it. Cousin Dupree might well be my least-favorite SD song ever.

-As the release of EMG neared I feared more of the same, although my concerns were greatly alleviated after I downloaded the Blues Beach digital single from Reprise a couple of weeks before the album came out. Listening to that tune I was immediately struck by the fact that the music was a lot more fun and the song had a much warmer feel than anything on 2vN. I started really looking forward to the album.

-I truly wasn't prepared for how good the disc was. There was no trepidation on first listen, no searching for a song to like. None of this "it grows on you with repeated listenings" stuff. EMG grabbed me immediately and well over a month later it hasn't let go. I can only find a few tunes that don't do it for me, but the majority of the album is absolutely infectious. There is so much to recommend here:

-Godwhacker is a tight groove with dangerous lyrics. I don't understand how any real SD fan can't consider this a classic SD song.

-Slang of Ages is Walter Becker proving he can't sing but enjoying himself anyway with some truly hilarious lyrics. There's a reason four or five backup singers were needed for this one, but it works and it makes me laugh. Mission accomplished.

-I described Pixeleen elsewhere as a musical achievement, and I stand by that. It really doesn't sound like anything SD has ever done, and the use of Carolyn Leonhart on this song alone makes it worth the price of admission. Her voice may be the most beautiful I've ever heard and on this album she truly asserts herself as the greatest in a long line of memorable SD backup singers. On this track Leonhart single-handedly elevates Donald Fagen's vocals to another level. The lyrics paint a distinct visual picture and a few jabs at the younger generation are thrown in for good measure. A truly great song.

-My favorite on the enitire disc is Lunch With Gina, which save for the relatively modern stalker theme sounds like it could have come right off The Royal Scam. Another uptempo song that flat-out grooves, this is another tune that I can't believe any real SD fan wouldn't fall for immediately. Amazingly tight all the way through, it tells of yet another whack-job woman who makes a guy's life hell until he finally realizes that she's beautiful so why not just give in. This is an East Coast jam if ever I heard one and is not to be missed.

Let me wrap this up by saying that the shots taken at the band used for this album are also largely unjustified in my opinion. Yeah, they're not the session guys from the 70s. They're still top-notch and capable of pulling off incredibly intricate arrangements and making it sound easy. Walt Weiskopf's sax work is a little sloppy in places but that's my only real criticsm. I've heard a few people try and slap the 2vN "drum-machine" criticism on EMG but I'm not buying any part of that. Listen closely and I think you'll realize that Keith Carlock is just that good. Becker's bass work on this album is nothing short of incredible. And personally, I think Fagen's vocals sound better now than ever. He no longer does that cynical dripping-with-sarcasm growl he did at 25, but the music has gotten a little more mature and so have the vocals.

I love this album, and I feel sorry for any "real SD fans" who don't. It's not going to get any better than this. The real SD is back, and EMG proves it.

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