As extraordinary as the music of
Steely Dan remains, the how and why of it all coming about is stranger still. The joining forces of two nerdy students - one an English Lit. major, the other a musical prodigy in the late 1960s could hardly be seen as the most promising recipe for success, nevermind a springboard for the creation of perhaps the most unique, creative, musically adventurous, enormously listenable and downright joyous run of albums in the entire history of pop music. But despite it all that was what the mighty Dan achieved during the 1970s and beyond, and as those records continue to inspire just about everyone who hears them, the mystery remains.
Steely Dan however were essentially a studio band. The complexity of their arrangements mixed with the reluctance of the group s two protagonists - the supremely gifted Walter Becker and Donald Fagen - to go out on the road meant that live performances were a rarity. That said however, when they were persuaded to perform, the shows were nothing short of wonderful. This unique 3 x CD box set features a collection of such live material, all of which was broadcast at the time on FM radio, thus ensuring perfect audio quality. From recordings made in 1974 - during the early part of the group s career - and again almost two decades later in 1993, when the pair had reformed for live events and couple of new albums. In completion this beautifully packaged collection features almost four hours of live Steely Dan, from performances that quite simply must be heard to be believed.
