Steely Dan toured extensively from 1972 to 1974. During the breaks in touring the band rushed into the studio and, as a result, the early Steely Dan albums emerged with what were perceived by Becker and Fagen to be technical flaws. These minor imperfections were not apparent to the record buying public, but massively frustrating to founding members Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, as a result, the decision was taken in 1974 to stop touring altogether and concentrate entirely on recording. This fascinating anthology brings together two broadcast performances from 1974, which can be compared and contrasted with an extended 1993 radio show. The first two discs of this set feature a 1974 version of Steely Dan which was still, in theory at least, a group, which included in its ranks guitarists Denny Dias and Jeff Skunk Baxter and drummer Jim Hodder. For the 1974 Pretzel logic tour from which the first two discs are drawn, the band had added vocalist-percussionist Royce Jones, vocalist-keyboardist Michael McDonald, and drummer Jeff Porcaro. Jumping forward almost twenty years, the 1993 set is a wonderful example of a Steely Dan show as we have come to recognise them in later years; this is Becker and Fagen with a large supporting cast of extremely talented session musicians. The common factor is the fact that all three of the performances included in this set were live to air with no pre-recording, this is Steely Dan, the ultimate studio act taking a bold step and actually broadcasting live to air without a net.
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