Syd Arthur: Ode To The Summer

Liam Magill - Guitars, Lead Vocal
Joel Magill - Bass, Percussion
Raven Bush - Mandolin, Percussion
Fred Rother - Drums

http://sydarthur.bandcamp.com/

Syd Arthur article in The Guardian.

Steely Dan & Steve Winwood: Pretzel Logic

Encore, Sydney, 25 October, 2011:

Donald Fagen to play November show

While Steely Dan is in the middle of the Australia/New Zealand finale of the 2011 tour, comes the news that Donald Fagen will join a number of artists November 18 for a concert in Kingston, New York.

The concert will raise money for the victims of tropical storm Irene that hit the area in late August.

According to this article Donald will sharet the stage with The Levon Helm Band, former 10,000 Maniacs lead singer Natalie Merchant, singer-songwriter Graham Parker and John Medeski and Chris Wood of the improvisational trio Medeski, Martin & Wood.

Click the article link for more info on tickets.

New Zappa album: Live at Carnegie Hall 1971

Here is the brand new Zappa release: Frank & The Mothers live at Carnegie Hall, New York City, October 11, 1971.
4 cd:s including monster versions of King Kong and Billy The Mountain.
Opening act for Zappa & The Mothers: The a cappella group The Persuasions.
Barfko-Swill taking pre orders now. Hotcha!

Kate Bush - Wild Man

Radio Dupree Top 19 - October 2011

1. The Beatles - Across The Universe
1967-70

2. Steely Dan - Any Major Dude Will Tell You
Pretzel Logic

3. Queen - Tie Your Mother Down
A Day At The Races

4. Paul And Linda McCartney - Eat At Home
Ram

5. Pink Floyd - Atom Heart Mother (edit)
Atom Heart Mother

6. King Crimson - One More Red Nightmare
Red

7. Frank Zappa - Suicide Chump
You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 1

8. Walter Becker - Circus Money
Circus Money

9. Peter Gabriel - Kiss Of Life
Peter Gabriel (4)

10. Steely Dan - Daddy Don't Live In That New York City No More
Katy Lied

11. Brian Protheroe - Fly Now - Pinball
12. Robert Fripp - North Star - Exposure
13. Pink Floyd - Cirrus Minor - More (soundtrack)
14. Jean-Luc Ponty - Cosmic Messenger - Cosmic Messenger
15. Steely Dan - Any World - Katy Lied
16. Ian Dury and The Blockheads - Common As Muck - Maxi single b-side
17. Yes - Wonderous Stories - Going For The One
18. Peter Gabriel - Love To Be Loved - Us
19. Dweezil Zappa with Zappa Plays Zappa - The Deathless Horsie - 2010 Birthday Bundle

-------------------------------------------------------
Chart compiled by listeners voting
on the songs they hear on Radio Dupree

The Beatles managed another chart-topping feat. This time with a song from the groups collection 1967-1970. We'll leave it to you to figure out what years that compilation covers.
Familiar faces in the top 10 this time around. Quite rare, however, on Radio Dupree's chart is Paul McCartney, who's at 4 with Linda and a song from the Ram album.

Another English singer almost makes the top 10. The underrated Brian Protheroe with his hit from the 1970's Pinball.

--N.S.

Aja cover model Sayoko Yamaguchi

With Steely Dan's Aja our Album of the Month for October 2011 we're wheeling out this little bonus post based on our August 2007 post about the woman who's on the cover of Aja.

Her name was Sayoko Yamaguchi and she had a career as a model. The same year she appeared on the cover of Aja Newsweek magazine listed her as one of the six top models in the world.

What you may not have seen is the 1978 Japan-only Steely Dan Greatest Hits cover featuring Sayoko Yamaguchi:

No Dukes of September DVD/TV

When Donald Fagen, Michael McDonald and Boz Scaggs toured together as The Dukes of September in 2010 a PBS Television special was mentioned.
We think it is that same TV special that's called a DVD in this article by the same author/website.

In the article Boz Scaggs is quoted saying:

No, it was supposed to happen last June, but circumstances prohibited it.

And we get a feeling that even though a new Dukes of September tour has been said to happen in 2012, that TV/DVD thing is not.

Chelsea Crowell - I'm Gonna Freeze

Maybe it's our advancing age, but we're suckers for musical heritage (and cheap 1950's, 1960's etc movies).

Here's the brand new one from the daughter of the daughter (Rosanne Cash) of Johnny Cash; Chelsea Crowell. She's just over from the USA for an European tour:

Steely Dan Request Night: Sold out but no sell out

This was the evening for the masses, the casual fans. Hits as voted online that Donald Fagen assured us they would follow "more or less". Did I see a smirk on his face?

I am sure Godwhacker was not among the songs most voted for, but it was there. As were a few others that made it clear that the band plays what it wants to play. That said this was a setlist leaning towards the more well-known for the casual listener.

And as soon as something "odd" came up - like a long keyboard intro - there was always the possibility to run out and fill up your drink, go to the restroom or munch away by the popcorn machine.

I was also pleased to be seated next to a gentleman who obviously had decided to take his nubile young daughter to a Steely Dan concert. When Donald Fagen and Walter Becker came onstage he informed her "That's Steely Dan".

I am not sure if it was the "Hey 19 vibe" but somehow a picture of the band made itself manifest on my idle camera's memory card. It is included here for prosterity and possible historical value.

Dad and daughter(?) did enjoy the show. As did the crowd.

The band was as tight and "on" as ever.

A most satisfactory evening in this 2011 Steely Dan Beacon run. Let's see what the final night brings!

SETLIST:

Your Gold Teeth, Aja, Black Friday, Hey 19, Time Out Of Mind, Show Biz Kids, Bodhisattva, FM, Godwhacker, Home At Last, Papa Don't.../intros, Rikki Don't Lose That Number, Dirty Work, Do It Again, Josie, Peg, My Odl School, Reelin' In The Years, Encore: Kid Charlemagne.

Pauline Butcher on BBC Radio 4

Pauline Butcher on BBC Radio 4 on September 21 about being Frank Zappa's secretary 1967-1972:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9596000/9596226.stm

Steely Dan Rarities night September 17, 2011

Radio Dupree attended the in Steely Dan terms historical third of seven nights at The Beacon Theatre, New York as part of the 2011 tour.

Don't expect a review as the person in question is more of an "enjoyer" than reviewer of concerts. He is also a long time fan of Steely Dan, and as such any review could be seen as biased. Anyhow, here's a short report from the trenches:

Fantastic! Fantasticker! Fantastickest!

The Beacon Theatre is a relly beautiful place to attend a show. I've heard criticism of the acoustics of the place, but where I sat the sound was good.

Billed the Rarities evening this was the show where Steely Dan would play "The unreleased, the mythic, the reborn, the rarely-if-ever-heard; On this numinous Night of Nights, all will be revealed (along with additional selected favorites and hits)".

Among the Steely Dan fans there had been a few critical voices who have called the setlists for the past couple of tours static and repetative.

These critics said that Rarities night would be nothng but moe of the same. With the already played Gaucho outtake The Bear being the only exception. But they were proven wrong.

As a casual fan or someone just familiar with the hits an evening of b-sides and seldom played album tracks would've been a disappointment. And that's why a few of the hits were includedand I am sure it did please the guy near me that after Bodhisattva screamed: "Yeah!" "Fuck the rarities. Thats someting else!" "Fuckin' a!" "Dont play another rarity!"

That was 1 hour and 20 minutes into the 2.5 hour show, and he probably felt let down when Donald announced the next song. The mythical Holy Grail for many a Steely Dan fan; The Second Arrangement.

It's the song that was recorded during the Gaucho album sessions and mistakenly erased. A bad sounding tape copy surfaced and did the rounds among bootleg collectors and I surely hadn't expected to hear it live more than 30 years after it was recorded. And erased.

If that was a song a few fans had speculated might be on the setlist for Rarities night, I think no one could´ve guessed that an oldie from the pre-Steely Dan era might make itto the setlist this evening. Catherine Russell took care of the lead vocals for American Lovers that Fagen/Becker wrote and one Thomas Jefferson Kaye recorded in 1974.

Even more than the addition of songs never or rarely played did Donald's talk inbetween convey a feeling that this was for the fans. He had a great time ending with him more or less dancing his way from the stage during the final number.

If Donald was enjoying himself Walter seemed to have a rougher night. He had some trouble with his guitars with cords being changed mid-tune and during the Jack Of Speed ´96 with Walter on vocals things threatened to fall apart as part of the band from time to time was in different places of the song. As Donald commented after the final note they had "missed some changes".

When the show was over and the lights went up I could only look around at the golden walls of The Beacon. Surprised and stunned at what I'd seen and heard. Didi it r-e-a-l-l-y happen? Overjoyed that I had made that show the one to fulfill the promise made to myself a few years ago: To see Steely Dan live in the USA.

And there's more to come! While I didn't see the Aja night or this evening's The Royal Scam, I do have tickets for the two final shows. By Popular Demand night Thursday 22 and 21th Century Dan on Friday 23.

Happy times!

In addition I also got to hang out with some fans at the Amsterdam Alehouse pre-show, and The Bitter End post-show. Thanks to all for making this a truly special evening.

Plus Radio Dupree is - thanks to Reidar who's in town for all seven Beacon shows - now officially part of The Norweigian Shuffle Diplomacy Tour 2011. And we've got the tee to prove it:

Front

Back

The Zappa marzipan factory in East Prussia

Found this auction on Tradera.com when looking for Frank Zappa records: A postcard that was sent from Königsberg in East Prussia (today Kaliningrad, Russia) in 1902. Check out the sign on the building: Marzipan-Fabrik M. Zappa. Also notice the greeting in the upper left corner, which translates "Dear aunt Emma!"
There's a big dilemma, huh?

http://www.tradera.com/GAMMAL-SPARVAGN-FRAMFOR-MARZIPANFABRIK-M-ZAPPA-I-KONIGSBERG--auktion_270304_139712526

State Cows - Hard Goodbye

State Cows from Umeå, Sweden has a new song out.

"Do you miss 1983? This is the rock ballad for you."
"Recommended if you like Mr. Mister, The Tubes, Toto."



http://www.statecows.com/

Steely Dan Seattle 1974 show a bootleg no more(?)

Wolfgang's Vault has been streaming and selling live recordings for a few years now, and today they announced the first Steely Dan show added to the vault; the July 1, 1974 show played at The Paramount Theatre in Seattle.

This has circulated as a bootleg, but as far as Radio Dupree can figure it out this appearance at the Wolfgang's Vault site makes it official and legal. You can buy a download of the concert in mp3-format for $9.99 or lossless FLAC for $12.98. (*)

According to Tomas Broberg's excellent Steely Dan site the bootleg version circulated is a nine track affair with two of the tracks - Do It Again and My Old School - cut.
The Wolfgang's Vault download version is the full show, 13 songs, complete with stage banter between tracks:


1. Introduction 0:20
2. Bodhisattva 5:08
3. Stage Banter 0:34
4. The Boston Rag 6:36
5. Stage Banter 0:47
6. Do It Again 8:08
7. Stage Banter 0:30
8. Brooklyn (Owes The Charm… 3:53
9. Song Introduction 0:43
10. King Of The World 4:53
11. Rikki Don't Lose That Nu… 4:45
12. Pretzel Logic 6:07
13. Band Introductions 1:03
14. My Old School 3:47
15. Tuning 0:46
16. Dirty Work 3:52
17. Your Gold Teeth (instrum… 1:22
18. Reelin' In The Years 5:43
19. Song Introduction 0:39
20. Show Biz Kids 6:07
21. Stage Banter 1:12
22. This All Too Mobile Home 8:37

You can hear the whole show by clicking this link.

(*) - UPDATE AS FAR AS LEGAL OR NOT GOES:

Doing a search on Wolfgang's Vault (Wikipedia entry here) we learn that it was established in 2003 featuring recordings from concert promoter Billy Graham.

Back in 2007 the site was sued by record artists and signing some sort of settlement with some of them in 2008.

When it comes to old concert recordings it's not always easy to determine who owns the rights to the actual recordings. Or who's entitled to make a buck selling them. (So we've added a question mark to the subject line.)

What we can be pretty sure of based on previous comments in interviews and elsewhere is that Donald Fagen, Walter Becker & company would rather see this one removed from Wolfgang's Vault.
It's just a feeling we have.

UPDATE SEPTEMBER 14:

Over on the dandom.com Steely Dan Fan's BlueBook the signature "make no mistake" posted the following regarding the Seattle show from the collection of sound engineer Stuart “Dinky” Dawson:

Absolute Word: : Dinky Dawson does not own the SD material he shills, has no legal claim to it whatsoever, and has been explicitly denied permission more than once to sell or profit from it.

All the more disgusting, his theft is performed "in the open", along with his jovial assurances and complicated, authentic-sounding stories about how this is all ok. They are simply inventions (and his oral histories about his employers are no more trustworthy than he).