STEELY DAN – PORT CHESTER 2014 2nd NIGHT SOUNDBOARD (2 CD-R)

Description

Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY, USA 20th September 2014
★First-ever appearance of this soundboard!!

　The Port Chester soundboard discovery series, which produces never-before-heard soundboard recordings, now presents its Steely Dan edition.

　This release features a recording of the “Port Chester concert on September 20, 2014,” and it’s the first-ever soundboard recording of that performance. Steely Dan’s only activity in 2014 was their nationwide tour titled “Jamalot Ever After Tour.” This Port Chester concert was the 55th show out of a total of 56 performances, making it one of the final shows on the tour.

[A soundboard recording capturing the live performance of perfectionists]
　This release, which conveys such a show, is the latest installment in the currently trending newly unearthed soundboard collection. Usually, when a series of soundboard recordings are unearthed, several performances by the same band are often revealed, but the common thread this time is the “venue.” In fact, soundboard recordings from the famous Port Chester venue, the “Capital Theatre,” are being released one after another, resulting in a large number of new masterpieces from various bands and artists. Just recently, our store has received great reviews for masterpieces by Norah Jones, Jackson Browne, The Moody Blues, and Reo Speedwagon. This release is the Steely Dan edition of that collection.

　If you’ve experienced even one of the titles mentioned above, you’ll immediately understand that the quality of this release is also superb, on par with a newly unearthed official release. Every single note spun from the elite 10-piece band led by Donald Fagen and Walter Becker reaches your ears without any filter. The perfectly synchronized blows of the horn section, the precise yet supple groove laid down by Keith Carlock’s drums, the low-end ridges drawn by Freddie Washington’s bass, the edgy moments when John Herrington’s guitar cuts through the air…it’s all pure, direct sound. While Steely Dan is known for their polished, perfect sound in their studio works, listening to them live on a soundboard allows you to feel the raw, visceral breath poured into that perfectionism. The balance between instruments is impeccable, and even the chorus is clear and vivid, at a level that would not be inferior to an official release.

[A delicious full show summarizing a golden career]
　This sound offers a selection of great songs, from classic hits of his golden age to rare covers. Let’s organize them album by album.

●Aja
– Black Cow / Aja / Josie / Peg
●Ecstasy
– Show Biz Kids / Bodhisattva / My Old School
●Gaucho
– Hey Nineteen / Time Out Of Mind / Babylon Sisters
●Others
– Black Friday / Rikki Don’t Lose That Number / Godwhacker / Dirty Work / Daddy Don’t Live in That New York City No More / Reelin’ In The Years / Kid Charlemagne
– Cover: Cubano Chant / I Want To (Do Everything for You) / The Untouchables

…And that’s how it is. The setlist is centered around representative songs from their golden age, selected from the three main albums “Aja,” “Gaucho,” and “Ecstasy,” while being further coated with a wide range of other songs from their repertoire. Donald Fagen plays the melodica on “Time Out Of Mind” and “Godwhacker,” and The Danettes take turns on lead vocals on “Dirty Work.”

　What’s particularly moving is Walter Becker’s voice. He takes the lead vocals on “Daddy Don’t Live in That New York City No More” and introduces the band on “I Want To (Do Everything for You).” His voice, which would pass away just three years later, is brought back to life with raw, unadulterated sound thanks to the soundboard recording.

　This first-ever soundboard album offers a blissful experience where the boundaries between jazz, R&B, and rock blend seamlessly—a moment only Steely Dan can deliver live. Combining official-quality sound with the raw energy of a direct connection to the mixing console, this is a new masterpiece. Please enjoy it to the fullest.

★This is the Steely Dan edition of the newly unearthed soundboard series. This is a soundboard recording of their “Port Chester performance on September 20, 2014”. It is a superb product that combines official-level quality with the rawness of a direct connection to the mixing console, and is a blissful two-disc set in which killer hit songs, rare covers, Walter Becker’s lead vocals and even the band introduction are vividly captured.

Disc:1 (63:31)
1. Cubano Chant (Ray Bryant cover)
2. Black Cow
3. Aja
4. Hey Nineteen
5. Black Friday
6. Rikki Don’t Lose That Number
7. Show Biz Kids
8. Time Out of Mind (Donald Fagen on melodica)
9. Godwhacker (Donald Fagen on melodica)
10. Dirty Work (with The Danettes trading lead vocals)

Disc:2 (60:53)
1. Bodhisattva
2. Daddy Don’t Live in That New York City No More (Walter Becker lead voc)
3. Babylon Sisters
4. I Want To (Do Everything for You) (Joe Tex cover) (with band introductions by Walter Becker)
5. Josie
6. Peg
7. My Old School
8. Reelin’ In the Years
9. Kid Charlemagne
10. The Untouchables (Nelson Riddle cover)

Jim Beard [Keyboards]
Keith Carlock [Drums]
La Tanya Hall [B. Vocals]
Jon Herington [Guitar]
Carolyn Leonhart [B. Vocals]
Michael Leonhart [Trumpet, Keys]
Cindy Mizelle [B. Vocals]
Jim Pugh [Trombone]
Freddie Washington [Bass]
Walt Weiskopf [Saxophone]