Known for their perfectionism in the recording studio, Steely Dan front men
Walter Becker and Donald Fagen also appear to be perfectionists of the greatest
hits collection. The Definitive Collection is the group’s
fifth such release (not including the box set Citizen Steely Dan),
and generally covers the same ground as its precursors. We’re given the
predictable selection of radio and cult hits, including “Do It Again,”
“Bodhisattva,” “Kid Charlemagne,” and the title song
from the film FM. The album has mainly served to promote the group’s
recent summer tour, and to highlight their last two studio recordings (albeit
with only one song from each).
So this release is more a redundant retread than a “definitive collection,”
like Steely Dan itself is more a generous duo than a consistent band. Becker
and Fagen — dubbed “Starkweather and Manson” in their days
as backup musicians — established the eccentric rock-fusion outfit as
their own vehicle, with others invited along for the ride. Their career and
works all hinge on some degree of irony — be it their pop styling colored
with a disdainful view of mainstream sensibilities, or a career-spanning collection
that accounts for a 20-year hiatus.
Of course, the two have always been too smart and cynical for the pop music
scene they slyly infiltrated. Their agreeable melodies often mask layers of
tireless and eccentric musicianship, provided at times by such esteemed jazz
players as Wayne Shorter, Tom Scott and Steve Gadd. Their lyrics brim with obscure
references and often echo their disillusionment with success. As the song “Deacon
Blues” waxes on the youthful vision of musical immortality, it inserts
the deflated plea, “I want a name when I lose.” Even behind the
MOR leanings of the hit “Hey Nineteen” lurks the duo’s lament
of losing touch with a culture in slow decay.
The tracks here have been digitally remastered and all are well deserving of
such treatment. All told, however, The Definitive Collection
feels like a frivolous reminiscence of a group hopefully many years away from
its final bow. This could be seen as a shrewd marketing ploy from Geffen Records,
but I’d like to see the superfluity of this release as Steely Dan’s
comment on the inevitable excess of the industry they have begrudgingly endured.
Why expect any less from a group named after a dildo?
~ Galen Howard
