Skip to content
Elly Roberts reviews
Reprise
- Cat.no: CDW49976
- Released: March 2006
- Rating: 10/10
When going solo,sophisticated cross-over jazzman Donald Fagen doesn’tgravitate much from the latter Steely Dan template. Morph The Cat, the thirdin the solo trilogy following Nightfly (1982 – UK no 44) and Kamakiriad(1993 – UK no 3) can be regarded as the climax.
My Steely Dan love affair began in 1973 whilst at Art College. The entire’smart’ student brigade seemed to embrace them. Their debut Can’t Buy AThrill, was a sensation, spawning hit singles Do It Again and Reelin’ In TheYears. Each album progressed, until they had reached such a clinical, smoothand predictable state, they left themselves open to some criticism. By thetime of Gaucho (1980), my interest waned.
Then came Nightfly, a more inspiring offering without cohort Walter Becker.Becker doesn’t appear here either, though tried and tested musicians makethe cut. Nowadays, Fagen can’t nail the killer 3 minute pop song. Early onin SD, there was more adventure, which he seems to have forgotten orabandoned for the sake of safer ground. Most run 4, 5, 6, even seven minuteslong.
He says, “I like it when songs develop in some way and four minutesusually isn’t enough time for something to develop musically.” Everytime, weknow what we’re getting – highly polished funky grooves that don’t appearanywhere else in the biznizz. Tight is the keyword right now, though thesongs aren’t too much of a straight jacket, because it’s not ALL Fagenmaking this happen. Allowing all involved, the album breathes the freedomafforded to the respective musicians to flourish within the parameters ofFagen’s supremely crafted compositions.
The really interesting stuff happenswithin the songs i.e. the quality of musicianship – Fagen and Becker werealways musicians’ musicians. Attention to detail and those little toucheshave always been his forte too, and there are bucket loads of it spread overthe nine tracks.
Effectively built around protracted ‘textured’ jazz, soul and rock grooves,Fagen is still plugged into the Duke Ellington model. Lyrically he dealswith impending mortality and assorted apocalyptic scenarios, to homelandsecurity and the ghost of Ray Charles.
WARNING – this isn’t instant appeal; I can assure you its outstanding music- class from start to finish. Put on and enjoy.
Weblink:Donald Fagen.com
The full list of tracks included are :
1. Morph The Cat
2. H Gang
3. What I Do
4. Brite Nitegown
5. The Great Pagoda Of Funn
6. Security Joan
7. The Night Belongs To Mona
8. Mary Shut The Garden Door
9. Morph The Cat (Reprise)
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.