Track Listing

1. PEG
2. BODHISATTVA
3. HOME AT LAST
4. AJA
5. PRETZEL LOGIC
6. JOSIE
7. DIRTY WORK
8. THE FEZ
9. FM
10. HEY NINETEEN

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #141284 in Music
• Brand: Royal
• Released on: 2006-05-09
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .33 pounds

Album Description
"The Royal Dan" features some of the greatest names in progressive jazz/fusion guitar, each paying tribute to rock/jazz legends Steely Dan, pioneers of progressive pop music. These ten incredible guitarists have come together to lift up their guitars as their voices in celebration of this important music.

Customer Reviews

a pale echo
Take some of the greatest, harmonically sophisticated pop music of the twentieth century, and add a handful of the best jazz/funk guitarists around,a nd what do you get?

Well, not much, really. Becker and Fagen's carefully crafted songs had just enough guitar or sax solo in each to compliment the body of the song; they knew that it's the right mix of lyrics with a catchy melodic hook that really makes a great song.

What we have hear is a band vamping on the changes along with solos that really aren't anything special, and in most cases fall far short of the brief and intense solos that accompnaied the originals. Certainly Steve Morse' attempt at "Bodhisattiva" doesn't come close to the intensity found in the Denny Dias original, and even where the same guitarist who played on the original track is playing, it's just not as interesting as the original.

Tribute albums seldom live up to the originals, and the more distinctive the original, the harder it is to improve on it.

Ho hum.
This is, I believe, the fourth guitar-centric tribute album produced by Jeff Richman for the Tone Center label, and it is by far the least interesting. Perhaps that's because this is the only one of the four that pays tribute to a vocal group.

Whatever the reason, the arrangements aren't interesting nor do these versions add new dimensions to the original versions. Further, to me, the guitar solos just don't sound inspired.

In summary, there's nothing wrong with this set of music, but there's nothing particularly interesting about it, either. There's not one song or guitar solo that grabs my attention. It might make great party background music, though. No conversations will be interrupted with the "Wow! Who's that?" question.

Editorial detour: In the order that I enjoy them, the other Tone Center tributes are as follows - (1) the John Coltrane tribute, A Guitar Supreme [5 stars], (2) the Miles Davis tribute [4-1/2 stars] and (3) the John McLaughlin tribute, Visions of the Inner Mounting Apocalypse [4 stars]. Each of these does contain several "Wow! Who's that?" moments.

Another Tribute Album......
Hmmm, this is one of those CDs that's really gonna have to grow on me. I mean, it's just o.k.

Without a doubt, they've assembled a fine cast of musicians to belt out some memorable Dan tunes a la instrumental, but the results are just o.k.

No mind blowing revelations for the ears or other aural senses.

Blurring the lines of rock, jazz & whatever else ya' got, Steely Dan has always been an outfit that never really fit into a specific category or let alone left its music open for interpretation by both contemporaries and future generations of musicians alike.

Love em' or hate em' - Walter & Donald are the reason we spend top dollar for high end speakers, Hi-Fi systems and expensive turntables.

In my opinion no one can perform the music better than Becker & Fagen (accompanied by top shelf supporting players).

If you're having a backyard barbecue, entertaining friends over the weekend, sitting in the waiting room waiting for a cleaning or find yourself stuck between floors in a faulty elevator downtown - Royal Dan is pleasant enough to listen to and you'll find yourself mouthing the lyrics innocently enough.

Tribute albums are better reserved for retrospective and in memoriam settings....For heaven's sake these guys are very much alive, are actively recording and best of all still touring - Go see them live!

nuf' said.