Customer Reviews

Android Warehouse

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(5)
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Ever since Steely Dan emerged in all its dark glory in the early '70s, there have been various semilegal (read: European and out of the reach of US law) albums containing Becker-Fagen demos from pre-Dan days (when, among other things, they played for Jay and the Americans). Some are songs that the Dan eventually recorded, some never were. The most irritating of the bunch is the soundtrack to an (unreleased?) low-budget film, "YOU GOTTA WALK IT LIKE YOU TALK IT OR YOU'LL LOSE THAT BEAT" - the title is the best part, I'm afraid. So now it's the buyer's decision: pick up on some interesting scraps (I'm not being sarcastic) to see where the boys came from, or refuse to support recordings that they certainly would not want for sale (these releases have usually come under the name "Becker-Fagen," so at least that's sort of honest). I would say it's pretty much for Dan fanatics. Your call, friend.

'Android Warehouse' collects most of the extant demo or pre-Steely Dan recordings made by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, along with other musicians on some of the tracks. These recordings have proven essential for fans of Walter and Donald.
I said in the previous paragraph that "most" of the early recordings are here. There is a version of "Sun Mountain" in this collection, but two versions actually exist. The one represented here is skeletal, with Donald Fagen straining at the difficult vocal part and accompanying himself at the piano. The second, more finished version (not included) utilizes a quartet: Becker and Fagen play bass and piano, respectively, a drummer completes the rhythm section, and there is a vocalist who can handle the nearly two-octave melodic range of the song.
You must hear the alternate version of "Sun Mountain" to appreciate this lovely song. It is available on a collection called 'Catalyst: The Original Recordings (1968-71)'. 'Catalyst' costs more than 'Android Warehouse' and contains all the same music, but adds the second recording of "Sun Mountain".
A fanatic will probably need to have the 'Catalyst' release.

"Android Warehouse" is a collection of demos that Walter Becker and Donald Fagen recorded to shop to various publishing companies in the late '60's. While a few of the tracks were later re-recorded by the duo, most were not, so this is an indispensable item for all serious Steely Dan fans. The audio quality is passable, the songs are mostly excellent, and all have something to offer. While these tracks represent Steely Dan's earliest recorded rumblings, they were never originally issued. The first Steely Dan (er, Becker-Fagen with Dias) album was '71's soundtrack "You Got To Walk It Like You Talk It". That album is much more polished and certainly more engaging, but the demos collected on "Android Warehouse" are rare glimpses into the duo's burgeoning genius.

This is a collection of lesser known works and demos of old Dan favorites. Surprising that they would let this one slip out into the public as they were always such perfectionists.

Still, it is intersting to hear the first takes of these well known favorites, many unplugged, with that "garage band" sound.

Please note, this CD will only be of interest to real hardcore Dan fans who are thoroughly familiar with all of their studio works from "Can't Buy A Thrill" to "Gaucho".

The only thing I can add to the reviews posted above is a caveat: If you want stripped-down demos of mostly unreleased material, make sure you get the most complete version of these demos since a lot of collections include only a portion of the batch. Some are much more "full-band" than others. Brain Tap Shuffle, Come Back Baby, Yellow Peril, Let George Do It, and a number of others would not have been out of place on Can't Buy A Thrill. Also, Fagen does not sing lead on all of these songs - some studio ringers take a number of lead vocals. I happen to like the early harmonization of Fagen and Becker which has never really occurred since. (Of course, I am one of those oddballs that loves Becker's voice and solo CD 11 Tracks of Whack).

If you own all the books and all the albums this is the next step. Its full of early and very experimental music. From the dylan-esq incarnation of Brooklyn to the 60s pop sounds of A horse in town, its very interestin to hear the beginings and musical experimentation of this wonderful band. Be warned some of the material is just plain awful though.

I pretty much kept a distance from Steely Dan in thier heyday, I thought they were too commercial, but they did have some good songwriting, and an occasional guitar solo that rips. I saw these tapes in the store that are essentially the same recordings. The tapes were very cheap, and it was obvious that someone got a hold of pre-Steely Dan demos and released them probably without permission from Becker and Fagen. I wasn't expecting much, but I was interested in hearing how they developed thier song writing. I was pleasantly surprised to hear songs that sounded familiar although I probably never heard most of the music. The familiarity was just because the song writing quality was excellent. Lyrically each song tells an interesting story, mostly about underground lifestyles. My favorites were 'Brooklyn' and 'Roaring of the Lamb'. I listened to those tapes over and over, and I don't have a single Steely dan record in my collection.

I think the arrangement of Brooklyn is better on these tapes than on the album, I think it's a different singer, and the album version has almost an Eagles like sound. I think I like the raw side of the recordings, and SD tends to be too polished on record, probably an under-statement. So if you think Steely Dan is too polished, this is for you. You won't find the great studio musicians here, it's mostly just piano and vocals with maybe a litle bass and drums. The emphasis is on the songwriting. I think if I were to play cover tunes I would want to play Brooklyn and do a version that's even more laid back and jazzier like (Herbie Hancock maiden voyage?) than this version. I also like the lyrics to 'Roaring of the Lamb' it seems to have a more positive message perhaps?

I probably will never buy Steely Dan CD's too worldly and too polished but these recordings seem to be essential to my collection, so I looked this up.

What a wonderful glimpse into what would become the full blown genius of Steely Dan.

As a songwriter, for me it is really interesting to me so see how things develop, and what changes are made. These songs show the bare basics of what these guys are about, and clearly demonstrate their songwriting and song structuring abilities.

I LOVE this set. I feel certain that Becker and Fagen would be furious about people having it, but even though I totally respect artistic integrity - this set is just too good to miss. Certainly for total Steely Dan fans - not for those who only want the "polished" stuff. Personally - I love it all.

What is particularly interesting to me is that the guitar player who shows up on some of the tracks is none other than Denny Dias who was reportedly a founding member of Steely Dan. How cool is THAT?

And the drummer on some of the tracks? Jim Hodder, also an early (first drummer) of Steely Dan. Also very cool.

So - summary, great set - gives you insight into the creative genius of Becker and Fagen.

I enjoy all of Steely Dans original tracks on other records with a full band. However, this Album is almost all piano. It gets boring and tedious.