Steely Dan: Northeast Corridor: Steely Dan Live!

This packs a punch. The core members of Steely Dan—singer and keyboardist Donald Fagen and multi-instrumentalist Walter Becker—were studio wizzes who seldom toured. Their only previous live album—the anemic Alive in America—dropped 25 years ago. So, despite the absence of Becker, who died shortly before this 2018 tour, Northeast Corridor arrived amid anticipation. It’s a solid set coproduced by Fagen and Grammy winner Patrick Dillett. The concerts were recorded in Boston, Philadelphia, and Uncasville, Connecticut, and find Fagen in good voice. He is joined by 14 ace session players, including drummer Keith Carlock and bassist Freddie Washington, both Steely Dan alumni—I’ve seldom heard a tighter bass and drum sound on vinyl. The 12 tracks include such chestnuts as “Hey Nineteen,” “Black Cow,” “Bodhisattva,” “Any Major Dude,” and “Kid Charlemagne,” all faithfully reproduced. The band doesn’t stretch out often, though exceptions include keyboardist Jim Beard’s solo on “Glamour Profession,” Jim Pugh’s trombone intro to “Things I Miss the Most,” and a jazz-instrumental cover of Big Joe Williams 1954 hit “A Man Ain’t Supposed to Cry.” And then there are those kick-ass drum solos on “Aja” and “Reelin’ in the Years.” Who says you can’t buy a thrill?