Katy Lied

Katy Lied
Studio album by Steely Dan
Released March 1975
Recorded November 1974 -
January 1975;
ABC Recording Studios Inc.,
Los Angeles
Genre Jazz rock
Length 35:25
Label ABC
Producer Gary Katz
Steely Dan chronology
Pretzel Logic
(1974)		 Katy Lied
(1975)		 The Royal Scam
(1976)
Singles from Katy Lied
  1. "Black Friday"
    Released: 1975
  2. "Bad Sneakers"
    Released: September 1975
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Robert ChristgauA−[2]
Rolling Stone(unfavorable)[3]

Katy Lied is the fourth album by Steely Dan, originally released in 1975 by ABC Records. It went gold and peaked at #13 on the US charts.[4] The single "Black Friday" also charted at #37.[5]

It is the first appearance of singer Michael McDonald on a Steely Dan album. Jeff Porcaro, then only 20 years old, played drums on all the songs except "Any World (That I'm Welcome To)", which features session drummer Hal Blaine. It also marked the first appearance of Larry Carlton who played guitar on "Daddy Don't Live in That New York City No More"

Band leaders Walter Becker and Donald Fagen were unhappy with the album's sound quality owing to an equipment malfunction with the then-new dbx noise reduction system. The group has claimed that the damage was mostly repaired after consulting with the engineers at dbx, but Fagen and Becker still refused to listen to the completed album.

The album was reissued by MCA Records after ABC Records was acquired by MCA in 1979.

Concept

The album cover features a picture of a katydid, a "singing" (stridulating) insect related to crickets and grasshoppers. This is a pun on the album's title; the "singing" of a katydid sounds as though they're saying "Katy did, Katy didn't." Lyrics in the song "Doctor Wu" include "Katy tried, I was halfway crucified" and "Katy lies, you can see it in her eyes".

The track "Black Friday", which was released as the first single from the album, relates the story of a crooked speculator who makes his fortune and absconds to Australia. Muswellbrook, a town in New South Wales, was chosen to fit in with the lyric, as Fagen later explained: "It was the place most far away from LA we could think of ... and, of course it fitted the metre of the song and rhymed with book". The track features Michael Omartian on piano and David Paich on Hohner electric piano.[6]

Track listing

All songs written by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen.

Side one

  1. "Black Friday" – 3:33
  2. "Bad Sneakers" – 3:16
  3. "Rose Darling" – 2:59
  4. "Daddy Don't Live in That New York City No More" – 3:12
  5. "Doctor Wu" – 3:59

Side two

  1. "Everyone's Gone to the Movies" – 3:41
  2. "Your Gold Teeth II" – 4:12
  3. "Chain Lightning" – 2:57
  4. "Any World (That I'm Welcome To)" – 3:56
  5. "Throw Back the Little Ones" – 3:11

Personnel

Steely Dan

Additional musicians

Production

Album cover

The album cover features a photograph of a katydid by Dorothy White.

Charts

Album[4]

Year Chart Position
1975 Pop Albums 13
1975 UK Albums 13

Pop Singles

Year Single Label & number Position
1975 "Black Friday" (B-side: "Throw Back the Little Ones") ABC 12101 37[5]
1975 "Bad Sneakers" (B-side: "Chain Lightning") ABC 12128 103

References

  1. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Katy Lied at AllMusic. Retrieved 27 October 2004.
  2. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "Steely Dan > Consumer Guide Reviews". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 5 March 2006.
  3. ↑ Mendelsohn, John (May 8, 1975). "Steely Dan Katy Lied > Review". Rolling Stone (186). Archived from the original on 7 December 2007. Retrieved 28 August 2007.
  4. 1 2 Katy Lied - Steely Dan > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums at AllMusic. Retrieved 27 October 2004.
  5. 1 2 Katy Lied - Steely Dan > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles at AllMusic. Retrieved 27 October 2004.
  6. ↑ Sweet, Brian (2000). Steely Dan: Reelin' in the Years. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780711982796.

External links

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