When Donald Fagen and Walter Becker re-formed Steely Dan in 1994, they didn't put out a new album.
They undertook a tour of sports arenas, their first tour since the days of Countdown to Ecstasy.
Since Steely Dan became stars after they retired from performing, many of their dedicated fans never got a chance to see the group in concert.
Given those circumstances, maybe the uniformly positive reviews of the tour were predictable.
But as Alive in America proves, the shows weren't earth-shaking.
Certainly they were fun -- there's no denying it's a thrill to hear these songs in a live setting, both for fans and for Becker and Fagen themselves -- but essentially they were exercises in nostalgia.
Alive in America is enjoyable, but it offers no new insight into Steely Dan as performers, or Becker and Fagen as songwriters.
It's a gas while it lasts, but it doesn't leave any lasting memories.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Babylon SistersWalter Becker, Donald Fagen | Steely Dan | Play | 06:47 | 15 MB | 41 MB |
| 2 | Green EarringsWalter Becker, Donald Fagen | Steely Dan | Play | 05:20 | 12 MB | 37 MB |
| 3 | BodhisattvaWalter Becker, Donald Fagen | Steely Dan | Play | 05:47 | 13 MB | 42 MB |
| 4 | Reelin' in the YearsWalter Becker, Donald Fagen | Steely Dan | Play | 06:24 | 14 MB | 44 MB |
| 5 | JosieWalter Becker, Donald Fagen | Steely Dan | Play | 06:11 | 14 MB | 42 MB |
| 6 | Book of LiarsWalter Becker | Steely Dan | Play | 04:19 | 9 MB | 26 MB |
| 7 | PegWalter Becker, Donald Fagen | Steely Dan | Play | 04:19 | 9 MB | 28 MB |
| 8 | Third World ManWalter Becker, Donald Fagen | Steely Dan | Play | 06:38 | 15 MB | 39 MB |
| 9 | Kid CharlemagneWalter Becker, Donald Fagen | Steely Dan | Play | 05:16 | 12 MB | 36 MB |
| 10 | Sign in StrangerWalter Becker, Donald Fagen | Steely Dan | Play | 06:33 | 15 MB | 39 MB |
| 11 | AjaWalter Becker, Donald Fagen | Steely Dan | Play | 09:02 | 20 MB | 59 MB |
| 66 mins | 152 MB | |||||
| 66 mins | 439 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tom Barney | Guitar (Bass) |
| 2 | Walter Becker | Composer, Guitar, Vocals |
| 3 | Warren Bernhardt | Director, Piano |
| 4 | Cornelius Bumpus | Sax (Tenor) |
| 5 | Phil Burnett | Engineer |
| 6 | Dennis Chambers | Drums |
| 7 | Peter Erskine | Drums |
| 8 | Donald Fagen | Composer, Melodica, Producer, Vocals |
| 9 | Diane Garisto | Vocals (Background) |
| 10 | Roger Nichols | Engineer |
| 11 | Chris Potter | Sax (Alto), Sax (Tenor) |
| 12 | Catherine Russell | Percussion, Vocals (Background), Whistle (Human) |
| 13 | Bob Sheppard | Sax (Soprano), Sax (Tenor) |
| 14 | Steely Dan | Primary Artist |
| 15 | Georg "Jojje" Wadenius | Guitar |
| 16 | Bill Ware | Percussion, Vibraphone |
| 17 | Brenda White-King | Vocals (Background) |
| 18 | Drew Zingg | Director, Guitar |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |