Steely Dan - Dallas & Sail The Waterway

Unlike all but a few bands of their era, Steely Dan have done little to cater to the demand of fans for material to complement their main (i.e. pre 1980) catalogue.  There are no deluxe editions of albums, crammed with alternate mixes, unreleased songs and live recordings.  There are, indeed, quite a few items of post-1990 Steely Dan extras and rarities available, but up to and including 1980’s Gaucho album, the (official) pickings are indeed slim.  Becker and Fagen have seemingly taken the decision that the first seven studio albums require no further addition nor embellishment.  

It is highly probable that despite the somewhat limited recorded output from the years 1972-1978, Becker and Fagen have written and recorded quite a few songs that have never surfaced outside of the recording studio (Wikipedia lists “You Got the Bear” as an out-take from the Aja album).  Collectors and die-hards will, of course, be aware of the following: -

• Reelin’ In The Years – a different mix with some alternate guitar parts, from the quadraphonic LP version of Can’t Buy A Thrill.  Countdown to Ecstasy and Pretzel Logic were also issued in quad, with minimal differences from the stereo mixes
• FM – recorded for 1978 movie soundtrack; issued as a single and included on later compilations
• Here At The Western World – an out-take from The Royal Scam, issued on the 1976 Greatest Hits album and later included on the Gold & Citizen compilations
• Bodhisattva – a live version from the final show of their 1974 tour; issued as the B-side of Hey Nineteen.  Nowhere on the record or in the accompanying publicity was it mentioned that this track was recorded live, and was not available anywhere else.  How very Steely Dan.  Since included on the Gold & Citizen compilations
• Everyone’s Gone To The Movies – a demo version, included on the Citizen box set

In addition, there are the somewhat forgettable Pre-Steely Dan demo recordings from 1968-71 that have been issued in countless versions, with packaging and album titles designed to masquerade as an official or new album.  These first appeared c. 1983 on a variety of labels, and continue to be repackaged to this day.  Whilst not actually wretched – some are quite listenable, especially the early versions of songs that appeared in finished form on the albums proper.  However, these recordings really should have remained as bootlegs.  In which case, in the darkest pockets of the internet, ultra-fans could wax enthusiastic about this music and in turn demand an official release.

Less well known is the soundtrack to the 1968 B-movie, You've Got to Walk It Like You Talk It or You'll Lose That Beat (the film was actually released two years later, in 1970).  The soundtrack album was finally released on the Spark label in 1971 and credited to, “The Original Soundtrack”.  Like the early demos mentioned above, the record lacks the finesse and polish that one came to associate with Steely Dan.  Some of it is of interest, but none of it is truly essential.  The record was reissued with a different cover in 1978 on the VISA label and credited to Donald Fagen, Walter Becker & Denny Diaz.   Another reissue appeared in Europe on the Ariola label with yet another cover design.   The UK label See For Miles reissued the album on CD in 1992, the UK Cherry Red label then issued the record in 2012.  Both reissues carried artwork that was close to the original; both issues credit the album to Donald Fagen and Walter Becker.

Of more interest is the last-but-one song on Barbra Streisand’s 1971 Columbia album, Barbra Joan Streisand.  I Mean To Shine is a fine Becker & Fagen composition, afforded a great interpretation by Ms Streisand with Donald Fagen on organ and the late Hugh McCracken on guitar.  Barb delivers the tune with just the right balance of tenderness and control – a master class, perhaps, to the would-be X-factor Mariah Carey wannabes of recent years.  Meanwhile, the whole album is absolutely worthy of investigation.  Listening to Barb’s reading of I Mean To Shine, one can only imagine how Becker & Fagen would have played it.  

Back in 1977, Steely Dan were making inroads into the UK album charts – only Countdown To Ecstasy had not made the top 40.  The albums were receiving excellent reviews and plenty of support from DJs such as Johnny Walker and Bob Harris.  Meanwhile, their singles were nowhere near as successful – despite considerable airplay with singles such as Rikki Don't Lose That Number and Reeling In The Years, only Do It Again and Haitian Divorce had made the top 40 (nos. 39 and 17 respectively).  

In 1977, record companies were marketing the 12” single as a new highly saleable format – the previous year, Polydor had issued Substitute by The Who as one of the first such disco 45s in the UK (despite the song being less than 4 minutes long).  The record made no. 7 in the charts.  In mid-1977, ABC/Anchor records had launched a 4-track ep series designed to capitalise on the success of the 12” single and to try and drum up sales and interest for their album catalogue.  15 records appeared from artists such as Don Williams, Alice Cooper, Rufus and Joe Walsh.  In December (two-and-a-half months after the release of Aja) a 4-track ep by Steely Dan was released in the UK as part of the Plus Fours series.  The record contained full-length versions of the top 40 hits Do It Again and Haitian Divorce – plus two non-album tracks, Dallas and Sail The Waterway.  

These two mysterious tracks had originally appeared briefly in 1972 as the A and B side of Steely Dan’s first single for ABC records (ABC 11323). The single was issued in the UK on the Probe label (PRO 562).  Over 40 years later, some believe that there are more promotional copies than retail copies in existence.  Apart from the issue on the Plus Fours 12” ep, the two tracks have appeared on a 7-track post-1978 Japanese compilation LP*, simply entitled Steely Dan.  Dallas was also included on a 1972 Probe label sampler album (Spirit of Rock; MFP 50046) issued on the budget label Music For Pleasure label.  It sold for about 50p; also included on the record were tracks by Steppenwolf, Three Dog Night and B.B. King (amongst others)**.   Budget-priced sampler albums remained popular throughout the 1970s, following the success of the CBS Rock Machine series.  

Although some Steely Dan fans are aware of Dallas and Sail The Waterway, what is rarely discussed is the fact that the recordings have only ever been issued in – gasp – monophonic.  As far as I can ascertain, the songs were not mixed down to stereo.  On the rare occasions that Messrs. Becker and Fagen have discussed these recordings, they have expressed their disapproval.  Meanwhile, Donald Fagen did not sing lead on Dallas – opinions vary across internet blog pages and chat rooms as to which member of the original group was responsible.  

It is highly unlikely that either of these tracks will see an official issue, so long as Walter Becker and Donald Fagen retain control over their back catalogue.  Here, then, are the two official Steely Dan recordings that have not been issued on compact disc nor official download.  And these songs absolutely worth inclusion of any serious collection of Steely Dan recordings. 

download here

*The track listing for this elusive album was: -

1. Do It Again 5:52

2. Dallas 3:08

3. Sail The Waterway 3:04

4. Black Friday 3:33

5. Aja 7:56

6. Kid Charlemagne 4:38

7. Rikki Don't Lose That Number 4:30

Budget-priced sampler albums remained popular throughout the 1970s, following the success of the CBS Rock Machine series.  Sometimes, the compilers would include tracks that were extremely difficult to find or simply unavailable anywhere else – such as Led Zeppelin’s Hey Hey What Can I Do (included on The New Age Of Atlantic) and Pink Floyd’s Embryo (included on the Harvest label sampler, Picnic).