Never thought I'd say it about a Donald Fagen record, but there are only 3 songs I can really handle from this record: H Gang, title track, Mary Close the Garden Door. The rest is just kinda uninspired filler to me.

can't wait for whatever Steely's gonna do next...

That's too bad.

I thought the irony of the deceptively captivating melody of The Great Pagoda of Funn against the visual imagery of lyrics like...

From poison skies
And severed heads
And pain and lies
So follow me


Of psycho-moms
And dying stars
And dirty bombs
Please follow me

...were a thing of beauty.


The Night Belongs to Mona is another interesting storyline...

When the moonrays
Get so bright
When she rises
Towards the starlight
Miles above
The city’s heat
Will she fall hard
Or float softly to the street

Tonight the night belongs to Mona
When she’s dancing all alone
Forty floors above the city
CDs spinnin’
AC hummin’
Feelin’ pretty

...on someone potentially contemplating suicide.


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431
[Edited 7/1/06 14:34pm]

maybe I'll appreciate it more when I listen to the lyrics more closely.

I appreciate the instrumentation, and wow! guitar solos, but the songs just don't jump out at me as much as his other work has

Well, I guess that kills this thread.

Nah!! Morph The Cat pisses all over the last two Dan albums.

For me it's easily up there with Aja and Gaucho although The Nightfly remains peerless, The best album Steely Dan never did!!

soulyacolia said:

I love Aja and I think Gaucho is the best thing they ever did. Morph as good as those? Come on now!

PFunkjazz said:

I've killed so many threads on the org, I may hold the record.

"H Gang" stacks up to any track on Fagen's previous efforts.

couldn't disagree more. so far my favourite album in this millenium
[Edited 7/2/06 23:31pm]

namepeace said:

I totally agree, H Gang is the token great single every album seems to have (Blue's Beach, Tomorrow's Girls, Cousin Dupree, New Frontier, etc). Why the hell these songs aren't on the radio is beyond me. I actually catch myself listening to the local Smooth Jazz station just to get my Steely/Sade fix

...


Y'know it's funny, I felt this way about the last Dan album, Everything Must Go, (except for the song, Pixeleen, which rocketed to one of my Top Five Steely Dan tunes!)....but I thought there was a sameness creeping through the rest of the album....

But I welcomed Morph the Cat as a return to form, maybe because Fagen's solo albums tends to let soloists stretch out a little more... I thought it was a great combination of what Fagen and Becker have always done--the cool rhythms, complex harmonies and wry lyrics....But that's just my take....I did read some reviews that liked Everything Must Go, but didn't like this one that much...so...I dunno.....



...
[Edited 7/7/06 14:36pm]

Rudy said:

Morph is definitely a CD that you have to give it the time it deserves by actually sitting down and listening to it.....if you use it as background or for a quick listen in the car, you will NOT "get it".

Please try again, my friend. Read the liner notes, read the lyrics while you are listening to it and consider the message and/or meaning behind them, and get back with us later.

Okey dokey?

cubic61052 said:

For my love of Donald, and because many of you smart orgers seem to believe in this record, I will give Morph special attention. Hopefully I will see what it is that I'm missing.

Wow... Cool that we have a few SD/Fagen fans around here... I feel ya on not being WOWed by Morph The Cat... Many of the tracks seem a bit too long... However, it would take a small miracle to improve on Aja, Nightfly and Gaucho...

While we're on the topic, anyone know where I can find Donald's remake/title track of "Bright Lights, Big City"??... Its featured in the film along with "Centurys End" and I was wondering if "BLBC" was an actual release???

I must admit that I agree with those who weren't exactly blown away by Morph the Cat. It's got its moments, though. "H Gang" is by far the best track on the CD - it's right up there with classic Steely Dan to me.

Rudy said:

I had a similar attitude with Everything Must Go (as paligap indicated) and Fagen's Kamakiriad.

But I discovered, as with most Steely Dan/Donald Fagen releases, repeated listenings over time tend to reveal additional secrets unnoticed earlier.

An added benefit/feature of their material.


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

Saw Steely Dan last night for the first time. What a great experience to see consummate musicians do their thing.

Michael McDonald came on with them to do a set that included "Peg," "Reelin' In The Years," and "My Old School."

Wonderful show.

I was hoping to hear Fagen do some of his solo material, but it was good to see those guys do their thing.

namepeace said:

Excellent.

I'm gonna see them on the 19th.


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

i am hoping morph will grow on me as well, because upon the first few listens, it did not grab me. my first impression of its main flaw, for me, is the production. it sounds kind of "rinky-dink", over-produced, and plastic. when i listen to each song, i think that's well written, good melody, lyrics, etc, then i ask myself, what's wrong, why doesn't it grab me. what it reminds me of, are many sings from emancipation. strong material, but sounds too antiseptic.

medoc2003 said:

Agree. I listened to Morph and it's too slick for my liking and i don't feel any attachment to the music. I can't remember the names of the tracks but i know the third one was my favourite.