Steely Dan: Reelin' in the Years

Steely Dan: Reelin' in the Years by Sweet, Brian. paperback edition. ISBN: 0752187474005.

A biography of the group Steely Dan, the American jazz rock band who have sold over 50 million albums during a career lasting over 20 years. It tells of how Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, a couple of cynical New York jazz fans wormed their way into a record contract and astonished critics with their first album "Cant Buy a Thrill" in 1973. Nine albums later, after "Aja", had topped charts everywhere, they were among the biggest selling acts in the world. Then they quit, only to reform in 1993. Steely Dan were different from the rest of rocks super-sellers. They rarely gave interviews. After some early bad experiences on the road, they refused to tour. They didnt have their photographs taken so few people knew what they looked like. Steely Dan wasnt even a proper group; it was two musicoans and a producer, yet every top notch player in the world lined up to appear on their albums. In this book the author, who is the editor and publisher of "Metal Leg", the UK based Steely Dan fanzine, finally draws back the veil of secrecy that has surrounded Walter Becker and Donald Fagen. Here is the story of how they made their music and lived their lives.