Katy Lied

Katy Lied is the fourth album by the band Steely Dan, released in March 1975 by ABC Records. The album marks the departure of the Steely Dan quintet with guitarists Jeff "Skunk" Baxter and Denny Dias and drummer Jim Hodder. Denny Dias would pop up on songs all the way up to Aja, in 1977, playing guitar on the title track. This album marks the first appearance of session musicians that would work with The Dan for a long time, including Larry Carlton and Michael McDonald. The album produced a minor hit in "Black Friday".

Background
To the band's surprise, their third record Pretzel Logic had become a hit and their single "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" became a hit. As it was tradition at the time, the band now had to tour heavily to earn money for the record label so they could produce another record. Bandleaders Fagen and Becker grew increasingly tired of touring, because they wanted to focus on working in the studio. This caused a disconnect between them and the rest of the band. So, by late 1974, the band ceased touring and the rest of the members left to Fagen's perfectionism.

Without other band members, Fagen and Becker could not make a record on their own. Luckily, they had many connections to Los Angeles session musicians, and Becker had started to pick up the electric guitar again instead of the bass. Pretzel Logic featured many session musicians, however only for overdubs and not for the entire record. Fagen and Becker would rely more and more on session musicians, culminating in the who's who of Southern Californian session musicians that is Aja.

This album started the trend of Fagen rotating session musicians to find the perfect sound, which is why there is a different guitarist on almost every single track. Among those guitarists would be Larry Carlton, who plays on "Daddy Don't Live in That New York City No More", who would play a giant part in creating the musical soundscape of The Royal Scam. As a result, every track sounds different, but still in the same realm of Katy Lied. Great pickups would also include bassist Chuck Rainey (the reason why Becker changed from bass to guitar) and vocalist Michael McDonald.

Music and Lyrics
Unlike the hard rocker that is Can't Buy a Thrill, the risky jazz fusion sounds of Countdown to Ecstasy, and the blues-rock of Pretzel Logic, Katy Lied is a fusion of all of those albums. It has hard rock elements ("Black Friday", "Daddy Don't Live in That New York City No More"), jazz fusion ("Bad Sneakers", "Doctor Wu"), and blues rock ("Chain Lightning"). However, it trades distorted guitar for more percussive instruments and keyboards, as seen in "Everybody's Gone to the Movies" and "Bad Sneakers".

This album is considered the last in a trilogy of albums with Countdown to Ecstasy and Pretzel Logic (aptly titled the "Las Vegas Loser Trilogy"), that have lyrics that deal with cynical, depraved people. "Everyone's Gone to the Movies" is about a pedophile named Mr. LePage who wants to have sex with a teenage girl while everyone is away, "Rose Darling" is about falling in love with a prostitute, and "Any World (That I'm Welcome To)" is about burn-out and feeling depressed with the lifestyle you have created for yourself. Yes, it is definitely a sad album, but most of the tunes on this thing are upbeat and happy, a major contrast that this "Las Vegas Loser Trilogy" all connected - sad lyrics to upbeat music.

While it marks a new frontier for Steely Dan, Katy Lied still has its roots in the past, with "Any World (That I'm Welcome To)" being featured in the Pre-Dan Demos and the 1972 Demo Reel, and "Your Gold Teeth II" literally being a sequel to 1973's "Your Gold Teeth". The final track, "Throw Back the Little Ones" could have been featured on Can't Buy a Thrill if it had been written in 1972. The title "Las Vegas Loser Trilogy" pokes fun at Las Vegas, a large city for scumbags and casinos, and how every song in this trilogy could take place in Clark County, Nevada at various places in history.

Packaging and Marketing
The album cover features a katydid, a singing insect that is related to grasshoppers and crickets. This is a pun on the album's title (katydid, Katy Lied), which itself is a paraphrasing of a line from "Doctor Wu" ("Katy lies, you can see it in her eyes").

"Black Friday" was chosen as the first single from the album, and skyrocketed to number 37 on the charts. The second single, "Bad Sneakers", did not do as well. However, Katy Lied was certified gold within 2 weeks, and certified platinum in 1980. Critics and fans loved the record, and it made Steely Dan a modern classic.

Track listing

 * 1) "Black Friday" – 3:41
 * 2) "Bad Sneakers" – 3:20
 * 3) "Rose Darling" – 3:04
 * 4) "Daddy Don't Live in That New York City No More" – 3:14
 * 5) "Doctor Wu" – 3:55
 * 6) "Everyone's Gone to the Movies" – 3:44
 * 7) "Your Gold Teeth II" – 4:12
 * 8) "Chain Lightning" – 3:00
 * 9) "Any World (That I'm Welcome To)" – 3:54
 * 10) "Throw Back the Little Ones" – 3:13

Personnel
Steely Dan


 * Donald Fagen – vocals, piano, keyboards, saxophone
 * Walter Becker – bass, electric guitar

"Black Friday"


 * Donald Fagen – vocals
 * Walter Becker – electric guitar, bass
 * Michael McDonald – backing vocals
 * David Paich – keyboards
 * Michael Omartian – keyboards
 * Jeff Porcaro – drums

"Bad Sneakers"


 * Donald Fagen – vocals
 * Walter Becker – electric guitar
 * Hugh McCracken – electric guitar
 * Michael McDonald – backing vocals
 * Chuck Rainey – bass
 * Michael Omartian – piano
 * Jeff Porcaro – drums
 * Victor Feldman – percussion

"Rose Darling"


 * Donald Fagen – vocals, piano
 * Dean Parks – electric guitar
 * Michael McDonald – backing vocals
 * Jeff Porcaro – drums

"Daddy Don't Live in That New York City No More"


 * Donald Fagen – vocals
 * Larry Carlton – electric guitar
 * Jeff Porcaro – drums

"Doctor Wu"


 * Donald Fagen – vocals, piano
 * Denny Dias – electric guitar
 * Chuck Rainey – bass
 * Phil Woods – alto saxophone
 * Jeff Porcaro – drums

"Everyone's Gone to the Movies"


 * Donald Fagen – vocals
 * Sherlie Matthews – backing vocals
 * Myrna Matthews – backing vocals
 * Carolyn Willis – backing vocals
 * Victor Feldman – vibraphone
 * Jeff Porcaro – drums

"Your Gold Teeth II"


 * Donald Fagen – vocals, piano
 * Denny Dias – electric guitar
 * Jeff Porcaro – drums, dorophone

"Chain Lightning"


 * Donald Fagen – vocals
 * Rick Derringer – electric guitar
 * Wilton Felder – bass
 * Michael Omartian – Fender Rhodes
 * Jeff Porcaro – drums

"Any World (That I'm Welcome To)"


 * Donald Fagen – vocals, keyboards
 * Michael McDonald – backing vocals
 * Hal Blaine – drums

"Throw Back the Little Ones"


 * Donald Fagen – vocals
 * Elliott Randall – electric guitar
 * Michael Omartian – piano
 * Jeff Porcaro – drums