From The Archive: Steely Dan Interview 1976

When I meet Donald Fagen

The Strange World of Steely Dan

Tim Lott, Sounds, 25 December 1976

A lyrical exposée by TIM LOTT

IN THE USA there's been three but it's the first one over here and — praise to Papa Doc and Dean Parks — it's a classic alright.

'Do It Again', 'Reelin' In The Years' and 'Rikki Don't Lose That Number' were the big three over the water, class commercial 45s worthy of top placing in anyone's Top Ten. But in the UK: a big zero.

And now, its Yuletide 1976 and the transatlantic tables are turned with 'Haitian Divorce', unreleased in the States and bombing up the charts over here.

All this has come as rather a surprise to one Mr Donald Fagen of Becker/Fagen songwriting fame. Fagen is currently working five days a week in the studios putting together the new Steely Dan album (as yet untitled) and the success of what was the obvious single from the Royal Scambodes well for the future.

Or was it the obvious single? ABC executives in America didn't seem to think so. Fagen explains: "Over here we released two singles from The Royal Scam — 'Kid Charlemagne' and 'The Fez', neither of which did anything.

"'Haitian Divorce' does have slight reggae overtones and reggae music hasn't got commercial appeal in the USA in the way it has in Britain. It just didn't occur to anyone to release it over here.

"Its success in Britain surprised me all the same because it's quite an exotic number."

EXOTIC, YES. Almost to the point of being incomprehensible in fact, from a lyrical point of view. The excellent guitar work being the main sales angle coupled with Fagen's unusual nasal vocalising. But what does it all mean?