Donald Fagen : Kamakiriad - Hybrid UltraDisc UHR SACD, Remastered

Donald Fagen’s “Kamakiriad” is remarkable if only because the album marks a full reunion of Steely Dan’s two main members more than a decade after their split. Despite all the creative sparks and rousing musicality resulting from the long-awaited reunion of Fagen and Walter Becker, the album, released in 1993, remains significant for many other reasons – from the musicians’ precise interplay to the daring arrangements and the exceptionally clear production. The album’s lineup reads like a Who’s Who of session musicians: pianist Paul Griffin (Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, the Isley Brothers), guitarist Georg Wadenius (Blood, Sweat & Tears, Aretha Franklin, Paul Simon), as well as trumpeter Randy Brecker, trombonist Birch Johnson, and saxophonist Lou Marini, to name just a few – these are the virtuosos who contribute to “Kamakiriad” – a Grammy-nominated masterpiece that made it into the Billboard Top 10!

On the surface, “Kamakiriad” is an eight-song concept album set in the future that loosely traces the journeys of a protagonist traveling in his state-of-the-art roadster – a steam-powered Kamakiri equipped with its own vegetable garden and a radio link to a satellite navigation system that was still unknown at the time. Imaginative, colorful, quirky, and hipster-cool – “Kamakiriad” captivates with irresistibly funky grooves. “Kamakiriad” leans more toward optimism than cynicism. As our narrator sets out on his journey, desolation and loss fade away. We’re swept away by rousing rhythms, brass in the foreground, and the chance to dance. Carried by Becker’s meticulous production and smooth bass lines, the rousing music on “Kamakiriad” soars in a similarly brilliant way. The arrangements by Fagen and company fit the songs like a tailor-made suit. They highlight the personality and temperament of each individual track, with a delightful variety of horns, keyboards, organs, and percussion complementing Fagen’s vocals and a mixed chorus of male and female backup singers. A critical and commercial triumph, “Kamakiriad” helped launch the first Steely Dan tour in nearly 20 years and sparked the renewal of the partnership between Fagen and Becker, which lasted until the latter’s death in 2017. Above all, however, the album represents a journey one wants to embark on again and again.

Lovingly remastered at MoFi’s California studio, this reissue of “Kamakiriad” now presents this classic as a numbered Special-Edition Hybrid SACD – featuring a spacious soundstage, pinpoint detail reproduction, a pitch-black background, and a full dynamic range across the entire frequency spectrum. The exceptional transparency and balanced sound of this audiophile release even surpass those of the long-out-of-print DVD-A and SHM-CD formats!