I dont know why the hyperbole about this album....

It sounds great engineering wise, and there is certainly some skilled music in there, but is it just me or Donald Fagen has one mood, one vibe, one rythm, one melody and a half?

After hearing this album, its like he's stuck on one gear....using the music phrasing style over and over song after song and LP after LP....Steely Dan I think used to sound a bit that way to me..

:scratch2:

You know I was thinking the same thing - I picked "H Gang" from Morph the Cat from a random playlist this weekend while auditioning my setup with my kids - and I was thinking about how there's a very recognizeable style / phrasing to every Steely Dan and Donald Fagen song.

I love the engineering and just about any of the songs is one of the first I reach for to check out a new setup, but ... it gets old 1/2 through an album.

Ever wonder why Van Gogh didn't do watercolors?:scratch2:

hmmmm
Steely Dan and Moody Blues I somehow missed during the day back when.

I think it's that sameness that attracts me to Morph The Cat. The jazzy, somewhat funky laid back vibe that Donald is known for. The last couple of Steely Dan albums exhibited that same style. I think a lot of folks were hoping for another "Nightfly" album.

Anyway, I like Morph The Cat but I also like the last couple of Dan albums. The Morph DVD-A is incredible.

The Dan and Walter have always been about "the Groove" which is different than "a rut".

A groove - you try and stay in it.

A rut - you want out.

I like Morph The Cat,but there certainly is no mistaking the the Steely Danishness of this recording....

Yes, definitely Steely Dannish, which is fine with me. That said, though I like Morph the Cat while I'm listening to it, it doesn't draw me back the way his other stuff (including SD) does.

Firstly...I am an unalloyed, steadfast, dyed-in-the-wool, no compromises Steely Dan/Donald Fagen/Walter Becker fan. With that out of the way, one of the things I appreciate most is their subversiveness. The Dan (and Fagen) seem to be high on the list of Muzak programmers...and I always get a kick out of hearing something of theirs while at the supermarket. "New Frontier" comes on, and probably lots of shoppers are humming along, not realizing it's essentially a tune about making out with a hot blonde in the bomb shelter Daddy dug. There's countless other examples, programmed just because they sound good, with no thought to the subversiveness of the lyrics. I do have to agree with other posters that, as much as I like "Morph", it doesn't have quite the same effect as other Dan/Fagen works. Still a mighty fine disc regardless, with unmatched sonic quality.

What I want to know is, who is the fella in the bright nightgown?
Seriously!

That's lifted from a W.C. Fields quote where he referrred to the angel of death as "the man in the bright nightgown". At least that's how Don attributes it.

Here's whacked site that trys to explain SD lyrics.
http://http://cordmeyer.spymac.com/

The more your listen to Morph, the more you realize how good it is. It definitely gets better with each listen. And then your favorite tracks shift.
And listening with headphones makes you appreciate Fagen's compositions even more.:yes:

The more your listen to Morph, the more you realize how good it is. It definitely gets better with each listen. And then your favorite tracks shift.
And listening with headphones makes you appreciate Fagen's compositions even more.:yes:

I guess it's nice sounding:music:
It just won a Grammy for best surround sound cd:banana: