STEELY DAN - FOUR TRACKS, +Fours, Rare UK 12" EP, 1972 Unreleased Songs, M/NM LP
$
25
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Description
Four Tracks From Steely Dan - ABC/Anchor Records, UK, c.1977
Do It Again Dallas * Haitian Divorce Sail The Waterway*
* Rare non-Album tracks. See below.
Matrix Side 1: ABE-12003-A-1
"In1977, record companies were marketing the 12” single as a new highly saleable format – the previous year, Polydor had issued Substitute by The Who as one of the first such disco 45s in the UK (despite the song being less than 4 minutes long). The record made no. 7 in the charts. In mid-1977, ABC/Anchor records had launched a 4-track ep series designed to capitalise on the success of the 12” single and to try and drum up sales and interest for their album catalogue. 15 records appeared from artists such as Don Williams, Alice Cooper, Rufus and Joe Walsh. In December (two-and-a-half months after the release of Aja) a 4-track ep by Steely Dan was released in the UK as part of the Plus Fours series. The record contained full-length versions of the top 40 hits Do It Again and Haitian Divorce – plus two non-album tracks, Dallas and Sail The Waterway.
These two mysterious tracks had originally appeared briefly in 1972 as the A and B side of Steely Dan’s first single for ABC records (ABC 11323). The single was issued in the UK on the Probe label (PRO 562). Over 40 years later, some believe that there are more promotional copies than retail copies in existence. Apart from the issue on the Plus Fours 12” ep, the two tracks have appeared on a 7-track post-1978 Japanese compilation LP*, simply entitled Steely Dan. Dallas was also included on a 1972 Probe label sampler album (Spirit of Rock; MFP 50046) issued on the budget label Music For Pleasure label. It sold for about 50p; also included on the record were tracks by Steppenwolf, Three Dog Night and B.B. King (amongst others)**. Budget-priced sampler albums remained popular throughout the 1970s, following the success of the CBS Rock Machine series.
Although some Steely Dan fans are aware of Dallas and Sail The Waterway, what is rarely discussed is the fact that the recordings have only ever been issued in – gasp – monophonic. As far as I can ascertain, the songs were not mixed down to stereo. On the rare occasions that Messrs. Becker and Fagen have discussed these recordings, they have expressed their disapproval. Meanwhile, Donald Fagen did not sing lead on Dallas – opinions vary across internet blog pages and chat rooms as to which member of the original group was responsible.
It is highly unlikely that either of these tracks will see an official issue, so long as Walter Becker and Donald Fagen retain control over their back catalogue. Here, then, are the two official Steely Dan recordings that have not been issued on compact disc nor official download. And these songs absolutely worth inclusion of any serious collection of Steely Dan recordings."
Album ships securely boxed with reinforcements. See feedback.
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