Donald Fagen Morph The Cat 180 Gram Vinyl Double LP (NM)

$

113

This 2LP set has been play graded.  No issues during testing.  NM

2006 Grammy Award Winning Album!

The first solo album in 13 years from Donald Fagen, Morph The Cat is another contemporary classic from half of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame duo Steely Dan. With Fagen's adventurous musical depth, uniquely layered lyrics and entertaining subject matter (from a conversation with the ghost of Ray Charles to a romantic liaison with an airport security guard named Joan), Morph the Cat is the newest chapter chronicling the most sophisticated music in rock.
Blending jazz, soul and a plethora of other musical influences with extended grooves and ever changing musical textures, 'Morph The Cat' has already been compared to the Steely Dan classic 'Aja' set in contemporary Manhattan. "I like it when songs develop in some way and four minutes usually isn't enough time for something to develop musically", says Fagen. "I'm still plugged into the Duke Ellington model, something akin to classical music, where you start with something; you develop a little bit and stick with it. And when you get a groove going, time flies
Built around extended, richly textured jazz, soul and rock grooves, the themes of "Morph The Cat" range from impending mortality and assorted apocalyptic scenarios to homeland security and the ghost of Ray Charles. "I don't think you can escape the environment we live in now," Fagen remarks on his songwriting strategy. "If Steely Dan has survived -- and I have survived as a solo artist -- it's partly because we've reflected what's going on around us."
Fagen's renowned lyrical darkness once more comes to the fore throughout 'Morph The Cat'. The hint of alien attack in 'Mary Shut The Gate' was written after the Republican convention hit Manhattan. "I'd much rather being fighting aliens, although there are some similarities", he says.
'Morph The Cat' was recorded in New York City and Kauai, Hawaii. The album features an extraordinary line-up of backing musicians, many of who have previously worked with Fagen and his Steely Dan partner Walter Becker on stage and in the studio. Included are drummer Keith Carlock, bassist Freddie Washington and guitarists Hugh McCracken, Jon Herington and Wayne Krantz. Fagen performs lead and backing vocals and plays keyboards.
Mastered by Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray at AcousTech, this pressing was done at RTI on virgin 180-gram vinyl! 
Hoffman and Gray cut this album from the 15-inches-per-second, half-inch analog tape. "The reason it was done at 15," Hoffman said, "was to preserve the tremendous bass response." 
Personally approved by Donald Fagen himself! "We're all gratified that he's so enthusiastic about vinyl," Hoffman said of Fagen. "Warner Bros. is also very enthusiastic about the medium." Morph The Cat comes in a deluxe, thick cardboard gatefold jacket and the vinyl is packaged in rice paper inner sleeves. 
Features: • HPV-180g Double Vinyl • Gatefold Jacket • Co-Leader of Steely Dan
Selections:  LP1 - Side One: 1. Morph the Cat 2. H Gang LP1 - Side Two: 1. What I Do 2. Brite Nightgown LP2 - Side Three: 1. Great Pagoda of Funn 2. Security Joan LP2 - Side Four: 1. The Night Belongs to Mona 2. Mary Shut the Garden Door 3. Morph the Cat (Reprise)