Donald Fagen – Kamakiriad – MoFi Hybrid SACD

Donald Fagen’s Kamakiriad would be notable if only for the fact the album marks a full-on reunion of the two principal Steely Dan staples more than a decade after they splintered. For all the creative sparks and thrilling musicianship that result from the long-awaited regrouping of Fagen and Walter Becker, the 1993 record remains significant for many other reasons — from the hopeful narrative to the sharp playing, adventurous arrangements, and crisp production. More than 30 years later, those facets coalesce like never before on this reference-quality reissue.

Sourced from the original masters and housed in mini-LP-gatefold packaging, Mobile Fidelity’s numbered-edition hybrid SACD presents the Grammy-nominated Kamakiriad with expansive soundstages, deep-black backgrounds, pinpoint details, and full-range dynamics. Playing with exceptional transparency and balanced tones, this is the first audiophile version of Fagen’s sophomore effort apart from a long out-of-print DVD-A and SHM-CD — discs this reissue surpasses in key areas.

Those include definition and imaging that highlight the key contributions of a lineup that includes a Who’s Who of session players, several of whom have Steely Dan ties. Pianist Paul Griffin (Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Isley Brothers), guitarist Georg Wadenius (Blood, Sweat & Tears, Aretha Franklin, Paul Simon), trumpeter Randy Brecker, trombonist Birch Johnson, and saxophonist Lou Marini are just a few of the virtuosos that contribute to Kamakiriad. On this collectible reissue, they are rendered with proper scale, come across with tangible presence, and benefit from superb separation.

Ostensibly an eight-song concept album based in the future, Kamakiriad loosely chronicles the journeys of a protagonist touring in his state-of-the-art roadster — a steam-driven Kamakiri equipped with its own vegetable garden and radio link with a then-unheard-of satellite navigation system. Imaginative, colorful, zany, and the personification of hipster cool, Kamakiriad engages with inescapably funky grooves and demands repeat listens by always seeming to reveal something new or nudge you to consider an alternative perspective.

Though it remains uncertain if Kamakiri requires seat belts, Mobile Fidelity’s reissue intends to give you a joy ride. Buckle up as you pick up a few friends and depart on the “Trans-Island Skyway” and cruise through a locale in which couples succumb to external pressures in “Countermoon.” Grab your shades and re-experience old romances in the safety of virtual reality on “Springtime.” Don your parka as you skate around the ice in rented icecats in the chilly climes of “Snowbound,” which offers a glimpse of brightness before fortunes fade in the topsy-turvy environs of “Tomorrow’s Girls.”

Catch a breath, then prepare for the warming sun and romantic infatuation of “Florida Room” before everything appears to shatter into a million pieces for our hero during “On the Dunes.” Ah, but Kamakiriad trades more in optimism than cynicism. As our narrator heads off to Flytown, bleakness and loss fade amid the promise of “Teahouse on the Tracks.” We’re lifted up by finger-popping rhythms, front-line horns, and the chance to dance. Our spirit renewed, our purpose reinvigorated, our urge to live — really live — restored. What a rush.

Anchored by Becker’s fastidious production and slippery bass lines, the toe-tapping music on Kamakiriad takes off in similarly brilliant fashion. Sophisticated, snappy, nuanced, considered, a touch atmospheric: Fagen and company’s combinations fit the songs like a custom-tailored jacket. They accent the personality and temperament of each tune, with the delicious array of horns, keyboards, organs, and percussion complementing Fagen’s singing and a choir of co-ed backing vocalists.

A critical and commercial triumph, Kamakiriad helped spawn the first Steely Dan tour in almost 20 years and sparked the resumption of Fagen and Becker’s partnership until the latter passed away in 2017. Most importantly, it represents a trip on which you’ll want to embark again and again. Push “play” on this SACD reissue and let the fun begin.

Track Listing

Trans-Island Skyway
Countermoon
Springtime
Snowbound
Tomorrow’s Girls
Florida Room
On the Dunes
Teahouse on the Tracks