For those unaware, buckle up for a thrilling ride as Donald Fagen’s conceptual Kamakiriad peers into the future, and which marked the long-awaited reunion with Steely Dan cohort Walter Becker.

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 cohorts 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, pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, and strictly limited to 4,000 numbered copies, Mobile Fidelity’s UltraDisc One-Step 180g 45RPM 2LP box set presents 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.

Side One:
1. Trans-Island Skyway
2. Countermoon

Side Two:
3. Springtime
4. Snowbound

Side Three:
5. Tomorrow’s Girls
6. Florida Room

Side Four:
7. On the Dunes
8. Teahouse on the Tracks

As we all know by now, Donald Fagen had to fight through years of writer’s block before he was able to release the follow-up to The Nightfly, and this album is a very different beast altogether. A lot less introspective and heavier on the funk, this album surely has its fans among the Steely Dan fan base; it sure does with me, that’s for sure.

The album is an eight-song cycle about the journey of the narrator in his high-tech car, the Kamakiri (Japanese for ‘praying mantis’). It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Album of the Year 1994. Although it was a commercial success around the world and was award-nominated, it did not resonate with all critics, sure, but it most assuredly earnt itself a place in music history.

After commissioning Wendel - the pioneering digital drum sampling and replacement computer built by Steely Dan engineer Roger Nichols - and utilizing both it and an increasing amount of synth on Gaucho and the Nightfly, Fagen pretty much sits out the 80’s while everyone else gets really into synthetic instrumentation, then shows up in the 90’s, when they’ve all gotten bored of it, and demonstrates that people were not using their programmed instrumentation very imaginatively.

For me, this album is extremely visual. I can see the Kamakiri, I can visualize the scene in Countermoon when the guys get their libidos zapped, the sci-fi awesomeness of Tomorrow’s Girls, the exposed memories on the Funway, and the night on the town in Snowbound. It’s like an audio movie ... and the music and arrangements are fantastic toboot.

Simply put, out of the Fagen solo albums I have, I think that Kamakiriad might be the most unique. I say this due to it being the farthest away from other Steely Dan releases, as it lies in the middle of Gaucho and Two Against Nature. With fellow Steely Dan member Walter Becker producing the album and even playing on a few tracks, we kind of get a rather delicious peek into what exactly Steely Dan might’ve sounded like in the 90’s.

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. Drop your needle on this UD1S reissue and let the fun begin.

Experience the 1993 Album in Audiophile Sound: Strictly Limited to 4,000 numbered copies, Mobile Fidelity’s UltraDisc One-Step 180g 45RPM 2LP Box Set plays with engrossing definition and presence.

PCM digital master to analog console to lathe.

Official Purchase Link

www.steelydan.com