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On this day April 1, 1975 @journeyofficial released their eponymous debut studio album featuring former Santana members Gregg Rolie as lead singer and Neal Schon as lead guitarist.

Journey recorded a demo album prior to the release of “Journey,” with the same songs in different order and with Prairie Prince as the drummer who was later replaced by Aynsley Dunbar on the debut album.

Additional tracks were recorded including instrumental pieces, that did not make it to the final product, including the original title track of the demo album, “Charge of the Light Brigade.”

Catch the stream at k-zap.org, on the k-zap apps or at 93.3 FM in the metro Sacramento area.
#kzaporg …

On this day April 1, 1973 @neilyoungarchives and @lindaronstadtmusic played Sacramento’s Memorial Auditorium.

Catch the stream at k-zap.org, on the k-zap apps or at 93.3 FM in the metro Sacramento area.
#kzaporg …

Watch @officialthewho Play ‘The Song Is Over’ for First Time Ever in Concert

The “Who’s Next” song came out in 1971, but it took 54 years and more than 1,000 concerts before the band attempted to play it before a live audience.

The Who released their landmark LP “Who’s Next” in 1971, and before the year was out they’d played seven of the nine songs live in concert.

The two exceptions were “The Song Is Over” and “Goin’ Mobile.”

Pete Townshend told the audience. “So, we’re going to have a go at this one. I think Roger is having trouble hearing though.”

Daltrey was indeed having trouble hearing. He stopped the band about two minutes into their first attempt. “To sing that song, I do need to hear the key,” he says. “And I can’t hear. There’s no pitch here. I just hear drums, ‘boom boom boom.’ I can’t sing to that. I’m sorry guys. We’ll try one more even though it’s getting late.”

In a blog post prior to the show, the group’s longtime associate, Brian Kehew, explained that Daltrey decided to ditch his in-ear monitors for these gigs so he’d feel closer to the audience. “Without his in-ear monitors, Roger has us bring forward his rear wedge speakers, the ones that feed him drum sounds,” Kehew wrote. “This makes the drums feel closer to him, which is helpful.”

The plan seemed to backfire during the initial run at “The Song Is Over.” “I can sing it in any key you want, but I need to be able to hear myself,” Daltrey said. “It’s not your fault guys. I just can’t hear.”

This now leaves “Goin’ Mobile” as the only “Who’s Next” song they’ve never done live. It has been a staple of many recent Daltrey solo shows where Simon Townshend sings lead vocals in the place of his older brother.

The younger Townshend is also a member of the Who’s touring band. But even if they added that song into the mix, they’d still need to find a way to play “My Wife” without John Entwistle.

Check out The Who playing “The Song is Over” below:

https://shorturl.at/ftjf5

Catch the stream at k-zap.org, on the k-zap apps or at 93.3 FM in the metro Sacramento area.
#kzaporg …

K-ZAP gets support from Capital Arborist

April Awakening: Boosting Soil Health for a Thriving Yard

As April approaches and your yard wakes up from winter, soil health should be top of mind for K-ZAP listeners. Healthy soil sets the stage for vibrant lawns, trees, and plants. Here’s why it’s critical now and how Capital Arborist can help:

Why Soil Health Matters in April:
Spring Growth: Plants rely on nutrient-rich soil to fuel their early growth spurt as temperatures rise.
Winter Recovery: Heavy rains or compaction can leave soil depleted or poorly drained, stunting root development.
Pest & Disease Defense: Well-balanced soil strengthens plants against spring pests and fungal issues.
What to Focus On:
Test Your Soil: Check for nutrient levels and pH—too acidic or alkaline soil can limit plant uptake.
Aeration: Loosen compacted soil to improve air, water, and nutrient flow to roots.
Organic Matter: Add compost or mulch to replenish nutrients and improve soil structure.
Drainage: Watch for soggy spots that could drown roots or encourage rot.
Capital Arborist’s Soil Solutions:
Soil Testing & Analysis: Our ISA-certified arborists assess your yard’s soil and recommend tailored fixes.
Aeration Services: We break up compaction to revive lawns and tree root zones.
Amendments: We apply organic compost or fertilizers to enrich soil naturally.
Tree & Plant Care: Healthy soil means healthier roots—we ensure your landscape thrives from the ground up.

Serving the Community:
Auburn, CA · Citrus Heights, CA · Sacramento, CA · Roseville, CA · Granite Bay, CA · Folsom, CA · Lincoln, CA · Rocklin, CA · Orangevale, CA · Fair Oaks, CA
Contact Us:
Give your yard the foundation it deserves this April. Call Capital Arborist at 916-412-1077 or visit capitalarborists.com for expert soil care and landscaping support. Let’s make your spring spectacular!
#kzaporg #CapitalArborist …

On This Day in 1967: @jimihendrix Lights His Guitar Ablaze for the First Time (And Plays It With His Teeth)

On March 31, 1967, guitar legend Jimi Hendrix kicked off a trend that he would continue for the rest of his career.

Specifically, Hendrix set his guitar on fire for the very first time, something that he would become famous for from his Monterey Pop Festival stint later that year.

The crowd was shocked, but it’s a little weird that they were surprised at all. Jimi Hendrix had a habit of destroying equipment on stage, even if he wasn’t particularly known for his fire-setting antics or playing the guitar with his teeth.

Still, I can imagine it was a wild thing to see for the first time. And Hendrix wasn’t even the headlining act. He was actually opening for three somewhat hilariously tame acts: Engelbert Humperdinck, Cat Stevens, and The Walker Brothers.

The set in question kicked off at the Astoria Theatre in London, England. However, the stunt was a work in progress that clearly required a bit of practice. Hendrix had actually burned himself and had to be taken to the hospital shortly after.

Luckily, the burns were minor, and Hendrix continued with his tour. He would continue to play his guitar with his teeth throughout that tour, and he lit his guitar aflaim several more times after the original stunt. The most famous example of this stunt occurred during his legendary set at the Monterey Pop Festival in June of 1967.

During that March 31 show, The Jimi Hendrix Experience was debuting a new song titled, aptly, “Fire.” Hendrix had thrown his guitar onto the stage, which created a wall of feedback.

While the audience was distracted by the noise, Hendrix’s manager Chas Chandler covered the guitar with lighter fluid. Hendrix then lit a match and set the Stratocaster on fire.

Despite having some burns on his hands, Hendrix continued his set with another guitar.

Catch the stream at k-zap.org, on the k-zap apps or at 93.3 FM in the metro Sacramento area.
#kzaporg …

Long-Lost Classic Rock Commercial Jingles From the Late 1960s

Falstaff Beer / @creambandofficial 1967)

In 1967, Cream‘s Jack Bruce, Eric Clapton, and Ginger Baker wrote a jingle for a radio commercial for Falstaff Beer. The beer that can slake any thirst, any thirst / The beer you reach for first / When you want to quench your thirst Bruce sings in the ad.

The song was later released on Cream’s 1997 compilation “Those Were the Days.” 

Levi’s / Jefferson Airplane (1967)

White Levi’s come in black, blushing bravo blue / I love you, Grace Slick sings in this 1967 commercial for the denim brand by Jefferson Airplane.

Ban Roll-On, Iron Butterfly (1968)

The heavier drench of psychedelic rock may not come to mind when thinking of deodorant, but Ban had other ideas when they enlisted Iron Butterfly to record an ad for their roll-on and spray in 1968.

In the comical commercial, doctors appear to be performing surgery and have their Ban within reach as Ingle’s signature baritone croons Ban won’t wear off as the day wears on / Ban gets you through the longest day / Ban has the stuff to stay and stay.

Coca-Cola / The Moody Blues (1969)

Early on, the Moody Blues had a go at a Coca-Cola commercial in 1969.

In the ad, Moody Blues vocalist Denny Laine sings Things go better with Coca-Cola / Things go better with Coke before speaking “You never get tired of the taste.”

Check out the Iron Butterfly Ban Roll On commercial below:

https://shorturl.at/IZ39P

Catch the stream at k-zap.org, on the k-zap apps or at 93.3 FM in the metro Sacramento area.
#kzaporg …

1960s Bands Named After Random Inanimate Objects

The Cuff Links

The Cuff Links was the brainchild of Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss, who controlled everything about the group and subbed in various musicians.

Vance and Pockriss were previously known for their novelty hits “Catch a Falling Star” and “Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini.” In the 60s, however, they created phantom group The Cuff Links, which was mainly the work of Ron Dante.

The big hit for The Cuff Links was “Tracy” from 1969, which featured Dante on lead vocals with about 18 background vocals, all performed by Dante and layered over one another. “Tracy” was on the U.S. charts for 12 weeks, and Vance and Pockriss immediately wanted Dante to make an album for the ghost band.

He worked on the album for about a day and a half, according to a 2001 book by Kim Cooper and David Smay exploring bubblegum pop. “It was the quickest album I’d ever done,” he said.

The Box Tops

The Box Tops formed in Memphis in 1967 and produced hits like “The Letter,” “Cry Like a Baby,” and “Soul Deep.”

They combined soul and pop music and are considered to be a prominent “blue-eyed soul” group of the time. They created some minor classics in songs like “Neon Rainbow” and “I Met Her In Church,” along with their well-known hits.

Strawberry Alarm Clock

Strawberry Alarm Clock is perhaps the best known band named after inanimate objects. They formed in 1967 and released the hit song “Incense and Peppermints” that same year.

Known for their acid and psych-rock style, they charted two songs on the Top 40 in their time, even with several lineup changes.

The group disbanded in 1971 following a U.S. tour that featured then-unknown Lynyrd Skynyrd opening for them.

They reunited briefly in 1974 before breaking up again, then reunited once more in 1982. They managed to stick it out this time, releasing an album in 2012, their first since 1969.

Catch the stream at k-zap.org, on the k-zap apps or at 93.3 FM in the metro Sacramento area.
#kzaporg …

On This Day in 1995, a Crazed Fan Tried to Kill @jimmypage During a Show at the Palace in Auburn Hills, Michigan

On this day (March 31) in 1995, a former Led Zeppelin fan rushed the stage at the Palace in Auburn Hills, Michigan.

Armed with a pocket knife, the man planned to murder Jimmy Page because he claimed that Page, Robert Plant, and Led Zeppelin created “Satanic” music.

Led Zeppelin–and by extension Page and Plant–were among the countless rock and metal musicians who found themselves at the center of the 1980’s Satanic Panic.

While the trend largely faded after the dawn of the 1990s, plenty of individuals still clung to the misinformation they learned.

Twenty-three-year-old Lance Alworth Cunningham was among those who still believed firmly that the band and its members were spreading the Satanic messages.

As a result, he attended the Page and Plant gig in Auburn Hills with the goal of killing Plant onstage.

According to reports, Lance Alwood Cunningham was a former Led Zeppelin fan.

However, he had stopped listening to the band because he, like many others, began to believe that they were using their music to further the Satanic agenda in America.

Driven by that delusion, Cunningham dropped from his seat behind the stage, produced his knife, and charged forward.

Luckily, venue staff, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page’s crew, and a group of fans stopped Cunningham before he could reach the rock icon.

They subdued him. However, they didn’t walk away unscathed. The Tampa Bay Times reported that four people, including two concertgoers, sustained injuries when the assailant slashed at them with his knife.

Auburn Hills Police Chief John Dalton was quoted as saying, “He said he was going to, ‘Off Jimmy Page,’” in several news reports. However, Page had no idea what had transpired just 50 feet away from him. The Detroit News reported, “Page, oblivious to the action around him, played ‘Kashmir’ onstage, undaunted,” according to Ultimate Classic Rock.

Catch the stream at k-zap.org, on the k-zap apps or at 93.3 FM in the metro Sacramento area.
#kzaporg …

@mrpeterframpton Kicks Off 2025 Tour in Connecticut Featuring ‘Comes Alive!’ Classics and a Brand-New Song

Peter Frampton kicked off his 2025 Let’s Do It Again tour on Sunday, March 30, at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

The show, which was the British guitar great’s first full-length concert since he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in October 2024, found Frampton in great spirits, in great voice, and playing fabulous guitar.

The concert began with a video montage of career highlights, culminating with an image acknowledging Peter’s Rock Hall induction.

The 74-year-old musician now performs seated because of the effects of the degenerative autoimmune disease inclusion body myositis (IBM).

In unity with Frampton, his backing band also sits throughout his shows.

Frampton Played a Brand-New Song

If the next song sounded unfamiliar to the Mohegan Sun Arean crowd, there was good reason. After Frampton played the tune, he identified as a new song “Another Level” that he co-wrote with his son, Julian. He also revealed that the tune will be featured on a new album he’s hoping to release in early 2026.

The finale began with extended jam versions of two blues songs Humble Pie had covered for its popular 1971 live album, Performance: Rockin’ the Fillmore—“Four Day Creep” and “I Don’t Need No Doctor.”

Before leaving the stage, Frampton told the audience that he was “a fighter,” and intends to keep performing for as long as he can. He also implored everyone to show empathy for one another and to “be kind to each other.”

Peter Frampton Set List, Uncasville, CT, Mohegan Sun Arena, 3/30/2025:
1. “Day in the Sun”
2. “Lying”
3. “Shine On”
4. “Lines on My Face”
5. “Show Me the Way”
6. “Interstellar” (New Song)
7. “Georgia on My Mind”
8. “The Crying Clown”
9. “Nassau”
10. “Baby, I Love Your Way”
11. “All I Wanna Be (Is by Your Side)”
12. “I Wanna Go to the Sun”
13. “Black Hole Sun”
14. “(I’ll Give You) Money”
15. “Do You Feel Like We Do”

16. Four Day Creep”
17. “I Don’t Need No Doctor”
18. “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”

Catch the stream at k-zap.org, on the k-zap apps or at 93.3 FM in the metro Sacramento area.
#kzaporg …

🚗 The Surge in Auto Accident Lawsuits Due to Rideshare Crashes in 2025 🚗
Rideshare-related accidents (Uber, Lyft, etc.) are a topical concern, with lawsuits rising in 2025 due to complex liability issues. These crashes often involve multiple parties—drivers, companies, and passengers—making claims tricky. In 2022, rideshare crashes contributed to over 2,000 accidents, and 2025 trends show a continued increase as rideshare usage grows.
At autoaccident.com, Ed Smith and his team tackle these complexities, determining liability and fighting for your compensation, from medical bills to lost wages. Proud sponsors of "Mick Martin`s Blues Party" (Saturdays 10a-Noon Pacific) on K-ZAP, they’re here for you. Rideshare accident? Call 916-921-6400 for a free consultation. Stay safe! 🚖
#kzaporg #autoaccidentcom …

April is here, and with spring in full swing, it’s time to make sure your car is ready for the road ahead! 🌼 Black Rock Auto in Sacramento has everything you need to keep your ride in top shape:

Proven Experience: Serving drivers since 2003 with expertise you can rely on. 🛠️
Quality Service: From routine maintenance to major repairs, they’ve got your back. ✨

K-ZAP Sponsors: Proudly supporting K-ZAP and the Rush Hour Blues with Bill Prescott, Fridays at 5pm – keeping your drives filled with great music! 🎸

This April, let’s zoom in on your car’s oil change. After winter’s cooler temps, your engine oil might be sluggish, and with warmer weather coming, fresh oil ensures your engine runs smoothly for those spring adventures. Black Rock Auto offers quick, reliable oil changes to keep your car purring like a kitten.

Don’t forget to swing by during business hours to pick up your FREE K-ZAP sticker – because a freshly maintained car deserves to look as good as it runs! 🎁

Get your car spring-ready by calling Black Rock Auto at 916-447-3494 or visiting blackrockauto.com. Keep your engine happy and your tunes rocking! 🚗
#kzaporg #BlackRockAuto #sacramento #AprilOilChange #KZAPSticker
Roll into April with a fresh start for your car, thanks to Black Rock Auto! 🌿 …

On This Day in 1994, @pinkfloyd Kicked off Their Final World Tour, Ending a Chapter in the Band’s Legacy

On March 30, 1994, famed progressive rock superstars Pink Floyd embarked on their final concert tour, called The Division Bell Tour.

Shortly after wrapping up the impressive worldwide trek, the band called it quits.

Subsequently, the recordings from that very tour were compiled into the 1995 live record, “Pulse.”

The Division Bell Tour was quite a thing to behold for fans. For several of the tour dates, Pink Floyd performed the entirety of their groundbreaking 1973 album “The Dark Side Of The Moon” from front to back.

The first time they dove into the whole of that album during their final tour was on July 15 in Pontiac, Michigan. It was the first time since 1975 that they had done so.

The whole of the tour was on another level, too. Their use of special effects was a bit more egregious than previous tours, complete with multiple custom airships.

The band even brought three different stages with them across North America and Europe. 

It wasn’t easy to do, either. Dozens of articulated trucks and a crew of over 160 people were needed to haul 700 tons of stage steel around the world. It cost millions to produce, but they more or less made their money back.

Each set in a total of 68 different cities pulled in crowds with an average of 45,000 heads.

Those are impressive numbers, considering the whole of the band wasn’t really there.

Rather, it was the newly-shrunk trio of David Gilmour, Nick Mason, and Richard Wright, accompanied by a revolving door of backing musicians. Roger Waters wasn’t in the picture, and he wouldn’t reunite with Pink Floyd until 2005.

In the end, The Division Bell Tour pulled in a worldwide gross of about $250 million. Pink Floyd would come to an end and reunite off and on through the years.

Catch the stream at k-zap.org, on the k-zap apps or at 93.3 FM in the metro Sacramento area.
#kzaporg …

Fifty Years Later: @jeffbeckofficial’s Iconic Guitar Licks Take On Superlative Support & Lead Role Via ‘Blow By Blow’

Produced by Sir George Martin, who oversaw most of the Beatles’ studio forays, “Blow By Blow” (released 3/28/75) marked Jeff Beck’s first proper solo effort, deliberately conceived as a wholly instrumental work. 

Like the mirror images of the cover design, the album’s title aptly describes an LP that evolves from loose, informal jams to more structured and ornate pieces throughout its nine tracks.

Beck’s songwriting collaboration with keyboardist Max Middleton, “You Know What I Mean,” is a case in point. 

The mutual natural empathy suggested by the tune’s name is fully evident in the effortless interplay between the two (dating back to 1971’s “Rough And Ready”).

Likewise, “Scatterbrain” conjures up an ethereal atmosphere, with bassist Phil Chen and drummer Richard Bailey sharing a light touch in their rhythm work. 

The musicianly camaraderie peaks on “AIR Blower” (its title refers to the London recording location). 

The only number composed by the core four musicians becomes a veritable maelstrom of sound before it morphs into a haunting interlude foreshadowing the moodier pieces to come. 

On Stevie Wonder’s “Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers,” Jeff plays the melody lines unusually straightforwardly.

Slowly but surely, however, he turns the performance into a blues, entirely indicative of the unpredictable approach that always characterized his playing (and validating a dedication to guitarist Roy Buchanan). 

In doing so, he contours his increasingly delicate touch to the structure of the composition, far more purposeful with the effects than in the somewhat gimmicky use of a device known as ‘The Bag’ on Lennon/McCartney’s “She’s A Woman.”

Likewise, on Middleton’s “Freeway Jam,” a number that would become a staple of Beck’s latter-day live repertoire, Jeff relishes changing up his rhythm guitar patterns as often as his solo progressions: on both fronts, his sense of logic is impeccable.  

Catch the stream at k-zap.org, on the k-zap apps or at 93.3 FM in the metro Sacramento area.
#kzaporg …

@officialthewho’s Roger Daltrey Shares Major Health News During Concert

The Who lead singer Roger Daltrey broke serious health news during a performance of the band over the weekend in London.

In The Who’s legendary rock opera “Tommy” the title character is a deaf, mute and blind pinball champion — whom Daltrey referred to when he revealed his latest health condition to the crowd at the Teenage Cancer Trust benefit concert Saturday at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

“The joys of getting old mean you go deaf, I also now have got the joy of going blind. Fortunately, I still have my voice, because then I’ll have a full Tommy,” Daltrey, 81, told the crowd, according to The Sun.

Daltrey apparently didn’t give specifics about what was causing his blindness.

Roger Daltrey’s announcement about going blind marks the singer’s second major heath condition he’s made public in the last seven years.

During a solo performance in 2018, Daltrey announced that he was “very very deaf,” TMZ reported, and told his concert crown, “Take your f—ing earplugs with you to the gigs.”

The Who has long been known for playing the loudest rock concerts.

The Who made the Guinness Book of World Records on May 31, 1976, when the sound at the band’s performance at The Valley stadium in Charlton, London, hit 126 decibels, Ultimate Classic Rock reported.

Prior to The Who’s record, legendary rock group Deep Purple held the record for the loudest gig when the band’s sound hit 117 decibels in 1972 at London’s Rainbow Theater, Ultimate Classic Rock noted.

Catch the stream at k-zap.org, on the k-zap apps or at 93.3 FM in the metro Sacramento area.
#kzaporg …

The Musician @stephenstillsofficial Has Always Struggled To Watch

In the musical world where your friends are also your collaborators and competitors, an artist being so exceptional at their craft can be equal parts inspiring and frustrating—at least, that’s how Stephen Stills has always thought of his one-time performance partner and iconic rock ‘n’ roll frontman.

The musician is one of the most prolific and enduring of the rock world, and as Stills calls him, “quite charming.”

Speaking to Classic Rock in 2007, Stephen Stills said watching Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger was like watching someone “possessed.” He added, “It’s like watching someone who’s two years older than me doing 40-yard sprints. It’s devastatingly annoying. He was quite charming, always has been. I played with them once. I wish they still had that tape because it was absolutely amazing, the noise that we made between us. We were just batting around.”

The performance Stills was talking about took place in 1970, when the musician was at the height of his Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young fame with albums like CSN’s eponymous 1969 debut and CSNY’s “Déjà Vu,”which they released seven months before Stills sat in with the Stones during their final performance of their 1970 European Tour on October 9.

Stills had only been there to watch the band play, but Jagger beckoned the folk-rocker on stage to play the piano on stage right.

In that same conversation with Classic Rock, Stephen Stills shared similar praises for Mick Jagger’s long-time bandmate and Rolling Stones co-founder, Keith Richards. “We’ve had a couple of snarleys, but nothing to speak of,” Stills said. “And it’s so long ago it’s laughable. I can’t remember what it was about. Just grumpy bollocks. He inspires me. He’s tough as nails and the soul of rock ‘n’ roll of our generation—of our lifetime, really. Keef is just Keef.”

Catch the stream at k-zap.org, on the k-zap apps or at 93.3 FM in the metro Sacramento area.
#kzaporg …

@therollingstones Got Quite the Shock During an Electric 1965 Denmark Performance, Knocking Bill Wyman Unconscious

First meeting at Wentworth Primary School, Keith Richards, and Mick Jagger reunited years later, going on to form one of the most enduring rock bands of all time in The Rolling Stones.

Sixty years ago, however, the Stones took “electrifying” to a whole new level.

On March 26, 1965, the Stones took the stage for rehearsal ahead of a show at the Fyens Forum in Odense, Denmark. It’s unclear whether the cause was a faulty microphone or touching two live mics at the same time, but either way, Mick Jagger received an electric shock so powerful that it spun him around onstage.

The Stones frontman subsequently collided with guitarist Brian Jones, who backed into bassist Bill Wyman. Wyman collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Fortunately, Wyman later came to, with the band’s promoter explaining that a shocked (literally) Jagger had unwittingly saved the bassist when he accidentally pulled out the main plug. All three recovered to play every show on the tour.

Later that same year, in December, the Rolling Stones were playing a show at the Memorial Auditorium in Sacramento, California, when Richards bumped his guitar into a mic stand. While this is ordinarily not grounds for catastrophe, unbeknownst to the band, that particular mic stand was ungrounded. It caused an electrical surge that left Richards unconscious on the floor. And apparently, the sound so resembled gunfire that concert promoter Jeff Hughson thought that the guitarist had been the victim of an assassination attempt.

Richards would go on to recover, later calling the incident “my most spectacular moment” in his 2010 memoir Life.

Catch the stream at k-zap.org, on the k-zap apps or at 93.3 FM in the metro Sacramento area.
#kzaporg …

Fifty Years Later @steelydan_official Shapes Inconic Sleek Jazz & Pop Mold With ‘Katy Lied’

Steely Dan co-leaders Donald Fagen and Walter Becker cultivate the most sympathetic characters of their career on the ten songs composed for the now fifty-year-old “Katy Lied.”

But as an ironic twist in keeping with the duo’s acerbic persona, for the first record the group made after the cessation of touring, the titular leaders of the group enlisted anonymous but eventually famous session musicians and singers including vocalist Michael McDonald.

The transition to such accompaniment was gradual, though. On the third Steely Dan album, “Pretzel Logic,” the quintet, which included drummer Jim Hodder and guitarist Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, was augmented by many prominent Los Angeles-based studio musicians, including drummers Jim Gordon (Derek and the Dominos) and Jeff Porcaro (Toto).

The dense thirty-five-plus minutes of the follow-up begins with “Black Friday.” It’s hardly the first blues shuffle Steely Dan had ever recorded, but it is the most focused one.

Like many of the selections here, the verbiage of the song consists of an inner dialogue embroidered upon by the musicianship, the accuracy of the electric guitar fills by Becker cementing the pervasive impression of disillusionment.

Fagen’s style of phrasing through nasal tones is also suitable for the wordy likes married to unpredictable musical changes in “Bad Sneakers.” ‘…And I’m going insane…laughing at the frozen rain…’ turns into a thought worth hearing out loud through the soulful tones of McDonald.

No such ignominy befell guitarists Rick Derringer (“Chain Lightning) or Larry Carlton (“”Daddy Don’t Live in that New York City No More;” their guest spots on this and other Steely Dan albums, including “The Royal Scam” and “Gaucho.”

Still, half a century after the long-player originally came out the Steely Dan persona is ultimately more polished and accessible than it is off-putting on “Katy Lied.”

Catch the stream at k-zap.org, on the k-zap apps or at 93.3 FM in the metro Sacramento area.
#kzaporg …