Kamakiriad

Kamakiriad is the second solo album by Steely Dan singer Donald Fagen, released in 1993 (see 1993 in music). It was his first collaboration with Steely Dan partner Walter Becker, who produced the album, since 1980. The album is a futuristic optimistic 8 song-cycle about the journey of the narrator in his high-tech car, the Kamakirii (Japanese for praying mantis).

The album follows a lengthy writer's block for Fagen; the songs are based on personal observations about middle age (as 1982's The Nightfly is lyrically described as fantasies of Fagen's youth and 2006's Morph the Cat ruminations of old age and death).

Music videos were produced for "Tomorrow's Girls" (starring Rick Moranis) and "Snowbound" (using stop motion animation).

Fagen and Becker would embark on their first tour as Steely Dan since 1974 to support the album, leading gradually to a permanent reunion.

1 Track listing
2 Personnel
3 Production
4 Charts
5 Trivia
6 External links

[edit] Track listing

"Trans-Island Skyway" (Fagen) – 6:30
"Countermoon" (Fagen) – 5:05
"Springtime" (Fagen) – 5:06
"Snowbound" (Becker, Fagen) – 7:08
"Tomorrow's Girls" (Fagen) – 6:17
"Florida Room" (Fagen, Titus) – 6:02
"On the Dunes" (Fagen) – 8:07
"Teahouse on the Tracks" (Fagen) – 6:09

[edit] Personnel

Donald Fagen - keyboards, vocals
Walter Becker - bass, guitar
Randy Brecker - trumpet, flugelhorn
Cornelius Bumpus - tenor saxophone
Angela Clemmons-Patrick - background vocals
Leroy Clouden - percussion, drums
Ronnie Cuber - baritone saxophone
Illinois Elohainu - tenor saxophone (a fictive musician, actually Fagen himself plays a sax sample on the keyboard)
Lawrence Feldman - flute, tenor saxophone
Frank "Harmonica Frank" Floyd - background vocals
Diane Garisto - background vocals
Paul Griffin - Hammond organ
Amy Helm - background vocals
Bashiri Johnson - percussion
Birch Johnson - trombone
Mindy Joslyn - background vocals
Brenda King - background vocals
Curtis King - background vocals
Lou Marini - clarinet, flute, alto saxophone
Dennis McDermott - drums
Jenni Muldaur - background vocals
Christopher Parker - drums
Angela Clemmon Patrick - background vocals
Jim Pugh - trombone
Tim Ries - tenor saxophone
Roger Rosenberg - baritone saxophone
Alan Rubin - trumpet, flugelhorn
Catherine Russell - background vocals
Dian Sorel - background vocals
Fonzi Thornton - background vocals
David Tofani - flute, tenor saxophone
Georg Wadenius - guitar

[edit] Production

Producer: Walter Becker
Engineers: Phil Burnett, David Michael Dill, Tom Fritze, Andy Grassi, Troy Halderson, Bob Mitchel, John Neff, Roger Nichols, Dave Russell, Jay A. Ryan, Tony Volante, Wayne Yurgelun
Mastering: Scott Hull, Glenn Meadows
Sample editing: Craig Siegal
Digital technician: Phil Burnett
Digital delay: Craig Siegal
Horn arrangements: Donald Fagen
Rhythm arrangements: Donald Fagen
Design: Carol Bobolts
Photography: James Hamilton
Liner notes: Donald Fagen, Tim White

[edit] Charts

Album

Year	Chart	Position
1993	The Billboard 200	10

Singles

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1993	"Tomorrow's Girls"	Mainstream Rock Tracks	20

[edit] Trivia

Inside the cover is written this explanation of this concept album:

"Kamakiriad is an album of eight related songs. The literal action takes place a few years in the future, near the millennium. In the first song, "Trans-Island Skyway," the narrator tells us he is about to embark on a journey in his new dream-car, a custom-tooled Kamakiri. It's built for the new century: steam-driven, with a self-contained vegetable garden and a radio link with the Tripstar routing satellite. The next six songs describe his adventures along the way. In the last song, "Teahouse On The Tracks," the narrator lands in dismal Flytown where he must decide whether to bail out or to rally and continue moving into the unknown."