Sunken Condos

Sunken Condos
Studio album by Donald Fagen
Released	October 16, 2012
Recorded	2010-12
Genre	Jazz-Rock
Length	44:07
Label	Reprise
Producer	Michael Leonhart, Donald Fagen
Donald Fagen chronology
Morph the Cat (2006) Sunken Condos (2012)

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	82/100 [1]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]
BBC Music	(positive)[3]
Robert Christgau	A−[4]
The Independent	[5]
Mojo	[6]
MusicOMH.com	[7]
PopMatters	[8]
Q	[9]
Record Collector	[10]
Rolling Stone	[11]
Slant	[12]
TheArtsDesk.com	[13]
Uncut	[14]

Sunken Condos is the fourth solo album from Steely Dan co-founder Donald Fagen, released in October 2012 through Reprise Records.^[15] It contains eight new songs and a cover of Isaac Hayes' "Out of the Ghetto".^[16] Fagen began recording the album in 2010 and described it has having a lighter feel than his earlier work, rather than being a continuation of his Nightfly trilogy.^[17]

On September 17, Rolling Stone posted a full-length preview of the song "I'm Not the Same Without You".^[18] The song charted at number 28 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 in October 2012.^[19] It also entered the official UK album chart at number 23 on October 21 and number 12 on the Billboard 200, becoming his highest charting solo album since 1993.^[20][21]

Critical response

The album was listed at #25 on Rolling Stone's list of the top 50 albums of 2012. The magazine stated that "the music is deceitfully lush, a snazzy cascade of rock, R&B and swing, with production as costly as a Santa Monica beach house." ^[22] They also named the song "Weather in My Head" the 21st best song of 2012.^[23]

Fagen appeared on Late Show with David Letterman and performed "Weather in My Head" to promote the album.^[24]

Track listing

(All songs by Donald Fagen, except where noted)

1. "Slinky Thing" – 5:12
2. "I'm Not the Same Without You" – 4:31
3. "Memorabilia" – 4:14
4. "Weather in My Head" – 5:29
5. "The New Breed" – 4:35
6. "Out of the Ghetto" (Isaac Hayes) – 4:54
7. "Miss Marlene" – 4:43
8. "Good Stuff" – 4:54
9. "Planet D'Rhonda" – 5:35

Personnel

("Earl Cooke, Jr." is actually Michael Leonhart,^[25]"Harlan Post" is actually Fagen playing synth bass.^[26])

• Donald Fagen – lead vocal, piano, Prophet 5, Wurlitzer, B3 organ, melodica, clavinet, background vocals
• Michael Leonhart – clavinet, vibraphone, percussion, trumpet, glockenspiel, Fender Rhodes, minimoog, mellophone, L100 organ, M100 organ, accordion, flugelhorn, Prophet 5, Wurlitzer, mellotron, Juno 6, percussion, background vocals
• Earl Cooke Jr (Michael Leonhart) – drums
• Joe Martin – acoustic bass ("Slinky Thing")
• Jon Herington – acoustic bass, guitar, twelve-string guitar, rhythm guitar
• Walt Weiskopf – alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, clarinet
• Charlie Pillow – tenor saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet, bass flute
• Jim Pugh – trombone
• Roger Rosenberg – baritone saxophone, bass clarinet
• Harlan Post (Donald Fagen) – bass ("I'm Not the Same Without You", "The New Breed", "Miss Marlene", "Good Stuff")
• Carolyn Leonhart – background vocals, ad lib
• Jamie Leonhart – background vocals
• Catherine Russell – background vocals
• Cindy Mizelle – background vocals
• William Galison – harmonicas ("I'm Not the Same Without You", "The New Breed")
• Lincoln Schleifer – bass ("Memorabilia", "Weather In My head", "Planet D'Rhonda")
• Gary Sieger – guitar ("Memorabilia")
• Larry Campbell – rhythm guitar ("Weather in My Head")
• Jay Leonhart – acoustic bass ("The New Breed")
• Freddie Washington – bass ("Out of the Ghetto")
• Antoine Silverman – violin ("Out of the Ghetto")
• Aaron Heicke – bass flute ("Miss Marlene")
• Kurt Rosenwinkel – solo guitar ("Planet D'Rhonda")

References

v t e Donald Fagen Studio albums The Nightfly (1982) Kamakiriad (1993) Morph the Cat (2006) Sunken Condos (2012) Soundtracks You've Got to Walk It Like You Talk It or You'll Lose That Beat (with Walter Becker, Billy Cunningham and Denny Diaz; 1971) Bright Lights, Big City (1988) Singles "I.G.Y. (What a Beautiful World)" "New Frontier" "Ruby Baby" "Century's End" "Tomorrow's Girls" "Trans-Island Skyway" "Snowbound" "Countermoon" "H Gang" "What I Do" "I'm Not The Same Without You" Compilations Nightfly Trilogy Related articles Steely Dan Walter Becker Heavy Metal The New York Rock and Soul Revue Live at the Beacon