Sunken Condos is the fourth and most recent solo album from Steely Dan co-founder Donald Fagen, released in October 2012 through Reprise Records.[1] It contains eight new songs and a cover of Isaac Hayes' "Out of the Ghetto".[2] Fagen began recording the album in 2010 and described it as having a lighter feel than his earlier work, rather than being a continuation of his Nightfly trilogy.[3]
| Sunken Condos | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 16, 2012 | |||
| Recorded | 2010–2012 | |||
| Studio | Candyland Hirsch Studios Sear Sound Avatar Studios Audio Paint Stratosphere Recording Pat Dillett's Studio (all in New York City) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 44:07 | |||
| Label | Reprise | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Donald Fagen chronology | ||||
| ||||
On September 17, Rolling Stone posted a full-length preview of the song "I'm Not the Same Without You".[4] The song charted at number 28 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 in October 2012.[5] The album reached number 23 on the official UK album chart on October 21 and number 12 on the Billboard 200, becoming his highest charting solo album since 1993.[6][7]
Critical response
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.6/10[8] |
| Metacritic | 82/100[9] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [10] |
| The Independent |  [11] |
| The Irish Times | [12] |
| Mojo | [13] |
| MSN Music (Expert Witness) | A−[14] |
| Q | [15] |
| Rolling Stone | [16] |
| Slant Magazine | [17] |
| Uncut | 9/10[18] |
| USA Today | [19] |
The album was listed at No. 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."[20] They also named the song "Weather in My Head" the 21st best song of 2012.[21]
Fagen appeared on Late Show with David Letterman and performed "Weather in My Head" to promote the album.[22]
Track listing
editAll songs written by Donald Fagen, except where noted
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 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
editMusicians[23]
- Donald Fagen – lead vocals (1–9), piano (1, 2, 8), Prophet 5 (1, 5, 7), Wurlitzer (4, 8, 9), B3 organ (5, 6), clavinet (4, 7, 9), Fender Rhodes (7, 8), melodica (8), background vocals (1, 2, 5–9)
- Harlan Post (alias Donald Fagen)[24] – synth bass (2, 5, 7, 8)
- Michael Leonhart – percussion, trumpet (1–5, 8), flugelhorn (3, 7, 8), mellophone (2), mellophonium (3, 5), Fender Rhodes (2), minimoog (2, 6, 8), clavinet (1, 6), L100 organ (3), M100 organ (7), Prophet 5 (2, 4, 5, 7–9), Wurlitzer (5, 6, 9), mellotron (5), B3 organ (5, 6), Juno 6 (8), accordion (6), vibraphone (1, 6, 8, 9), glockenspiel (1), background vocals (1–3, 5–7, 9), scream (6)
- Earl Cooke Jr (alias Michael Leonhart)[25] – drums
- Jon Herington – guitar (1, 2, 4–8), twelve-string guitar (2), rhythm guitar (9), solo guitar (4)
- Walt Weiskopf – alto saxophone (1–5, 7), tenor saxophone (3, 5), clarinet (7)
- Charlie Pillow – tenor saxophone (1, 2), clarinet (2, 6, 7), bass clarinet (6), bass flute (7)
- Roger Rosenberg – baritone saxophone (1, 2, 4), bass clarinet (7)
- Jim Pugh – trombone (1, 2, 4)
- Carolyn Leonhart – background vocals (1, 2, 4, 7–9), ad-lib vocals (1)
- Jamie Leonhart – background vocals (1, 9)
- Catherine Russell – background vocals (1, 2, 4, 7, 8)
- Cindy Mizelle – background vocals (4, 7)
- Joe Martin – acoustic bass (1)
- William Galison – harmonica (2, 5), bass harmonica (5)
- Lincoln Schleifer – bass (3, 4, 9)
- Gary Sieger – guitar (3)
- Larry Campbell – rhythm guitar (4)
- Jay Leonhart – acoustic bass (5)
- Freddie Washington – bass (6)
- Antoine Silverman – violin (6)
- Aaron Heicke – bass flute (7)
- Kurt Rosenwinkel – solo guitar (9)
Production[23]
- Donald Fagen – rhythm arrangements, vocal arrangements, horn arrangements, mixing
- Michael Leonhart – vocal and horn arrangements, engineer, mixing
- Charles Martinez – engineer
- Normyn – assistant engineer
- David Schoenwetter – assistant engineer
- Ted Tuthill – assistant engineer
- Pat Dillett – mixing, additional engineering
- Elliot Scheiner – additional engineering
- Amanda Hirsch – additional Pro Tools engineering
- Jon Silverman – assistant mix engineer
- Scott Hull – mastering
Charts
edit| Chart (2021) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[26] | 69 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[27] | 22 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[28] | 99 |
| Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[29] | 36 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[30] | 13 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[31] | 46 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[32] | 85 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[33] | 29 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA)[34] | 27 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI)[35] | 22 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[36] | 5 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[37] | 10 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[38] | 53 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[39] | 23 |
| US Billboard 200[40] | 12 |
References
edit- ^ "Donald Fagen to Release Sunken Condos, October 16 on Reprise Records". Broadcast Newsroom. Archived from the original on 2012-10-14. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
- ^ "Steely Dan's Donald Fagen Set to Release Fourth Solo Album, Sunken Condos". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
- ^ "After Steely Dan tour, Donald Fagen eyes another solo album next year". Northeast Ohio. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
- ^ "Song Premiere: Donald Fagen, 'I'm Not the Same Without You'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2012-09-18.
- ^ "Japan Billboard Hot 100" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. October 24, 2012. Archived from the original on November 9, 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
- ^ "Official UK Albums Top 100". officialcharts.com.
- ^ "Billboard Chart - Donald Fagen". Billboard. Retrieved 2011-09-22.
- ^ "Sunken Condos by Donald Fagen reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
- ^ "Reviews for Sunken Condos by Donald Fagen". Metacritic. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Sunken Condos – Donald Fagen". AllMusic. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
- ^ Gill, Andy (October 13, 2012). "Album: Donald Fagen, Sunken Condos (Reprise)". The Independent. Archived from the original on October 11, 2014. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
- ^ Breen, Joe (October 19, 2012). "Donald Fagen". The Irish Times. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
- ^ "Donald Fagen: Sunken Condos". Mojo (229): 89. December 2012.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (November 13, 2012). "Taylor Swift/Donald Fagen". MSN Music. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
- ^ "Donald Fagen: Sunken Condos". Q (317): 104. December 2012.
- ^ Hermes, Will (October 16, 2012). "Sunken Condos". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
- ^ Lanthier, Joseph Jon (October 15, 2012). "Donald Fagen: Sunken Condos". Slant Magazine. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
- ^ Scoppa, Bud (October 23, 2012). "Donald Fagen – Sunken Condos". Uncut. Archived from the original on June 2, 2017. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
- ^ Gardner, Elysa (October 15, 2012). "Donald Fagen feels at home in 'Sunken Condos'". USA Today. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
- ^ "50 Best Albums of 2012: Donald Fagen, Sunken Condos". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
- ^ "50 Best Songs of 2012: Donald Fagen, "Weather in My Head"". Retrieved December 30, 2012.
- ^ Video on YouTube
- ^ a b Sunken Condos (booklet). Reprise. 2012.
- ^ Ragogna, Mike. "Sunken Condos: A Conversation with Donald Fagen & Michael Leonhart". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
- ^ Smith, Joan K. "Once Again, Donald Fagen Delivers". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2012-11-10.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Donald Fagen – Sunken Condos" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Donald Fagen – Sunken Condos" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Donald Fagen – Sunken Condos" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
- ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Donald Fagen – Sunken Condos". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Donald Fagen – Sunken Condos" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
- ^ "Donald Fagen: Sunken Condos" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Donald Fagen – Sunken Condos". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Donald Fagen – Sunken Condos" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
- ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Donald Fagen". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
- ^ "Italiancharts.com – Donald Fagen – Sunken Condos". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Donald Fagen – Sunken Condos". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Donald Fagen – Sunken Condos". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Donald Fagen – Sunken Condos". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
- ^ "Donald Fagen Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 29, 2021.