Walter Becker And Donald Fagen - Android Warehouse

This is a really awesome collection to own for any Steely Dan fan, because it shows you not only where they started, but where they were clearly going. Obviously you get stripped-down renditions of future classics such as "Parker's Band" and "Barrytown". "Caves of Altamira" has an additional verse and a different verse order, "Brooklyn" is practically ethereal (and sung here by Fagen) and "Charlie Freak" is much starker without the bouncy instrumentation that was added later. But you also get a number of gems that will leave you wondering why they never made it any farther than this collection, such as the sunny "You Go Where I Go", the kitschy "Soul Ram" (sung by the original vocalist of the band who also appears on several other tracks), the soul-bare "Take It Out On Me", and a sassy rendition of Lewis Carroll's "Mock Turtle Song". "Come Back Baby" could have easily sat alongside tracks by Average White Band or Player, and "Sun Mountain" will break your heart. (There's also my personal favorite why-didn't-this-ever-get-finished song, "Roaring Of The Lamb".)

If you have all the Steely Dan albums, and the Walter Becker and Donald Fagen solo works, you should definitely round out your collection with this double CD.