The Original Sound Track – You Gotta Walk It Like You Talk It (Or You'll Lose That Beat)

Vocals – Donald Fagen (tracks: B1), Kenny Vance (tracks: A4, B3), Marty Kupersmith (tracks: A1)

Steelycanthropus Erectus. Proto-Dan. Becker, Fagen and Dias with nutso Kenny Vance and a few others. 'Dog Eat Dog' mixes NYC soul feel (think Bert Berns's Bang! label) with a 'Countdown To Ecstasy'-worthy chorus. 'Roll Back The Meaning' sounds like it could've been the B-side to the 'Dallas' single. 'If It Rains' has Brute Force's (another whack job Noo Yawker) 'Nobody Knows What's Going On In My Mind But Me' vibe. The rest is semi-interesting soundtrack work. Steely Dan fans will want to hear this, but beware. It's not up to the pristine song craft or sound quality you know these guys for.

Awesome deep dive for Dan fans. Showcases some of the roots of the Steely Dan sound we've come to love, even has Fagen ripping some free jazz. Raw, at times Avant-Garde Primitive Dan is what this is.

(The Awesome Dutch Issue) In 1979 this mysterious SDTK came to light. I found it in college and essentially freaked out. Released in'71/reissued in'78 & apparently "THE 1ST" recordings released by Fagen & Becker. The movie starred Richard Pryer and was terrible.....BUT this music survived. With it, the story of Steely Dan's history was in the liner notes...info we had never seen or heard about. Eureka! Bard, drug busts, G.G. Liddy & Chevy Chase! Musically there are 2 songs that kill: If It Rains & Dog Eat Dog. This was quite simply a revelation for Dan Fans. N

In 1979 this mysterious SDTK came to light. I found it in college and essentially freaked out. Released in'71/reissued in'78 & apparently "THE 1ST" recordings released by Fagen & Becker. The movie starred Richard Pryer and was terrible.....BUT this music survived and with it the story of Steely Dan's history was in the liner notes: info we had never seen or heard about!! Eureka!! Bard, drug busts, G.G. Liddy & Chevy Chase! Musically there are 2 songs that kill: If It Rains & Dog Eat Dog. This was quite simply a revelation for Dan Fans. N

By no means is this outing to be considered a Steely Dan record by any stretch of the imagination for two reasons. First, it’s a soundtrack of sorts for a rather low budget movie shot back in 1968, though not released until 1971, with the album being recorded in 1970. That being said, while not top notch, there is still an element of Steely Dan to be found within these grooves. Secondly, soundtracks back in the late 60’s didn’t require the music to be as essential to the movie as it is today, opting for a less is more attitude.

Both Fagen and Becker never talked much about these songs, feeling them to be rather rudimentary, though with Denny Diaz on percussion and guitar, elements of Steely Dan were certainly falling into place. Even so, it took two versions of the tile track and three instrumentals to bring this record to even a 31 minute running time. While none of the tracks are bad, one could easily lift the Tom Petty line and say “I don’t hear a single,” which there wasn’t, and on any level, never would be.

The movie was a comedy-drama directed by Peter Locke regarding a rather young and naive hippie in search for the meaning of life in Central Park (New York City), with the film also featuring Richard Pryor doing his infamous wino bit, along with Robert Downey Sr., with film editing by Wes Craven.

On a side note, the first official Steely Dan single “Dallas” / “Sail The Waterway” was laid down in the same year, though not related until 1972.

This is the point where I’m supposed to say that while this album isn’t that good, it’s essential for any serious Steely Dan fan, and completes the timeline in their musical history. Though that’s just not the fact, the music is rather good, breezy, and laced with a touch of those jazz elements we’ve all come to know and love.

The album was released with a variety of differing jackets, and even found it’s way to compact disc, though having listened to all of these formats, I found the UK vinyl edition to be the most pleasing, though it would have been nice to have had the intended US album cover.

Review by Jenell Kesler