Los Angeles

From Melody Maker, written by Harvey Kubernik

Steely Dan are over at ABC studios working on two albums with a March deadline. The songs waxed so far signal a new direction for the brilliant Don Fagen/Walter Becker songwriting team, "Shanghai Breakdown," "Here At The Western World," and "The Gaucho" show the music getting more complicated. Ed Green, Jim Keltner and Steve Gadd have all done time behind the skins for Dan this last session. "The music is getting more erotic," says Fagen. "For the most part the tunes cut so far are pop songs with little things added to make it interesting."