Morph the Cat is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Donald Fagen. Released on March 7, 2006, to generally positive reviews from critics,[1] Morph the Cat was described by Fagen as his "death album" in an interview with Fred Kaplan of The New York Times.[12] Musicians on the album include drummer Keith Carlock, saxophonist Walt Weiskopf, bassist Freddie Washington, and guitarists Frank Vignola, Jon Herington, Wayne Krantz, and Hugh McCracken.
| Morph the Cat | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 7, 2006 | |||
| Recorded | 2004–05 | |||
| Studio | Avatar Studios (New York City) Clinton Recording Studios (New York City) Sear Sound (New York City) Sugar Sound (Kauai) | |||
| Genre | Jazz-rock, jazz-funk | |||
| Length | 52:49 | |||
| Label | Reprise | |||
| Producer | Donald Fagen | |||
| Donald Fagen chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 83/100[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| The A.V. Club | B+[3] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[4] |
| The Guardian | [5] |
| The Independent |  [6] |
| Los Angeles Times | [7] |
| Q | [8] |
| Rolling Stone | [9] |
| Uncut | [10] |
| USA Today | [11] |
Morph the Cat was released on CD and on a CD/DVD-Audio 2-disc package, with a 5.1 surround sound mix engineered by Elliot Scheiner.[13][14] The surround recording won the Grammy Award for Best Surround Sound Album.[15]
Track listing
editAll songs written by Donald Fagen.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Morph the Cat" | 6:49 |
| 2. | "H Gang" | 5:15 |
| 3. | "What I Do" | 6:01 |
| 4. | "Brite Nitegown" | 7:16 |
| 5. | "The Great Pagoda of Funn" | 7:39 |
| 6. | "Security Joan" | 6:09 |
| 7. | "The Night Belongs to Mona" | 4:18 |
| 8. | "Mary Shut the Garden Door" | 6:29 |
| 9. | "Morph the Cat (Reprise)" | 2:53 |
Personnel
edit- Donald Fagen – lead vocals, backing vocals, Fender Rhodes (1, 2, 4, 9), acoustic piano (6, 7), organ (6), melodica (8)
- Ted Baker – acoustic piano (2, 5), Wurlitzer electric piano (3, 6), Fender Rhodes (7, 8)
- Hugh McCracken – guitars (1–3, 9)
- Wayne Krantz – guitars (1–3, 6–9), guitar solo (4, 5)
- Frank Vignola – guitars (1), guitar tag solo (9)
- Jon Herington – guitar solo (1, 2, 9), guitars (3–8), guitar chorus solo (9)
- Ken Emerson – guitars (3)
- Freddie Washington – bass (1–3, 5–9)
- Harlan Post, Jr. – acoustic bass (7)
- Brian Montgomery – remedial bass (9)
- Keith Carlock – drums (1–3, 5–9)
- Phonus Quaver – vibraphone (1, 5, 8, 9), marimba (1, 4, 9)
- Gordon Gottlieb – percussion (2, 4, 6, 7)
- Bashiri Johnson – percussion (4)
- Joe Pasaro – percussion (5)
- Jennifer Battista, Eddie Jackson, Camille Meza and Candice Predham – handclaps (6)
- Walt Weiskopf – tenor saxophone (1, 2, 7, 9), tenor sax solo (1, 2), alto saxophone (4, 5)
- Roger Rosenberg – baritone saxophone (2, 4, 5), bass clarinet (7)
- Lawrence Feldman – clarinet (2), tenor saxophone (4, 5), flute (7)
- Illinois Elohainu – flutes (8)
- Mark Patterson – trombone (4, 5, 7)
- Marvin Stamm – trumpet (1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9), trumpet solo (5)
- Howard Levy – harmonica (3, 7), harmonica solo (3)
- Jerry Barnes – backing vocals (1, 5, 9)
- Michael Harvey – backing vocals (1, 6, 9)
- Amy Helm – backing vocals (3)
- Carolyn Leonhart – backing vocals (3, 8)
- Cindy Mizelle – backing vocals (3)
- * Harlan Post Jr., Phonus Quaver and Illinois Elohainu are pseudonyms for Fagen himself when he plays an instrument sample patch on a synthesizer trying to replicate the actual instrument.
Production
edit- Donald Fagen – producer
- Elliot Scheiner – tracking engineer, mix engineer
- T.J. Doherty – overdub engineer, Pro Tools engineer
- Brian Montgomery – overdub engineer, Pro Tools engineer, assistant engineer, second mix engineer
- Eddie Jackson – assistant engineer
- Jim Keller – assistant engineer
- Chad Lupo – assistant engineer
- Steve Mazur – assistant engineer
- Matt Scheiner – assistant engineer
- Bryan Smith – assistant engineer
- Allan Thomas – assistant engineer
- Darcy Proper – mastering at Sony Mastering (New York, NY)
- Maria Triana – mastering assistant
- Joseph M. Palmaccio – additional mastering
- Sam Berd – piano technician
- Wayne Williams – piano technician
- Artie Smith – guitar technician, drum technician
- Gary Blu – music copyist
- Irving Azoff – management
- Jill Dell'Abate – production coordinator
- Cindy Osborne – production coordinator
- Mary Lou Arnold – production assistant
- Jeri Heiden – art direction
- Ryan Corey – design
- Danny Clinch – photography
Charts
editAlbum
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | The Billboard 200 | 26 |
| 2006 | Top Internet Albums | 26 |
| 2006 | UK Top 40 | 35 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | "H Gang" | Smooth Jazz Songs | 29 |
References
edit- ^ a b "Reviews for Morph the Cat by Donald Fagen". Metacritic. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Morph the Cat – Donald Fagen". AllMusic. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
- ^ Murray, Noel (March 29, 2006). "Donald Fagen: Morph The Cat". The A.V. Club. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
- ^ Sinclair, Tom (March 13, 2006). "Morph the Cat". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on September 8, 2017. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
- ^ Walters, John L. (March 10, 2006). "Donald Fagen, Morph the Cat". The Guardian. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
- ^ Gill, Andy (February 24, 2006). "Album: Donald Fagen". The Independent. Archived from the original on December 2, 2009. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
- ^ Cromelin, Richard (March 5, 2006). "The inspired and the familiar". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
- ^ "Donald Fagen: Morph the Cat". Q (237): 113. April 2006.
- ^ Walters, Barry (March 6, 2006). "Donald Fagen: Morph the Cat". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 8, 2007. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
- ^ "Donald Fagen: Morph the Cat". Uncut (107): 104. April 2006.
- ^ Gundersen, Edna (March 6, 2006). "Donald Fagen: Morph the Cat". USA Today. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
- ^ Kaplan, Fred (26 February 2006). "What Rhymes With Orange Alert?". New York Times. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
- ^ "Fagen Preps For 'Morph'". Billboard. 27 February 2006. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
- ^ "Morph The Cat: Donald Fagen Solo Album Set for Reprise Records Release on March 7; Tour Dates Announced; Panasonic ELS Surround Is Presenting Sponsor". Marketwired. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
- ^ "Panasonic ELS Surround(R) Collaborator Honored with Emmy(R); Elliot Scheiner Wins for Outstanding Sound Mixing". BusinessWire. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
External links
edit- Donald Fagen interview in Sound on Sound – article by Paul Tingen, about the making of Morph The Cat, August 2006