Kamakiriad
| Kamakiriad | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 25, 1993 | |||
| Recorded | 1990–93 | |||
| Studio | River Sound, Clinton Recording Studios and The Hit Factory (New York City, New York) Hyperbolic Sound (Maui, Hawaii) | |||
| Genre | Jazz-rock | |||
| Length | 50:31 | |||
| Label | Reprise | |||
| Producer | Walter Becker | |||
| Donald Fagen chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Kamakiriad | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [1] |
| Robert Christgau | [2] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [3] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B−[4] |
| The Great Rock Discography | 7/10[5] |
| Los Angeles Times | [6] |
| NME | [7] |
| Q | [8] |
| Rolling Stone | [9] |
| Uncut | 8/10[10] |
Kamakiriad is the second solo album by Steely Dan artist Donald Fagen, released in 1993. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Album of the Year 1994.
Overview
The album was the second collaboration between Donald Fagen and Walter Becker since Steely Dan's disbandment in early 80's (the previous was on Rosie Vela's album Zazu). Becker played guitar and bass and produced the album.
The album is a futuristic, optimistic eight-song cycle about the journey of the narrator in his high-tech car, the Kamakiri (Japanese for praying mantis).
Promotion
Music videos were produced for "Tomorrow's Girls" (starring Rick Moranis) and "Snowbound" (directed by Michel Gondry using stop motion animation). According to The Arizona Republic, the music video for "Snowbound" was filmed on September 6, 1993, at C.J.S. Film Studios in Avondale, Arizona, during Steely Dan's 1993 tour.[11]
In August 1993, Fagen and Becker embarked on their first tour as Steely Dan since July 1974, which also supported the album.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Donald Fagen, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Trans-Island Skyway" | 6:30 | |
| 2. | "Countermoon" | 5:05 | |
| 3. | "Springtime" | 5:06 | |
| 4. | "Snowbound" | Walter Becker, Donald Fagen | 7:08 |
| 5. | "Tomorrow's Girls" | 6:17 | |
| 6. | "Florida Room" | Libby Titus, Donald Fagen | 6:02 |
| 7. | "On the Dunes" | 8:07 | |
| 8. | "Teahouse on the Tracks" | 6:09 |
Bonus tracks, from The Nightfly Trilogy MVI boxed set
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 9. | "Big Noise, New York" | 5:21 |
| 10. | "Confide in Me" | 4:15 |
| 11. | "Blue Lou" | 7:01 |
| 12. | "Shanghai Confidential" | 4:54 |
Personnel
- Donald Fagen – vocals, keyboards, horn and rhythm arrangements
- Paul Griffin – Hammond B3 organ
- Craig Siegal – sampling, digital delay acquisition
- Walter Becker – lead guitars, guitar solos, bass guitar
- Georg Wadenius – guitars
- Chris Parker – drums (1, 2, 6, 7)
- Dennis McDermott – drums (4)
- Leroy Clouden – percussion, drums (3, 5, 8)
- Bashiri Johnson – percussion
- Lou Marini – alto saxophone, clarinet, flute
- Ronnie Cuber – baritone saxophone
- Roger Rosenberg – baritone saxophone
- Cornelius Bumpus – tenor saxophone, tenor sax solo (6, 7)
- Illinois Elohainu – tenor saxophone (a fictive musician, actually Fagen himself plays a saxophone sample on the keyboard), tenor sax solo (2)
- Lawrence Feldman – flute, tenor saxophone
- David Tofani – flute, tenor saxophone
- Birch Johnson – trombone, trombone solo (8)
- Jim Pugh – trombone
- Randy Brecker – trumpet, flugelhorn
- Alan Rubin – trumpet, flugelhorn
- Angela Clemmons-Patrick – backing vocals
- Frank Floyd – backing vocals
- Diane Garisto – backing vocals
- Amy Helm – backing vocals
- Mindy Jostyn – backing vocals
- Brenda King – backing vocals
- Curtis King – backing vocals
- Jenni Muldaur – backing vocals
- Catherine Russell – backing vocals
- Dian Sorel – backing vocals
- Fonzi Thornton – backing vocals
Production
- Walter Becker – producer
- Roger Nichols – chief engineer
- Wayne Yurgelun – house engineer
- David Michael Dill – engineer
- Tom Fritze – engineer
- Dave Russell – engineer
- Tony Volante – engineer
- Phil Burnett – second engineer, digital technician
- Andy Grassi – second engineer
- Troy Halderson – second engineer
- Bob Mitchell – second engineer
- John Neff – second engineer
- Jay Ryan – second engineer
- Craig Siegal – sample editing
- Glenn Meadows – mastering at Masterfonics (Nashville, Tennessee)
- Lisa Starr – production coordinator
- Carol Bobolts – design
- James Hamilton – photography
- Marinella Terziotti – car photograph
- Donald Fagen – liner notes
- Tim White – liner notes
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart (1993) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[12] | 80 |
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[13] | 23 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[14] | 13 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[15] | 24 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[16] | 30 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[17] | 10 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[18] | 9 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[19] | 27 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[20] | 3 |
| US Billboard 200[21] | 10 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1993) | Position |
|---|---|
| European Albums (European Top 100 Albums)[22] | 99 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Japan (RIAJ)[23] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[24] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[25] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- ^ "Allmusic review". Allmusic. All Media Guide. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
- ^ Robert Christgau review
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2002). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Virgin Books. ISBN 1-85227-923-0.
- ^ David Browne. Entertainment Weekly review May 28, 1993
- ^ Strong, Martin Charles (2002). "Steely Dan". The Great Rock Discography. The National Academies. ISBN 1-84195-312-1.
- ^ Los Angeles Times review
- ^ NME, 1993-05-29, p. 31
- ^ Q, July 1993, p. 86
- ^ "Rolling Stone Music | Album Reviews". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
- ^ Uncut, "How to buy Donald Fagen", Jaan Uhelszki, December 2012
- ^ "The Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona". Newspapers.com. September 8, 1993. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Image 0992". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Donald Fagen – Kamakiriad" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Donald Fagen – Kamakiriad" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Donald Fagen – Kamakiriad". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Donald Fagen – Kamakiriad". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Donald Fagen – Kamakiriad". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Donald Fagen – Kamakiriad". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ "Donald Fagen Songs and Albums | Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ "Donald Fagen Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ "1993 Year-End Sales Charts - Eurochart Hot 100 Albums 1993" (PDF). Music & Media. December 18, 1993. p. 15. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ "Japanese album certifications – Donald Fagen – Kamakiriad" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved May 25, 2025. Select 1993年7月 on the drop-down menu
- ^ "British album certifications – Donald Fagen – Kamakiriad". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 25, 2025. Select albums in the Formats field. Type Kamakiriad Donald Fagen in the "Search:" field.
- ^ "American album certifications – Donald Fagen – Kamakiriad". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 25, 2025.
