Kamakiriad Explained
Kamakiriad is the second solo album by Steely Dan artist Donald Fagen, released in 1993. It was his first collaboration with Steely Dan partner Walter Becker since 1986, 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). It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Album of the Year 1994.
Music videos were produced for "Tomorrow's Girls" (starring Rick Moranis) and "Snowbound" (using stop motion animation).
Fagen and Becker embarked on their first tour as Steely Dan since 1974 to support the album.
Track listing
Bonus tracks, from The Nightfly Trilogy MVI boxed set
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
- 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
Year-end charts
Notes and References
- Book: Ryan, Gavin. Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. 2011. Moonlight Publishing. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia. pdf.
- December 18, 1993 . 1993 Year-End Sales Charts - Eurochart Hot 100 Albums 1993 . . 15 . April 20, 2022 .
