| Artist | Donald Fagen |
|---|---|
| Cover | Donald Fagen - Sunken Condos.jpg |
| Released | October 16, 2012 |
| Recorded | 2010–2012 |
| Studio | Candyland Hirsch Studios Sear Sound Avatar Studios Audio Paint Stratosphere Recording Pat Dillett's Studio (all in New York City) |
| Genre | |
| Length | 44:07 |
| Label | Reprise |
| Producer | |
| Prev year | 2006 |
Sunken Condos is the fourth and most recent solo album from Steely Dan co-founder Donald Fagen, released in October 2012 through Reprise Records.[1] It contains eight new songs and a cover of Isaac Hayes' "Out of the Ghetto".[2] Fagen began recording the album in 2010 and described it as having a lighter feel than his earlier work, rather than being a continuation of his Nightfly trilogy.[3]
On September 17, Rolling Stone posted a full-length preview of the song "I'm Not the Same Without You".[4] The song charted at number 28 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 in October 2012.[5] The album reached number 23 on the official UK album chart on October 21 and number 12 on the Billboard 200, becoming his highest charting solo album since 1993.[6][7]
Critical response
The album was listed at No. 25 on Rolling Stone's list of the top 50 albums of 2012. The magazine stated that "the music is deceitfully lush, a snazzy cascade of rock, R&B and swing, with production as costly as a Santa Monica beach house."[8] They also named the song "Weather in My Head" the 21st best song of 2012.[9]
Fagen appeared on Late Show with David Letterman and performed "Weather in My Head" to promote the album.[10]
Track listing
All songs written by Donald Fagen, except where noted
Personnel
Musicians[11]
- Donald Fagen – lead vocals (1–9), piano (1, 2, 8), Prophet 5 (1, 5, 7), Wurlitzer (4, 8, 9), B3 organ (5, 6), clavinet (4, 7, 9), Fender Rhodes (7, 8), melodica (8), background vocals (1, 2, 5–9)
- Harlan Post (alias Donald Fagen)[12] – synth bass (2, 5, 7, 8)
- Michael Leonhart – percussion, trumpet (1–5, 8), flugelhorn (3, 7, 8), mellophone (2), mellophonium (3, 5), Fender Rhodes (2), minimoog (2, 6, 8), clavinet (1, 6), L100 organ (3), M100 organ (7), Prophet 5 (2, 4, 5, 7–9), Wurlitzer (5, 6, 9), mellotron (5), B3 organ (5, 6), Juno 6 (8), accordion (6), vibraphone (1, 6, 8, 9), glockenspiel (1), background vocals (1–3, 5–7, 9), scream (6)
- Earl Cooke Jr (alias Michael Leonhart)[13] – drums
- Jon Herington – guitar (1, 2, 4–8), twelve-string guitar (2), rhythm guitar (9), solo guitar (4)
- Walt Weiskopf – alto saxophone (1–5, 7), tenor saxophone (3, 5), clarinet (7)
- Charlie Pillow – tenor saxophone (1, 2), clarinet (2, 6, 7), bass clarinet (6), bass flute (7)
- Roger Rosenberg – baritone saxophone (1, 2, 4), bass clarinet (7)
- Jim Pugh – trombone (1, 2, 4)
- Carolyn Leonhart – background vocals (1, 2, 4, 7–9), ad-lib vocals (1)
- Jamie Leonhart – background vocals (1, 9)
- Catherine Russell – background vocals (1, 2, 4, 7, 8)
- Cindy Mizelle – background vocals (4, 7)
- Joe Martin – acoustic bass (1)
- William Galison – harmonica (2, 5), bass harmonica (5)
- Lincoln Schleifer – bass (3, 4, 9)
- Gary Sieger – guitar (3)
- Larry Campbell – rhythm guitar (4)
- Jay Leonhart – acoustic bass (5)
- Freddie Washington – bass (6)
- Antoine Silverman – violin (6)
- Aaron Heick – bass flute (7)
- Kurt Rosenwinkel – solo guitar (9)
Production[11]
- Donald Fagen – rhythm arrangements, vocal arrangements, horn arrangements, mixing
- Michael Leonhart – vocal and horn arrangements, engineer, mixing
- Charles Martinez – engineer
- Normyn – assistant engineer
- David Schoenwetter – assistant engineer
- Ted Tuthill – assistant engineer
- Pat Dillett – mixing, additional engineering
- Elliot Scheiner – additional engineering
- Amanda Hirsch – additional Pro Tools engineering
- Jon Silverman – assistant mix engineer
- Scott Hull – mastering
Charts
| Chart (2012) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Alternative Albums (Alternative Top 30)[14] | 4 |
| US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[15] | 3 |
References
- ^ "Donald Fagen to Release Sunken Condos, October 16 on Reprise Records". Broadcast Newsroom. Archived from the original on 2012-10-14. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
- ^ "Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen Set to Release Fourth Solo Album, Sunken Condos". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
- ^ "After Steely Dan tour, Donald Fagen eyes another solo album next year". Northeast Ohio. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
- ^ "Song Premiere: Donald Fagen, 'I'm Not the Same Without You'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2012-09-18.
- ^ "Japan Billboard Hot 100" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. October 24, 2012. Archived November 9, 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
- ^ "Official UK Albums Top 100". officialcharts.com.
- ^ "Billboard Chart - Donald Fagen". Billboard. Retrieved 2011-09-22.
- ^ "50 Best Albums of 2012: Donald Fagen, Sunken Condos". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
- ^ "50 Best Songs of 2012: Donald Fagen, "Weather in My Head"". Retrieved December 30, 2012.
- ^ Sunken Condos on YouTube
- ^ Sunken Condos (booklet). Reprise. 2012.
- ^ Ragogna, Mike. "Sunken Condos: A Conversation with Donald Fagen & Michael Leonhart". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
- ^ Smith, Joan K. "Once Again, Donald Fagen Delivers". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2012-11-10.
- ^ Dutchchart
- ^ "Donald Fagen Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 29, 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2026.