Steely Dan Dirty Work Live 1974

Recorded On
April 18, 1974
Orpheum Theater
Boston, Massechusetts

[MozillaFireFox]

The guy singing this was Royce Jones, who joined Steely Dan on their 1973 tour for the Countdown To Ecstasy album (if you watch their performances on the Midnight Special from August 1973, you can see him behind the congas on stage), and stayed with the band for their 1974 tour for the Pretzel Logic album. Originally the only song he did on that tour was Any Major Dude from Pretzel Logic, but by the end of March 1974 the band added Dirty Work onto the setlist, and eventually would replace Any Major Dude with Brooklyn Owes The Chamer Under Me by the end of April 1974.

[JC-yyiv]

So few recordings of Fagen doing lead on this one, they’re so good though. Of course Palmer’s interpretation will always be definitive, but Fagen more than did it justice back when he was still willing to do it!

[judyrichards]

For a long time I thought Bread sang this

[krisscanlon]

Doesnt sound like Fagen...is he changing his voice? Was this Hodder?

[oneeyedman]

I don't know who this is singing, but it ain't Fagen, there are no recordings whatsoever of him singing this song. Given what we have since learned about their early years, it seems likely that this was a pretty direct shot of Becker's against him, so it's not surprising that he would be unwilling to sing it, probably that's why they hired David Palmer.