Steely Dan

Katy Lied

First released1975

Katy Lied, Steely Dan's second studio album, was recorded in 1974 at various locations including the Record Plant in Los Angeles and other studios, with the band working across multiple sessions to achieve their perfectionist vision. The album was produced by Gary Katz, who had established himself as the ideal collaborator for Donald Fagen and Walter Becker's exacting standards. The recording featured session musicians and reflected Steely Dan's increasingly sophisticated approach to pop and jazz-influenced rock, with meticulous overdubbing and arrangement work characteristic of their studio-intensive method. Engineers worked extensively on vocal and instrumental layering, and the band's attention to detail in production became a defining element of the album's polished sound. Released in November 1974, Katy Lied marked a significant point in the band's commercial and critical success, reaching number 31 on the Billboard 200 and establishing their reputation for studio craftsmanship.