Donald Fagen’s live version of “New Frontier” is old and familiar but still grand

Back in 2014, a fellow Something Else! Steely Dan-ophile argued that “New Frontier” was one of Donald Fagen’s best songs. 

I didn’t agree then, but my mind has been changed after hearing the song on the 2008 tour by Steely Dan, as well as well-played versions on other Steely Dan tours, Nightflyers dates and Fagen’s solo tour which featured Wayne Krantz and Jon Herington on guitars.

The song’s punchy rhythm and infectious guitar work are present in Donald Fagen’s latest version, from 2021’s The Nightfly Live. The lead guitar, presumably played by Herington, is biting enough – and it’s in his own style, not trying to duplicate Larry Carlton’s original work. There are touches of rhythm guitar, which stand in place of the more-familiar initial release’s sequencer. 

My earlier complaints about the keyboards are again valid here, as Fagen is inaudible on Fender Rhodes. That leaves the heavy lifting to Jim Beard. However, Fagen does whip out his melodica for the coda, mimicking 1982’s harmonica work by the late Hugh McCracken.

All in all, a solid reproduction of a minor Donald Fagen hit. What’s not to like?