^^^^^ "Watch the sun go brown, smoking cobalt cigarettes"
A prog line if ever I've heard one.
^^^^^ "Watch the sun go brown, smoking cobalt cigarettes"
A prog line if ever I've heard one.
"My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician, and to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference"
President Harry S. Truman
I listened through Countdown to Ecstasy (with the above mentioned "King of the World) a few nights ago. What a tremendous record! It remains my favorite Dan.
Wake up to find out that you are the eyes of the world.
Love the synth hook on KotW. Anybody know which guitarist played the crazy solo underneath it? Dias or Baxter?
David
Happy with what I have to be happy with.
I suspect it was Dias. I never heard Skunk move quite that fast.
I waited for a guitar player to answer that, but I almost posted that right away.Originally Posted by Sean
"My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician, and to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference"
President Harry S. Truman
I get the impression that Denny was a jazz player who could play rock, whereas Jeff was a rock player who could play jazz.
"King of the World" was played a few months ago for only the second or third time in over 40+ years as part of their "Countdown to Ecstasy" album night. Wonderful insight into nuclear holocaust by Donald.
"Henry Cow always wanted to push itself, so sometimes we would write music that we couldn't actually play I found that very encouraging." - Lindsay Cooper, 1998
"I have nothing to do with Endless River. Phew! This is not rocket science people, get a grip." - Roger Waters, 2014
"I'm a collector. And I've always just seemed to collect personalities." - David Bowie, 1973
Mine too.
Mine three.
"My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician, and to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference"
President Harry S. Truman
That's my suspicion as well, but nice to know my ears still work! There are quite a few sources for who-played-what out there, and for the SD ouvre it can be quite informative. For example, I didn't realize until yesterday that Jeff Porcaro played all the drums (save one track) on Katy Lied at age 20. So many great grooves - damn.
David
Happy with what I have to be happy with.
Is there a great SD documentary out there?
I get why people like SD, they just have never clicked with me. I know a guy who loves everything from Slayer to Genesis who LOVES SD...so I'm sure it's just me. Ha!
The slick, schooled playing, the over-polished production, and the sarcastic, ironic lyrics - Becker and Fagen are The Masters of the Unreliable Narrator - can put some off, especially those who like their music a bit more from the heart. It occurs to me that they might also imply the music itself, so smooth it might as well be commercials for expensive liquor or Italian suits or casinos featuring no-limits baccarat, as the internal soundtrack to the vainglorious musings of the lyrics' phonies, sleazeballs, and would-be Big Time Operators. Even the character who might be closest to their hearts - the wannabe jazz musician of "Deacon Blues" - probably isn't half the player he thinks he is, and seems more in love with the idea of being a jazz musician than with the music itself.
Not documentaries per se, but the Making of Aja video and all of the "interview" portions of the Plush Tv Jazz-Rock Party dvd are essential, IMO.
David
Happy with what I have to be happy with.
I am completely with you on this. I bought Aja and Pretzel Logic few years back, made myself to listen to them a couple of times and CDs have been collecting the dust on the shelf ever since.
I remember walking into a cafe that had Steely Dan playing. At first I thought it was cool, then I thought, "Oh fuck, what if this is one those places Steely Dan sings about."
Wake up to find out that you are the eyes of the world.
16 pages in, I'd like a chance to answer the question:
Ok, what's so great about... Steely Dan?
Answer: Nothing much, they had some catchy tunes back in the day, (I even have a few albums that I have not played in 25+ years) but they were nothing more than a pop band, if you like that sort of thing...
Last edited by Mythos; 04-16-2017 at 12:22 AM.
This reminds me that The Beatles were nothing more than a pop band, if you like that sort of thing...
Wake up to find out that you are the eyes of the world.
Well, someone had to fill in for musicislife
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
Larry Carlton is playing the SD shows at Dodger Stadium and Citi Field. Joined them in Vegas the other night for Kid Charlemagne & My Old School.
"Henry Cow always wanted to push itself, so sometimes we would write music that we couldn't actually play I found that very encouraging." - Lindsay Cooper, 1998
"I have nothing to do with Endless River. Phew! This is not rocket science people, get a grip." - Roger Waters, 2014
"I'm a collector. And I've always just seemed to collect personalities." - David Bowie, 1973
My 2nd favorite band of all time is Steely Dan. What's so great about them? Immaculate musicianship and commitment to getting the sound they wanted in the studio. Don and Walt are nothing if not professional when it comes to music and production.
It also doesn't hurt that their lyrics were mostly great (even bizarre or downright off-putting), and their melodies catchy. Not to mention their frequent use of extended or enriched chords in popular music beyond just major or minor triads. Like the "Mu Major" chord, for example.
Nothing more than a pop band, huh? A high compliment, in my book. I would kill to be able to write good pop music, especially music as sophisticated in composition as what Steely Dan could lay down. There's some serious know-how at work there.
So glad to see Gaucho (the song) mentioned so favorably. Seriously one of my most favorite tunes by SD. Listening to that song over the years, trying to unwrap what was going on musically, with my brain failing miserably. I never get tired of hearing that one. And the lyrics -- dark, funny, and absolutely brilliant.
When I was a teenager The Dan and R.E.M. were my two favorite bands, even though listening to Steely Dan resulted in some teasing from my friends. I finally got to see them in Birmingham, AL in 2014, and they opened with Black Cow, which was way cool especially with the three backup singers. But when they played the title track from Aja it was quite nearly mind-blowing when they got to the bridge. Not something easily forgotten.
Totally agree. That's what's so great when it comes to music, all those options.
Q: What's so great about Steely Dan?
Hmmm....
The first time I got to see them live was in 1994 and Dennis Chambers was on drums. What a treat!!!
Like some others said previously, I got a compilation album (Greatest Hits) for my birthday and lived off that for years. I finally broke down and started buying their albums years later. Don't know why the hell I waited so long. Countdown to Ecstasy is my favorite album of theirs, closely followed by The Royal Scam, Aja, and Two Against Nature. Even tho I love the band (and I rank them top 5), I still find a song or two (or three) from each album unlistenable. In fact, there are two albums I would only recommend conditionally, Gaucho and Everything Must Go. Still, I think "Babylon Sisters" is one of their best songs, ever, and there are three "classic Dan" songs from EMG: GodWhacker, Green Book, Lunch With Gina (Walter's bass playing on this song is fucking awesome!).
Musically, I'm inclined to believe their heyday was Royal Scam and Aja. Lyrically, they've only improved. I find with Two Against Nature that the snare can get on my nerves after a while and I am not a fan of Walter's soloing, which there is way too much of, but the lyrics on that album are arguably the best they've written. Indeed, Jack of Speed, Janie Runaway, and the title track are exceptional. In fact, I'd nominate JoS and JR as the best they've ever written.
As for Don's solo albums, I find Night Fly and Kamakiriad overrated, tho I do see the attraction. The problem for me is they sound so dated. Morph the Cat, however, I think is a truly excellent album. It sounds gorgeous to my ears (as does Everything Must Go), there are many great melodies, and the lyrics are nearly as good as SD's (I love The Night Belongs to Mona).
So, what's so great about Steely Dan? Everything!
From thirty feet away she looked like a lot of class. From ten feet away she looked like something made up to be seen from thirty feet away. Philip Marlowe
Donald Fagen (& The Nightflyers) solo tour announced-
https://m.facebook.com/pg/DonaldFage...=page_internal
"Henry Cow always wanted to push itself, so sometimes we would write music that we couldn't actually play I found that very encouraging." - Lindsay Cooper, 1998
"I have nothing to do with Endless River. Phew! This is not rocket science people, get a grip." - Roger Waters, 2014
"I'm a collector. And I've always just seemed to collect personalities." - David Bowie, 1973
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