Steely Dan + Sklar?

ZenderBender · #1 02-11-2008, 09:31 PM

There are a number of people who would worked well with Steely Dan, but for whatever reason, weren't hired. I think the chief guy would be Lee Sklar. Chuck Rainey was a genius, so I wouldn't have wished for any other on the Royal Scam or Aja, but I think Sklar could have really done well on Katy Lied, Gaucho, the Nightfly, or Two Against Nature.

Any thoughts?

JimK · #2 02-12-2008, 04:22 AM

Interesting...
The best thing would be to ask Sklar or Fagen, right?

It's possible-
>Sklar was way too busy for a SD project...sessions + road bands.
>Sklar, at the time, may have been stereotyped as a "Folkie" (gigs w/ Jackson Brown, James Taylor, Linda Ronstant, et al)...actually, Skalr was an original "Fusioneer" (Cobham's Spectrum album) + his side Rock-Jazz band, The Section (w/ Russ Kunkel & danny Korchmar).

Maybe he did something with SD & it never saw the light of day?

Anyway, I like Rainey on Katy Lied...Gaucho is more Rainey + Anthony Jackson (& a little Becker)...The Nightfly is like a Who's-Who of '80s electric Pop bassdom...so that leaves 2 Against Nature & Sklar would have been perfect.
How's that?

Tommy-P · #3 02-12-2008, 04:34 AM

I love steely dad but since I moved in with my mom I hav'nt got access to my dads cd's. If I was to go out and get one steely dan album today, in your opinion which should I get? Is there one particular album that epitomizes them? Can't really tell you what I think about those bassists though but that guy on their last dvd rules. They make fun of him in the extras for playing an esp instead of some expensive custom job that would do the same thing lol

JimK · #4 02-12-2008, 05:07 AM

Just one album?
Part of me sez Aja...the other part sez The Royal Scam.

Just remember-
At their earliest, Steely Dan was a band...then they drifted into using some sidemen...eventually, it was down to Fagen/Becker doing the writing/vocals with an entire cast of the studio elite playing the tunes.
As a band, their 1st album, Can't Buy A Thrill, is up there as far as debut recordings go, IMO.
youtube does have footage of them playing live during this time frame. Kinda weird not seeing Fagen doing the lead vocals.

The guy with the ESP bass I assume is Tom Barney.

mvw356 · #5 02-12-2008, 05:11 AM

sklar would have nailed it also, but you make it sound like rainey, becker/lee and the others were inadeqate.

Bruce Lindfield · #6 02-12-2008, 05:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimK

Just one album?
.

Easy - only one choice - the Citizen Box Set - which is my most-played ever CD set!!

http://www.steelydan.com/citizensd.html

buy here :

http://www.amazon.com/Citizen-Steely.../dp/B000002ORE

Tommy-P · #7 02-12-2008, 05:13 AM

cheers. I'll look on amazon or go down town for one of em.

Still that guy is real good

DWBass · #8 02-12-2008, 05:25 AM

Honestly, I don't think Sklar would have been a good fit. If you noticed, SD always used really creative musicians! Cats who could add to the genius! Sklar, while a very good bassist, is not a very 'creative' player but more so a play it by the numbers kinda guy, IMO!

JimK · #9 02-12-2008, 07:46 AM

I don't know about that. In a recent Bass Player (last month's?)...Sklar's comments about showing up to a session 'cold' (i.e. did not listen to the tracks-to-be beforehand) was he operated.

JimK · #10 02-12-2008, 07:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bruce Lindfield

Easy - only one choice - the Citizen Box Set - which is my most-played ever CD set!!

Ok...

Bruce Lindfield · #11 02-12-2008, 07:57 AM

I was being very slightly sarcastic...

MikeBass · #12 02-12-2008, 08:00 AM

Didn't Will Lee play on a track or two???
I thought I read he did.

Bruce Lindfield · #13 02-12-2008, 08:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeBass

Didn't Will Lee play on a track or two???
I thought I read he did.

Not credited..? Wilton Felder is mentioned, as well as Ray Brown on DB for Razor Boy - can't get any better than that!!

BuffaloBass · #14 02-12-2008, 09:44 AM

not for nothing, but Walter lays down a smooth, if slightly uninspired as compared to the master of feel Chuck Rainey, very Sadowsky-esqu bassline in Everything Must Go.

I like a bit more "hair" ( ghostings, time holes,etc) in my bassliens, but Mr. Becker does good work! Assume Walter didn't do the bass work except for the earliest recordings?

stingray56funk · #15 02-12-2008, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeBass

Didn't Will Lee play on a track or two???
I thought I read he did.

Will Lee played on Donald Fagan's [i]Nightfly[i] but I don't remember which song because I threw away my CD case with jacket.

bradjonesbass · #16 02-12-2008, 10:15 AM

Just go get one of the greatest hits CDs Decade/Gold/????. The latest double disc includes Two Against Nature's hits (if I remember right), but not Everything Must Go. I own everything so no need for any of the greatest hits...

ZenderBender · #17 02-12-2008, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mvw356

sklar would have nailed it also, but you make it sound like rainey, becker/lee and the others were inadeqate.

not at all. I said that the Royal Scam and Aja were excellent because of Rainey. It's just that afterwards, Rainey barely popped up on the records anymore, and during the Gaucho sessions, they really heavily varied the bass chair more than previously. It just seems like Sklar should've popped up during the Gaucho or Nightfly sessions

professor_bills · #18 02-12-2008, 10:26 AM

I like their older stuff.... But I guess Royal SCam is my preferred. Haven't listened to Katy Lied since my turntable died years ago... Now you guys got me thinking of going to the CD store again....damn TBers

Rickett Customs · #19 02-12-2008, 10:32 AM

This thread belongs in the "Coulda, Shoulda,Woulda" section

JimK · #20 02-12-2008, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZenderBender

...Rainey barely popped up on the records anymore, and during the Gaucho sessions, they really heavily varied the bass chair more than previously...

It's still mostly Rainey on Gaucho...isn't it? I seem to recall Anthony Jackson doing two stellar tracks ("My Rival" & "Glamour Profession") & Becker did a couple ("Gaucho" & "Time Out Of Mind")...the rest, IIRC, was Rainey (maybe 1/2 the tracks?).
Truth be told, I was a little peeved when I first bought Gaucho because Rainey's work was cut in 1/2.
IIRC, Rainey's studio work began to ebb about that time...more Jackson & Nathan East began popping up on the records that usually had Rainey's touch on them.