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Steely Dan - Any good?

J

Judge

Mar 26, 2004
45
0
63
Dubai
#1
I've never rally listened to Steely Dan, but recently on a plane trip I was listening to an excellent track on the in-flight radio only to find out afterwards that it was Steel Dan. The bass playing was excellent and it may have come from the Aja CD. Anyway are they any good? Is Aja their best CD, which appears to be the opinion of a couple of websites I've just checked out.

How is Becker as a bass player, or was I more likely to have been hearing Chuck Rainey?

I'd just like to get some TBers opinions on them.
 
#2
Steely Dan are definitely worth listening to. Chuck Rainey played on a lot of tracks but you'll also hear some good stuff from Becker and a number of other players. Most of the Dan's output was done through an intensive studio process which involved Becker and Fagen getting together a roomful of top studio cats, deciding it didn't sound quite right and getting another bunch together (rinse and repeat...). It was a very meticulous process but the result was some very carefully crafted albums.

I've only got Aja and a Greatest Hits collection but definitely enjoy their music - Aja would certainly be a worthy starting point.

Wulf
 
#3
Judge said:
I've never rally listened to Steely Dan, but recently on a plane trip I was listening to an excellent track on the in-flight radio only to find out afterwards that it was Steel Dan. The bass playing was excellent and it may have come from the Aja CD. Anyway are they any good? Is Aja their best CD, which appears to be the opinion of a couple of websites I've just checked out.

How is Becker as a bass player, or was I more likely to have been hearing Chuck Rainey?

I'd just like to get some TBers opinions on them.
Click to expand...

I've got everything they've ever produced on CD and they have been discussed a huge amount around here - I would say they are one of TB's favourite bands!

Do a search on Steely Dan and you'll find a lot !!
 
#4
Steely Dan - fantastic!

I'd say Aja is probably the best place to start for a newbie to the 'Dan, but you won't be shortchanged by anything in their back catalogue, i'd also recommend: Gaucho, The Royal Scam, Katie Lied, Pretzel Logic (damn, I just realised I nearly named all of them)

You also can't go wrong with Fagen's solo album 'The Nightfly'

The bass playing is mostly understated, subtle & oozes quality... exactly what Steely Dan is all about

Becker's bass playing isn't in the same league as Chuck Rainey or Anthony Jackson's but it's functional & it works well enough
 
#9
Judge said:
How is Becker as a bass player, or was I more likely to have been hearing Chuck Rainey?
Click to expand...

pshaw said:
I was totally unaware this was a "who's the best Steeley Dan bassist tread" sorry.
Click to expand...

I think if it was good bass playing around the Aja era, then it's most likely to have been Chuck Rainey!!

How many e's?? ;)
 
#10
Judge said:
Thanks guys.

How does the DVD compare with their studio output?
Click to expand...

it should probably be second on your shopping list after the original albums...

it's great to see them alive and performing, and the band is tight & cooking in a kinda polite and unobtrusive way, Tom Barney is supergreat (except for that little fill at the beginning of 'Peg' which he does slightly early :ninja: :) )

Donald's vocals were never supposed to be the greatest, but his unique tone & delivery really made Steely Dan, unfortunately his voice on the DVD lets things down a little - still, he's Donald Fagen so I'll forgive him anything :)

Walter's guitar playing doesn't compare particularly well to John Herrington's, who is excellent and stands comparison to Dan greats like Larry Carlton

my 2 cents: worth a watch, but get the albums first
 
#11
I agree with cows: the original studio output is like the gospel. The DVD is more apocryphal.

I actually enjoy Becker's playing on the earlier records. Not busy, but very tasteful -- much like his guitar playing.
Which is IMH too tasteful and not fiery enough to compete with the spectacular Dan guitarists of the past.... but I digress.

I'm a massive Dan fan. Check out Pretzel Logic, Royal Scam, and Aja. You won't be disappointed.
 
#12
cowsgomoo said:
Donald's vocals were never supposed to be the greatest, but his unique tone & delivery really made Steely Dan, unfortunately his voice on the DVD lets things down a little - still, he's Donald Fagen so I'll forgive him anything :)
Click to expand...
I remember noticing on Josie that they had dropped the tune down a whole step to accomodate Donald Fagen's aging voice. I'm not sure about the other tunes though.

The Steely Dan video about the making of Aja is great too, if you interested in the studio process.
 
#14
Katy Lied has some of the best lines I have ever heard. The lines define how punchy and clean you can make a busy bassline. I grew up with it and learned how to not play 3 million notes in a song from Steely. Kick back and flow. If you can find the vinyl get it, the sound is so much better than the CD.
 
#18
One of the greatest bands in history. Get all of the albums, now! :D

Personally, I would recommend getting the albums in chronological order, which is as follows:

Can't Buy A Thrill (1972)
Countdown To Ecstasy (1973)
Pretzel Logic (1974)
Katy Lied (1975)
The Royal Scam (1976)
Aja (1977)
Gaucho (1980)
The Nightfly (1982)
Kamakiriad (1993)
Two Against Nature (2000)
Everything Must Go (2003)

The Nightfly and Kamakiriad were Donald Fagen's solo albums, but they're both very much in the Steely Dan style.

I think (at the moment, anyway) The Royal Scam is my favourite, because it has both great songs, and a lot of energy. Although Aja and Gaucho also had great songs (and more advanced than those on The Royal Scam) they are a more polished, and lacking some of the energy of The Royal Scam.

Becker also did a solo album - "11 Tracks Of Whack", which I haven't heard, maybe someone who has can comment on it. There is also "Showbiz Kids: The Story Of Steely Dan 1972 - 1980", which is essentially a best of, but it has two tracks not on any of the other albums - "FM" and "Here At The Western World", which AFAIK are both from the Aja era, and both great tracks. If you're a mug like me, you'll go out and but that album just for those two songs :)

Anyway - you have to get all the main albums. IMO, Donald Fagen & Walter Becker are up there along side the greatest songwriting partnerships of the last century.
 

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