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Steely Dan + Sklar?

#41
ZenderBender said:
Can you recommend some good L.A. Express? The only thing I have by them is "Court and Spark" where they back up Joni Mitchell. I love the lyricism of Carlton on "Help Me."
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I like Tom Cat..."Rocket Island Rocket, "Day Way", "Good Evening Mr. & Mrs. America...", "Backfence Cattin'" are all good.
Court & Spark is a great record.

Miles Of Aisles is another good Joni + Express album...live.
 
#42
JimK said:
Just one album?
Part of me sez Aja...the other part sez The Royal Scam.
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Heyyyy! Awright, another who thinks as I do! Royal Scam was their best!

In fact, much as I love Aja, it's not even my second fave, that would probably be "Gaucho". And "Katy Lied" comes before "Aja," so I guess "Aja" is #4 for me, then 2AN.

Whatever, it's just personal choice. But the opening chords to "Kid Charlemagne" still get me every time.
 
#44
"Don't take me alive" is awesome. Especially the bassline! I love how Chuck stretches much higher in the range of the instrument than you'd think. I love how Chuck always breaks the rules. You'd think you'd have a pretty decent idea of how a bassline would go in a given song, and then Chuck just blows away your expectations. He was like the next generation of Jamerson. He took the basic Jamerson concept and perfected it.
 
#45
ZenderBender said:
Donald and Walter were totally appalled by the sound of the original vinyl Katy Lied.
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I remember when this came out - so I had bought Dan albums on vinyl - but this one was very disappointing at the time and almost put me off them!

But the re-mastered tracks on 'Citizen' sound much better to me! :)
 
#49
In defense of Tom Scott, I think the sound that the SD guys were trying to achieve called more for his style at that time rather than that of a Walt Wieskopf(a monster "bop" style player, BTW...listen to the lines in Pixeleen from EMG). In that time the "angular" style of the bop saxmen was considered so far from the mainstream as to be ear-bending. IMO, Scott's solo on the fade is perfect for the song. It definitely is smooth, but builds in a nice fashion and makes melodic sense. For another Scott classic, listen to Carole King's Jazzman. I give both of them a 10 out of 10.

With regard to the fact that Chuck Rainey does not appear on the latter SD stuff, Rainey mentions in an interview a specific incident that occurred during the recording of The Nightfly in which Fagen comes into the studio with a woman on his arm and (as Rainey describes it) in an effort to "impress" her, begins to try and dictate a "written" bass part to Rainey. This resulted in a rift which apparently has never healed. Too bad.
 
#50
To the best of my understanding, that was not the reason why Rainey will never play with them again. I mean, everybody (at least every guy) has at some point pissed off another guy while trying to inpress a lady. Chuck Rainey seems like a good guy. I know he was angry about that, but I find it hard to believe that that one incident would cause that kind of rift. My understanding of it was that Don had been sneaky and assumed the publishing rights to Rainey's basslines. Rainey was trying to teach people how to construct a solid groove in his bass player column, and used one of his old Steely Dan basslines as an example and got a friendly call from one of Donald's attorneys. Now that would be an understandable cause for a rift. It is especially bad because Rainey did write most of his basslines himself with Steely Dan. The only input at all came from Walter, who added a few nuances (like the fifths high on the fretboard on "Josie.") So what little input there was did not come from Donald. The fact that he'd bear a grudge over that is totally understandable.


So Donald and Walter, what are you waiting for? SEND IN THE SKLAR!
 
#51
Bruce Lindfield said:
I think you are - to me, that's exactly whats' wrong with Everything Must Go - the songs are kind of interesting, good production - but the rhythm section (bass and drums) is dull, dull, dull! :hmm:

It just makes me long for the invention, livelieness and excitement of the bass and drums on say : Josie or Peg etc etc. :(
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Not sure if I get your meaning Bruce ol' fella. So I'll assume you mis-tyed something.
I'm part of what's wrong with that record- Because I dig his tone???:hmm:

If you read my short post, I said it wasn't the best record from a bass perspective.
But I dig the tone. It sits perfectly.
Slightly muted but not a dull "thud". There is still some tone there.

And yes, some of the grooves are cool. Not stellar like say FM or Kid Charlemagne or Black Cow or Peg or Josie.
But "Lunch With Gina" is pretty cool IMO.
 
#52
ZenderBender said:
To the best of my understanding, that was not the reason why Rainey will never play with them again. I mean, everybody (at least every guy) has at some point pissed off another guy while trying to inpress a lady. Chuck Rainey seems like a good guy. I know he was angry about that, but I find it hard to believe that that one incident would cause that kind of rift. My understanding of it was that Don had been sneaky and assumed the publishing rights to Rainey's basslines. Rainey was trying to teach people how to construct a solid groove in his bass player column, and used one of his old Steely Dan basslines as an example and got a friendly call from one of Donald's attorneys. Now that would be an understandable cause for a rift. It is especially bad because Rainey did write most of his basslines himself with Steely Dan. The only input at all came from Walter, who added a few nuances (like the fifths high on the fretboard on "Josie.") So what little input there was did not come from Donald. The fact that he'd bear a grudge over that is totally understandable.


So Donald and Walter, what are you waiting for? SEND IN THE SKLAR!
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This interview discusses the rift...Link Removed
 
#54
MikeBass said:
Not sure if I get your meaning Bruce ol' fella. So I'll assume you mis-tyed something.
I'm part of what's wrong with that record- Because I dig his tone???:hmm:.
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I didn't mis-type - you misread!

So - you said "I may be on the outside here" and I said "You are!" - as the bass and drums are dull,dull,dull - with which JimK agreed and nobody apart from you has contradicted!! :p
 
#57
Bruce Lindfield said:
...as the bass and drums are dull,dull,dull - with which JimK agreed and nobody apart from you has contradicted!! :p
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The Rainey albums spoiled me...I expect SD albums to have a certain degree of 'interplay & interaction/reaction', blah in the rhytm section (bass/drums).
EMG, IMO, sounded like two guys playing parts...

That said, I'm OK with the bass' tone on EMG...in another Forum (a more Jazz-oriented one), many complained that the drum sound was too '80s & too dated.
 

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