Be sure to check out Walter's solo album 11 tracks of whack if you've never heard it. Different, but brilliant.
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Steely Dan..
- Thread starter bubinga5
- Start date
@bassdude51
I fully agree with you on being out of culture, but mine was the reverse. I’m 61 and revered 60s culture and music. Born 10 years too late!. Now it’s the other way around of course, I’m now in the same boat.
Always loved Steely Dan. Pretzel Logic being my favorite album. Rikki Don’t Lose that Number was the very first SD I ever heard. It’s memorable for furthering the intellectual side of my rock appreciation as well being a reminder of a few life milestones. Great thread here, BTW.
This is also my favourite SD album.
There’s a typical ‘70s funk song in it, which Donald is likely not very fond about, titled “Night by Night”.
Don’t know the name of the drummer there, but, gawd, the short section in which he plays with just the clavinet is literally drums high-school!
Don’t know if any other fellow T’Ber has the same opinion on this as I do ..
There it is. Yacht rock. It stings like an accusation.
To me the Dan is miles away from Christopher Cross or Air Supply, but in this new “genre” they all get grouped together! Some crazy @zz bull shite in my opinion.
I'd say my favourite album is Aja but I had started collecting all the recordings in the 90's and did not have Can't Buy a Thrill. My brother was gifted one but never got into it so he finally gave me his. After listening to CBaT, I wondered "what took me so long?"
TESTIFY, brother! I'm with you 100% on that insulting & dismissive categorization.
Agreed, and I also happen to love his second solo album, Circus Money.
A small sample:
Although I know that most people tend to like Fagen's solo work a lot (perhaps due to the familiarity of his voice and horn arranging style), I actually think Becker's solo albums are better. Don't get me wrong: I think Fagen's Nightfly and Kamakiriad albums have some GREAT music on them.
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Steely Dan Yacht Rock? I’d say with the complexities of their songs, the musicianship of their hired help, their level of success, and the duration of their career, I would put them more in the “Aircraft Carrier Jazz” category.
I was definitely a disciple of the “My Old School” Steely Dan sound for years, but I’ve recently slid over to the “Don’t Take Me Alive” group.
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Steely Dan is not yacht rock. Yacht rock wouldn't never have some of the filthy guitar tones that steely Dan has in some of there guitar solos
I agree. Steely Dan is hard to box in to just one genre or another.
They sold a few million records before the term yacht rock was coined.
They had me hooked from "Do It Again". I've only played a few of their tunes, but wish I had the opportunity to do more.
My Steely Dan Story - In the evenings in the 70's when I had nothing to do I would cruise up to my friend's studio and watch them work. Met some interesting people. One night I walk in and there are some new people there. They said it was fine that I sat and watched as they finished a couple of mixes. After 20 mins or so I realized it was Steely Dan! Holy SH*T! It was an amazing evening and when they finished mixing, Roger the engineer physically cut the master tape and re-arranged it, and I and Steely Dan listened to Pretzel Logic for the FIRST TIME! It was too much. When they asked how I liked it I couldn't find the words! Fabulous talents.
My Steely Dan Story - In the evenings in the 70's when I had nothing to do I would cruise up to my friend's studio and watch them work. Met some interesting people. One night I walk in and there are some new people there. They said it was fine that I sat and watched as they finished a couple of mixes. After 20 mins or so I realized it was Steely Dan! Holy SH*T! It was an amazing evening and when they finished mixing, Roger the engineer physically cut the master tape and re-arranged it, and I and Steely Dan listened to Pretzel Logic for the FIRST TIME! It was too much. When they asked how I liked it I couldn't find the words! Fabulous talents.
Loved their early albums especially and don't care who categorizes them as what ever now, but I wouldn't have considered them in the same category as the likes of Air Supply..... Just great songs well constructed and played, that's pretty much my only criteria and SD had plenty of those.
I rarely ever post on this site but holy crap that is a great story! Roger "The Immortal" Nichols cutting tape. Thanks for sharing!
Always one of my top 10 bands. Although I am not sure I would call them a band. They put together so many wonderful recordings. If you’re a fan, you have your favorites - mine are My Old School, Kid Charlemagne and Doctor Wu.
This is my desert island music. If I could only choose one band it would be them.
The only parallel I would draw between SD and the kinds of bands that I often see referred to as “yacht rock” (what a funny term) is the fact that the records are meticulously produced. But SD’s incorporation of rhythm and blues and jazz is not at all what I associate with “yacht rock”.
