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Steely Dan..

Never owned a Dan Lp except for the most un-steely dan release of them all "Can't Buy A Thrill" but I thought about buying Aja once.
When it comes to music, I prefer the instrumental, if there are lyrics I usually hear the melody line but don't grasp the actual words being sung. It's kind of strange. I have to totally concentrate on the words and then, I'm not paying attention to the instruments. So... as a result I know very few lyrics at all.
 
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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 poopiee in my opinion.

It's funny but I caught this last week - Christopher Cross, pretty amazing guitar work...

 
In case some don't know, Anthony Jackson is whom I referenced as AJ. Some question as to what was eventually released maybe, but I think he played on the song, at least, Glamour Profession. And I agree, Chuck Rainey is excellent.
Oh, so he did. I stand corrected. I knew he played on some of Fagen's solo stuff but didn't realize he also played on this.

Any others that did work with them in the studio besides Rainey, Becker and Jackson? I know several who toured with them.
 
Oh, so he did. I stand corrected. I knew he played on some of Fagen's solo stuff but didn't realize he also played on this.

Any others that did work with them in the studio besides Rainey, Becker and Jackson? I know several who toured with them.

I think you have them covered, but my brains ain't what they used to be. I also agree with others that the best stuff might have been their first few albums - but there are tons of other hits in there.

Playing Kid Charlemagne always made me smile. The audience? Well their brains ain't working so great either :)
 
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Oh, so he did. I stand corrected. I knew he played on some of Fagen's solo stuff but didn't realize he also played on this.

Any others that did work with them in the studio besides Rainey, Becker and Jackson? I know several who toured with them.
Wilton Felder on Pretzel Logic, can’t remember which track.
Ray Brown on Razor Boy.
Freddie Washington maybe on some later live recordings. His playing on Morph the Cat is exceptional. Especially the bass sound. Even Will Lee wanted to know the secret to that bass tone.
 
In case some don't know, Anthony Jackson is whom I referenced as AJ. Some question as to what was eventually released maybe, but I think he played on the song, at least, Glamour Profession. And I agree, Chuck Rainey is excellent.
Anthony’s playing on “Glamour..” is a study in itself. Note length and choice are next level.
 
Yacht Rock not withstanding, Steely Dan was a great band. I listen to the song Aja, and I am blown away by its complexity, while still remaining harmonious and polished. I don't know of any other popular song from that era that sounded even close to it.

I'll add that I am also a big fan of Christopher Cross, who would have been even more popular had he been skinny. You may remember that MTV was hitting its stride in those days, and he was just not pretty enough to fit into the video format. What a shame.

I proudly proclaim that I am a big fan of Yacht Rock, and I think we do it an injustice by brushing it off. Yacht Rock got a bad reputation somehow, but there were some great songs, great musicians, and great bands that fell into that category.
 

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