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Steve Albini explains why he hates Steely Dan

#181
RichterScale said:
Sounds like you guys are close.
For the record, I think Steely Dan is a great guitarist.
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Steely rocks! Floyd (that guitarist from that British band) is just as awesome. ;-)

I'm 2 degrees of freedom From Steve Albini - I worked with people that recorded a few albums at his place, I worked on a product development where Steve was one of our Beta testers, I've been to the studio a few times (it's got some really cool details), and had a few short chats with Steve. We're not "close", but I have interacted with him and some of the folks that work for him. I have more of an idea of who he really is than what you see on the internet or read as rumors here and there.
 
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#184
10 pgs because some guy has an opinion about a successful band....
startrekslap.gif
 
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#185
MDBass said:
Yep.

He refused to take producer points on Nirvana’s “In Utero” even though they were being offered.

Literally said “no” to being given millions of dollars in lifetime royalty checks.

Wild stuff really.
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He generally refuses to take points, and calls himself an "engineer" rather than a producer. His main product is his technical knowledge of recording, which he shares freely, although not everyone agrees with him on every topic.

My favorite TB-relevant Albini quote (about why he doesn't like drummer jokes). "When there are 3 dumb guys and one smart guy in a band, the smart guy is usually the drummer."
 
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#188
Love Steely Dan too but I am always amazed that when the members of Steely Dan try to play their own music live, it sounds terrible.
Can they play the music? Yes no doubt and they do but it sounds a bit like a high-school band or a garage band to my ears.
I came to the conclusion that when Steely Dan did not perform live for decades they had it right.
 
#189
Hummergeist said:
I listened to all of the Steely Dan albums in sequence a couple of years ago, the first time I've ever heard them. Greatly admire their songs and the people who played them, but they sure know how to suck the air out of a production. At the time I found myself wondering what the songs would sound like if Van Halen II-era VH covered them.
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An interesting proposition - that would make it very different but I don’t see the point. The sophisticated harmony is a big part of their appeal. Densely constructed harmony has it’s own appeal. Breaking it down into simple triads doesn’t make sense. Just listen to Van Halen if that’s what you prefer. Steely Dan do what they do. They don’t need to be Van Halen. I don’t get how slick production somehow needs to be made into something else.
 
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#190
Albini would have recorded Steely Dan too. He would have said that he doesn't always like the music he records, and he would have done his job diligently for as many guitar takes as it took.

However he's a band guy, and how he prefers to record is to have a well-rehearsed band come in and recreate it expand upon the way they sound live. BTW, I'm not a fanboy. I think that a few of his recordings are near perfect, but some off them take getting used to, because the vocals tend to be in the same sonic space as the instruments. If I could hire any producer to produce my band, it probably wouldn't be him.
 
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#191
retslock said:
An interesting proposition - that would make it very different but I don’t see the point. The sophisticated harmony is a big part of their appeal. Just listen to Van Halen if that’s what you prefer. Steely Dan do what they do. They don’t need to be Van Halen. I don’t get how slick production somehow needs to be made into something else.
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I think some of the calculated looseness of Van Halen would be an interesting alternative take. They also had a decent amount of playing chops and vocal harmonies. I would like to hear those SD tunes with a much less perfect production :-)
 
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#192
WG Plum said:
HAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA!

I like the first four-or-so Steely Dan albums in smallish, irregular, doses, but Aja and beyond do absolutely nothing for me, so I'm definitely in the edge lord's corner on this one. And let's face it, a lot of it DOES sound like the SNL band of the same era.
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Different strokes for different folks. Aja is my favorite album of all time. Chuck Rainey played some of the best bass parts ever recorded on that album. Of course that's just IMO. :)

And who knows. Maybe the SNL band was emulating Steely Dan. ;)
 
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#193
Hummergeist said:
I think some of the calculated looseness of Van Halen would be an interesting alternative take. They also had a decent amount of playing chops and vocal harmonies. I would like to hear those SD tunes with a much less perfect production :)
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Countless bands have aped the "Reelin' in the Years" verse chord progression over the years. The chorus of "Gardenia" by Stephen Malkmus and Jicks is a pretty good example of what a live-er, looser, more simplified rendition of Steely Dan might sound like. Also "So It Goes" by Nick Lowe.

You're also not gonna find me saying anything bad about RITY, which I even loved when I hated every other SD song.

 
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#194
Laurent said:
Love Steely Dan too but I am always amazed that when the members of Steely Dan try to play their own music live, it sounds terrible.
Can they play the music? Yes no doubt and they do but it sounds a bit like a high-school band or a garage band to my ears.
I came to the conclusion that when Steely Dan did not perform live for decades they had it right.
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I think I get where you're coming from. It might depend on which members you're referencing, or even which venues. I've seen them live a few times and Donald often ran out of steam on high notes, and the house mixes weren't always balanced. I played guitar in a Steely Dan tribute band from 2005 til an overseas move last year, and we tried to convey the key vibe and textures of each tune but never obsessed about sounding exactly like the recordings, and I don't think they do, either. It's always fun to see monster players like Herington, Carlock, and Weiskopf serving the songs and showing their virtuosity across tunes from both the east and west coast eras.
 
#196
rashrader said:
It always sucks to see a musician that you admire make such narrow minded and opinionated statements. I’m a huge Steely Dan fan that also loves Albini’s work. Shellac are an amazing band that puts on a great live show. Seriously though, I’ve got no time to support Albini in his tirade. Screw him. He just lost about every ounce of respect I had for him.
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He's a punk. Part of being punk is jumping into a totally pointless debate and getting the crap kicked out of you. :) I wouldn't dismiss him for living the part.
 
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#198
I think Steve Albini’s comments are hilarious, and I totally get what he is saying, he is certainly not alone in his assessment of Steely Dan. This is coming from somebody whom has great respect for music of Steely Dan and whom performs the band’s music regularly.

nothing wrong with him having his opinion or voicing his opinion, especially in such a funny manner.

i think agree, or not, he’s entitled to his opinion, as well as his right to share the opinion.

As a society, we need to learn how thicken our skin—not take ourselves, our own opinions as well those opinions of others so seriously. Let’s just laugh it off, and move on with our day.

Just sayin’.
 
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