Steve Albini explains why he hates Steely Dan

[Grinderman]

It's not my fault Umphree's Mc'crap ruined an entire generation of guitar players by letting them think its cool good songwriting to put an inappropriate out of place heavy metal breakdown in the middle of songs for no reason.....

It's good to know someone else is out there, in a far away galaxy, keeping up the good fight on that front, in whatever time-space dimension that is, so I don't have to.

 

[Harper]

It's the most Talkbass thing ever that a discussion on someone's opinion of Steely Dan has more responses in a day than the entire technique forum has had all week.

 

[Rabidhamster]

I love Steely Dan my only complaint would be that pop filter.

 

[RichterScale]

I always am sad to see this kind of thing. Why does this guy have a need to pan a style he neither plays nor appreciates? There are artists and styles I neither listen to nor like in the slightest, but why stoop to insulting them? Who or what does this help?

What stands out to me is, not only is he a professional in the music industry, but the guy is 60 yrs old. I'd expect this from a 20 yr old kid.

 

[J-Mags]

I'm fascinated to think that saying "I hate Steely Dan" for various musical infractions is considered "hate." Is it also a hate crime to hate Albini's recordings? If so, most of the people on this page would be guilty if Big Black came over the sound system in the supermarket as often as Steely Dan does.

It's also odd that someone who has been an artist for the past 40 years, who has been influenced the way that recordings generally have sounded ever since the 80s, and who has recorded some of the most famous acts is presumed to be a nobody who has just emergency from some miasma of privilege.

 

[J-Mags]

What stands out to me is, not only is he a professional in the music industry, but the guy is 60 yrs old. I'd expect this from a 20 yr old kid.

Because Quincy Jones et. al. have never said anything like that.

 

[60bass]

While I can appreciate steely dan reintroducing jazz to a pop-audience, I agree with steve on not liking the creative process of doing 103423994824918294819328 takes for the ultimate goal of reading someone else's mind in what they want.

Tbh I'm of the camp that he's a better producer/engineer than a guitar player

On a positive note, here's a steely dan related collab with John Entwistle of the brief supergroup "The Best"

High quality musicianship onstage here and a great quality recording. The Ox (RIP) just kills it here. Such great tone and bass playing on these tunes.

 

[jnuts1]

I'm fascinated to think that saying "I hate Steely Dan" for various musical infractions is considered "hate." Is it also a hate crime to hate Albini's recordings? If so, most of the people on this page would be guilty if Big Black came over the sound system in the supermarket as often as Steely Dan does.

It's also odd that someone who has been an artist for the past 40 years, who has been influenced the way that recordings generally have sounded ever since the 80s, and who has recorded some of the most famous acts is presumed to be a nobody who has just emergency from some miasma of privilege.

some of the most famous acts? nirvanna is the only famous one. his entire catalogue is almost entirely comprised of people no one has ever heard of

 

[RichterScale]

Because Quincy Jones et. al. have never said anything like that.

I dunno, did they? I only know about this because someone posted it here.
If Quincy Jones was on Twitter, bashing bands he doesn't like and saying the same things, I'd probably look at it the same way.

 

[Spectre Gunner]

When I clicked on that site, I read "Scrotum"... Kinda fits though.

. Thanks. Now I can't unsee that when I open the page.

 

[jnuts1]

It's good to know someone else is out there, in a far away galaxy, keeping up the good fight on that front, in whatever time-space dimension that is, so I don't have to.

i'm from chicago, home of umph, destroyer of good songs. you need to find a guitarist who is a huge umphrys fan and you will know hell

 

[J-Mags]

some of the most famous acts? nirvanna is the only famous one. his entire catalogue is almost entirely comprised of people no one has ever heard of

If you're living in 1975 maybe. Page and Plant Walking into Clarksdale, Cheap Trick, the Breeders, a ton of 80s-90s punk and alternative bands that millions of people including me have heard of.

His history as a producer is also affected by the fact that he called himself a "recordist" or engineer, and will work for anyone who who pays him, at a fee that is somewhat steep, but often doable for lesser known artists.

 

[Stranger Danger]

Steve Albini isn't even a tick on the butt of Steely Dan.

 

[Grinderman]

What stands out to me is, not only is he a professional in the music industry, but the guy is 60 yrs old. I'd expect this from a 20 yr old kid.

Because they have an opinion you don't agree with? //I won't ask or speculate about your age.

 

[Koshchei]

Lol. Really? I’ve got 40 years in the punk scene. It’s never been about spreading hate for me. But, I grew up playing shows with DC and NYHC bands like Fugazi, The Ramones, Sick of it All, Token Entry, Scream (when Grohl was still in the band), Marginal Man, Ignition, Shudder to Think, Government Issue, Swiz, Moss icon, The Hated, etc…. I skipped a lot. The singer in my 80’s band went on to help form H2O. Trust me, we never sat around backstage hating on people, but we also never shied away from disagreeing with hateful opinions. It was a very positive and inclusive scene. Perhaps your experience was different.

I like the cut of your jib, good sir.

 

[Stranger Danger]

Funny, I was just thinking to myself:
I wonder what Steve Albini thinks of Steely Dan.

Haha!

No one has ever wondered what he thinks about anything.

 

[Grinderman]

some of the most famous acts? nirvanna is the only famous one. his entire catalogue is almost entirely comprised of people no one has ever heard of

There's no call or need to be so hard on yourself like that.

 

[BassBrass]

steely is literally better than the combined efforts of every band he has produced

no, Surfer Rosa is the best sounding record since Revolver. And Steve does an impression of George Martin based on experience. As a guitarist he's in a category close to Andy Gill of Gang of 4 in his use of tonal clusters, harmonics and high freq. filtering (in Albini's case from the amps he built) I don't know if Albini is "paper trained" like a Berkley person, but he has great ears and could teach a course just on mics.

As a humor piece this is a throwback and Albini knows it, it's like a roast. But the issue WAS relivant for him and many other people in the late 70s who reacted against the studio slickness of SD and Corporate Rock and that reaction inspired new sounds and an ethic of music that isn't artiface. But again, it's humor.

 

[jnuts1]

If you're living in 1975 maybe. Page and Plant Walking into Clarksdale, Cheap Trick, the Breeders, a ton of 80s-90s punk and alternative bands that millions of people including me have heard of.

His history as a producer is also affected by the fact that he called himself a "recordist" or engineer, and will work for anyone who who pays him, at a fee that is somewhat steep, but often doable for lesser known artists.

well cheap trick and the breeders have convinced me everyone knows the bands he has produced. there are 3 bands with any name recognition and the breeders isnt one of them. famous means everyone looking immediately recognizes the names. famous in small circles doesnt count. steely is international

 

[bassicmike]

This thread just keeps delivering.