I've never heard of Steve Albini before and really am not compelled enough to turn off my ad blocker to read the article Glad he has an opinion.
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Steve Albini explains why he hates Steely Dan
- Thread starter nomaj
- Start date
Then why do you keep posting it, like it means something?
Look, I'm perfectly willing to believe Steve Albini is a highly skilled recording engineer. I'm also perfectly willing to believe that he and Cheap Trick re-recorded one of their most popular albums, and that the recording quality was better on the later product. But neither one of these gives him any particular authority on another band's work - a band that, from what I'm reading here, had a completely different ethos about rehearsing, playing, and recording.
Yes, Steely Dan's stuff is highly slick and carefully perfected. That's what they did. Of the bands that were listed in Albini's CV that I know about, they certainly tend more toward the "wild and woolly". I don't typically listen that closely to the nature of the recording itself; I'm more interested in the music; but I'm also perfectly willing to believe that Albini tends to come in set up some microphones and capture it the way it is that day. In fact, philosophically I like that attitude. But honestly, given what his actual role in all these records is, and everything else I'm reading here, I'd say he has about the same credentials to comment on Steely Dan's recordings and music, as would Big Mama Thornton on the Deutsche Gramophon recordings of La Mer by Debussy; in other words, the same credentials as any person off the street.
I'm pretty sure someone edited Albini's Wikipedia page today to update the list of guitarists he's said he admires to include "Steely Dan."
I love the internet.
I love the internet.
Nobody is saying its particularly important. He's not winning a Pulitzer Prize for writing another hot take on why he doesn't like a popular thing. People are "interested" because he's a funny guy and never fails to rile up boomers and zoomers alike. He also happens to have built one of rock n roll's many historical recording studios. And for what its worth, I would love to hear Leo Fender's opinion on just about anything.
Ok, SD only had 10 top 40 hits, but I don’t think that was his primary goal. He wanted more ‘different’ music.
already mentioned them as the few people of note in his list. key word of my last post "most"
I don't doubt their band has as many players as "most" other bands on some list or simply all bands, plus or minus about 30%, but I honestly couldn't parse a logical point, argument or rationale from what they wrote.
And The Breeders, PJ Harvey, Bush. Foo Fighters also recorded at his studio in 2014.
No producer has 100% artist recognition. Even guys like Rick Rubin or Butch Vig work with artists most of us have probably never heard of.
I used to hate Steely Dan. I still do, but I used to too.
actually no i have never heard of the breeders or pj. barely know who bush is. couldnt tell you a single song and steve's list of artists is very long and did not see the foo fighters. But im still sticking with my original statement that steely dan is better than the collective work of all of the bands steve has produced.
Whoever did it, it's just another troll to activate the "Steely Dan isn't a person, you moron!" crowd.
Man, Steely Dan fans sure are a sensitive bunch. Meanwhile they write a song trashing John Lennon and nobody complains.
For the record, I like some Steely Dan songs a lot, I like some John Lennon songs a lot, and I like like some songs Steve Albini had a hand in a lot. Big deal.
For the record, I like some Steely Dan songs a lot, I like some John Lennon songs a lot, and I like like some songs Steve Albini had a hand in a lot. Big deal.
This is all way too reasonable. Feel free to escort yourself from the thread.
I'm shocked to see there are musicians probably twice my age in here who have never heard Nirvana, Jimmy Page & Robert Plant, Failure, Fugazi, Don Caballero, PJ Harvey, The Stooges, Slint, Neurosis, The Breeders, Pixies, etc...
Even my mom knows a good chunk of artists Albini has worked with.
Even my mom knows a good chunk of artists Albini has worked with.
