Steve Albini explains why he hates Steely Dan

[knumbskull]

hard to respect the opinion of a person who was in a band called r*peman

This is a really good point to raise - and i think it’s worth mentioning that in recent years Steve Albini has repeatedly acknowledged this and apologised for it.

I was previously not a fan of him due to his “edgy”, confrontational persona, even if liked his productions.

However over the last few years he’s made an effort to publicly take responsibility for that stuff and has apologised for his past conduct (including THAT band name, which he describes as “unconscionable”).

In an age where a lot of people are trying to brush their past actions under the carpet, i think it’s been a good thing to see and sets a great example, and I’ve gained a lot of respect for him as a result.

He’s done a lot of podcasts since the pandemic, which i’ve listened to. He has mellowed into a thoughtful, interesting guy and his opinions are usually (perhaps not always!) based on careful consideration. Well worth listening to if you like his work.

As for the Steely Dan thing, who actually cares? - he’s allowed not to like them and is clearly having a bit of fun with it!

 

[MingusBass]

I mean he’s not entirely wrong but I enjoy Steely Dan from time to time based on the pure musicianship contained within those songs. At the very least they hired the best band you could assemble in a studio at the time.

 

[Groove Doctor]

The comments below the article are great.

“I like how Steely Dan is an acquired hate. You truly try to like them because everyone does and then you listen to them once and – no. Second time – nah. Third time, a few months later – what the hell, guys. Fourth time – gtfo.”

 

[HeavyJazz]

Ha - fun stuff! No idea who Albini is but I'm definitely in the camp of loving all the great players that passed through the Steely Dan ranks but taken back to a 1980's, yellow-lit, small town grocery store with discounted deli meats when I hear their music. No thanks...

 

[VJP]

Now I got a hankering for some Dan.

 

[BassyBill]

Q. How could you make this guy go really quiet?
A. Give him a chart to read.

 

[Durham52]

I still play the first few Dan albums regularly, they're my favorites, snappier music, some stellar playing and some really clever lyrics among them. The later albums not so much, More complex, but maybe more sterile, but that's just my opinion and tastes.

I really don't get the level of outrage at this guys comments, the guy is making fun, it's his modus operandi isn't it? (Some of it is a bit funny, because it's sort of true, in a slightly exaggerated way) It's not like he's some crazed guy spewing antisemitism, conspiracy theories and such, or talking stuff that really is hate speech. (Hate has got to be the most overused word in exitance now, people use it for just about anything they don't think is, "like totally fantastic".)

Maybe it's just cultural difference, but down here in Australia this would be what's called a p..s take, but then we're pretty irreverent and like the Pomies, do self deprecating humor too.

 

[sunbeast]

I agree with this in concept, but I’ve watched him do it for sport on multiple occasions. His “jazz dork electric piano” comment in the original tweets is a great example. SD’s tunes often have a deep rooting in the blues, and there are plenty of examples of electric piano in blues and blues-based music. He didn’t make that comment to be accurate, he did it to be antagonistic, contrarian, etc.

I think people are putting the emphasis on the wrong part of the "electric piano" tweet alot in this thread- to me its clear that the "jazz dork hands" part is the punchline here

 

[ardgedee]

Funny, reading Albini’s Wikipedia page, he claims to be influenced by Walter Becker’s approach to recording without a producer diluting or interfering with the artist’s vision.

Another nugget was Albini being influence by Becker’s bass and guitar playing…..

Maybe taking this little blurb literally misses a bit of the sly ribbing SD loved to indulge in.

Oh, wow... What the hell?

View attachment 4962308

The great thing about Wikipedia is that anyone can edit it.

I wouldn't be surprised if that's not the only "fun fact" people have been adding to Wikipedia about Albini since that Twitter thread started making the rounds.

 

[RichterScale]

If you think Steve cares about money…you really don’t understand him at all.

Sounds like you guys are close.
For the record, I think Steely Dan is a great guitarist.

 

[lomo]

Opinions are like rectal orifices.......

 

[ardgedee]

I used to hate SD (or I thought I did), until I started getting into vintage stereo equipment. Seems everyone who is into vintage stereo stuff LOVES SD.

I've got solid first-person evidence that's not true.

Well, Fagin's "Nightfly" is stellar. But the Steely Dan catalog as a whole is very hit or miss for me.

I could say the same about Albini's catalog. Shellac is pretty solid, but his bands before that, not so much.

 

[Mantis Tobaggan]

Steely Dan is amazing. I have seen them live and also have seen Donald Fagan live. Anyone who wants to bag on Steely Dan for laughs probably needs new material.

 

[BismarckHerring]

27218418[/URL], member: 326439"]The great thing about Wikipedia is that anyone can edit it.

I wouldn't be surprised if that's not the only "fun fact" people have been adding to Wikipedia about Albini since that Twitter thread started making the rounds.

Yup, both edits have already been reverted. Always a good idea to check Wikipedia's page history in such cases.

 

[friskinator]

FWIW, the Bush album Albini produced still sounds great.

 

[ElectroVibe]

Old jazz. That seems to be what Steely Dan incorporated into their music.

I'm somewhat of a fan

 

[RichardW]

That's it. I no longer like Steely Dan. Thanks, Steve. Now--how should I feel about the Beatles?

 

[Blue Moose]

Maybe they should get Steve to intro the band the next time they play Santa Monica.

 

[lordradish]

Well that's an opinion I coulda done without. Punk rock, indeed.

 

[skyline_01]

What's a Steve Albini?