Donald Fagen's voice is so iconic and unique. Nobody is ever going to confuse him with being an amazing vocalist, but he is perfect at what he does, and sometimes it's better to have a unique sound, than a traditional professional singing voice. His voice is comforting and soothing, and i've come to appreciate it more and more as i got older.
Steely Dan is the best rabbit hole you could've ever fallen into. you'll never tire of listening to ALL of it. It was & is the soundtrack of my life. Every tune brings me joy & remembrance....while dancing & singing along, of course! 🥰❤
I am SO loving your Steely Dan journey!!! I’m a little envious of that first time hearing….but then I remind myself I got to hear it in real time and it was a part of my daily existence!!! ☮️❤️
A song about getting high off of heroin never sounded so good! Only a Band as perverse as Steely Dan can make this happen! Perfection & Grace indeed!!!
I don’t think so. Changing the water to cherry wine sounds like a reference to the new testament to me. Putting a dollar in the kitty sounds like a religious meeting where he’s passing the plate. Telling the people to keep their eye on the sky and this is their chance to believe in what he has to say, sounds like a preacher. Time out of mind, the phrase, is from Plato, and it means this is been going on forever. I think he’s making fun of preachers, who take peoples money.
@@stever808 Sorry, Steven. This is not about religion. The water to cherry wine refers to putting a needle in your arm and drawing back some blood into the syringe, before you get your fix. "Chase the dragon" is another drug reference.(snorting the smoke from H or opium). Not about religion, unless your religion is drugs!😄
@@rickcooper53 Yup, when blood comes into the syringe, you've hit a vein, and heaven is imminent. I think you're exactly right: this song's brilliant irony is making drug use religious. A form of worship. Preaching heroin's bliss like a religion. And the further irony that Becker and Fagen struggled with addiction. It's like heaven!
The Doobie Brothers connection is there… Michael McDonald on background vocals. I always thought that this song would have fit on the Aja album. A verrrrry underrated song IMO. Love the hint of a guitar solo on the outro. Jeff Porcaro on the drums. Comments were on point as always. ✌️
The only Steely Dan song with the amazing Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits) on guitar! Gaucho is such a excellent album! Two more excellent songs (My Rival and Third World Man) to come too! Thanks for reacting to this!
This just shows Steely could put out a catchy pop song any time they wanted… and still be the best musicians on the radio. Perfection and grace, puts a smile on my face.
That bridge is probably one of the best ever, just considering all the musicianship and that next level groove. Love it. Next two songs off Gaucho are great too, My Rival another funky beat and great song
The song is about, simply, shooting up heroin. As I think was mentioned in the Gaucho comments, Becker had a big heroin habit at the time. “Chase the dragon,” is a metaphor for a syringe, and “water may change to cherry wine,” is when you have the needle in the vein, and pull back on it t confirm it by seeing a blood return.
As a Navy Vietnam Vet, Chasing the Dragon was you did with opium. When you didn't have a pipe, you used a piece of foil to burn the opium and follow the smoke as it burned, like chasing a dragon. But that was Saigon in the late 60's and early 70's. Whether opium or heroin, it is about drug use.
This is my second favorite Steely Dan song after Peg. This song also has my favorite Michael McDonald vocal. The last time he sings “have it right here” and “light in my eyes” are my two favorite lines I’ve ever heard him sing! And it’s the second song (after Peg) I learned to play on piano.
You guys are the only reaction channel( from what I've seen) who do so much of Steely Dan! I could listen to them all day. I love analyzing their songs.... So much drug reference...gotta read between the lines...
Fun fact Mark Knopfler of dire straights played guitar on this track. It’s said he sat in on other gaucho takes but couldn’t take Donald and Walters perfectionism, plus Knopfler couldn’t read music. This is the only track he ended up on
You are both officially Steely Dan junkies/aficionados! Every song is so different sorta like a kid finding a different prize in each cereal box. Many many thanks for allowing us old folks to relive a precious time in our past and see your reactions which are similar! 🔥
Great reaction, guys. I had not thought about this track having a similar sound as a Doobie Brothers song. In the BTW category Michael McDonald is on this track. Every time I hear Michael I think of the Doobie Brothers. He was such a distinctive part of the Doobies. That is Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits on lead guitar. I love this track.
@@chidiumeh You can also hearKnopfler noodling in the center-right channel - about 2 o'clock. at 1:37 - 1:41 ; 3:11-3:21 ;3:33-3:43 ; 5:14 - end He finger picks the guitar - no one else on Earth sounds like him.
I like suesmith’s comment..I kinda wish I could hear the Dan songs again, for the first time, but alas, watching y’all on your journey is a treat..your musical comments are spot on as usual. It’s often like a puzzle trying to discern their sardonic, cynical and humorous intent but it is fun trying…thank you for taking us on your journey!
That opening beat might’ve indeed inspired the opening to Billie Jean?I believe MJ utilized Jeff Porcaro on drums also. Fellas, don’t skip the unofficial third SD record after Aja and Gaucho. Don Fagen made The Nightfly with many of the same artists. It’s positively brilliant.
Drummer on Billie jean was N dugu Chancler! Jeff porcaro played on Beat it Human nature The girl is mine and The lady in my life! Rick Marotta is drummer on this track ! Dire straits Mark Knopfler on guitar here also !
Y’all are the best at what you do. I love the meaty tracks you react to and the technical break down. Others are stuck on blue eyed soul for obvious reasons. Keep it going fellas!!
This was my FAVORITE Dan song growing up, long before I knew anything about chasing the dragon! Was raised on these guys! Great reaction and I’ll be watching more!
'Chasing the dragon' was a later refinement of this form of heroin smoking, originating in or near Hong Kong in the 1950s, and refers to the ingestion of heroin by inhaling the vapours which result when the drug is heated-typically on tin-foil above a flame.
I hope you hit up Donald Fagans solo record the Nightfly. It holds up against any Steely Dan record. I am pretty sure you heard the song I.G.Y. before. It was all over the radio when it came out.
loving the steely dan reactions, guys - there are still many treasures a-waiting in them there hills! wait 'til you hear "charlie freak" - a song like no other!!
You guys need to find that full length documentary about the making of Aja. It's kicking around here somewhere. Really facsinating. You'd dig the shit out of it.
I was an ultimate Dan fan! I bought each album as it came out! And as they grew in style, I grew as a young guy living life. Each album grew in texture and genres as I expanded as a young black kid making my way in the world. Complexity in music and life! Chiguy!
@gasaholic47 has it exactly right in talking about the heroin references in this song. What I constantly love is the way they can write lyrics about a dark or twisted subject and put the most glossy, fun music to it. That kind of juxtaposition that keeps you on your toes about what is actually going on in their songs is one of the reasons why I have a sold 40+ years of listening to these guys without getting tired of them.
My sister studied in Eugene Oregon and brought Can’t buy a thrill back to the Netherlands and I was hooked since, she also took the first Gino Vannelli record, hooked also…!! Love your show!
Hey guys. You are going to dig "My Rival." You might agree that it sounds like it could have come from "Royal Scam." Don warmed up the Hammond B3 organ for this one. Guitarist Rick Derringer adds some grit here. You need to eventually get to Don's solo stuff - Nightfly, Kamakiriad, Morph the Cat. All very tasty.
I love, LOVE "My Rival"! It's one of my many favs. They tracked so many guitars and percussion, while leaving all that white space for stank face funk!
You're right, this album is very sophisticated. Next up should be My Rival, one of my very favorite Dan cuts. So glad you're enjoying the Gaucho voyage!
Speaking of the Doobie Brothers, Michael McDonald is actually guest vocals on this song. He comes in at 4:33. His voice is very distinct in that verse.
they had their eingineer build them basically the "first drum sampler ever recorded" because fagen thought the drummers weren't tight enough :D he did it in one and a half months and called it "wendel". it got a gold record for it's participation in the album. when you really listen to it, you can hear that its a drum machine. it was 12 bit so basically a supercharged sp-12
Kudos to you 2 guys. You know your shtuff, clearly from your studio time. "Clearly complex composition" & similar to Doobie Brother's vibes". Not surprising because, Jeff 'Skunk' Baxter, Mike McDonald, & CORNELIUS BuMPASS on sax & keys, joined the Doobs after they left the Dan. Cornelius did a shuttle action, & still palyed w/ the Dan later on. Ya, compositional & engineering mastery based on music eminating from Black Masters to us caucasian students. Propers to what is called 'American music', but anyone studying music knows w/out Afrikan influence, we'd still be listening to Pat Boone. This Euro-mutt is eternally grateful that your ancestors taught us how to sing & take the sticks out our behinds ! Afro contribution to our musical heritage is underestima-ted, & under acknowledged. I look forward to a future when Propers are given in the right direction. & the atheist says AMEN !!!
This song is so smooth; it's impossible not to like. When this came out, I was too young to know this was about shooting dope. Like until years later, I didn't realize Rick James's song 'Mary Jane' was about weed 😄🎸🎹
Fun fact: Unverifed funfact- Word has it that Steely Dan used a Linn Drum Machine on this song. Back in the early 80's? On a rock album? If that is true it was unheard of and ground breaking for the time. Also, I believe Decker & Fagen said they had finally found the signature sound they had long been searching for after all those years, (on this album or Aja). I believe it was on Guacho. Somebody offer me some clarification please. Either way, Steely Dan were absolute GENIUSES!
It’s the same drummer on “Time Out of Mind” and “Beat it”; the amazing Jeff Porcarro! He was THE session guy in the 70s and 80s and was the drummer in Toto! Everybody knows “Rosanna” by Toto, but listen to it after listening to Steely Dan’s “Babylon Sisters” and “home at last”. It’s one Steely Dan drummer doing a take on another steely Dan drummers signature beat.
@@PJD02915 Both are great, but Jeff was in a league of his own. He plays on several Steely albums and plays on all tracks except for one on the Katie Lied album. All of the Toto guys were some of LA's top session musicians. Boz Skaggs' Silk Degrees album is a fine example.
Glad you had not heard the song before as it was very popular on the radio in it's day. The groove laid down at the 2:00 mark is special to me because it has some healing powers to it that makes everything right in an unright world if you know what I mean
Good call on the Doobies vibe. I'm surprised you didn't hear McD's prominent, syncopated accompaniment on the last "Children we have it right here, etc." I love Gaucho, and am torn on what seems like drum machines. On the one hand, it gave Don and Walt complete control over the rhythms. On the other, it is sterile. I've listened to this since it was released, and never got the dance/disco influence. Compared to actual disco of the time, it barely twitched the meter, but it is there. I guess now we know why there are dancers on the cover? You guys are my comfort food. Sending your good vibes right back.
Now that you mention it I do hear a bit of "Echoes of Love" (Doobie Brothers Living on the Fault Line album) in this song. Full circle with 2 ex Steely Dan members (McDonald, Baxter) in that Doobies lineup and of course McDonald's background vocals here.
My Rival is my favorite...but just by a RCH...this album is the third masterpiece in a row for SD and arguably one of the best engineered albums of all time.
I was well into rollin my own doobies by the time this album came out.Even though I was a huge metal head by this point my friends and I still listened to this..I can remember buying this album and still own that same record today..Great job breakin this stuff down..Peace and love from the old metal head from Detroit
@@MrDirty-if7gc Hell yeah!! Just because we like it loud and fast doesn't mean that we don't know music.I was brought up on Motown and the British invasion..Keep the flags of discontent flyin my brother!!
Done more than enough cherry wine back in the day! If you listen to Larry Carlton you'll hear a lot of similarities there to. Steely Dan, your favorite bands favorite band 🔥✌🤘
I first discovered this song in the early 80's. It was used as a bumper for a morning show here in NYC called "AM New York" on the local ABC affiliate. That show eventually evolved into the "Live with Regis &...." franchise. I never found out who did it until I started getting into Steely Dan in the early 90s.
Chasing the dragon..via Wikipedia refers to inhaling the vapor from a heated solution of a powdered psychoactive drug on a sheet of aluminum foil. The moving vapor is chased after with a tube (often rolled foil) through which the user inhales.[2] The "chasing" occurs as the user gingerly keeps the liquid moving in order to keep it from overheating and burning up too quickly, on a heat conducting material such as aluminium foil.
Such a nice recording. So clean. Smooth. This always reminded me of Earth Wind and Fire, which was my favorite band probably for a few years. I felt Steely Dan took some Earth Wind and Fire sounds. Maybe not consciously. But Earth Wind and Fire were so prevalent in that era, I suspect it came in via osmosis.
Donald Fagen's voice is so iconic and unique.
Nobody is ever going to confuse him with being an amazing vocalist, but he is perfect at what he does, and sometimes it's better to have a unique sound, than a traditional professional singing voice. His voice is comforting and soothing, and i've come to appreciate it more and more as i got older.
I agree. Can never be duplicated!!
I think that what you wrote is what makes him amazing!
Steely Dan is the best rabbit hole you could've ever fallen into. you'll never tire of listening to ALL of it. It was & is the soundtrack of my life. Every tune brings me joy & remembrance....while dancing & singing along, of course! 🥰❤
I am SO loving your Steely Dan journey!!! I’m a little envious of that first time hearing….but then I remind myself I got to hear it in real time and it was a part of my daily existence!!! ☮️❤️
A song about getting high off of heroin never sounded so good! Only a Band as perverse as Steely Dan can make this happen! Perfection & Grace indeed!!!
I don’t think so. Changing the water to cherry wine sounds like a reference to the new testament to me. Putting a dollar in the kitty sounds like a religious meeting where he’s passing the plate. Telling the people to keep their eye on the sky and this is their chance to believe in what he has to say, sounds like a preacher. Time out of mind, the phrase, is from Plato, and it means this is been going on forever. I think he’s making fun of preachers, who take peoples money.
@@stever808 Dude, no offense, but that misdirection is intentional. Chasing the dragon is trying to get to that last best high that you never reach.
@@stever808 Sorry, Steven. This is not about religion. The water to cherry wine refers to putting a needle in your arm and drawing back some blood into the syringe, before you get your fix. "Chase the dragon" is another drug reference.(snorting the smoke from H or opium). Not about religion, unless your religion is drugs!😄
Back in my day, the Dragons were blotter LSD…the lyric references work for that, too 🤷♂️
@@rickcooper53 Yup, when blood comes into the syringe, you've hit a vein, and heaven is imminent.
I think you're exactly right: this song's brilliant irony is making drug use religious. A form of worship. Preaching heroin's bliss like a religion. And the further irony that Becker and Fagen struggled with addiction. It's like heaven!
"Chasing the Dragon" is an euphemism for chasing a Heroin high.
The Doobie Brothers connection is there… Michael McDonald on background vocals. I always thought that this song would have fit on the Aja album. A verrrrry underrated song IMO. Love the hint of a guitar solo on the outro. Jeff Porcaro on the drums. Comments were on point as always. ✌️
Rick Marotta (Peg, Don't Take Me Alive) played drums on this track.
Yes, I would have loved this track to be on Aja… maybe on side 2?
Jeff “Skunk” Baxter played in both bands too
Under-rated ? 😂 no. It been considered a classic and hit from day 1.
@@davidryan7386 By who? Nobody but SD fans even know of this song. It IS a classic to all of us Dan faithfuls. But a hit? Where and when?
The chord progression in this bridge is something special.
The fun and funny thing about Steely Dan is that whilst the music may be smooth the lyrics are metal af.
Stellar point. 👏
Bro! I should’ve known you were a fellow Raiders fan! Only people with exemplary taste love Steely Dan! Raiderrrsss!!!!
The only Steely Dan song with the amazing Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits) on guitar! Gaucho is such a excellent album! Two more excellent songs (My Rival and Third World Man) to come too! Thanks for reacting to this!
It's perfection and grace and definitely the smile on my face
This just shows Steely could put out a catchy pop song any time they wanted… and still be the best musicians on the radio. Perfection and grace, puts a smile on my face.
This song is simply perfection and grace, puts a smile on my face! Yes boys, not only time changes but key changes
Such a great song. Childhood memories. I’m so glad my parents are older. We heard everything.
That bridge is probably one of the best ever, just considering all the musicianship and that next level groove. Love it. Next two songs off Gaucho are great too, My Rival another funky beat and great song
It has healing powers to it.What more is there to say.
The song is about, simply, shooting up heroin. As I think was mentioned in the Gaucho comments, Becker had a big heroin habit at the time. “Chase the dragon,” is a metaphor for a syringe, and “water may change to cherry wine,” is when you have the needle in the vein, and pull back on it t confirm it by seeing a blood return.
@@Rock_Snob The junkies I treated in Brooklyn when I was a paramedic used the term for shooting up.
@@Rock_Snob Might be a regional difference. Becker and Fagen were in L.A. for a long time, though they were NYC guys.
As a Navy Vietnam Vet, Chasing the Dragon was you did with opium. When you didn't have a pipe, you used a piece of foil to burn the opium and follow the smoke as it burned, like chasing a dragon. But that was Saigon in the late 60's and early 70's. Whether opium or heroin, it is about drug use.
😁 This the song nobody knows the words to at shows but we ALL sing the "Tonight when I chase the Dragon... " chorus! 🤭🥰🐰
This is my second favorite Steely Dan song after Peg. This song also has my favorite Michael McDonald vocal. The last time he sings “have it right here” and “light in my eyes” are my two favorite lines I’ve ever heard him sing! And it’s the second song (after Peg) I learned to play on piano.
chase down the stems of this tune, you can hear Michael in all his glory :)
You guys are the only reaction channel( from what I've seen) who do so much of Steely Dan! I could listen to them all day. I love analyzing their songs.... So much drug reference...gotta read between the lines...
Fun fact Mark Knopfler of dire straights played guitar on this track. It’s said he sat in on other gaucho takes but couldn’t take Donald and Walters perfectionism, plus Knopfler couldn’t read music. This is the only track he ended up on
Definitely “What a Fool Believes” vibe. Michael McDonald brought Steely Dan influence into the Doobies
This is my second favorite on this album. Such a great groove with Michael McDonald backing up the vocals
You are both officially Steely Dan junkies/aficionados! Every song is so different sorta like a kid finding a different prize in each cereal box. Many many thanks for allowing us old folks to relive a precious time in our past and see your reactions which are similar! 🔥
One of their finest recordings. This album is timeless.
Great reaction, guys. I had not thought about this track having a similar sound as a Doobie Brothers song. In the BTW category Michael McDonald is on this track. Every time I hear Michael I think of the Doobie Brothers. He was such a distinctive part of the Doobies. That is Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits on lead guitar. I love this track.
Knopfler only plays the solo at the end
@@chidiumeh You can also hearKnopfler noodling in the center-right channel - about 2 o'clock. at 1:37 - 1:41 ; 3:11-3:21 ;3:33-3:43 ; 5:14 - end He finger picks the guitar - no one else on Earth sounds like him.
Thank you for reacting to this track ✌
I like suesmith’s comment..I kinda wish I could hear the Dan songs again, for the first time, but alas, watching y’all on your journey is a treat..your musical comments are spot on as usual. It’s often like a puzzle trying to discern their sardonic, cynical and humorous intent but it is fun trying…thank you for taking us on your journey!
Agreed!
Not even close to my favorite Steely Dan song, but it never fails to put a smile on face, every time i hear it.
Man! You guys are bringing me back to my childhood in a great way!! My Dad loved Steely Dan and this song was one of my favorites! Love this!
That opening beat might’ve indeed inspired the opening to Billie Jean?I believe MJ utilized Jeff Porcaro on drums also. Fellas, don’t skip the unofficial third SD record after Aja and Gaucho. Don Fagen made The Nightfly with many of the same artists. It’s positively brilliant.
Drummer on Billie jean was N dugu Chancler! Jeff porcaro played on Beat it Human nature The girl is mine and The lady in my life! Rick Marotta is drummer on this track ! Dire straits Mark Knopfler on guitar here also !
Y’all are the best at what you do. I love the meaty tracks you react to and the technical break down. Others are stuck on blue eyed soul for obvious reasons. Keep it going fellas!!
This was my FAVORITE Dan song growing up, long before I knew anything about chasing the dragon! Was raised on these guys! Great reaction and I’ll be watching more!
I had never heard this one before and it’s GREAT! Thanks for so many great reactions!
I was trying to think of what Doobie Brothers song this was reminding you of, and the keyboard stabs made me guess it’s Minute by Minute.
'Chasing the dragon' was a later refinement of this form of heroin smoking, originating in or near Hong Kong in the 1950s, and refers to the ingestion of heroin by inhaling the vapours which result when the drug is heated-typically on tin-foil above a flame.
To me every Steely Dan song is "Perfection and Grace".
I hope you hit up Donald Fagans solo record the Nightfly. It holds up against any Steely Dan record.
I am pretty sure you heard the song I.G.Y. before. It was all over the radio when it came out.
loving the steely dan reactions, guys - there are still many treasures a-waiting in them there hills! wait 'til you hear "charlie freak" - a song like no other!!
You guys need to find that full length documentary about the making of Aja. It's kicking around here somewhere. Really facsinating. You'd dig the shit out of it.
Another connections between the Doobies and SD is Jeff "Skunk" Baxter. He played guitar in both groups during their formative years.
I was an ultimate Dan fan! I bought each album as it came out! And as they grew in style, I grew as a young guy living life. Each album grew in texture and genres as I expanded as a young black kid making my way in the world. Complexity in music and life! Chiguy!
Steely Dan, Is Always Just Right, to any background and front In Every Setting
This is just superb. Donald's solo The Nightfly next please - especially I.G.Y 'undersea by rail, 90 minutes from New York to Paris'.
Michael Macdonald sang on "Katy Lied" "The Royal Scam" and "Aja"
@gasaholic47 has it exactly right in talking about the heroin references in this song. What I constantly love is the way they can write lyrics about a dark or twisted subject and put the most glossy, fun music to it. That kind of juxtaposition that keeps you on your toes about what is actually going on in their songs is one of the reasons why I have a sold 40+ years of listening to these guys without getting tired of them.
Very true. They remind me of the band Ghost in that way. Satanic lyrics with poppy hooks.
I couldn't click play fast enough! LOL! Good one!
My sister studied in Eugene Oregon and brought Can’t buy a thrill back to the Netherlands and I was hooked since, she also took the first Gino Vannelli record, hooked also…!! Love your show!
Hey guys. You are going to dig "My Rival." You might agree that it sounds like it could have come from "Royal Scam." Don warmed up the Hammond B3 organ for this one. Guitarist Rick Derringer adds some grit here. You need to eventually get to Don's solo stuff - Nightfly, Kamakiriad, Morph the Cat. All very tasty.
I love, LOVE "My Rival"! It's one of my many favs. They tracked so many guitars and percussion, while leaving all that white space for stank face funk!
You're right, this album is very sophisticated. Next up should be My Rival, one of my very favorite Dan cuts. So glad you're enjoying the Gaucho voyage!
Maybe it sounds like the Doobies because Michael Mc Donald is doing background vocals 🤔?
And in meaning, We Are Always on the move - Whether in conceding to it or not
Yeah, it's still SD. Heavy FM play back in the day while washing boats in Marina Del Rey CA.
Sitting here rocking with you 😊
"I am holding the mystical sphere....it's direct from Lhasa..." Jesus, these boys could write music...
Speaking of the Doobie Brothers, Michael McDonald is actually guest vocals on this song. He comes in at 4:33. His voice is very distinct in that verse.
My favorite Steely tune. Thanks for the reaction!
I never caught the similarity with "Billie Jean" before!
they had their eingineer build them basically the "first drum sampler ever recorded" because fagen thought the drummers weren't tight enough :D
he did it in one and a half months and called it "wendel". it got a gold record for it's participation in the album.
when you really listen to it, you can hear that its a drum machine. it was 12 bit so basically a supercharged sp-12
Supertramp ~ "BLOODY WELL RIGHT" and many others...!
Kudos to you 2 guys. You know your shtuff, clearly from your studio time. "Clearly complex composition" & similar to Doobie Brother's vibes". Not surprising because, Jeff 'Skunk' Baxter, Mike McDonald, & CORNELIUS BuMPASS on sax & keys, joined the Doobs after they left the Dan. Cornelius did a shuttle action, & still palyed w/ the Dan later on. Ya, compositional & engineering mastery based on music eminating from Black Masters to us caucasian students. Propers to what is called 'American music', but anyone studying music knows w/out Afrikan influence, we'd still be listening to Pat Boone. This Euro-mutt is eternally grateful that your ancestors taught us how to sing & take the sticks out our behinds ! Afro contribution to our musical heritage is underestima-ted, & under acknowledged. I look forward to a future when Propers are given in the right direction. & the atheist says AMEN !!!
That’s mark knopfler from dire straits on guitar here
One of my favorite Dan songs!
This song is so smooth; it's impossible not to like. When this came out, I was too young to know this was about shooting dope. Like until years later, I didn't realize Rick James's song 'Mary Jane' was about weed 😄🎸🎹
The horn section is a “who’s who” of sax players and a trumpet. Partially the Brecker Brothers band there along with a couple of other greats!
"Chase the dragon" = trying to experience the same high as the first time. Head to the "Pretzel Logic" LP next....
Class act
My absolute favorite SD song!
Katie lied and pretzel logic are great✌️🙏
Fun fact: Unverifed funfact-
Word has it that Steely Dan used a Linn Drum Machine on this song. Back in the early 80's? On a rock album?
If that is true it was unheard of and ground breaking for the time.
Also, I believe Decker & Fagen said they had finally found the signature sound they had long been searching for after all those years, (on this album or Aja). I believe it was on Guacho.
Somebody offer me some clarification please.
Either way, Steely Dan were absolute GENIUSES!
It’s the same drummer on “Time Out of Mind” and “Beat it”; the amazing Jeff Porcarro! He was THE session guy in the 70s and 80s and was the drummer in Toto! Everybody knows “Rosanna” by Toto, but listen to it after listening to Steely Dan’s “Babylon Sisters” and “home at last”. It’s one Steely Dan drummer doing a take on another steely Dan drummers signature beat.
Jeff Porcarro only plays on track 4 of the Gaucho album. Rick Marotta plays on "Time Out of Mind". Bernard Purdie plays on "Babylon Sisters".
@@jjvermeer ah thank you! I thought it was Jeff! And yeah my poorly articulated point was to go from Bernard to Jeff via their grooves.
@@PJD02915 Both are great, but Jeff was in a league of his own. He plays on several Steely albums and plays on all tracks except for one on the Katie Lied album. All of the Toto guys were some of LA's top session musicians.
Boz Skaggs' Silk Degrees album is a fine example.
Glad you had not heard the song before as it was very popular on the radio in it's day. The groove laid down at the 2:00 mark is special to me because it has some healing powers to it that makes everything right in an unright world if you know what I mean
Love how subtle the bridge inflections are in 4:00 on
Good call on the Doobies vibe. I'm surprised you didn't hear McD's prominent, syncopated accompaniment on the last "Children we have it right here, etc." I love Gaucho, and am torn on what seems like drum machines. On the one hand, it gave Don and Walt complete control over the rhythms. On the other, it is sterile. I've listened to this since it was released, and never got the dance/disco influence. Compared to actual disco of the time, it barely twitched the meter, but it is there. I guess now we know why there are dancers on the cover? You guys are my comfort food. Sending your good vibes right back.
This groove is so funky I forgot my name!
Now that you mention it I do hear a bit of "Echoes of Love" (Doobie Brothers Living on the Fault Line album) in this song. Full circle with 2 ex Steely Dan members (McDonald, Baxter) in that Doobies lineup and of course McDonald's background vocals here.
I just realized the guitar solos on this song are the great Mark Knopfler from Dire Straits.
I predict that " Night by Night" from Pretzel Logic will be a favourite. One of their best grooves from session drummer Jeff Porcaro
2 against nature has some of the funkiest grooves and guitar riffs you are going to hear
My favorite Dan song !
My Rival is my favorite...but just by a RCH...this album is the third masterpiece in a row for SD and arguably one of the best engineered albums of all time.
I was well into rollin my own doobies by the time this album came out.Even though I was a huge metal head by this point my friends and I still listened to this..I can remember buying this album and still own that same record today..Great job breakin this stuff down..Peace and love from the old metal head from Detroit
I love how many of us (metal heads) dig Steely Dan, right on yo.
@@MrDirty-if7gc Hell yeah!! Just because we like it loud and fast doesn't mean that we don't know music.I was brought up on Motown and the British invasion..Keep the flags of discontent flyin my brother!!
@@johncanning731 You into jazz as well?
@@MrDirty-if7gc I tend to like guitar jazz..So I have some George Benson and Earl Klugh albums
@@johncanning731 ruclips.net/video/YIilhNKU0NI/видео.html&ab_channel=TheEleventhHouse-Topic
Done more than enough cherry wine back in the day! If you listen to Larry Carlton you'll hear a lot of similarities there to. Steely Dan, your favorite bands favorite band 🔥✌🤘
Oh man, he's chasing the Dragon.
personal favorite
Pretty sure this song is also about smoking Heroin!
the lyrics are deep as hell! not explained very well but its a lot about astral traveling!
CLASS!
Beautiful tension/release, and a masterful middle 8.
Damn you guys do the top shelf Steely stuff...cheers!
Love that you're reacting to more Steely Dan. I hope Donald Fagen watches you two...
I first discovered this song in the early 80's. It was used as a bumper for a morning show here in NYC called "AM New York" on the local ABC affiliate. That show eventually evolved into the "Live with Regis &...." franchise.
I never found out who did it until I started getting into Steely Dan in the early 90s.
Chasing the dragon..via Wikipedia
refers to inhaling the vapor from a heated solution of a powdered psychoactive drug on a sheet of aluminum foil. The moving vapor is chased after with a tube (often rolled foil) through which the user inhales.[2] The "chasing" occurs as the user gingerly keeps the liquid moving in order to keep it from overheating and burning up too quickly, on a heat conducting material such as aluminium foil.
Omg little bro, the roaring 70’s, we be chasing the dragon!
Glad to see you hit 10 GRAND
🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Thank you!! We’re just getting started!!
Oh yea :)
Such a nice recording. So clean. Smooth. This always reminded me of Earth Wind and Fire, which was my favorite band probably for a few years. I felt Steely Dan took some Earth Wind and Fire sounds. Maybe not consciously. But Earth Wind and Fire were so prevalent in that era, I suspect it came in via osmosis.
Definite "What A Fool Believes" vibe.
Chasing the dragon.
Need to listen to the "Countdown to Ecstasy" album next....
In the 70s you would always hear people talking about song lyrics being code for heroin use.