One of my 3 favorite deep tracks from Steely Dan. The other two: "King of the World" off the Countdown to Ecstasy album, and "Night by Night" off the Pretzel Logic album. Top three deep tracks but there are many.
Do you know what makes this song? It’s two very subtle things. The tambourine in the right ear during the whole song and the triangle in the left ear during the chorus. Little touches like that put it over the top
One of my favourites from Steely Dan amazing guitar playing from Elliott Randall !! The Two against nature and Everything must go albums are also incredible !! great review !!
Green Earrings showcases Don and Walter's ability to go ham on a soulful funk-fest once on a while. Here, they probably pissed off (Bernie)Pretty Purdie asking him if he "has anything highly syncopated" for the track. I think he answered. We are coming up on the 45th anniv of this RS release in a few weeks. It does NOT sound like current pop music, but somehow has aged like a fine wine. Listen for the percussive contribution of the clavinet. And the Fender P bass of Mr. Rainey. Not to mention Parks and Randall trying to outdo each other. And then we go to the island next. Wow. This entire album is at the top with Aja for a lot/most of SD listeners. Keep it up, SAD.
@Ken Kitchen; this is my favourite track on the album, drums and bass are so in the pocket here. The solo on Kid Charlemagne may be more famous but boy I do like the guitarwork on this track and the way it fades out on the end is so great. Don't know what pedal he used there but those strange sounds are just unbelievable.
I posted this on Professor of Rock and want to share it here: This one time in probably 2007 I'm driving my 2 year old daughter, named Josie 😁, around. I almost always cherished the time I spent with her but sometimes it was rough in the van because she always demanded that her nursery songs be playing. Songs like Dancin' Donkey or Happy Monkey and so on. So this one time I tell her "look honey I have to change the music, I'm sorry I can't take it no more." NO NO NO. I'm sorry I have to do this please just give me a few minutes of adult music please or I'm gonna go nuts. NOOOOOO! So I hit button #3 on the CD player and "Green Earrings" from the Royal Scam starts playing and I am relieved because I love that album. Then all of a sudden it's real quiet. I'm thinking oh wow what happened did she fall asleep? I hope she's ok. This silence lasts for the entire album. Finally the CD goes to repeat, "Green Earrings" starts to play again but this time SHE STARTS SINGING THE SONG! I say HEY HOW'D YOU DO THAT? Then I'm thinking man I got the coolest kid ever...😁😁😁
@@davidthaler7018 It's like you know me because you're on the right track. Her younger sister is "Sadie" named after a song by a little known band from Liverpool.
Great review as usual. What gets me the most is watching and listening to my favorite songs and bands knowing I was digging this back in the ‘70’s. So glad you appreciate the Dan, Zappa and all the groups you’ve listened to. Take care guys 🙏😎
Each song by Steely Dan the lyrics are like a Legend of Zelda video game. Each line, bar, stanza goes into a secret passage way. Just off the charts writing.
The lyrics to Green Earing, in a nutshell, are about a man who is a thief, primarily a jewel thief, who has no qualms or remorse about stealing from anyone; including people close to him. Presumably, this is his girlfriend or someone else close to him that he is stealing from.
There’s a beautiful dissonance to this song. The vocal melody has an edge to it that creates a delicious tension that only gets resolved by the hook of the chorus, but then cranks up again immediately with the next verse. This may be my favorite drum track of all Steely Dan‘s work, as the fills and groove that Bernard Purdie provides on this track just hit a whole new level, and blend perfectly with the structure of the song. The guitar solo bridge smooths out the edges for about 16 bars and give it that warm jazzy smoky lounge feel. The guitar solo at the end just totally rips, and the SPEED of those licks….. especially as they’re going down the drain are pretty mind blowing, and I’m pretty sure even Eddie Van Halen would be proud of those had he played them!
A jazz-funk masterpiece if ever there was one; That interlude is gorgeous and the way they feature the 2 guitarists (Elliot Randall & Denny Dias) is like a throwback to their early days. Are you pickin up on a theme so far? Drugs, crime, sex, thievery...
You should be able to find on YT the rhythm section alone for this album. I’ve had the tracks for years on CD. This one is drums, bass and a rhythm guitar and it cooks for quite a lot longer than it does on the album. It’s worth looking for.
Astrud Gilberto is the original voice in 'the Girl from Ipanema'. There's a really cool video of her, singing Girl from Ipanema along with Stan Getz on sax, in a 1964 movie 'Get Yourself a College Girl'. (Btw- it's not so easy. I've tried!) The movie has some great old bands in it, too. The video is just a clip from the movie.
@@SightAfterDark I know Astrud has nothing to do with this video, and I sure like Steely Dan! This is one of their best, but so many good ones. 'Deacon Blues' is another. More- 'Aja', 'Do it Again'.
It's about a jewel theif. He's so jazzed by the rush he gets, he even steals his girlfriend's "Green Earrings" and does it in front of her. "Sorry angel, I must take what I see. Green earrings, I remember, the rings of grand design, I remember the look in your eyes.......I don't mind! He's cold with it! 😁
Its about green earrings - of a rare design, getting lifted by a fella off a woman who he knows, he saw that sad look in her eyes when she knew they were gone... and he don't mind.
I think it's about stealing precious earrings from his girlfriend. "You knew I was a scorpion..." sorta thing. I think this is one of the more straightforward songs of theirs. So good to see you guys enjoying the old music lol
Question: What do JEWEL THIEVES do on their day off ? It seems to me this guy is a jewel thief but it's his day off. What a dilemma. Musically... what more could I ask for ? It has all the elements that I love and others that I didn't even know that I loved.....
If you enjoyed this, check out our podcast on Steely Dan!
ruclips.net/video/2tNasxBrqnM/видео.html
The drum break before the first solo never fails to amaze me. It's just so damn dirty.
FILTHY
Agreed, and the four gripped high-hat hits right before the guitar solo announce the arrival of the solo perfectly!
Only to be outdone by that SICK harmonic that kicks off the solo.
ruclips.net/video/6uusF1iie88/видео.html
The Purdie break at 2:43 is GENIUS!!! That groove is pulling you through the funk.....
Purdie is definitely killing it
Always loved that first harmonic guitar note on that lead..it sounds like a ring in a bell under that sizzling high-hat..
Mr. Denny Dias!
Purdie, funky tune‼️
The multiple personalities of the guitar breaks...the lyrics.
One of my 3 favorite deep tracks from Steely Dan. The other two: "King of the World" off the Countdown to Ecstasy album, and "Night by Night" off the Pretzel Logic album. Top three deep tracks but there are many.
Night by Night is our favorite! King of the world is amazing as well
I’m showing my age but the talent in these songs never fails to choke me up.
Agreed!
Do you know what makes this song? It’s two very subtle things. The tambourine in the right ear during the whole song and the triangle in the left ear during the chorus. Little touches like that put it over the top
Absolutely. It's a crime that people discount the aux percussion parts. A triangle part like that is deceptively difficult to execute.
Definitely. One of those things that is hard to pick up after one listen!
Fantastic. This may be my favorite SD song. I love the funkiness of it. Home At Last probs a close second.
Funk at level 11. This vies for my favourite too. It's monstrously good.
Not in my top 5 overall but tops in funkiness.
Gotta love it!
Yeah and both got Bernard Purdie putting on a clinical performance !
The start of this tune always reminds me of the sound/theme of an old tv newscast program. So glad you're deep in the SD library! YES!
It does!
One of my favourites from Steely Dan amazing guitar playing from Elliott Randall !! The Two against nature and Everything must go albums are also incredible !! great review !!
Thanks so much for watching!
The best thing about their lyrics is their slight cryptic nature that lets you make your own idea of the story
Exactly!
Guys, it’s about getting robbed and only Steely Dan could put THE FUNK IN GETTING ROBBED! ❤
Green Earrings showcases Don and Walter's ability to go ham on a soulful funk-fest once on a while. Here, they probably pissed off (Bernie)Pretty Purdie asking him if he "has anything highly syncopated" for the track. I think he answered. We are coming up on the 45th anniv of this RS release in a few weeks. It does NOT sound like current pop music, but somehow has aged like a fine wine. Listen for the percussive contribution of the clavinet. And the Fender P bass of Mr. Rainey. Not to mention Parks and Randall trying to outdo each other. And then we go to the island next. Wow. This entire album is at the top with Aja for a lot/most of SD listeners. Keep it up, SAD.
We can see why! This album is awesome! Thanks for watching Ken!
Excellent! I agree about Aja and RS. I admire Aja from a bit of a distance, RS is a warm embrace
@Ken Kitchen; this is my favourite track on the album, drums and bass are so in the pocket here. The solo on Kid Charlemagne may be more famous but boy I do like the guitarwork on this track and the way it fades out on the end is so great. Don't know what pedal he used there but those strange sounds are just unbelievable.
It's actually Denny Dias, not Dean Parks.
The groove is totally infectious on this one!👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻❤️❤️❤️☮️🎸🎼🎤
For real!
I posted this on Professor of Rock and want to share it here:
This one time in probably 2007 I'm driving my 2 year old daughter, named Josie 😁, around. I almost always cherished the time I spent with her but sometimes it was rough in the van because she always demanded that her nursery songs be playing. Songs like Dancin' Donkey or Happy Monkey and so on. So this one time I tell her "look honey I have to change the music, I'm sorry I can't take it no more." NO NO NO. I'm sorry I have to do this please just give me a few minutes of adult music please or I'm gonna go nuts. NOOOOOO!
So I hit button #3 on the CD player and "Green Earrings" from the Royal Scam starts playing and I am relieved because I love that album. Then all of a sudden it's real quiet. I'm thinking oh wow what happened did she fall asleep? I hope she's ok.
This silence lasts for the entire album. Finally the CD goes to repeat, "Green Earrings" starts to play again but this time SHE STARTS SINGING THE SONG! I say HEY HOW'D YOU DO THAT? Then I'm thinking man I got the coolest kid ever...😁😁😁
That’s awesome! Steely Dan is for the children!! 😂
I see what ya did there re: Josie. :-)
@@davidthaler7018 Right this second you're my best friend!
@@Joe-Flow 👍🤝
Now tell me she’s got a sister named Peg or Aja…or a brother named Charlemagne. :-)
@@davidthaler7018 It's like you know me because you're on the right track. Her younger sister is "Sadie" named after a song by a little known band from Liverpool.
Great review as usual. What gets me the most is watching and listening to my favorite songs and bands knowing I was digging this back in the ‘70’s. So glad you appreciate the Dan, Zappa and all the groups you’ve listened to. Take care guys 🙏😎
We’d feel very cool if we were you! Thanks for your support, be well!
my favorite !
Ice Cube sampled this for his song Don’t Trust Em on The Predator album.
Nice! Shout out to Cube!
Each song by Steely Dan the lyrics are like a Legend of Zelda video game. Each line, bar, stanza goes into a secret passage way. Just off the charts writing.
Love that comparison! Thanks for watching Patrick!
The lyrics to Green Earing, in a nutshell, are about a man who is a thief, primarily a jewel thief, who has no qualms or remorse about stealing from anyone; including people close to him. Presumably, this is his girlfriend or someone else close to him that he is stealing from.
Makes sense! Thanks for your input!
@@SightAfterDark I failed to mention that this is according to an interview with Walter Becker I read several years back.
I think he's an addict and in need of funds - "Gets hungry like a child".
@@briangray00 According to the interview with Becker I read, apparently his hunger is for stealing, sort of like a kleptomaniac.
There’s a beautiful dissonance to this song. The vocal melody has an edge to it that creates a delicious tension that only gets resolved by the hook of the chorus, but then cranks up again immediately with the next verse.
This may be my favorite drum track of all Steely Dan‘s work, as the fills and groove that Bernard Purdie provides on this track just hit a whole new level, and blend perfectly with the structure of the song.
The guitar solo bridge smooths out the edges for about 16 bars and give it that warm jazzy smoky lounge feel.
The guitar solo at the end just totally rips, and the SPEED of those licks….. especially as they’re going down the drain are pretty mind blowing, and I’m pretty sure even Eddie Van Halen would be proud of those had he played them!
Fantastic analysis John! Thanks for watching!
Chuck Raney, Cleveland guy on bass.A monster player
MONSTER
Met him briefly after a SD concert and shook his hand
A jazz-funk masterpiece if ever there was one; That interlude is gorgeous and the way they feature the 2 guitarists (Elliot Randall & Denny Dias) is like a throwback to their early days.
Are you pickin up on a theme so far? Drugs, crime, sex, thievery...
Masterpiece is accurate
You should be able to find on YT the rhythm section alone for this album. I’ve had the tracks for years on CD. This one is drums, bass and a rhythm guitar and it cooks for quite a lot longer than it does on the album. It’s worth looking for.
One of my favorite isolated tracks on you tube. The Rainey / Purdue axis is cooking
This song reminds me of "Contusion", by Stevie Wonder. Much funky and a great rhythm!
I get the feeling of a straight up sociopathic second story man. "I don't mind"
Green earrings, gold teeth, bad sneakers…
You didn’t mention a fez….and that’s good….because Dan’s the one who should wear it. :-)
Astrud Gilberto is the original voice in 'the Girl from Ipanema'. There's a really cool video of her, singing Girl from Ipanema along with Stan Getz on sax, in a 1964 movie 'Get Yourself a College Girl'. (Btw- it's not so easy. I've tried!) The movie has some great old bands in it, too. The video is just a clip from the movie.
Sounds cool! Thanks for the comment
@@SightAfterDark I know Astrud has nothing to do with this video, and I sure like Steely Dan! This is one of their best, but so many good ones. 'Deacon Blues' is another. More- 'Aja', 'Do it Again'.
The musicianship on this song is off the charts.
And a fez!
Steely Dan is your favorite bands favorite band 👍✌🤘
For sure!
Hard to choose one song from The Royal Scam, but this one is great. Great guitar, great drums, great lyrics.
They are definitely all great!
Green Earrings is the best thing ever recorded in Western music There, I've said it! Straight dirty, filthy nasty.
Bold claim sir! You may be correct
It's about a jewel theif. He's so jazzed by the rush he gets, he even steals his girlfriend's "Green Earrings" and does it in front of her. "Sorry angel, I must take what I see. Green earrings, I remember, the rings of grand design, I remember the look in your eyes.......I don't mind! He's cold with it! 😁
Cold blooded!
Its about green earrings - of a rare design, getting lifted by a fella off a woman who he knows, he saw that sad look in her eyes when she knew they were gone... and he don't mind.
That’s fucked up!
Awesome
🙂
Oh, I really want to go to that Halloween party.
You’re invited!
I think it's about stealing precious earrings from his girlfriend. "You knew I was a scorpion..." sorta thing. I think this is one of the more straightforward songs of theirs. So good to see you guys enjoying the old music lol
We love Steely Dan! Thanks for watching Brian!
I want to see you wearing the fez.
😬
In combination with The Fez, the two excellent disco tracks on this album demonstrating, again, that jazz chord patterns can improve any genre
100 Percent
Question: What do JEWEL THIEVES do on their day off ? It seems to me this guy is a jewel thief but it's his day off. What a dilemma. Musically... what more could I ask for ? It has all the elements that I love and others that I didn't even know that I loved.....
We never know for sure with SD☺️
🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐
Yeahhhh
You're right. You want to know what the song's about? Yeah, green earrings. Take care.
Lol thanks
Just like Fagen & Becker: write a song about a character no one (or so it seems) has ever written about in song--a kleptomaniac!
Wonder if Frank Crappa ever voiced an opinion on these stellar talents?
Lol probably
Seh aint digging it so much..broken headphones?
We both liked it, we just have different ways of showing it :)
y'all should listen to the version, funky as shit!!!
Sorry, I meant live version please forgive me...
Put the names of the musicians who played the solos that you liked!!!!!
If you know what a Steely Dan is you might not wanna be one...im just assuming.
This is from Katy Lied.
It’s from the Royal Scam album, YOU lied
Royal Scam
LOL