Valerie Simpson of Ashford & Simpson is on this track, along with Patti Austin, Michael McDonald, David Sanborn is here too with Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits fame. It is a who's who of the most talented artists of that Era. Immaculate playing.
The credits for Time Out of Mind: Donald Fagen - lead vocals, backing vocals, synthesizer, electric piano Walter Becker - bass, guitar Mark Knopfler - lead guitar Hugh McCracken - guitar David Sanborn - alto saxophone Randy Brecker - trumpet Michael Brecker - tenor saxophone Dave Tofani - tenor saxophone Ronnie Cuber - baritone saxophone Rob Mounsey - piano, horn arrangement Rick Marotta - drums Michael McDonald, Patti Austin, Valerie Simpson, Lesley Miller - backing vocals
That’s a plethora of music talent right there! I’m very happy they collaborated for this, just not sure why they would encourage us to smoke heroin in a drug lord’s chamber.
Steely Dan having Larry Carlton, Denny Dias, Skunk Baxter, Elliot Randall, and even Rick Derringer at their disposal..”Well, this clearly isn’t enough. Hey, Yknow that Mark Knopfler guy is pretty good. How about we bring him in, too”
@@jml-rj5re Knopfler was not happy with the session, felt he was over-managed and overly constrained. Then they turned the volume way down on the solo. Not a good artistic fit. Unfortunate, since I love them both.
@@richkurl Right. Knopfler and Steely Dan were on top of their game, but they mix like oil and water. lol Knopfler hated the effects. He dug spontaneous playing.
We could see how from a session musician standpoint, it could be frustrating to work with SD considering their perfectionism. But it's hard to argue with the final product!
@@SightAfterDark ruclips.net/video/RKvQYgvcOPw/видео.html if you want insight into Steely Dan, this quick 26 minute quasi documentary quickly covers the bands state of mind (fracturing and possibly self destructive) of S.D. this is the perfect vignette to watch to truly get how complex the duo from Bard College were. They had this qualitative, borderline genius to them, but took songs that seem not too serious, too seriously.
I love the horn chart on this one. So detail oriented were Don and Walt, and so on their game are the woodwind and brass sesh players(Cuber, Tofani, BRECKERs, and SANBORN, that as the chart builds in detail and scope through the song and they crescendo in the last chorus, there isn't a single 'cycle per second' (hz) difference in tuning between the players. Surgically sharp and breathtaking in 5.1 Dolby surround (DVD-Audio release.)
One has to MATURE to fully GET the artistry of this LP. It is a GREAT one. Lyrically, like much of The Dan's music, it goes pretty deep. The musicianship is, as usual, phenomenal. "Time Out of Mind" is one of my favorite cuts from the early 80s.
That's the truth. I bought The Royal Scam, Katy Lied and Gaucho the same day. I remember it like it was yesterday. It was 2003 or so. I put Gaucho in and was so let down. Years later returning to it was blown away. You can't start with the best, you have to ascend to it.
Chasing the dragon, Walter Becker had a serious issue with heroin. All that and they still produce such great music. I think I am correct on this. If not correct me. I am cool with it.
Also where the expression "I got a Monkey on my Back". When you do H your back itches so you and your partner/friend "scratch each other's back". The scratcher is called the monkey.
This was one of the first to use an electronic drum machine. They auditioned several of greatest drummers, but weren’t satisfied so they paid their engineer, Roger Nichols, about $100,000 to build a drum machine....A few weeks later, he came back and they used a mix of real drums and the drum machine, known as ‘Wendel I’. Keep in mind, this machine was primitive.
@@SightAfterDark the maestro rhythm king existed in the early 70s and there were others before that. true programmability became common in the early 80s.
This is one of the fans favorite for them to play live in concert. My brother in laws overall favorite Steely Dan track. Chasing the dragon... drug reference...
Yes this is one of if not they first drumb machine used in a song. Donald told someone he wanted something like that and 100,000 dollars later he made one for him.
Right. Roger "The Immortal" Nichols, their engineer. Technically, WENDEL sampled drums from live drummers, then was programmed to play loops over and over. It's the drumming version of a mellotron or Chamberlain. This was the birth of the type of drum machine common in R&B in the 80s, 90s, and beyond. Walter later describes it as Birth of the Cruel, a play on the Miles Davis album. By the time Steely Dan recorded Everything Must Go and recorded their last 3 solo records the had completely abandoned drum machines, looping, digitizing. The circle of life.
The interviews back from Knopfler they only used a few seconds of his playing. Supposedly Fagen turned to Becker while he was playing and said "I thought you said he was good?" In fairness they (Becker/Fagen) were looking for a sound that didn't exist. And yes after the drums were laid down they had Nichols make a drum machine to fill in the spots they wanted.
One of their best songs IMO, so sunny and upbeat for a song about drugs haha Also that bridge is genius, mixing jazz with gospel and the way the guitar and horns pile on little by little...there's a video somewhere of that bridge for like an hour straight lol!
The chorus contains three very overt drug references to my ears. Chasing the dragon is smoking heroin, water changing to cherry wine is blood coming into a syringe when you hit, and silver turning to gold is foil changing from it's normal color to gold after a lighter had been held to it and burned chasing the dragon. Im probably wrong since those references seem to overt for Walter to have written. SD never discuss who wrote what in any of their compositions but I'm pretty sure Walter wrote these lyrics.
My second favorite Steely Dan song for sure. The groovy keys throughout the song, the lyrics, the reverb, and a strong horn section. It’s...perfection and grace to say the least.
I have to listen all over again, for the drums and horn you mentioned. My brain was focusing on piano and guitar. I loved where, and at what volume, everything was in the mix.
Of the hundreds of thousands of lines Michael McDonald has recorded over the years, his "children we have it right here" and "light in my eyes" that he sings after the bridge are my favorite bits of his singing ever!
Donald and Walter told the engineer at the studio that they wished there was a machine where they could program the drums the way they really wanted. So Roger Nichols, the engineer, invented the drum machine they named Wendel.
One of their most catchy songs: Children we have it right here It's the light in my eyes It's perfection and grace It's the smile on my face Beautiful. The music swings, glides, bounces and entrances too. It was lovely to see your reactions to it as it's apparent you dig them and are instantly switched on, engaged and strapped in for the ride.
Once upon a time in my life, I was introduced to the dragon. It was popular in Amsterdam. Smoked, the high is instantaneous and prolonged usage created a difficult habit to 'withdraw' from.
Suggestion for the future: Donald Fagen solo material - he's definitely carried SD's sound forward for decades. Start with Morph the Cat (album) and you could begin with the title track.
Time Out of Mind, My Rival, Glamour Profession. Babylon Sisters (Bernard Purdie), Gaucho (Jeff Porcaro), and Third World Man (Steve Gadd) are all live drumming...and the should be with the 3 greatest drummers on the planet at that time!
Prople here mention the dum machine. One of the earliest usages was Sly and the Family Stone. On 1969's "Thank You...Again." And "Family Affair." 1971.
Sorry I actually confused issues “ Michael Franks “ The Camera Never Lies “ video is the early drum machine tune w/ Steve Khan ( Chase the dragon) on guitar. !
Their studio engineer extraordinaire Roger Nichols was one of the early pioneers of the drum machine and I believe he invented one called Wendell that they used on Gaucho although I don’t know which song or songs they used it on
Aside from the extraordinary music created, I've ALWAYS found it intriguing to try to deduce what drug they are referencing in their songs! Sooo many of their songs have a drug/s reference somewhere ensconced within the lyrics. Don't know if anyone has pointed it out already, but: the band's name "Steely Dan" is a direct reference from William Burrough's book "Naked Lunch"--which contains a dildo (yes!) with the same name as the band. Burroughs, (himself being a well-known drug user) obviously inspired the duo (Fagan and Becker) tremendously. Subsequently, a great many of the songs the duo produced have obvious, (and some not-so-obvious) musings about drugs. Whoever said nothing good ever comes from drug use...is quite wrong!!
@@SightAfterDark So happy to be informative. I think you should give some attention to Fagan's solo works...perhaps starting with his 2006 release "Morph, The Cat"; a cd NO ONE online has reacted to (yet!). Given how the two of you are so drawn to the crisp production work they (Steely Dan) do, I have NO doubt you'll be impressed with the entire disc; musically, and lyrically---as it's an entirely digital recording. I absolutely love what the two of you do! Thank you!
Porcaro was replaced by Bernard “Pretty” Purdie and his famed “Purdie Shuffle”-style playing on “Babylon Sister”, and eventually a state-of-the-art drum machine nicknamed “Wendel” that was created by a sound engineer Roger Nicolls for about $100k 1977 to Becker and Fagen’s specifications (Wendel famously received a plaque when Gaucho was certified Platinum). Imagine this as a microcosm for their entire recording process, working through each part on each track individually, performing take-after-take until getting it just right.
This song as well as Hey Nineteen were chart toppers up here in Canada for a while eh. SD were more popular here than in most places. I went to England in 1985 and was in a pub asked 5 people as I recall what they thought of SD only one Brit had even heard of them.
Excuse me??? I have been a huge devoted Steely Dan can since the 70's I've had all their albums in various forms from vinyl to cassettes, remember those, to CD's and now back to vinyl. Actually come to think of it, I have introduced, educated, many of my fellow country people to the delights of Steely Dan so yes probably the initial comment is correct, sadly!
It's perfection and grace its a smile on my face tonight when I chase the dragon the water may turn to cherry wine 🍷 chasing the smack ( opium ) off the foil.
Listen to Michael Franks “Your Secrets Safe With Me “ for early drum machine “ Franks like Steely Dan was jazzy and used top studio musicians. His Classic album “ One Bad Habit” is beautifully recorded and his tune “ The Dream” is Dynamite . Try him out !
I'm so surprised so many of you don't know this song. I was born in the 70s & I'd hear them played on Black radio stations in the 70s & 80s, as well as mainstream radio. I grew up in a Southwest market, not places like Chicago or LA or Atlanta. Wow. People really don't know them.
not about a drum machine, but thought you might enjoy this classic Dan studio/tech anecdote I just stumbled on when reading about production stuff: “While Becker and Fagen were notorious perfectionists, minutely attentive to the tiniest blemishes to which human performers are inevitably prey, Fagen was probably the more neurotic, his drive to eliminate anomalies and square off every awry detail leading to legendary feats of fussiness and the nickname ‘Mother’. While recording ‘Home At Last’ on Aja, he reportedly spent four days punching in the words ‘Well, the’ (as in ‘Well, the danger on the rocks is surely past’). During mixing on Gaucho, at the Village Recorder in Los Angeles, Fagen encountered his ideal: one of Neve’s earliest automated desks, a tool which allowed incremental tweaking of infinitesimal details. After the two hundred and fiftieth mix of ‘Babylon Sisters’, the maintenance crew awarded him a ‘platinum’ floppy disk, handpainted with silver nail polish. When engineer Elliot Scheiner reached Mix No. 274, Fagen decided that an acceptable compromise had been reached and took it home to New York. A week later, everyone was back in the studio to fix the second bass note in the second bar, which ‘Mother’ had noticed was too soft.”
Yes, it's obviously full of imagery a junkie would see and feel. I think the story on this is that Donald wrote it for Walter because of his heroin problems. It took Walter a long time to get himself straight.
There is an explanation about this song in which the dragon is the heroin, the cherry wine is when a small amount of blood enters the syringe (making sure your in the vein when pulling it back) and the heated foil, when melting it down, turns into a gold color.
@@SightAfterDark After watching a number of your reactions, it's been fun listening to your true appreciation for great music, so after watching 10 or 12 Steely Dan songs last night I went ahead and subscribed due to such an intellectual duo! So glad to hear all these Steely Dan songs and your insightful feedback! You'll love Fagen's albums once you finish!
The solo is a guitar. Indeed, heavily processed of Mark Knopfler's (Dire Straits). Knopfler in later interviews admitted he hated the sessions because of the limited spontaneity and playing the licks over and over. Mostly, I think Knopfler probably hated the effects and having his guitar lead buried in the mix. Love both Dire Straits and Steely Dan, but their approach is polar opposite in the studio. lol
No band has ever had more great drummers on their projects: Rick Marotta, Steve Gadd, Bernard Purdie, Jeff Porcaro, Kieth Carlock. Gotta have that legendary shuffle groove beat to play in the Dan! And backup singers like Patti Austin and Michael McDonald? Steely Dan don't play around!
chasing the dragon is smoking opium or doing smack.....water into cherry wine is the water turning red inside a syringe when hitting the vain. Becker had a bad heroin habit. Great track.
Oh, Yeah - "Chasing the Dragon", 'rolling in the snow' we're hearing about opium (which inspired tons of great music) - jus' sayin'. If you want to review a GREAT album from this time period, Check RICKIE LEE JONES' debut album (titled 'Rickie Lee Jones') - some of the best session musicians available ('78?), back when it was considered hip and fashionable to be on the street at night around Hollywood and Vine - I don't think there's a bad cut or filler on the whole album. PLEASE CHECK IT OUT FOR A REACTION! My faves = 'Weasel And The White Boys Cool', 'Young Blood', 'Chuck E's In Love', 'Last Chance Texaco' ...
Hey there! Thanks so much for watching. Most of our reactions are chosen by our Patrons on Patreon, and we've been getting a lot lately. We're pretty backed up on reactions, but if you join the fam over there, we can guarantee a reaction to any song you like! Check it out if you're interested! www.patreon.com/sightafterdark?fan_landing=true
Alchemical allusions as well heroin freebasing. Time out of mind.....local space-time being manipulated by local space time geometry...and a perfection of the alchemical philosophers stone. And yes. Valerie Simpson on background. You can hear Valerie Simpson and Luther vandross on David Bowie's album....Young Americans.
Mark Knopfler on guitar, didn't know, wasn't expecting that; sounds fairly characteristic of him though, restrained, fluid, tasty. Poor Walter, all strung out at this time, though I gotta say, I'm tiring of the "smack dab in the middle-of-the-road" themes. Past hip into how sad, if not ho-hum, but for the expert if facile tuneful near-perfection we know and luuurve. 8'>\
I can almost guarantee that Michael Jackson and/or Quincy Jones heard this track and “borrowed” the drum sound and horn section vibe for the song Billy Jean. That’s not a knock against MJ or QJ as they were already a great artist and producer in their own right, but I’m sure they heard this and said “wow, we can DO something with this”. I can imagine MJ dancing to this and doing the moonwalk!
uh... was there some reference to illegal substances in this song? If they had been even a tiny bit more explicit they would have had the cops busting down the door.
I might be mistaken but I think the first use of the drum machine was John Lennon on "Instant Karma". I know he used a non-human drummer on it and it made me sad. Maybe they called it something else. To go from Ringo to R2D2 was depressing.
Hey SAD, would you ever consider reacting to a live video from Steely Dan? I know you said you were only doing the studio albums but there is a live performance of a song called "Jack of Speed" from their next album "Two Against Nature". This was from a concert recorded in 2000. It sounds close to the studio version so I think it would be a good one for you two to check out. The quality of the video is really good too so I feel it would be worth a reaction. Here is the link to the video: ruclips.net/video/Jf__h-xkQJk/видео.html
Hey Michael, we would love to react to a live video from SD! We have A LOT of Patreon suggestions to take care of so we might not be able to get to this for a long time. If you want to expedite the process, definitely consider checking it out! Thanks for all your support and comments!
I hate drum mchines but think this is real . Its like the Tiller Girls high kickin in step. and that dont fit with opium. The backing singers doing Brazil 66 had big
5th ‘s .. 7th ‘s … 13th ‘s 👈 Chords only 3 % of the musicians in the world employ in composition …. 🧠 …. Walter Becker and Donald Fagan …. are NOT garage band typical . College grads in music , nothing ad - lib …. no “ who flung doo “ …. layered , composed , and written down on paper . ….. just add talent . 🎯 THAT …. comes only from OUR Father in Heaven . ☝️ sounds “ tight “ …. doesn’t it ?? 👍 Judgment is coming . 🇺🇸 Semper Fi
If you enjoyed this, check out our podcast on Steely Dan!
ruclips.net/video/2tNasxBrqnM/видео.html
Valerie Simpson of Ashford & Simpson is on this track, along with Patti Austin, Michael McDonald, David Sanborn is here too with Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits fame. It is a who's who of the most talented artists of that Era. Immaculate playing.
I did not know that. Thanks for the info!
Mind blowing the talent they used isn't it?
Wow.
@@eileendobbs8009 it truly is impressive the number of session musicians used by this band during their strenuous recording sessions.
@@jamesstarks3676 I think I've heard stories that Donald Fagan's perfectionism on Gaucho chased off MM
Its perfection and grace.
This bridge alone is a masterpiece. Incredible chord changes.
Unbelievable chord changes. Need a decoder ring to figure out some of them!!
The credits for Time Out of Mind: Donald Fagen - lead vocals, backing vocals, synthesizer, electric piano
Walter Becker - bass, guitar
Mark Knopfler - lead guitar
Hugh McCracken - guitar
David Sanborn - alto saxophone
Randy Brecker - trumpet
Michael Brecker - tenor saxophone
Dave Tofani - tenor saxophone
Ronnie Cuber - baritone saxophone
Rob Mounsey - piano, horn arrangement
Rick Marotta - drums
Michael McDonald, Patti Austin, Valerie Simpson, Lesley Miller - backing vocals
Thanks a million for the credits Michael.
Thanks Michael!
That’s a plethora of music talent right there! I’m very happy they collaborated for this, just not sure why they would encourage us to smoke heroin in a drug lord’s chamber.
That's a pretty highly talented session. Must have cost them a bundle. :-)
Steely Dan having Larry Carlton, Denny Dias, Skunk Baxter, Elliot Randall, and even Rick Derringer at their disposal..”Well, this clearly isn’t enough. Hey, Yknow that Mark Knopfler guy is pretty good. How about we bring him in, too”
"Time Out of Mimd" was heavily played on the radio in L.A. back in 1980. The groove got to you. Classy, saucy, it has to be Steely Dan.
The great Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits fame on the outro. And of course "Double M" on background vox.
Knopfler is noodling throughout the song on lead, including the solo. Hugh McCracken was strictly rhythm. He didn't want to make it cry or sing.
@@jml-rj5re Knopfler was not happy with the session, felt he was over-managed and overly constrained. Then they turned the volume way down on the solo. Not a good artistic fit. Unfortunate, since I love them both.
@@richkurl Right. Knopfler and Steely Dan were on top of their game, but they mix like oil and water. lol Knopfler hated the effects. He dug spontaneous playing.
We could see how from a session musician standpoint, it could be frustrating to work with SD considering their perfectionism. But it's hard to argue with the final product!
@@SightAfterDark ruclips.net/video/RKvQYgvcOPw/видео.html if you want insight into Steely Dan, this quick 26 minute quasi documentary quickly covers the bands state of mind (fracturing and possibly self destructive) of S.D. this is the perfect vignette to watch to truly get how complex the duo from Bard College were. They had this qualitative, borderline genius to them, but took songs that seem not too serious, too seriously.
I love the horn chart on this one. So detail oriented were Don and Walt, and so on their game are the woodwind and brass sesh players(Cuber, Tofani, BRECKERs, and SANBORN, that as the chart builds in detail and scope through the song and they crescendo in the last chorus, there isn't a single 'cycle per second' (hz) difference in tuning between the players. Surgically sharp and breathtaking in 5.1 Dolby surround (DVD-Audio release.)
Absolutely amazing
Rob mounsey horn arrangements!
One has to MATURE to fully GET the artistry of this LP. It is a GREAT one. Lyrically, like much of The Dan's music, it goes pretty deep. The musicianship is, as usual, phenomenal. "Time Out of Mind" is one of my favorite cuts from the early 80s.
That's the truth. I bought The Royal Scam, Katy Lied and Gaucho the same day. I remember it like it was yesterday. It was 2003 or so. I put Gaucho in and was so let down. Years later returning to it was blown away. You can't start with the best, you have to ascend to it.
@@theivory1 ZACKLY. We're ready WHEN we're ready.
We definitely can see how somebody may need time to warm up to Gaucho, but we've liked it since the beginning!
@@SightAfterDark The Dan's lyrics have more than once sent me scouring through dictionaries & history books. Teachers as well as mega musicians.
Chasing the dragon, Walter Becker had a serious issue with heroin. All that and they still produce such great music. I think I am correct on this. If not correct me. I am cool with it.
Pull on that fix...water to wine....silver to gold...tin foil burning the H......Drove Becker into a 10 yr rehab
Yes you are correct!
From what we've heard, that is correct!
Also where the expression "I got a Monkey on my Back". When you do H your back itches so you and your partner/friend "scratch each other's back". The scratcher is called the monkey.
Correct. The dragon is heroin.
This was one of the first to use an electronic drum machine. They auditioned several of greatest drummers, but weren’t satisfied so they paid their engineer, Roger Nichols, about $100,000 to build a drum machine....A few weeks later, he came back and they used a mix of real drums and the drum machine, known as ‘Wendel I’. Keep in mind, this machine was primitive.
Amazing. Didn't think drum machines were a thing until the late 80s! Years ahead of their time!
Rick Marotta on drums! I know they used wendel but this sounds like a real drummer just from the groove! Marotta had a big snare sound!
I verify this remark. 😁
No drum machine in this track !
@@SightAfterDark the maestro rhythm king existed in the early 70s and there were others before that. true programmability became common in the early 80s.
This is one of the fans favorite for them to play live in concert. My brother in laws overall favorite Steely Dan track. Chasing the dragon... drug reference...
Message to the kids: Don't chase the dragon!
@@SightAfterDark 😆
I know you heard you know who in the background lol 🔥🔥🔥
lol yeahhhhhh
Read about the making of Gaucho on Wikipedia, it has the drum machine stuff all spelled out.
Ahhh the most reliable of sources lmao
Yes this is one of if not they first drumb machine used in a song. Donald told someone he wanted something like that and 100,000 dollars later he made one for him.
Apparently built by Roger Nichols, their engineer, who named it "Wendel"
Right. Roger "The Immortal" Nichols, their engineer. Technically, WENDEL sampled drums from live drummers, then was programmed to play loops over and over. It's the drumming version of a mellotron or Chamberlain. This was the birth of the type of drum machine common in R&B in the 80s, 90s, and beyond. Walter later describes it as Birth of the Cruel, a play on the Miles Davis album. By the time Steely Dan recorded Everything Must Go and recorded their last 3 solo records the had completely abandoned drum machines, looping, digitizing. The circle of life.
That's an expensive machine!
"Drumb" lol
The interviews back from Knopfler they only used a few seconds of his playing. Supposedly Fagen turned to Becker while he was playing and said "I thought you said he was good?" In fairness they (Becker/Fagen) were looking for a sound that didn't exist. And yes after the drums were laid down they had Nichols make a drum machine to fill in the spots they wanted.
Lol yeah I'm sure looking for a sound that doesn't exist can leave a few people frustrated
From 1:40 to about 1:50 the ensemble magic, timing, and artisanship strikes all together - and your faces show it..
One of their best songs IMO, so sunny and upbeat for a song about drugs haha
Also that bridge is genius, mixing jazz with gospel and the way the guitar and horns pile on little by little...there's a video somewhere of that bridge for like an hour straight lol!
haha sounds like a great way to spend an hour!
The chorus contains three very overt drug references to my ears. Chasing the dragon is smoking heroin, water changing to cherry wine is blood coming into a syringe when you hit, and silver turning to gold is foil changing from it's normal color to gold after a lighter had been held to it and burned chasing the dragon. Im probably wrong since those references seem to overt for Walter to have written. SD never discuss who wrote what in any of their compositions but I'm pretty sure Walter wrote these lyrics.
Probably! The only one we didn’t lock up on was the cherry wine. Great analysis Joey!
My second favorite Steely Dan song for sure. The groovy keys throughout the song, the lyrics, the reverb, and a strong horn section. It’s...perfection and grace to say the least.
You said it!
I have to listen all over again, for the drums and horn you mentioned. My brain was focusing on piano and guitar. I loved where, and at what volume, everything was in the mix.
The mix is immaculate!
Probably my fav Dan tune. The instrumental section in the middle is brilliant and the musical line up of players is crazy good.
This is from their "Gaucho" album, which is the most perfect sounding album I have ever heard of any genre. Just extreme genius.
Of the hundreds of thousands of lines Michael McDonald has recorded over the years, his "children we have it right here" and "light in my eyes" that he sings after the bridge are my favorite bits of his singing ever!
Donald and Walter told the engineer at the studio that they wished there was a machine where they could program the drums the way they really wanted. So Roger Nichols, the engineer, invented the drum machine they named Wendel.
Thanks Kevin! Shoutout to Wendel!
This is up there with one of my fav SD songs. So upbeat and melodic.
It's a great one!
One of their most catchy songs:
Children we have it right here
It's the light in my eyes
It's perfection and grace
It's the smile on my face
Beautiful. The music swings, glides, bounces and entrances too. It was lovely to see your reactions to it as it's apparent you dig them and are instantly switched on, engaged and strapped in for the ride.
You know it! Thanks for watching Brian!
I love this album, i was 25 when it came out , and still love it like first time i listen to it.
Once upon a time in my life, I was introduced to the dragon. It was popular in Amsterdam. Smoked, the high is instantaneous and prolonged usage created a difficult habit to 'withdraw' from.
Suggestion for the future: Donald Fagen solo material - he's definitely carried SD's sound forward for decades. Start with Morph the Cat (album) and you could begin with the title track.
Thanks! We plan on getting to the solo stuff once we finish all the SD albums :)
I know the drum machine was used on Hey Nineteen, but I’m not sure what other songs it was used on.
Time Out of Mind, My Rival, Glamour Profession. Babylon Sisters (Bernard Purdie), Gaucho (Jeff Porcaro), and Third World Man (Steve Gadd) are all live drumming...and the should be with the 3 greatest drummers on the planet at that time!
Shoutout to Purdie. Always
@@jml-rj5re Rick Marotta on drums on Time out of mind and Hey nineteen!
Prople here mention the dum machine. One of the earliest usages was Sly and the Family Stone. On 1969's "Thank You...Again." And "Family Affair." 1971.
Sorry I actually confused issues “ Michael Franks “ The Camera Never Lies “ video is the early drum machine tune w/ Steve Khan ( Chase the dragon) on guitar. !
This song is about Walter's heroin addiction. Steely Dan broke up in 1981 (until the 1990s) so Walter could dry out in Maui.
Sounds like a nice place to take a break!
Their studio engineer extraordinaire Roger Nichols was one of the early pioneers of the drum machine and I believe he invented one called Wendell that they used on Gaucho although I don’t know which song or songs they used it on
That’s what we’ve heard! Thanks Steve!
@@SightAfterDark ya nailed it!
It’s perfection and grace!
"Ruby Baby" by Donald Fagen on his solo album The Nightfly.
a tour de force of phrasing, filling, riffing and blowing our collective minds!
Exactly Peter!
One of my favorite Dan songs.
It’s a great one!
This was the other single from the album. It peaked at #22 on the billboard hot 100 chart on 4/25/81.
Michael w/ the facts!
Steely Dan engineer, Roger Nichols invented a drum machine that he called Wendel for this album. I believe it is the drum machine used anywhere.
First drum machine
Aside from the extraordinary music created, I've ALWAYS found it intriguing to try to deduce what drug they are referencing in their songs!
Sooo many of their songs have a drug/s reference somewhere ensconced within the lyrics.
Don't know if anyone has pointed it out already, but: the band's name "Steely Dan" is a direct reference from William Burrough's book "Naked Lunch"--which contains a dildo (yes!) with the same name as the band. Burroughs, (himself being a well-known drug user) obviously inspired the duo (Fagan and Becker) tremendously. Subsequently, a great many of the songs the duo produced have obvious, (and some not-so-obvious) musings about drugs.
Whoever said nothing good ever comes from drug use...is quite wrong!!
Woahhh, we never knew this!
@@SightAfterDark So happy to be informative.
I think you should give some attention to Fagan's solo works...perhaps starting with his 2006 release "Morph, The Cat"; a cd NO ONE online has reacted to (yet!).
Given how the two of you are so drawn to the crisp production work they (Steely Dan) do, I have NO doubt you'll be impressed with the entire disc; musically, and lyrically---as it's an entirely digital recording.
I absolutely love what the two of you do! Thank you!
Porcaro was replaced by Bernard “Pretty” Purdie and his famed “Purdie Shuffle”-style playing on “Babylon Sister”, and eventually a state-of-the-art drum machine nicknamed “Wendel” that was created by a sound engineer Roger Nicolls for about $100k 1977 to Becker and Fagen’s specifications (Wendel famously received a plaque when Gaucho was certified Platinum). Imagine this as a microcosm for their entire recording process, working through each part on each track individually, performing take-after-take until getting it just right.
That’s some great ingenuity and dedication! Thanks for sharing John!
That groove though
This song as well as Hey Nineteen were chart toppers up here in Canada for a while eh. SD were more popular here than in most places. I went to England in 1985 and was in a pub asked 5 people as I recall what they thought of SD only one Brit had even heard of them.
LOL what do they know anyway?
Excuse me??? I have been a huge devoted Steely Dan can since the 70's I've had all their albums in various forms from vinyl to cassettes, remember those, to CD's and now back to vinyl. Actually come to think of it, I have introduced, educated, many of my fellow country people to the delights of Steely Dan so yes probably the initial comment is correct, sadly!
"Time out of mind"and Steely Dan is "The Best", Young People.
It's perfection and grace its a smile on my face tonight when I chase the dragon the water may turn to cherry wine 🍷 chasing the smack ( opium ) off the foil.
Yes, was Michael. Yes, first drum machine named Wendel. Yes, is about heroin.
haha Yes Yes and Yes!
Listen to Michael Franks “Your Secrets Safe With Me “ for early drum machine “ Franks like Steely Dan was jazzy and used top studio musicians. His Classic album “ One Bad Habit” is beautifully recorded and his tune “ The Dream” is Dynamite . Try him out !
Thanks Bill!
I'm so surprised so many of you don't know this song. I was born in the 70s & I'd hear them played on Black radio stations in the 70s & 80s, as well as mainstream radio. I grew up in a Southwest market, not places like Chicago or LA or Atlanta. Wow. People really don't know them.
We didn’t really know about SD until we started making these videos. The more we listen, the more surprised we are we didn’t know them before!
That was very nice.
Thanks Dunbar!
not about a drum machine, but thought you might enjoy this classic Dan studio/tech anecdote I just stumbled on when reading about production stuff: “While Becker and Fagen were notorious perfectionists, minutely attentive to the tiniest blemishes to which human performers are inevitably prey, Fagen was probably the more neurotic, his drive to eliminate anomalies and square off every awry detail leading to legendary feats of fussiness and the nickname ‘Mother’. While recording ‘Home At Last’ on Aja, he reportedly spent four days punching in the words ‘Well, the’ (as in ‘Well, the danger on the rocks is surely past’). During mixing on Gaucho, at the Village Recorder in Los Angeles, Fagen encountered his ideal: one of Neve’s earliest automated desks, a tool which allowed incremental tweaking of infinitesimal details. After the two hundred and fiftieth mix of ‘Babylon Sisters’, the maintenance crew awarded him a ‘platinum’ floppy disk, handpainted with silver nail polish. When engineer Elliot Scheiner reached Mix No. 274, Fagen decided that an acceptable compromise had been reached and took it home to New York. A week later, everyone was back in the studio to fix the second bass note in the second bar, which ‘Mother’ had noticed was too soft.”
Amazing! Musty have been hard to work with him, but it seems like it was definitely worth it. Thanks for the info Eric!
Sounds like a phaser/chorus on the guitar part which doubles as a keyboard sound.
Pretty much!
Yes, it's obviously full of imagery a junkie would see and feel. I think the story on this is that Donald wrote it for Walter because of his heroin problems. It took Walter a long time to get himself straight.
Sounds about right. Thanks!
Mark Knopfler plays guitar on this track Donald Fagen on vocals
🤯 🤯 ! Thanks for the info!
There is an explanation about this song in which the dragon is the heroin, the cherry wine is when a small amount of blood enters the syringe (making sure your in the vein when pulling it back) and the heated foil, when melting it down, turns into a gold color.
We heard about that one! Great analysis
@@SightAfterDark After watching a number of your reactions, it's been fun listening to your true appreciation for great music, so after watching 10 or 12 Steely Dan songs last night I went ahead and subscribed due to such an intellectual duo! So glad to hear all these Steely Dan songs and your insightful feedback! You'll love Fagen's albums once you finish!
The solo is a guitar. Indeed, heavily processed of Mark Knopfler's (Dire Straits). Knopfler in later interviews admitted he hated the sessions because of the limited spontaneity and playing the licks over and over. Mostly, I think Knopfler probably hated the effects and having his guitar lead buried in the mix. Love both Dire Straits and Steely Dan, but their approach is polar opposite in the studio. lol
Haha yeah SD definitely seems like they could be a headache to work with considering their perfectionism, but the end product is always worth it!
Can u review yellow flowers by in the sky music?
This was Steely Dans final charted single.
Michael Mc Donald very clear at 3:29 Not sure if you noticed.
Legendary!
Michael McDonald showed up on this one.
Hell yeah he did!
Please PLEASE review Advanced Romance by Frank Zappa from the Bongo Fury Album. Seductive slide guitar and immersive blues with harmonica.
Michael McDonald solo would be a good dive for you guys.
omg that sounds awesome!
Smoothe as a song can be about heroine.
No band has ever had more great drummers on their projects: Rick Marotta, Steve Gadd, Bernard Purdie, Jeff Porcaro, Kieth Carlock. Gotta have that legendary shuffle groove beat to play in the Dan! And backup singers like Patti Austin and Michael McDonald? Steely Dan don't play around!
Walter Becker had a heroin problem in that era.
Unfortunate
chasing the dragon is smoking opium or doing smack.....water into cherry wine is the water turning red inside a syringe when hitting the vain. Becker had a bad heroin habit. Great track.
After years and years of listening to this album, somehow this is the song I keep coming back to.
We can see why! Thanks Pablo!
Oh, Yeah - "Chasing the Dragon", 'rolling in the snow' we're hearing about opium (which inspired tons of great music) - jus' sayin'. If you want to review a GREAT album from this time period, Check RICKIE LEE JONES' debut album (titled 'Rickie Lee Jones') - some of the best session musicians available ('78?), back when it was considered hip and fashionable to be on the street at night around Hollywood and Vine - I don't think there's a bad cut or filler on the whole album. PLEASE CHECK IT OUT FOR A REACTION! My faves = 'Weasel And The White Boys Cool', 'Young Blood', 'Chuck E's In Love', 'Last Chance Texaco' ...
Hey there! Thanks so much for watching. Most of our reactions are chosen by our Patrons on Patreon, and we've been getting a lot lately. We're pretty backed up on reactions, but if you join the fam over there, we can guarantee a reaction to any song you like!
Check it out if you're interested!
www.patreon.com/sightafterdark?fan_landing=true
Alchemical allusions as well heroin freebasing. Time out of mind.....local space-time being manipulated by local space time geometry...and a perfection of the alchemical philosophers stone. And yes. Valerie Simpson on background. You can hear Valerie Simpson and Luther vandross on David Bowie's album....Young Americans.
Great info, thanks Charlie!
Mark Knopfler on guitar, didn't know, wasn't expecting that; sounds fairly characteristic of him though, restrained, fluid, tasty. Poor Walter, all strung out at this time, though I gotta say, I'm tiring of the "smack dab in the middle-of-the-road" themes. Past hip into how sad, if not ho-hum, but for the expert if facile tuneful near-perfection we know and luuurve. 8'>\
What a legend!
@@SightAfterDark pretty much describes everyone taking part in the recording! 😮😙🎵🎶👏👏👏
This is the one song that doesn’t deserve criticism.. cmon bro
That's just like.......your opinion.....maaaan
I didn’t hear any criticism. Seemed like they enjoyed it to me.
Michael McDonald elevates every song he brings his voice to.
For real
Did you notice future lead singer of the Doobie brothers Micheal McDonald singing back up vocals?
We didn’t, but thanks so much Xavier, we love the Michael-Steely combo!
I can almost guarantee that Michael Jackson and/or Quincy Jones heard this track and “borrowed” the drum sound and horn section vibe for the song Billy Jean. That’s not a knock against MJ or QJ as they were already a great artist and producer in their own right, but I’m sure they heard this and said “wow, we can DO something with this”. I can imagine MJ dancing to this and doing the moonwalk!
Love the visual! Thanks for watching John
mark knopfler of Dire Straits on lead guitar
Woww! We love Mark! Thanks for the info Allen!
Vocals Michael McDonald and Donald Fagen all the musicians are pretty much session musicians except for Donald Fagen and Walter Becker
uh... was there some reference to illegal substances in this song? If they had been even a tiny bit more explicit they would have had the cops busting down the door.
😂
No wonder he hit writers block
The power
Cool music to a serious topic, heroin addiction!
I might be mistaken but I think the first use of the drum machine was John Lennon on "Instant Karma". I know he used a non-human drummer on it and it made me sad. Maybe they called it something else. To go from Ringo to R2D2 was depressing.
LOL maybe the R in R2D2 is for Ringo?
chasing the dragon is smoking opium-herion
Michael MacDonald in the back.
Legend!
@@SightAfterDark The Crowned Prince of Yacht Rock
their songs are classics. and I'm surprised that people are listening.
Walter Becker did have a brown issue.
😞
Hey SAD, would you ever consider reacting to a live video from Steely Dan? I know you said you were only doing the studio albums but there is a live performance of a song called "Jack of Speed" from their next album "Two Against Nature". This was from a concert recorded in 2000. It sounds close to the studio version so I think it would be a good one for you two to check out. The quality of the video is really good too so I feel it would be worth a reaction. Here is the link to the video: ruclips.net/video/Jf__h-xkQJk/видео.html
Hey Michael, we would love to react to a live video from SD! We have A LOT of Patreon suggestions to take care of so we might not be able to get to this for a long time. If you want to expedite the process, definitely consider checking it out! Thanks for all your support and comments!
Don't forget, Michael popped up there.. .. Again.. 😉
Good old double M! Thanks!
I hate drum mchines but think this is real . Its like the Tiller Girls high kickin in step. and that dont fit with opium. The backing singers doing Brazil 66 had big
It's WENDEL, but WENDEL really looped and processed samples of live drumming.
You can't handle Steely Dan
Thanks for watching!
Chasing the dragon is a heroin experience! Though rolling in the snow ?
🤷♂️ 🤷♀️
I wish they would have extended the end hear more guitar
Gotta leave you wanting more!
Def double MM.
McD!
OMG
Smoking Heroine/Opium
A Love song to heroin. Good tune.
5th ‘s .. 7th ‘s … 13th ‘s 👈
Chords only 3 % of the musicians in the world employ
in composition …. 🧠
…. Walter Becker and Donald
Fagan …. are NOT garage band
typical .
College grads in music , nothing
ad - lib …. no “ who flung doo “
…. layered , composed , and
written down on paper .
….. just add talent . 🎯
THAT …. comes only from OUR
Father in Heaven . ☝️
sounds “ tight “ …. doesn’t it ?? 👍
Judgment is coming . 🇺🇸
Semper Fi
They were the best!
It’s a bad Steely Dan song.
how dare you take a drink during filming. That's disrespectful to SD. Who do you think you are
😂 human beings?
their songs are classics. and I'm surprised that people are listening.