My father used to tell me..."Steely Dan, the band that never was". As for that statement....he pretty much summed it up. This band has been his favorite since he was a young man when his parents moved him over from Germany in the early 70's. By that time, he was in his early 20's. He had never seen the band performed live....ever, until 2017. I took him for a Father's day present to see them live here in Kansas city. The look on my father's face was priceless...the songs I grew up with, the albums, the dancing and singing to us. Getting to have a beer with my 67yr old dad, at that time, watching him sing every song, every word and just taking it in. Priceless!!
It should also be noted that Aja is one of the most well mixed and mastered album of all time because they just simply refused to stop working on it until it was sonically perfect. Which it is.
i had a friend who worked in a stereo store in the late 70's/early 80's -- sold a LOT of shitty speakers by playing steely dan thru 'em!! (was an industry secret! personally, i always brought a live dead tape from '74 when speaker shopping)
@@ghostinthemachine6494 I think the opinion that the album was “overproduced” is something that could be rationally argued. The opinion that the album was a “piece of crap” on the other hand simply marks you as an immature person. I hope your appreciation of music continues to expand and grow.
It is also on the Soft Jazz Genre. The same style Steely Dan used to make some of their albums. But only this one, the others are more Psychedelic and Acid Jazz.@@beeeb7747
I TOTALLY AGREE! I LOVE love Steely Dan for that very reason. They remind me of Queen, always something different than other bands and such varied songs and talent..
I'm very lucky to be 72 years old now...That means I grew up with SD music. Now I sit on my patio each evening, drinking a Black Russian and still listening to Steely Dan. Life has been good for many years.
I grew up a black kid who chose Steely Dan as his favourite band. I saw ridicule for years, but as a kid dreaming of becoming Steve Gadd or Pretty Purdie, I knew in my heart where the greatness reigned. Thanks for creating this informative and inspiring video. I jumped for joy at so many points... OFF TO JAM TO BABYLON SISTAS! 👊🏿🧔🏾
I remember I said my favorite band was Steely Dan in 4th grade music class back when the Macarena first came out super popular at the time and everyone made fun of me, lol. Now who is laughing? :D
in high school around 2003 me and band were the only high schoolers to find Steely Dan as hip and innovated. People called us snobs and said we had a superiority complex. Sorry but i wouldnt listen to limp bizkit or nickelback if they paid me lol
I'd be honored if some Steely Dan fans would take a quick listen to my live keyboard & vocal performances of JOSIE and HOME AT LAST on my YT channel in tribute to the songwriting of Becker/Fagen and to the Aja album, which stands as one of the greatest creative works of the 20th century. Totally live with no autotuning or digital editing. Thanks and peace.
Steely Dan is my desert island band. If I was stuck on an island and I could only listen to one band it would be them. Their body of work is immense and varied. No matter how many times I’ve heard their work It always brings a new sound. I had no idea that Donald Fagan mixed over 200 versions of Peg. That must have drove the engineers nuts.
Steely Dan were a phenomena whose incredibly thoughtful tunes not only each told a story, but defined the best of the music of the 1970's! However their songs and instrumentals were so well crafted that they are actually timeless! I had forgotten how many excellent tunes they had put together - so this video is much appreciated!
When I was a kid in the 90s, I had always written off Steely Dan as boring soft rock. Then I ate a bunch of mushrooms and my friend put on Do It Again. It's timeless and flawless. Absolutely zero pretense.
My coworkers favorite band is steely Dan. He got me to listen to the Royal scam, and for a while I thought it was boring and somehow kept coming back to it. I have it on vinyl. I love steely Dan now
Endlessly replayable music. Many times after listening to a track I want to go back and immediately listen to it again. Some of it is just sublime, like a drug.
Yep...thanks to ALL of those zillions of great session players that backed up Fagen and Becker. Without these backup players, SD would have gone NOWHERE.
My 23 year old daughter recently said to me: Once you know Steely Dan...its like taking a step through a door to a new musical dimension...and you never look at contemporary music the same way again.
My daughter is 24 and says the same about the music I have exposed her to. We were lucky to be apart of the brilliance of music produced during the 70s and 80s by real visionary musicians.
Nullen Vvoyd ...thank you Nullen...I did try to expose her to everything from Zappa to Leonard Cohen...to Joni Mitchell...etc..etc..Now we are on to Modern Art...and Pollock..and Koons, Poons, Edward Hopper..etc..etc...and she loves this just as much...
dirty work is one of my favorite songs by them, palmer's voice was perfect for it. It's an insane song that imperceptibly changes key between the verse and chorus.
Steely Dan was great writing by two guys, dozens of the best studio musicians who've ever lived, and brilliant perfectionist recording and engineering. This will never happen again in music, the industry has changed too much
Occasionally a musician still gets a good chunk of money from the record label and makes a great record with an excellent producer(s). Meyer Hawthorne's "Where Does This Door Go" (including the Steely Dan homage "The Stars Are Ours") and Esperanza Spalding's fantastic "Emily's D+Evolution are two examples, still no comparison with the overload of studio musicians on later Dan records. But both were relative failures. It's a different world.
unfortunately, your probably right. In the last century popular music had 5 giant performers that transformed the industry. Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, The Beatles and Michael Jackson. All of these performers came onto the scene within a 7 to 10 year period. Well it's been 30 years now that MJ had is flash of fame and nothing really since. Somethings wrong. What's wrong is the industry had profoundly changed. Unless you think Lady Gaga is the new Elvis. I don't
Not to get into the moral/aesthetic value of the approach but Daft Punk’s method on Random Access Memories was 100% what you’re describing and it netted them one of the biggest pop hits of 2013
When I was 15 years old I met Steely Dan at a music store promotion. Skunk Baxter was playing guitar and asked if anyone played. The guys I was with told them I did. He ask me to play with him. I sat down and asked him how he made the cool whistling sound on the lead part to My Old School. He then taught me how to play pick harmonics like he did. It was great! He also gave us all tickets and an invitation to meet back stage. We met them all. Very cool guys ,very cool memories.
Frank knights, that was at Del City Music store in Del City, Oklahoma the day of the cocert. It was pretty amazing. I was shy and not very confident about my playing and wasn’t going to speak up. I didn’t realize my friends were standing behind me pointing and mouthing “ This guy,this guy” Skunk saw them and handed me a guitar and encouraged me. I loved Reelin’ in the Years and had heard My Old School on the radio. I asked how they got that sound and he showed me. The concert was later that night at the Civic Center. As you can tell I had a great experience!
Steely Dan is so Unique. It's like they carved their own special-niche in Music. No one Sounds like them. Thy combine elements of Rock, Funk, Jazz, Blues, Latin music. Just fantastic songwriters and amazing studio production. Their Aja Album was an absolute Masterpiece ( among many of their other gem's ). Really enjoyed this. R.I.P. Walter Becker.
I love Steely Dan. I was a kid in 1990 when my uncle died. He left behind a ton of music records and CDs. One of which was Aja. Haven't stopped listening since.
I was in the US Navy stationed outside Bella Napoli Italy when I heard Aja for the first time in 1980. At the time I was into Led Zeppelin, Sabbath, Alice Cooper, Pink Floyd, you know "light up and put the headphones" on music. I was also a drummer and I played horns in HS orchestra, so I was familiar with music. When I heard Aja and Steve Gadd's drumming I thought fucking perfection. The entire album is perfection. This album blends pop, jazz and fusion in perfect harmony and time. Music is not composed like this anymore...
I always loved the line “handle in your hand”, a handle was always slang for the big 1.75L bottles of alcohol around where i grew up. I mentioned this to a friend and he had no idea what i meant, he always read it as the handle of a slot machine. Both readings make complete sense in context and i would like to think Fagen knew that when he wrote it
Yup. Back in 90s, I was a 3-handles-a-week kinda guy. But I never took that line as a reference to booze. Until now. The gift of desperation arrives in many forms, I guess.
Deacon Blues and Babylon Sister are the smoothest songs. Playing them in car or just listening in a dark room with headphones you were transported to another time and space
I'd be honored if some Steely Dan fans would take a listen to my live keyboard & vocal performances of JOSIE and HOME AT LAST on my YT channel in tribute to the songwriting of Becker/Fagen and to the Aja album, which stands as one of the greatest creative works of the 20th century. Totally live with no autotune or digital editing. Thanks and peace.
You are so correct on that!! Driving by yourself with Steely Dan turned up gives me goosebumps just remembering that, singing along as best as I could.
We used to take the T-tops off of our Trans-am and go for long Sunday drives through San Francisco and the surrounding areas. We especially liked traveling up the coast. And to top it off we had all Steely Dan along for the ride. The only music we listened to. Those were wonderful, special times that I'll never forget. The best times of my life.
I first discovered Steely Dan when I was around 20 years old and they changed the course of my musical tastes. I'm now 62 years old and they're still at the top of my list of favorites. With all of the many musicians who've played on their albums, they remain totally unique and instantly identifiable.
Dirty Work is a wonderful song and Palmer sings it wonderfully. The idea there is anything negative to be said about it is asinine. Whatever happened after that, it was not indicated by listening to Dirty Work as implied in this video...
They have performed this song all 6 times I’ve seen them but Fagan doesn’t sing, he lets the back up vocalists sing the song. I always liked Palmers version although Fagans voice is what is the identifying feature of SD.
I was a freak....I loved Steely Dan.....by God I was right! Best Rock/Jazz fusion band ever. I played trombone in my grade school and high school band. And piano on the side trying to figure out those chords and notes on my own. My first vinyl record ever was a 45 rpm of Do It Again from 1972. All the studio albums followed. While the world was discoed out in the 70's I was groovin' to Aja and The Royal Scam....."See the Glory....Hear the Glory...of Steely Dan"....
I consider Aja and Gaucho, the two most sophisticated albums I have ever listened. Fagen and Becker along with the other musicians were on another level!
I'd be honored if some Steely Dan fans would take a quick listen to my live keyboard & vocal performances of HOME AT LAST and JOSIE on my YT in tribute to the Aja album. Raw acoustic with no digital enhancements. Peace and stay safe.
"aja" is the only disc that has a permanent slot in the changer in my car (yea, CD, I'm old). Every time it comes up it's like the first time I heard it.
I'd be honored if some Steely Dan fans would take a listen to my live keyboard & vocal performances of JOSIE and HOME AT LAST on my YT channel in tribute to the songwriting of Becker/Fagen and to the Aja album, which stands as one of the greatest creative works of the 20th century. Totally live with no autotune or digital editing. Thanks and peace.
Ditto for me. In an interview they both stated that they wanted that album to have a timeless feel to it. It does. My brother got it on cassette and we wore that damn thing out. Even to this day ELO Out of the Blue is still my most played but not my most important album. I've had to update my collection from LP and 8-track to cassettes and then CDs. There are less than ten albums that I've ever bought more than twice and this is one of them.
So well done. I was born in 1969, and Steely Dan has been a staple in my life. My father was a big band jazz guy born in the mid-30's, and this perfect fusion became a staple of my life and a shared experience for me and my dad. I'm forever grateful for that, and Walter and Donald.
I too was born in 69. I remember binging in my grandmothers kitchen at about 10 give or take a year or two and hearing a song on the radio, I don’t remember the song but I remember that the DJ said it was Steely Dan. At that point I was in love remembered the band name and vowed to find out more about this fantastic sound.
Funny, I agree that Palmer's voice is perfect for it, but...it's not part of that Dan "aesthetic" -- the tune, I mean. That's why Palmer is right for it. I finally rotated the tune out of my Dan playlist a few years ago; I felt it interrupted the overall vibe of The Dan. But I do appreciate the tune by itself, as it stands alone.
Steely Dan has a huge and excellent catalog of music. Rock, soul, blues, they did it all. I’m so happy that I got to see them before Walter Becker died. The great music from the 70’s. Don’t be putting down Show biz kids! I love it. Doesn’t get better that that. 💯🎶🤗
I also sat in front row for four years running, including this past summer. Unfortunately, without Walter, they are not the same. I didn't think it would make as much of a difference, but it was huge - they are not the same without Walter - and I think Donald would agree. Never will be the same....but I will always remember the good times :)
They were completely amazing live, almost to a fault, if it wasn't for the jams on Aja, and Peg it sounded like they were literally replicating the studio album. So tight and perfect
The Dan is one of my favorite bands....I'm a brother and I have jammed the Dan all of my life...I tip my hat to Walter and Donald so much talent.....much love Steely.
Then you will love hearing n watching Leonid n friends Cover of “my old school”❤sounds exactly like SD their guitar player nlead singers smoke it Cird to cord precision👍
I was privileged to have gone to many recording sessions from Katy Lied to Gaucho. What is not mentioned is the fact there may be as many as 5 variations of each song that made it on the record. Different musicians plucked and replaced, or an entire East Coast/West Coast recording of the same song. Sometimes as Roger said, it would be the slightest little "bubble" in a basic track by a player, and they would be back the next day in the same studio, only with 1 or 2 new session musicians. Analog days you did not punch in on drum tracks, so the drummer's carried the most weight on a tracking date!
I have loved this band since I heard the intro to "Reelin in the Years" back in the 70s. At 73 years old they remain the best rock /jazz band I have ever heard. Thank you Becker & Fagan.
I'm with you Peter...only a few years younger that you. I play guitar and I'm still searching (and trying) to copy some of those very intricate riffs. Had all those albums... Very slick and sensible music that will stand the test of time cheers to you mate!!.
My dad was in the air force with a guy who went on to sell music equipment. He often worked with the Dan, providing them with the latest, highest quality gear in the industry
This probably one of my favourite videos you've done. Mostly because I love steely dan but 100% because your videos are consistently high quality. Keep doing what you do man. Your love for music really shows in your videos man.
No, this one went deeper. I enjoy and appreciate Steely Dan, but he's covered artists I like more. This was his best video yet, though. Unquestionably, to me at least.
I was astounded at how good a biography of this amazing duo was - I have everything they ever did including songs My Old School and FM which never appeared on a full-length CD. I used to tell people "listen to their lyrics man, absolutely filthy XXX and MAN I LOVE IT!!"
L1dile this is a great presentation of a great band/bands/.... all my band friends in high school and myself back in 1974 could not get enough Stealy Dan . No party/jam session was compleat without.😎😎😎😎😎
Since you seem a fan - it was at SD that Skunk Baxter met Michael McDonald. Then when the Doobies needed a lead singer, Skunk (now at Doobies) introduced McDonald to Doobies. Then of course McDonald sort of changed the style of Doobies to more pop/different sound, and Skunk left. Ever wanna see something wild look up Baxter's discography. Includes Donna Summer - etc.
I just inherited my grandfather’s records. He has every SD album. I’ve always known about SD but never gotten into them, until I listened to Gaucho and Pretzel Logic. GOD DAMN they’re so good!!
Aja, Can't Buy A Thrill, Katy Lied, Countdown To Ecstasy, The Royal Scam, Pretzel Logic, Gaucho... That's my ranking of Steely albums from 1972-1980. Aja is their best album according to most critics and fans, I'm slightly partial to their debut album...
Steely Dan is my Papa's favorite band. He always used to play their music on our hours-long road trips to and from Baguio City, Manila, Laguna and Isabela. Hearing a Steely Dan song never fails to transport me back to my childhood days.
Real Cesar Gonzalez.. really.....?!, it must to great to be happy with the world laughing at you and your complete lack of musical knowledge..Steely Dan are one of the most highly rated bands in the world by Pro-musicians ..enough said.
I wish my 'worst output' was Countdown to Ecstasy. I love that album, and actually like it's rawness. Like Joni Mitchell, they seemed to have a knack of knowing which musicians to use on any given song. That's a talent in itself.As a guitar player myself I can categorically state that the guys they used are all fantastic in their own way. Jay Graydons solo on Peg always puts a smile on my face, "no licks," Denny Dias is incredibly underrated and Larry Carlton is, well, Larry Carlton. I miss 'bands' like this.
Yes, so sad!! I miss WNEW ( NY) They had insightful commentary on so much music. They also played "New" musicians. I was so blessed to find Steely Dan ,Boz Scaggs and countless others through them. I honestly only find music by asking around. Mainly I revisit old jazz recordings. Like early Count Basie and later Tito Puentes.
Heard Steely Dan for the first time, day after Christmas in 1972, when "Do It Again" hit the charts. Was a fan from that time on. Still believe to this day, that "Aja" was their best work.
Two more facts: 1. While at Bard Fagan and Becker had a jazz combo. They had a drummer for that combo who would give up music after graduation. That drummer's name....Chevy Chase (yep that one). 2. They were directly responsible for discovering a young backup singer from St. Louis named Michael McDonald who was featured most prominently on Bad Sneakers.
a third fact... in the mid-70s, Donald Fagen lived in fear of being replaced as Steely Dan's frontman by that "backup singer from St. Louis"... I'd be honored if some Steely Dan fans would check out my acoustic keyboard & vocal cover of HOME AT LAST in tribute to a great Fagen/Becker composition. Live acoustic with no digital editing. Thanks and peace.
I liked "Bad Sneakers," but I loved the Fagen/McDonald vocal collaboration on another "Katy Lied" song "Any World (That I'm Welcome To)." Their vocal outro is the most exhilarating finish to any Steely Dan recording.
Jason, I'm gonna take you at face value, but swear if someone snickers at me when I repeat that truly obscure fact about CC, that that is some widely known urban legend, I'mma gonna come looking for you son. Otherwise... mind totally blown.
I'd be honored if some Steely Dan fans would take a listen to my live keyboard & vocal performances of JOSIE and HOME AT LAST on my YT channel in tribute to the songwriting of Becker/Fagen and to the Aja album, which stands as one of the greatest creative works of the 20th century. Totally live with no autotuning or digital editing. Thanks and peace.
I heard them and really don't like it. You can see and feel that the emotional/chemical aspect of the music is just not there, probably because they took different session musicians that they probably didn't have a relationship with. You can hear that in the music. It's sterile music. Perfect mix, great time, great grooves. Boring & uninspired vocals, zero emotion.
I spent 40 years playing these guys on the radio and never really new the inside story on Fagen and Becker...Geniuses really, to pull all that together. The longer I live and the more music I hear I'm convinced the 70 and some 80's was the greatest time for music. Your video was expertly crafted. Thanks for the education on some of my all time favorite tunes.
Having heard the "hits" on the radio, I knew who Steely Dan was, but I was working part time in a Rekka Stowe when Aja came out. We could "borrow" albums and take 'em home to listen to. My music mentor at the store played the Aja album over our Bose store system and I knew I was listening to music for adults. Sophisticated adults. This was reinforced when I opened the album and attempted to digest the liner notes. You had to be an intellectual just to grasp the critiques of the material and of the creative process. I became a fan and went explored all of their previous stuff in detail. I love the entire library. RIP Walter Becker. LOVE these guys. For my money Aja was the band's apex. A perfect record from start to finish.
I worked in a restaurant in Aspen that played 50's rock and roll hits as the "house music".. but when we closed the doors and started cleaning up, "Aja" went on the CD player.
Steely Dan "stimulates" on every level. A lifetime's worth of superior music. I'll choose "The Royal Scam" as my favorite if forced to pick one. Excellent coverage of their early work. Thanks
Fagan didn't like his own voice but it had a certain quality that technically better singers couldn't capture. but on this on this song Palmer's voice was better than Fagan's would have been. It's more sad than cynical.
Tommy Haynes.........Ahh, the 1970s. The master garage bands of the 70s. My older brother had a band that practiced in our garage. They called me "The Kid". Our generation was awash with fabulous music.
If you're a fan of Aja, try to track down the episode of "Classic Album." They get both men to sit in the studio with a mixer and they go through each song. They talk about the session guys that played, sometimes even break the songs down track by track. A lot of really neat insight into their arrangements, recording, and writing.
I swear this is the most underrated channel on this app. This well done research on some of the most polarizing musicians in history. You can tell that they actually love music history. Keep up the great work 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
m smith I just saw them in Atlantic City a few months ago and they sounded EPIC! The set list left a lot to be desired, all the popular stuff, but they sounded absolutely amazing.
I always hear SD in the background when I remember our high school graduation picnic at Eastover in Lenox MA. There was a keg down in the woods and …. ‘79, things are getting foggy
Wow, what a coincidence. Steely Dan is also my Dad's favorite band - tied with Chicago, the early stuff, of course - although he doesn't have a birthday coming up. I feel like you did a great job of encapsulating what makes Steely Dan so great. I am also a huge fan of the Dan, and was fortunate to see them live twice before Walter Becker passed away. I am definitely going to show this to my parents!
Same, my dad also loves em, I remember how he used to play one of Steely Dan's compilation albums on repeat in his car, and that's how I got into Steely Dan. Looks like dads really love "The 'Dan". lol
24 years old and I came upon steely Dan last year and I was an instant fan. Such music craftsmanship and magic. Music groups nowadays will never match something like that.
There's actually a lot of bands nowadays that put as much work in as them. Look at any prog metal or rock band for instance. Then there's lots of avant garde and experimental rock groups around nowadays. Just look on Bandcamp for two seconds and you'll find a plethora of extremely talented musicians
Absolutely. That was David Palmer just singing in a kind of fragile tone. The author blew it because Palmer also sang lead on Do it Again. He has a completely different tone in contrast to Dirty Work.
Yep, one of my favorite SD songs. This is what happens when a band gets a label. Jazz-blues fusion... WTF does that even mean? The rotating musicians makes for the sound they wanted for each song. It’s what makes their studio albums so great. I’ve seen them live 3 times and it’s no wonder they struggle to Sound as good.
I came here for that comment. It's not a typically sardonic but soulful SD tune - the reason why Donald.doesn't do lead on tour (heard Carolyn Leonhart do it a couple of times - she nails it). Great video nonetheless.
I'd be honored if some Steely Dan fans would check out my acoustic piano & vocal covers of HOME AT LAST and SEPTEMBER by Earth Wind & Fire on my channel in tribute to late 70s groove. Live acoustic with no digital enhancements. Thanks and peace.
Steely Dan is an intricate musical journey for me from 1972 to 1981. Every day now and the future includes at least one Steely Dan song usually more. Steely Dan will always be an important part to growing up musically. Very thankful!
What's most insane about Reelin' in the years in my opinion is that Elliott Randall just listened to what the song sounded like in progress at the time and without any talk about what they wanted his guitar parts to sound like he just whipped that legendary thing together in one take. Nothing more nothing less, just perfect.
It's more than amazing. It has that rare quality of being cohesive. Although not technically or officially a concept album, one can view it as having a thematic through-line. There seems to be a thin narrative running through it about the Caribbean and oppression. Also the bleak mood of the album is a constant. "Turn up the Eagles, the neighbors are listening."
Thank you, by the way. It’s because of this video that I really started appreciating Steely Dan. I literally listen to them every single day. I can’t think of a bad song; not a single one!
One of my favorite guitar solos of all time. I was lucky enough to see the Dukes of September play it as a finale or encore at the Hardly Strictly festival in SF a few years back. I was practically in tears of joy and got to high five the guitarist Jon Herrington.
Steely Dan is my all time favorite band of all the US bands. There are so many iconic masterpieces to mention but there are so many great tunes that never go out of date. As my old dear friend bassist Jamil Nasser once told me....."Genius has no expiration date" Amen, Jamil.
Every time you play one of their songs you hear something that you didn’t hear previously especially after the whole catalog was remastered. Nichols won several Grammy Awards for engineering their albums. Nothing less than perfection
I got turned on to Steely Dan when my sister moved home from California to die at “home” from breast cancer. 1981. She named her daughter Katy after the album. Very influential band
I love Steely Dan. My Dad used to listen to them on his HiFi back in the early 80’s while he read his books. You didn’t bother him until the record ended. As I got older I understood why👍🏻
The Dan are the ultimate jazz rock of the future. Their perfection and use of pro musicians was genius! Jazz rock fusion masters that made their music the pop future! Love it. 😎
“Has it ever struck you that life is all memory, except for the one present moment that goes by you so quick you hardly catch it going?”― Tennessee Williams.
Couple of things: 1) Steely Dan was a guitar player’s feast. The playing on every album is the best there could be for Its time and for the vision Becker and Fagen had. Jimmy Page himself has said Elliot’s solo on Reeling In The Years is his favorite solo on record. They’re guitar player’s albums, especially before AJA. 2) AJA is the one of the VERY BEST recorded, mixed, and mastered albums of all time. The sound is phenomenal - pristine and clear, with everything in its proper place on the sound spectrum. Sometimes that makes records TOO clean, with no soul. But AJA hits every mark. The guitar work on both AJA and Gaucho is terrific; great actually. But it doesn’t take as prominent a role as it did in those earlier records. Weird guys, but they sure knew what they wanted and were totally averse to shortcuts. Bravo, Dan!
Weird, and genius. I could only imagine what the engineer was going through when Fagan had 274 mixes of one song before getting it the way he was happy with it. That's insanity. Musical genius insanity
I'd be honored if some Steely Dan fans would take a quick listen to my stripped-down keyboard & vocal RUclips interpretations of JOSIE and HOME AT LAST in tribute to the Aja album, which stands as one of the greatest musical achievements of the 20th century. Live acoustic with no digital editing. Peace and stay safe.
If they were a project, then so were the mothers of invention. The beach boys on Pet Sounds. Almost every band that disappeared in their session after the wrecking crew told their guys to go take a coffee break. While we do your album for you.
My father used to tell me..."Steely Dan, the band that never was". As for that statement....he pretty much summed it up. This band has been his favorite since he was a young man when his parents moved him over from Germany in the early 70's. By that time, he was in his early 20's. He had never seen the band performed live....ever, until 2017. I took him for a Father's day present to see them live here in Kansas city. The look on my father's face was priceless...the songs I grew up with, the albums, the dancing and singing to us. Getting to have a beer with my 67yr old dad, at that time, watching him sing every song, every word and just taking it in. Priceless!!
What an awesome tribute!
Great story Slapnuts. great way to honor thy parents. 💙
@@sygmoore thank you.❤
@@kschrader007 💙 🎼
You're the man Slapnuts
It should also be noted that Aja is one of the most well mixed and mastered album of all time because they just simply refused to stop working on it until it was sonically perfect. Which it is.
i had a friend who worked in a stereo store in the late 70's/early 80's -- sold a LOT of shitty speakers by playing steely dan thru 'em!! (was an industry secret! personally, i always brought a live dead tape from '74 when speaker shopping)
Aja was an over-produced load of crap.
@@ghostinthemachine6494 please give me an example of something you think is perfectly produced
@@ghostinthemachine6494 Wayne Shorter says; "fuck you back, Jack"
@@ghostinthemachine6494 I think the opinion that the album was “overproduced” is something that could be rationally argued. The opinion that the album was a “piece of crap” on the other hand simply marks you as an immature person. I hope your appreciation of music continues to expand and grow.
What I love about Steely Dan is how different they sound from everything else.
Asia had a watershed Pop album sound...
I would reccomend you search for Brian Auger's Oblivion Express - A Better Land (1971) album.
Uh, why? @@luisdavid_1990
It is also on the Soft Jazz Genre. The same style Steely Dan used to make some of their albums. But only this one, the others are more Psychedelic and Acid Jazz.@@beeeb7747
I TOTALLY AGREE! I LOVE love Steely Dan for that very reason. They remind me of Queen, always something different than other bands and such varied songs and talent..
I'm very lucky to be 72 years old now...That means I grew up with SD music. Now I sit on my patio each evening, drinking a Black Russian and still listening to Steely Dan. Life has been good for many years.
Fantastic!!! Share that music!! After hearing The Dan, their standards will be irrevocably changed!!
Thought for sure you were going to say drinking a black cow 😊
Love that!! Steely Dan and a drink. I have had a few prescription bourbons while listening the The Dan's myself, over the years.
@@jimmoore8951 , touche!
Where do u live... I'm coming over!!
I grew up a black kid who chose Steely Dan as his favourite band. I saw ridicule for years, but as a kid dreaming of becoming Steve Gadd or Pretty Purdie, I knew in my heart where the greatness reigned. Thanks for creating this informative and inspiring video. I jumped for joy at so many points... OFF TO JAM TO BABYLON SISTAS! 👊🏿🧔🏾
I remember I said my favorite band was Steely Dan in 4th grade music class back when the Macarena first came out super popular at the time and everyone made fun of me, lol. Now who is laughing? :D
in high school around 2003 me and band were the only high schoolers to find Steely Dan as hip and innovated. People called us snobs and said we had a superiority complex. Sorry but i wouldnt listen to limp bizkit or nickelback if they paid me lol
Are you a musician now?
I'd be honored if some Steely Dan fans would take a quick listen to my live keyboard & vocal performances of JOSIE and HOME AT LAST on my YT channel in tribute to the songwriting of Becker/Fagen and to the Aja album, which stands as one of the greatest creative works of the 20th century. Totally live with no autotuning or digital editing. Thanks and peace.
Good Steely
I remember
A band, one of a kind
I remember
The tunes in my head
I don't mind
Steely Dan is my desert island band. If I was stuck on an island and I could only listen to one band it would be them. Their body of work is immense and varied. No matter how many times I’ve heard their work It always brings a new sound.
I had no idea that Donald Fagan mixed over 200 versions of Peg. That must have drove the engineers nuts.
At least the engineer got a Grammy in the end. 😂
Absolutely!
Maybe he was the engineer........
Come to think of the island thing, yes I agree👍
Agreed!!
Steely Dan were a phenomena whose incredibly thoughtful tunes not only each told a story, but defined the best of the music of the 1970's! However their songs and instrumentals were so well crafted that they are actually timeless!
I had forgotten how many excellent tunes they had put together - so this video is much appreciated!
When I was a kid in the 90s, I had always written off Steely Dan as boring soft rock. Then I ate a bunch of mushrooms and my friend put on Do It Again. It's timeless and flawless. Absolutely zero pretense.
Psychedelics and steely Dan go hand in hand, lsd to the album the royal scam
Without mushroom, Do it again still a masterpiece 😂
My coworkers favorite band is steely Dan. He got me to listen to the Royal scam, and for a while I thought it was boring and somehow kept coming back to it. I have it on vinyl. I love steely Dan now
@@BoxingFanaticNumero1 absolutely. It’s just brilliant period.
You never needed the shrooms .
Endlessly replayable music. Many times after listening to a track I want to go back and immediately listen to it again. Some of it is just sublime, like a drug.
Yes I it's fun to listen to one song several times. I choose a different instructions to focus on until I am through everyone in the band!!
Couldn't agree more ! There is no other band I can think of where I hear one song and I immediately want to hear their entire catalogue ... on repeat.
That’s a really good description of their music.
"You don't take Steely Dan, Steely Dan takes YOU"
Nicely said
Thank God Steely Dan was in the 70's before music videos. I have my own mind pictures listening to the music.
Haha Dirty Work is one of my favourite songs, his fragile voice suits that song, just like Elliot Randalls solo totally fits Reeling in the Years.
Seriously I couldn’t imagine that song with anyone else’s voice
@@rickycarroll4000 and it's completely different than any other Steely Dan vocal.
Same it’s the juxtaposition right! And it’s just a beautiful vocal in itself
Tony Soprano singing it is the best version.
In the concerts I went to, the backing singers always did Dirty Work. I think it's a bit out of Donald's range. I have never heard him sing it.
Steely Dan’s music can’t be classified as a certain music genre.
Steely Dan are their own genre of music.
They are classified as Junk music. Jazzy Funky Rock ❤
SPACE JAZZ (*archaich*): The work which becomes a new genre itself...
lol, no
It's firmly in the Classic Rock genre.
so like the grateful dead almost?
@@ezekielbrockmann114 it is, absolutely, NOT!
It’s their very own thing
Every time I hear a Steely Dan tune, the song gives me something new. Just layer after layer of genius unfolding.
Yep...thanks to ALL of those zillions of great session players that backed up Fagen and Becker. Without these backup players, SD would have gone NOWHERE.
exactly! and then knowing that some people only listen to the lyrics; i feel sorry for them!
This! It takes a lifetime to absorb all the nuances of their music.
It's just too complex for most people to understand. Oh well, the world needs morons too...
@@geraldfrieberg7921you are passionate in your hate of Steely Dan. Direct that somewhere useful
Steely Dan is one of the most UNIQUE bands ever. I love everything about them.
Glad you awakened. Good on ya.
Agree..thanks to those dozens of various studio musicians that they used over the years.
One of the most unique projects. So many good musicians were used.
My 23 year old daughter recently said to me: Once you know Steely Dan...its like taking a step through a door to a new musical dimension...and you never look at contemporary music the same way again.
My daughter is 24 and says the same about the music I have exposed her to. We were lucky to be apart of the brilliance of music produced during the 70s and 80s by real visionary musicians.
Well put
Wise beyond her years
She apPARENTly had a good teacher.
Nullen Vvoyd ...thank you Nullen...I did try to expose her to everything from Zappa to Leonard Cohen...to Joni Mitchell...etc..etc..Now we are on to Modern Art...and Pollock..and Koons, Poons, Edward Hopper..etc..etc...and she loves this just as much...
dirty work is one of my favorite songs by them, palmer's voice was perfect for it. It's an insane song that imperceptibly changes key between the verse and chorus.
I think Palmer was perfect for that song and Do It Again
Steely Dan was great writing by two guys, dozens of the best studio musicians who've ever lived, and brilliant perfectionist recording and engineering. This will never happen again in music, the industry has changed too much
Occasionally a musician still gets a good chunk of money from the record label and makes a great record with an excellent producer(s). Meyer Hawthorne's "Where Does This Door Go" (including the Steely Dan homage "The Stars Are Ours") and Esperanza Spalding's fantastic "Emily's D+Evolution are two examples, still no comparison with the overload of studio musicians on later Dan records. But both were relative failures. It's a different world.
Now we have fluff
Very well said… perfect!!!!
unfortunately, your probably right. In the last century popular music had 5 giant performers that transformed the industry. Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, The Beatles and Michael Jackson. All of these performers came onto the scene within a 7 to 10 year period. Well it's been 30 years now that MJ had is flash of fame and nothing really since. Somethings wrong. What's wrong is the industry had profoundly changed. Unless you think Lady Gaga is the new Elvis. I don't
Not to get into the moral/aesthetic value of the approach but Daft Punk’s method on Random Access Memories was 100% what you’re describing and it netted them one of the biggest pop hits of 2013
When I was 15 years old I met Steely Dan at a music store promotion. Skunk Baxter was playing guitar and asked if anyone played. The guys I was with told them I did. He ask me to play with him. I sat down and asked him how he made the cool whistling sound on the lead part to My Old School. He then taught me how to play pick harmonics like he did. It was great! He also gave us all tickets and an invitation to meet back stage. We met them all. Very cool guys ,very cool memories.
Frank knights, that was at Del City Music store in Del City, Oklahoma the day of the cocert. It was pretty amazing. I was shy and not very confident about my playing and wasn’t going to speak up. I didn’t realize my friends were standing behind me pointing and mouthing “ This guy,this guy” Skunk saw them and handed me a guitar and encouraged me. I loved Reelin’ in the Years and had heard My Old School on the radio. I asked how they got that sound and he showed me. The concert was later that night at the Civic Center. As you can tell I had a great experience!
What a great story!
Biggest load of bollocks I’ve ever seen, grow up.
@@kitemanmusic yeah a great story. for some reason, I doubt that would happen today.
Steely Dan is so Unique. It's like they carved their own special-niche in Music. No one Sounds like them. Thy combine elements of Rock, Funk, Jazz, Blues, Latin music. Just fantastic songwriters and amazing studio production. Their Aja Album was an absolute Masterpiece ( among many of their other gem's ). Really enjoyed this. R.I.P. Walter Becker.
IKR you can't put them in one genre
I LOVE the vocal on dirty work. It’s perfect and one of their best songs imo
Palmer's vocal on Dirty Work is great.
I couldn't agree more
Agreed, that song and "Brooklyn" have incredible vocals, kind of prefer them tbh.
@@paulgenovese2096 good taste my friend
Trash song, every other one is better
Steely Dan is your favorite band's favorite band.
YES!!! :)
Right!
DOOM
So true, & little feat
For the 90’s it would’ve been The Butthole Surfers, Meat Puppets, Melvins, or Sonic Youth.
I love Steely Dan. I was a kid in 1990 when my uncle died. He left behind a ton of music records and CDs. One of which was Aja. Haven't stopped listening since.
I was in the US Navy stationed outside Bella Napoli Italy when I heard Aja for the first time in 1980. At the time I was into Led Zeppelin, Sabbath, Alice Cooper, Pink Floyd, you know "light up and put the headphones" on music. I was also a drummer and I played horns in HS orchestra, so I was familiar with music.
When I heard Aja and Steve Gadd's drumming I thought fucking perfection. The entire album is perfection. This album blends pop, jazz and fusion in perfect harmony and time.
Music is not composed like this anymore...
I always loved the line “handle in your hand”, a handle was always slang for the big 1.75L bottles of alcohol around where i grew up. I mentioned this to a friend and he had no idea what i meant, he always read it as the handle of a slot machine. Both readings make complete sense in context and i would like to think Fagen knew that when he wrote it
We called the big bottle a handle as well (still do). From SW Ohio.
That was an extremely interesting comment.
I thought the "handle" was a revolver.
Yup. Back in 90s, I was a 3-handles-a-week kinda guy. But I never took that line as a reference to booze. Until now. The gift of desperation arrives in many forms, I guess.
Six shooter
Deacon Blues and Babylon Sister are the smoothest songs. Playing them in car or just listening in a dark room with headphones you were transported to another time and space
I absolutely love Steely Dan's music. I especially love listening to them on long solo drives.
I'd be honored if some Steely Dan fans would take a listen to my live keyboard & vocal performances of JOSIE and HOME AT LAST on my YT channel in tribute to the songwriting of Becker/Fagen and to the Aja album, which stands as one of the greatest creative works of the 20th century. Totally live with no autotune or digital editing. Thanks and peace.
Same!!!!
You are so correct on that!! Driving by yourself with Steely Dan turned up gives me goosebumps just remembering that, singing along as best as I could.
From Phoenix to San Deigo.
We used to take the T-tops off of our Trans-am and go for long Sunday drives through San Francisco and the surrounding areas. We especially liked traveling up the coast. And to top it off we had all Steely Dan along for the ride. The only music we listened to.
Those were wonderful, special times that I'll never forget. The best times of my life.
I like David Palmer singing dirty work, one of my favorite song from them.
Haha me too. I was like “what the hell?”
I first discovered Steely Dan when I was around 20 years old and they changed the course of my musical tastes. I'm now 62 years old and they're still at the top of my list of favorites. With all of the many musicians who've played on their albums, they remain totally unique and instantly identifiable.
Yes, I understand completely.
Can you imagine being so musically talented that "Countdown to Ecstasy" sounds like a rush-job to you?
Will K
No shit! That is a great album
really!
countdown to ecstasy was NOT a rush job nor did steely dan think it was
It's my favorite. Razor Boy still slays me.
@@fairyeater Who said it actually was?
RIF
Dirty Work is a wonderful song and Palmer sings it wonderfully. The idea there is anything negative to be said about it is asinine. Whatever happened after that, it was not indicated by listening to Dirty Work as implied in this video...
Agreed.
Agreed.
i think i remember hearing once that it was the drinking that moved him away from the band, just too unreliable. and those teeth, of course..
One of my favourites
They have performed this song all 6 times I’ve seen them but Fagan doesn’t sing, he lets the back up vocalists sing the song. I always liked Palmers version although Fagans voice is what is the identifying feature of SD.
I was a freak....I loved Steely Dan.....by God I was right! Best Rock/Jazz fusion band ever. I played trombone in my grade school and high school band. And piano on the side trying to figure out those chords and notes on my own. My first vinyl record ever was a 45 rpm of Do It Again from 1972. All the studio albums followed. While the world was discoed out in the 70's I was groovin' to Aja and The Royal Scam....."See the Glory....Hear the Glory...of Steely Dan"....
I consider Aja and Gaucho, the two most sophisticated albums I have ever listened. Fagen and Becker along with the other musicians were on another level!
I'd be honored if some Steely Dan fans would take a quick listen to my live keyboard & vocal performances of HOME AT LAST and JOSIE on my YT in tribute to the Aja album. Raw acoustic with no digital enhancements. Peace and stay safe.
the link ruclips.net/video/JYhPAC0delg/видео.html (JOSIE acoustic cover)
"aja" is the only disc that has a permanent slot in the changer in my car (yea, CD, I'm old). Every time it comes up it's like the first time I heard it.
One of the greatest albums ever produced.
I'd be honored if some Steely Dan fans would take a listen to my live keyboard & vocal performances of JOSIE and HOME AT LAST on my YT channel in tribute to the songwriting of Becker/Fagen and to the Aja album, which stands as one of the greatest creative works of the 20th century. Totally live with no autotune or digital editing. Thanks and peace.
CD, old?
I still have Can’t Buy A Thrill on tape, the songs are in a much better order.
Ditto for me. In an interview they both stated that they wanted that album to have a timeless feel to it. It does. My brother got it on cassette and we wore that damn thing out. Even to this day ELO Out of the Blue is still my most played but not my most important album. I've had to update my collection from LP and 8-track to cassettes and then CDs. There are less than ten albums that I've ever bought more than twice and this is one of them.
I agree
David Palmer was actually really good in my opinion. Dirty Work is one of my favourite songs.
The level of work you put into this video is phenomenal. Thank you so much.
So well done. I was born in 1969, and Steely Dan has been a staple in my life. My father was a big band jazz guy born in the mid-30's, and this perfect fusion became a staple of my life and a shared experience for me and my dad. I'm forever grateful for that, and Walter and Donald.
I too was born in 69. I remember binging in my grandmothers kitchen at about 10 give or take a year or two and hearing a song on the radio, I don’t remember the song but I remember that the DJ said it was Steely Dan. At that point I was in love remembered the band name and vowed to find out more about this fantastic sound.
How wonderful that you were able to share that with your dad!!
I'm 75 yrs old and they still make the blood flow! Great piece! Thanks!
Tom , I’m 65 and been listening to the Dan since 72 , couldn’t agree more I always feel young when I listen to their music
This analysis is a hidden gem. Work well done.
Don't agree in ref. To Dirty Work. It's great. Palmers voice was perfect for it.
Funny, I agree that Palmer's voice is perfect for it, but...it's not part of that Dan "aesthetic" -- the tune, I mean. That's why Palmer is right for it. I finally rotated the tune out of my Dan playlist a few years ago; I felt it interrupted the overall vibe of The Dan. But I do appreciate the tune by itself, as it stands alone.
Steely Dan has a huge and excellent catalog of music. Rock, soul, blues, they did it all. I’m so happy that I got to see them before Walter Becker died. The great music from the 70’s. Don’t be putting down Show biz kids! I love it. Doesn’t get better that that. 💯🎶🤗
I sat front row before Becker passed. It was like being in the studio with them. They used the highest quality amps and speakers live. McIntosh Labs.
That had to be a religious experience. What a melodic musical tapestry those guys created. And their lyrics were FUN.
I also sat in front row for four years running, including this past summer. Unfortunately, without Walter, they are not the same. I didn't think it would make as much of a difference, but it was huge - they are not the same without Walter - and I think Donald would agree. Never will be the same....but I will always remember the good times :)
They were completely amazing live, almost to a fault, if it wasn't for the jams on Aja, and Peg it sounded like they were literally replicating the studio album. So tight and perfect
I saw them in Las Vegas, 2017. RIP Walter
Weapons - I envy you seeing them at all let alone before Walter Becker passed away. Such a loss.
Steely Dan is perfection. I can listen to them in any mood and have so many great memories with their tunes. Seventies were great!
been a fan since 1974,their music is timeless,RIP Walter...
The Dan is one of my favorite bands....I'm a brother and I have jammed the Dan all of my life...I tip my hat to Walter and Donald so much talent.....much love Steely.
What instrument(s) do you play? Any particular song a favorite to play?
We're all brothers brotha👍🤟
Then you will love hearing n watching Leonid n friends Cover of “my old school”❤sounds exactly like SD their guitar player nlead singers smoke it Cird to cord precision👍
I was privileged to have gone to many recording sessions from Katy Lied to Gaucho. What is not mentioned is the fact there may be as many as 5 variations of each song that made it on the record. Different musicians plucked and replaced, or an entire East Coast/West Coast recording of the same song. Sometimes as Roger said, it would be the slightest little "bubble" in a basic track by a player, and they would be back the next day in the same studio, only with 1 or 2 new session musicians. Analog days you did not punch in on drum tracks, so the drummer's carried the most weight on a tracking date!
to what capacity were your presence? musician? technician? friend?
@@spactick Friend of one of their west coast session musicians.
I have loved this band since I heard the intro to "Reelin in the Years" back in the 70s. At 73 years old they remain the best rock /jazz band I have ever heard. Thank you Becker & Fagan.
I'm with you Peter...only a few years younger that you. I play guitar and I'm still searching (and trying) to copy some of those very intricate riffs. Had all those albums... Very slick and sensible music that will stand the test of time cheers to you mate!!.
Fagan in particular is amazing. His own songs are ... singular. All of them are exemplary.
“Steely Dan is an aesthetic.” Perfect!
Sorry but I like to think of Steely Dan as a laxative
@D-COM Wrexshit smooth move ex-lax
No, a project...
or experience...
or state of mind...
or confluence...
or orgasmic, mind stretching, pyscho-permutative super-nova.
spactick ...well steely dan is a sex toy...so if you are considering it as a laxative...you are clearly using it slightly incorrectly.
@@zeroceiling - or perhaps not using enough vigor.
No mention of Bassist Chuck Rainey.
His bass part on the track "Josie" is phenomenal, along with that guitar intro by Larry Carlton
Steely Dan is one of the best groups of the 70s. They are truly musician's musicians. Too many good tracks on their albums to list.
Great video!
Tony Lancer
....don't you mean...of all time????
Spot on analysis...well done mate...
My dad was in the air force with a guy who went on to sell music equipment. He often worked with the Dan, providing them with the latest, highest quality gear in the industry
yo sounds amazing . what did you learn from all that ?
This probably one of my favourite videos you've done. Mostly because I love steely dan but 100% because your videos are consistently high quality. Keep doing what you do man. Your love for music really shows in your videos man.
No, this one went deeper. I enjoy and appreciate Steely Dan, but he's covered artists I like more. This was his best video yet, though. Unquestionably, to me at least.
I was astounded at how good a biography of this amazing duo was - I have everything they ever did including songs My Old School and FM which never appeared on a full-length CD. I used to tell people "listen to their lyrics man, absolutely filthy XXX and MAN I LOVE IT!!"
L1dile this is a great presentation of a great band/bands/.... all my band friends in high school and myself back in 1974 could not get enough Stealy Dan . No party/jam session was compleat without.😎😎😎😎😎
Great work. As a big SD fan I have to say I am impressed. Happy b´day to your dad!
My old school is on countdown to excasty.(full version of it). You are 100% stamped wrong.he so made that people are allowed to be so wrong!
.
How can you not mention Michael McDonald as a back up singer for Peg? It's truly a part of their history
Those McDonald background vocals on Peg soloed are astounding.
He does a ton of background vocals for them
Since you seem a fan - it was at SD that Skunk Baxter met Michael McDonald. Then when the Doobies needed a lead singer, Skunk (now at Doobies) introduced McDonald to Doobies.
Then of course McDonald sort of changed the style of Doobies to more pop/different sound, and Skunk left.
Ever wanna see something wild look up Baxter's discography. Includes Donna Summer - etc.
@@geraldfriend256 Do you mean "horrendous?"
I don’t Trust him entirely, he said the singer of dirty work doesn’t fit, when I think it’s great honestly. This RUclipsr would hate Canned Heat
I just inherited my grandfather’s records. He has every SD album. I’ve always known about SD but never gotten into them, until I listened to Gaucho and Pretzel Logic. GOD DAMN they’re so good!!
Welcome to the dark side.
Two great ones.
AJA might be the most complete album ever made.
Babylon Sisters and Third World Man are incredible songs on all counts
Aja, Can't Buy A Thrill, Katy Lied, Countdown To Ecstasy, The Royal Scam, Pretzel Logic, Gaucho... That's my ranking of Steely albums from 1972-1980. Aja is their best album according to most critics and fans, I'm slightly partial to their debut album...
Steely Dan is my Papa's favorite band. He always used to play their music on our hours-long road trips to and from Baguio City, Manila, Laguna and Isabela. Hearing a Steely Dan song never fails to transport me back to my childhood days.
That's a long hard road. Your dad has great taste in music.
a level of career-long musicianship that will probably never be achieved again in pop music. Steely Dan=da best.
jason aspy please. steely dan wouldn't make it to a top 100 band of its generation. The band was mediocre at best.
Real Cesar Gonzalez.. really.....?!, it must to great to be happy with the world laughing at you and your complete lack of musical knowledge..Steely Dan are one of the most highly rated bands in the world by Pro-musicians ..enough said.
I wish my 'worst output' was Countdown to Ecstasy. I love that album, and actually like it's rawness.
Like Joni Mitchell, they seemed to have a knack of knowing which musicians to use on any given song. That's a talent in itself.As a guitar player myself I can categorically state that the guys they used are all fantastic in their own way. Jay Graydons solo on Peg always puts a smile on my face, "no licks," Denny Dias is incredibly underrated and Larry Carlton is, well, Larry Carlton. I miss 'bands' like this.
Yes, so sad!! I miss WNEW ( NY) They had insightful commentary on so much music. They also played "New" musicians. I was so blessed to find Steely Dan ,Boz Scaggs and countless others through them. I honestly only find music by asking around. Mainly I revisit old jazz recordings. Like early Count Basie and later Tito Puentes.
My father used to call them the "University" of music
Yeah...because of the zillions of session musicians that actually allowed them to be a "band"...even though they weren't really a BAND !! Incredible !
@@geraldfrieberg7921 you can always pick out the sound of a Steely Dan piece it's about feel not personality.
Wish I said that .
No-one even remotely like them before or since.Amazing group of incredibly talented musicians.
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Heard Steely Dan for the first time, day after Christmas in 1972, when "Do It Again" hit the charts. Was a fan from that time on. Still believe to this day, that "Aja" was their best work.
OldSchoolR&R
Tough call to pick a favorite album for me.I’m fascinated by all their work.👍
Black Cow is probably in my top 5 favorite songs. If not my favorite song ever. So funky and full of soul. RIP Walter Becker.
Yup, love "Black Cow!" Awesome tune from Steely Dan, for sure! Can't get enough of it myself! :)
The title track of Aja is my favourite off the album.
"I saw you at Rudy's, you were very high". That's a real bar in Hells Kitchen, Manhattan. Still there.
Haut Strange Interesting... a SD fan, synth collector, and a taste for bizarre dark music and gear? Nice to meet you Haut Strange.
This song has been sampled a couple times. Like in “Deja Vu” by Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz as well as a remix of “Me, Myself & I” by Beyoncé.
i will say that all of Fagen's OCD on Babylon Sisters paid off. That is unquestionably the best sounding recording I have heard in my life.
Their music still sounds as fresh and relevant as when it was released. Timeless.
THE TRUTH
Two more facts:
1. While at Bard Fagan and Becker had a jazz combo. They had a drummer for that combo who would give up music after graduation. That drummer's name....Chevy Chase (yep that one).
2. They were directly responsible for discovering a young backup singer from St. Louis named Michael McDonald who was featured most prominently on Bad Sneakers.
a third fact... in the mid-70s, Donald Fagen lived in fear of being replaced as Steely Dan's frontman by that "backup singer from St. Louis"... I'd be honored if some Steely Dan fans would check out my acoustic keyboard & vocal cover of HOME AT LAST in tribute to a great Fagen/Becker composition. Live acoustic with no digital editing. Thanks and peace.
I liked "Bad Sneakers," but I loved the Fagen/McDonald vocal collaboration on another "Katy Lied" song "Any World (That I'm Welcome To)." Their vocal outro is the most exhilarating finish to any Steely Dan recording.
Way cool jason.
Jason, I'm gonna take you at face value, but swear if someone snickers at me when I repeat that truly obscure fact about CC, that that is some widely known urban legend, I'mma gonna come looking for you son. Otherwise... mind totally blown.
And Peg
There are two kinds of people in the world: those who love Steely Dan, and those who have never heard Steely Dan.
I'd be honored if some Steely Dan fans would take a listen to my live keyboard & vocal performances of JOSIE and HOME AT LAST on my YT channel in tribute to the songwriting of Becker/Fagen and to the Aja album, which stands as one of the greatest creative works of the 20th century. Totally live with no autotuning or digital editing. Thanks and peace.
And then there's John Mulaney's wife, who hates Steely Dan :/
I heard them and really don't like it. You can see and feel that the emotional/chemical aspect of the music is just not there, probably because they took different session musicians that they probably didn't have a relationship with. You can hear that in the music. It's sterile music. Perfect mix, great time, great grooves. Boring & uninspired vocals, zero emotion.
And then there is a whole load of us who heard a lot of Steely Dan and still don't like it lol.
I grew up with each and every new album they made. I'm spoiled and laugh at most of the stuff that's out today.
I spent 40 years playing these guys on the radio and never really new the inside story on Fagen and Becker...Geniuses really, to pull all that together. The longer I live and the more music I hear I'm convinced the 70 and some 80's was the greatest time for music. Your video was expertly crafted. Thanks for the education on some of my all time favorite tunes.
Having heard the "hits" on the radio, I knew who Steely Dan was, but I was working part time in a Rekka Stowe when Aja came out. We could "borrow" albums and take 'em home to listen to. My music mentor at the store played the Aja album over our Bose store system and I knew I was listening to music for adults. Sophisticated adults. This was reinforced when I opened the album and attempted to digest the liner notes. You had to be an intellectual just to grasp the critiques of the material and of the creative process. I became a fan and went explored all of their previous stuff in detail. I love the entire library. RIP Walter Becker. LOVE these guys. For my money Aja was the band's apex. A perfect record from start to finish.
I worked in a restaurant in Aspen that played 50's rock and roll hits as the "house music".. but when we closed the doors and started cleaning up, "Aja" went on the CD player.
Steely Dan "stimulates" on every level.
A lifetime's worth of superior music.
I'll choose "The Royal Scam" as my favorite if forced to pick one.
Excellent coverage of their early work. Thanks
Truly one of the greatest musical acts of all time!
Best explanation of Steely Dan I’ve ever seen/heard. Congratulations on your masterpiece video.
Steely Dan...
The greatest band in the world.
EVER.
Thanks for this.
Outstanding.
Totally disagree with Palmer's voice on Dirty Work, IMHO it fits incredibly well
It was a great vocal, wish Palmer would've sang more tracks.
@@chrisnolan5607 I agree, but please develop the personality of your characters a little more... Tenet was kind of hollow
@@gonzalozech I haven't seen Tenet yet but your comment made me laugh.
Fagan didn't like his own voice but it had a certain quality that technically better singers couldn't capture. but on this on this song Palmer's voice was better than Fagan's would have been. It's more sad than cynical.
Steely Dan and Chicago were the bands the music teachers liked in high school in the 70s
Don't forget ABBA
Tommy Haynes.........Ahh, the 1970s. The master garage bands of the 70s. My older brother had a band that practiced in our garage. They called me "The Kid". Our generation was awash with fabulous music.
Kevin Furst they had one good debut album and when Al Kooper left it just wasn’t the same. How unfortunate
@@Sergio_Solorio - " The Child is the Father to Man" ! ;-)
@@rEdf196 Which one doesn't fit. Steely Dan: fusion of Jazz, R&B, and Rock. Chicago: fusion of R&B, soul, and Rock. ABBA, pop.
These guys, with their ear for every detail being to perfection, are amazing.
Aja - you missed the sublime horn arrangement of "Deacon Blues"
Fitting all of the dans career into 17 minutes is tough. Not all the stars are going to make it.
Possibly Dan's single best song too.
If you're a fan of Aja, try to track down the episode of "Classic Album." They get both men to sit in the studio with a mixer and they go through each song. They talk about the session guys that played, sometimes even break the songs down track by track. A lot of really neat insight into their arrangements, recording, and writing.
Love Deacon Blues. One of my favorites.
He probably avoided it specifically because Nerdwriter focused on it in this video
ruclips.net/video/vSDD8rgUiNc/видео.html
I swear this is the most underrated channel on this app. This well done research on some of the most polarizing musicians in history. You can tell that they actually love music history. Keep up the great work 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
RIP Big Walter. Missing you terribly. Thank God Don is still committed to touring!
m smith I just saw them in Atlantic City a few months ago and they sounded EPIC! The set list left a lot to be desired, all the popular stuff, but they sounded absolutely amazing.
When I started getting into Steely Dan I was super bummed out when I found out he died.
He hates touring, but it's the only way to make money.
Their music reminds me of some of the best times in my life.
I always hear SD in the background when I remember our high school graduation picnic at Eastover in Lenox MA. There was a keg down in the woods and …. ‘79, things are getting foggy
Wow, what a coincidence. Steely Dan is also my Dad's favorite band - tied with Chicago, the early stuff, of course - although he doesn't have a birthday coming up. I feel like you did a great job of encapsulating what makes Steely Dan so great.
I am also a huge fan of the Dan, and was fortunate to see them live twice before Walter Becker passed away.
I am definitely going to show this to my parents!
Same, my dad also loves em, I remember how he used to play one of Steely Dan's compilation albums on repeat in his car, and that's how I got into Steely Dan. Looks like dads really love "The 'Dan". lol
Steely Dan are like an anchor. Their level of sophistication, craftsmanship and quality are something to aspire to even if you don't like their style.
24 years old and I came upon steely Dan last year and I was an instant fan. Such music craftsmanship and magic. Music groups nowadays will never match something like that.
@RedFox music You seriously *need* to listen to Ben Folds, bruv.
it's never too late - welcome :)
There's actually a lot of bands nowadays that put as much work in as them. Look at any prog metal or rock band for instance. Then there's lots of avant garde and experimental rock groups around nowadays. Just look on Bandcamp for two seconds and you'll find a plethora of extremely talented musicians
Me too I'm 16 and I love these band, I think no one has ever liked this band at my age in this decade
@@weezhopkins everyone likes steely Dan because everyone knows the song "peg"
Never get tired of listening to Can't buy a Thrill. One of the very best albums ever produced. No Hyperbole.
I LIKE the vocal on Dirty Work.
Absolutely. That was David Palmer just singing in a kind of fragile tone. The author blew it because Palmer also sang lead on Do it Again. He has a completely different tone in contrast to Dirty Work.
@@pauldeem2868 donald fagen did vocals on do it again
Yep, one of my favorite SD songs. This is what happens when a band gets a label. Jazz-blues fusion... WTF does that even mean? The rotating musicians makes for the sound they wanted for each song. It’s what makes their studio albums so great. I’ve seen them live 3 times and it’s no wonder they struggle to Sound
as good.
I came here for that comment. It's not a typically sardonic but soulful SD tune - the reason why Donald.doesn't do lead on tour (heard Carolyn Leonhart do it a couple of times - she nails it). Great video nonetheless.
same
Yes! Polyphonic + steely dan is a good day
I'd be honored if some Steely Dan fans would check out my acoustic piano & vocal covers of HOME AT LAST and SEPTEMBER by Earth Wind & Fire on my channel in tribute to late 70s groove. Live acoustic with no digital enhancements. Thanks and peace.
Steely Dan is an intricate musical journey for me from 1972 to 1981. Every day now and the future includes at least one Steely Dan song usually more. Steely Dan will always be an important part to growing up musically. Very thankful!
Steely Dan is also one of my father’s favorite bands and I owe him a lot for my musical tastes. Cheers
What's most insane about Reelin' in the years in my opinion is that Elliott Randall just listened to what the song sounded like in progress at the time and without any talk about what they wanted his guitar parts to sound like he just whipped that legendary thing together in one take. Nothing more nothing less, just perfect.
The Royal Scam is nothing but net. It's an amazing album.
Kid Charlemagne contains the only guitar solos that need to actually exist.
Nothing but net from half court, to be exact. :)
@@Kylora2112 I love it haha
best album by Them
It's more than amazing. It has that rare quality of being cohesive. Although not technically or officially a concept album, one can view it as having a thematic through-line. There seems to be a thin narrative running through it about the Caribbean and oppression. Also the bleak mood of the album is a constant. "Turn up the Eagles, the neighbors are listening."
Aja and Pretzel Logic are total masterpieces. Donald Fagen's "The Nightfly" is awesome too, if you're a Steely Dan fan.
The goodbye look off the nightfly is great
Jesse Miller entire album is.
Every song is great on that album
What about Gaucho!! ?😀
I ADORE Gaucho! It's always lost in the discussion after Aja, but I think it's a great album in every way!
Thank you, by the way. It’s because of this video that I really started appreciating Steely Dan. I literally listen to them every single day. I can’t think of a bad song; not a single one!
My Old School was a killer song on Countdown to Ecstasy.
Will Hart I don't know if you're familiar with the story behind the lyrics of that song, but it's worth a Google. Very interesting.
One of my favorite guitar solos of all time. I was lucky enough to see the Dukes of September play it as a finale or encore at the Hardly Strictly festival in SF a few years back. I was practically in tears of joy and got to high five the guitarist Jon Herrington.
It’s not bad, but Bodhisattva is the killer on that album.
@@norsketilbakeblikk3717 Skunk Baxter played Bodhisattva at our 50 th high school reunion in Ct..Autumn,'17-thrilling!
My favorite.
Why no mention of Michael MacDonald? His background vocals are all over Steely Dan from 1975 - 1980.
First Steely Dan and Then the Doobie Brothers.
Exactly they did not take off until Michael began contributing to their music.
Yeah. You gotta mention Michael dude…
michael mcdonald was good in this band, but ruined doobie brothers
Patti Austin! She sang back up. Check out her songs Do You Love Me and Rythm of the Street!
Steely Dan is my all time favorite band of all the US bands. There are so many iconic masterpieces to mention but there are so many great tunes that never go out of date. As my old dear friend bassist Jamil Nasser once told me....."Genius has no expiration date" Amen, Jamil.
Every time you play one of their songs you hear something that you didn’t hear previously especially after the whole catalog was remastered. Nichols won several Grammy Awards for engineering their albums. Nothing less than perfection
I got turned on to Steely Dan when my sister moved home from California to die at “home” from breast cancer. 1981. She named her daughter Katy after the album. Very influential band
Patrick Weyenberg 😢😘😘😘😘😢
Powerful story man. Much love
Wow! How hearbreaking
Patrick, we may never meet, but I dedicate every Katy Lied I ever play to your sister and niece, including this one coming up.
aww man... thanks for sharing
I actually liked David Palmer singing “dirty work”
Yes Rag, agreed. I always thought David Palmer had a smooth, soulful voice. Fagan on backing vocals makes this a Steely Dan classic.
Agreed. His voice worked well for that song.
One of my favorite Steely Dan songs, for sure.
David Palmer sang through his nose. Not talented enough for a future with the Dan. He was weak.
@@steph.electric everyone is entitled to their opinion. I think his vocals are there for a reason.
I love Steely Dan. My Dad used to listen to them on his HiFi back in the early 80’s while he read his books. You didn’t bother him until the record ended. As I got older I understood why👍🏻
The Dan are the ultimate jazz rock of the future. Their perfection and use of pro musicians was genius! Jazz rock fusion masters that made their music the pop future! Love it. 😎
They made rock-jazz fusion a thing worth listening to. Most of the rest of that genre fails to appeal.
“Has it ever struck you that life is all memory, except for the one present moment that goes by you so quick you hardly catch it going?”― Tennessee Williams.
Couple of things: 1) Steely Dan was a guitar player’s feast. The playing on every album is the best there could be for
Its time and for the vision Becker and Fagen had. Jimmy Page himself has said Elliot’s solo on Reeling In The Years
is his favorite solo on record. They’re guitar player’s albums, especially before AJA. 2) AJA is the one of the VERY BEST
recorded, mixed, and mastered albums of all time. The sound is phenomenal - pristine and clear, with everything in its
proper place on the sound spectrum. Sometimes that makes records TOO clean, with no soul. But AJA hits every mark.
The guitar work on both AJA and Gaucho is terrific; great actually. But it doesn’t take as prominent a role as it did in
those earlier records. Weird guys, but they sure knew what they wanted and were totally averse to shortcuts. Bravo, Dan!
Weird, and genius. I could only imagine what the engineer was going through when Fagan had 274 mixes of one song before getting it the way he was happy with it. That's insanity. Musical genius insanity
Royal scam is an underrated guitar players dream. Almost every song has a memorable amazing guitar solo.
True on all counts
I’d say Steely Dan is a project more than a band.
Well said.
I'd be honored if some Steely Dan fans would take a quick listen to my stripped-down keyboard & vocal RUclips interpretations of JOSIE and HOME AT LAST in tribute to the Aja album, which stands as one of the greatest musical achievements of the 20th century. Live acoustic with no digital editing. Peace and stay safe.
If they were a project, then so were the mothers of invention. The beach boys on Pet Sounds. Almost every band that disappeared in their session after the wrecking crew told their guys to go take a coffee break. While we do your album for you.
@@rman52 The Mothers of Invention were a project, but Hot Rats, THAT was a band
@@willritter4076 I checked them out a long time age and liked them both.
Took me five years to find this. Excellent work. Thank you!