Thanks so much!!!! People seem to be enjoying these shorter pieces that just go straight to the core of the topic without a bunch of added stuff around it (I know I do, too), so my last couple of videos I've tried to do that. I just released one today about Godley and Creme if you're interested. ruclips.net/video/IQnoCDxS71g/видео.html Thanks!!
I second the kudos the person posted of the concision here. No clickbait, no extra fluff, no fabricated gossip.... Some of the best two minutes I've spent on RUclips. Thank you. 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Oh wow, thank you so much!!!!!!! I'm really trying lately to work on creating bite-size videos that explore something interesting without too much extra junk around it. 🙏🙏🙏
To me the lyrics seems like a pretty direct shot by Becker against Fagen, which would certainly explain why Fagen wanted to hire someone else to sing it.
@@nunyabidnez7857 From what I remember, Fagen has always had a difficult personality, and in particular was extremely introverted in his early years. When they were shopping their music around to record company execs, Fagen would say absolutely nothing, depending on Becker to tell the execs what kind of songs they were, what the potential audience was, etc., before Fagen sang them. This seemed bizarre and off putting to some of them at least. Becker must have thought he was acting as Fagen's unpaid babysitter at times.
It's too bad they didn't keep him on for a few more albums or call him back for a cameo or two. Although David Palmer's contributions to Steely Dan were relatively few, the results were incredibly good.
We need more concise videos like this - well done. What we don’t need is videos five times this long and entitled “The life and tragic end of [insert name of rock star or actor]”. Unbelievably the actor - Richard Greene (of Robin Hood tv series fame and some well received movies) - who led a full and active life and retired to indulge his hobby of horse riding/ breeding - died “tragically” (according to one video) even though he died of natural causes !!!!
I always wondered what happened to SD's original lead singer. So Steely Dan only needed David Palmer to front the band until Donald Fagan got enough confidence to take lead? I hope they showed him gratitude for his contribution helping them to get better known. Nothing like getting tossed out like old junk.
I knew about the firing of David Palmer, but hadn’t known of his career after that. Very interesting! For me, I’m glad Donald took over the singing. I like his caustic sound. Like others, I dislike their superior attitude, but I do love their music! Thanks for the history!
I'm honestly grateful that Donald Fagen took over instead of David Palmer. Fagen's voice just has this narrative style that was meant for their lyrics, something that Palmer just didn't have. Steely Dan called more for a vocalist, not a singer.
@kholathekid: While I agree with you about Fagan I have to say, "Dirty Work" is one of my favorites by SD. But yea, I can't imagine anyone else singing all those other great songs.
I saw Steely Dan live back in '73, I think, at Nassau Coliseum on LI. Also on the bill were the Doobie Bros. and my fav. band of all time, Loggins and Messina. Anyway, my friends and I had seats in the second row on the floor because his sister was dating the then drummer of Steely Dan. David Palmer must have been the lead singer of Steely Dan at the time. It was an amazing concert!!
Wow...I used to love steely dan, I saw them on a interview once and thought what assholes but their music was the sound track of my youth. I did not know Dirty Work was steely dan I thought it was like crosby stills and nash or such.( not as into music as others for sure) This proves you never stop learning!
That "asshole" attitude was one Fagen and Becker often purveyed in response to the typically shallow, uninformed questions they encountered in interviews. Hard-core Dan fans understood why, and loved them all the more for it. You clearly are not among that group, as evidence by your not knowing "Dirty Work" was one of their tunes.
Thank you for the kind comment!!!! I'm trying to make shorter videos that do just that! Check out ruclips.net/video/TeqeaJj2utM/видео.html and ruclips.net/video/IQnoCDxS71g/видео.html and ruclips.net/video/4YoYdvyCets/видео.html if you're interested! 🙏🙏🙏🤘🤘🤘
I always read these David Palmer type stories and wonder how many there had been that brush with greatness but only circle around it. In David Palmer's case, certainly his "Jazzman" song was a smash and he is still getting paid well for that along with other hits. Some who circle greatness sort of have that record they made with someone famous that did not go anywhere and then fade away. I was reading the story of a woman who was a singer and had a connection to The Beach Boys and made a record with the help of some connected to the band but it never went anywhere. These are the most interesting stories.
Thanks very much for the kind feedback! I've definitely tried to make my last few videos a little shorter so people could enjoy a bite-sized bit of rock history without having to sit through a lot of fluff just to get to the core of the topic. Thanks again!
You left out the band that David was in immediately prior to Steely Dan, The Quinaimes Band, who released their sole LP on Elektra in 1971. I always remembered the album's opener, "Try Me One More Time." He was a pretty good singer!
😅 as I recall as a teenager during that time, personal appearances were not as much of a major focus. Witness the portly Lowell George of Little Feat and the diminutive Rick Derringer. Both huge stars and major tslents.
I have always wondered who the “Dirty Work” lead vocalist was. I definitely knew it wasn’t Fagen. That’s one of my favorite songs from that album, next to “Do It Again.”
Thank you so much!!! Obviously there’s more to the story here, but just wanted to introduce the background on this moment in rock history. Thanks again!
I saw Steely Dan open for Stoneground and the Kinks, in Houston, Oct 1972, and the takeaway I remember was they badly needed a new singer. The first album doesn't offer much, compared to the next four.
There were a rotating group of musicians contributing, but the first album is more traditional rock, than any of the later albums. It sold OK, but didn't set any records. The first three albums have the same five guys, Becker, Fagen, Dias, Hodder, and Baxter. Katy Lied, and The Royal Scam feature only Becker and Fagen, with a cast of thousands supporting them.@@samdeninno1951
I thought I had read that it was simply that the record company preferred Fagen's original demos to the versions with Palmer singing so they used Fagen's tracks on the record thus Palmer was unnecessary.
Haha thanks! It was just such a specific thing that started popping up a few years ago when all these Midnight Special videos started appearing on YT. Thanks for watching!!!
Yes! All those stories of some of the biggest names in music performing entire songs or albums and then on the way out the door seeing the next group walking in to record the exact same thing and not knowing which one would end up on the record...
Interesting that it was Skunk Baxter that recommended Palmer as a singer. Baxter also was the person that recommended Michael McDonald as the new singer for the Doobie Brothers when Tom Johnston left the group.
Man it is BS what Steely Dan did to Palmer. Truly unfortunate, but looks like he got around ok afterwards. Shame same can't be said for Jim Hodder though.
So they fired the guy who didn't suck. Makes sense. (Obviously, not a Steely Dan fan speaking, here.) WAIT WAIT -- one exception: Peg. And Marotta's drums. hell yeah.
Now i know why members founders of Little river band used to admonish lead vocal Gkenn Shorrock that he WONT LAST 10 MINUTES IN STEELY DAN. .Reason, glenn does not want to rehearse abd rehearse
Nothing against Palmer but watching vintage videos of him singing lead vocals on "Do It Again" instead of Donald Fagan is downright disturbing. Dan had a great voice but Donald Fagan's voice is unique, impossible to replicate and IS the essence of their sound. I think part of the reason they hired Palmer was because early on, Donald had stage fright. If you watch some of the earliest videos of Steely Dan you can clearly see that Donald is trembling from stage fright when he sings.
Mistake. One of the reason's I've never really liked Steely Dan, while nevertheless appreciating their musicianship, is that Fagan's voice, to me, is a turnoff. He sounds snide and superior. Their decision cost them at least one fan. How many more? (I also didn't like Fagan's putdown of John Lennon, which is fully in keeping with his pretentiousness.)
"Only a Fool Would Say That" was not directed at Lennon, despite what you have read. If you disagree, provide a link showing either Fagen or Becker saying that it was. Actually, I'll save you the time. You won't find any such comment, because they never said it.
@@scurvybro8850 Well, everybody has long thought that it is directed at John Lennon, given the content of the lyrics (such as the reference to the Panama hat), and neither Fagan nor Becker took the trouble to deny it, so it is safe to conclude that that is indeed the case. And, in any case, my other criticisms still stand.
@@chicklets4ever51 "Everybody?" No, just gullible rubes. The sole source of the the idea that "Only a Fool" is a response to Lennon is an article in "Far Out" magazine, which does not quote either Becker of Fagen as confirming the assertion. (Also, the article was published several years after Becker died, thus negating the possibility for him to comment either way.)That neither of them "took the trouble to deny it" does not constitute evidence. But if their silence equates to ironclad proof to you, I can't tell you you don't think that.
@@scurvybro8850 Maybe "Far Out" is where YOU first heard it. I first heard it right when the album came out. The friend of mine who'd bought the record even called to my attention that the song was a criticism of Lennon. Where he got that information, I can't say, but it's a good bet it came from his own intelligence and from having listened to the lyrics. The point being that the interpretation is as old as the song itself. Make of that what you will.
![FNAF vs TF2 - Episode 2 [SFM]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/z5b3V2-VLb0/mqdefault.jpg)
Thank you. Great use of two and a half minutes. No BS, just the facts.
Thanks so much!!!! People seem to be enjoying these shorter pieces that just go straight to the core of the topic without a bunch of added stuff around it (I know I do, too), so my last couple of videos I've tried to do that. I just released one today about Godley and Creme if you're interested. ruclips.net/video/IQnoCDxS71g/видео.html Thanks!!
I second the kudos the person posted of the concision here. No clickbait, no extra fluff, no fabricated gossip.... Some of the best two minutes I've spent on RUclips. Thank you. 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Oh wow, thank you so much!!!!!!! I'm really trying lately to work on creating bite-size videos that explore something interesting without too much extra junk around it. 🙏🙏🙏
I love his voice on Dirty Work.
That falsetto!
Yup. Swoon!
To me the lyrics seems like a pretty direct shot by Becker against Fagen, which would certainly explain why Fagen wanted to hire someone else to sing it.
@oneeyedman99 Never thought of it that way, but I'm interested in the theory. In the words of Gaucho, "Would you care to explain??!!"
@@nunyabidnez7857 From what I remember, Fagen has always had a difficult personality, and in particular was extremely introverted in his early years. When they were shopping their music around to record company execs, Fagen would say absolutely nothing, depending on Becker to tell the execs what kind of songs they were, what the potential audience was, etc., before Fagen sang them. This seemed bizarre and off putting to some of them at least. Becker must have thought he was acting as Fagen's unpaid babysitter at times.
Palmer was the best entertainer of Steely Dan. Too bad, jealousy and narcissism of someone else destroyed within that rock group.
It's too bad they didn't keep him on for a few more albums or call him back for a cameo or two. Although David Palmer's contributions to Steely Dan were relatively few, the results were incredibly good.
We need more concise videos like this - well done. What we don’t need is videos five times this long and entitled “The life and tragic end of [insert name of rock star or actor]”. Unbelievably the actor - Richard Greene (of Robin Hood tv series fame and some well received movies) - who led a full and active life and retired to indulge his hobby of horse riding/ breeding - died “tragically” (according to one video) even though he died of natural causes !!!!
Your attention span is lacking
My absolute favorite band ever.
Becker and Fagen seem like Two Dbags, but they made some great music.
LOL I do believe that is the consensus
They also seem alt lifestyle. No dis. Just observing.
Steely Dan music is the best. Fagen and Becker were monstrous aholes
.
I always wondered what happened to SD's original lead singer. So Steely Dan only needed David Palmer to front the band until Donald Fagan got enough confidence to take lead? I hope they showed him gratitude for his contribution helping them to get better known. Nothing like getting tossed out like old junk.
Not a few d-bags are into the occult, reflecting the personality of their secret mastah
I knew about the firing of David Palmer, but hadn’t known of his career after that. Very interesting! For me, I’m glad Donald took over the singing. I like his caustic sound. Like others, I dislike their superior attitude, but I do love their music! Thanks for the history!
Exactly! Thanks for watching!!!
Vocally Dirty Work is my favourite Steeley Dan song. He had a great voice.
I loved Dirt Work. I think that was him singing.
That's some damn good photography! Dude's got talent out the ying-yang! Wow!
I'm honestly grateful that Donald Fagen took over instead of David Palmer.
Fagen's voice just has this narrative style that was meant for their lyrics, something that Palmer just didn't have. Steely Dan called more for a vocalist, not a singer.
@kholathekid: While I agree with you about Fagan I have to say, "Dirty Work" is one of my favorites by SD. But yea, I can't imagine anyone else singing all those other great songs.
I saw Steely Dan live back in '73, I think, at Nassau Coliseum on LI. Also on the bill were the Doobie Bros. and my fav. band of all time, Loggins and Messina. Anyway, my friends and I had seats in the second row on the floor because his sister was dating the then drummer of Steely Dan. David Palmer must have been the lead singer of Steely Dan at the time. It was an amazing concert!!
Love it. I saw them in 1990 and 2015 and they were great shows.
Cool to know he had a great career post Steely Dan.
Palmer actually did have a very good voice.
Wow...I used to love steely dan, I saw them on a interview once and thought what assholes but their music was the sound track of my youth.
I did not know Dirty Work was steely dan I thought it was like crosby stills and nash or such.( not as into music as others for sure) This proves you never stop learning!
Exactly!!! When I used to hear that song as a kid I never understood how Donald could get his voice so high LOL. Thanks for watching!!
That "asshole" attitude was one Fagen and Becker often purveyed in response to the typically shallow, uninformed questions they encountered in interviews. Hard-core Dan fans understood why, and loved them all the more for it. You clearly are not among that group, as evidence by your not knowing "Dirty Work" was one of their tunes.
Thank you so much for delivering just the facts in a cohesive and timely manner! 😁
Thank you for the kind comment!!!! I'm trying to make shorter videos that do just that! Check out ruclips.net/video/TeqeaJj2utM/видео.html and ruclips.net/video/IQnoCDxS71g/видео.html and ruclips.net/video/4YoYdvyCets/видео.html if you're interested! 🙏🙏🙏🤘🤘🤘
I always read these David Palmer type stories and wonder how many there had been that brush with greatness but only circle around it. In David Palmer's case, certainly his "Jazzman" song was a smash and he is still getting paid well for that along with other hits. Some who circle greatness sort of have that record they made with someone famous that did not go anywhere and then fade away. I was reading the story of a woman who was a singer and had a connection to The Beach Boys and made a record with the help of some connected to the band but it never went anywhere. These are the most interesting stories.
Happen to love you by The Myddle Class is garage rock heaven in my book
hey, thanx been in the radio biz for many yrs, and you answered a question that i didnt know. BTW, great narration, and not too long!
Thanks very much for the kind feedback! I've definitely tried to make my last few videos a little shorter so people could enjoy a bite-sized bit of rock history without having to sit through a lot of fluff just to get to the core of the topic. Thanks again!
You left out the band that David was in immediately prior to Steely Dan, The Quinaimes Band, who released their sole LP on Elektra in 1971. I always remembered the album's opener, "Try Me One More Time." He was a pretty good singer!
Thanks!
Dirty work is a favorite
Oh man. A real talent. I ,also, love his photography.
You didn't talk about any filler garbage to make the video longer, just told us an interesting story for 3 minutes. Nice job
Thank you so much!!! I really do try to do that in my videos. I appreciate it.
I enjoyed this mini music history lesson. I'm about to save Dirty Work to my playlist and loved the Lisa Simpson insert of Jazz Man😂. Well done!
Thank you so much!
😅 as I recall as a teenager during that time, personal appearances were not as much of a major focus. Witness the portly Lowell George of Little Feat and the diminutive Rick Derringer. Both huge stars and major tslents.
I have always wondered who the “Dirty Work” lead vocalist was. I definitely knew it wasn’t Fagen.
That’s one of my favorite songs from that album, next to “Do It Again.”
I agree! Thanks!
David Palmer, vocalist
excellent video!
Thank you so much!!! Obviously there’s more to the story here, but just wanted to introduce the background on this moment in rock history. Thanks again!
This is great. Thank you!
Thank YOU!
I saw Steely Dan open for Stoneground and the Kinks, in Houston, Oct 1972, and the takeaway I remember was they badly needed a new singer. The first album doesn't offer much, compared to the next four.
The first album is the only one where they had a real band
There were a rotating group of musicians contributing, but the first album is more traditional rock, than any of the later albums. It sold OK, but didn't set any records. The first three albums have the same five guys, Becker, Fagen, Dias, Hodder, and Baxter. Katy Lied, and The Royal Scam feature only Becker and Fagen, with a cast of thousands supporting them.@@samdeninno1951
@@samdeninno1951 It's up there with my favorites. Lots of good songs on it. You need to listen again TheAnarchitek.
I thought I had read that it was simply that the record company preferred Fagen's original demos to the versions with Palmer singing so they used Fagen's tracks on the record thus Palmer was unnecessary.
Great info. Never knew anything other than his brief SD tenure.
Thank you!
Saw them a couple of months ago opening for the Eagles. They had a female singing "Dirty Work". Not bad.
That intro narrative was so spot-on. Hahaha! Who the hell was this guy?
Haha thanks! It was just such a specific thing that started popping up a few years ago when all these Midnight Special videos started appearing on YT. Thanks for watching!!!
Fagen and Becker also gave a really hard time to some famous musicians, most notably Mark Knopfler from Dire Straits! They fired him too.
Yes! All those stories of some of the biggest names in music performing entire songs or albums and then on the way out the door seeing the next group walking in to record the exact same thing and not knowing which one would end up on the record...
Steely Dan and The Doobie Brothers....
🔥 🎶 😎 🎶 🔥
Interesting that it was Skunk Baxter that recommended Palmer as a singer. Baxter also was the person that recommended Michael McDonald as the new singer for the Doobie Brothers when Tom Johnston left the group.
Haha if missile technology doesn’t work out for Skunk, he could become a musicians’ agent.
I just saw Skunk Baxter. He is an influencer for sure over his long successful career.
Fagan was jealous of david palmer
I believe it
Great video.
Thanks!!
Thank you
BROOKLYN
Yes, he also sang great on that one!
that reasoning falls flat with the fact that they soon replaced DP with another singer and warped the direction of the og band permanently.
great story 2 careers
Man it is BS what Steely Dan did to Palmer. Truly unfortunate, but looks like he got around ok afterwards. Shame same can't be said for Jim Hodder though.
Hodder was a great drummer
Can’t buy a thrill was there best to me played the tracks off it .
That's carrot top
Nice video.👍
Thank you!
they fired the whole band.
Several times LOL
Sorry hear the keyboardist passed away recently
So they fired the guy who didn't suck. Makes sense. (Obviously, not a Steely Dan fan speaking, here.) WAIT WAIT -- one exception: Peg. And Marotta's drums. hell yeah.
Now i know why members founders of Little river band used to admonish lead vocal Gkenn Shorrock that he WONT LAST 10 MINUTES IN STEELY DAN. .Reason, glenn does not want to rehearse abd rehearse
He started a band after steely called “big wha-koo \wha-koo..
Yes he did!
So he was the cool one in Steely Dorks.
I thought this was a joke of some kind. I though there is no way weird al jankovoc sang for Steely Dan. This dude really looks like weird al.
Steely Dan always seemed to be the choice of smug NY, NJ yuppie types.
That's me.
@@soaringvulture I listen to them.
If Palmer had continued w vocals instead of Fagan ...omg..it would have ruined the whole band
Did he get his teeth fixed?
Indeed he did! I think those are the most (in)famous teeth on RUclips lol
@@StrangeDevice Thank God lol them things was scaring kids!
@@mikebryant614 😁
No doubt. 😂🤣@@mikebryant614
Nothing against Palmer but watching vintage videos of him singing lead vocals on "Do It Again" instead of Donald Fagan is downright disturbing. Dan had a great voice but Donald Fagan's voice is unique, impossible to replicate and IS the essence of their sound. I think part of the reason they hired Palmer was because early on, Donald had stage fright. If you watch some of the earliest videos of Steely Dan you can clearly see that Donald is trembling from stage fright when he sings.
This. Stage fright. This was one of the main drivers of why Palmer was hired on vocals as he was considerably more comfortable being point man.
Mistake. One of the reason's I've never really liked Steely Dan, while nevertheless appreciating their musicianship, is that Fagan's voice, to me, is a turnoff. He sounds snide and superior. Their decision cost them at least one fan. How many more? (I also didn't like Fagan's putdown of John Lennon, which is fully in keeping with his pretentiousness.)
"Only a Fool Would Say That" was not directed at Lennon, despite what you have read. If you disagree, provide a link showing either Fagen or Becker saying that it was. Actually, I'll save you the time. You won't find any such comment, because they never said it.
@@scurvybro8850I wouldn't even care if they were talking about him.
@@scurvybro8850 Well, everybody has long thought that it is directed at John Lennon, given the content of the lyrics (such as the reference to the Panama hat), and neither Fagan nor Becker took the trouble to deny it, so it is safe to conclude that that is indeed the case. And, in any case, my other criticisms still stand.
@@chicklets4ever51 "Everybody?" No, just gullible rubes. The sole source of the the idea that "Only a Fool" is a response to Lennon is an article in "Far Out" magazine, which does not quote either Becker of Fagen as confirming the assertion. (Also, the article was published several years after Becker died, thus negating the possibility for him to comment either way.)That neither of them "took the trouble to deny it" does not constitute evidence. But if their silence equates to ironclad proof to you, I can't tell you you don't think that.
@@scurvybro8850 Maybe "Far Out" is where YOU first heard it. I first heard it right when the album came out. The friend of mine who'd bought the record even called to my attention that the song was a criticism of Lennon. Where he got that information, I can't say, but it's a good bet it came from his own intelligence and from having listened to the lyrics. The point being that the interpretation is as old as the song itself. Make of that what you will.
Seeing his teeth always makes my teeth hurt.
Dirty Work and Brooklyn
They both died
After he left , steeley Dan was pointless.
Those teeth