Owsley Stanley was the sound engineer for The Dead. He created a whole new configuration for making sure that audiences in an outdoor setting, even those at a distance could get an optimum audio experience. His techniques revolutionized live music. He also made the best acid ever because it seemed to enhance The Dead experience and because he was a maniac.
I’m glad that you reacted to this song. One point of clarification: Naked Lunch is not a romance novel, at least not in any traditional sense. It is hardcore Beat writing by William Burroughs.
I just wanted to bring up a big point that the Literalist was missing: The Kid was the best in town. He happened upon a wonderful formulation that was so popular with the rich folks on the hill that every A-Frame (i.e. Swiss-style "Chalet") between there and Reno had his phone number. He was doing very, very well until his friends started dying....
Concerning the solo: check out Rick Beato’s take on it. He feels it is one of the best ever constructed. He breaks it down note by note. BTW you guys have an interesting perspective on reactions. Good job.
This had one of the finest guitar solo's from Larry Carlton and that drum shuffle by Bernard Purdie was fantastic. One of my top 3 Steely Dan songs and they have alot of really damn good songs. Michael McDonald did not make an appearance on this song. ;-)
I so agree with you DG! That was great drum work from Bernard The Hitmaker Purdie, and Larry Carlton's solo was off the charts. I want to add that the complexity of the chords in the keyboards and organs that undergirds the song is so amazing, and gets so little attention, but it is so important to the song!
The note you are thinking about was on purpose - a finger tap by Larry Carlton on the fret of the guitar, 2 years before Eddie Van Halen was doing finger tapping on the Van Halen debut.
It's about a drug dealer or more specifically an LSD dealer. As someone said in another comment it is about Owsley Stanley who was the sound engineer for The Dead. He also made high quality LSD.
My take is a chemist dealer cooking up awesome acid/LSD back when it was legal before the controlled substances act passed in 1970 as Nixon first declared the "War on Drugs".. Setting up the schedules for drugs we have now and making many substances illegal, and vastly increased the DEA and money for local cops in the drug war..
The song is about Owsley Stanley. He was renowned for making the best, cleanest LSD in the San Fransisco area. Also the line, "Look at all the white men on the street" does NOT refer to race. He is talking about the coke dealers who are taking over the LSD market at the time.
I know this is the accepted meaning by many fans but I have always had a different take on the white men line. It is not coke dealers that took over the streets, it is the business men that took over San Francisco during the gentrification of the city.
@@LiteralistReactions Ya, I lived in the Bay Area at that time and San Francisco went from Hippy Heaven to Silcon Valley businessmen and nerds quickly.
Owsleys stuff wasn't low class it was "Kitchen Clean" not the low class stuff on the hill mixed with kerosene. If you saw the documentary "Woodstock" it was mentioned there! Also the name "Steely Dan came from William S. Burrows "The Naked Lunch" published in 1959 - Not a "romance novel".
Ken Kesey (One flew over the Cuckoo's Nest) and the Merry Pranksters....brought LSD around the U.S. in their psychedelic school bus (technicolor motorhome). They were made famous by Tom Wolfe's book about it "The Electric Kool-aid Acid Test". Various members of a band that became The Grateful Dead were on the bus too. I think the song encompasses elements of these events as Ken was jailed for a while ("now your patrons have all left you in the red"), for drug dealing. A great song no doubt!
I hope your reference to Naked Lunch was said tongue in cheek. It is definitely not a Romance Novel. It is one of the prime examples of American Counterculture Literature of the 50s. It was required reading in my Twentieth Century American Literature class in the late 60s when I was in college.
Not tongue in cheek, just ignorance. I heard that Steely Dan was a sex toy back before I even heard of Naked Lunch and never connected it up later when I did discover Naked Lunch. So, my bad, as I've admitted a half dozen times in other comments.
Some clarifications: 1976. Top notch drugs not poor class - "You were the best in town Just by chance you crossed the diamond with the pearl You turned it on the world That's when you turned the world around (Did you feel like Jesus?) Did you realize That you were a champion in their eyes?" Steam powered, not AC or battery Owsley Stanley - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owsley_Stanley America's Beatles, with better quality control , superior musicians and some OCD. Thanks for reacting to 'em. They have a whole wide catalogue of great songs and you'll struggle to find one you wouldn't admire.
Because I love Steely Dan so much I found myself getting offended that the reactor says the song would be cheap to buy. Steely Dan is in the music hall of Fame. They have multiple Grammys and a collection of some of the best musical talent in the world. They're music might not be for everyone. But wether you like it or hate it, the musicianship is world class. Some of their albums have more than 40 different musicians contribution.
@@LiteralistReactions Also, "You are obsolete/Look at all the white men on the street" doesn't refer to skin color. It was during the time in the early 70's when acid was losing favor to cocaine.
Right and Wrong. It's about a real guy, Stanley Owsley III, who made the best acid in San Francisco in the 60's. He didn't deal it much either, often handed it out for free. then the scene changed.
Doh, here... As has been pointed out by many, I knew the name came from a marital aid device, but didn't know it came from "Naked Lunch" which is NOT a romance novel. This has been the source of much chuckling at my expense! lol
@@LiteralistReactions Yes, I have not read it but know Burroughs, the author, was a huge influence with the 'beat gen' and Kerouac. They and others in that drug related, anti-establishment movement scared a lot of conservatives in the early '60s and inspired the whole music industry into the '70s. Psychedelic rock and then Steely Dan (subtly a spear head of the avant garde) with the prog rock group were a creative force. Its hard now a days to understand how powerful that change was to society. There's nothing to relate to today. But "a revolutionary steam-powered dildo" is quite an inspiration for Steely Dan. The name sure puts a point on it (figuratively, of course). LOL Yeah, for great music!
Great tune. Does this band have anything that's NOT good? I admit I haven't listened to them after Gaucho, so I don't know for sure. How about some Aja? Dave loves piano intros, so maybe he'll enjoy that one. Not to mention Steve Gadd's first take. Thanks as always, Guys!
Love the concept of your channel, but having a literal brain is a bit depressing. At least having a knowledgeable guide has merit. The drummer of Rush has a quote that is good in many situations: "We're only immortal for a limited time." Neil Peart, Canadian drummer for Rush Steely Dan always has the BEST musicians.
Wrong note ????? You clearly have no conception of note progression ! And both you guys seem pretty clueless. Naked Lunch is NOT a romance novel ! Furthermore Owsley Stanley did NOT sell bad drugs, he was known for producing the purest grade LSD at the time. Anyway I think I've seen enough of you two getting things wrong about pretty much everything.
Doh, here... Dang Red X. We have feelings, ya know. We need people to straighten us out when we're wrong. I don't claim to have all 100% complete and accurate information about these songs, I am merely a LOVER of fine music who is sharing this with my friend. As I have stated in many of our reactions, I pay so little attention to the words of most songs, I have no idea what they're about and Dave is pretty good at coming up with concepts based on the literal words being sung. He realizes his literal deductions are going to be wrong a lot and that's a part of the fun.
@@LiteralistReactions Right, sorry if I was a bit blunt. Matter of fact I thought your Teacher/Pupil concept was kinda cool. But I think the Teacher might do a little research on the songs he pick for you. Just saying.....
@@redx1708 We've been trying it both ways and both feel the videos come off more naturally if my "research" is limited. Plus, I love learning from the people who truly know these tunes on a deeper level, you listeners.
Your literal take is not working.....You are good guys, but maybe a different approach??....Steely Dan is street smart poetry that rocks.....to analyze them you have to be on your A game!
Doh here... Michael, this was one of our first videos and we've been honing the craft ever since, check out some of the newer reactions, but that said, part of our friendship is based on the give and take of one of us playing devil's advocate and challenging the other to a verbal spar. The farther along we go, this does not appear in every video and we've gotten much better at the production. Stay tuned. This is real.
John Doh here... it's best to listen to our verbal parrying with one's tongue planted firmly in one's cheek. It's humor, George. But, this is an early reaction and we get better as we go along.
I think you’re blaming the guitar solo for the arrangement. They end the solo and go right to the intro figure. It’s kind of a curveball and it’s perhaps a little showy how Larry navigates that. What artistic merit that has and whether or not it makes the song better is of course up to the listener. Musicians tend to love it for reasons that are complicated. The brilliant way Larry plays through those chord changes is what makes this solo jazz in a sense. Tbh, I think the inaccessibility of this solo is what Steely Dan wanted to do a lot more of. Unfortunately, their blend of rock and jazz was just too easy on the ears to be the subversive thing they’d envisioned. It’s a comedic twist of fate that their attempts to subvert popular music planted the seeds for smooth jazz. What can you do but laugh?
Doh, here... Ah, Rex again! Jesse wasn't being rude nor disrespectful of SD. In fact, he personally seemed to thoroughly enjoy Larry's solo. Musician's LOVE it because it doesn't follow typical norms. Larry was so far out of the box at the end of that solo he couldn't see the box from where he landed. RE:SD in general, surely you don't think they SET OUT to be a pop sensation? They're musical nerds, probably not unlike yourself. They didn't want to record formulaic drivel, they wanted to shock people while maintaining their mega-high production standards. I don't think Jesse's statements are completely without basis.
Larry Carlton doesn't play wrong notes..lol. One of the best studio guitarist ever! Great song !
He’s referring to dissonance. It was beautiful 😎👍♥️ only wrong note to the untrained ear 🙏
I think it was the long, hanging bend, which leaves you leaning forward. It’s the best part of that run!
@@stony2494 EXACTLY!!!!
I was literally going to post Larry Carlton does not play wrong notes and saw yours first. 😂😂
Owsley Stanley was the sound engineer for The Dead. He created a whole new configuration for making sure that audiences in an outdoor setting, even those at a distance could get an optimum audio experience. His techniques revolutionized live music. He also made the best acid ever because it seemed to enhance The Dead experience and because he was a maniac.
I’m glad that you reacted to this song. One point of clarification: Naked Lunch is not a romance novel, at least not in any traditional sense. It is hardcore Beat writing by William Burroughs.
Lol'ed that one. Such a voice of authority! The "romance novel" thing still has me laughing 🤣
Not just a drug dealer. A drug manufacturer, even more, a drug creator. Based on a real dude.
I just wanted to bring up a big point that the Literalist was missing: The Kid was the best in town. He happened upon a wonderful formulation that was so popular with the rich folks on the hill that every A-Frame (i.e. Swiss-style "Chalet") between there and Reno had his phone number. He was doing very, very well until his friends started dying....
It came out in 1976. I bought the album. 1976 was the Bicentennial. The title track fits the Bicentennial.
Concerning the solo: check out Rick Beato’s take on it. He feels it is one of the best ever constructed. He breaks it down note by note. BTW you guys have an interesting perspective on reactions. Good job.
This had one of the finest guitar solo's from Larry Carlton and that drum shuffle by Bernard Purdie was fantastic. One of my top 3 Steely Dan songs and they have alot of really damn good songs. Michael McDonald did not make an appearance on this song. ;-)
I so agree with you DG! That was great drum work from Bernard The Hitmaker Purdie, and Larry Carlton's solo was off the charts. I want to add that the complexity of the chords in the keyboards and organs that undergirds the song is so amazing, and gets so little attention, but it is so important to the song!
Steely Dan always reminds me of my college days. I enjoyed them both.
The note you are thinking about was on purpose - a finger tap by Larry Carlton on the fret of the guitar, 2 years before Eddie Van Halen was doing finger tapping on the Van Halen debut.
🤣😂 I loved the first interpretation of the lyrics. A repair man who lives in a motor home. Wow, I’d have never come up with that. 😂
✌🏼😎🇺🇸
It's about a drug dealer or more specifically an LSD dealer. As someone said in another comment it is about Owsley Stanley who was the sound engineer for The Dead. He also made high quality LSD.
My take is a chemist dealer cooking up awesome acid/LSD back when it was legal before the controlled substances act passed in 1970 as Nixon first declared the "War on Drugs".. Setting up the schedules for drugs we have now and making many substances illegal, and vastly increased the DEA and money for local cops in the drug war..
The song is about Owsley Stanley. He was renowned for making the best, cleanest LSD in the San Fransisco area. Also the line, "Look at all the white men on the street" does NOT refer to race. He is talking about the coke dealers who are taking over the LSD market at the time.
I know this is the accepted meaning by many fans but I have always had a different take on the white men line. It is not coke dealers that took over the streets, it is the business men that took over San Francisco during the gentrification of the city.
Doh, here... I like that perspective.
@@LiteralistReactions Ya, I lived in the Bay Area at that time and San Francisco went from Hippy Heaven to Silcon Valley businessmen and nerds quickly.
The best acid. The best guitar solo.
'yours was kitchen clean' -- usually means good quality
The end of the solo was the best
Read "The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test"
Yacht Rock is another genre description for SD. Dive into Aja by Steely Dan. Rated as one of (or the most) sonically perfect albums recorded.
I swear Breaking Bad was inspired by Kid Charlemagne.
Doh, here... interesting thought. And Kid Charlamagne is based on a real live person, so, ... head just exploded
Owsleys stuff wasn't low class it was "Kitchen Clean" not the low class stuff on the hill mixed with kerosene. If you saw the documentary "Woodstock" it was mentioned there!
Also the name "Steely Dan came from William S. Burrows "The Naked Lunch" published in 1959 - Not a "romance novel".
Doh, here.... as I have been corrected, I didn't know Naked Lunch was the source. Thank you all, I stand well corrected.
Ken Kesey (One flew over the Cuckoo's Nest) and the Merry Pranksters....brought LSD around the U.S. in their psychedelic school bus (technicolor motorhome). They were made famous by Tom Wolfe's book about it "The Electric Kool-aid Acid Test". Various members of a band that became The Grateful Dead were on the bus too. I think the song encompasses elements of these events as Ken was jailed for a while ("now your patrons have all left you in the red"), for drug dealing. A great song no doubt!
In spots it sounds like Alan Parsons and Billy Joel, both contemporaries of Steely Dan.
Try I.G.Y. from The Nightfly by Donald Fagen (of Steely Dan!)
Doh, here... Great suggestion. I love that tune. Thanks.
I hope your reference to Naked Lunch was said tongue in cheek. It is definitely not a Romance Novel. It is one of the prime examples of American Counterculture Literature of the 50s. It was required reading in my Twentieth Century American Literature class in the late 60s when I was in college.
Not tongue in cheek, just ignorance. I heard that Steely Dan was a sex toy back before I even heard of Naked Lunch and never connected it up later when I did discover Naked Lunch. So, my bad, as I've admitted a half dozen times in other comments.
Some clarifications:
1976.
Top notch drugs not poor class -
"You were the best in town
Just by chance you crossed the diamond with the pearl
You turned it on the world
That's when you turned the world around
(Did you feel like Jesus?)
Did you realize
That you were a champion in their eyes?"
Steam powered, not AC or battery
Owsley Stanley - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owsley_Stanley
America's Beatles, with better quality control , superior musicians and some OCD. Thanks for reacting to 'em. They have a whole wide catalogue of great songs and you'll struggle to find one you wouldn't admire.
John Doh here...You are correct, 1976. What did I say? Oh well, nobody's perfect!😜😜
Because I love Steely Dan so much I found myself getting offended that the reactor says the song would be cheap to buy. Steely Dan is in the music hall of Fame. They have multiple Grammys and a collection of some of the best musical talent in the world. They're music might not be for everyone. But wether you like it or hate it, the musicianship is world class. Some of their albums have more than 40 different musicians contribution.
@@joeschmo8862 Forgive Dave, he doesn't know, yet. I'm teaching him.
@@LiteralistReactions Also, "You are obsolete/Look at all the white men on the street" doesn't refer to skin color. It was during the time in the early 70's when acid was losing favor to cocaine.
Wrong note??? Wrong note?? Larry Carlton does NOT play wrong notes!!
I love this concept! Keep it up. It was the perfect note btw...
Thanks, Will! We enjoy talking music, John Doh, the teacher, Dave the pupil.
the first solo was a perfect lead into the downfall of the dealer
About a real person....and the acid was second to none
Released in '76
Owsley cranked out the best LSD...however the drug of choice in LA turned into cocaine.
Right and Wrong. It's about a real guy, Stanley Owsley III, who made the best acid in San Francisco in the 60's. He didn't deal it much either, often handed it out for free. then the scene changed.
The song is about an LSD chemist in San Francisco in the70's. you should be able to figure the song out when you read this.
Did not know Steely Dan's name origin. thanks. I guess. HA
Doh, here... As has been pointed out by many, I knew the name came from a marital aid device, but didn't know it came from "Naked Lunch" which is NOT a romance novel. This has been the source of much chuckling at my expense! lol
@@LiteralistReactions Yes, I have not read it but know Burroughs, the author, was a huge influence with the 'beat gen' and Kerouac. They and others in that drug related, anti-establishment movement scared a lot of conservatives in the early '60s and inspired the whole music industry into the '70s. Psychedelic rock and then Steely Dan (subtly a spear head of the avant garde) with the prog rock group were a creative force. Its hard now a days to understand how powerful that change was to society. There's nothing to relate to today. But "a revolutionary steam-powered dildo" is quite an inspiration for Steely Dan. The name sure puts a point on it (figuratively, of course). LOL Yeah, for great music!
1976
Most songs by Steely Dan are cryptic drug songs.
I guess you had to be there.
Not A frames a list of A friends top echelon people that buy drugs dial a drug dealer
"Every A frame" An A frame is a type of house framing, usually older ones.
Great tune. Does this band have anything that's NOT good? I admit I haven't listened to them after Gaucho, so I don't know for sure. How about some Aja? Dave loves piano intros, so maybe he'll enjoy that one. Not to mention Steve Gadd's first take. Thanks as always, Guys!
Love the concept of your channel, but having a literal brain is a bit depressing. At least having a knowledgeable guide has merit. The drummer of Rush has a quote that is good in many situations: "We're only immortal for a limited time." Neil Peart, Canadian drummer for Rush
Steely Dan always has the BEST musicians.
then you play an lsd song lol
Drugs dude
Wrong note ????? You clearly have no conception of note progression ! And both you guys seem pretty clueless. Naked Lunch is NOT a romance novel ! Furthermore Owsley Stanley did NOT sell bad drugs, he was known for producing the purest grade LSD at the time. Anyway I think I've seen enough of you two getting things wrong about pretty much everything.
Doh, here... Dang Red X. We have feelings, ya know. We need people to straighten us out when we're wrong. I don't claim to have all 100% complete and accurate information about these songs, I am merely a LOVER of fine music who is sharing this with my friend. As I have stated in many of our reactions, I pay so little attention to the words of most songs, I have no idea what they're about and Dave is pretty good at coming up with concepts based on the literal words being sung. He realizes his literal deductions are going to be wrong a lot and that's a part of the fun.
@@LiteralistReactions Right, sorry if I was a bit blunt. Matter of fact I thought your Teacher/Pupil concept was kinda cool. But I think the Teacher might do a little research on the songs he pick for you. Just saying.....
@@redx1708 We've been trying it both ways and both feel the videos come off more naturally if my "research" is limited. Plus, I love learning from the people who truly know these tunes on a deeper level, you listeners.
Your literal take is not working.....You are good guys, but maybe a different approach??....Steely Dan is street smart poetry that rocks.....to analyze them you have to be on your A game!
Doh here... Michael, this was one of our first videos and we've been honing the craft ever since, check out some of the newer reactions, but that said, part of our friendship is based on the give and take of one of us playing devil's advocate and challenging the other to a verbal spar. The farther along we go, this does not appear in every video and we've gotten much better at the production. Stay tuned. This is real.
@@LiteralistReactions Keep going and you will have my support.....keep challenging yourself with Steely Dan, Yes, Pink Floyd/
Since when does talking about a drug dealer made you a druggie? I’m out!
John Doh here... it's best to listen to our verbal parrying with one's tongue planted firmly in one's cheek. It's humor, George. But, this is an early reaction and we get better as we go along.
I think you’re blaming the guitar solo for the arrangement. They end the solo and go right to the intro figure. It’s kind of a curveball and it’s perhaps a little showy how Larry navigates that. What artistic merit that has and whether or not it makes the song better is of course up to the listener. Musicians tend to love it for reasons that are complicated. The brilliant way Larry plays through those chord changes is what makes this solo jazz in a sense. Tbh, I think the inaccessibility of this solo is what Steely Dan wanted to do a lot more of. Unfortunately, their blend of rock and jazz was just too easy on the ears to be the subversive thing they’d envisioned. It’s a comedic twist of fate that their attempts to subvert popular music planted the seeds for smooth jazz. What can you do but laugh?
Doh, here... just wanna say that's my favorite music related post ever. Period.
@@LiteralistReactions Wow man! You made my day. Thanks!
Doh, here... Ah, Rex again! Jesse wasn't being rude nor disrespectful of SD. In fact, he personally seemed to thoroughly enjoy Larry's solo. Musician's LOVE it because it doesn't follow typical norms. Larry was so far out of the box at the end of that solo he couldn't see the box from where he landed. RE:SD in general, surely you don't think they SET OUT to be a pop sensation? They're musical nerds, probably not unlike yourself. They didn't want to record formulaic drivel, they wanted to shock people while maintaining their mega-high production standards. I don't think Jesse's statements are completely without basis.
1976