I did not know this at the time but Aja was he first album I played on my brand new Technics turntable purchased from with my first serious paycheck in 1978. And that moment is still so vivid in my memory today. Like magic
The background vocal is the great Michael McDonald's voice overdubbed to produce 5 part harmony. He said at the time that it was the most challenging session he had ever done. You guys MUST check out the making of Peg on youtube.
One of the FUNKIEST Bass lines in the history of music. Performed by Chuck Rainey. Who is one of the most professionally recorded bass players ITHOM 🤔 with appearances on over a thousand albums. 🌈✨The more you know
We had no clue back then how very blessed we were to have the musical geniuses we had in every genre We couldn't have imagined that it would come to an end. I am SO happy to see new audiences appreciating these classics. ✨️😊💛
For anyone who grew up in the '70s, Michael McDonald's voice is INSTANTLY recognizable on the multi-part harmonies; much like Mick Jagger on "You're So Vain".
This made my day. This song came out when I was seven and it’s been my favorite song ever since. Watching your reaction is the closest I’ll ever get to hearing it again for the first time.
Is this not one of the BEST songs ever?!? Us “old” kids know every single word. We had the best music… nothing compares to it today. What screamin great memories!
@@KneeJerkReactions13Plenty of fantastic music today. Just have to dig for it and it’s there. Also it’s hard to deny that, whether you like the song or not, Steely Dan never had a song that wasn’t well written, and perfectly executed.
I'm about to turn 65. I went to the East Coast for college, in Fall of 1977, and when I came back home to L.A. for the Summer my Mother had a surprise for me by putting a tape sound system in my Dad's 1967/68 Buick Electra 225 that I had inherited when he passed away. She spared no expense and put in a Blaupunkt system. The only problem was it was 8-track, not cassette! She was a great Mom. The first tape I bought to listen to was "Aja." It sounded amazing. I wore that tape out driving around town! I think I only bought one other tape. ❤❤❤❤❤
One of the best albums ever. But in the mid 70s to early 80s great albums were coming out every week. It was impossible to keep up. Amazing musical period.
I’m a jazz lover, 76 years old, and I bought this album when it first came out because of a review or recommendation. Within 10 seconds, I was blown away. And then I read the personnel… so many jazz musicians! I was hooked. 😎
65 years old... and back in the '70s we literally took these geniuses for granted. I believe their popularity was held back because they didn't tour... they were the mysthical "studio band". I thought duplicating this musical production wizardry would be impossible live... I was wrong... saw Steely Dan at the Garden State Arts Center in the late 1990's... and yep... they captured this same quality live... WOW. JUSt WOW! THEY ARE THE TRUTH. Shower music CHAMPIONS!
Same!!! I’m a few years younger than you, and sorta came of age w Steely Dan in the early 80s (college boyfriend introduced me to their music). I too thought surely, they can’t do that sound live. But was lucky enough to catch them here in New Orleans at the Jazz & Heritage Festival - maybe 3 or 4 years ago ??? Anyway, they played the entire Aja album and I was blown away: sounded exactly like the record. They’re incredible!
Mary, you share not only my last name but great musical taste LOL. I still remember hearing Black Cow, buying AJA, and rushing to the piano to nail those cool chords.
Much airplay back in the day and it's a fine song but give "Kid Charlemagne" a try next. Honestly there are no bad or even mediocre songs from Steely Dan❤
Kid Charlemagne is one of my favorites along with Babylon Sisters (Shake it) and Janie Runaway which, I don't think anyone has reacted to yet. So many greats with this band.
Yeah, you're right. How to choose the best song from theirs? The caves of Altamira, King of the world, Deacon bleus, and the astonishing Doctor Wu, just to mention a few?
😅 I got Don't Take Me Alive as my fave! (This is Steely Dan, hear me roar!!!🤣) Peg and Josie are even to me... Decon Blues and Bodhisatva are other huge Faves... Kid Charlemagne... Absolutely 🔥
I was born in 1960 and wasn't I just so fortunate to grow up when I did with the some of the best music ever!! Steely Dan was and is one of my all-time favourites.
Summer of 78, cruising around in my 74 Dodge Dart I bought for $100 off my cousin and put $100 worth of parts in it, with a Realistic tape deck I'd bought at Radio Shack and installed with some nice speakers and this album played ENDLESSLY in that car.
When you first hear a song by Steely Dan, it's like everything clicks perfectly into place. You can't imagine it being any other way. Aja is one of my all time favorite albums. Not a bad track on the whole damn album.
I don't know if you already know about it, but I came across a concert from 2012 called The Dukes of September. It is headlined by Donald Fagen of Steely Dan, Michael McDonald and Boz Scaggs. I listened to it for the first time the other day and it is a masterpiece. You definitely should check it out.
I'm sitting in a hotel room in downtown Louisville enjoying the hell out of watching you all react to this song 😂 It really is perfect in every way man. The bass and drum groove is just so amazing. The whole "Aja" album just never gets old.
Their secret was to hire multiple sets of musicians and have them work the song to death, and then choose individual takes from each. They might have had a half dozen guitarists do session work on each song and then decide which to use .
Peg/Peggy is my mother's name. That means nothing!! 🤣 This IS one of their greats... But that's like saying, "Lake Michigan is one of my favorite Great Lakes." They're ALL great! Jay Graydon does an awesome guitar solo (and fills) in this! And the bass player (Chuck Rainey) is awesome, as always! That bass line is almost worthy of being the MAIN melody! And one of their secret weapons chimes in on vocals... the vocal animal named Michael McDonald (of later Doobie Brothers fame).
Between 1975 and 1978 ( aside from the disco era) the soft rock scene was all fire! With Al Stewart, Pablo Cruise, Little River band, Atlanta Rythm section and this group. Great music to grow up to😊 Oh I almost forgot Bob Seger's Main Street! From 1977!❤
The guitarist who did the solo (Jay Graydon) did a lot of producing and songwriting for other bands. He wrote "After The Love Is Gone," which was a massive hit for Earth Wind & Fire.
I love it when you guys love it. The Dan. Incomparable. The composition, the performance, the production, the arrangements - Aja is among the best albums ever.
Guys, I'm soooooo happy I grew up listening to this type of music. Steely Dan is awesome, and there's so many bands back in this Ara that were amazing. Guys, it's out there. You just have to look. "Steely Dan," they got the named from a Dildo "The Steely Dan" They became a studio band for a long time, not touring. There's 20+ songs they had that were fantastic!
I knew you guys would love this song, but DAMN...y'all REALLY love this song. I've just looked-up your Steely Dan oeuvre, and so I see you've already done the incredible "Do It Again," "Aja" and "My Old School" so I'm gonna recommend the following ones you haven't yet done. They are: "Dirty Work" (a rare Steely Dan song NOT sung lead by Donald Fagan, "Reelin' In The Years," "FM (No Static At All)," "Daddy Don't Live In That New York City No More," "Kid Charlemagne," "Don't Take Me Alive," "Black Cow," "Deacon Blues," "Josie," and "Hey Nineteen." DO THEM!!
Amazing reaction! Drummer Rick Marotta on working with bassist Chuck Rainey on Peg: "Once Chuck and I started playing, you could have hung your coat up on the groove."
This song (as well as the album) absolutely blew up in 1977, my freshman year of college. We had no idea how lucky we were to come of age with such talented artists.
With an Admiral on the "Yacht Rock" seas, Michael McDonald on background vocals. 😂 (EDIT: I was referring to some of Michael McDonald's non-Steely Dan work as reflecting the "yacht rock" type sound, NOT Steely Dan. Sorry for any confusion) Seriously, "Reelin' in the Years" should be a strong contender for next Steely Dan reaction if more mainstream songs like "Peg" make the cut. The guitar solos in "Reelin' in the Years" and "Maybe I'm Amazed" by Paul McCartney are epically underrated.
ruclips.net/video/c9qU88iJBxk/видео.htmlsi=uTANUAU_LmrTE9kU The above link is an excerpt of a music documentary series called "Classic Albums." There was an entire episode on "Aja." The clip above is Michael McDonald talking about the minute intricacies that Donald Fagen and Walter Becker wanted in McDonald's background vocals for "Peg." Then, there is a short section in the clip with Fagen and Becker at the control board, showing how the chorus was mixed, including the background vocals. On a side note, McDonald starting working with Steely Dan a few years before "Aja." He's been quoted in at least one interview that he believed he was hired because Donald Fagen thought McDonald "could sing high parts like a girl." Incredible stuff. 😀
Sorry if there was any confusion with my earlier comment. I was referring to Michael McDonald's place in "Yacht Rock," which he has graciously embraced when asked about it in past interviews. Another poster mentioned Steely Dan as being a "jazz fusion" band and, whether this is fitting or not, Steely Dan offers so many musical varieties (especially in a song like "Peg"), it would be very hard to accurately describe them as "Yacht Rock." Sorry about any confusion with the earlier post.
Steely Dan is one of my all-time favorite band along with Yes. Different styles, but great musicianship!!! The back up singers along with Michael McDonald are just PERFECTION!!!!❤❤❤❤
ruclips.net/video/lt0b1KCB_DU/видео.htmlsi=3Bk3Kw7xZUNBUH6E The above link is to the isolated vocal tracks (lead and background) for "Peg." Please note that there's about 20 seconds of silence at the beginning of the video to account for the well-known instrumental intro to the song and then the vocals kick in. Listening to the vocal tracks, especially the background harmonies, really emphasizes (to me as someone with extremely limited knowledge of musical performance) how sophisticated the song is...without any of the instruments!
As a teen when this came out I lived for album liner notes - I would read every detail of every album learning all the players. Imagine, in their prime, Kobe, Michael, Shaq, Bird and Lebron on the same team - that's who played on all the Steely Dan records - the best A list studio musicians on the planet including Michael Omartian, Larry Carlton, Chuck Rainey, Dean Parks etc etc etc
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"Aja" is the album used to prove how good your sound system is.
Exactly
I get it. Good idea!
Indeed, Black Cow… Deacon Blues
I did not know this at the time but Aja was he first album I played on my brand new Technics turntable purchased from with my first serious paycheck in 1978. And that moment is still so vivid in my memory today. Like magic
The Royal Scam!
I'm 70 and still playing Steely Dan after 50 years of listening to them. It never gets old.
Steely Dan: your favorite band’s, favorite band.
"I was expecting good, but I wasn't expecting greatness." This happens when planets align as they did in "Peg."
Imagine what we thought in 1977.
One of the best bass grooves ever.
My high school friend and I would play this album over and over and over back to back
The background vocal is the great Michael McDonald's voice overdubbed to produce 5 part harmony. He said at the time that it was the most challenging session he had ever done. You guys MUST check out the making of Peg on youtube.
The multiple attempts by different guitarists to do the solo are fascinating.
Seriously; so bad ass.
One of the FUNKIEST Bass lines in the history of music. Performed by Chuck Rainey. Who is one of the most professionally recorded bass players ITHOM 🤔 with appearances on over a thousand albums.
🌈✨The more you know
We had no clue back then how very blessed we were to have the musical geniuses we had in every genre We couldn't have imagined that it would come to an end. I am SO happy to see new audiences appreciating these classics. ✨️😊💛
Well said! I think about this often ❤
Absolutely !
Welcome to the world of 1977. Star Wars, Fleetwood-Mac, Steely Dan, Carly Simon Etc...etc...etc...every week a new classic hit the street.
YES! And Dire Straits! All came out during peak disco. Sultans of swing shit to number 1, as did Rumours, etc...
Glad you lads have finally been Pegged.
For anyone who grew up in the '70s, Michael McDonald's voice is INSTANTLY recognizable on the multi-part harmonies; much like Mick Jagger on "You're So Vain".
Kid Charlemagne
and Hey Nineteen would be right up your alley.
Black Cow, Don't take me alive...so many!
Also “Deacon Blue”
This is always Steely Dan
"Josie" brings the funk, like no other!..Don't forget "Home at last" and "My old school"
Yes!!! All of these, especially Kid Charlemagne!!! Please!!!
God, I'm so lucky to have lived my teens and twenties during the 70s and 80's. Two decades of great music whatever the genre.
Without question. ✨️🔥💛
This made my day. This song came out when I was seven and it’s been my favorite song ever since. Watching your reaction is the closest I’ll ever get to hearing it again for the first time.
As short as it is, Jay Graydon's guitar solo is epic.
watch, they might think "Jay Graydon" is some kind of app or AI. Jay was a great producer too!
And the legendary Chuck Rainey holding down that bass groove, damn
One of the great leads in rock history.
@@samuraiwarriorsuniteMarotta brings it with him
In my mind they are a combination of Jazz, Rock, Soul and Funk
Is this not one of the BEST songs ever?!? Us “old” kids know every single word. We had the best music… nothing compares to it today. What screamin great memories!
No. Jesus you Dan fans are delusional
100% facts
Agreed. So catchy, so savvy, great. Always a toe tapper. I can't think of anything in the past 10 years as good.
@@KneeJerkReactions13Seethe. Cope.
@@KneeJerkReactions13Plenty of fantastic music today. Just have to dig for it and it’s there. Also it’s hard to deny that, whether you like the song or not, Steely Dan never had a song that wasn’t well written, and perfectly executed.
Peg is nickname for Margaret
Steely Dan with Michael McDonald singing back up doesn’t get any better!!
I'm soooooooooo glad I grew up on music by steely Dan...
I'm about to turn 65. I went to the East Coast for college, in Fall of 1977, and when I came back home to L.A. for the Summer my Mother had a surprise for me by putting a tape sound system in my Dad's 1967/68 Buick Electra 225 that I had inherited when he passed away. She spared no expense and put in a Blaupunkt system. The only problem was it was 8-track, not cassette! She was a great Mom. The first tape I bought to listen to was "Aja." It sounded amazing. I wore that tape out driving around town! I think I only bought one other tape. ❤❤❤❤❤
I am sixty years old and I just Dislocated my groove thang.. And I couldn't be happier.
New rule. No more Steely Dan without Tyler in the box. 😂😂😂
An absolute MASTERPIECE. of Music. Not only is PEG a GEM. of Jazz - Rock Funk, it's Punchy & Boppin' enough that it became a Top 40 Pop Hit single. 😎
Steely Dan the masters of song crafting. For all us to enjoy.
One of the best albums ever. But in the mid 70s to early 80s great albums were coming out every week. It was impossible to keep up. Amazing musical period.
So many of the musicians on this entire album are jazz musicians.
I’m a jazz lover, 76 years old, and I bought this album when it first came out because of a review or recommendation.
Within 10 seconds, I was blown away. And then I read the personnel… so many jazz musicians! I was hooked. 😎
Honestly believe Peg is one of the most under rated songs ever. It’s so good.
Underrated? You gotta be kidding
Nope
IT ABSOLUTELY IS !
It's actually one of their most acclaimed songs. It has been called a perfect song and a documentary has been made about it. Not underrated at all.
It’s an opinion people.
65 years old... and back in the '70s we literally took these geniuses for granted. I believe their popularity was held back because they didn't tour... they were the mysthical "studio band". I thought duplicating this musical production wizardry would be impossible live... I was wrong... saw Steely Dan at the Garden State Arts Center in the late 1990's... and yep... they captured this same quality live... WOW. JUSt WOW! THEY ARE THE TRUTH. Shower music CHAMPIONS!
Same!!! I’m a few years younger than you, and sorta came of age w Steely Dan in the early 80s (college boyfriend introduced me to their music). I too thought surely, they can’t do that sound live. But was lucky enough to catch them here in New Orleans at the Jazz & Heritage Festival - maybe 3 or 4 years ago ??? Anyway, they played the entire Aja album and I was blown away: sounded exactly like the record. They’re incredible!
Saw them three times
Black cow is my favorite steely Dan song!!!!❤❤❤❤❤❤
If the yacht on which I’m rocking gets shipwrecked on a desert island, I’ll have “Aja” with me. And “Black Cow” is my favorite, too.
@@rayeckert242 Aja is my favourite Dan album. The track Aja is my favourite song on the album. Steve Gadds drumming❤️
SOOOOOO GOOD!! One of my favs!!
Mary, you share not only my last name but great musical taste LOL. I still remember hearing Black Cow, buying AJA, and rushing to the piano to nail those cool chords.
Drink your big black cow and get outta here…
One of the greatest songs EVER!
Chuck Rainey and Rick Marotta are perfect here
The production values of music from the '70s were absolutely superb.
AMEN!!!
Its the best decade of music
The 70s genres of music were all fantastic. From Prog to Rock to singer songwriters to Disco. And all hold up today.
The decade by which all others must be judged,only the sexy 60’s comes close.
@@fantasyguru26AGREED!!!
You guys should do every song on this album. You won't be disappointed.
This track is sick! We were spoiled with so much good music that we took it for granted. I’m on my own journey of rediscovering music I grew up with.
A master class in studio production. Top notch top to bottom.
Much airplay back in the day and it's a fine song but give "Kid Charlemagne" a try next. Honestly there are no bad or even mediocre songs from Steely Dan❤
The Royal Scam is one of their most consistently great albums.
Kid Charlemagne is one of my favorites along with Babylon Sisters (Shake it) and Janie Runaway which, I don't think anyone has reacted to yet. So many greats with this band.
Yeah, you're right. How to choose the best song from theirs? The caves of Altamira, King of the world, Deacon bleus, and the astonishing Doctor Wu, just to mention a few?
They are lame af
😅 I got Don't Take Me Alive as my fave! (This is Steely Dan, hear me roar!!!🤣) Peg and Josie are even to me... Decon Blues and Bodhisatva are other huge Faves... Kid Charlemagne... Absolutely 🔥
The great Michael McDonald on background vocals
Simply the best. Mr McDonald on vocals and the everything else is supreme too.
Michael McDonald nailing "Peg" is unreal. His vocal sounds like a synthesizer.
He multi-track harmonized with himself. The documentary on the making of Aja - Peg, in particular - is great.
You CAN NOT tell Me that Michael DO NOT BRING THAT SONG ALIVE !
( I mean… OBVIOUSLY the instrumentation was on POINT ! )
But Mike…. DID HIS THANG ! 😎
@@donholl The harmonies are SO TIGHT.
The next Steely Dan song you should listed to is "Deacon Blues"
Yep, Deacon Blues is my favorite one.
I was born in 1960 and wasn't I just so fortunate to grow up when I did with the some of the best music ever!! Steely Dan was and is one of my all-time favourites.
You can’t go wrong with Steely Dan! Timeless music!
Say It Again!
Steely Dan has an extremely unique sound.
Summer of 78, cruising around in my 74 Dodge Dart I bought for $100 off my cousin and put $100 worth of parts in it, with a Realistic tape deck I'd bought at Radio Shack and installed with some nice speakers and this album played ENDLESSLY in that car.
I had a 74 Dart in high school in 1990.
My generation got lucky with the affordable older cars.
Back when money was worth something
Preach!!!!👏👏👏
Had a '73 Dart Swinger with a slant 6 engine that wouldn't quit.
@@muziklvr7776 LOL had a '73 Pinger w/ a 318, miss it to this day
Artistically the best pop song released in 1978
Ryan nailed it, rappers took from nearly every Steely song
You need to listen to "Time Out of Mind it's an excellent song by Steely Dan!
the drummer ,Steve Gadd on the title song Aja was a neighbor for a time in Rochester NY . where an annual international jazz festival is held
If you haven't already, check out their song " FM". Its the theme on the soundtrack of the movie FM. I'm so old, I saw the movie in 1978 lol
Since you loved this one may I suggest "Hey Nineteen"
When you first hear a song by Steely Dan, it's like everything clicks perfectly into place. You can't imagine it being any other way. Aja is one of my all time favorite albums. Not a bad track on the whole damn album.
And I bet few groups do covers of their songs because they just can't be improved upon - even by the best of artists
To use what has become a cliche, SD was a Fusion Group. Jazz, Blues, Rock, Soul, they played everything... sometimes all in the same song.
Now you know why everyone has reacted to this song 🔥 if you haven’t done ‘Hey Nineteen’ yet, that’s also an absolute banger 🤌🏼🤌🏼
Or "Babylon Sisters" (or "IGY" or "New Frontier" from The Nightfly)
You know it's a banger when you have to restart from the beginning halfway through 😂❤
In eighty one and eighty two I would literally tell everybody to get out the dance force so I could perform.. Cause this song just brought it out
Killer bass line
Peg is definitely an R & B tune. I loved your reaction to it.
The Steely Dan catalog is a long and rich journey. Enjoy the ride.
It really is. You can definitely hear soul and blues influences in their music in general.
Always loved how every song of theirs are completely different
Just a bit of info... the background vocals are mostly the dulcet tones of one Michael McDonald.
I think you guys have the best reaction to this song. I’m glad you liked it.
Love that Lyricon!!
"I can't even dance, but if this is playing, I'm goin' out there and makin' a fool of myself"
Lmaooo
I love this song
I don't know if you already know about it, but I came across a concert from 2012 called The Dukes of September. It is headlined by Donald Fagen of Steely Dan, Michael McDonald and Boz Scaggs. I listened to it for the first time the other day and it is a masterpiece. You definitely should check it out.
It really is the greatest song ever recorded
The best session musicians of that time and Michael McDonald doing backup vocals u know it's good stuff.
This song is so perfectly made, so perfectly mixed, studio engineers use it to make sure their equipment is set up correctly.
I'm sitting in a hotel room in downtown Louisville enjoying the hell out of watching you all react to this song 😂 It really is perfect in every way man. The bass and drum groove is just so amazing. The whole "Aja" album just never gets old.
They were the soundtrack to my twenties and thirties
Not a bad song on any of their albums. This whole album is fantastic.
Has it been said that Michael Mc Donald layed down ALL background vocals! True story!!!!!❤❤❤
Michael MacDonald is brilliantly refrained on this track
The Rock/Jazz Fusion Band! 😎🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Their secret was to hire multiple sets of musicians and have them work the song to death, and then choose individual takes from each. They might have had a half dozen guitarists do session work on each song and then decide which to use .
Listen to it again....follow that spectacular bass...wow! And the voice of Michael MacDonald.....It's a Steely Dan day!
Steely Dan is it's own genre
YES guys!! more Steely Dan & also Donald Fagen solo stuff. Rabbit hole time! Love you guys!
Such a tasty guitar lick on the outro too - that is a Steely Dan signature move.
...how could I forget Dirty Work, is beyond me. Great tune.
Peg/Peggy is my mother's name. That means nothing!! 🤣 This IS one of their greats... But that's like saying, "Lake Michigan is one of my favorite Great Lakes." They're ALL great! Jay Graydon does an awesome guitar solo (and fills) in this! And the bass player (Chuck Rainey) is awesome, as always! That bass line is almost worthy of being the MAIN melody! And one of their secret weapons chimes in on vocals... the vocal animal named Michael McDonald (of later Doobie Brothers fame).
This was another great 70's song.
Between 1975 and 1978 ( aside from the disco era) the soft rock scene was all fire! With Al Stewart, Pablo Cruise, Little River band, Atlanta Rythm section and this group. Great music to grow up to😊 Oh I almost forgot Bob Seger's Main Street! From 1977!❤
The guitarist who did the solo (Jay Graydon) did a lot of producing and songwriting for other bands. He wrote "After The Love Is Gone," which was a massive hit for Earth Wind & Fire.
He co-wrote that with Bill Champlin and David Foster.
Ryan's sweating and Nick's making the zone-face....oooooh it's a smooth classic.
Sublime.
Your next must-listen from the Dan is also from the Aja album, and that’s “Black Cow”. It’s got everything, and it’s also total 🔥🔥🔥
Great reaction. It is joyous music, indeed.
I love it when you guys love it. The Dan. Incomparable. The composition, the performance, the production, the arrangements - Aja is among the best albums ever.
FACTS!
Totalmente de acuerdo Michael.
Gracias! @@alflazz2443
Guys, I'm soooooo happy I grew up listening to this type of music. Steely Dan is awesome, and there's so many bands back in this Ara that were amazing.
Guys, it's out there. You just have to look. "Steely Dan," they got the named from a Dildo "The Steely Dan" They became a studio band for a long time, not touring. There's 20+ songs they had that were fantastic!
You guys said it right: This is TOO good!
I knew you guys would love this song, but DAMN...y'all REALLY love this song. I've just looked-up your Steely Dan oeuvre, and so I see you've already done the incredible "Do It Again," "Aja" and "My Old School" so I'm gonna recommend the following ones you haven't yet done. They are: "Dirty Work" (a rare Steely Dan song NOT sung lead by Donald Fagan, "Reelin' In The Years," "FM (No Static At All)," "Daddy Don't Live In That New York City No More," "Kid Charlemagne," "Don't Take Me Alive," "Black Cow," "Deacon Blues," "Josie," and "Hey Nineteen." DO THEM!!
Add FM, Babylon sisters and Deacon Blues 💙
Amazing reaction! Drummer Rick Marotta on working with bassist Chuck Rainey on Peg: "Once Chuck and I started playing, you could have hung your coat up on the groove."
This song (as well as the album) absolutely blew up in 1977, my freshman year of college. We had no idea how lucky we were to come of age with such talented artists.
Been listening to this tune since '77; my head still bops just like them today.
With an Admiral on the "Yacht Rock" seas, Michael McDonald on background vocals. 😂 (EDIT: I was referring to some of Michael McDonald's non-Steely Dan work as reflecting the "yacht rock" type sound, NOT Steely Dan. Sorry for any confusion) Seriously, "Reelin' in the Years" should be a strong contender for next Steely Dan reaction if more mainstream songs like "Peg" make the cut. The guitar solos in "Reelin' in the Years" and "Maybe I'm Amazed" by Paul McCartney are epically underrated.
ruclips.net/video/c9qU88iJBxk/видео.htmlsi=uTANUAU_LmrTE9kU
The above link is an excerpt of a music documentary series called "Classic Albums." There was an entire episode on "Aja." The clip above is Michael McDonald talking about the minute intricacies that Donald Fagen and Walter Becker wanted in McDonald's background vocals for "Peg." Then, there is a short section in the clip with Fagen and Becker at the control board, showing how the chorus was mixed, including the background vocals. On a side note, McDonald starting working with Steely Dan a few years before "Aja." He's been quoted in at least one interview that he believed he was hired because Donald Fagen thought McDonald "could sing high parts like a girl." Incredible stuff. 😀
Don't forget the two guitar solos in "Don't Take Me Alive."
Steely Dan isn’t yacht rock
Sorry if there was any confusion with my earlier comment. I was referring to Michael McDonald's place in "Yacht Rock," which he has graciously embraced when asked about it in past interviews. Another poster mentioned Steely Dan as being a "jazz fusion" band and, whether this is fitting or not, Steely Dan offers so many musical varieties (especially in a song like "Peg"), it would be very hard to accurately describe them as "Yacht Rock." Sorry about any confusion with the earlier post.
Yacht Rock does not apply to SD. McDonald is Yacht Rock.
Steely Dan is one of my all-time favorite band along with Yes. Different styles, but great musicianship!!! The back up singers along with Michael McDonald are just PERFECTION!!!!❤❤❤❤
ruclips.net/video/lt0b1KCB_DU/видео.htmlsi=3Bk3Kw7xZUNBUH6E
The above link is to the isolated vocal tracks (lead and background) for "Peg." Please note that there's about 20 seconds of silence at the beginning of the video to account for the well-known instrumental intro to the song and then the vocals kick in. Listening to the vocal tracks, especially the background harmonies, really emphasizes (to me as someone with extremely limited knowledge of musical performance) how sophisticated the song is...without any of the instruments!
Great reaction guys! Love the non-choreographed double-stankface, the reaction of most Steely Dan reactions!
As a teen when this came out I lived for album liner notes - I would read every detail of every album learning all the players. Imagine, in their prime, Kobe, Michael, Shaq, Bird and Lebron on the same team - that's who played on all the Steely Dan records - the best A list studio musicians on the planet including Michael Omartian, Larry Carlton, Chuck Rainey, Dean Parks etc etc etc