Another brilliant post that should lay to waste all the naysayers who think Becker and Fagen were "nothing" without their studio musicians - thanks for sharing!
Passion personified. The talent Becker and Fagen laid on the music world set the bar for future generations. Stunning. Sublime. Soulful all at once. Watch and learn kids. Master at work right here!
man a musician can learn a ton from this. very cool applications of jazz and blues so nicely working together on a really sweet lick when compared to the full cut with everyone playing. even better to hear it all explained too.
Always amazing to watch two musicians converse (verbally and musically) when both are so completely knowledgeable about their instrument, music theory in general, and also music history in the sense of knowing what riffs, chords, modes, etc. come from what sources.
Eight thumbs down? Who could give this a thumbs down? Steely Dan is one of the absolute greats of modern music. Fagen and Becker wrote some major gems right up there with The Beatles.
LikeWiseLikeYou:Remarkable when you can see all the work & thought that goes into creating a song & then to have it become a smash hit & a classic. All we fans hear & groove to is the finished product.That's the magic of music;so many diverse ideas coming together & jelling into something catchy & cool. It can start off with something like a simple blues variation & suddenly, boom!You got a catchy opening,a theme you can sing & bob your head to & finally a musical story you can hang on to for years.
Absolutely incredible to hear him describing music, describing the "space". I feel like being in the studio with him and everyone else when they were creating like this would have been a religious experience.
Aja was, is (and I hate it when people do this) for me 1 of the 20 best pieces of work ever done. I had a girlfriend that said, "Aja (song) is such a beautiful love song", she was speechless when I explained it was about China White heroin.......kinda of ruined her love buzz.
the major triads he throws over the minor/modal baseline creates the tensions that he resolves and then resets. this plays with your emotional cortex in ways you don't consciously process
Cryptic,sardonic, coruscating geniuses.Finely honing the feel and structure of the songs, practicing and practicing until they become second nature and allowing the musicians playing to imbue their own characteristics whilst remaining faithful to the original intent. Once-in-a-lifetime musicians. From the age of 17 they were easily (and still are) my favourite band. At least once a month I have to get my fix my listening to Aja in its entirety
Yes, eloquently indeed -- and someone who knows the word coruscating. I love it. That's exactly what some Steely Dan tunes often are. PEG is an example. It just sparkles and glitters like a star, which I suspect is the effect they were going for. Boy, does it work.
this is a true artist being kind enough to let us into the process. what amazing sounds paintings they made for the future. wow. sooooooo beautiful........
He's a little more than competent. His knowledge of the history and theory behind this stuff is clearly very advanced. Added to that is the fact that he's able to utilize that knowledge by writing songs like New Frontier and Maxine makes him a genius in my book.
Fagen was/is the musical genius. Becker, as well as being a great writing partner, guitarist and bass player, gave the lyrics their cynical edge. It was the perfect match, probably never to be repeated again.
A master class in song structure and composition by one of the all time masters/greats/what-have-you, thank you so much for posting this video I learned a lot.
That stuff he did initially, I heard Ray Charles so deep. Love how Walter (Becker) being bass player factored in to their genius. Steely Dan will never have an equal, they haven’t since 1973- RIP Walter
What I find strange is the fact that they are playing this song in D minor but on the record and live it's in E minor. That means Donald can play this, not so simple song, in two different keys.
this is what happens when you have someone who is classically trained that just loves and wants to play music! We really need music back in elementary schools again!
How do you know they have an IQ of 80? Not many people have their IQ properly tested by a professional. A professional has to do it. Most of them are quite smart, like so many natural born Americans. I'm speaking of attracting a new cultural energy from beyond our borders that continues to make America greater, rather than us stagnating, smelling our own farts.
+Duncan lobley Ever hear of a couple dudes named Lennon & McCartney? How 'bout Page & Plant, Waters & Gilmore, or Jagger & Richards? Calm down superfan.
Duncan lobley Steely Dan set such a high bar for anyone moving from rock to jazz that few cover their songs and "yacht rock" performers (late Doobie Brothers, Michael Franks, Christopher Cross) aped the smoothness and solos but without the complexity. Other songwriters were far more influential.
You do realize I am being tongue in cheek. I consider it a great privilege to listen to Walter explain what would otherwise be a mystery to me and business as usual to him/in his mind. Isn't WB and utube grand!?
There's a hint of Mike Myers' (Dr. Evil), in some of Don Fagen's mannerism's. It in no way diminishes his musical genius or prowess however. In fact, I find it an enhancement.
Walter and Donald took the essence of blues, soul and jazz-rock and polished it with super tasty inversions and arrangements, then dirtied it up just a little so it doesn't sound mechanical or robotic. Organic with no autotune, no hiding behind effects, no smoke and mirrors.
He really is all that and then some....can not even imagine the world without his genius writing skills,not to mention his singing & playing talent! He & the entire band are amazing...You are so right pwkpilot!
Donald & Walt are some of my favorite song writers, true masters of the craft. They also use this same device of device of 'illuminating' a minor blues progression by inserting Maj 7/9 chords, on the song 'Don't take me Alive" from "The Royal Scam".
this tells those people who think that guys like DF are merely unschooled guys who put the gang together and banged away. There are a lot of music sheets and direction involved here.
What a freaking genius! So glad my dad showed me this music growing up. I took guitar lessons throughout my entire childhood up until college, and learned a (I thought) decent amount of theory along the way. But watching this makes me understand how little I actually know. Now I produce music electronically which, contrary to popular belief, requires a great deal of not only music theory knowledge (if you want it to sound good), but also synthesis and sound design. This video really inspires me to dig deeper into music theory.
This is why this music has lasted for generations. It's crafted by musicians. Unlike computer generated sampling and loops from current disposable pop "stars".
+Andrey Gaganov Hard to explain without some music theory: he's referring to a kind of mix of chord structure from Gregorian chant (search for that) and "Delta" (Louisiana delta) blues (search for that). He also explicitly refers to "modal" music, which Gregorian chant is an example of, coming, as it did, before Bach basically shoved the "well-tempered scale" (eliminating modes) down the throat of western music. The big takeaway, whether you follow this or not, is that Donald Fagen's music theory background is quite good, and since he's an artist, he knows you have to know the rules before you can break them.
Dude is a blues and jazz genius who learned from music he heard growing up. Becker and he were these out of time masters of their art. They stood out because nobody but them played like that, and they shunned the live scenes for decades. Bohemian hipsters before hipsters were hipsters.
Donald F Is my All time Favorite All Around Tune Guy ! Along with The Eagles gang !" Complexity ,Versitility Classic, Multitudes of Everythimg & Anythimg blended from past to presemt of knowledge of & in Music thru half a Century ! Gemiuses of their Crafts !"
Speaking as an on air jock who played their tracks during the time when they were not yet "oldies," , I simply enjoyed this group of works like a fine meal, without fully understanding the depth of experience and understanding of the chef for all of the ingredients he was using. This set of vids gives me some of that missing insight, and I now have a much deeper appreciation of what was going on to put this meal together. I now feel like a foodie who wants to learn more about making meals like this myself, or at least have some of that understanding as a yeoman, if not a master.
I try so hard to listen to and respect what passes for popular music today and it is REALLY HARD. Most of what I hear sounds like it was created by some kind of algorithm devoid of a human pulse. Go read Never a Dull Moment about 1971. That was a golden age and I was fortunate to be there.
I just saw a clip about this on IG that brought me to find this video. I just noticed the intro walk up is different in this video than it is on the original recording. They start the half step walk up on the recording on F and on this video, they start it on Eb. It still works to get into the song but it threw me off for a sec.
Yeah, just slap a little Gregorian swampy intro on it and you get this....lol, piece of cake. Just one of the most iconic intro's in the history of modern music.
The real genius, he takes something familiar and morphs it just a little bit with a different type of vibe and then it sounds like a while new thing. Like Steely Dan. Brilliant.
Have you ever notice how Steely Dan's imitators, like Rupert Holmes, Christopher Cross, Ambrosia, etc. became known decades later as Yacht Rock, but not Steely Dan. They're their own genre.
Видеоклипы
I named my dog after this song 13 years ago, and to this day Josie is the pride of my neighborhood.
Wonderful and hilarious.
🙂👍
I will rev up my motor scooter
I named my daughter Aja in 1985.
I also named my dog after this song .... lol. In 1994
Absolutely incredible to hear how this masterpiece of a Pop/Jazz/Rock/Blues song was created.
..."so you put a little.... Gregorian, sort of a swampy, sort of introduction on it,..and you get THIS."
Love it!
"... we'll put a Gregorian, sort of a swampy introduction on it"
This is genius at work (at around 06:25) -- love it!
Another brilliant post that should lay to waste all the naysayers who think Becker and Fagen were "nothing" without their studio musicians - thanks for sharing!
Passion personified. The talent Becker and Fagen laid on the music world set the bar for future generations. Stunning. Sublime. Soulful all at once. Watch and learn kids. Master at work right here!
man a musician can learn a ton from this. very cool applications of jazz and blues so nicely working together on a really sweet lick when compared to the full cut with everyone playing. even better to hear it all explained too.
Always amazing to watch two musicians converse (verbally and musically) when both are so completely knowledgeable about their instrument, music theory in general, and also music history in the sense of knowing what riffs, chords, modes, etc. come from what sources.
Eight thumbs down? Who could give this a thumbs down? Steely Dan is one of the absolute greats of modern music. Fagen and Becker wrote some major gems right up there with The Beatles.
any thumbs down must be a mistake. how could you not thumbs up steely dad!
Absolutely
you know who hates Steely Dan? Communists
What?! That's one of the dumbest things I've ever heard anyone say.
"I heard it was you, talking 'bout a world where all is free, it just couldn't be, and only a fool would say that."
This guy is so freaking clever. It’s uncanny. Their music still sounds as fresh as when it was written, 50 years ago.
"And um.. well you might ask, 'Well how are these related to the blues?' and uh, well they're not actually."
Awesome Fagen moment.
Best part of the video.
LikeWiseLikeYou:Remarkable when you can see all the work & thought that goes into creating a song & then to have it become a smash hit & a classic. All we fans hear & groove to is the finished product.That's the magic of music;so many diverse ideas coming together & jelling into something catchy & cool. It can start off with something like a simple blues variation & suddenly, boom!You got a catchy opening,a theme you can sing & bob your head to & finally a musical story you can hang on to for years.
Man, y know, awesome, genius, find some adjectives that are apicable, or, if y cant, don't make no comments at arl. Yd be much more appreciated.
David Watkins what a little ray of sunshine you are! Sheesh.
But then he tagged on it and cosmically connected it all... anyway 👌🏽💯😂
Absolutely incredible to hear him describing music, describing the "space". I feel like being in the studio with him and everyone else when they were creating like this would have been a religious experience.
Fagan is a freaking genius. The way he explained how they arranged Josie is unreal. This is what's missing in todays music.
Nothing's missing in today's music
@@tooomasz Are you sure?
yep
@@tooomasz not sure about that
@@tooomasz How about lack of being shit?
I was in college when Aja first came out, and it made me fall in love with music all over again.
Fagen is a genius
Aja was, is (and I hate it when people do this) for me 1 of the 20 best pieces of work ever done.
I had a girlfriend that said, "Aja (song) is such a beautiful love song", she was speechless when I explained it was about China White heroin.......kinda of ruined her love buzz.
Christopher Sleight well, sigh, that is sort of a love song anyway...
Man, these guys are talking calculus in my world of addition and subtraction. What a way to set up a groove.
Fusion approach demonstrated and explained without any nonsense. Thank you.
the major triads he throws over the minor/modal baseline creates the tensions that he resolves and then resets. this plays with your emotional cortex in ways you don't consciously process
Oh Yeah !! You're right onto it, santacruzer...Excellent !!
Yes, that's the whole point of music, and Steely Dan takes this to a level equalled only in a few cases of classical music.
Well said
Cryptic,sardonic, coruscating geniuses.Finely honing the feel and structure of the songs, practicing and practicing until they become second nature and allowing the musicians playing to imbue their own characteristics whilst remaining faithful to the original intent. Once-in-a-lifetime musicians. From the age of 17 they were easily (and still are) my favourite band. At least once a month I have to get my fix my listening to Aja in its entirety
Eloquently put, Abrar.
Yes, eloquently indeed -- and someone who knows the word coruscating. I love it. That's exactly what some Steely Dan tunes often are. PEG is an example. It just sparkles and glitters like a star, which I suspect is the effect they were going for. Boy, does it work.
Damn, if you are writing a music column I need to subscribe.
Coruscating also means critical and scathing which, I think applies to his comment
Yaaasss....
I know a couple of scales and a few chords, and I watch this like I know what they are saying.
Maaaaan. Sure.
HOWEVER.. I am eternally a fan
you know more than me 😉
I believe this was in 1993. Bernhardt was Steely Dan's musical director for their tour that year.
this is a true artist being kind enough to let us into the process. what amazing sounds paintings they made for the future. wow. sooooooo beautiful........
Spot on, GS !!
The thought put into this this song is an example of total creativity.
I can watch this again and again.
I have watched this again and again🎉😅
Especially loved the line, “She prays like a Roman with her eyes on fire.” Vivid.
I always heard it “plays,” which is wrong. But better.
preys.
I like "Pick up what's left by daylight?
Damn good keyboard player. I love the hidden simplicity in the chord shapes yet how full the jazz of it makes it sound.
Clearly Donald fagan is a musical genius nuff said....
He's a little more than competent. His knowledge of the history and theory behind this stuff is clearly very advanced. Added to that is the fact that he's able to utilize that knowledge by writing songs like New Frontier and Maxine makes him a genius in my book.
@@stgodards
Yes. and YES
@Christopher Crepon, Yeah, and Mozart was a competent music composer, and Einstein was a competent physicist.
they both were/are genius and perfectionists, imo.
Fagen was/is the musical genius. Becker, as well as being a great writing partner, guitarist and bass player, gave the lyrics their cynical edge. It was the perfect match, probably never to be repeated again.
A master class in song structure and composition by one of the all time masters/greats/what-have-you, thank you so much for posting this video I learned a lot.
"Gregorian swampy introduction..." Exactly what it is. That is awesome.
He said that. OMG he actually said that. Fantastic.
Im learning this joint and it sounds so so good when you play it. You just want to play it over and over again.
I've heard the song a thousands times, but every time I hear it sounds like the first time.
That stuff he did initially, I heard Ray Charles so deep. Love how Walter (Becker) being bass player factored in to their genius. Steely Dan will never have an equal, they haven’t since 1973- RIP Walter
What I find strange is the fact that they are playing this song in D minor but on the record and live it's in E minor. That means Donald can play this, not so simple song, in two different keys.
The way he just swings his right hand through the air whenever he plays is hilarious to me. It’s like his right arm is drunk but it always connects.
I totally started doing that because I thought it looked cool and now more than a decade later I just remembered who I stole it from lol
So glad I found these videos, Fagen is a hero of mine his style is unmistakable, watching him go deep on these tunes is very interesting indeed
this is what happens when you have someone who is classically trained that just loves and wants to play music! We really need music back in elementary schools again!
Fagen wasn't classically trained, he taught himself to play by listening to records
Man you got that right......I lift my glass to that
Yesir or yesam! We seem to continue the dumbing down and decivilization of our American culture. America needs immigration now more than ever!
Michael Reid Perry how is importing a bunch of uneducated people with an average IQ of 80 going to help?
How do you know they have an IQ of 80? Not many people have their IQ properly tested by a professional. A professional has to do it. Most of them are quite smart, like so many natural born Americans. I'm speaking of attracting a new cultural energy from beyond our borders that continues to make America greater, rather than us stagnating, smelling our own farts.
Incredibly enjoyable. Donald and Walter(I know he is not in this vid) are the 2 most important song writers of the last 50 years.Genius's
+Duncan lobley Ever hear of a couple dudes named Lennon & McCartney? How 'bout Page & Plant, Waters & Gilmore, or Jagger & Richards? Calm down superfan.
I concur they were 1 of a couple of great writing duo's of that era. Still one of my favorite bands of all time.
Duncan lobley Steely Dan set such a high bar for anyone moving from rock to jazz that few cover their songs and "yacht rock" performers (late Doobie Brothers, Michael Franks, Christopher Cross) aped the smoothness and solos but without the complexity. Other songwriters were far more influential.
Let's not forget about Zappa. "Inca Roads", one of many fusion masterpieces.
Agreed. The stuff will stand the test of time.
It’s amazing how much is going on that song with only the piano part. There will never be another Dan.
You do realize I am being tongue in cheek. I consider it a great privilege to listen to Walter explain what would otherwise be a mystery to me and business as usual to him/in his mind. Isn't WB and utube grand!?
Could listen to him all day talk about his craft.
A brilliant pair of songwriters were Walter and Donald.
So simple sounding yet very complex - brilliant!
This is simply some of the most beautiful musical magic ever experienced in our lives. God bless Don and Walt ~)~
Fagen/Becker? The best songwriters of the 70's 80's 90's and on.
frappe homunculus Agree, but would include Todd Rundgren in that list.
There's a hint of Mike Myers' (Dr. Evil), in some of Don Fagen's mannerism's. It in no way diminishes his musical genius or prowess however. In fact, I find it an enhancement.
Oh, behave
“I want a G triad with some freaking lasers!’
The MUSICAL GENIUS himself.
Can't wait to see him and the band at Heinz Hall in downtown Pittsburgh October 2018 !!!
Thomas Lee Miller Just saw him/them last night in Seattle! Wow what I didn't know! What a group!
I was so fortunate to experience AJA in high school, and, Man, did we think we were so cool listening to that genius !😎
Walter and Donald took the essence of blues, soul and jazz-rock and polished it with super tasty inversions and arrangements, then dirtied it up just a little so it doesn't sound mechanical
or robotic.
Organic with no autotune, no hiding behind effects, no smoke and mirrors.
OMG! Amazing! Learned soooooo much. Thanks Donny!
Fagen is a genius/master-songwriting/piano player. Gosh, I should stop myself now........
He really is all that and then some....can not even imagine the world without his genius writing skills,not to mention his singing & playing talent! He & the entire band are amazing...You are so right pwkpilot!
SD was a major factor in my musical development, and my sense of humor as I come to think of it
Too late--restraining order being printed already.
Donald & Walt are some of my favorite song writers, true masters of the craft. They also use this same device of device of 'illuminating' a minor blues progression by inserting Maj 7/9 chords, on the song 'Don't take me Alive" from "The Royal Scam".
As Fagen calls it (the Maj 9), the mu major... Love it...
this tells those people who think that guys like DF are merely unschooled guys who put the gang together and banged away. There are a lot of music sheets and direction involved here.
What a freaking genius! So glad my dad showed me this music growing up. I took guitar lessons throughout my entire childhood up until college, and learned a (I thought) decent amount of theory along the way. But watching this makes me understand how little I actually know.
Now I produce music electronically which, contrary to popular belief, requires a great deal of not only music theory knowledge (if you want it to sound good), but also synthesis and sound design. This video really inspires me to dig deeper into music theory.
Gorgeous changes -described with brilliant perspicacity -swampy Gregorian blues intro-genius...i love it.
I could watch this stuff all day. Fascinating
What a privilege to interview the LEDGEND DONALD FAGEN!!! ❤ DAMMIT!!! Beautiful Man!!!
Love ! thanks for posting!!!
5 people hate hats and hooters.
Funny thing about me: Love hats, hate hooters.
Their music makes me Happy!😊😊
One of my favorite song intros ever.
This is why this music has lasted for generations. It's crafted by musicians.
Unlike computer generated sampling and loops from current disposable pop "stars".
Yes, those Gregorian swamps! LOL!
+Andrey Gaganov Hard to explain without some music theory: he's referring to a kind of mix of chord structure from Gregorian chant (search for that) and "Delta" (Louisiana delta) blues (search for that). He also explicitly refers to "modal" music, which Gregorian chant is an example of, coming, as it did, before Bach basically shoved the "well-tempered scale" (eliminating modes) down the throat of western music.
The big takeaway, whether you follow this or not, is that Donald Fagen's music theory background is quite good, and since he's an artist, he knows you have to know the rules before you can break them.
Vince V I
I wonder if this is how Justin Bieber writes his music.
Billy Mac LOL
Lol sure
can he really write music? i really doubt that!
With a big crayon
Such a tired reference
looooovvvee steely dan aka donald fagen brilliant song writer love it xox
When he said "we wanted to simplify it because we didn't want too much going on under the vocal Melody."
It's a lot of fun watching this.
Dude knows music. Cool how the basis for some of his songs are different types of blues.
Love this! Great sound!
my favorite of this series so far is the video of the making of peg
Exactly! And those opening chords - holy - DF is an f-ing genius.
The fella with him....beast. SD tour musical director. Has some skills.
Fagan's idea of a "primitive blues from the Delta" sounds a lot more advanced than mine..
Love this video. Totally impressed!!
because Dm is the saddest of all the keys, of course
Dude is a blues and jazz genius who learned from music he heard growing up. Becker and he were these out of time masters of their art. They stood out because nobody but them played like that, and they shunned the live scenes for decades. Bohemian hipsters before hipsters were hipsters.
Just raw talent..... I love Steely Dan!
Donald F
Is my All time Favorite
All Around Tune Guy !
Along with The Eagles gang !"
Complexity ,Versitility
Classic, Multitudes of Everythimg & Anythimg blended from past to presemt of knowledge of & in Music thru half a Century !
Gemiuses of their Crafts !"
Dammmn that's some relaxed advanced jazz
He's a genius.
I don't know why, but it makes people weep instantly.
Speaking as an on air jock who played their tracks during the time when they were not yet "oldies," , I simply enjoyed this group of works like a fine meal, without fully understanding the depth of experience and understanding of the chef for all of the ingredients he was using. This set of vids gives me some of that missing insight, and I now have a much deeper appreciation of what was going on to put this meal together. I now feel like a foodie who wants to learn more about making meals like this myself, or at least have some of that understanding as a yeoman, if not a master.
Thanks for this :)
as a self taught musician who likes to nerd out on theory, this makes me salivate!
It's nice to see radio sports host Mike Francesca playing piano with Donald. Excellent.
LOL
at 3:54 he misspeaks when he says "G major 9 with no 3rd" when he probably meant to say "C major 9 with no 3rd".
Yeah I caught that too. What a dope!
I try so hard to listen to and respect what passes for popular music today and it is REALLY HARD. Most of what I hear sounds like it was created by some kind of algorithm devoid of a human pulse. Go read Never a Dull Moment about 1971. That was a golden age and I was fortunate to be there.
I was waiting for him to say "keep the cymbals splashy and let's take the bass line for a walk".
i love musicians...way envious!
That was awesome.
I just saw a clip about this on IG that brought me to find this video. I just noticed the intro walk up is different in this video than it is on the original recording. They start the half step walk up on the recording on F and on this video, they start it on Eb. It still works to get into the song but it threw me off for a sec.
How can you not love this 🥳😍🥲🥰
Yeah, just slap a little Gregorian swampy intro on it and you get this....lol, piece of cake. Just one of the most iconic intro's in the history of modern music.
guitar solo on this song is unbelievable
The real genius, he takes something familiar and morphs it just a little bit with a different type of vibe and then it sounds like a while new thing. Like Steely Dan. Brilliant.
Wen Josie comes home...so good...she the pride o'da neighborhood! thanks! God loves you deeply
Can’t help but smile.
Have you ever notice how Steely Dan's imitators, like Rupert Holmes, Christopher Cross, Ambrosia, etc. became known decades later as Yacht Rock, but not Steely Dan. They're their own genre.
Joyful. Sublime.
Love it!
that was awesome.
I'm Home Donald lol love this song specially if that's my NAME =)
Josie p. We're gonna lay down the law and break it 😎
Boom! Amazing artist!