Steely Dan

[Fluffy Lothario]

So I've played Aja two or three times.

That shit is sleek. Kind of poppier than I was expecting, but that's not a bad thing.

[jsem]

One thing I learned off all of those Steely Dan albums as a guitarist:  phrasing.  Before listening to this band, I didn't give a shit about making my solos "take a breath" so to speak.  I was more into just coming up with long passages that go note after note.  A song like Peg taught me that it's OK to break those lines up a bit and make them more appealing to the listener.

This is such a lost art in most music nowadays.

Definitely true. A melodic line needs to breathe, it should even be "singable". Solos should be what you hear inside your head coming out through your instrument - not rehearsed patterns.

[senecadawg2]

I love me some Steely Dan, although I haven't quite taken the time to get into a lot of their music.

[yorost]

So I've played Aja two or three times.

That shit is sleek. Kind of poppier than I was expecting, but that's not a bad thing.

That's exactly what my daughter said!

[rogerdil]

Fagen's Sunken Condos (2012) is excellent, not that anyone cares.

[Orbert]

Fagen is cool, but his solo stuff has never grabbed me.  I guess he needs Becker's awesomeness to help make the songs into something.

[rogerdil]

Could be a function of advancing time, with Fagen getting "too slick" post-Aja.  That being said, I guess the ultimate test is whether you like Two Against Nature and Everything Must Go that much more than Nightfly and Kamakiriad since those are the two Dan albums that post-date the first two Fagen solo albums.  I do concede Becker does add something, even if its only "10%" or so.  However, Becker's solo albums are lame so don't want to exaggerate his influence too much.

[Orbert]

I do like Two Against Nature and Everything Must Go.  To me, they sound like classic Steely Dan; the gap between them and the original run isn't obvious at all.  Maybe a little, but not a lot, not like some bands which reform after 20 years or whatever.

Nope, Becker's solo albums don't thrill me, either.  It takes the two of them to make it any good.  Where do you get the figure "10%"?  Even if Fagen does the writing and Becker mostly just shows up and plays guitar, the two of them have a chemistry together, and somehow that comes through in the final product.

[rogerdil]

Just a made up percentage, probably unduly discounting the chemistry factor.  I guess Fagen's solo albums are too loungy for some tastes; Becker perhaps reins in those impulses in Fagen for material going out under the Steely Dan name, plus he plays those cool fills.  Cool that you like the latter day Dan; tired of some fans exaggerating the difference between them and the '70s' output.

[ThatcrazyKISSfan]

BUMP

I'm late to the party on these guys. I don't really understand how their hits came to be their hits. I fucking hate Reelin in the Years. I started changing my tune regarding them when I heard Show Biz Kids on the radio a while back, but I've really come around to them just this weekend as I spent most of it listening to them. An acquired taste for me, but well worth it.

[Orbert]

The first album was very different, in "attitude" more than sound I suppose, and "Reelin' in the Years" is of course from the first album.  Maybe it's a product of its time, but I like it.  Mostly for the lyrics, which I think are brilliant.

You've been telling me a genius since you were seventeen
In all the time I've known you, I still don't know what you mean

"Show Biz Kids" is awesome.  First time I ever heard "don't give a fuck" on the radio.  I don't think the censors even realized it was there.

[Pols Voice]

I don't like this band, but I like Reelin' in the Years. Man, my opinions are terrible.

[ThatcrazyKISSfan]

I don't like this band, but I like Reelin' in the Years. Man, my opinions are terrible.

Haha, that's why they're called opinions. I guess what we can take away from this is Reelin' in the Years is not a good way to judge whether or not you'll like Steely Dan 

[Unlegit]

Reelin' in the Years doesn't really show what Steely Dan is IMO, but it's a great song to listen to.

[Orbert]

Yeah, those first couple of albums were all over the place, and in general kinda different from what Steely Dan would become later.

[ThatcrazyKISSfan]

Yeah, those first couple of albums were all over the place, and in general kinda different from what Steely Dan would become later.

I need to check all of it out, but I'm loving what I've heard from Countdown to Ecstasy, and My Old School is probably my favorite of theirs that gets regular rotation on classic rock stations.

[Orbert]

I love all of it.  If you want to get into Steely Dan, I suggest starting from the beginning (Can't Buy a Thrill) because of the evolution of their sound.  They did stabilize more or less by the third album.

[Fritzinger]

I'd like to dig out this topic, because I am a huge Steely Dan / Fagen fan.
What do you guys think about Fagens four solo albums?

[Orbert]

I love Fagen's voice.  Besides all of Steely Dan, I used to have a copy of The Nightfly, but I have no idea where it is.  It was awesome.  I've heard some of Kamakiriad and liked that a lot, too.  A friend from work had it I think.

I've never heard any from the later two.  I'm not sure why.

[SoundscapeMN]

I saw them perform Aja in its entirety a couple of years ago. Phenomenal.

Also, for those who may not know Mayer Hawthorne, his track "Reach out Richard" is almost a Steely Dan tribute (very Peg-like)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ya19JQPN8ow

[Fritzinger]

Very cool tune, although it's almost a Peg ripoff In fact I have NEVER found anything that sounds like Dan/Fagen and is not a ripoff of them. In my opinion, The Nightfly is a masterpiece, SO IS Morph The Cat! Those arrangements are just incredible. Kamakiriad ist a great album too, and I still have to get into Sunken Condos. Fagens music always takes a while for me.

[Orbert]

I love Fagen's voice.  Besides all of Steely Dan, I used to have a copy of The Nightfly, but I have no idea where it is.  It was awesome.  I've heard some of Kamakiriad and liked that a lot, too.  A friend from work had it I think.

I've never heard any from the later two.  I'm not sure why.

Weird how memory works.  I was re-reading the thread, and four years ago I said that I wasn't thrilled by Fagen's solo work.  I remember it differently now.  I still remember liking his voice, which was always the attraction for me, but since I haven't heard it in a while, I guess I recall it more favorably now than I did then, which is weird.

[splent]

How have I not posted in this thread

Their sound is so tight knit. I love it. That late 70s light jazz-rock sound. So good. It was utilized by other artists but never to the success or tightness as Steely Dan.

Not familiar with Fagen's solo stuff so must check it out

[Fritzinger]

How have I not posted in this thread

Their sound is so tight knit. I love it. That late 70s light jazz-rock sound. So good. It was utilized by other artists but never to the success or tightness as Steely Dan.

Not familiar with Fagen's solo stuff so must check it out

If you love the Dan, you should The Nightfly starts where Gaucho left off. If I may say so, I find his solo stuff even a little more brilliant. It's also cool to really check out the lyrics of that album. They reflect the memories of Fagen himself in the late 50s.

[Kwyjibo]

After finally listening to Aja some years ago and instantly liking it, I'm slowly (very slowly) going through their discography. So far I have (and know) Aja, Katy Lied and Pretzel Logic. I like all of them but I think Aja's my favorite. Definitely a great band. So cool and so laid back and yet still rocking somehow.

I also have The Nightfly by Fagen and really like that too.

[hefdaddy42]

I was late coming around on Steely Dan.  But they are exceptional.

[WebRaider]

Giving this thread a bump... One album that I listen to quite a bit and haven't seen mentioned here is "The Royal Scam". I probably could put on any of their albums and enjoy them to great extent but given it's not been discussed much here (although this thread should be a bit longer I think given the quality of the band) I figure I'd bring up how much I enjoy it! 

[Kotowboy]

I had to learn Gaslighting Abbie on my degree. Interesting song with bizarre chord changes.

Apparently they were studio boffins though and hired several session musos to play on the songs and chopped up all their performances and picked the best bits from all the guys.

Like a hi hat from one guy - a snare from another guy etc... Nuts.

[Fritzinger]

Yes those guys are indeed nuts, but I think I have never heard anything so perfect! Although they found back their "band sound" on Everything Must Go, which is a very underrated album in my opinion.

Donald Fagen is one of the few musicians who became better and better for me from album to album. Aja and Gaucho topped every other album that came out before. The Nightfly is a masterpiece, so is Kamakiriad, but my favorite album by Donald AND Steely Dan would be Morph The Cat.

[Stadler]

Rikki Don't Lose That Number is one of the greatest songs ever recorded by any band ever.

In my opinion. 

[Podaar]

Rikki Don't Lose That Number is one of the greatest songs ever recorded by any band ever.

In my opinion. 

Seconded.

[hefdaddy42]

I used to really dislike that song because I found it boring, and whenever it came on the local classic rock station, I would immediately change channels.

As I have gotten older and started performing music myself, I got into Steely Dan more, and now I see that song as being pretty cool. 

Funny how perspectives change.

[Chino]

I really like Steely Dan. However, I saw them last April in CT and was bored to death.

[Fritzinger]

I really like Steely Dan. However, I saw them last April in CT and was bored to death.

Damn I want to see them so badly but that's impossible for a German guy with.. you, stuff to do and not a lot money on my account.

[Kotowboy]

I can't imagine it would be very exciting going to see a band and they're all session guys who just stand there playing the music *exactly as it is on the CD".