Some of the world's greatest rock musicians got together and thought that this was a good idea...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07-0rpXvwWg
It is my sad duty to note that the guitar solo in the original version of that song was a Strat played through an SVT. I cannot stand Steely Dan or their songs!
What's so horrible about it? The singer jumps around a lot, but hits the right notes, Baxter's - didn't he play on the original too? - soloing is fluid and kicks some butt, Simon Phillips swings (always the case with him) and so does JAE (not always the case with him). Walsh doesn't contribute that much. My only gripe is Keith's piano playing, he tends to sound like a slightly mad machine (a Glenn Gould influence?), a bit harsh/robotic in his timing (but that is just his style, it worked with ELP, but Elton John or Billy Joel could have done a better job here).
I'm neither overawed by Steely Dan (they're a bit "elevator music for Westcoast intellectuals" to me) nor do I think them horrible.
The original solo was played by Elliot Randall.
Quote from: Psycho Bass Guy on March 21, 2014, 10:47:47 AM
It is my sad duty to note that the guitar solo in the original version of that song was a Strat played through an SVT. I cannot stand Steely Dan or their songs!
With a Gibson humbucker in the neck position! I never bought their records, but I do like a lot of their stuff, this song included.
(http://elliott-randall.com/elzpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/strat-101x300.jpg)
I'm afraid to watch that video. ;D
Not a big Steely Dan fan myself, although I love Skunk's playing - and Walter Becker DID play a Thunderbird back in the 70s...
I like exactly three of their songs, and you can probably guess which ones they are pretty easily.
Who's the lead singer and who thought it was a good idea to let him jump around like a bozo? I never "got" Steely Dan but this is supposed to be a serious song. Having some shirtless pretty boy bouncing and prancing around sort of distracts from the lyrics, doesn't it?
Can't fault the other musicians.
I love Steely Dan. I think they are the most unique and distinctive of any popular band. Rick Derringer also did a lot of session work for them, as I recall. He said they were perfectionists, down to the single note.
You have to love the intro on this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-6Axpqeuik
Quote from: Dave W on March 21, 2014, 04:00:49 PM
Who's the lead singer and who thought it was a good idea to let him jump around like a bozo? I never "got" Steely Dan but this is supposed to be a serious song. Having some shirtless pretty boy bouncing and prancing around sort of distracts from the lyrics, doesn't it?
Can't fault the other musicians.
Funny part is that the singer is the only one in the band (bg vox aside) without any real name recognition.
Never seen it before. I like it. (Agreed that the lead singer needs more clothes and less flounce.)
In my opinion, doing a Steely Dan song has never been a good idea, period.
Quote from: westen44 on March 21, 2014, 06:48:44 PM
In my opinion, doing a Steely Dan song has never been a good idea, period.
And to think, I once auditioned for a band that was going to do nothing but Steely Dan. Of course, one reason I didn't pursue it was because they also had no plans to play anywhere but the basement. :o
Quote from: gweimer on March 21, 2014, 06:51:26 PM
And to think, I once auditioned for a band that was going to do nothing but Steely Dan. Of course, one reason I didn't pursue it was because they also had no plans to play anywhere but the basement. :o
I can't explain it; don't really understand it myself. But all joking aside, their music just gives me the creeps. When I was around people raving about them, I was always baffled. Nevertheless, it could be there is just something about their music that I don't get.
Quote from: westen44 on March 21, 2014, 07:37:03 PM
I can't explain it; don't really understand it myself. But all joking aside, their music just gives me the creeps. When I was around people raving about them, I was always baffled. Nevertheless, it could be there is just something about their music that I don't get.
Don't feel bad. I feel the same about Pearl Jam.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Best_(band)
"Relative unknown Rick Livingstone sang lead vocals (along with Walsh and Entwistle). Backing vocals were provided by Hamish, Angus and Fergus Richardson of the band Brother."
I bought Aja when I was 15. It really blew me away. Not only the playing of Chuck Rainey but the quality of the recording. It was the best fidelity recording I'd heard up to that time. I always loved the idea of using session players on their later output. Larry Carlton's solo on Kid Charlemagne (with Chuck on bass) is super. I always love to play along to Peg. Chuck is just so funky.
I read an interview long ago where they asked Becker what his favorite solo on Aja was. He replied it was Wayne Shorter's Sax solo on the title track.
Quote from: gweimer on March 21, 2014, 07:59:33 PM
Don't feel bad. I feel the same about Pearl Jam.
..because there's some substance to Pearl Jam. Love 'em or hate 'em, they defined an entire era of popular music and kept playing and growing even when they weren't writing hits and had a definite cultural relevance. Steely Dan is clinically meticulous and polished musically and sonically, but there's nothing there. The songs are pointless pondering. "Are you reelin in the years?" Huh? WTF does that even mean? That's a pretty far cry from "Jeremy spoke in class today." ...even without the video that would never be allowed to air today. And just to be completely confusing, here's Pearl Jam covering Pink Floyd:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvps2EGu5o8
The camera work is terrible, but the audio is great.
I've always considered Steely Dan's name to be the epitome of irony: it's middle-aged limp dick music to me.
Quote from: Psycho Bass Guy on March 21, 2014, 11:43:43 PM
..because there's some substance to Pearl Jam. Love 'em or hate 'em, they defined an entire era of popular music and kept playing and growing even when they weren't writing hits and had a definite cultural relevance. Steely Dan is clinically meticulous and polished musically and sonically, but there's nothing there. The songs are pointless pondering. "Are you reelin in the years?" Huh? WTF does that even mean? That's a pretty far cry from "Jeremy spoke in class today." ...even without the video that would never be allowed to air today. And just to be completely confusing, here's Pearl Jam covering Pink Floyd:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvps2EGu5o8
The camera work is terrible, but the audio is great.
I've always considered Steely Dan's name to be the epitome of irony: it's middle-aged limp dick music to me.
And to me, Pearl Jam too often sounds like a bunch of kids sniffing glue and trying to remember Aerosmith riffs.
Alive was one of the first tunes I learned but it wasn't my idea to cover it. Evenflow was a decent jam. I don't own any Pearl Jam but I had aja on vinyl when my phonograph was still working. I definitely like Chuck Rainey's playing but Donald Fagan's voice wears on me after a while. Hey Nineteen always makes me smile.
pre SD fagen and baxter were in a one album band called navasota, a town in texas. i saw them but have no memory of their sound. do i hear crickets? ;D
From the same concert as the original post, but much more interesting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAvYHXz7XsA
Bass solo!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ctM9giFEJ0
Quote from: gweimer on March 22, 2014, 04:21:41 AM
And to me, Pearl Jam too often sounds like a bunch of kids sniffing glue and trying to remember Aerosmith riffs.
Doh!
I said I only liked three Steely Dan songs - I like exactly "0" Pearl Jam songs. While SD (IMHO of course) is the epitome of pretentious, self-absorbed jazz noodlings stuffed into pop songs, PJ is the equivalent of angst-ridden, self-absorbed teen crabbiness stuffed into rock songs. HOWEVER, at least SD has some neat hooks and nice harmonies thrown in. That placates those of us who don't relate to the technical wanking aspect. I can walk around humming those three Steely Dan tunes, and generally feel pretty good - can't say that I've ever been inspired in that way by "Even Flow". But that's me. I'm generally not interested in songs that make overt political, sociological or idealogical statements. I listen to music to get away from that stuff.
Not much of a Steely Dan fan here...they seem neither rock nor pop. They did have some good tunes, but their tonal palette just doesn't do that much for me.
My tastes run more to the 12-bar-blues and rock genre. (And surf, but it's 12-bar too.)
Thanks to Pearl Jam, I know what "yarling" is. Eddie Vedder may not have invented it but he popularized it. Just another vocal technique the world would be better off without.
Quote from: Dave W on March 22, 2014, 02:29:45 PM
Thanks to Pearl Jam, I know what "yarling" is. Eddie Vedder may not have invented it but he popularized it. Just another vocal technique the world would be better off without.
I think Scott Stapp of Creed may do that, too. I used to be around two people who listened to Creed. I complained a lot about it because I didn't like Scott Stapp's singing. Then one day I decided to sing along with a Creed song to see how I would do. It turned out to be higher than I was expecting. My conclusion was that although I still didn't like Scott Stapp's singing, he was better than I realized. I think Chris Cornell is sometimes compared to Eddie Vedder. Chris Cornell is pretty good, IMO. What I've heard of Eddie Vedder, though, doesn't much interest me.
Quote from: gweimer on March 22, 2014, 04:21:41 AM
And to me, Pearl Jam too often sounds like a bunch of kids sniffing glue and trying to remember Aerosmith riffs.
That's not too far from the truth! ;)
I'm a bit surprised there are so few Steely Dan fans around here. Although they are not the style of music that I choose to play, I really enjoy listening to them. I caught them live way back when Reeling in the Years was happening and they were outstanding. Absolutely flawless performance and their stretched out live solos were mind blowing great. I've always loved Fagans work and he always surrounds himself with first rate musicians.
Rick
for some reason sd tunes remind me of northeast prep schools!? :o i like them ok but don't have any of their stuff.
I don't own any SD albums but reading this thread made me; 1. look up "yarling," and 2. think about where they fit in my own listening hierarchy. As a kid I mostly preferred stuff that was a little more rocking (OK, a lot more rocking), but I liked a lot of pop stuff too, so that side of SD made the radio stuff accessible to me (I'd put Toto in the same category). I also like melodic lead guitarists, so that probably helped, but ELP or King Crimson coming on the radio would have me racing to change the dial in two bars.
Quote from: rahock on March 23, 2014, 05:45:07 AM
I'm a bit surprised there are so few Steely Dan fans around here. Although they are not the style of music that I choose to play, I really enjoy listening to them. I caught them live way back when Reeling in the Years was happening and they were outstanding. Absolutely flawless performance and their stretched out live solos were mind blowing great. I've always loved Fagans work and he always surrounds himself with first rate musicians.
Rick
I don't own any Steely Dan but I can listen to them. I saw them during the same timeframe and it was a good show; they opened for Cheech & Chong.
:mrgreen:
Quote from: ramone57 on March 23, 2014, 10:15:51 AM
I don't own any Steely Dan but I can listen to them. I saw them during the same timeframe and it was a good show; they opened for Cheech & Chong.
:mrgreen:
Hanging out with Cheech and Chong would make Steely Dan more "listenable," and I'm not even trying to be funny here.
One of the few numbers my lead guitarist proposed playing that I didn't like is Dirty Work. The original wasn't really bad (although not great) but it easily descends into dragging and sounding whiny. I'm glad we dropped it.
Quote from: nofi on March 23, 2014, 08:31:50 AM
for some reason sd tunes remind me of northeast prep schools!? :o i like them ok but don't have any of their stuff.
That's about the way I feel. Okay buy nothing that moves me.
Steely Dan...
Burroughs' has a lot to answer for...
(I still have the first LP, mind you...)
Quote from: gweimer on March 21, 2014, 07:59:33 PM
Don't feel bad. I feel the same about Pearl Jam.
+1! The decent rhythm section wasn't enough to make up for the sub-par guitarists, and the singer who sounds like a dying goat.
Quote from: gearHed289 on March 24, 2014, 08:50:20 AM
+1! The decent rhythm section wasn't enough to make up for the sub-par guitarists, and the singer who sounds like a dying goat.
:mrgreen:
QuoteI'm a bit surprised there are so few Steely Dan fans around here.
Ditto. Outstanding musicianship all around. I like what SD did in a Pop context although I was never that excited about their radio-friendly releases. "Aja" was more my speed and in fact, I would count it among my list of desert-island albums if for nothing other than Chuck Rainey's and Steve Gadd's stellar performances.
I see very little difference between what SD were doing in the 70's compared to what Sting was doing in the 80's. They brought together top-notch Jazz musicians for Pop studio recordings with live performances more as an afterthought. With great success, I might add.
Re: Pearl Jam:
Quote..because there's some substance to Pearl Jam. Love 'em or hate 'em, they defined an entire era of popular music and kept playing and growing even when they weren't writing hits and had a definite cultural relevance. Steely Dan is clinically meticulous and polished musically and sonically, but there's nothing there. The songs are pointless pondering. "Are you reelin in the years?" Huh? WTF does that even mean? That's a pretty far cry from "Jeremy spoke in class today." ...even without the video that would never be allowed to air today.
Really?!? I agree that Pearl Jam had a HUGE impact on the music scene but then again, so did Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots, Soundgarden and the Foo fighters - all of the same genre, the latter few infinitely more prolific than Pearl Jam IMO. Regardless, to imply that SD's music has no substance ...... maybe you should give it another listen. SD may be lyrically weak to you but I think 40,000,000+ career record sales worldwide speaks for itself.
Sincerely,
Resident Middle-aged limp dick
;D
Quote from: CAR-54 on March 23, 2014, 07:19:07 PM
Steely Dan...
Burroughs' has a lot to answer for...
(I still have the first LP, mind you...)
I suspect, though, that the general public has very little idea about the "Naked Lunch" connection. Or maybe they do.
I'll give Steely Dan that their music was always skillfully made, kind of like Toto's, but SD had more intellectual flair. I do like Fagan's singer/songwriter approach to interpreting the song better,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7V5-O8Zk2k
(Bill Cosby, judging from what he wears in that introduction, must take credit for being a sartorial inspiration to Ali G.)
but again - jumping around of lead singer aside - the vid that started this thread wasn't horrible. An able cover, but nothing more. Probably fun to hear that night if you like the song, but nothing for posterity.
Quote from: gearHed289 on March 24, 2014, 08:50:20 AM
+1! The decent rhythm section wasn't enough to make up for the sub-par guitarists, and the singer who sounds like a dying goat.
And that comes from a fellow Chicagoan. Eddie was in a cover band with someone I know.
Quote from: uwe on March 24, 2014, 02:05:47 PMAn able cover, but nothing more. Probably fun to hear that night if you like the song, but nothing for posterity.
Exactly. I did cave and watch it. That singer... Wow dude, do some crunches or button your shirt please!
Quote from: gweimer on March 24, 2014, 02:13:56 PMAnd that comes from a fellow Chicagoan. Eddie was in a cover band with someone I know.
Oh yeah, he lived in Evanston I believe.
PS - SD came on in the shop just as I got to this thread. :mrgreen:
Oh my, I guess I am out there somewhere in the great beyond, but I liked and still like Steely Dan and the Doobies. No accounting for taste!
I love pre-Michael McDonald Doobies (though not everything they did during his tenure was bad). The Skunk Baxter connection aside, I don't find their music had too much in common with SD, the Doobies were a much more organic band and excelled live, SD's turf was the studio (and they saw thenselves that way). Loved the Doobies' cinemascope version of "Jesus is just alright", I could never imagine SD doing something that earthy (without knocking them, they were quality musicians and songwriters, just too controlled for my taste).
I remeber having exactly this Doobie Brothers poster in my room as a youth, it epitomized live stage rock excitement to me at a time when I basically just knew Listen to the Music from them:
[(http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Poster-Musik-Doobie-Brothers-Larry-Graham-Bravo-/00/s/MTIwMFgxNjAw/z/2poAAMXQlgtS3lRT/$_57.JPG)
An iconic song by the Doobie Brothers which would be impossible to forget. I don't relate the Doobie Brothers to Steely Dan at all.
Ed King was in two bands which had nothing to do with each other. It's the same with Skunk Baxter (as has been stated.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HP_NE4XZGAc
I've always liked SD. The musicianship and production are unreal, but it takes more than that to capture my interest. Probably the mix of other influences like jazz, latin, country (e.g. Pearl of the Quarter, Fire in the Hole outro) and the often "dark" lyrics (sex, drugs, and even creepier stuff such as "Everyone's Gone to the Movies") drew me in.
Quote from: drbassman on March 25, 2014, 09:25:16 AM
No accounting for taste!
Well put :)
believe me, everyone knows about 'steely dan'. where you guys been. its not the hip secret it once was. :P
As usual, Nofi's cryptic posting had me wondering. So I googled "steely dan".
"proper name of a steam powered dildo"
And now feel soiled and used. :-X
Naive as I am, I had wondered what the Naked Lunch references had to do with the whole thing. Once again: This forum is a cesspool of bad taste and adolescent innuendo.
That's why I feel so at home here.
Quote from: uwe on March 25, 2014, 12:10:20 PM
As usual, Nofi's cryptic posting had me wondering. So I googled "steely dan".
"proper name of a steam powered dildo"
And now feel soiled and used. :-X
Naive as I am, I had wondered what the Naked Lunch references had to do with the whole thing. Once again: This forum is a cesspool of bad taste and adolescent innuendo.
That's why I feel so at home here.
When Kenny first posted that Burroughs had a lot to answer for, it didn't immediately occur to me, either that he was alluding to the William S. Burroughs--Naked Lunch--Steely Dan connection. But it became obvious when I read his post the second time.
Quote from: uwe on March 25, 2014, 12:10:20 PM
As usual, Nofi's cryptic posting had me wondering. So I googled "steely dan".
"proper name of a steam powered dildo"
And now feel soiled and used. :-X
Naive as I am, I had wondered what the Naked Lunch references had to do with the whole thing. Once again: This forum is a cesspool of bad taste and adolescent innuendo.
That's why I feel so at home here.
You said innuendo...
If I could I would...
... post Danny Kootch's title track to his Innuendo LP, but it's not UP so I can't...
... and if you don't know the LP that's your problem... one of those great "lost" recordings...
Great quotes:
"Love goes out the door when money comes innuendo."
Maybe I shouldn't have had that third gin & tonic at the social tonight.
Things not to say on the first date: "Can I try it innuendo?"
It all comes to pass, innuendo...
Then there's the two Irishmen - Gerald Fitzpatrick and Patrick Fitzgerald
Ireland has room for anything.
Quote from: uwe on March 25, 2014, 10:15:55 AM
I remeber having exactly this Doobie Brothers poster in my room as a youth, it epitomized live stage rock excitement to me at a time when I basically just knew Listen to the Music from them:
[(http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Poster-Musik-Doobie-Brothers-Larry-Graham-Bravo-/00/s/MTIwMFgxNjAw/z/2poAAMXQlgtS3lRT/$_57.JPG)
Apparently the Thunderbird so prominently displayed also made an impression on that youth.
It was actually the first Thunderbird I consciously recognized. Back then, a Ric 4001 was still my elusive dream bass.
A lot of people can't stand McDonald (mostly people who were into the Doobies before he was in the band), but I don't mind a lot of the earlier stuff with him. They were a really good band. My band does Long Train at almost every show, and it always goes over, regardless of age/gender/race.
He took the Doobies somewhere else and commercially it didn't harm them at the time, the old recipe was getting a bit stale, admittedly. I have a live recording of him doing the Tom Johnston stuff - it's credible and his skillful piano playing added a new dimension to their sound, beefing them up live considerably. Some of these arrangements were Toto-worthy.
This is not badly executed music by any means:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LCB_RdfdXc
I like the fact that the band is still on speaking terms. McDonald still guests (and writes) on their albums for a track or two and shows up at the odd anniversary concert. The band hasn't tried to rewrite its own history. Personally, I prefer the Tom Johnston era, but McDonald's meticulously crafted blue-eyed soul isn't crap.
Tiran Porter was mostly known for his EB3 back then... never seen him with a T'bird...
never seen him with a eb3.
Quote from: CAR-54 on March 26, 2014, 06:02:39 PM
Tiran Porter was mostly known for his EB3 back then... never seen him with a T'bird...
Huh, I only know him with two birds - Thunder and Mocking. Maybe a P Bass too. Really tasty player.
I've seen him with all - so there!!! Plus a Grabber!!! And a Ric.
Quote from: CAR-54 on March 26, 2014, 06:02:39 PM
Tiran Porter was mostly known for his EB3 back then... never seen him with a T'bird...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kl0rAnLvJs
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41rdVI5nauL.jpg)
Quote from: nofi on March 27, 2014, 08:41:16 AM
never seen him with a eb3.
Now you have! EB-3L to be exact.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sSWbl4S8KU
He played an Alembic around the mid-70s also... I remember that one up for sale a couple years ago.
the alembic is the only bass i remember. not a huge fan so that would explain things.
Old grumpers hath spoken - Doobie Brothers fans hang your heads and don't listen to the music ...
i'm sure i have listened to dp far more than the doobies, whatta' stupid name.
Weird that I've got it stuck in my mind for some reason... it might have been from the poster that came with WWOVANH but I have no idea... I thought EB3L too, but that vid is blocked here...
Going senile, I am... :o