I've just got into Steely Dan in a big way (bought all their albums) and I was wondering what other orgers think...

Everyone here thinks they stink.

I'm kidding. They get a lot of respect here. I love them!!! Aja, Pretzel Logic, Can't Buy a Thrill...all great albums (and more!). I've liked them for a few years now. My boyfriend is a longtime fan.

I can see how people might think that they're too clinical and muso, but they write great songs with a sense of humour and the musicianship is incredible. I think Aja, Two Against Nature, Pretzel Logic and Gaucho are my favourite albums.

Steely Dan is GENIUS.

I play their shit all the time.


Love them.

They think musically in ways that I could never achieve. Becker and Fagan are brilliant, IMHO.

Fagen, is one of the greatest storytellers of our time. I love the story he tells on "What ashame about me", from "Two against nature". You might also want to check out his solo work. His last CD, "Morph the Cat", is great. My favorite Steely track is, "Do it again". The sound of it is just mesmorizing.

They're a unique band for sure. I have always liked the song "Babylon Sisters".

Steely Dan are awesome.....intelligent lyrics, brilliant melodies and musicianship.

tA will fill you in, I am sure....

I suggest "Reelin' In The Years", by Brian Sweet. Great read.

Here's a very interesting behind the scenes look into their methods:
http://www.youtube.com/wa...H0JpBzi68E

Big fan here. I'm not usually into the smooth sounds of the 70s but they had a very sophisticated approach to the stuff, and a lyrical sting that was deadly. A lot of those pretty songs are about very nasty things if you really listen. It's kind of like a dude at four AM, doped to the gills and on the run, trying to get his head stright & relax for a minute amidst the chaos.

Fave tracks: King Of The World, Green Earrings, Your Gold Teeth 2, Aja, Peg, Babylon Sisters.

RipHer2Shreds said:

Steely Dan is music for old men.

minneapolisgenius said:

I'm telling you. In my past life I was endlessly dismissive of stuff I knew nothing about.

I gotta call you back! I was when you called...cuz I'm an old man.

The best story is that Drummer Steve Gadd recorded the title track to "Aja" IN ONE TAKE! Drum Solo, Fills and All. Everytime I listen to this song, Itry to picture the look on the other musicians faces. I think Steve Gadd needs his own appreciation thread. Steve was THE MAN!

1977: Aja

Aja is the most popular of all the Steely Dan recordings. Four of its seven tracks were radio hits with a broad spectrum of appeal. Musicians had a field day with the title track, which had powerful solos from Wayne Shorter and Steve Gadd. Gadd, it seems, was the ultimate foil for the Dan's demanding assault on a musician's psyche. For 'Aja' he sightread the entire seven-minute chart perfectly, solo and all, by the second take. An article at the time quoted Fagan as saying, "I was stunned. No one had ever done anything like that before. I couldn't believe it."

Once again, the new record surpassed the expectations of their legion of fans, each song a fully realized world unto itself. 'Black Cow,' with its silly chocolate bar subject, was gently nudged along by former Lawrence Welk drummer Paul Humphrey. (Humphrey's group, the Cool Aid Chemists, had a soul hit in I97l) The laid-back Southern aroma of "Deacon Blues" featured Purdie. The incredibly catchy "Peg" featured a fiery, sassy drum track from Marotta. "Home At Last" showcased the classic Purdie shuffle, supporting a sad tale of remorse and fear. "I Got The News," a dotted-l6th-note bounce-fest that sounds like early hip-hop, was Ed Greene's only track for the Dan. And "Josie," the story of the welcome shown returned a town prostitute, is Jim Keltner's minimalist tour de force of taste and style. With it's perfect balance of memorable songs, outrageously superb performances, and immaculate production, Aja is Steely Dan's masterpiece.

"When I first heard 'Josie' back I didn't like it," said the ever-sunglassed bandito. "It was a funny groove. It was such an odd song, especially for that time. In retrospect, I love the sound of it, the feel. Fagen had been through full sessions with other drummers for the same song. He was such a commanding musical figure, you knew that when he told you to play a little figure, you'd better play exactly what he wanted. That was a lot of pressure on me at the time, but I relished the musicality of it. I concentrated heavily. It was a five page chart with no repeat signs.

"As for that fill near the end, it was a bar of 7/8. That's definitely not something that I would've played. That figure was written on the paper, it was totally Fagen's thing: I wish I could get a copy of that chart. I've had more drummers ask me about that lick. I was playing a 5x14 Ludwig Vistalite snare drum, a Super Sensitive---weird instrument.

"Later, they wanted me to overdub something over the breakdown, but they didn't know what. The beauty of those guys is that they truly wanted something weird. So I played this garbage can lid with rivets in it that I'd been given for Christmas. They liked the way it sounded, so it became a part of the song."

Though Keltner cut "Peg," his track didn't make the final pick. "You do have an advantage in a way, if you come in behind someone else. The writers have already been through the song, and they have a better handle on what they want. I didn't do a good job on 'Peg,' it just didn't work."

Consequently, Rick Marotta's take on "Peg" was the one Becker and Fagen went with. "Chuck Rainey and I got into this groove that was really unstoppable," Marotta recalls. "We had this groove for the verses, and then the chorus came and everything just lifted. It just went that way every time. Everything was just working - my hands, my feet - it was just one of those days. On 'Peg,' I could hear every single nuance that I had played, as well as what everyone else had played. What amazed me was how they could mix those records like that. You could hear everything perfectly. The snare on that song is an old wooden Ludwig with Canasonic heads. It used to be Buddy Rich's drum."
[Edited 11/29/07 11:43am]

RipHer2Shreds said:

I'm like that in my current life actually. You are far more evolved than I on the journey to nirvana.

And yes, you are.

But yeah, I love me some Steely Dan.

"No marigolds in the promised land...there's a hole in the ground where they used to grow."
[Edited 11/29/07 12:29pm]

Great, great band. I used to thin they were too elevatorish when I was younger, but, the lyrics are what finally got me listening in a different way. He's like a badass novelist. I really love Katy Lied.
[Edited 11/29/07 12:36pm]

Love 'em. Thy're my heroes.

"Cant Buy a Thrill" captured my heart.

Steely Dan is one of my all time fave bands. They are incredible, imo !

my favorite steely dan moment was the other day when i witnessed what appeared to be the "electric slide" or some type of dance like that that everyone was doing except the song was "Champion" by Kanye West

he sampled Steely Dan pretty well

anyone ever see this dance?