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re: Someone on the MB get me into Steely Dan
Posted on 10/12/14 at 11:03 pm to Spaulding Smails
Posted on 10/12/14 at 11:03 pm to Spaulding Smails
Aja can be listend to start to finish. Top 5 album for me. I'd start there.
0
Posted on 10/13/14 at 12:16 am to danman6336
quote:
An explanation about why people like The Dan so much?
Your sig pic. Look at it.
Posted on 10/13/14 at 10:04 am to danman6336
The Dan are my favorite band of all time. I was hooked the first time I heard Reelin' In the Years and I've been a big fan ever since.
On the surface, yeah it does give you that smarmy cool jazz vibe but if you listen a little deeper it's more sophisticated than that. The lyrics are clever (but sometimes hard to decode). The music is an intellectual blend of R&B, jazz, pop and rock that no other band completely pulled off they way they did. It's very technical but also extremely tight and expressive. Fagen & Becker were perfectionists about their sound so they would haul in bus loads of studio musicians to play certain parts until they achieved the sound they heard in their heads.
The high water mark is unquestionably Aja. But all of their albums have interesting things to say. I would also include Donald Fagen's first solo album in that mix. It's been described as the only Steely Dan concept album.
Here are a few songs that I like in particular.
Caves of Altamira - It's easy to overlook this one but I find it deeply profound. It's about prehistoric artists from "before the fall when there wasn't even any Hollywood" who "heard the call and wrote it on the wall for you and me".
Dr. Wu - I'm not entirely sure what this is about but it evokes images of opium dens and love triangles. Beautiful chorus.
Aja - It's like a musical journey through time and space. I'm not sure there's a point to it but it's worth taking the trip.
Reeling In the Years - Still a classic to me after all these years. It's a breakup song with the spurned boyfriend questioning the values of his ex-girlfriend. Has one of the most iconic guitar solos in all of rock music.
Chain Lightning - Another one that's easy to miss. It's about a couple of guys that take a nostalgic look back at the "glory days" of Nazi Germany.
The Fez - "You're never gonna do it without the fez on." A fez is a Turkish hat but in this song it's a metaphor for a condom.
On the surface, yeah it does give you that smarmy cool jazz vibe but if you listen a little deeper it's more sophisticated than that. The lyrics are clever (but sometimes hard to decode). The music is an intellectual blend of R&B, jazz, pop and rock that no other band completely pulled off they way they did. It's very technical but also extremely tight and expressive. Fagen & Becker were perfectionists about their sound so they would haul in bus loads of studio musicians to play certain parts until they achieved the sound they heard in their heads.
The high water mark is unquestionably Aja. But all of their albums have interesting things to say. I would also include Donald Fagen's first solo album in that mix. It's been described as the only Steely Dan concept album.
Here are a few songs that I like in particular.
Caves of Altamira - It's easy to overlook this one but I find it deeply profound. It's about prehistoric artists from "before the fall when there wasn't even any Hollywood" who "heard the call and wrote it on the wall for you and me".
Dr. Wu - I'm not entirely sure what this is about but it evokes images of opium dens and love triangles. Beautiful chorus.
Aja - It's like a musical journey through time and space. I'm not sure there's a point to it but it's worth taking the trip.
Reeling In the Years - Still a classic to me after all these years. It's a breakup song with the spurned boyfriend questioning the values of his ex-girlfriend. Has one of the most iconic guitar solos in all of rock music.
Chain Lightning - Another one that's easy to miss. It's about a couple of guys that take a nostalgic look back at the "glory days" of Nazi Germany.
The Fez - "You're never gonna do it without the fez on." A fez is a Turkish hat but in this song it's a metaphor for a condom.
Posted on 10/13/14 at 10:10 am to It's White
quote:
Steve Gadd is featured on Aja (not the entire album, just the song). One of my all time favorite songs.
Same. Aja is a top ten song for me.
Posted on 10/13/14 at 11:33 am to RogerTheShrubber
I'm a huge Steely Dan fan my roommate at LSU got me into them and we've ben fans every since. WE went to see them at UNO in July.
Aja is their most acclaimed album and a good place to start for someone new to Steely Dan. There is a Classic Albums documentary about Aja that is great, it was on Netflix, not sure if it is still on there.
Personally, I like Katy Lied and the Royal Scam better as overall albums. All 3 should be listened to start to finish. When you listen to the albums straight through there's a lot of songs, different sounds then you hear from the 4 or 5 biggest hits.
Aja is their most acclaimed album and a good place to start for someone new to Steely Dan. There is a Classic Albums documentary about Aja that is great, it was on Netflix, not sure if it is still on there.
Personally, I like Katy Lied and the Royal Scam better as overall albums. All 3 should be listened to start to finish. When you listen to the albums straight through there's a lot of songs, different sounds then you hear from the 4 or 5 biggest hits.
Posted on 10/13/14 at 12:03 pm to H-Town Tiger
quote:
Aja is their most acclaimed album and a good place to start for someone new to Steely Dan. There is a Classic Albums documentary about Aja that is great, it was on Netflix, not sure if it is still on there.
It's on youtube too: LINK Must watch.
quote:
Personally, I like Katy Lied and the Royal Scam better as overall albums. All 3 should be listened to start to finish.
I agree. Katy Lied was always my favorite but all three are spectacular. I'll say this too about Katy Lied. There was some sort of goof in the mastering of that album and it has sort of an over-compressed sound. Becker & Fagen always hated that album because of it. But I believe somewhere along the line it got remastered and it sounds much better.
Posted on 10/13/14 at 12:06 pm to MountainTiger
I just read about it on Wiki
quote:
Band leaders Walter Becker and Donald Fagen were unhappy with the album's sound quality owing to an equipment malfunction with the then-new dbx noise reduction system. The group has claimed that the damage was mostly repaired after consulting with the engineers at dbx, but Fagen and Becker still refused to listen to the completed album.
The album was reissued by MCA Records after ABC Records was acquired by MCA in 1979.
Posted on 10/13/14 at 4:09 pm to danman6336
I like Gaucho the best.
Posted on 10/13/14 at 4:40 pm to Marco Esquandolas
So the song from the beginning of American Hustle is a Steely Dan song?
huh, how bout that
huh, how bout that
Posted on 10/13/14 at 6:48 pm to Spaulding Smails
quote:
Kid Charlagmane
Got to agree with Spaulding here.
LINK
I recommend reading up on the meaning behind this song.
FM Live - LINK
They use irregular/jazz rhythms which aren't necessarily comforting to all listeners. By all means, these folks were/are great musicians in the technical sense, it's just not for everyone. I despise certain tracks, I'm not big at all on his vocals, but he's the frontman that brings it together.
Carolyn Leonhart used to be banging, hell id still do it. She's got a set of pipes.
LINK
Posted on 10/13/14 at 11:03 pm to danman6336
it took me awhile to get into them, but then i heard "your gold teeth II" and it all clicked....big fan now.
Posted on 10/14/14 at 12:32 am to vandelay industries
It should also be mentioned that Donald Fagen's solo albums are not to be missed. "The Nightfly" is classic. Besides the excellent music, it is one of the best sounding albums you'll ever find.
Posted on 10/14/14 at 10:55 am to SquarePizzaRebel
quote:
Carolyn Leonhart used to be banging, hell id still do it. She's got a set of pipes.
She's still pretty banging.
Posted on 10/14/14 at 1:16 pm to danman6336
Back in college I watched the previously mentioned documentary on Aja. I have been hooked since then. My favorite tracks are probably "Sign In Stranger" and "Black Cow". Was never a fan of Aja (the song) or Green Earrings, but when I heard them live at UNO they were awesome. Thought that show was great.
Posted on 10/14/14 at 1:18 pm to Dale Gribble
I've been listening to Steely Dan the past two days
I think I'm starting to "get it". The lyrics are awesome. Remind me of a more subtle Randy Newman or Frank Zappa lyrically.
Thanks for the recs everyone
I think I'm starting to "get it". The lyrics are awesome. Remind me of a more subtle Randy Newman or Frank Zappa lyrically.
Thanks for the recs everyone
This post was edited on 10/14/14 at 1:20 pm
Posted on 10/14/14 at 1:31 pm to danman6336
Their 2 against nature DVD is on YouTube, it's really good....
I enjoy the live album from '95 also
"Alive in America"
I enjoy the live album from '95 also
"Alive in America"
Posted on 10/14/14 at 1:35 pm to danman6336
quote:
The lyrics are awesome.
I think in one of the Storytellers shows, some bum in the street told Fagen that "Is there gas in the car? Yes, there's gas in the car" is the worst lyric in music history.
Posted on 10/14/14 at 1:37 pm to Bunk Moreland
lol i like that line
yes there's gas in the caaaaaaaaar
yes there's gas in the caaaaaaaaar
Posted on 10/14/14 at 4:03 pm to Bunk Moreland
quote:
"Is there gas in the car? Yes, there's gas in the car" is the worst lyric in music history.
The song is loosely based on a LSD chemist from SF in the 60's who was arrested after his car ran out of gas allegedly.
Posted on 10/14/14 at 4:11 pm to danman6336
quote:
The lyrics are awesome. Remind me of a more subtle Randy Newman or Frank Zappa lyrically.
If you like that, I highly recommend Haitian Divorce on The Royal Scam LP, it is one of my favorite Dan songs and lyrics, well paint an interesting story especially when she gets to the grotto
LINK
And I also strongly agree about Fagan's solo album The Nightfly, its basically a Steely Dan album. Green Flower Street and IGY are great songs.
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