I love reaction videos, especially when they are genre-blurring. The Airplay Beats channel on YouTube has lots of great reaction clips. The duo here have a great knowledge of different types of music. They are producers and really understand the complexity of songs and how long it takes to get a track just right.
"Gaucho" is from the 1980 Steely Dan album of the same name. It's a masterpiece and marks the end of the classic era of the Dan - and the title track is just genius.
Major Dudes is a compilation of old interviews of Steely Dan duo Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, sometimes alone but usually together. There are also old Steely Dan album reviews and live show reviews (not that there were many of those!) and a look at the secretive duo’s solo releases.
This is a book for diehard Dan heads – not your casual listener. There’s repetition because the source material is from a variety of writers – so they all pretty much have to do their setup explaining how Fagen and Becker met at Bard College, etc. Still, there are nuggets of information in each little piece for the reader to pick through and digest.
The best thing about Steely Dan for me is their cryptic song lyrics. Fagen and Becker were jazz and literature nerds and used obscure references in their tracks. There are double entendres, rhymes and riddles and so many subversive drug references that the censors missed back in the day. The appreciation of the complex musical arrangements and jazz backstory of many tracks is a great fountain of knowledge here as is also the use of so many session players to make their wonderful 70s albums. I always knew that Steely Dan were perfectionists in the studio and used only the best musicians money could buy – but I didn’t know the fade out of “Babylon Sisters” (Gaucho, 1980) alone took 55 takes.
I deeply enjoyed every mention of guitarist Larry Carlton throughout the book. He is one of my favorite guitar guys and so much more than a sideman. He has laid down some of the best solos of all time, including Steely Dan’s “Kid Charlemagne" (from my favorite Dan album, The Royal Scam) and “Third World Man” (not to mention turns with Christopher Cross, Michael Jackson and even the Hill Street Blues theme).
So, do you need to read Major Dudes? If you don’t get the title reference, probably not. If you are a Steely Dan obsessive, you probably already have – but if you are a Dan head and journalism geek like me, this book is right up your alley. It’s an easy read and entertaining too.
I had a very busy day yesterday including a tax appointment. After that long appointment I just happened to see the post below and I laughed harder than I should have, I'm sure. On a music related note, I can log in to Discogs on my laptop... and not my phone. Same password of course. Make it make sense!
Since I was gone all day yesterday, all the weekend chores fall to today and that means I'm scrambling. I'll probably put on some Steely Dan while folding laundry. I can hear Eric listening to Metal downstairs while he repaints walls. I hope you have a Sunday Funday and get a little rest if possible!
It's the perfect day of the (American) year to share Steely Dan's "Black Friday" from the album Katy Lied. Yes, I have grabbed some deals today. Excuse me while I go put together my new six foot tall lighted snowman for the front yard. (Yes, I'm serious).
Don't forget, as it is Black Friday, it is also Record Store Day, so there are special albums to be found. Good luck!
After "Hell Froze Over," the Eagles have been on and off the road for years (you know, after they retired the first time). Now, the end is apparently really here. This morning, The Eagles announced their final tour. My beloved Steely Dan will provide support. (There's a joke here between The Eagles and Steely Dan. IYKYK).
The tour is called "The Long Goodbye" and Don Henley, Joe Walsh, and Timothy B. Schmit, with Vince Gill and Deacon Frey will all participate. The tour will go through 2025. Tickets go on sale July 14. I'll go ahead and predict this won't be cheap.
Now, Allyson, you might be asking “Why are you mentioning a country song on BBG! – especially when you despise the genre?”
The answer, young grasshoppers, is that I was intrigued because of a past life.
“My Maria” was a big hit for Brooks & Dunn back in 1996. I know this because I grew up in farm country and people at my high school were always playing Brooks & Dunn. I was in tenth grade at this time. (You might recall Brooks & Dunn won a 1997Grammyfor their version too).
Fast forward to the year 2000. I was in college and doing a broadcast internship at the local radio station. I went to college in a small town – also in the “holler” – and the broadcast format was (and still is) country. I write all this to say that I heard “My Maria” constantly.
Like, the song was many years old by the time I was on the microphone and it was still in regular rotation in the Audio VAULT system.
Fast forward to today. You know, 23 years later. I decided to work in-office today, so I’m driving down the highway and flipping channels on my satellite radio. 70s on 7 is playing “My Maria.” I was confused and glanced down to see the track was really by B.W. Stevenson. The song was a single in August of 1973 – and was a top 10 hit then, too. The guitar portion features my beloved Larry Carlton even! You might recall Larry recorded some of the best guitar solos for Steely Dan. Remember – I’ve said before I think his work on “Don’t Take Me Alive” is among the best rock guitar solos ever!
After I googled “My Maria” and learned the roots of the song, I had to look the song up on Amazon Music and listen more closely to the guitars. I do prefer Larry Carlton’s noodling (shocker) – but the Brooks & Dunn version is pretty true to the original.
Now I want to hear a metalcore version of this song – and no, I’m not kidding. There could be a great breakdown in the middle of the song at around the 2 minute mark. I’m always amazed at how artists can approach cover songs – either completely rip them apart and make them unique or stay true to the original as a nod of respect. I’m just saying, I think Upon This Dawning should reform and do a cover. I mean, look what they did with this pop hit:
Happy Spring Forward Sunday! As we look forward to more sunlight in the evening hours, another week is in the books. It's hard to believe we are headed toward the middle of March.
For this week's Sunday Spin vinyl review, a look at Steely Dan's The Royal Scam. I found my original 1976 pressing at my beloved antique store for $6. What a steal! The cover has edge wear, but I am not concerned about that - I only care if the album plays clear and mine does! The Royal Scam is a brilliant effort by the "Dan" and ranks right up there are one of my favorites from the band. Well, one of my favorite albums, period. Songs like "Kid Charlemagne" and "The Caves Of Altamira" are very special to me. "Sign In Stranger" is in my top 5 Steely songs and "Don't Take Me Alive" has one of the best guitar solos ever recorded. Larry Carlton was pure genius here! Thanks to Larry's work, The Royal Scam has the most guitar-forward songs of any Steely Dan release. Probably another reason why I love it so much.
The thing about Walter Becker and Donald Fagen is that they were studio perfectionists. They were absolutely obsessed with creating songs with perfect sound. This means any good quality vinyl of Steely Dan is going to sound great, whether an expensive audiophile remaster or just a fun bargain find like my copy of The Royal Scam.
But back to the songs here. Seriously, if you don't own a copy of The Royal Scam on some format, please rectify that immediately. The guitar work and horn sections are just impeccable. The groove on songs like "The Fez" will have you tapping your foot, I swear. Then there's the amazing "Haitian Divorce," largely regarded as one of the finest efforts by the band.
Most critics regard Aja as Steely Dan's most important album, but I would argue The Royal Scam shows an elevated songwriting ability and slickness that proved that Aja was even possible.
The Royal Scam is one of my most-played albums of all-time, and I don't just mean on vinyl format. I know I've listened to Aja more, but I think The Royal Scam will surpass it at some point. The songs are just that good. They never get old to me.
Tuesday, July 2, 2024 at 12:01AM 