We need a Gaucho poll. Geir, start one!
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Friday, 20 June 2008 03:58 (4 years ago) Permalink
This is my least favorite Steely Dan album, but it's still not bad. "Peg" and "Deacon Blues" are my favorite tracks.
― o. nate, Friday, 20 June 2008 17:15 (4 years ago) Permalink
(I guess Alfred and I see eye to eye on this one.)
I'm at the point of disliking this album, but I vote "Deacon Blues." Other than "Peg," the rest is stuff they perfected on Gaucho
-- Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Thursday, June 19, 2008 11:48 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Link
I don't hear much of anything on Gaucho that resembles "Black Cow" or "Home At Last" or "Aja," especially not anything better.
― some dude, Friday, 20 June 2008 17:21 (4 years ago) Permalink
I think they took off a bit too much of the disco from Royal Scam to Aja, but they brought some of it back on Gaucho.
― o. nate, Friday, 20 June 2008 17:25 (4 years ago) Permalink
It's been said many times on the Gaucho thread, but I'll repeat: they wrote masterfully about ennui, dessication, and despair on Gaucho. I'm not sure what "Black Cow" and "Home At Last" are about beyond their instrumental virtuosity. I mean, they're pretty, I don't skip the tracks, but so what?
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Friday, 20 June 2008 18:14 (4 years ago) Permalink
Good, I will listen to this today. I have to vote for "Peg," but it's sad that I can't also vote for "Deacon Blues." (Nothing like a Steely Dan poll to bring everyone out of the woodwork.)
― _Rockist__Scientist_, Friday, 20 June 2008 18:17 (4 years ago) Permalink
Sorry, didn't realize you evaluate songs as if they're text and not music.
― some dude, Friday, 20 June 2008 18:22 (4 years ago) Permalink
black cow seems like it's about a splintering relationship or friendship, i haven't figured it yet.
― omar little, Friday, 20 June 2008 18:25 (4 years ago) Permalink
I didn't realize you wouldn't read my post correctly.
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Friday, 20 June 2008 18:27 (4 years ago) Permalink
I think he read it perfectly fine...? I mean, why do the songs have to be "about" anything unless you're someone who privileges lyrics?
― jaymc, Friday, 20 June 2008 18:32 (4 years ago) Permalink
Songs can't say what they mean through music? My post said nothing about lyrics.
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Friday, 20 June 2008 18:32 (4 years ago) Permalink
So the chord changes and solos on Aja don't communicate ennui, dessication, and despair as well as they do on Gaucho. Gotcha.
― some dude, Friday, 20 June 2008 18:35 (4 years ago) Permalink
1977 was an off year for the mu major chord.
― David R., Friday, 20 June 2008 19:09 (4 years ago) Permalink
they wrote masterfully about ennui, dessication, and despair on Gaucho. I'm not sure what "Black Cow" and "Home At Last" are about beyond their instrumental virtuosity. I mean, they're pretty, I don't skip the tracks, but so what?
How about buying a collection of good poems instead then?
― Geir Hongro, Friday, 20 June 2008 21:16 (4 years ago) Permalink
Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.
― ILX System, Friday, 20 June 2008 23:01 (4 years ago) Permalink
I like Geir when he's saucy.
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Saturday, 21 June 2008 00:46 (4 years ago) Permalink
Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.
― ILX System, Saturday, 21 June 2008 23:01 (4 years ago) Permalink
drink scotch whiskey all night long
― PappaWheelie V, Sunday, 22 June 2008 03:29 (4 years ago) Permalink
So when's the "Pretzel Logic" one? (my favourite by them besides "Aja")
― Geir Hongro, Sunday, 22 June 2008 18:36 (4 years ago) Permalink
I'm pleasantly shocked by the landslide for Deacon Blues. Well done, ILM.
― ablaeser, Monday, 23 June 2008 02:11 (4 years ago) Permalink
Also, Steely Dan totally rocked the Beacon yesterday, great show.
― ablaeser, Monday, 23 June 2008 02:12 (4 years ago) Permalink
Surprised that "I Got the News" and "Josie" did so poorly. Those would be my 3rd and 4th picks.
― o. nate, Monday, 23 June 2008 17:05 (4 years ago) Permalink
Hey- I was at that Beacon show too. Good show - would have liked to hear a few more pre-Royal Scam tunes, but good stuff.
― o. nate, Monday, 23 June 2008 17:06 (4 years ago) Permalink
I saw the tuesday night show at the beacon... I wish becker didn't sing on gaucho or do that narrative bit on hey nineteen. both were a little embarrassing. maybe fagen felt he had to throw him a bone since they played one of his solo tracks?
anyway, great show otherwise! and they played more gaucho material than aja, if memory serves. so the dan like gaucho better too!
― Alan N, Monday, 23 June 2008 18:43 (4 years ago) Permalink
Beacon Duels
― PappaWheelie V, Monday, 23 June 2008 18:45 (4 years ago) Permalink
According to my faulty memory this is what they played off each album on Saturday:
Can't Buy: nada Countdown: Showbiz Kids Pretzel: Parker's Band Katy Lied: nada Royal Scam: Kid Charlemagne, Don't Take Me Alive, The Fez (instrumental bit only), Green Earrings, Royal Scam Aja: Peg, I Got the News, Josie Gaucho: Babylon Sisters, Hey Nineteen, Glamour Profession, Gaucho
And they also played "New Frontier" off of Fagen's Nightfly and "Two Against Nature".
― o. nate, Monday, 23 June 2008 19:04 (4 years ago) Permalink
how was "Glamor Profession"?
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Monday, 23 June 2008 19:05 (4 years ago) Permalink
Sounded great. The band was in fine form.
― o. nate, Monday, 23 June 2008 19:11 (4 years ago) Permalink
Oh, I forgot they played one non-album track: "FM".
― o. nate, Monday, 23 June 2008 19:14 (4 years ago) Permalink
"home at last" way underrated
― deej, Monday, 14 July 2008 18:09 (4 years ago) Permalink
I'm somewhat surprised at the lack of love "I Got the News" got. Personally I'd take it over "Aja" or "Home at Last."
― ablaeser, Tuesday, 15 July 2008 00:04 (4 years ago) Permalink
LOVE "Home At Last"
― some dude, Tuesday, 15 July 2008 00:11 (4 years ago) Permalink
I was just singing along to Deacon Blues on my way back from the supermarket. It would be my ideal karaoke song if it didn't have such a long sax solo.
I think I missed voting on this poll, probably would have chosen the title track for that sweet Steve Gadd beat during the fade-out.
― Moodles, Tuesday, 15 July 2008 01:02 (4 years ago) Permalink
Alfred if we ever have a few hours to kill together I will explain to you why this is a better album than Gaucho and you will agree by the time I get done.
― J0hn D., Tuesday, 15 July 2008 01:15 (4 years ago) Permalink
Deal. As long as we meet in a bar much like the one where The Gaucho hangs out.
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Tuesday, 15 July 2008 01:19 (4 years ago) Permalink
Anyone besides me old enough to remember this commercial?
― Myonga Vön Bontee, Friday, 12 December 2008 08:56 (4 years ago) Permalink
no but I am going to sample "welcome to the land... of Steely Dan" and edit it into the beginning of every single song of theirs
― With a little bit of gold and a Peja (bernard snowy), Friday, 12 December 2008 13:28 (4 years ago) Permalink
splendid find.
― get that pion down you son (Frogman Henry), Friday, 12 December 2008 13:49 (4 years ago) Permalink
I looked for it a few months ago but didn't find it until last night. I know that by the time of Gaucho ABC Records no longer even existed. But those were the boom years, and I can recall several high-profile LPs getting television advertising.
(First time I'd heard of Steely Dan, incidentally, altho I was familiar with "Do It Again" and "Reelin'" and "Rikki".)
― Myonga Vön Bontee, Friday, 12 December 2008 19:51 (4 years ago) Permalink
I just realized what that announcer's voice sounds exactly like: Asian Correspondent Tricia Takanawa from Family Guy!
― Myonga Vön Bontee, Monday, 15 December 2008 05:11 (4 years ago) Permalink
lol I am an ILMer now in every sense of the word XD
― goodbye pork pie scarf (The Reverend), Monday, 23 March 2009 07:55 (4 years ago) Permalink
lol
― 20 HOOS poppin steens on kawasakis (BIG HOOS aka the steendriver), Monday, 23 March 2009 08:02 (4 years ago) Permalink
ok whoa I think I get "Home At Last" now, and I don't mean the Odyssey references. Have you ever had a funeral for yourself while you're still alive? You thought that you were allowing yourself to be bound just to avoid a passing danger on your way home, but now that the danger is past, you recognize you'd rather be bound: you recognize that this is now your home. You aren't who you were when you set out; in a way you've been ruined. Drugs aren't the only thing that work this way.
― Euler, Thursday, 4 February 2010 14:28 (3 years ago) Permalink
Life works that way.
― _Rudipherous_, Thursday, 4 February 2010 14:33 (3 years ago) Permalink
the 33 1/3 on this album is amazing so far
― some dude, Thursday, 4 February 2010 15:08 (3 years ago) Permalink
OMG WANT.
Although what I want even more is an entire book about each album written by SD themselves along the lines of their reissue liner notes.
― Tim F, Thursday, 4 February 2010 15:49 (3 years ago) Permalink
yeah ideally. the author of this book got to interview Fagen, though, so there's plenty of his voice in there too.
― some dude, Friday, 5 February 2010 02:09 (3 years ago) Permalink
I've read mixed reviews -- too "muso" (lots of discussion of diminished chords, etc)
― Inculcate a spirit of serfdom in children (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 5 February 2010 02:13 (3 years ago) Permalink
it was way too dry for me but i know very little about music theory so ymmv.
― jabba hands, Friday, 5 February 2010 02:57 (3 years ago) Permalink
ok, specifically, i remember chaki posting something about that track and then i recognized.
― Gunoka Cuntles (Matt P), Sunday, 3 March 2013 08:23 (2 months ago) Permalink
Ojai is a pretty strange and isolated place. I don't know what you mean about Aja. But this album is amazing and I'm glad you sang deacon blues. Deacon blues is the only thing that makes me feel better about the NCAA football championship game
― that Django got me Nuages (Sufjan Grafton), Sunday, 3 March 2013 08:24 (2 months ago) Permalink
I guess I mean that ojai is strange in a boring way
― that Django got me Nuages (Sufjan Grafton), Sunday, 3 March 2013 08:25 (2 months ago) Permalink
But c'mon. Peg?
― that Django got me Nuages (Sufjan Grafton), Sunday, 3 March 2013 08:28 (2 months ago) Permalink
I played "I'm not the same without you" on the jukebox at the James Joyce today. The reception was lukewarm.
― that Django got me Nuages (Sufjan Grafton), Sunday, 3 March 2013 08:30 (2 months ago) Permalink
i meant 'ojai' in the sense of an apart-y silverlake-y place: "up on the hill / people never stare / they just don't care" and "here at the dude ranch / above the sea." i've never been to ojai and it's obviously not like this.
where is the James Joyce?
― Gunoka Cuntles (Matt P), Sunday, 3 March 2013 08:38 (2 months ago) Permalink
I see it now. It is in Santa Barbara.
― that Django got me Nuages (Sufjan Grafton), Sunday, 3 March 2013 08:46 (2 months ago) Permalink
deacon blues is a fucking masterpiece isn't it?
all of this is prompted by checking out most of the steely dan catalog from the city library and putting it on my computer. because yeah i'm pretty poor.
'i learn to work the sax o phone"
xp yeah!
― Gunoka Cuntles (Matt P), Sunday, 3 March 2013 08:47 (2 months ago) Permalink
although when they wrote the song i wonder where it actually was? some hill east of downtown? the hollywood hills? what hill
― Gunoka Cuntles (Matt P), Sunday, 3 March 2013 08:48 (2 months ago) Permalink
Dude ranch above the sea can work for ojai. But I feel faaaaaaaar away from the sea there. Deacon Blues is amazing. I learned to play the acoustic guitar chords as an act of devotion, but they are barley audible.
― that Django got me Nuages (Sufjan Grafton), Sunday, 3 March 2013 08:50 (2 months ago) Permalink
Dude ranch above the sea could work for Santa Barbara, actually.
― that Django got me Nuages (Sufjan Grafton), Sunday, 3 March 2013 08:51 (2 months ago) Permalink
I think you need to get north of west ho to be in dude ranch territory
― that Django got me Nuages (Sufjan Grafton), Sunday, 3 March 2013 08:52 (2 months ago) Permalink
i'm co-locating it with zuma just on feel.
― Gunoka Cuntles (Matt P), Sunday, 3 March 2013 09:40 (2 months ago) Permalink
ANYONE here ever have a Black Cow? even Don n Walt seemed unsure of the actual recipe but it seems its root beer and milk? sounds revolting tbf.
― piscesx, Sunday, 3 March 2013 10:28 (2 months ago) Permalink
otm
― Gunoka Cuntles (Matt P), Sunday, 3 March 2013 10:32 (2 months ago) Permalink
not sure if it's as bad as this rum and water i'm swallowing atm.
― Gunoka Cuntles (Matt P), Sunday, 3 March 2013 10:33 (2 months ago) Permalink
What?
― Mark G, Sunday, 3 March 2013 10:56 (2 months ago) Permalink
that's the question i always ask after i read everything you post on here to bee really real.
― Gunoka Cuntles (Matt P), Sunday, 3 March 2013 11:00 (2 months ago) Permalink
but everyone else seems able to read egyptian english or w/e so i never complain.
― Gunoka Cuntles (Matt P), Sunday, 3 March 2013 11:02 (2 months ago) Permalink
I've never listened to the Dan before but this is great! I get what the fuss is about now.
― Ismael Klata, Sunday, 3 March 2013 14:11 (2 months ago) Permalink
A Black Cow, a.k.a. a Root Beer Float, is usually root beer and vanilla ice cream, though there are regional variations.
― Hideous Lump, Monday, 4 March 2013 03:34 (2 months ago) Permalink
drink your big black cow and get out of here
― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 4 March 2013 03:34 (2 months ago) Permalink
Black Cow can refer to either:A cow that is black.A Root Beer Float.An alcoholic drink (sometimes referred to as a Black Cow #2) featuring Kahlúa, half-and-half, and Coca-Cola.A 1977 song by Steely Dan on the Aja album, referring to the alcoholic drink.A candy, a Sugar Daddy bar covered in chocolate.
― fit and working again, Monday, 4 March 2013 03:39 (2 months ago) Permalink
(c) is more likely
― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 4 March 2013 03:39 (2 months ago) Permalink
Aja and a lot of steely dans work has a topanga canyon feel, even thought doesn't precisely reflect the music of that area I guess. I feel like the royal scam is the pt of frisson where the 60s dream burns away and melts into late 70s sleaze and Aja and gaucho is the takeover by the survivors who have cashed in but remain fucked up and hanging on to the more base elements of their youth minus the empty idealism. Or at least that's how those albums sometimes sound. Whatever the case they sound like nothing but LA. I feel like I prepared myself pretty well for this city by listening to steely Dan and ice cube, though admittedly the times had changed somewhat since those albums.
― christmas candy bar (al leong), Monday, 4 March 2013 03:46 (2 months ago) Permalink