Polled At Last: STEELY DAN - ILM Artist poll #50

the Dan is the closest to filler-less any band ever got imo

Absolutely true. They're not my all-time favorite band or anything but it's unbelievable how few dud songs they have. I still haven't heard EMG but of the other eight albums the only song I dislike is "Negative Girl"

i have found exactly one karaoke bar that had My Old School. one of the best karaoke nights of my life.

I think 'Brooklyn' comes closest maybe. I do have a fascination in general with songs that sound like they could fit on a band's previous or subsequent album.

yeah, i can see a bit of the same west coast singer-songwriter vibe in "brooklyn," and probably "only a fool would say that" too. but "pearl of the quarter" just completely owns that territory.

and i very much dig the voulezvoulezvoulezvous.

i have found exactly one karaoke bar that had My Old School. one of the best karaoke nights of my life.

I've done this one at karaoke before. Super fun, but a bit awkward during the long-ass instrumental breaks. Or maybe I wasn't drunk enough at that point.

"Deacon Blues" was a fun one for me, but I had the same issue with endless sax solos

I've been wondering at work whether my colleagues can hear the Kid Charlemagne that's been playing in my head all day. It's so loud.

this poll has been heavy on earworms ... yesterday it was Any Major Dude, this morning, yes, Kid Charlemagne

I think the people down the hall know, ismael

ILX will be down for a few hours this evening (GMT) for maintenance by, oh, let's say ... Moe

uh oh

Moe! purveyor of bad burritos and poll disruptor!

Moe is their leader.

i'm up and almost ready to go

damn, don't they know it's Steely Dan day?

xxxpost

great rollout so far :D

Danish rap group sampled my rival for breakthrough hit goes like this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGkSGblQ_T4

was my gateway to gaucho, from there on no turning back wooohooo SD!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVnoNpncfh0&feature=kp

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ynYShvADT8I/Uz7tVkClq3I/AAAAAAAAAUQ/9feSUgyfqFU/w640-h320-no/Any+World+%2528That+I%2527m+Welcome+To%2529.jpg

40. Any World (That I'm Welcome To)
From: Katy Lied
Released: March 1975
374 Points, 15 Votes, 1 Number One

niiiice deja vu beat! (though pretty easy ofc)

second arrangement sample would make for a good beat

the burnt sugar arkestra's ridiculously amazing performance "any world (that i'm welcome to)" can not be posted enough:

http://vimeo.com/38797597

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdgOxiiwwNs

"Any World" was my #1. Most beautiful thing they've done.

a vision of a child returning
a kingdom where the sky is burning
honey i will be there
yes i'll be there

two cynical jewish dudes write spiritual. is great.

Yay! In my top 5. This track gets stuck in my head more than any SD track. Here's a great version that someone posted on the nom thread or something, by Burnt Sugar with Vernon Reid.

http://vimeo.com/38797597

Love this song so much. Maybe my favorite Michael McDonald vocal.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GxL-042yg5w/Uz7yMYuTNsI/AAAAAAAAAU4/daQXf5liURo/w640-h320-no/Midnight+Cruiser.jpg

39. Midnight Cruiser
From: Can't Buy a Thrill
Released: November 1972
402 Points, 18 Votes

^^^ YES

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m6ejkF-cSk

That chorus is gold.

in re: "Any World" even the "truck driver gear change" key change at the very end still gets me, cliche or no

& "Midnite Cruiser" was my #2. What a chorus, good God.

"I wanted to do something on 'MTV Live' with Steely Dan," Gunz said. "[They would] come out and do 'Black Cow' and then we bust into the "Deja Vu" thing. They won't even, you know? I knew they were recording in this studio, I go by the studio, you know? They're not here. So they won't even return our calls or nothing, so I threw all my Steely Dan CDs out."

in re: "Any World" even the "truck driver gear change" key change at the very end still gets me, cliche or no

Me too. One of my favorite moments in their oeuvre.

Jim Hodder - drums, percussion, lead vocal on "Midnite Cruiser."

Not a fan of those types of key changes usually, but the way Fagen jumps up at the end of "better than the one I come from" really makes it

anyone know why Hodder wound up singing this one? Why not give it to Palmer, the alleged lead singer?

let your madness run with mine

the way Fagen jumps up at the end of "better than the one I come from" really makes it

i think the way fagen jumps up at the end of that line, which, yeah, really takes the song to a higher place, also absolves it of the charge that it is a cliche truck driver gear change.

It's hard to remember first hearing the song, but I think the key change caught me off guard, which would imply it's not a traditional use - after all, the chorus sounds like it's completely winding down before that point. Of course nowadays I anticipate it.

yes, good point. the last "I come from" before the key change seems as if it's about to be faded out, and then bam!

my #2!

this is the one I put on mixtapes to fool Dan-skeptical acquaintances; they invariably love it....

That's two in a row I voted for, love them both. Love the shift of mood from the upbeat intro to the verse on Midnight Cruiser, and the piano chord on "my old friend" is one of my favorite chords in their discography (with lots of competition obviously.)

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-84_ycbhmnlY/Uz75Bpy0MxI/AAAAAAAAAVg/1sOJqASUPsY/w640-h320-no/Home+At+Last.jpg

38. Home At Last
From: Aja
Released: September 23, 1977
408 Points, 19 Votes, 1 Number One

whoa

i know this super highway
this bright familiar sun

Such a leisurely amble of an arrangement; it makes the chorus harmonies sweeter.

Surprised to see that this is the first song from Aja. Purdie's gonna be pissed.

you done underappreciated the hitmaker

"she serves the smooth retsina." such a nice hellenic touch, to go with all the other ones.

TOO LOW!

I had it at #5

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-evWZYn_peOs/Uz7-_BLqQ2I/AAAAAAAAAWM/Par2u-1c26Q/w640-h320-no/Don%2527t+Take+Me+Alive.jpg

37. Don't Take Me Alive
From: The Royal Scam
Released: May, 1976
418 Points, 20 Votes, 1 Number One