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

Was hoping for "Rikki" or "Dr. Wu" at #1. No luck. Maybe it'll even be one I've never heard.

i kind of seriously doubt "dr. wu"'s top 5 placement has anything to do with a minutemen cover

yeah, Wu was considered a highlight way back in the seventies (Xgau called it their greatest song). the minutemen version is minor.

dr. wu is perfect. will be miffed if peg gets #1

You guys don't know Cubans and Biscayne Bay.

i voted for all of the top 3 and adore them all and would be happy to see any of them at #1.

I think everybody here will be miffed if one or the other of these gets #1. I'm looking at you, Deacon Blues.

xp: whoops. well, I guess not.

(xposts) As I mentioned on the other thread, Marcus also singled out the "all night long" lyric as one of the greatest ever written--it's always been an acclaimed song.

yeah, remember the Marcus line. Deacon Blues is the only one of the remaining three that deserves such a high placement

now that it's reasonably clear "chain lightning" is not gonna make a surprise top 10 appearance, this is as good a time as any to post:

donald fagen talks about "chain lightning":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_KCcxFKTuk

there are a few of these "fagen talks about" youtubes, including one about one of the tracks still to come, and they're all great chord-porn, but this is my fave. dude would make a great music teacher.

Doctor Wu is my favorite song of all time, by SD or anyone

I'm listening to "Deacon Blues" now. Sorry--all I can think of is the Bangs line, "tasty licks and all that Traffic twaddle."

fuck Bangs

I hated it at fist but once the lyrics kicked in I was sold for life.

Xgau: "not only is "Deacon Blues" one of their strongest songs ever, it's also one of their warmest."

President Keyes: "fuck Bangs"

*first

For what it's worth, he wasn't referring to "Deacon Blues"--I am. (Fuck clemenza!) Not sure what he what he was talking about.

7 number ones is what really grabbed me about "Doctor Wu."

Doctor Jing Nuan Wu (1933-2002), an acupuncturist and artist based in Washington DC. Emigrated from China to the US at a young age and graduated from Harvard to become a Wall Street venture capitalist, finally setting up a Taoist clinic in Washington in 1973. Apparently helped one of the band members to overcome drug addiction in the mid-70s, hence the lyrical tribute.

(I love Lester Bangs of course but am at peak SD defense mode now sry)

There's an EMP project to be written about Cuban-American/Nixon imagery in the Dan.

"cuban-american imagery, nixon's shadow and traffic twaddle: steely dan in the '70s."

I'm a little defensive too right now--feeling a generational split in these results (old people = first four LPs/ younger = next three), but maybe I'm wrong.

Nope. Love the first two, adore Gaucho and Katy Lied.

guys let's not spoil this now

age ain't nothin but a hashtag

"that stupid song" was Dylan's "Visions of Johanna" -- supposedly, it was played on the PA before every 70s Dan show.

old people = first four LPs/ younger = next three

i don't agree with this at all, but if i did, i'm not sure which segment i'd give album number five to.

Catching up late here - I was one of the number ones for "Babylon Sisters," which I've loved for like five years, but the song didn't turn mythic for me 'til I actually moved out to L.A. And I wish I still had a car every damn time I hear it. Aja and Gaucho really start to open up when you're actually on the West Coast, especially if you're a Northeast transplant like me. "Dr. Wu" another one I considered for #1, along with the song I'm pretty sure will take the top spot.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-bcq7GqdtriE/U0HlGb_kBqI/AAAAAAAAA4U/FrxOl8If0e4/w640-h320-no/Peg.jpg

3. Peg
B-side: "I Got the News"
From: Aja
Single Released: November 1977
1,314 Points, 57 Votes, 3 Number Ones

I've got classic albums: aja playing right now. just got to the michael mcdonald vox part on Peg as this was posted.

love, love, love "Dr. Wu"......two of these next three, otoh, are just not top 10 Dan tracks for me. But what the hell--they're pretty great songs.

xpost: ok, gonna be VERY surprised if I have the wrong #1 now....

Aja and Gaucho really start to open up when you're actually on the West Coast

^^otm

yes

kinda glad it's not #1 but i do love 'peg' so much, the way the solo just careens in, maybe my fave backing vocals in any song, at a minimum my fave michael mcdonald vocals. probably one of the earliest songs i can remember being a hit, hearing on the radio, hard to describe the glee i felt at 14 putting on 3 feet high and rising and having that sample pop up.

There's gotta be some really dark subtext to "Peg" ("It will come back to you"?) but I still haven't grokked what it is.

best part of out wedding reception was leading everyone in a crazy Peg dance, like fifty people of every generation losing it in the dance floor in a sunset blvd hotel

57 votes

xpost i just put it on a playlist i'm working on for a buddy's wedding, fingers crossed for the same reaction

lol i almost posted that i loved how much it was a fairly straightforward sunny pop uptempo love song, like a carter era 'windy' or 'along comes mary', but decided against it as i'm sure pop up ilx is gonna reveal it's about some pornographer that becker knew from having the same dealer.

my only regret is not closing the whole reception down w/Babylon sisters

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peg_Entwistle

ITS YOUR FAVORITE FOREIGN MOVIE!

I am certainly one of the older voters here and I don't know, I maybe don't love Gaucho but I have lots of love for Royal Scam and Aja.

so...were any major critics praising Gaucho in '80?

"Peg" I'm neutral on, "Eye Know" is one of my favourite songs ever.

Yeah, forget my age theory--I remembered you saying your #1 was from one of the later three. (The Royal Scam sort of bridges the first four to what came later for me--a little of what I loved before with "Sign in Stranger," a lot of what lost me.)

Oh jesus, there it is. I always thought there was some sort of porno angle, too. Still could be.

Anyway, I'm turning into one of those downer poll-guys...I'm gonna shut up and let you enjoy the last two.

Gaucho placed at #12 Pazz & Jop, so I would assume so (xxxp).

4 1/2 star review in RS in early '81, though I've never heard of the critic: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/gaucho-19810205