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

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

their first album to place lower than #6 on P&J though (not counting the first two, which came out in years that the Voice held no poll)

"The labels are important — Steely Dan's characters seem to know the world exclusively through brand names. These characters are the true "heads": solitarily confined intelligences who've had to order all their experience from a catalog."

After years of hibernation in the studio, the metamorphosis that began with The Royal Scam is complete. Steely Dan have perfected the aesthetic of the tease. Their sound is as slippery as their irony. Are those the trumpets of angels near the end of the title tune? Could that slouching gaucho, the one denied a room in the singer's high-rise inn, be the new messiah? On Gaucho, the melodies are questions, too — long-winded, probing, unresolved.

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.

Not a big fan of the +porn suffix anyway, but boy did I misread this sentence at first.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GeGOlUsRRNM/U0Hr3K2ju9I/AAAAAAAAA5A/v2XuAr_wCNo/s552-no/Peg+7.jpg

1978: "Peg" (B-side: "I Got the News")
Label: ABC 12320
Chart: US Pop 11

"Peg" was released as a single in 1977 and reached #11 on the US Billboard chart in 1978 and #8 on the Cash Box chart.

The song is a blend of rock, jazz, and R&B. The song's guitar solo was attempted by seven top studio session guitarists ‒ including Robben Ford ‒ before Jay Graydon's version became the "keeper". He worked on the song for about six hours before the band was satisfied.

Michael McDonald can be heard providing multi-tracked backup vocals in the choruses, and keyboardist Paul Griffin can also be heard improvising background vocals in the final chorus and fadeout.

"Peg" was heavily sampled on the 1989 De La Soul song, "Eye Know". In 2007, the song was covered by Nerina Pallot.

Millicent Lilian "Peg" Entwistle gained notoriety after she jumped to her death from the "H" on the Hollywoodland sign in September 1932 at the age of 24. The suicide note as published read: "I am afraid, I am a coward. I am sorry for everything. If I had done this a long time ago, it would have saved a lot of pain. P.E."

TOO LOW TOO LOW TOO LOW TOO LOW TOO LOW

Need I mention that I was one of "Peg"'s #1 voters?

well that's uplifting! xp

y'all I have to go out now so can I just c&p two all time posts about "Deacon Blues"

Someone please explain this to me? Right now the guy is singing "learn to work the saxophone, I'll play just what I feel" to a backing track that sounds like a 5th generation faded photocopy of some actually good soul-jazz song. How is this different from Kenny G or Grover Washington or what have you?

― Tuomas, Friday, January 8, 2010 2:47 PM (4 years ago)

DEACON BLUES

INTRO:(Cmaj7, Gsus2/B, Bbmaj7, Fsus2/A, Dmaj7, Asus2/C#, Cmaj7, Gsus2/B, Ebmaj7, E7#9)
Verse 1:(G13)This is the (F13)day of the(G/A)expanding (F13)man. (G13)That shape is my(F13) shade there (G/A)where I used to(D9) stand. (Fmaj7) It seems like(E7-9) only yest(Am7)erday I gazed through the (Bb13) glass. At(E7) ramblers, (B7)wild gamblers. That's(B7#9)all in the(E7) past(B7#9, E7).
(G13)You call me (F13)a fool you say it's a (G/A)crazy (F13)scene. (G13)This one's for(F13) real I already (G/A)bought (A7)the dream. (Fmaj7) So useless to(E7-9) ask me why. (Am7)Throw a kiss a(Gm7)nd say good(F#maj7)bye. (Fmaj7)I'll ma(Csus2/E)ke it this time. (D9)I'm ready (F/G)to cross that fine line.
CHORUS: (Am7)I'll Learn to work (Em7)the saxophone. (Dm7)I play ju(Cmaj7)st what I feel. (Bbmaj7)Drink scotch whiskey (Am)all night. (Am/G)long(Am/F#, Fmaj7) And (Csus2/E)die beh(Fmaj7)ind the wheel.(Am7) They got a name for the(Em7)winners in the world. (Dm7)I want a (Cmaj7)name when I lose. They (Bbmaj7)call Alabama the (Am)crimson (Am/G)tide.(Am/F#, Fmaj7) (Csus2/E)Call me Dea(Fmaj7)con Bl(Am7)ues (Deacon (Em7)Blues) (Dmaj7, Asus2/C#, Cmaj7, Gsus2/B, Ebmaj7, E7#9)
VERSE 2 : My back to the wall a victim of laughing chance. This is for me the essence of true romance. Sharing the things we know and love with those of my kind. Libations, sensations which stagger the mind. I crawl like a viper through these suburban streets. Make love to these women languid and bittersweet. I'll rise when the sun goes down. Cover every game in town. A world of my own. I'll make it my home sweet home.
CHORUS*Play these instead of the last chords*(Dmaj7, Asus2/C#, Cmaj7, Gsus2/B, Bb13, Gsus2/B)
INSTRUMENTAL: (Cmaj7, Em7, A13, D7#5#9, G13, B7#9, Em7, A13, Fmaj7, F#7#9, Gmaj7, B7#9)*Repeat*
*INTRO* Verse 3:(G13)This is the (F13)night of the (G/A)expan(F13)ding man. (G13)I take one last(F13)drag as I (G/A)approach(A7) the stand. (Fmaj7)I cried when I(E7-9) wrote this song. (Am7)Sue me if I (Gm7)play too lo(F#maj7)ng (Fmaj7). This brother(Csus2/E) is free. (D9)I'll be what(F/G)I want to be.
CHORUS
OUTRO: Same as first half of 1st Verse - except play D9-5 instead of D9. Keep repeating this half verse to fade

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, April 29, 2004 12:18 PM (9 years ago)

and grover washington is badass

A woman gave Gaucho 4 1/2 stars--of course we've never heard of her: she was promptly and ruthlessly marginalized.....

ariel swartley wrote the piece about the wild, the innocent that appears in stranded

Forgot about this one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IshE5Xt4J6M

nothing like youtubes of teenagers playing along to CDs to remind me that i am much more of a guitar owner than a guitar player.

Yeah, that's where I figured aw hell, I didn't really want to learn how to play all of Peg anyway.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-QpTTxoYo7SE/U0HxAFTaeAI/AAAAAAAAA5k/Hw1K5GQ2tcU/w640-h320-no/My+Old+School.jpg

2. My Old School
B-side "Pearl of the Quarter"
From: Countdown to Ecstasy
Single Released: 1973
1,515 Points, 54 Votes, 10 Number Ones

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-H4JlLTkPHKI/U0HxM4VLgcI/AAAAAAAAA6I/YlYwlCQSHd8/w640-h320-no/Deacon+Blues.jpg

1. Deacon Blues
B-side "Home at Last"
From: Aja
Single Released: 1977
1,600 Points, 59 Votes, 6 Number Ones

hahahahaah thought so

pretty close compared to most of these polls!

aw, almost made it! still, my old school got more #1s though. good consolation prize.

love the deacon blues image

10 Number Ones for MOS? weird, always liked that song but never LOVED it. the singles are not my favorites on CTE

#2 totally surprises me: "fun little song, #27 or so" would have been my honest guess.
10 #1 votes!

Boooo!

yeah i found some thing where some guy asked fagen & becker if it was about entwistle and they said it wasn't before but it was now, that originally it was about another actress they knew though the way they phrased it totally made me think 'o, so it is about porn' (that could just be confirmation bias though).

fuck tuomas for dissing grover washington in passing.

MOS was my number 1.

if i'm ever a billionaire i'm going to buy a sports franchise and re-name them the Deacon Blue

#1 and #2 together make me realize....so much, uh, collegiate imagery in the Dan.
from a couple of not-very-Joe College types.

let's be positive
no matter what song won it
there are no losers

more of their bittersweet affection for American mythos, I guess....
or: the college student as key symbolic figure of Nixonland?
help me out here, Clemenza...

tbh I didn't vote for either MOS or DB but man what great songs nonetheless.

i like mos but it's the closest they come to jimmy buffett which 90% of the time works against it for me. i'm nowhere near as big fan of cte as everyone else here though. cool story - http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1174152,00.html

(Okay, got that out of my system.)

love both songs as they both made my ballot. "My Old School" is one of those songs that is so good but forget about at times.

here's a breakdown of the album by points for songs in the top 60:

Aja: 5849 (17 #1s)
Countdown To Ecstasy: 5343 (18 #1s)
Katy Lied: 4599 (11 #1s)
Pretzel Logic: 4520 (12 #1s)
Gaucho: 4433 (7 #1s)
The Royal Scam: 3840 (7 #1s)
Can’t Buy A Thrill: 3553 (2 #1s)
Two Against Nature: 252 (1 #1)

what's interesting about this is that, compared to the results for the actual albums subpoll, Pretzel Logic dropped a couple spots and Countdown moved up a couple spots, effectively switching places:
Polled At Last: STEELY DAN - ILM Artist poll #50

MOS was my #2 because it's great and has sassy horns. Deacon Blue was my #7 because I also want a name when I lose.

Both great great songs.

1. Third World Man
2. The Boston Rag
3. Deacon Blue
4. Your Gold Teeth
5. Midnight Cruiser
6. Any Major Dude Will Tell You
7. Doctor Wu
8. Kid Charlemagne
9. Gaucho
10. Showbiz Kids
11. Black Friday
12. King of the World
13. Rose Darling
14. Godwhacker
15. FM
16. Hey Nineteen
17. With a Gun
18. Home at Last
19. Dirty Work

my old school
only a fool would say that
black friday
peg
the fez
my rival
babylon sisters
hey nineteen
kid charlemagne
the mock turtle song
black cow
do it again
brooklyn owes the charmer under me
dirty work
deacon blues
reelin the years
gaucho
time out of mind
sign in stranger
FM

1) Babylon Sisters
2) Razor Boy
3) Time Out of Mind
4) Rikki Don't Lose That Number
5) The Boston Rag
6) Black Cow
7) Only A Fool Would Say That
8) Peg
9) Everyone's Gone To The Movies
10) Your Gold Teeth
11) Pretzel Logic
12) Third World Man
13) Night By Night
14) Don't Take Me Alive
15) Glamour Profession
16) Kid Charlemagne
17) The Caves Of Altamira
18) Rose Darling
19) Sign In Stranger
20) Black Friday

a worthy number 1. it's such an immaculately paced song, fluid and constant like a moving spectacle. sits on a comfortable groove for seven-odd minutes, but it could go on longer and i wouldn't mind.

1. Your Gold Teeth
2. Haitian Divorce
3. Peg
4. Razor Boy
5. Hey Nineteen
6. The Caves of Altamira
7. Everyone's Gone To The Movies
8. Black Cow
9. Gaucho
10. Only A Fool Would Say That
11. Deacon Blues
12. My Old School
13. I Got the News
14. Babylon Sisters
15. Rose Darling
16. Josie
17. FM
18. Barrytown
19. My Rival
20. The Fez

the only two songs i voted for in the top ten were #1 and #2, that turned out nicely

both songs perfect lyrically