Steely Dan: "Steely Dan's name has been popping up as a hip musical crush. Remember, this glossy bop-pop was the indifferent aristocracy to punk rock's stone-throwing in the late 70's. People fought

It's good, but it's too uptight, the bouncy bass, the bouncy keyboards, the heavy-handed open hi-hat and snare hits, the way he crams in the lyrics

It would be cool to hear a sparer arrangement of it, don't know if there's a demo out there or something

yeah there are lots of demos and stuff out there for everything from Katy Lied through Gaucho....

did you realize you were a challop in their eyes

Kid Charlemagne is not my favorite, however it might have the best Steely guitar solo, and Don and Walt didn't fuck around w/r/t guitar solos

the best SD solo is "Green Earrings" hands fucking down, IF ONLY for the moment it ends, like a bomb going off

I'll put in my vote for the "Your Gold Teeth II" solo

give me the four 'My Old School' solos. so weird and awesome. Walter is great, but Baxter is just ridiculous.

Yeah, those solos are out of this world.

I achieved something of a dream of mine by learning to play them all last summer and basically that was all I played on guitar for like a month. A few weeks ago though, I remembered that I had done that and went to try to play them and had totally forgotten everything.

I was actually just admiring the guitar solo on Aja, it's beautiful. I never payed as much attention to it because I'm usually just anticipating the awesome Steve Gadd fills at the point where it comes in.

don't worry how's life, skunk probably can't remember them either

Love Skunk. I was an idiot about Can't Buy a Thrill during the poll because I kinda viewed Countdown to Ecstasy as the better formed version of that kind of Steely Dan. 'Reelin' In The Years' is maybe a boring choice for best guitar solo, but it might also be the best guitar solo.

xxp Aja solo is definitely impressive for the way he complements the oh so pivotal policeman's whistle

The solo on the Royal Scam is one of my favorite short/simple solos ever.

In re Aja, what I really like is the solo starting around 4:13. I'm actually not sure it's even the same guitarist -- the sound definitely changes but that might just be an effect getting turned off.

put me in the my old school crew

best guitar solo on aja is peg

would have said aja before seeing this:

(start @ 4:10)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waIBA6_0GQc

yes i'm sure 100% of ppl posting to this thread have already seen this

Yeah I think a lot about how picky they were based on that clip.

Also obviously the sneaky bass player who just had to slap, the part where they embarrass Michael McDonald's vocals, etc.

and bernard purdie bringing in his two signs

Uptown, Uptown.

I will never get tired of that clip. Christ those McDonald harmonies are the sweetest thing in the world

sw00ds, Vic Perry, and I talk a long time about Gaucho.

http://rockcritics.com/2015/04/06/steely-dan-podcast-part-three/

Cool! Can't wait to hear it!

sweet

*pauses maron*

Gaucho is playing in Chipotle right now.

The burrito of ennui

do they charge for the guaaac? yes, they charge for the guaaaac.

Can't Buy A Grill

The Pez

Oh and upthread that Orbit stuff about SD is woeful

"...3 or 4.....5...6...7 or 8 players"

do they charge for the guaaac? yes, they charge for the guaaaac.

love u for this

Carne fajitas
Now that the deal
Has
Been done
I'm the one

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/steely-dan-donald-fagen-coachella-tour-diary-part-one-20150407

crying tears of joy rn

Tonight we're supposed to play a private party, the fiftieth birthday bash of a prominent film actor who in the last few years has become a colossal movie star.

RDJ?

oh duh maybe I should've read the next sentence lol

wonder if we'll get a Los Angeles Plays Itself style take down of Santa Barbara

suppose he might stop after Coachella, but I hope it carries through the San Diego shows

I didn't want Eminent Hipsters to end so this is a treat. "I know, it's not the French Legion d'Honneur, but, OK, thanks, buddy."

I'm always amazed when these rock stars play private parties but I guess I shouldn't be. I know someone who went to a wedding on a private island and the music was provided by Elvis Costello (their fallback was Bryan Ferry)...

they pay well and ime playing to hostile or indifferent audiences can be really fun and challenging

I'm sure the audiences receive them rapturously...just money, I'm guessing

I think I remember them saying Elvis got a million

parts 2 and 3 up

Last night some of the guys in the band were talking about that movie, Whiplash. After watching this cloddish potboiler about an aspiring drummer's experience in jazz school, the jazz players I know either go berserk with indignation and/or howl with derisive laughter. Many jazzers, including pianist Ethan Iverson and Richard Brody of the New Yorker, have written about this ignorant and mendacious film, so I won't belabor the point.

Suffice to say that Whiplash has nothing to do with actual jazz unless you consider it to be a species of martial arts, as Buddy Rich often did.

there should be a most disturbing SD song thread. does anything even come close to "everyone's gone to the movies?"

was reading this great rev of Fagen's bk: http://www.city-journal.org/2014/bc0119ip.html

gotta love rock critics who are older than they realize. From today's LA Times review of the Coachella show:

"Becker and Fagen most definitely seemed to be intentionally passing up the chance to win over any teenagers who might've been nearby. Why else would they skip 'Peg', one of their most recognizable songs thanks to De La Soul's prominent sample of it"

Yes, teens today totally into Three Feet High & Rising because it isn't from quite as long before they were born as Steely Dan is.

Critic goes on to blast Steely Dan's old guy worldview using 'Reeling in the Years' as evidence, I kid you not.