Posted on 05/23/2014 6:12:07 PM PDT by SamAdams76
They were good. Was there ever a Steely Dan song that was bad?
Just heard "Deacon Blues" on the radio. Timeless.
Back in the day, they were derided as a "Fern bar" band. I have no idea what that even means. But back in 1977, upscale men apparently went to these "fern bars" in their leisure suits and picked up women with the dulcet tones of Steely Dan in the background. Maybe a bit of Spyra Gyra and Chuck Mangione as well. But let's not talk about them, shall we. This thread is about Steely Dan.
Fagen’s “Walk Between the Raindrops” makes you feel like you are in 50s-era Miami Beach. Just an amazing song.
Turn up the Eagles, the neighbors are listening . . .
That’s another good one off of Pretzel Logic. Bodhisattva is another, from their previous album though.
They're known as studio musicians because they record and re-record dozens of times to get the sound they want. Gaucho has only seven songs on the album, but they went through 11 sound engineers and more than forty musicians to record it.
I've read that in the past, they did a lot of studio work because it was a way to stay close to their drug suppliers.
Many of their songs are about or reference drugs. Dr. Wu is a real doctor who helped them kick drugs. Kid Charlemagne is about chemist Owsley Stanley. Time Out of Mind is about shooting heroin. And so on.
I agree that they are great live, though.
I’m a huge Steely Dan fan and as an audiophile I am always discovering new nuances in the tracks.
LOL.
Your taste in music is apparently considerably better than your tastes in women.
I haven't taken a shine to the newer material, Sunken Condos, Morph the Cat. I do get a kick out of the lyrics in "Weather in my Head" by Fagen.
They may fix the weather in the world Just like Mr. Gore said But tell me what's to be done Lord - 'bout the weather in my head
"Steely Dan" (and Fagen) is my favorite, but there are so many good artists and sounds to pick from.
For danfans, there is a mailing list "DANDOM DIGEST." A good amount of interesting trivia and news can be had by subscribing.
My lawyer was a roadie for them and knew Ken Owsly, not kidding.
But as you mention, two of Fagen's solo efforts are wonderful.
Especially Kamakiriad.
Very mature work.
Is that their Medicare Tour?
and its comming
Their Left-Wing hooey really stinks up the place.
I attended their first concert on their Second Tour in Minneapolis early 2000s, and read the writeup on it in the Minneapolis Star. Highlights:
* They were a studio band to back up the 3 chord wonders who had hit songs. They decided they could do better.
* They took their name from the book “Naked Lunch”, written by journalists who were jealous of money and fame gained by those writing “trashy novels” like “Valley of the Dolls.” The lead character of one chapter named her vibrator “Steely Dan”.
* They started their first tour in Minneapolis in the 90s with warm up band “Taj Mahal”. Taj was great. Steely Dan couldn’t get their sound right, and they stunk. They cancelled the rest of the tour.
* They eventually learned how to make their sound on tour. They started their Second Tour in Minneapolis to “redeem their honor”.
* They played to a sold out crowd. They started with a comment: “What’s going on? Most of you weren’t even born when we first recorded most of our songs.”
* They were a hit.
If you say Charlottesville, NC again, I am going to hunt you down and feed you a live copperhead.
“Is there gas in the car?”
I think the people down the hall
know who you are
“Steely knives” in Hotel California was reportedly a tribute to Steely Dan
you’re right, it’s not a ville
Very interesting - thanks for that
Weirdest quote EVAH
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