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.
Studio band? LOL ! What’s that? I’ve seen them live 4 times and they were sublime.
There is a DVD out with Chick Corea playing in Barcelona with some other superb musos - I think a lot of it is on YouTube. It is mind blowing!
That Google thing isn’t important right now.
After some “big black cows” you’ll have “no static at all”
What he probably meant is that they were known for being very good musicians and perfectionists in the studio. At least that’s what I always heard about them. They never tripped my trigger, but I recognize tremendous technical skill.
Freegards
Jeff “Skunk” Baxter played lead guitar in the early days and is prolly remembered best for his work on Reelin’ in the Years.
Interestingly, he later became a consultant for the DOD during the Reagan years:
“Baxter fell into his second profession almost by accident. In the mid-1980s, Baxter’s interest in music recording technology led him to wonder about hardware and software that was originally developed for military use, i.e. data-compression algorithms and large-capacity storage devices. As it happened, his next-door neighbor was a retired engineer who had worked on the Sidewinder missile program. This neighbor bought Baxter a subscription to Aviation Week magazine, provoking his interest in additional military-oriented publications and missile defense systems in particular. He became self-taught in this area, and at one point he wrote a five-page paper that proposed converting the ship-based anti-aircraft Aegis missile into a rudimentary missile defense system. He gave the paper to California Republican congressman Dana Rohrabacher, and his career as a defense consultant began.
Backed by several influential Capitol Hill lawmakers, Baxter received a series of security clearances so he could work with classified information. In 1995, Pennsylvania Republican congressman Curt Weldon, then the chairman of the House Military Research and Development Subcommittee, nominated Baxter to chair the Civilian Advisory Board for Ballistic Missile Defense.
Baxter’s work with that panel led to consulting contracts with the Pentagon’s Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. He now consults to the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. intelligence community, as well as for defense-oriented manufacturers including Science Applications International Corporation (”SAIC”), Northrop Grumman Corp., General Dynamics, and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. He has been quoted as saying his unconventional approach to thinking about terrorism, tied to his interest in technology, is a major reason he became sought after by the government.
“We thought turntables were for playing records until rappers began to use them as instruments, and we thought airplanes were for carrying passengers until terrorists realized they could be used as missiles,”[5] Baxter has said. “My big thing is to look at existing technologies and try to see other ways they can be used, which happens in music all the time and happens to be what terrorists are incredibly good at.”
Baxter has also appeared in public debates and as a guest on CNN and Fox News Channel advocating missile defense. He served as a national spokesman for Americans for Missile Defense, a coalition of organizations devoted to the issue.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Baxter
My hubby bought be 2nd row seats for my b’day to see them in Birmingham, England a few years back. What a treat!!!!!
Love their music. Timeless.
‘me’
Saw them in Amarillo early 70’s, with Doobie Brothers opening for Rare Earth, when both were up and coming. DB and SD were so good, we didn’t stay for Rare Earth! Back when I was dating my first wife (of five).
Check out their debut, “Can’t Buy A Thrill”, one of my favorites: Reeling in the years, Changing of the Guard, Hey Nineteen.
“Hey Nineteen” for me. “Babylon Sisters” “My Old School” - jeez, how many hits did Fagan and Becker write? Dozens?
Went to see them in Oct of 2012 do the Royal Scam, Aja, and Gaucho in NYC.
The tickets were $200 each at the Beacon Theater. Band, backup horns, singers. Well rehearsed. One of the best “concerts” in the true spirit of concert that I have ever been to. More than a show, it was a live performance of damned near studio quality. Had every lick, riff, and key change down.
Steely Dan has been and always will be a fav.
Kick off your high heel sneakers
Give us some funked up music, she treats you right
No static at all, F.M.MMMMMMMMMMMM...
Yeah!
First time for me was at the gymnasium at UC Irvine - Can’t Buy a Thrill tour- pretty great but the really hit their stride later.
On a side note.
You can actually have an entire conversation with someone by only using lines from Neil Young songs.
Rust?
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