thx much, i'll have to look for it
Posted on 09/15/2015 5:45:35 PM PDT by dontreadthis
As midlife-crisis songs go, Steely Dan’s “Deacon Blues” ranks among the most melodic and existential. Recorded for the album “Aja” in 1977, the song details the bored existence of a ground-down suburbanite and his romantic fantasy of life as a jazz saxophonist.
Written by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen in 1976, “Deacon Blues” was released in 1977 on Steely Dan’s album “Aja,” which in the fall reached No. 3 on Billboard’s album chart, where it remained for seven consecutive weeks. The song also was a hit single in early 1978. With Steely Dan appearing in New York at the Beacon Theatre from Oct. 6-17, Mr. Fagen, Mr. Becker, guitarist Larry Carlton and saxophonists Tom Scott and Pete Christlieb recalled the writing, arranging and recording of the cult classic. Edited from interviews:
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
Black Friday
Indeed! Got ‘em all on my hard drive. They and Van Halen are the only two bands I have complete collections of. But I’m workin’ on others...
I just read the article right now. Great stuff for those of you who like to write songs.
I’m not too sure if I believe everything they’re saying about how they developed the lyrics, much less the title: ‘deacon’ is named after a San Diego Charger, whose name just so happened to have the same number of sylables and sound as ‘crimson’, as in ‘crimson tide’, the catalyst for the song.
So crazy how they came up with the lyrics, which are just pure amazeballs!
“From a friend:
The Making of Aja:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyrZgknEpXU";
Oops, posted the wrong link, but someone posted the right link in #58. :)
Thanks for this “dont”.
I am a huge Steely Dan fan. I own every piece of music the ever recorded available commercially.
Deacon Blues is one of my favorites, however maybe not my number one by SD. That would probably be Kid Charlamagne, but with so many to choose from even that is not set in stone.
However, Deacon Blues is in my personal top 10 Rock songs of all time. The lyrics are superb (I knew what the song was about before reading this, but not the method to write it), and the layering of the music is top notch.
IMHO, very few groups reach the musical genius level that Steely Dan achieved with every album. I think it’s best explained by Fagen’s last sentence in the article.
I also think it’s the problem with today’s music industry. There are few musicians left. Just teen pop cover models, or former gang bangers whose “music” is 100% computer generated. Most of it isn’t worth using to torture prisoners.
Talking with a client today that lives near the Hollywood Bowl, and was telling her about the last concert attended was Steely Dan a few months back.
She said “what is it about you middle aged guys and Steely
Dan?”
Hmm. I dunno. BIG GRIN!!!
I can play sax but not like that...
I think Katy Lied was my favorite Steely Dan album. I got Can’t Buy A Thrill in 73, Katy Lied soon as it came out, Royal Scam later on...
Katy Lied and Trick of the Tail by Genesis were my favorite albums for a long time, probably still are but a few others have to make the list...
Captain Beyond - Captain Beyond
Dinner at the Ritz - City Boy
Momentary Lapse of Reason - Pink Floyd
Nursery Crime - Genesis
Trick of the Tail - Genesis
Leftoverture - Kansas
Crime of the Century - Supertramp
All fabulous albums, I can’t just listen to one song, I have to have the whole album. Ditto for Katy Lied...
By the way, the name Steely Dan was a slang term for a sex toy in the 1920’s.
Daddy don’t drive in that El Dorado no more
He don’t get tight every night passed out on the barroom floor
Daddy can’t get no fine cigar
but we know you’re smokin’ wherever you are
From Squonk by Genesis, (Trick of the Tail) in reference to the Squonk comments earlier -
Walking home that night,
The sack across my back the sound of sobbing on my shoulder
then suddenly it stopped.
I opened up the sack all that I had,
A pool of bubbles and tears just a pool of tears..
Just a pool of tears...
Goes right along with the legend of the Squonk. The whole song actually, fits the temperament of the legendary critter all the way through.
I love SD Music, one of my absolute favorites... I have a hard time (no pun intended) getting over the naming of the band though, apparently. Wish there was a better explanation than what I understand it to be. Not too impressed with that aspect.
Yes it was exactly like that one.
Dad and Mom smirked a lot. The GF was invited to a lot of my sisters slumber parties. She looked cute in my concert t-shirts. She married my best friend while I was in tech school. Dodged a big bullet there.
A Trick of the Tail is my favorite all-time album as well. Every song on it is just fantastic.
Agreed. I love everything about Nightfly, not only the song, but the album cover and back.
It's cool seeing Fagen on the front as a 50s DJ, then on the back, you see a house, with one light on.
Obviously listening to "Lester the Nightfly".
Love “Walk Between Raindrops”, definitely makes you feel like you’re in 50’s-era Miami Beach.
For a day, this was The Wall Street
Journal’s most popular article at its web site.
Master Guitarist Jeff Baxter Invites Friends Over to Write, Record
8/04/2015 8:00 PM Eastern
By Robyn Flans
or the past 40 years, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter has
been too busy to record his own album because
he’s either been part of Steely Dan or the Doobie
Brothers, recording with the likes of Donna
Summer, Joni Mitchell, Ringo Starr, Sheryl Crow,
Dolly Parton and Rod Stewart, touring with James
Brown, Elton John and Linda Ronstadt, producing
records for Nazareth, Nils Lofgren and the
Ventures, or working as a consultant to the U.S.
Department of Defense. But Baxter has finally
taken the time to express himself on his
yet-unnamed first solo record, created with
longtime friend and musical collaborator CJ
Vanston.
“gritty solos with Jonny Lang on “I Can Do
Without,” soul personified as he matches his
guitar delivery with Michael McDonald’s vocals on
“Place in the Sun,” a reinterpreted greasy “Do It
Again” in a slow shuffle, and ...”
- See more at:
http://www.mixonline.com/news/profiles/skunk-goes-solo/425331#sthash.Aw1C3Xbv.dpuf
thx much, i'll have to look for it
Hey, freak...where in CA are you (general area - no specifics)?
I was raised in Bay Area, before the dot com invasion, during the hippy dippy sixties (and seventies) but got the he** out as soon as I could...
Love to visit these days but “freak” when the first thing I hear upon arrival is “Olla”.... Ugh.
My only “collections” are Led Zep, CCR and stuff from “Woodstock” (Alvin Lee, Sly and Santana)...
But dang, every time I hear SD, I remember stuff so can’t believe I don’t have them in a playlist...major omission...
SF Bay Area.
Just turned 51 this year so our ages are probably close.
Would love to go elsewhere but have family here and by retirement no area will be safe they’re all getting infiltrated by leftists and mozzies.
You’re just a baby!
I graduated from high school there in ‘71 and from UCLA in ‘75 (Wooden’s last year).
I hear you about staying close to family. I have one in So Cal who wants to leave but can’t get it together because of work and property.
We watched “Bottle Shock” last night and I was reminded just how doggone gorgeous CA is but yowza it has changed so much since I lived there...
Inmates running the asylum.
Cheers....
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.