Steely Dan... What Do You Think???

Agree that it sort of went downhill after Can't Buy A Thrill. Not that Pretzel Logic is bad or anything. It's very good.

But then it sort of went uphill for Fagen. The Nightfly is perfect.

 

Listened to "Aja" (song, not album) in the wee hours this morning.

 

I highly recommend Katy Lied. Three songs from that are on the Greatest Hits double-album: Black Friday, Bad Sneakers, Doctor Wu. The sound of that Bösendorfer piano on Rose Darling and Your Gold Teeth II... wow; Jeff's drumming (at 19?) is so, so tasty; the song writing throughout is top-notch. For me, the three album span starting with Katy is pure brilliance.

 

I agree in a way that with Aja SD started to be a bit more "polished". That followed with Gaucho and the last two studio albums. But I still love all their albums . My favorites would be Pretzel Logic, Katy Lied, The Royal Scam and Countdown to Ecstacy. I'd love to see Katy Lied and The Royal Scam come out on SACD. I'd be great to see Audio Fidelity put out some SD SACDs with multichannel mixes !

I saw them twice in '96 and 2012. Both shows were great but I have no urge to see them again at the current ticket prices.

Bill

 

I was an early Dan Fan, circa Thrill and Countdown. Thrill was an amazing debut, and every track is different- the Elliott Randall guitar work on Thrill still gives me goosebumps; I bought all of the albums after that up to a point; Countdown was another favorite (how many rock bands did Ray Brown play with?). By the time of Aja, I had sort of moved away from them, though of course I bought copies after the release. I'll listen to select cuts from the later albums- Fremer had it right about that double Greatest Hits being a good score.
Those guys had (have?) the ability to crank out commercially successful stuff that is musically innovative, with a really high level of musicianship. I can respect them today without necessarily loving everything they did.

 

Wow. I have a fairly eclectic music collection, and when I get bored, any Steely Dan album is what I play. Different strokes...

 

Steve Gadd plays on three songs, Bernard Purdie on 'Babylon Sisters'. Though yes, they play very mechanically.

 

Jazz Lite is what I hear on every record since Can't Buy A Thrill with AJA being the worst offender.

 

I'm talking about the Wendel digital drum machine used on the album most notably on Hey 19. I believe it was the first digital drum machine used in commercial recordings (although I could be wrong).

Younger listeners seem to have a high tolerance for drum machines. Anyway, I'll take a flesh and blood drummer anytime, especially the two esteemed gentlemen named above.

I also hear from 20-somethings that Aja sounds like Smooth Jazz or Jazz-ak. But I don't hear it, I think so many smooth jazz artists copped from Aja the sound became cliche to younger listeners. Those of us who were around when Aja was first released hear it as the original that launched a ton of copycats.

Bottom line is I'm just happy that younger listeners are still discovering and loving this music.

 

F-A-G-E-N with an E.

 

and B-E-C-K-E-R without the R!

 

You may be right.

Though the credits list Rick Marotta on drums on that song, with Steve Gadd and Victor Feldman playing percussion.

 

I don't listen to Jazz (except for Frank Zappa...) - Steely Dan is polished music for sure, but I enjoy all the metaphors in the lyrics.
It's got everything. - Of course, I can't listen to it all the time, but it "bridges the gaps" in my music listening.

 

Fagen's lawyer told him to keep it lite. Wouldn't want any one suing him for playing his saxophone too long.

 

I don't get the Procol Harum reference.

Steely Dan is (or were) good, but not that good.

I loved SD's first 3 or 4 albums, and the next 2 to some degree. With a couple of exceptions (Ecstasy and Aja) I thought each album wasn't as good as its predecessor.

 

Here is a link to a nice article about drum machines and sampling that mentions it.

The Next Generation of Drum Replacers »

 

The coolest group ever

 

Love every album. Love every song. Love every arrangement. Love every one of Donald's vocals.

I like this band...

 

Great, but I've never played them as much as my favorite guitar bands. I don't consider myself a steely fan.

 

The double Greatest Hits is excellent. RL mastered.

 

Steely Dan... What Do You Think???

I think I like them, like them a lot! Steely Dan has been one of my main music fixes for many a moon! Though I don't listen to them as often as I used to, many of their songs enjoy rotation on my iPod's various playlists.

I was fortunate to see the original touring band circa 1975 or so in Pittsburgh when they opened for the Beach Boys. The Dan was great! The Beach Boys not so much and left early. Saw them again when they started touring again in the late 90's. Great show with a stage full of very talented musicians who re-created their sound and songs extremely well. Haven't caught any of their recent shows, but know I should...and will the next time they come around.

Rick G

 

Best Steely Dan albums are: Katy Lied/Royal Scam/Aja. I enjoy the early material, but I those three in the middle are darn near perfect. Love the two reunion albums, as well.

 

Lyrics are out of this world. Chord change masters.

 

Eh?? I was talking about the reunion albums. Aja is in my top 5 all time favourite albums.

 

I like all their albums. I don't even really get the complaints on the Katy Lied mastering, apparently it was horribly bungled but I really enjoy it. Actually, one of the better Steely Dan albums I have is the greatest hits double LP mastered by Robert Ludwig. I would highly recommend it to anyone who finds it in descent shape. Really good stuff on a quiet night after work with a glass of wine, or two.