A great song, great musicianship, and a great closer. And one of the reasons I say the latter is that the song is much more musically consonant (as opposed to dissonant) than the rest of the album, giving the ears and mind a chance to breathe, so to speak. And the song sort of musically harkens back to Royal Scam, a bit less jazzy and more straight ahead in the rock ballad arena. Gaucho is a fascinating album, quite entertaining, if not quite as musically ambitious as Aja.
You're in for quite a treat, but let me just say that my own personal favorite run of albums is Katy Lied through Gaucho. Wait until you hear Aja. I actually envy you because you're about to embark on one of the most rewarding musical journeys with any band that plays "rock" music (Steely Dan are actually jazz rock).
I think the only songs he doesn't sing on are Do It Again, Reelin' in the Years, and Fire in the Hole. Maybe Midnite Cruiser
Add "Kings" to that list. I think Hodder and Becker provide the harmonies on that one. It's interesting to me that when Fagen has introduced "Dirty Work" in concert the past several years, he usually name checks Palmer as the original singer. He rarely, if at all, mentions Denny Dias or Skunk Baxter in any capacity. Maybe it's simply a lead vocal as opposed to a lead guitar.
Maybe that's just because Fagen's voice sounds so different to Palmer's and he doesn't want the audience wondering why the singing they're about to hear doesn't sound anything like the original record.
Aja drummer Steve Gadd.... Gadd! Still goin' after all these years. Steve Gadd Band at Catalina Jazz Club...2023! Richard Tee & Steve Gadd...some live STUFF...1976 Get in the groove...killer basslines by Edwards. Richard on the grand. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q_c160jfBY Steve Gadd is stunning session guy that Paul Simon tapped for his talent. Gadd's performances on Paul Simon's "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" and "Late in the Evening" and Steely Dan's "Aja" are examples of his style. He has worked with other popular musicians from many genres including Simon & Garfunkel, Paul McCartney, James Taylor, Harry Chapin, Joe Cocker, Bonnie Raitt, Grover Washington Jr., Michael Brecker, Michael Franks, Chick Corea, Lee Ritenour, Paul Desmond, Kate Bush, Chet Baker, Al Di Meola, Chuck Mangione, Kenny Loggins, Eric Clapton, Pino Daniele, Michel Petrucciani, and Toshiki Kadomatsu. Steve & Richard: Introducing Late In The Evening 1982 "the infamous Richard Tee: Keyboards, Steve Gadd: Drums, Eric Gale: Guitar If you can't see the magic between these musicians, then you ain't quite got it yet - keep trying!" Watch...stunning: Paul simon - late in the evening - video Dailymotion
Doctor Wu Don’t Take Me Alive Any Major Dude Will Tell You Black Cow Midnite Cruiser Bonus: Third World Man
Agree with 'Pretzel Logic', short but sooo perfect! I only got to know all of their albums about 6 years ago as a friend of mine gave me a usb stick with all the albums on it. Up until then I only had Pretzel Logic (and The Nightfly). I now own all the original mca cd's and remasters, and all of Fagan's solo work. One of my favorite all time bands!
If someone in the audience of a Steely Dan concert didn't know that Palmer sung on Can't Buy A Thrill, then I think it's safe to say they don't know much about Steely Dan. It reminds me of one time I commented on someone's Pink Floyd shirt and he mentioned he was a huge fan of the band. I then asked him "What did you think about the album Animals?" He looked at me dumbfounded and then replied "Oh...I haven't heard that one."
Lots of people go to concerts without knowing the artist's discography all that well, and some who know the music don't necessarily read the credits or worry about who was on the album. I'm sure there are some people in the audience at modern Steely Dan gigs who have no idea that the guys on stage aren't the same people who made Can't Buy a Thrill 50 years ago.
I have just discovered SD myself and now I feel the need to dig into Gabriel and Talking Heads, two artists where I have barely scratched the surface.
Entry points are key to both, depending on what you generally like. I suppose Gabriel is closer to Steely Dan than Talking Heads ever were in that he tends to choose different musicians for each track depending on their contribution to a particular groove. It sounds like you know something by both of them albeit small doses. Here is my list of their main song based releases in the order I rate them. Peter Gabriel Security (1982) (aka Peter Gabriel 4) Melt (1980) (aka Peter Gabriel 3) Us (1992) So (1986) Car (1977) (aka Peter Gabriel 1) Up (2002) Scratch (1978) (aka Peter Gabriel 2) Scratch My Back (a covers album) (2010) He has done 4 soundtracks - 3 for films (Birdy 1985, Passion 1989 and Long Walk Home 2002) and 1 for a live performance art thing for the Millennium Dome (Ovo released in 2000) I would rate them in the following order Passion (1989) Birdy (1985) Ovo (2000) Long Walk Home (2002) There are several compilations that provide a sample of most of the above which are Shaking the Tree 16 Golden Greats (1990) Hit 2CD (2003) Uscita (digital release 2004) The Elders (free newspaper CD 2007) New Blood (revisions of classic songs backed by orchestra in the same style as Scratch My Back) Flotsam and Jetsam (digital release of rarities and remixes 2019) and of course a bunch of live albums: Plays Live (1983) Live in Athens (1987) Secret World Live (1994) Growing Up Live (2003) New Blood Live in London (2011) Back to Front Live in London (digital release to Full Moon subscribers 2013) Talking Heads Remain in Light (1980) Speaking in Tongues (1983) More Songs About Buildings and Food (1978) Naked (1988) Little Creatures (1985) Fear of Music (1979) Talking Heads 77 (1977) True Stories (1986) A lot of fans actually only like the earliest 4 albums but I love how they evolved into a completely different band when they added African influences into their sound) They only have 2 official live albums The Name of this Band is Talking Heads Stop Making Sense Both of these are excellent there are many compilations but the best of these is Sand in the Vaseline (1992, 2CD) but there is a broader selection available on a 3CD/1DVD set called Once in a Lifetime but that’s kinda pricey I think. I hope that helps!
