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What do you think of Steely Dan?

heymisterk

By heymisterk
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heymisterk

heymisterk

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Hi All,

 

If you're like me, you have periods where you listen to a lot of an artist or band in a short amount of time, then don't listen to them very much at all. There are also bands where you SHOULDN'T like them based on normal preferences, but still like them in spite of that.

Steely Dan fits into both of those categories for me. Normally, I like very guitar-driven bands, where those guitars are front and center. But Steely Dan is so damn GOOD that it's hard to believe that two guys as talented as Becker and Fagen got together. Every sound, every melody, every lyric, every solo seems so nuanced and thought-out, yet it doesn't seem pretentious to me. Keep in mind that that Jimmy Page listed the solo on "Reelin' in the Years" as the best solo of all time.

I don't know. There are certainly songs by them I don't like all that much. But when I listen to them, and I'm in the mood, it's like I've got a great red wine buzz going. They are infectious.

Thoughts?

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jannusguy

jannusguy

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i'm a big fan of the dan. they are sophisticated and fun at the same time. i have to say though, i've seen them a couple of times and have been disappointed that they seem to play the music exactly as it is on their recordings. i would think with all the top notch musicians there are on stage that they would stretch out on the songs or fiddle a bit with some of the arrangements. but they don't.

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Buc McMaster

Buc McMaster

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Jeff Baxter's (or was it Randall's??) solo on Change of the Guard from the Can't Buy A Thrill album has always been in my top two or three studio-recorded guitar parts. A largely unknown cut from that album but what a ripping guitar statement! The Dan's lyrics have a tendency to be obscure and cryptic but that's part of their magic for me. Good band, great players..........they made their mark on music.

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saturn

saturn

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Technically, they are about the best, most talented band in popular music. The chords, keys, time signatures, harmonies ect are all so brilliant far more complex than just about any other rock music out there. I was always a fan, but only knew the Radio hits until about a year ago when our bass player burned copies of all their stuff for me. Amazing stuff. I ask myself why I even bother to pretend I can play when I listen to their music.

 

Our band actually does two of their simpler songs, Pretzel Logic and Don't Take Me Alive. I could never pull off Bohavista or whatever that song is called :-

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Swmcv2007

Swmcv2007

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Great band with great players.

 

They are still relevant today too. Not too long ago I was hanging out at my friends house and he put on Kanye West's Graduation. To my surprise, he sampled one of my favorite Steely Dan songs "Kid Charlemagne" in his song "Champion."

 

The funny thing is that is could see Kanye West rockin' out too Steely Dan.

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fartz

fartz

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I didnt mind the band.....the lead singer kind of gave me the creeps.

 

He reminds me of that Rainbow Head guy who wore that powder blue John 3:16 shirt at Houston Oiler games.

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heymisterk

heymisterk

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Technically' date=' they are about the best, most talented band in popular music. The chords, keys, time signatures, harmonies ect are all so brilliant far more complex than just about any other rock music out there. I was always a fan, but only knew the Radio hits until about a year ago when our bass player burned copies of all their stuff for me. Amazing stuff. I ask myself why I even bother to pretend I can play when I listen to their music.

 

Our band actually does two of their simpler songs, Pretzel Logic and Don't Take Me Alive. I could never pull off Bohavista or whatever that song is called :) [/quote']

 

Right on. I used to only own a greatest hits album until I bought Pretzel Logic and discovered just how deeply talented they were/are. Two Against the World - I think it won a Grammy in '00 - holds up against the old stuff too. No "band" so effortlessly combines rock, funk, and jazz as The Dan does, IMO.

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Uncle Dave

Uncle Dave

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i'm a big fan of the dan. they are sophisticated and fun at the same time. i have to say though' date=' i've seen them a couple of times and have been disappointed that they seem to play the music exactly as it is on their recordings. i would think with all the top notch musicians there are on stage that they would stretch out on the songs or fiddle a bit with some of the arrangements. but they don't. [/quote']

I love them too. They are technically very sound and spend a lot of time perfecting their songs. I don't think they enjoy performing. I thought they were boring on stage, but still enjoyed it. There was a really good TV special of them a few years ago. It felt like you were in the studio with them. It seems odd to hear them as elevator or mall music these days.

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