Steely Dan (Official Thread)

LG

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Steely Dan Official Website

Studio Albums

1972 Can't Buy a Thrill
1973 Countdown to Ecstasy
1974 Pretzel Logic
1975 Katy Lied
1976 The Royal Scam
1977 Aja
1980 Gaucho
2000 Two Against Nature
2003 Everything Must Go




My Collection:

1972 - Can't Buy A Thrill
1973 - Countdown To Ecstasy
1974 - Pretzel Logic
1975 - Katey Lied
1976 - The Royal Scam
1977 - Aja
1980 - Gaucho





Steely Dan, one of the most talented bands from the 70's, the only constants in this group are Donald Fagen, and Walter Becker and producer Gary Katz. Probably the ultimate studio rock band, they hated touring, but the collection of session musicians and friends who they recorded with over the years is second to none that I know of. The first album is an anomaly, by far the most accessible straight up fun rock record they ever recorded, if you only know the later albums, and find their jazzy/rock/pop/blues/R&B combination doesn't do anything for you, check out "Can't By A Thrill". Of course I love that album but I am a big fan of all their music up to and inlcuding Gaucho, which is where I stop. I have been tempted to check out the latest CD's but for some reason just never got around to it. I'll leave those for someone else to talk about, perhaps they can convince me to add them to the library.

 

LG

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Re: Steely Dan

That is a great album...here's the song that got me started, I still can't help smiling whenever I play it.

 

0000

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Re: Steely Dan

Same LG, RITY seems to be the song that gets a lot of people into them... I used to make fun of them a bit when I was like 13
Who would have thought they'd make my top five bands one day?:D

I have Aja and Countdown to Ecstasy on vinyl, The Royal Scam and Guacho digital, and a greatest hits compilation on CD, but it was remastered and I think it sounds awful, so it doesn't get a lot of play;)

Everything about the band is so perfect, the feel of the songs, the musicianship, the selection of musicians, possibly some of the best production, and anything else you or I could think of is so perfect... A guy that goes to my parents' gym saw them live twice in the past decade, he said the first time they really sucked and only played like an hour, but the second time(last year maybe?:huh:) was great, two to two and a half hour set and they played their asses off... I honestly don't know how much I would like Steely Dan live, the perfectionism is part of what I like so much about their records.. they certainly thrive in the studio, an over all excellent band


I've really been liking that one lately off the Royal Scam:grinthumb
 

LG

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Re: Steely Dan

I agree with you on all counts buddy,,,except I don't have a copy of the greatest hits CD so I can't comment on the quality. I had all the studio albums on vinyl they didn't survive the fire years ago, but I have all of them on CD now. Pissed me off bigtime because Aja and Gaucho were MFSL masterdiscs.

I am not sure if I would go to see them either, for the reasons you already stated, the perfectionism of their studio works is what makes them special to me.:tup:
 

0000

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Re: Steely Dan

I agree with you on all counts buddy,,,except I don't have a copy of the greatest hits CD so I can't comment on the quality. I had all the studio albums on vinyl they didn't survive the fire years ago, but I have all of them on CD now. Pissed me off bigtime because Aja and Gaucho were MFSL masterdiscs.

I am not sure if I would go to see them either, for the reasons you already stated, the perfectionism of their studio works is what makes them special to me.:tup:

Yeah, plus the production makes some of the magic as well... if they played free I would see them, I hate to say that about SD, but I woulnd't want to think of them any differently than I do listening to the albums... yeah, don't get the greatest hits... SD is an album band though, so there isn't much of a point, but it was awful...
 

Dave78

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Re: Steely Dan

Terrific band. Each of their records always had one or two singles you'd hear on the radio, but they also had several great album tracks that were just as good, if not better. :cheers:

The long list of studio musicians that recorded with Steely Dan is legen -- wait for it -- dary. I'll do a Wiki check later (unless someone beats me to it), but for now I think I remember a certain post-Partridge Family guitarist named Larry Carlton and a pre-Toto drummer name Jeff Porcaro. I believe Jeff "Skunk" Baxter was an official member before he became a Doobie in '74 or '75. :****:
 

LG

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Re: Steely Dan

Can't slip anything past you Dave...:D
 

Craig in Indy

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Re: Steely Dan

Ah yes, the Dan of Steel. Has any band so thoroughly changed what appeared to be a singularly successful direction after only one album, and were still so successful in their subsequent direction? Of course that first album had writing and singing contributions from at least one other band member besides Fagen (and the usually silent Becker), though name(s) escape me at the moment. His missing influence became obvious immediately on the release of the second album.

I'm among those who like it all, though I admit that first album gets played only rarely. It's simple song structures (at least compared to later Dan compositions) doesn't hold up nearly as well to repeatedly listenings as the more complex stuff, where you can hear new things nearly every time you play them.

Fans of the bulk of the band's output should also listen to Fagen's solo album The Nightfly. It could easily pass as another Dan album.
 

0000

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Re: Steely Dan

Ah yes, the Dan of Steel. Has any band so thoroughly changed what appeared to be a singularly successful direction after only one album, and were still so successful in their subsequent direction? Of course that first album had writing and singing contributions from at least one other band member besides Fagen (and the usually silent Becker), though name(s) escape me at the moment. His missing influence became obvious immediately on the release of the second album.

I'm among those who like it all, though I admit that first album gets played only rarely. It's simple song structures (at least compared to later Dan compositions) doesn't hold up nearly as well to repeatedly listenings as the more complex stuff, where you can hear new things nearly every time you play them.

Fans of the bulk of the band's output should also listen to Fagen's solo album The Nightfly. It could easily pass as another Dan album.

I don't own a copy yet, but I've listened to it a lot through youtube and the likes, and yes defnitely excellent, I haven't tried anything else from his solo career though... are the rest of his released as good?
 

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