One Song From Each Steely Dan Album...

Bucket

I just remembered a story about the title track from "Aja" in fact - I heard this direct from producer Gary Katz, who came and did a masterclass session at ICMP a couple of years ago.

He was talking about the drum recordings - session ace Steve Gadd came in, in a period when he was very frequently off his rocker on some substance or other, and laid down that magnificent drum track in only two takes, while high as a kite.

A few months later, when the album was being mixed and mastered, Gadd was coincidentally rehearsing with someone else just down the corridor and they brought him in, again absolutely off his face, for a listen. He sat, silently, listening to the whole of that eight-minute track, including his blistering drum solo in the middle section, before saying "That's cool. Who played drums on it?"

"Umm... you did, Steve."

"Oh right."

[long pause]

"I'm a motherfucker."

Rocker

I had and played it lots way back then: a vinyl pressing of Aja. And on a vinyl test disk was Rikki Don't Lose That Number. Sounded amazing especially the piano intro (the CD is but a pale copy on that vinyl pressing). Other than those, I found little of Steely Dan to interest me. No suggestions to make. Sorry.

Stinkfoot

Great to see the SD love in this forum! I play in a SD tribute and now we've got to somewhere around the 60 songs mark in our repertoire, it's always a real bummer having to leave out any of them to accommodate a 2hr set!

I love the fact that their tunes can vary from country-rock to full-on jazz and yet it all has an unmistakeable Steely Dan sound tying it all together. Even their simpler stuff will have an odd subversive hook or lyric here or there to make it stand out from the norm.

My favourites do have a tendency to change all the time but I think we should definitely add a Walter solo tune into the mix as we cover a few Donald solos already. Downtown Canon is a personal fave...he had such a great feel for those slow reggae-ish grooves.

Am seeing them at the O2 in October and it's going to be quite a poignant evening. Last time they came over we had the bonus of Elliot Randall joining them for Reeling, so hopefully the band will still give us a similar night to remember.

End of an era....RIP Walter.

Nitefly

Good call on "Cousin Dupree" - was that you. @Kebabkid ?  

When I saw them in Birmingham in 2009, WB announced it as "A sleazy song about a sleazy individual" - perfect!

Kebabkid

Nitefly said:

Good call on "Cousin Dupree" - was that you. @Kebabkid ?  

When I saw them in Birmingham in 2009, WB announced it as "A sleazy song about a sleazy individual" - perfect!

Yes it was @Nitefly and I believe it has a dodgy connotations

When I see my little cousin Janine walk in
All I could say was ow ow ouch
Honey how you've grown

Like a rose
Well we used to play
When we were three
How about a kiss for your cousin Dupree

She turned my life into a living hell
In those little tops and tight capris

Actually, having had a listen to that album, I prefer "Jack of Speed".

west

Stinkfoot said:

Great to see the SD love in this forum! I play in a SD tribute .....

I nearly came to Your roadhouse gig ! but something came up .... i used to play in the Danny Steel orchestra , a long time ago .. as for walter solo , my faves are book of liars ( nice sarah coleman version somewhere)  and junkie girl ..

west

west

xx

Kebabkid

There are quite a few Steely Dan tributes around.

Nearly Dan are very good and probably the main one in the UK that people know of. I'm seeing them next month.

Stanley Dee (great guitarist in that band) are another gaining popularity

Gas in the Car

Stealing Dan and Don (a lot of London pit players in that one)

This session guy plays in a tribute band in Ireland called Steely Dan Project and he does an impressive job on the various solos

Stinkfoot

@West It's a shame you didn't make the Roadhouse gig...we didn't get many in at all that night!! Nice crowd those who did turn up though!

I never got to see Danny Steel unfortunately. Have seen Nearly Dan but not for a long time...must sort that out soon. 

It's been a revelation playing this stuff...it's the first band I've ever been in where it's purely for the love of playing the music rather than worrying about earning any money from it....which is quite fortunate really!!

Kebabkid

Stinkfoot said:

@West It's a shame you didn't make the Roadhouse gig...we didn't get many in at all that night!! Nice crowd those who did turn up though!

I never got to see Danny Steel unfortunately. Have seen Nearly Dan but not for a long time...must sort that out soon. 

It's been a revelation playing this stuff...it's the first band I've ever been in where it's purely for the love of playing the music rather than worrying about earning any money from it....which is quite fortunate really!!

Nice one!

west

Stinkfoot said:

@West It's a shame you didn't make the Roadhouse gig...we didn't get many in at all that night!! Nice crowd those who did turn up though!

I never got to see Danny Steel unfortunately. Have seen Nearly Dan but not for a long time...must sort that out soon. 

It's been a revelation playing this stuff...it's the first band I've ever been in where it's purely for the love of playing the music rather than worrying about earning any money from it....which is quite fortunate really!!

I'll try and catch you again !
 
initially the enjoyment of learning the stuff in a short time frame was great and the first few gigs were cool , theres a real kudos to playing the material but it soon wore off and just became another covers band ( 2 days out of your life in the north east  for twenty quid ? fuck that )  also as an improvising musician it became stale real quick , ie i love it when john herrington plays his version of charlamange ! punters dont want to hear that so ....

Heres chris , neil and ian the notts contingent  the dan collective ... may now be de-funked  lol
rings of rare design ...

Stinkfoot

Yeah I understand that! We tend to be pretty faithful to the studio stuff for the most part and only go off-piste occasionally. Jon Herington is so great though and I like his own style he puts on it.
Nice vid and some tasty p!aying there!