Steely Dan: Songs
There’s an old joke: Rock is 3 chords played to 1000 people. Jazz is 1000 chords…go on, finish it for yourselves 🙂
Two quick things:
- “Old joke” meaning I only heard it for the first time on a music podcast two days ago, and
- I don’t think it’s actually true these days. Or as much as it used to be.
I’d guess you could call today’s artist Jazz-Rock-Pop, but I’m also sure the remaining member may baulk at that. The band was really only two guys and one has sadly passed away.
They were very talented, but perfectionists in the studio, where they surrounded themselves with top-notch players. One drummer tells the story that if they didn’t like a particular take of a song, the two lads would swap out…the whole band! . Except themselves, of course 🙂
Having said that, they could absolutely cut it live. But today we have a small sample of some of their delectable studio works. Please note the effortless, yet tasteful, complexity. These can’t be easily played along on with on my your guitar with the basic cowboy chords.
Peg (1977)
Guest backing vocalist, Michael McDonald, tells of the challenge in singing his parts; doing close, complex harmonies ‘with himself’ in the studio. It was new to him, but he carried it off. Yes, he was also lead singer for the Doobie Brothers and yes “he came from somewhere back in her long ago”
The drummer was rapt in the recording technique they employed. He said he was playing subtle elements and their mikes picked it up.
Little bonus thrown in: from the excellent Classic Albums TV series, here’s a few of them talking about the making of this magic track. Including the bits I stole quoted above.
Do It Again (1972)
Not much available to read about this great song. Even Wikipedia has just the facts, m’am. It does advise that this cover got them in trouble in Spain where it was banned and had to be replaced with a photo. So sit back and enjoy:
Dirty Work (1972)
From the same album as above. I ‘knew’ it was them, but was puzzled by the lead singer. Turns out he, apparently, only ever did this one song for them in the studio. I think he sang live with them, but once he left, the band didn’t play it live for years. ooToobe has the one from their Greatest Hits but AFAIK it’s the same cut as the original.
Hey Nineteen (1980)
Gotta finish up, so two more of my favourites to see us out.
FM (No Static At All) (1978)
Nomenclature.
The two chaps were very literate and their band was named after Steele Rudd the Australian writer (he wrote the Dad and Dave series) and Daniel Defoe, he of Robinson Crusoe fame.
That is a complete lie. I can’t say who/what they are really named after as this is a PG-Rated Blog. Off you go to Ms Google, kiddies 🙂
