Steely Dan: "Steely Dan's name has been popping up as a hip musical crush. Remember, this glossy bop-pop was the indifferent aristocracy to punk rock's stone-throwing in the late 70's. People fought

Daft Punk's 'Fragments Of Time' track references The Nightfly as much as it does Steely Dan IMO.

I don't really get the passion that SD inspires on both sides. Their hits are great, and I like all of their songs that went into the top 20. The rest of their album tracks are pretty forgettable though. I get why they have a cult following but I think the intensity of the debates over them is way out of proportion.

so says you

that's true, I did just say that

so you're trying to end the conversation by offering your own opinion on their music as definitive?

good luck w/ that

The rest of their album tracks are pretty forgettable though.

lay off the weed then

anyone who says that every track on Aja isn't A+ is fronting

^^^

perhaps you're forgetting "I Got the News" ??

I got the news is great

steely dan and royal trux are two bands that I found were incredibly rewarding to learn to love

wk has some news for you

there's some weird tense shit going on in that last post I made sorry

anyone who says that every track on Aja isn't A+ is fronting

it's all great but it doesn't really stick with me for some reason. nothing wrong with that though. it's nice to listen to.

On the Aja Classic Albums doc, 'I got the News' is played during the closing credits...fitting, I thought.

steely dan and royal trux are two bands that I found were incredibly rewarding to learn to love

Absolutely.

so you're trying to end the conversation by offering your own opinion on their music as definitive?

I didn't think my post sounded very definitive. full of lots of "I think", etc. wasn't trying to end any conversation. I'm not really clear how "so says you" continues the conversation in any interesting way though.

I find it weird that people who don't like Steely Dan are always asking people who do like them to explain themselves. example: Marc Maron

Marc maron, future trivia q

maron should do an ep with fagen and becker and ask them to explain steely dan

perhaps you're forgetting "I Got the News" ??

lol only one of the best horn arrangements on the album and some of the best close harmonies anywhere on the bridge, plus the lyric...I will never forget the first time I parsed "slow down, I'll tell you when/I may never walk again" and what's actually going on in the song

every song here, A+ forever

I will never forget the first time I parsed "slow down, I'll tell you when/I may never walk again" and what's actually going on in the song

If you care to, please share with us

"i got the news" is so funky and undeniable

the sudden michael mcdonald vocal action then solo is just about my fave dan moment ever

The piano tremelos delight me.

you guys are right its a horrible song

I will never forget the first time I parsed "slow down, I'll tell you when/I may never walk again" and what's actually going on in the song
If you care to, please share with us

― calstars, Thursday, May 16, 2013 4:34 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark

i assume it has something to do w/ the line earlier 'you / got the muscle / i got the news'

"warm soulful secret" innit

yeah... i was speculating as to why he might never walk again

or walk like a new born baby colt

I enjoyed the Malkmus and Fagen discussion upthead. In terms of their personalities, they both come across as really smart, and maybe quietly bitter, dudes who smoked so much weed in high school and college that everything becomes filtered through winking and smirking. Even their aforementioned anger in songs is depressed because of that smart-aleck sensibility. And of course musically the jazz, they're record-collector/pop-music history bros (and rock critics will always respect that).

michael mcdonald is sort of like bob nastanovich

That's an overly harsh thing to say about Michael McDonald.

"take it in your hand/all the sirens and the band get to bending my ear"

this Pavement/Steely Dan shit is so sacrilegious, fuck outta here

not Pavement, just Malkmus. There's a useful point of comparison. Obv neither Steve Gadd nor Bernard Purdie ever played drums in Pavement, etc etc

"take it in your hand/all the sirens and the band get to bending my ear"

ee-yah more like

Thank you, Cunga! I like that both the Pave and SD fans hate the comparison--means I'm onto something!

michael mcdonald is sort of like bob nastanovich

Michael McStanovich

Aja = glorious

Aja on bright red vinyl = super neat

and Gaucho is slowly edging its way into my top 20 of all time. magnificent record.

jenny and the ess-dog always seemed like a real steely dan lyrical move by malkmus

William Gibson ‏@GreatDismal 8h
Reading proofs of Donald Fagen's Eminent Hipsters, a work of memoir and criticism. #perksofthejob

Apparently out in October. Very excited.

Wow mega anticipating! Love the hell out of his prose.

Gaucho gold

http://bbchron.blogspot.com/2011/02/steely-dan-lost-gaucho-and-outtakes.html

outtakes! from my favourite dan album too! thanks iago.

I think it was Winston Churchill who said: If you're under 23 and you love Steely Dan, you have no balls. If you're over 30 and you don't love Steely Dan, you have no brain.

Hmmm and I became a steely Dan fiend at exactly the age of 23 (20 years ago ;_;)

yeah I think maybe it was around 28 for me?

"The Bear" is terrific, "The Second Arrangement" less so (sounds tentative).