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

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aja might be my least favorite, also. grab yo self some "countdown to ecstasy" or "katy lied."

― Special Agent Gene Krupa (orion), Monday, 10 April 2006 22:20 (eighteen years ago) link

i like whatever rekkerd i'm listening to at the time best.

― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 10 April 2006 22:23 (eighteen years ago) link

home at last is fucking incredible

― shredding repis on the gnar gnar rad (chaki), Monday, 10 April 2006 22:36 (eighteen years ago) link

It does beat the hell out of the '77 record I'm listening to— Todd Rundgren's Hermit of Mink Hollow.

― js (honestengine), Monday, 10 April 2006 22:42 (eighteen years ago) link

It sounds too much like the theme from 'Taxi.' haha, i LOVE the theme from taxi! 'Angela', by Bob James.

just going through the steely dan archive site upthread; it's amazing how perfectly formed these songs all were. the piano/bass demos for Gaucho are nearly identical to the final versions.

― derrick (derrick), Monday, 10 April 2006 22:57 (eighteen years ago) link

this is my favorite rock band

― +-+-++-+--++-, Tuesday, 11 April 2006 13:01 (eighteen years ago) link

>placing a coke-fueled chrome polish onto Randy Newman song suites.

Not sure this is necessarily a bad thing. Even kind of clever, if you think about it.

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 13:19 (eighteen years ago) link

Sorry, I'll take my Sex Pistols album over Aja any day, and rating the other way seems to be more contrarianism than conviction.

Congratulations! You've written the dumbest thing I've ever read.

― Dan (Remove One (1) Head From Behind) Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 13:27 (eighteen years ago) link

Okay, so my previous post was harsh and possibly uncalled-for but COME ON; "Peg" is one of the few perfect songs in this world. On a basic level, I don't think that people who dislike Steely Dan actually give a shit about or understand music.

― Dan (My Jan Wenner Moment) Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 13:45 (eighteen years ago) link

But, Dan, the Sex Pistols DESTROYED all that corporate-rock shite and brought REALITY back to music!

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 13:49 (eighteen years ago) link

If The Sex Pistols played madrigals I might buy that.

― Dan (Or Even Chant) Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 13:58 (eighteen years ago) link

It sounds too much like the theme from 'Taxi.'

And this is a bad thing?

my dad (also an ILMer)

What?

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 14:11 (eighteen years ago) link

Oh, Wrinklepaws.

― A|ex P@reene (Pareene), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 14:18 (eighteen years ago) link

I like Steely Dan, but I enjoyed js engine's post. I think he made an effort to be evenhanded in his expression of his dislike, which of course was overlooked in the cherry-picked quotings. The dad thing also threw me for a loop.

― The Day The World Turned Dayglo Redd (Ken L), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 14:27 (eighteen years ago) link

I give Steely Dan credit for acknowledging that cynicism is quite attractive, especially when you're eyeing leggy 19-y/o jailbait by the pool.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 14:28 (eighteen years ago) link

So do people listen to Steely Dan or just read them?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 14:32 (eighteen years ago) link

people EXPERIENCe steely dan, ned.
total mind/body experience.

― the unbearable lightness of peeing (orion), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 14:49 (eighteen years ago) link

DRUG FIEND.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 14:50 (eighteen years ago) link

Ned, you have to read their vibes, man.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 14:52 (eighteen years ago) link

With this?

http://www.nanopac.com/images/Victor%20Reader%20Vibe%20Talking%20Book.jpg

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 14:55 (eighteen years ago) link

I'm not reading Fagen's vibrator.

― Dan (Fandom Only Goes So Far) Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 14:57 (eighteen years ago) link

But he even named it Victor.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 14:57 (eighteen years ago) link

It sounds too much like the theme from 'Taxi.' haha, i LOVE the theme from taxi! 'Angela', by Bob James.

yeah, bob james was no slouch. go find another tv theme to pick on.

― jodias of sunhillow (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 14:58 (eighteen years ago) link

i don't want to be in the country where a 19 y/o is jailbait!

― gear (gear), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 16:40 (eighteen years ago) link

The sound of Steely Dan literally makes my stomach hurt (the band, not the vibrator).

Perhaps I do not give a shit about and/or understand music.

― Edward III (edward iii), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 17:19 (eighteen years ago) link

"Perhaps"

― Dogfight Giggle (noodle vague), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 17:21 (eighteen years ago) link

No, wait, I've been thinking about it. I love music.

I've been trying to force-feed myself Katy Lied and it's really not working out for us.

― Edward III (edward iii), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 17:28 (eighteen years ago) link

Well, in fairness I was talking about Aja.

― Dan (So There's Still Hope) Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 17:28 (eighteen years ago) link

the proper entry points for those not initially susceptible to the charms of latter-day dan are pretzel logic and countdown to ecstasy

― gear (gear), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 17:30 (eighteen years ago) link

the proper entry points for those not initially susceptible to the charms of latter-day dan perry are for another thread and another time

― gear (gear), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 17:31 (eighteen years ago) link

gear otm

― In The Court Of The Redd King Harvest (Ken L), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 17:32 (eighteen years ago) link

Carefully phrased and yet somehow cryptic.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 17:33 (eighteen years ago) link

i have that bob james record (touchdown)! it's great! it has a big football on the cover, who could hate that?

so...steely dan is still good.

but so are the sex pistol. the worst thing abt. steely dan debates is that sometimes two things i love get pitted as mortal enemies or something. it's weird....

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 17:34 (eighteen years ago) link

I'm tempted to amend thusly:

On a basic level, I don't think that people who ~~dis~~like Steely Dan actually give a shit about or understand music.

But I'm not about to make such a ridiculous (and frankly offensive) statement. I know the statement wasn't directed at me personally, but still. You could easily make a case that I don't understand music (at least in the way that someone who plays music or has a grounding in music theory might), but disliking Steely Dan (or any pop band) ≠ not giving a shit about music. That's purely a matter of personal taste, and having an opinion about a band would seem to indicate shit-giving on some level. Overblown statements like that probably aren't going to swing the Anti-Dans to the Other Side. Cogent arguments have a better track record, dude.

― Deric W. Haircare (Deric W. Haircare), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 17:37 (eighteen years ago) link

Puzzling, I've always liked "New Frontier" by Donald Fagen. Maybe it was just the retro-cubist video?

― Edward III (edward iii), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 17:37 (eighteen years ago) link

wait, that charms-of-dan-perry post wasn't there when I posted!

― In The Court Of The Redd King Harvest (Ken L), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 17:39 (eighteen years ago) link

still, gear otm

― In The Court Of The Redd King Harvest (Ken L), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 17:39 (eighteen years ago) link

P.S. I did at one point own Pretzel Logic. That didn't last too long.

― Deric W. Haircare (Deric W. Haircare), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 17:40 (eighteen years ago) link

I started to read Deric's post but at some point the words all blurred into "WAH WAH I'M A BIG BABY RESPECT ME".

― Dan (Hahaha) Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 17:43 (eighteen years ago) link

Ha ha...it's amazing, how often the defense of Steely Dan becomes less about the quality of the music and more about ad hominem attacks on those who disagree. I'm sold!

― Deric W. Haircare (Deric W. Haircare), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 17:49 (eighteen years ago) link

Deric just drink the fucking kool-aid already.

― Edward III (edward iii), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 17:51 (eighteen years ago) link

(B-b-but Deric, you've got to read the thing in parentheses, where he takes it all back/says that he was only joking/has the last laugh/twists the knife deeper)

― In The Court Of The Redd King Harvest (Ken L), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 17:52 (eighteen years ago) link

At this point, people either understand the way I communicate or they don't and I don't have the time, energy or inclination to dumb my rhetorical style down anymore.

(IOW, the Jan Wenner reference was actually important to the meaning of the post it is attached to and the preceding post and I respect the people who understood that and continue to mock and laugh at the people who didn't.)

― Dan (Hahaha) Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 17:56 (eighteen years ago) link

well deric I'm probably not saying anything someone else hasn't said before (can't be bothered to read this whole thing, gimme a break), but to me the appeal of the Dan is all in the juxtaposition of form (ie, smooth jazz, 70s AM radio pop slickness a la the Carpenters or whoever) vs. content (cruel, disturbing and paranoid lyrical subtexts). I appreciate the *gasp* irony in using one of the most innocuous, sweet-and-innocent-sounding sonic templates as the vehicle for delivering cynical and loathsome subject matter. Its just endlessly amusing, and even catchy (on occasion). The albums are like one long black joke delivered with the straightest face possible.

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 17:56 (eighteen years ago) link

Thank goodness this isn't a Pet Shop Boys thread and no one's defended "Domino Dancing."

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 17:56 (eighteen years ago) link

domino dancing...man...what a fucking JAM! love it.

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 17:58 (eighteen years ago) link

it's way better than like all classical music combined.

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 17:58 (eighteen years ago) link

Okay people, there are only so many ranting screeds against that fucking awful back-alley-abortion of a song that one person can write.

― Dan (I'm Spent) Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 17:59 (eighteen years ago) link

I guess really if it wasn't for the lyrics, I would hate Steely Dan. The sound of the songs themselves are not enough for me and I'm not one to appreciate advanced "chops" in and of themselves. Tho composition-wise I do dig a lot of their pop tricks (weird chord changes that are still catchy, etc.)

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 17:59 (eighteen years ago) link

"dumb my rhetorical style down anymore."

haha - yes Dan you are TOO SMART FOR US MORANS.

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 18:01 (eighteen years ago) link

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