TS: Steely Dan vs. Thin Lizzy

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I give the slight edge to Steely Dan, for their amazing consistency. I leave it you to choose the high points and compare, but I think ILM is gonna come out in favor of Steely Dan on this one. Thin Lizzy were a great band, and perhaps a better singles band than Steely Dan.. I dunno. I wasn't there.

― Special Agent Gene Krupa (orion), Saturday, 11 February 2006 07:05 (twenty years ago)

zep6982
Apr 05, 2005
CD [Rating1826285]

This in my opinion out of all the Lizzy albums i have heard is there best one from a hard rocking stand point. Title track kicks off the album, and really sets the tone for being a hard rockin classic. Under looked tracks here are "Angel from the coast", and "Romeo and the lonely girl". Lizzy really creates a masterpiece here with hard rockers like "Jailbreak", "Warriors", "The Boys are Back in Town", "Cowboy Song", and "Emerald". On a lot of the other lizzy albums I have always felt that the slow mellow tracks weren't really that good. This is not the case on Jailbreak as "Runnin back" and "Fight or fall" are two of my favorite Lizzy songs. If you havn't heard Thin Lizzy before, i suggest to start with this album, and buy on from there.

― Special Agent Gene Krupa (orion), Saturday, 11 February 2006 07:07 (twenty years ago)

Not a big fan of Steely Dan by any means (found myself wondering not less than a week ago how people manage to get into them) but I would choose them any day over Thin Lizzy.

― Bimble brings a lawn chair to antartica so he can sit and drink silver coff (Bim, Saturday, 11 February 2006 07:08 (twenty years ago)

No way, Steely Dan by like 50 songs or something

― fizzcaraldo (Justin M), Saturday, 11 February 2006 11:40 (twenty years ago)

This seems like an arbitrary comparison to me.

― fizzcaraldo (Justin M), Saturday, 11 February 2006 11:43 (twenty years ago)

it's a hard one for me. i don't think i can choose.

― scott seward (scott seward), Saturday, 11 February 2006 12:09 (twenty years ago)

This seems like an arbitrary comparison to me.

It's actually come up before on ILM, and I see the sense of it. Key phrase was something like how Thin Lizzy was Steely Dan crossed with something else.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 11 February 2006 12:51 (twenty years ago)

fizz otm, where's the point of comparison - I'm a fan of both but I don't see it myself

― Thomas Tallis (Tommy), Saturday, 11 February 2006 13:02 (twenty years ago)

Perhaps it all boils down to the funk.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 11 February 2006 13:06 (twenty years ago)

this is a very noise board thread. or, perhaps it is just a very ian thread. thin lizzy are a band i just dont 'get'

― terry lennox. (gareth), Saturday, 11 February 2006 13:07 (twenty years ago)

Oh please. Thin Lizzy...

E V E R Y. D A M N. T I M E.

You should be ashamed of yourselves.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 11 February 2006 13:11 (twenty years ago)

Steely by a mile, if you can appreciate subtlety and suggestion.

― def zep (calstars), Saturday, 11 February 2006 14:44 (twenty years ago)

Hi Alex!

Taking Sides: Steely Dan's "Reelin' in the Years" vs. Thin Lizzy's "The Boys Are Back in Town"

As I said on that other thread, those two songs share a similar harmonized-guitar part, and that's why I used to confuse the two as a youngster without access to FM radio. (My local AM station played 'em maybe 2-3 times a year, tops, back in the late '70s.)

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Saturday, 11 February 2006 14:54 (twenty years ago)

oh, i missed that thread! thanks.

― Special Agent Gene Krupa (orion), Saturday, 11 February 2006 15:41 (twenty years ago)

It's actually come up before on ILM, and I see the sense of it. Key phrase was something like how Thin Lizzy was Steely Dan crossed with something else.

Judas Priest, I sed.

― Ian Christe (Ian Christe), Saturday, 11 February 2006 15:44 (twenty years ago)

Lizzy wins easy here.

― Anthony Lombardi (CCPO), Saturday, 11 February 2006 16:03 (twenty years ago)

I can see the comparison between "Reelin" and "Boys", but for SD, that song hardly represents the rest of their output, while for Lizzy, it basically defines them.

The Dan by a mile and 3/4.

― Eric, Saturday, 11 February 2006 16:29 (twenty years ago)

musically i'd give Steely Dan a slight edge, but SD fans are 1000x more annoying and smug, so i'd call it even.

― pinza, Saturday, 11 February 2006 16:50 (twenty years ago)

i'll have to go with steely dan by a sliver, but some days i prefer thin lizzy.

― gear (gear), Saturday, 11 February 2006 17:38 (twenty years ago)

"but for SD, that song hardly represents the rest of their output, while for Lizzy, it basically defines them."

in the public's mind this is probably true. given that most people have probably only heard the same one or two songs that they play on classic rock radio year in and year out. and they did have an easily identifiable guitar sound. but they were hardly monolithic.

― scott seward (scott seward), Saturday, 11 February 2006 17:44 (twenty years ago)

I'd probably rather listen to Steely Dan - but I'd far rather have partied with Phil Lynott and the boys.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Saturday, 11 February 2006 20:51 (twenty years ago)

Thin Lizzy!

― deej....., Saturday, 11 February 2006 20:55 (twenty years ago)

Gosh, aside from "is this 70s stuff cool", I can't see much basis for comparison. It's like comparing a Caddy vs a Camaro...I dunno, I can drive both. I listen to Thin Lizzy a lot more, but wouldn't Thin Lizzy vs Grand Funk make more sense, or give us more to talk about?

― Euler (Euler), Saturday, 11 February 2006 20:58 (twenty years ago)

then: I would've picked Steely Dan and copped to Thin Lizzy as a (gulp) guilty pleasure

now: I pick Thin Lizzy and cop to Steely Dan as "important"

― m coleman (lovebug starski), Saturday, 11 February 2006 21:19 (twenty years ago)

I like the cut of your jib, Mr. Coleman.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 11 February 2006 21:20 (twenty years ago)

"then: I would've picked Steely Dan and copped to Thin Lizzy as a (gulp) guilty pleasure"

Then: I would've picked Thin Lizzy and copped to Steely Dan as a guilty pleasure!

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Saturday, 11 February 2006 22:16 (twenty years ago)

Oh. Ouch. This is a really hard one.

I own everything by Steely Dan and all the Lynott-era Thin Lizzy (except for "Life (Live)", which I was told to avoid by several people).

Love em both. Can't choose. But if the Gestapo was going to do some Sophie's Choice shit on my ass, I'd go Dan.

― Brooker Buckingham (Brooker B), Saturday, 11 February 2006 22:22 (twenty years ago)

http://www.youtube.com/w/steely-dan-my-old-school?v=SVFVGpeb8so&search=steely%20dan

I think that lets you know where my vote is.

and should probably settle the argument, if you've ever seen live TL footage.

and I really like Thin Lizzy.

― not a food, Sunday, 12 February 2006 00:05 (twenty years ago)

"Gonna be a showdown..."

― steel lizzy, Sunday, 12 February 2006 00:15 (twenty years ago)

Y'know, this isn't as easy to decide on as I first thought it would be. Having seen Thin Lizzy in their heyday and thinking that they were every bit as powerful as the Who, I now realize that their songbook wasn't filled with so many household names. They were awesome to get lost in, though. The Dan, whom I have had a longstanding admiration for, come off more as pop, but jeez, these guys can play with anybody. They're that good. So for tonight and maybe tomorrow, I'll say...

― jim wentworth (wench), Sunday, 12 February 2006 03:07 (twenty years ago)

my sentiments on the other thread hold true for this one as well. i don't dislike SD or nothin, but definitely Lizzy.

― ZR (teenagequiet), Sunday, 12 February 2006 20:35 (twenty years ago)

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