Gaucho Poll

Hey Nineteen

Gaucho, taken as a whole album, is better than the sum of its parts, making a poll like this difficult. Having said that, Hey 19 gets my nostalgia vote as the first Steely Dan song to make an impression on me growing up. It also nails that world-weary, too-slick/polished, creepy, sort-of passionless vibe of the disc better than anything else on it.

"Glamour Profession" on a whim. Really strongly tempted to vote for the title track.

"One more expensive kiss-off, who do you think I am..."

The title track, narrowly over "Hey Nineteen" and "Third World Man."

Hey Nineteen or Gaucho or the guitar solo on Third World Man. Haven't decided yet.

only SD poll I didn't have to think about for more than 2 seconds, Babylon Sisters all the way

otm

Several months back, I would have picked Babylon Sisters with no hesitation. But lately, I've really been feeling the title track. Love that swishing, chiming synth pad that sneaks in during the chorus. Really, every song on this album is great.

Really, every song on this album is great.

otm times a billion

I'm constantly amazed at how smooth Glamour Profession is while naigating through the ups and downs of a truly complex chord progression. Each bar enters a slightly altered mood from the last. And the horns have the sleaziness of a really cheap horror film.

"you got to shake it baby,you got to shake it..."

Babylon Sisters all the way

only song I don't really love on here is 'my rival'. could almost vote for 'hey nineteen' or 'gaucho,' but I totally have to go with 'babylon sisters'. this album is the ultimate dan grower.

Yeah I always skip "My Rival"

It's the last song I "got." It's all about the backing vocals.

for me it was between time out of mind and gaucho aka "jackin' for chords" and I had to go with the latter for its gorgeous development. but the time change in "time out of mind," Jesus Christ. the only album I know of where a twenty-year break seems like the band's only logical response.

Yeah, everything about "Gaucho" is so well-developed. I mentioned on the other thread that I can't think of any song with such subtly deployed irony; Fagen's confidence is such that I can't disentangle the contempt for the Gaucho and his self-identification.

For years I couldn't figure out what the backing vocals were saying when they took over on the chorus (nearly drowning out Fagen, which is another great tactic).

*FROM his self-identification.

I am sure we've already done this, but it still is "Babylon Sisters"

voted title track, but it wasn't easy. first three are pretty hard to top -- not just w/r/t to Gaucho, but SD's entire catalog.

Voted Babylon Sisters

Like the rest of ILM, I feel this is the most underrated Steely Dan album. While I still like "Aja" and "Pretzel Logic" better, the first three tracks here are downright fantastic. But I still come back to "Babylon Sisters" because it has some fantastic chords and chord changes, and is also possibly the ultimate hi-fi classic among the Steely Dan tracks.

you gotta give Geir an OTM when he's OTM: I've sat down with the sheet music to "Babylon Sisters," and those changes are fucking CHOICE.

Easily the title track for me (the glowing vocals of the chorus, fantastic lyrics), followed by "Time Out of Mind" or "Babylon Sisters"

title track wins it for me.

It's the last song I "got." It's all about the backing vocals.

-- Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Monday, July 14, 2008 3:21 PM (6 hours ago)

man, this is just a general steely dan truth! just saw them live and people were FLIPPING OUT during the "you'vegottoshakeitbaby" bits in babylon sisters.

skate a little lower

I have a theory that his rival in My Rival is Billy Joel, though I don't think I can prove that it's true...

I can imagine Billy Joel stinking like a prickly pear.

Good as it is, this is where they started to run out of melodies and had to settle for grooves instead. (But I have to admit I considered voting for "Glamour Profession" before picking "Time Out of Mind."

If My Rival was replaced with The Second Arrangement, this would be the best album ever, period.

yeah, I like "Second Arrangement" more than most of the songs that made the cut.

where is it available?

I got it off of some Steely Dan Archive site that appears to no longer exist, but it seems to be out there on bootlegs as much as any other SD outtakes/demos.

I'll leave my Soulseek on tonight if anyone wants it

I forgot to mention that I voted for "Hey Nineteen." I'm surprised by the love for the title track, which I find a little boring.

my rival is pretty dope, i think. love the keyboards.

it's got that great tinny synth solo.

one dollar used to be a whole lot but it hardly worth shit today

2nd Arrangement is pretty overrated, I find

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

I went with "Babylon Sisters" mostly because you can hear Green Gartside and his chirpers in the exchange "So fine so young/Tell me I'm the only one." Think maybe he got the idea for Cupid & Psyche 85, if not his entire career, from listening to Steely Dan?

"Babylon Sisters" for me

Man I love the Dan so much

I decided to go with Gaucho, mostly because it proves that they were not out of melodies. That song has so many hooks it could make an album.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

mostly because it proves that they were not out of melodies.

Keith Jarrett begged to differ.

whoa, surprising that babylon sisters didn't take this.

I am shocked that Hey Nineteen didn't walk away with it.

anyone with a big heart want to rapidshare or torrent us the lost gaucho and katy lied demos? would be eternally grateful!

I got you on the gaucho outtakes, but it's going to have to wait for tomorrow

thanks dyao! that's really nice of you

np

I imagine this is the kind of album you listen to in a lawn chair on your rooftop overlooking the city, watching the dull sun set slowly into the horizon

With coke in your nose and a young girl on your dick.

this record makes me never want to go to work again.

My favorite Dan record. Has the feeling of a collection of short stories. Would've voted Time Out Of Mind or Glamour Profession, but there's really no going wrong on this platter and F U MY RIVAL IS CLASSIC.

bodacious cowboys

glad to see the love. my favorite dan too. can't really play it in the winter though

gaucho outtakes:

http://www.mediafire.com/?yd12zyjrjmu

would love to hear katy lied demos, hint hint

thanks dyao. if i ever get the kay lied demos, i'll figure out how to post them...had them once, they are really great, particularly "mr. sam" an amazing unreleased song

yo i found the katy lied demos/outtakes just on blogs via google search

http://greenalienchick.blogspot.com/2009/08/steely-dan-katy-lied-outtakes-rough.html

thanks, hobbes

thanks! didn't realize there were so many gaucho outtakes out there. (I had one discs worth.)

CHILDREN WE HAVE IT RIGHT HERE

god, even the outtakes are gold.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9Qpo4hxJys

lol at that vid btw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EI3bPC4O8U

You're all off your nut. It's Pretty Purdie on the drums. Take a listen to the purdie shuffle. You done it...you done hired the hitmaker.No one but!
jupiterjazz 1 week ago

isn't Purdie nuts? was his'i played on 21 Beatles songs instead of Ringo' story ever mentioned on ILX?

Wow! "The Bear" is awesome.

if you guys haven't heard 'second arrangement' ya prob should

yeah Second Arrangement KILLS.

I heard it a few years ago, but I prefer "The Bear" for the clavinet and Fagen's vocal.

yeah, "second arrangement" is killer, no doubt about it. and though I find the low fidelity on both of the takes I've heard charming, I can't help but wonder what the song would sound like given the pristine dan treatment. it really seems to beg for it - it just pops.

but "the bear" is a sparser, dirtier groove. I may prefer it as well, given the circumstances.

man, the riff that kicks off "second arrangement" is SO GOOD. love it!!

I'll repeat: "The Bear" is terrific, especially how it builds to the chorus punch line.

it's true. gaucho has slowly worked its way to the top of the dan releases for me. but if "second arrangement" and "the bear" were on it too? damn.

Alfred's repping for "Third World Man" in other threads has really raised its reputation in my view

― dyao, Monday, October 12, 2009

I never saw this post but am getting teary about it. Thanks!

I'm listening to "Time Out of Mind."

Would probably switch my vote to "Third World Man" nowadays.

I love this album but will always consider Aja its superior

it really is mind-blowing that fagen and becker were 32 and 30 respectively when this album was released. the recording sessions began when they were 30 and 28!

glamour profession got fucking robbed here

it's been six years i think we're due for another gaucho poll

If you're gonna do one make it weighted

I'll have to give that title track another chance. I'm not a fan of this album (a lot of it feels boring), but even though it's the least of their 1972-1980 run of releases, it's still okay. There's some fine stuff, and "Hey Nineteen" and "Time Out of Mind" are great singles. (The latter was even the highlight of both Steely Dan shows that I've seen over the years, thanks to the addition of an extended solo from Fagen.)

Title track is my favorite, too.

soon you’ll throw down your disguise
we’ll see behind those briiiiiight eyes

Gaucho outtakes poll would be more interesting

glamour profession got fucking robbed here

― i also enjoy in line skateing (spazzmatazz), Monday, 5 May 2014 07:55 (six years ago) bookmarkflaglink

for me, the right answer is clearly track 1 or track 2

I regret to inform you that not enough people are shaking it

Qualifier 64!

1 Roxy Music! https://t.co/MkrBGspvVb
2 Steely Dan! https://t.co/BxjQIGI5vX
3 Robert Palmer! https://t.co/Pc9h8kVMiD
4 John Lennon! https://t.co/iw7xbSyiS4

— World Cup Of 1980 (@peoples_pop) November 15, 2020

40 years old today

Man the instrumental outro of "Gaucho" is so amazing. It's like they heard the theme from Donohue and said "let's show that Mike Post hack how it's done" (yeah I know the timeline doesn't work out but I'd imagine the inspiration was something along those lines)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gv4SkB72XdA

lmao they do have a similar melody

mike post rocks though

the "my rival" guitar sounds like it got repurposed in sheryl crow's "my favorite mistake"

xp yeah no disrespect to Mike Post. For some reason I imagined Becker and Fagen turning their noses up at him, but on second thought that's a flimsy assumption; I remember Fagen talking in an interview about how TV music was a major inspiration for him. I would bet that he appreciated Post's work in a kitschy way

Basically "let's take this kinda cheesy TV theme music and make it super harmonically complex"

son you’re playing with fire
the kid will live and learn
as he watches his bridges burn
from the point of no return

shake it!

the end of a perfect day
distant lights from across the bay