Jon Hetherington is so good at this show. I liked his sound best when he was playing this 335 rather than the Fenders and Fender-ish guitars he played later.
2003, 'Everything Must Go', Universal Studios. 2014, 'Jamalot Ever After' The Forum 2022, "Earth After Hours", Hollywood Bowl 2023 "The Long Goodbye", The Forum. Yeah; I kinda dig Steely Dan.
Amazing that they obsessed over every single bar of music, cherry-picked the best musicians to perform take after take until it was 'perfect', and then threw his pathetically bad singing on top of it all rendering it unlistenable hahahahaha - self-important wankers.
I know this sounds presumptious, but the formula of Steely Dan could be attempted again. Of course, it won't be the same and it shouldn't be. However, if a band could merge urbane soulful songwriting and vocals and make the songs a platform for virtuosos to showcase on, you'd at least get a start. However, getting anywhere near Fagen and Becker's songwriting or Fagen's singing is the impossible challenge.
I enjoyed watching this, but as a documentary, it's pretty crappy. No real info about the tour, the musicians,, etc. No throughline at all. Just interview segments stitched together more or less randomly between music segments. (I'm assuming this wasn't edited down from a fuller doc). I mean, VH1, so I'm not surprised, but still.
Thank You Hans Jonkhof for this video recording. It is well done and captures "Steely Dan", their fusion of Jazz and contemporary music of the time (mine also now at 66 yrs old) is priceless. I love to play their music on guitar and it is a joy. Thankds again - its TIMELESS
01. Teenies Blues 02. Kid Charlemagne 5:46 03. The Caves Of Altamira 11:30 04. Don't Take Me Alive 15:11 05. Sign In Stranger 19:44 06. The Fez 24:30 07. Green Earrings 28:17 08. Haitian Divorce 34:40 09. Everything You Did 40:36 10. The Royal Scam 44:47
I guess I had always known about Steely Dan before knowing about them, because of Do It Again and Rikki Don’t Lose That Number being on the radio that was always on in our house, but finally came to them in 1996 when the best of Then and Now (with the carhenge sculpture on by Jim Reinders) appeared in a sale in Woolworths... I was 24 then so still terribly worried about cool and not cool, and this coffee table music seemed ineffably uncool. But I LOVED it. I didn't want the coda of FM to end. I love repetition and it was hypnotic. And as a jazz fan the connection finally clicked. One of the coolest uncool bands EVER. Its beyond however, me why the band has continued, but I guess its none of my f***in business what the two of them agreed if one of them wasn't around.
Don't want to mention any specific event or creation but performed in 2000 I will say the state of mind of these fella's told through the music as the stories unfold amazes and brings upon me a nostalgic peace of mind that makes me complete... Life goes on
I love the fact that Walter and Donald looked and acted like two completely unassuming guys…they looked like they could be librarians. Looks can be deceiving.
Great doco, loved Donald saying Skunk Baxter did very well with the ladies after the shows he had a mixure of moral disgust and envy seeing Baxter the next morning with these ladies sometimes half dressed .
