Steely Dan is often labelled as being "yacht rock". But the amount of social commentary they put in their lyrics is mindblowing. It seems to me they intended the (upper) middleclass as their target audience, and then said "let's confront them with all their demons, and make it sound so smooth they don't even realize it." I love it!
Yacht Rock isn't just the style but all the interactions between the musicians of that genre. Steely Dan worked with so many in that genre including heavy hitters Michael McDonald, Glenn Frye and Don Henley. Good Yacht Rock focused on musicianship. So yeah, SD is Yacht Rock but is at the top of the game.
NO joke: Steely Dan may be one of only a handful (seriously 5 or less) bands in the world to never put out a bad song in a career of 5 albums or more. They are THAT good.
Tull, Floyd, Who, Yes etc... have all done songs, several in fact, that I dislike to varying degrees. The same cannot be said for Steely Dan. Fagen and Becker are THE ultimate professionals and it shows every...single...song.
Your next Steely Dan song needs to be FM (No Static At All). Keep in mind that FM came into popularity in the late 70s. It was patented a couple decades early, but not mainstream until the mid 70s. I remember my mom switching back to AM a lot. She didn't like that rock n roll FM stuff we wanted to listen to 🤣😂 I graduated high school in 1979. Steely Dan was phenomenal back then, and they still are. A childhood friend and I got to see them about 5 years ago. It was awesome, so many memories from my teens, early 20s. Thanks for bringing great music back.
In the early days of FM it was almost exclusively devoted to classical music due to the short range then of signal strength. Then slowly but surely album rock began to creep in. One station I listened to , WMUM (Mother) in W. Palm Beach, FL, would play every single version of the same song ever released by every artist that ever did it - back-to-back. It was sooooo cool!
sue on of my fave steely songs didnt know until.after walter passed that he played the guitar solo was fortunate to see band on his last tour but cant recall dont believe they played fm he they performed black friday he rocked maybe one or two others cant recall
Be sure to look for the longest mix of “FM”, that includes both the extended saxophone outro, and Walter Becker’s brilliant extended guitar outro. He’s so amazing here, he ventures into David Gilmour territory…
Yes,ah… I don’t know who does the ratings when something’s under-rated 🤔🙂 but I know what you mean, and I’m in agreement with any major dude named Larry. It’s a great track.
@Matt McQueen: Thanks much for that lyric bit. I guess if you live long enough, some of life’s mysteries get resolved. I googled Squonk, and now I understand the awesomeness of that lyric. Amazing. Thanks so much!
The expressions of ecstasy on your faces while listening to great old rock music gives me many deep moments of reminiscence of times past when I was young, hearing this music for the first time. It's glorious magnificence!😌
Gotta hit Don't Take Me Alive. If you're looking for more dirty relationship Steely Dan, check out Everything you Did. The lyrics in that one get them a shoutout in The Eagle's Hotel California!
@@taterdawg couldn’t agree more bro. Don’t take me alive for the win! Intro screaming guitar solo and outro too. One of the greatest songs on another great album.
Steely Dan has such a great catalog there is seemingly no end of songs to recommend, but I would go with "Don't Take Me Alive" next. The guitar work is next level...even by Steely Dan standards. After that, "FM (No Static at All)" gets the nod.
Damn fine start for sure! This is just a very strong album, from start to finish! "Reelin In The Years", "Brooklyn", "Change Of The Guard" "Midnight Cruiser"......Not a weak moment in sight!
*Midnite Cruiser* has received little to no airplay over the years (heard it once on the radio on one of those "eclectic" programs where the DJ only plays deep cuts). As with all early SD songs, just amazing lyrics for a couple of "kids" still in their 20s: "The world that we used to know People tell me it don't turn no more The places we used to go Familiar faces that ain't smilin' like before The time of our time has come and gone I fear we been waiting too long" Lead vocal by drummer Jim Hodder, who also sang lead on the CBAT throwaway *Dallas.* David Palmer, lead singer on DW, also contributed his vocal talent to *Brooklyn (Owes the Charmer Under Me)* as well as backed Donald Fagen on *Only a Fool Would Say That,* *Change of the Guard,* and *Turn That Heartbeat Over Again,* all from CBAT.
Great to hear this again. 50 years old this year guys. Unbelievable production. Can you imagine when this album went on my record player for the 1st time. Great debut album
"Only Steely Dan can pull it off this smooth." "This smooth." "This smooth." Yeah, adultery, promiscuity, the last half of the second verse is about how the chess rook (castle in his corner in a midieval game) sees this situation (I foresee terrible trouble and I stay here just the same). What imagery. Like Andy says, "This is Shea Butter smooth."
Been there done that! Never “listened” to that song until now with you guys. I think that’s why I’m a part of your community. I’m 64 and y’all take the music that I grew up on and dissect it to a deeper level than I ever did. Thank you for that.
I'm 64 also. I wore out this first album of theirs playing it so much. It's amazing. Listening to all this music by reactors these days shows how this music is timeless.
Some of my favorite Steely Dan songs you guys haven't hit yet: "Here At The Western World", "Doctor Wu" "Haitian Divorce", "Pretzel Logic" and "FM". Though I do love everything by them. Also try Donald Fagen's solo hit "New Frontier" Btw the lead vocalist on "Dirty Work" was David Palmer who only appears on that album sharing vocals with Donald and Walter.
In High School every time one friend of mine would bomb a test he would meet up with us at the car and immediately put on "Here At The Western World" to soothe his mind and spirit.
I agree. This is the best short list of recommendations I could give to steely songs they haven’t reacted to yet but would love. I’ll throw in maybe “night by night” and “king of the world” to mix it up a little and give the boys a couple more options.
I think it’s time for you guys to take a dive into my favorite Steely Dan album, Katy Lied. Every song on it is so freaking good. SO GOOD! In fact I’m going to go put it on right now…
Glad to hear you're getting to "The Graduate," a true all-time classic film. I'd strongly suggest reacting to Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence" before going into the movie, it is one of their signature songs, which is used to great effect in the movie.
@@loosilu Hi Lucie, I don't recall that, and a search I just did indicates they've only reacted to "The Boxer," "Mrs. Robinson," "Cecilia," and "Bridge Over Troubled Waters"
Very few movies are great enough to be compared to The Graduate. Every moment of every scene is wonderful. The montage, the music, the dialog, the performances, all stellar.
'Can't Buy a Thrill' was one of the greatest debut albums of all time. There are no bad tracks and a bunch of great ones. I know some have been overplayed enough on classic radio to make folks tired of them (Reelin in the Years, for example) but they were all great songs which is why they got the airplay.
David Palmer did several songs for Steely Dan as lead vocal. The song he contributed on were not considered tunes that Donald Fagen’s voice or singing style would carry as well. Their hunch was correct.
Back in the Day, nobody did it like the Dan. My Holy Trinity of Steely Dan songs include "Haitian Divorce", "Kid Charlemagne", and "Don't Take Me Alive." This song, along with "Any Major Dude Will Tell You" would definitely make it onto any "Greatest Hits" collection along with my three faves. There's just so much good stuff to choose from.
Great tune, definitely one of their best. If you haven't done Showbiz Kids yet then that's a must. Also from the debut, Only A Fool Would Say That is lots of fun.
Rumor has it “Only a Fool Would Say That” was a retort to John Lennon’s “Imagine”. But I’m no expert… the idea fits, however. I just don’t know if it’s actually, you know, true. Any expert opinions/ knowledge out there? I love both songs, btw, and feel both sentiments.
This is among my top faves of theirs, glad you finally hit this one. Pretzel Logic is a must hit for their next tune! Pretzel logic is a great LP and the title track is my number one fave of theirs.
Funny that "Dirty Work" is getting elevated as characteristic of Steely Dan given that it's one of only two sung by David Palmer during his brief stint in the band.
Steely Dan is a tough one for me I grew up in the 70’s and 80’s and although many of my friends got them I was only interested in heavier guitar driven music and pushed them aside as I’ve aged I’ve gained some appreciation for them
If you’ll take a little time checking out the music again from the early 70’s and forward, especially with headphones, you might appreciate them more as the recording qualities are paramount and the guitar work performed by session guitarist’s is pretty amazing! Have a great day!
You guys continuously remind me of how lucky I was to grow up in a time when this kind of music was just what you heard every time you turned on the radio.
Singer was David Palmer, who was gone by the next album, "Countdown to Ecstasy." Becker and Fagan decided that two lead singers was two too many. In modern vernacular, it's a song about a booty call. :-D
There's only one thing to do at this point; you have to hit this whole album. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that "Can't Buy a Thrill" approaches "Aja" in it's greatness. Every track is a memorable work of art. Give it a go.
I taped this album for my girlfriend as a gift (now my wife of 28 years!) when we first started dating. This was one our favorite songs on the album. Sounds as great today as it did back then. Thanks for reacting to this one fellas - brings back awesome memories!
The steely Dan phenomenon is a "ship" steered by two very talented visionary musicians who bring in the studio the best musicians on the planet who offer what the piece of work (ALBUM STYLE / SONG requires .... many have served that purpose in each project .... few have remained.
Great reaction Andy & Alex!! You 2 are so right about "Dirty Work"! This was the first album I bought back in 1973! Now you MUST react to "Fire in the Hole" off the same album!!
David Palmer - lead vocals. He also sang lead on most of Steely Dan's songs when performed live in their early concerts as a result of Fagen's lack of live vocal power at that point. Fagen eventually took over as lead vocalist and Palmer was fired, although he did contribute backing vocals on the band's subsequent release, Countdown to Ecstasy. In 2014, Palmer sued Steely Dan for unpaid royalties.
I dug watching your reactions to this one. It was like watching myself some 50 years ago when I first heard this song. The whole Can't Buy a Thrill album is a time capsule and outstanding debut album.
For me, Can't Buy a Thrill is arguably among the greatest debut albums ever. Three huge radio hits, and every song is great. As they evolved, they began incorporating jazzier arrangements, along with production values that rivaled anyone else at the time. I think Donald Fagen once said that he tried to incorporate sophisticated jazz chords into a pop song context, which really made them unique. You could pick a random SD song, and it would be worth your attention, but if you're looking for recommendations, try My Old School, Bodhisattva, Black Friday, Bad Sneakers, Don't Take me Alive, or Kid Charlemagne. And at least another dozen that others will surely cite as well!
Appropriate that the movie of the month is "The Graduate" since you're previewing "Dirty Work" today! David Palmer on vocals here. He was gone by Countdown, but added a lot to this great debut album. You've got SO MUCH more to look forward to with The Dan!
That line "Light the candle put the lock upon the door, you have sent the maid home early Like a thousand times before"..... always get's me. Paints such a clear picture. Great song. Also, just a friendly reminder to hit some Rory Gallagher for St. Patrick's Day. If you do, then the rains will fall soft upon your fields.
Vocals by David Palmer. His other great vocal from that album is one of my favorite Steely Dan songs (of which there are many), "Brooklyn (Owes the Charmer Under Me)". He also doubled parts of Donald Fagen's vocals on "Reelin' in the Years", "Only a Fool Would Say That", and "Change of the Guard" to reach the high notes. He was also the lyricist of the Carole King number two hit, "Jazzman". I sure hope he is still singing somewhere, but I read that, since 2002, he has been a digital photographer specializing in landscapes and fine art images. In 2014, Palmer sued Steely Dan for unpaid royalties.
Over time, I forgot this was a Steely Dan song because of the vocals. I re-found it about 10 years ago on Spotify (or some service). Still not one of my SD faves, but a great song.
I'm with you. I did not remember this was from Steely Dan. I was nine or ten when it came out. But graduating in '81 made me a huge fan of the Dan by then.
Steely Dan sure does get a lot of well deserved comments. I also vote for Don''t Take Me Alive. It's a perfect song. The melody, lyrics, and solos are all excellent.
