Had something to say..... But need inspiration, direction from outa this world, with masters like Fagon. Becker. I will shut up. Listen to there music with all of my limited sensors.
@@barnabyaprobert5159 I would pick "Home at Last" and "My Old School" from their song book; Then I would listen again and maybe come up with a third. The Dan are definitely on my Desert Island record list. Damn! Becker is gone from us. - Sandy
Got really lucky recently, found an original, first pressing in fantastic condition. My existing one I bought a few years ago isn't a great copy ( bought used). Look in the dead wax, the original pressing number starts with "AB" After a few months changed to "AA" and all these and everything after sounds inferior.
Whatever it takes. The records speak for themselves. The only rock/pop act in history who wrote 7 straight GREAT consecutive non-soundtrack albums. There's more filler on The White Album than on any SD record. The Stones could only produce 4 straight great ones. The early Zep records were filled with uncredited or credited covers...
Those other solos were literally horrible, especially the first one. I don't know which L.A. session musicians were those first guys, but wow what schlock. Jay's solo is like a hundred times better than anything else I heard there. I bet this wasn't a hard choice for them at all, just the pain of wading through all of that dross to finally get to the money-maker. I'm glad they were patient!
@@philsackett7341 Agreed. The first two were typical jazz solos you would hear in a club. Good, but nothing to write home about. The final one was from a different planet. What a weird way of working! Hire different musicians every day. No wonder their stuff sounded so perfect. They kept trying people until they got what they wanted.
Their songs became like tapestries. I think what separates SD from basically every other band is that they have a songwriting sensibility that pays tribute to novelists, guys like Jack Kerouac and Steinbeck. That's why a lot of their songs feel so 'cinematic', they capture the essence of a short American novel in a few minutes. Each instrument is pivotal in capturing that.
Yeah, not knowing much about them or of their era, I found them through hip hop sampling, i.e.: Peg- De La Soul, Kid Charlemagne-Kanye, etc. Now here I am wanting to get deeper, and these behind the songs gems w/ stems & the story/background are amazing that I keep finding on RU-vid... No wonder Steely Dan is bad ass they hire the baddest players to flesh out their ideas which is genius. Wondered how some of their tracks were so funky for a rock band? & it was b/c they were hiring some of the baddest jazz cats like Chuck Rainey & Bernard Purdie to come on and rip. Hear Chucks genius on "Summer in the City" - Quincy Jones (Should be a making of on here somewhere) also Kid Charlemagne is w/ Bernard P on drums. To anyone who dislikes hip hop sampling- well for those of us w/o music programs or parents that bought us instruments, this may be how we get into music & hip hop sampling has brought many artists back from near obscurity/history book realm of a ghostly library to living history, appreciation & a nice check or 10. Sampling has given many artists that really never had success (not in the case of Steely Dan, more Eddie Bo) , much success even much later w/ a whole different gen. loving & appreciating their music, finally 30-60 years later... sampling brings younger generations & people to good music & keeps not envogue music relevant, current & in the conversation.
@@wesleywayne303 That's awesome! I'm older, but I was very young. As a drummer, I think they nailed who they picked to record the drum, and bass tracks. I started late, but I'm learning to sample, as I'd really like to write some "beats" from ideas I've hD ibţWhat DAW do you work with?
I never hear about Becker and Fagen arguing. I'm amazed they could share such a singular vision and not come apart while doing take after take of so many of their songs.
Michael McDonald is incredible. Those harmonies are so tight it's unbelievable! Genius musicianship, composing, arranging and production from an all star line up! Stellar!
@@alekkoomanoff7281 Started out Steely Dan. He was under-utilized as a background singer but maintained a working relationship with the band. Jeff Skunk Baxter had been released from Steely Dan and joined the Doobies. Baxter gave McDonald the nod based on their work together in Steely Dan. McDonald was hired on a temporary basis as Tom Johnston had health issues. McDonald eventually became a permanent member of the Doobie Brothers.
McDonald's background vocals make this track. Never before have I heard such a rich, powerful, and harmonic vector of sound as the legendary McDonald's delivery of "Peeeggg!" Holy Cow! What a sound!
Mellissa Cross I was not being negative but giving my opinion to the statement that Michael McDonald’s vocals “make this track.” No, they don’t. He simply did what Becker and Fagen asked him to do. I love McDonald, but Becker and Fagen WROTE THE DAMN SONG. How does a backup singer “make a track?”
When I heard Steely Dan in the 70s and Fagan's NightFly in the 80s (I consider that to be the best album ever recorded) as a kid and teen, the sound of their albums were unlike anything I had heard - the crispness and tone was unmatched. Their music sold me on a vision of the future that I needed to fulfill for myself: a high rise apartment overlooking my city, Steely Dan playing on the stereo, perhaps a girlfriend, some drinks, a party etc. In the early 90s, my girlfriend at the time and I moved into such a high rise apartment, and I lived that vision. What an awesome time. Such great memories - and it all came about because of this music that was 4th dimensional to me. Sometimes I miss that apartment. Sometimes I miss that old girlfriend. But I still have the music.
These guys were on another level..I never would have described Jay's solo as "Hawaiian" or "Polynesian", yet they knew. The amount of theory and music they know is just mindblowing.
If he would have kept just playing with his fingers, the song would have been boring. But the slapping at the end of the song was necessary because that's the chorus. The energy level has to be increased to keep the listener engaged. So I'm glad he snuck the slapping in there...:-)
Chuck Rainey is THE groove meister - one of those great session bassists who has never really got the credit he deserved for his work for so many artists, on so many albums.
Let’s face it that Chuck Rainey bassline at 1:09 deserves it’s own RU-vid channel. For the life of me, how can someone create and play something so rich, so funky, so otherworldly on a bass 🔥
In his latter years Walter lived on Maui and I had the joy of “meeting“ him once. It was in the Kahului Maui airport when we crossed paths. We were both headed home, me to Oahu and he had just returned to Maui. I instantly recognized him and blurted out “Hey, Walter Becker” and reached out to shake his hand. He was unassuming and stopped to say hello before moving on to baggage claim. That must’ve been over 20 years ago, but I remember it as if it were yesterday. 06/07/2020 😷🤙🏼
Not to sound too old school, the sheer "craftsmanship" of this tune exemplifies why the music of this era was so good. It was talent, not technology. This stuff is beyond great !
Every time I hear MM's solo vocals and hear the story about how detailed the vocals were stacked, I am amazed. I have never listened to this song the same since hearing this story! I greatly appreciate and respect all involved in making this classic.
that solo on peg couldn't be more perfect, especially so listening to the solos that didn't make it. one of the greatest solos on a rock record of all time
Just heard a rumor that the other two we hear here were throwaway takes from Becker himself, and they’re just hamming it up for the fun - came back to listen again and I’m finding it compelling - it’s clearly the same person
Pure genius! Those backing vocals by McDonald are the best in history. And those guitar solos they rejected were horrific. They would've ruined the song. Those two guys had the best musical ears ever. They knew exactly what they wanted and what would work best. That song is perfection.
Ironic how a song recorded when technology was so much less developed, destroys anything being done today. Becker and Fagan were rigid perfectionists, but they knew the genius of real players. That is the sign of real bandleaders and composers who don't have so much ego they won't let others shine at what they do. They actually built themselves up by stepping back and letting others do their best. This is a lesson that should not be lost on musicians of today. Bowie was another bandleader like that.
Yes those two guys know music inside and out and it shows in just about everything they did together. Carry on Donald and R.I.P. Walter. You are certainly being missed.
….yeah, they knew that, like Dean Parks said, you get it down and then you loosen it up. They knew the genius in letting the players bring out their own genius.
I'll bet Michael Mc Donald has never smoked. Doobie Brothers are very clasy also. I may guess that a band like the Mamas and the Papas may be an infkuence. Great harmonies similar to the Beach Boys earlier. He " Knew what he was in for " He said it.
I am 14 years old and this is my favorite song!! I can't explain why my head keeps moving but it does. My dad introduced me to Hip Hop and De La Soul but always tells me where they get the beat from.
Close but that title belongs to Deacon Blues, coincidentally enough from that very same band and the very same album. The soundtrack of my youth, wonderful stuff all of it!
I'd be honored if some Steely Dan fans would give a listen to my live keyboard & vocal performances of HOME AT LAST and JOSIE on my YT channel in tribute to Walter Becker and the Aja album, which stands as one of the greatest artistic achievements of the 20th century. Live acoustic with no digital editing. Thanks and peace.
Agree wholeheartedly! You can still play AJA anywhere and incredibly it hasn’t dated , just gets better with the years! Gotta thank the Brecker bros band for the talent !!!
Inquisitor6321 I always thought Michael McDonald wasn't a good fit with Steely Dan. He's just a bit too blue eyed soul for a jazz influenced band with great syncopation capabilities.
12 years old in the winter of 1978. This song came on the radio, and I was smitten. Sunny, happy, unique and groovy. Emphasis on groove. This is a timeless song, created by total professionals. Ear candy if there ever was ear candy.
I'd be honored if some Steely Dan fans would take a listen to my live keyboard & vocal performances of HOME AT LAST and JOSIE on my YT channel in tribute to the great Walter Becker and the Aja album, which stands as one of the greatest artistic achievements of the 20th century. Live acoustic with no digital editing. Thanks and peace.
Donald and Walter may have been perfectionist. But the high quality shows in every Steely Dan song. Peg is, among others, one of their best. Michael McDonald's vocals on the Aja album was and still is pure magic.
@@MarkOnDrums1976 well, if you're going to take in the comment as dialect rather than perfect grammar, then I can picture someone saying "I've seen these guys 3 times". The difference is, this person just took out the "I've" because who the fuck writes I've in a youtube comment section? not me
@@blurryvision942 Seen saw sawed seened. I was compelled to reply since we have a majority nation that is fat dumb and hapoy as they post selfies on tick tock and and instagram and can't even answer basic questions taught in school. Half the kids in high school today don't even know basic geography. "OH, Canada is north of us?" If Doc Brown offered me a chance to hop in his DeLorean and worm-hole-it to 2100, I'd decline..
The drum/bass track is gold. One of the greatest grooves ever laid down...drums sound simple, but to play with that pocket is much more difficult than it appears.
Rick Marotta is a hell of a drummer. I've always loved his beat on Peg and it's great to hear him talk about it here. It's really cool to see him play it too cos I always wondered if he did it w/ one or two hands on the hats.
Cool to hear Michael McDonald talk about the learning experience he had singing the harmonies and how much of a pain in the ass it was to deal with Becker & Fagin. His recollection is definitely bittersweet. :-)
I'm old now. Looking back now, missed out on a lot of stuff. BUT today is beautiful summer's day here in UK. After breakfast I'm going to "pop to the shops" in my Tesla model Y, windows down amd treat me and the test of the world to Peg. Makin' up for lost time.🙂❤
I don't think there was another band that existed in the 1970s that had the same attention to detail as Steely Dan...absolutely phenomenal sounds. McDonald's harmonies are simply astounding, great asset to the band and the album
It's wonderful how all of their musicians took so much pride in wanting to get it right musically...they picked people who just cared about the music. And that's why it's so good.
Fagen and Becker have a great comedy thing going on while at the console in these documentaries. That had to help with the thousands of hours they spent together.
I've loved this song from the very first time I heard it, some 45 years ago and counting. Steely Dan is so criminally under-rated, they were musical geniuses. Thanks so much for sharing this video.
I saw a documentary on these guys years ago and they interviewed several musicians that worked with Steely Dan and most all of them said it was insane working with Fagen and Becker because they were such perfectionists and I believe it. This was probably the best band to come out of America.
I hope the people I think really know me will be smart enough to play their music to represent me in all aspects. I can only imagine what Mr. Fagen is going through losing a brother like that.
I agree. It's not until you deconstruct the vocal layers that's it's truly classically derived. It's brilliantly executed on that final track. And if you play it back with the best audio equipment available, and especially with a fine vinyl copy, you can really make out the distinction of how truly complex the vocal blending is. It's a knockout performance, and the engineering behind it is insanely genius!
Chuck and Rick laid down one of the most perfect grooves on this track. They way they played around each other but with each other, masterful. Love that.
I returned to watch this after "Greatest Bass Line Ever? Ep5 'Peg' Steely Dan" from Scott's Bass Lessons breaks down Chuck Rainey's part. The subtleties in his playing are 😘
I grew up with these guys. As a classically trained pianist, I am totally in awe of their musicianship. Hats off. I have some expensive earbuds and can even hear them breath. (Gonna be deaf by 70yo, but I dont care.) Love them!
This song tho. Everything about it is magic. Incredible bass, rhythm and Michael McDonalds back up vocals. The guitar lead is pure genius. I’m so glad I saw this documentary.
"...then the shutter falls, you see it all in 3D, foreign movie". I was today years old when I realized what they were actually singing. Thank you for this video 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾😭😭😭😭.
loved this song first heard it on the radio as a 9 year old kid in April 1978 it was on their greatest hits album it definitely was a song of the time it was around the Saturday Night Fever and Grease era ahhh the late great 78' what a year.
I’ll tell ya. The way first class musicians can create such singular beauty out of so many parts....its just breathtaking. Then you think about Mozart and Bach etc who can create hair rising back of the neck stuff from an entire orchestra. It’s just incredible. Humans are an absolutely amazing species.
Hip-hop had Nate Dogg on tracks the compliment songs most artists from the 70s 80s 90s didn't matter if it was Rock Soul classic rock they had Michael McDonald on the track u knew his voices in a song like the song with Christopher Cross classic song
Of all~ELSE that happened in that year,..THIS is what i remember from it, first & most. 'Peg'. They don't know me from Adam, but when i listen to their work, i have the distinct impression, the GUT feeling that they know ALL about me and my life. That is because they know SO~much about music, that any, one recording (of theirs) is as good as a College-course in Pop~Jazz of late-20th Century. HERE is the song that you " just can't get out of your head ". uh,...Why would you WANT to?
MerkinMuffly it's not that they were too busy but more the fact that it sounds clear they havent got the depth of harmonic knowledge of chords that Jay Graydon has ..i think any competent jazz fusion guitarist could have handled it. these Steely Dan tunes are right up at the very top end of the rock canon
As much as the humanist in me feels bad for those other guys, the rationalist and music lover in me knows that Jay nailed it and that's all there is to it.
I've heard many anecdotes about being in the studio with Becker & Fagen, but it's mind boggling to actually watch them almost nonchalantly looking back at such a massive undertaking. Just another day at the office. Geniuses. And to have both Aja & Gaucho as a result of such dazzling perfectionism !!
Jay Graydon is another genius! Not only a brilliant guitarist and song writer, but up there with Quincy Jones and George Martin as one of the greatest music Producers of all time!
Quando tinha 15 anos (1972) ouvi uma música que nunca mais saiu de minha memória, era "Do it again"! Hoje aos 64 anos, ouço o Steely Dan como se tivesse ainda aqueles 15 anos. Tenho quase todos os discos, sou um apaixonado pelo som desses caras. Música inteligente, bem elaborada e com muito swing. Sou um fã incondicional. Apenas um sentimento enorme de pesar pelo Walter, mas ele está em minhas orações, seja onde estiver. 🙏🙏🙏
The way he uses his clubs make me so so happy this song has been my quarantine medicine song :) thank you steely dan. Been in love since 1985 .... falling in love again as an adult and appreciating now more than ever. Aja makes my heart sing and has made me happy since I was a little girl. Such great musicians and album Music is magic
I don't buy Chuck Rainey's story that they never knew it (the slapping) went down. Don Fagan and Walter Becker are such music geeks, almost savants and so damn meticulous that I find it hard to believe. I think they knew it full well and decided that Chuck was right after all about the slapping sounding better so just let it be.
popvinnik what happened is they didn't want splapping but when chuck did it, they realised he was right but didn't want to admit they were wrong, left it on the record then blamed chuck for being deceptive, but of course they knew all along.
I doubt that. I would say that both of them have forensic hearing and thought maybe that ‘slapping’ thing works anyway and just kept Chuck’s take. Surprisingly it hasn’t dated either.
That juste mamans absolutely nothing to say "they never knew it" - why would they say anything? You got your job. WHO cares if they knew you slapped or not? I'm sorry but... what was his point? I'm kinda lost.
Every single part of this song locks together like glue, and the presentation is crystal clear. The whole album is incredible, but this song in particular is truly a technical feat in many ways.
