In my opinion, Steely Dan created the most sophisticated pop music ever to come out of the US. Their genius was in their subversion, inasmuch as they managed to sneak jazz into the pop charts. It was jazz for people who claim they hate jazz. It would be great to see you react to the title track from "Aja". The musicianship on that song is absolutely stunning - the drums in particular, by Steve Gadd, have gone down in musical history. I only discovered your channel recently and I am so enjoying your reactions. It's so refreshing to see an actual musician reacting, so thank you very much! I am so glad that the results of your biopsy were negative. It must have been an extremely stressful time for you. Now you can relax, with the unparalleled musical genius of Steely Dan for company!! With my very best wishes. Andy.
@SpaceOdditiesLive, Right On! Steve Gadd did his thing no bout a doubt it my friend. However, I've gotta give a shout out to Wayne Shorter also on that Aja track as well. Along with all the other kick-azz musicians who laid down some tasty grooves & vibes in the studio. Yet the solo work Steve & Wayne did on the Aja jam was an iconic moment of musical artistry at it's best. Just saying... 🤔 +Peace & Rock n' Roll 4 Your Soul My Friend+ 🤘😉🤘
"Black Cow Recipe The Black Cow drink recipe is made from coffee liqueur, milk and Coke, and served over ice in a highball glass. Ingredients 2 oz Coffee Liqueur (Wenneker) 2 oz Milk Cola (Coke) - to fill Glass: Highball Glass Directions Fill a highball glass with ice. Add coffee liqueur and milk, then fill with Coke. Stir gently and serve." Drink it up and leave... That's about it. It's more intriguing that eg Drink your pina colada and get out of here; wouldn't you say!?
"You should know how all the pros play the game" Pros, as in "professionals" as in high priced, by-appointment-only hookers. I think he's in love with a professional who comes staggering home after a night of drinks, narcotics and johns. She cries on his shoulder, talks it out til daylight, he feels responsible for making everything right in her world. She promises that she'll settle down, but she's an addict in so many ways and won't break the cycle. This is a running theme throughout the Steely Dan catalog. I see the black cow, filled with coffee, milk, sugar and liquor as a morning hangover drink. The fact that he repeats "drink your big black cow and get out of here" 3 times may indicate that this breakup scene has played out numerous times over a long period of time, and yet she continues to lure him back into her web. In that sense, he's also an addict. Becker & Fagen are masterful in their portrayal of the "human condition". Phenomenal track.
I think this is the correct analysis of the lyrics and what this song is really all about. Fagen definitely liked women that gave him trouble. Who doesn’t!? ;-)
Donald Fagen would go to jazz clubs with his dad from the time he was 12 in New York. He met many of the top jazz musicians of the day. He said he's a jazz/blues musician.
A Black Cow is basically a float. Coke with chocolate ice cream and chocolate syrup. It's old school. The lyrics themselves are pretty ambiguous. I said it before and I'll say it again. You're obviously a schooled musician. You picked out the root out right away while your bass was still sitting on it's stand. You are going to love these guys.
This is right. I think it’s a drink from their childhood you could get at the drug store back when the drug store wasn’t just a pharmacy. This might be a way of saying she’s childish and immature. I’m not sure.
🎉Another great job trying to decipher Steely Dan. No one is expected to really “get” the jist of their songs on the first go-round, but you did! The most important thing is their sound and the feeling you’re left with‼️ Let’s FEEL some more!
Glad to see you've returned to SD's "Aja" album. When this was released imagine how we who heard it felt when we dropped the needle on the record and this was the first cut on the album and "Aja" was the second cut. We knew this record was an immediate classic. Steely Dan, easily one of the top 5 American bands of the R&R/R&B era. SD is Donald Fagen and the late Walter Becker. The other musicians are a series of studio musicians, which changes by the album. Some of which on this album are Larry Carlton, Bernard Purdie, and Chuck Rainey, with Michael McDonald providing background vocals. So, let's start at the top. What is a Black Cow? It's basically a root beer float using Kahlua. The adult version however uses bourbon. Rudy's (Bar and Grill) still exists here in NYC on 9th ave between 44th and 45th. Then and now it is essentially a dive bar. In the 70's 42nd St was a hub for pro's and johns, and Rudy's was often where pro's, musicians, artists, and actors would mingle. On the bar when he sees her are her remedies (alcohol and drugs), and her book of numbers, so she was more a high priced pro. The pros also strolled from 26th and 11th ave to the Javits Center on 34th and 11th Ave down to 42nd, down to 7th Ave. There were many on the east side on Greene St from Houston to Spring St as well. The guy in the song then is a man who was hopelessly in love with a prostitute that cannot change her ways, and his many attempts to change her have proven fruitless. This is now perhaps his goodbye to her. My favorites by them are "Kid Charlemagne", "Aja", "Deacon Blues", the entire "Aja" album, "Hey Nineteen", "Peg", “The Fez”, “Green Earrings”, "Do It Again", "Reelin' In The Years", "Babylon Sisters", "Dirty Work", "Rikki Don't Lose That Number", "Don't Take Me Alive", "My Old School", "Any Major Dude Will Tell You", and "Doctor WU. There are more because there's really no bad Steely Dan song. Try "Peg" next and go from there.
@churchboy was given quite a nice overview there! But I would add a couple of things, possibly. First, with regard to who the group is: Steely Dan is Fagen and Becker, plus whoever they decide the band is for any given *song* (at least partially different crews even within the same album). All the very best top-notch studio musicians from LA and NYC. Second, as far as genre, they're R&B. And rock, and reggae, and blues, and jazz. Their music combines elements from all those vocabularies but is not limited to any single genre. Fagen's and Becker's influences were jazz and early Motown, so SD often belies those roots. To your list of top tracks, I would add "FM" (the 6-minute hybrid version), "Home At Last", "Haitian Divorce", "Jack of Speed", "What a Shame About Me", and from Fagen (solo work) "The Nightfly", "I.G.Y.", and the immense "West of Hollywood".
@@helgar791 Right On! But it's just not right or cool at all to give a shout out to a few of the great studio session players you did without mentioning "Steve Gadd" & "Wayne Shorter" my friend. No disrespect to any of the kick-azz musicians who laid down some great grooves & vibes on Steely Dan tracks in the studio whatsoever. Yet the 2 drum & sax solo's Gadd & Shorter jammed on the title track "Aja" alone was an iconic moment of musical artistry in music history, no bout a doubt it. Just saying... +Peace & Rock n' Roll 4 Your Soul My Friend+ 🤘😉🤘
This song paints a picture for me. The guy goes to a bar that he and his lady frequent, right. He goes inside and she's with another dude. He tells her to "drink your big black cow" and get out of here". That's cold to cheat on someone and go to the same bar to do it. Cold stuff.........
The man in the song is not telling the woman to "...drink your big Black Cow, and get out of here" he is telling himself that it is over, to leave the scene, it's not worth it anymore.
There is a documentary on RU-vid about the making of AJA, with Becker and Fagen breaking down the album song by song. When the opening notes of "Black Cow" begin, Fagen starts chanting, "Uptown baby, uptown baby, we gets down, baby."
It’s insane to think that Aja was released almost 50 years ago such is the quality and complexity of Steely Dans work.love your reactions keep up the great work 🔥
Yeah, they are difficult to place comfortably in any one genre but "Jazzy Pop" is how I've described their sound since hearing them in the mid 70s. "AJA" is a GOAT album. Period.
He's the confidant who has to listen to her stories of rationalizing about why she cheats on her man. Consider him as the sax player in a jazz bar. This is one of the most highly acclaimed album ever made. Several formulation for a Black Cow, usually made with Kahlua
Steely Dan is Donald Fagen and Walter Becker (deceased). They started with a band then after 2 albums started to use only studio musicians. There were different players on all of there albums. They only used the best players in the business. They could be considered jazz/funk, they played some rock, too. Very eclectic music.
Church Boy this is not really a band. There are two of them Walter Becker and Donald Fagan. Becker was the guitar player and Fagan played the piano and sang most of the songs. As far as the other people they are all session players. The backup singers usually were the same but they could change too for example Michael McDonald was a backup singer for alot of there songs. I think on the Aja album which is just seven songs i think they used 40 different session players and I think at least 3 or 4 different drummers, the sax players were different too. Need to see the documentary on them quite interesting.
Others will point out a Black Cow as an adult beverage containing alcohol and in the context of this song it fits. However as a child in the sixties my mom would serve us Root Beer Floats (vanilla ice cream and root beer)which she called a Black Cow. Mom was from the deep south so maybe a regional thing back then. As for Steely Dan if the lyrics are not making much sense at first it is okay. You will not be alone. That’s okay just let yourself feel this music it will take you places.
"Aja" is the album and a cut as well. React to Aja you'll be impressed (Aja is a special woman)...🙂 They use the best studio musicians based on the sound they're looking for...😉
Steely Dan was initially a group, that pared down to two people. Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. The band is whoever they pull in to play the part they've come up with. Rockers to jazzers. If you keep doing reactions, someone (ok me I guess) will suggest you try their "the making of..." video, where explain how they put the Aja album together. If not the whole thing, most will do the making of "Peg".
1979 me and my lady now my wife of 42 years we went to a bar that had subway sandwiches. I heard this song on the stereo and I had to go back and check it out . The Dee jay showed me album cover and it Aja. Remember how colorful those album covers all black out with AJA in red in the middle of it . Yes I bought it and one my favorite groups of all time .. LB February 18, 2024 Sunday 9:15am
Check out F.M. Josie, Rikki Don't Lose That Number, Hey Nineteen, Time Out Out Of Mind, True Companion, Reeling In The East, Glamour Profession. Check out Donald Fagan's solo albums. This is songs by him when Him and Walter Breker broke up from Steely Dan in the early 80's. Snowbound, The Dunes, IGY, Night Fly, Mona, Morph The Cat, New Frontier. Donald Fagan is the main singer, and does all vocals. Music is top of the line with Steely Dan, or Donald Fagan on his solo albums!
I've been along for the ride through the Steely Dan reactions and loving it. I want to suggest the documentary about the making of "Aja" even if you don't react to it, it's very cool and informative about the players on that record. Thank you.
If I remember correctly, the lyrics has a second meaning concerning Walter Beckers addiction to heroine at the time, and Donald Fagens frustration over this.
Sax player on this is Tom Scott! A stellar studio musician/solo artist. Deacon Blues is Pete Christlieb, notably from the Tonight Show band with Johnny Carson. :)
Right On! No disrespect to any of the kick-azz musicians who laid down some great grooves & vibes in the studio on various Steely Dan session tracks. But it's just not cool or right at all to mention any sax player on the Aja LP without giving a shout out to the great Wayne Shorter. I mean the solo work Steve Gadd & Wayne Shorter did on the title track "Aja" alone was an iconic moment of musical artistry in music. No bout a doubt it, they both did their thing & jammed on the Aja tune. Just saying... +Peace & Rock n' Roll 4 Your Soul My Friends+ 🤘😉🤘
In the 70 80s alcohol was often served in huge amounts 16 oz drinks were served sometimes 2 for 1. Milk and cream drinks were popular Black cow , White Russians. Always knew this was a get away from me song , but it was the music the Funky Jazz that had me
There are a number of jazz references in the lyrics: Rudy is a reference to Rudy Van Gelder, a famous producer of Blue Note jazz records Green Street = Green Flower Street, a jazz standard
SD played with a huge variety of studio musician's on different songs and albums. BTW, The Black Cow was his woman's drink of choice. It can be mixed with bourbon as a rule. It's Milk and chocolate as I recall.
Steely Dan is just a name of two extremely talented gentleman Jeff skunk Baxter and the lead singer. I can’t see their name at the moment but they hire side according to their style according to their hustle to play on their album because the song calls that.
If you watch the Aja documentary Donald Fagen refers to a Black Cow as a Coke float from the corner malt shop but it's been made into an adult beverage also.
My great aunt used to drink Black Cows and chain smoke Virginia Slims & Capri cigarettes 😂😂this was late 70s. To me a black cow was an alcoholic root beer float.
It's pronounced Asia as in the continent of Asia. It was stuck at #3 on the album charts because of the "Night Fever" soundtrack by The Bee Gee's and "Rumors" by Fleetwood Mac. Both albums dominated the charts for the whole year of 1977. Leaving "Aja', Steely Dans biggest and best in my opinion, stuck at #3.
Maybe stuck at #3, but won the Grammy (back when that actually meant something) regardless. There were a ton of great albums produced in the decade of the '70s, and a case could be made for "Aja" being the greatest of all.
OH YEA...you nailed it Dude, it was a ladies drink that big black cow was...the jam is more kickin then the sad story, IMHO...AND their live jam of Black Cow was jazz fusion at its best...yet there`s more "Aja" to explore Church Boy, giddyup
Aja is one of those seminal albums that one must listen to at least once in your lifetime. Friends who ran studios used to swear this album was essential to balance their shit boxes and reference speakers.
I believe a Black Cow--big, small or otherwise--is a kinda liquor-spiked root beer float. There's another "recipe" below, but it was the first thing that came to mind, so I'm stickin' with it!
Great reaction! From the same album (Aja) there's another great song that you could react to: "Home at last", its lyrics are (strangely) rather clear... It's about a comeback to where one belongs. But, anyway, any Steely Dan's song is a great song (if not a masterpiece)!
You've got to listen to the entire Aja(pronounced Asia)album. Their earlier albums have less of a jazz feel, but as they toured less and started using different musicians in the studio Their jazz side came out. You're going to love these guys. 🎶🎷🎸👍🏽
A Black Cow is a rootbeer float, but there's an alcohol version with Vanilla Vodka, Kailuah, Bailey's and (I think) Coca Cola in a tall glass over ice called a Black Cow.
Quite simply he is saying "finish your drink and get to steppin'!" Just like in the Oran Juice Jones song The Rain he says "This is my world. You're just a squirrel trying to get a nut! Now get on outta here."
The 2 guys Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, guitar and keyboard knew what they were doing......writing great music, gathering great background jazz artists and singers, but go watch their video on the "Making of Aja" album on how deep the 2 worked to pull out the best of the best of those background musicians who well all great but those 2 guys knew just precisely how to place each note. Aja was pronounced just like the continent of Asia by the way
Black Cow to me was either a Black Russian alcoholic drink of milk and alcohol, or a root beer float....some say the woman they wrote about was a drug addict and most of them are also addicted to sweets
A Black Cow is a Diner desert/drink, usually Coca Cola and Vanilla Ice cream, kinda like a variation on a root beer float or ice cream soda. In other others, ice cream and soda pop. Folks in the comments mention 'adult', alcohol containing variations (w/ Cognac, Scotch or Liqueur) but the name and recipes refers originally to the 'virgin', alcohol-free version.
I believe Bernard " Pretty Purdie" Plays the Drums on this, A Black Cow is in fact an Ice Cream Float only instead of Root Beer they use Coke a Cola and you can either put a shot of Whiskey in it or not, Popular in th 70's
I'm a keys player and learned a few SD songs. Look up Mu Chords. That term was invented by Becker as a joke to describe SD's complex poly chords. When I was a full time musician in the 70's everybody talked about two bands, Steely Dan and Tower of Power and you couldn't cover either band in a Vegas casino lounge or a dance club. If you haven't checked out TOP you're missing something indescribably awesome. Fully as good as Steely Dan just funkier with more horns. You play bass, you'll love Rocco. They also used like 50-60 players over the years. All kick your ass killers. You know what a Hammond B3 is. TOP has Chester Thompson on B3, the baddest, funkiest organist you ever heard and of course he's out of the church too. Start with What Is Hip and Squib Cakes.
When I lived in California a Black Cow (at a bar) was made up of Kahlúa, half-and-half, and Coca-Cola. There is a non alcoholic version that has ROOT BEER in it as well. Take care.....
Unparalleled songwriting and musicianship, lots of studio musicians contributing to this incredibly well crafted song. Black Cow is a drink, based on an old kids drink from back in the soda fountain days. Pretty sure the song's about a someone with a "friend" who is a call girl or prostitute or something (someone who might have multiple "sugar daddies" in their phone book but one "friend" she can always run to) and she's also a drug addict, she's immature and seeks validation from outside... and at this moment they are finally giving up on her. I think green street was sort of a red light district. Like she presents as trying to clean up but hasn't really been trying bc they are always there to fix things, talk out her problems and issues, help her feel better... but then she keeps going back to the lifestyle she knows and, as is often the case, she can't see how really screwed up she's become by living that lifestyle but nonetheless its the game she knows so she always goes back. I think they feel they can't help her and they've done all they can... and here she is at Rudy's, all a mess... with her drink, keys, drugs and little black book all next to her on the counter. It's the final straw... please don't look at me... just drink your silly ass damn drink and leave, I just cant care any more. You're on your own. My guess is they later took her in anyway. Those sorta folks know a sucker when they see one. I'm pretty sure on learned this stuff from a recent documentary about Steely Dan. I hope so bc if I just made that up... I'm frankly a little concerned for myself. Nah nah nah just not like me to be so creative... it must be from that documentary. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
A Black Cow was an alcoholic drink that was very popular in the 1970s when this was recorded. It has lost it's popularity over the years for some reason
I’m guessing the “book of numbers with your remedies” was phone numbers for dudes she could call to save her from her pain and loneliness that night but in the morning she would be back where she started and he wasn’t going to be there to save her anymore.
As I understand it, there really was not a "band" called Steely Dan. Yes, there were core members. But you said they were jazz musicians. They mostly used session musicians of all types.
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