Jazzy....Main guitar solo by Denny 'The Bebopper' Dias. Fender Rhodes piano solo by Donald Fagen. This is a killer jam that takes an unusual turn on the chorus and then some on that bridge. 8:25 - It definitely sounds grittier than their debut record. Whereas the first album was more or less 'designed' as a kinda of 'pre-fab Pop-Rock Marvel', they have said in later interviews that they wrote this sophomore effort in accordance to what their original band ( Denny Dias, Jeff 'Skunk' Baxter and Jim Hodder) sounded like and could play well, in other words they wrote and recorded tunes w/ a more 'live feel', stuff that could work nicely on gigs - also because they wrote and recorded it in between breaks from various tours (which back then often consisted of 'regional' 10--15 days legs covering specific parts of the country). Meaning the whole thing ended up w/ a more 'stage' vibe than the earlier effort.
This song, on their 2nd album, was the harbinger of what was coming a bit down the road with Aja & Gaucho... but I love how rollicking this jazz fusion is compared to the ultimate smooth jazz of those later albums. There were very few of us 15 year olds jammin’ to this... but we couldn’t wait for our yearly Dan fix... pretty much one per year from ‘72 to ‘80. And they were integral to our changing listening habits... probably more like informing our music choices... probably wouldn’t have gone toward Weather Report or prog without them.
@@SightAfterDark Ha! The eternal wish of our flock is that they never stopped recording. Them and XTC. The Fagen solo stuff is also classic: The Nightfly / Kamakiriad / Morph the Cat
@@SightAfterDark New Steely Dan tour this Fall... though surprisingly, I don't see any NYC dates! They're in Bethlehem PA, and somewhere in Jersey, I think... I think they're touring behind a live album release. "Northeast Corridor". Should check on that
This song and this entire album is so amazing. Every song is so unique in sound/ musically but they are all so great. Royal Scam is my favorite album but Countdown is a solid second.
@@photo161 Aja was my first #1, than Gaucho was my favorite for years but the more I listen the more I like Royal Scam the best and CTE grew on me like no album ever has.
Yes you are spot that the early stuff was grittier and they got progressively "smoother" (some would say more polished) as the 70s went on. They basically went from jazz-rock to jazz-funk/R&B but the music also got somewhat more intricate and complex so it's all a balance
Google the Cathy Beberian they reference in the lyrics. A very unique and iconoclastic opera singer (mostly) from Europe, well-known in certain circles who appreciated her eccentric and broad musical takes. (She even once did an album of Beatle covers).
This one just lays out that jazz influences just about as good as any SD song...especially as they evolved into even more jazz and R&B. But what great keyboards. And Denny Diaz on guitar.
Now when I listen to this early Steely Dan again I can hear how this really was the root of the whole laid back sound of Aja. Makes me realize how great they were right from the start and over their whole career.
Hey guys, thirty five year full time writer, musician and producer here. I watch a lot of reactors. I enjoy seeing the response of younger people to the music of my most impressionable, youthful days. You enjoy it. No surprise. But you feel it, the nuances. That to me is like being with one of my band mates from back in the day. It's also inspiring to realize that there will always be some, no matter how few who will get it. Thanks for validating my understanding of who were the greatest of the greats. With Donald and Walter, it's like getting to taste hors devours that you don't know what's in them, but you love. That earned my sub. Keep working and good luck.
Thanks so much Drew! We appreciate the kind words. Thanks for watching, and if you get a chance to listen to any of our music, let us know your thoughts. It would mean a lot! Stay well
I just realized that in the middle of the song, when they repeat the intro, the lyrics go: "Got the feeling I've been here before...". I don't know if I'm making too much out of a coincidence or if this guys go one step beyond genius!!
Genius is an understatement. We’re so thankful for people like you and others that watch our videos to have brought Steely Dan to our attention. Can’t believe we didn’t know about them until we started this channel!
I grew up with this music when my musical knowledge wasn't as finely honed. And now listening to these songs again for the first time in a while one of the things I notice that I really didn't before is besides the cunning lyrics and the killer guitar work the Dan threw down some MONSTER groves! And that's kind of the bedrock on which these songs are built.
I’ve seen Steely Dan Four Times live and got to meet Donald Fagan and had a 25 minute conversation with him backstage after Michael McDonald introduced him to me at one of his concerts at Westbury music fair in Long Island back in 1990 after I drive the tour bus him through New England and New York that same year. Fagan’s second solo album, “Karmakiriad” with Walter Becker producing was almost done. That’s mostly what we spoke about. Fagan has three concept solo albums, “The Night Fly”, “Karmakiriad” and “Morph the Cat” I think all produced by Becker. You guys should review each!
this was one of the two first albums I ever owned. I received them for Christmas when I was 15... I think... I also received my first stereo system with the latest technology... 8 track. I got two 8 tracks to go with my new High Fi system, this album and Johnny Winter, "Still Alive and Well". ( you really need to check out some Johnny Winter.) My parents told me they just looked for the weirdest album covers and figured I would like them. I still do to this day.
Trying to interpret some of Steely Dan's lyrics is a fools errand. They constantly change (morph) both musically and lyrically within a song. It's a constant for them and that is just one reason I never get tired of their music. I certainly do not want to attach a genre to them but to me part of their attraction is that they seem to be avant-garde in some ways.
The only reason they'd grow tobacco in Peking is to mix with and dilute the opium. You wanna see how they act between the limo and the stage, plug into their Plush Jazz/Rock Party, what they used to promote their release of the Two Against Nature album, the first release of original shit in decades. Great behind the scenes footage and amazing live performances from some small venue in New York. Intimate and Oppenheimesque! This shit is incandescent!
This is one of the few steely songs that I just have no idea what they are talking about. Something about a hooker trying to use the protagonist but she’s already used him before so he’s not falling for it this time. Something about gambling too I’ve read.
I recall hearing this song when it came out..... and not liking it. I was not into either jazz or jazz/fusion at that time. Musically this song sounds great today. They did a lot of "experimental" stuff back then in my opinion. I doubt this song got much air play but I might be wrong about that. The musicianship is outstanding to say the least.
The allusions to Tobacco in Peking during the year of the locust and Cathy Berberian are saying that even the best know that there's some things they can't pull off. And this woman won't get this protagonist.
This song is about a grifter, who leads men on to get stuff. But she's played the game too long, people are wise, and the easy pickings are gone: "Tobacco they grown in Peking In the year of the locust you'll see a sad thing" Cathy Berberian was famous for her singing skill--but even she has her limits, and this grifter needs to learn hers. Clever lyrics, but it's that great, sexy beat that pulls me in. Thanks for sharing with me.
When I first heard this song I slept on it but now it’s easily one of my favs. That guitar and keyboard solos. I play it all the time. Such a groove, just give it another try or 3…
