I am a first generation Steely Dan fan. After all these years I am still blown away at how this music DOES NOT AGE - it still sounds brand new, edgy and yet sophisticated.
I am too. I think I was a sophomore in high school when Aja came out. There was a point when I was in high school when I had every lyric to every Steely Dan song memorized from Can't Buy a Thrill to Aja. I was one of those kids who would lay on my back with a stereo speaker on both sides of my head, and listen to music, including every Steely Dan album. Aja is my desert island album.
Steely Dan are truly one-of-a-kind. No other band could've written something like Josie. The entire Aja album is phenomenal. Peg, Josie and Deacon Blues are especially killer. 👌
And about 25 or more from their back catalogue (nearly all of Gaucho for example), not to mention huge chunks of the Don Fagen catalogue. That's how good they were and are (Mr Becker RIP). 👌
For as old as this song is (45yrs), you'd think that this was the very first time Rick has ever heard it. Steely Dan was a one-in-a-lifetime band with some of the greatest players ever through the line up over the years. Still sounds fresh like the first time you heard it, this is timeless music that belongs in the National Archive to be saved for all time
Steely Dan songs are good enough that you can loop any one for hours and keep finding new nuances to appreciate. I’m saying “whoa!!!” in my head constantly to these songs.
Saw the title, said to myself, "Something by Steely Dan, probably. Which song?" The opening for Josie starts playing in my head. I start to play the video. I feel good.
Steely has always blown me away at their musicianship and writing strategies. I don't know theory or a whole lot else, but I know complex and different when I hear it.
They would bring in lots of studio musicians and ask them to contribute and would rotate them and replace them even mid song. This is why their songs are so diverse and dynamic and it is wonderful.
I thought this was going to be about "Hocus Pocus" by Focus, but then I remembered that the intro to that song was pretty much the only non-weird part.
Out of all the Steely Dan Album releases, Aja is my all-time favorite. Not a bad song in the whole Album. So it is hard to pick a favorite off of it. "Josie " is easily a classic.
Call it weird, but that is the most epic intro I have ever heard in any song....and then the bass line kicks in...that's when you know the masters are at work. The whole album is a masterpiece.
Rick is an enthusiast. He's the ultimate rock music nerd, clearly having the time of his life breaking down his passion into bite-sized morsels for the masses :D
Can we all just take a moment to appreciate the staggering musical proficiency regularly demonstrated by Rick Beato? We listen to and love some of the most virtuso playing in the history of music which in many cases - as 'lesser' players - many of us have consigned to the 'too difficult' file - and Rick plays them all, easily as well as the originals. Awesome!!
Rick, just found this one. Has to be one of your very best. Man, that's a great song and your analysis and passion take it to another unexpected level.
When this song was released I had been, for some years, playing in a country music club 5 nights a week making a living doing the hits and standards. But we (the band I was in ) were all 60's blues rock kids. As a challenge to myself I figured out the intro, and as a goof we used it as an intro for, "Your Cheatin' Heart", also "Good Hearted Woman", you can actually intro almost any song with it, the farther from the key the song will be in the wackier it sounds. When you play the same club 5 nights a week, every week for years, you gotta have some fun with the music. We also played nuthin' but the blues and related rock for our 5th set most nights, the country cats dug it. You should've seen those cow kids try to dance like Summer of Love Hippies when we'd play "Purple Haze". Those were the good old days when one weeks pay took care of rent and bills. Great video, as always rick.
Sounds like you were on a mission from God. Elwood: What kind of music do you usually have here? Claire: Oh, we got both kinds. We got country *and* western.
@@squirlmy LOL. You still see that at lots of clubs, lots of times I"ve seen people bored to tears with the same melody. The BEST country music we have here in Atlantic Canada is a local acadian station that mostly plays french country, and it is really wild stuff almost all the time. And its about the most popular radio station around here.
I heard a band cover Steely Dan at a wedding of all places and believe me when I say that they were FANTASTIC. That was 40 years ago and my jaw dropped open because they did Dan perfectly without flaw. UNBELIEVABLE!!
As like the biggest Steely Dan fan I can’t even describe how happy i am that you are spreading the word about how great the Dan are. More people need to know about the genius of this one of a kind band.
Total geniuses. They were like what Lennon/McCartney would have been, if they had gone to jazz school. However they were more like a duo than a band, since all those legendary session guys they used weren't band members.
The Dan were totally musicians music with pop sensibilities. Here we are 45 years later still talking about them- Yes, there were Pros before Protools ;)
@@cozmicpfunk To me they were a fantastic jazz band, and Donald Fagen one of the greatest jazz vocalists, that were just killing it on the pop charts. Their songs are timeless.
Rick.. I love how you break down something that has always sounded so damn cool but do so in a way that makes sense to us 'non-educated' music fans yet provides affirmation of why it's cool.
“It doesn’t really relate … it just sounds cool.”😁 We need more of that in today’s music! You do not hear enough (because you couldn’t) what a terrific player/musician you are! You are! Thank you for sharing. Cheers! Fabulous teacher as well…
except, as JVRaines points out: The first F#5 chord absolutely relates. It's called "contrary motion." The E steps up to F# and the D steps down to C#. The minor 7th shrinks to a 5th. As much as Rick knows and has experienced, music always goes further and deeper
I’d argue more music is being made that way today, with music production being so accessible to those with little to no music background. You just don’t hear it with these jazzy extended chord’s usually
As a kid, I remember grabbing my dad's Aja album because I knew it had Peg on it. I had heard it on the radio many times and it became one of the 1st tunes I ever learned on bass. As I listened to the album all the way through, I was just floored. As if all that great music wasn't enough, my ears pricked up even more when Josie started. By the end of the album, I was just a kid that stood there stunned. Of course, this instantly started my deep love for the band and I went through their entire catalog. There's nothing else like Steely Dan. The sound, the artistry, the sheer talent. The best of the best for each individual track. It opened my young eyes and ears to the session musician. WHAT DO YOU MEAN THIS ISN'T THE SAME GUYS ON EACH TRACK? You mean this is the vision of only 2 guys & they got the best guys to play on individual tracks? Yep. If it wasn't for Steely Dan, I'd probably never know about the Purdie Shuffle or guys like Steve Gadd, Larry Carlton, Chuck Rainey, Danny Diaz, etc. I'll always love the music of Walter and Donald, because it opened me up to so much.
The best part of this is how much fun Rick is having. He's so into it and so uninhibited in his love for the music that you can't help but get swept up into it along with him.
Rick, sometimes your musical abilities just crack me up. It's probably that it's so amazing I don't know how else to react. When you play the intro to Josie perfectly on guitar, and then end the intro by playing the little keyboard lick perfectly, my ears hear you making the exact right sounds, and my eyes can't fathom that you're just one guy. So I have to laugh, and then tell you about it. So good it's hilarious.
Rick looks like a kid in the “candy-chord” store! And I know exactly how he feels because I felt the same way the first time I heard Josie, and still love it today. Steely Dan produced some of the most pristine and musically diverse music ever recorded. IMHO!👍
I like how your discussion of Josie's intro morphed into a whole WMTSG segment. Also, I really dig the new format of showing the chords like a lead sheet along the bottom of the screen. It helps me better understand what's going on. Great video, as always!
Thats even moreso the case now, the main difference is you have to go looking on the internet, because you won't hear it on the radio. It should be illegal how radio is run, good lord, not only is it the same bands over and over, its the same SONGS over and over.
Many years ago, I stumbled upon Steely Dan, almost by accident. I needed one more pick for one of those "10 for a penny" deals, from Columbia House. Aja was the one, and it started me down the Steely Dan rabbit hole. Incredible album, from an incredible "band". Saw them live several times over the years, and was never disappointed. Long live the Dan!
As a 66-year old guy who *grew up* in the 70's I can relate to what you're saying. BUT, trust me, we had plenty of musical flotsam floating around in those days too. For me, Steely Dan represents all that was good in that decade, without the distraction of that which was less so (and there was plenty). Steve
The first F#5 chord absolutely relates. It's called "contrary motion." The E steps up to F# and the D steps down to C#. The minor 7th shrinks to a 5th. Very exotic.
I have next to no knowledge, I can't read music at all, but listening to Aja for a few decades now, I knew Rick couldn't be right when he said it. I was looking through these comments to find a correction like yours.
the next section with the three powerchords D#5,B5 and D5 sound even weirder to me. Shure it relates back to E minor in a way, but the way it's played sounds so strange to me (in an awesome way!) Not to mention the chromatic line and last four crazy chords. Could one call it a turnaround of sorts? I have some knowledge of theory, but there are some things about this song that stumps me. Curious to hear your thoughts.
Donald Fagen did a whole video about piano technique using his tunes, and he spent a good 15 minutes with Warren Bernhardt talking about Josie, and he never explained that part of the intro
Newly retired when the pandemic hit, I knew I would be spending a lot of time at home, so I bought a kit and resumed drumming after 35 years. I needed a clear barometer of improvement, so I just started playing along with Steely Dan albums. I have played almost every day for nearly two years and am only now getting to the point at which I think I have a decent handle on their catalog.
Another great analysis, Rick. I’ve always said that Steely Dan (Becker/Fagan), are quite literally their own “genre”. Amazingly complex, yet accessible to the general public. Brilliant in every regard!
Polyphonic, another fantastic music analysis channel, contends that Steely Dan isn't really a band but an "anesthetic". I encourage anybody who's never heard of Polyphonic to go check it out. He delves into the poetry of music, while Rick focuses on mechanics.
Being a Brazilian musician, I don't find this intro weird at all, lol...great song, great groove, great feel, and Rick is a joy to watch! Keep up the good work my friend. We love you and today's musicians in the work need you!!!
@@cooldebt Exactly, couldn't have said it any better. I'm only a few short years younger than Rick, and have had some similar musical experiences. Watching these videos brings all of that back, and to have his professional insight into the songs has just taught me so much.
Walter Becker was an underrated guitar player. He was overshadowed due to the fact that The Dan hired so many fab session players to play on their records. Also, Walter was a terrific bass player. He actually came up with a lot of Chuck Rainey's bass part for Josie. His bass playing on Green Book, an underrated cut from The Dan's last album, Everything Must Go, is really quite something.
"OHHHH!!" 😄loving Rick's enthusiasm pouring out for this track! I have no idea about the technicalities of the music (well, a lot more now...), but I've always enjoyed listening to Steely Dan too!
@@shapshooter7769 their attitude towards players was that they must be chosen as they fit the part, much like the instrumentation of the song. The players, much like instruments can be great, but they may not fit the song as well as another option.
@@shapshooter7769 It still speaks volumes that Becker had no problem stepping aside as Graydon had a better feel for what the song needed. And by doing that upheld the Steely Dan standard. Becker checks his ego at the door.
Rick, your pure enjoyment of music is a joy to watch. There are more killer chords in this old song than the entire 2023 pop40 list. They don’t write them like that anymore.
its imposible not to feel ,and without even knowing it, flow with some of their songs. thats why they so good.Peg and Rikki r 2 others that come to mind,
@@richardcarroll9864 HE'S old? I first listened to this one in a van, on the road, doing the old Holiday Inn circuit back when you could make a pretty good living. Blew us away, of course. We ended up doing "Josie", "Charlemagne", a couple other Dan-isms. Almost made it worth dragging the KB Player's B3 around the Midwest for a few years. Ahh, the 70s....
The jazzy piano intro to Chicago's "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is" is another weird one, but over time you NEED to hear it before the "main song" or it sounds incomplete.
What could possibly be better than The Dan? How about Ricks enthusiasm, knowledge and skill pulling their songs apart. Just love watching these, it creates a whole new level of appreciation. Rick, can you get your forensics on to the very first chord in Only a Fool Would Say That.... it's genius.
As a 47-year old guy who's been a Dan fan since stumbling across them via De La Soul's Eye Know (and a friend pointing out who was sampled), as a 15-year old, I have to say this might be my favourite Rick Beato video OF. ALL. TIME. Btw, in the break at <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="611">10:11</a> on the video, Jim Keltner is also playing a dustbin lid with rivets in it, a Christmas present from his wife, I believe.
Took me a month of rehearsal and home practice to figure out the Chuck Rainey bass part in Josie. But OMG when we got it, it killed. It became one of our encores. One of those we could all take an eight bar solo and have a blast.
I hear ya! I had to approach this like I was a teenager with all the time in the world to learn one song, just like I did back in the 80's. The other song that hung me up pretty good was "Birdland" by Weather Report. I had to play that one at 17 in high school jazz band. I spent months on that. No, it wasn't perfect!
@@legman1476 I saw WR w/ Jaco play Birdland when he would throw down baby powder and slide around the stage while playing his parts a lot faster than the recording. Yeah, his reputation was well earned.
@@Ben_Crido why does everybody talk about Jaco? There is always KISS...oh. Nevermind. We have been so fortunate to see and hear Jaco as he changed bass guitar. Reputation well earned.
Love the breakdown and the enthusiasm for Steely Dan. To the average stooge they might say its elevator music, when in fact it is a complex music masterpiece.
I humbly accept my stooge status. I'm not really fond of that whole modern urban yuppie jazz thing. It would put me to sleep if I wasn't too stressed trying to tune it out. I was born in the 70s and love some of the music but there's a certain genre from it I just can't stand and they're part of it. I dunno what it's called but the Doobie Bros had a similar thing going on. I'm sure there's great musicianship there and all but it just doesn't send me. Actual elevator music is arguably worse but still. Dozens of mellow songs for aging Boomers to sell out to, that all sound the same... like Sunday afternoons at the wood-paneled college library waiting for your parents while they have dull conversations over microfiche.. Just a suggestion, though... maybe don't throw everyone who doesn't like what you like into the same pit together. Just because something is well crafted doesn't mean it has to have universal appeal. I don't call names every time someone doesn't love They Might Be Giants.
Never been much of a Steely Dan fan. But I was on vacation in 2003, staying in a hotel that backed up to an open air amphitheater in South Lake Tahoe. I was lounging in the outdoor pool while Steely Dan was playing a concert just a few hundred yards away. This song and that intro/outro will be forever stuck in my mind from hearing it live that night.
I've been watching your videos for years, and it never ceases to amaze me how you make me excited about music/songs that would usually never give me much pause. Your love and knowledge of music is immense and infectious. Thank you!
Hey Rick, I'm a 24 yr old hip hop producer. I wanted to say Steely Dan is one of my favorite musical discoveries I've found through looking for samples. Im a little mind blown that you made a video on Josie because it has been one of my top songs for awhile.
Regarding "OHHHHHHHH!!!!!", I heartily concur! Played the intro on an acoustic guitar I was checking out at a small music store - the owner kinda freaked and gave me a case for free just for that! :-D True story. I figured out a way to play it in first position including the root notes (such as on the polychords, fingering a D major shape while playing the bass note on the 6th string) - also, just where IS that drum fill at the end?!?! Been counting it for decades, Keltner is the mysterious wizard of time....Wonderful video!!!!!!
I'm pretty sure one of the fills is a partial quarter note triplet over beats three and four and the other is a slight ritardando leading to a slight fermata or ceasura then cymbal crash on four and "a tempo," back into the head, like Keltner just held back the rhythm section for effect, then boom, right back into the groove. Man, it was great when great players actually played the parts with no click track.
I have always LOVED Keltner's drums on this tune. To call it "tight" is almost an understatement. Nothing superfluous, not flashy... just the perfect groove. This is one of those tracks I will never-ever-ever get tired of.
Great song, yet I prefer the take on the live album with the GREAT Dennis Chambers on drums, it's slower with a really FAT Rhythm's Blues's vibe, it was supposed to be a Rhythm'n Blues's song anyway.
This now rates as my favorite RB reaction to a song. I love how much fun you are having. The way you share your love of music, unfettered, is what has always drawn me to this channel.
Steely Dan is my drug of choice! I just adore watching you excavate the gold in these songs Rick. I'm not musical, I can't play anything but these videos sure make me wish I could. Your joy in these songs is infectious even for those of us can't read one musical note xxxx
I remember being a kid, and listening to this song (along with Elvis, Elton John, The Beatles, ect) with my Dad (RIP) around 79-80,and my Pops making Karate chops and fist punches along to the beat. Sorry to interject with selfish nostalgia, but I love how YOU love music and all of it's intricacies! Great stuff, Rick!! 👍😎
This is my "go to" reference song for any new speakers, IEM's, or even if I move speakers. Love it as a song, but the recording is top notch, clarity, sound stage, everything is excellent. Those horns rise up from silence so well.
I would use the intro to Boz Scaggs' "Lowdown" as a reference for my sound system, listening particularly Jeff Porcaro's drum kit which was so well mixed. Steely Dan's records in addition to the superb musicianship and writing were very well produced. Of course Aja was one of my favorites. Every song sparkled like a jewel.
Once again, it really drives home how very spoiled we were and how much we took for granted in music growing up in the 70's. I absolutely love how excited you get listening to these true masters of the craft! 😂 ❤
Nice. I was in a Steely Dan tribute band, so this brought back memories. Learning those Dan riffs, chords and solos has been the highlight of my musical life.
R B - You da man. - I have always felt 'Josie' was a really special song ---- even for Steely Dan. Great progressions and ensemble playing, naturally (with a Steely Dan song, you'd expect that) but it's the empty space in this track which is really impressive. So much juicy, lush harmonic playing, and yet all the while there is this room, a space where each instrumentalist can be heard contributing contributing their part, with no "bunching" (sonically/audio) or anyone stepping on anyone else. Pretty cool.
Yet another great discussion from Rick, about one of my most favorite albums. You never even mention Steely Dan's deliciously lascivious lyrics! I get it: you focus on the musicanship more than the poetry; that's your gig - and you're great at it. Thank you!
Amazing song from an amazing Album album! Aja is the album that cemented my love of Steely Dan. That was back in the day when late-night DJ's would play entire albums. As soon as I heard Aja I rushed out the next day to get my own copy. I think this might be a record for the number of times Rick goes "Oh!" in one video. 🤣
It may be weird, Rick, but it also creates this dark and moody feel with those intro chords. The song about the homecoming queen, Josie, gives to me the image of a gang of youths at night welcoming her back into the fold. Such superb musicianship by all players and very distinctive and a good memory of Walter's ability on guitar. Thank you Rick for your critique.
Sooooooo.....this was really a "What makes this song great" in disguise. Well done! I've had to play the intro guitar part on bass. It can be done using some harmonics and tapping. Fun stuff when it's just piano, bass, and drums
It's intriguing to me how great music, even art can transcend over time and become timeless. I got hooked on steely dan 3 years ago when I was 23. But I never considered the intro to josie weird, it just felt right at home with me, feeling: yeah, that's great!
That was awesome! I just love seeing you go through songs like that, and a song I love so much, too. Seeing the chord progressions in that song is amazing
I have always loved this song but the intro always felt a little uncomfortable to me until it slid into the smooth vibe of the song and I never knew why. Listening to you break it down solved that mystery for me. I really loved this segment today, Rick. Thank you.
This just happens to be my favorite Steely Dan song and I KNEW it was gonna be “Josie” before I even clicked on it. Thank you for this, Professor Beato! You made my evening.
Steely dan is one of the most creative bands of all time. I mean that whole Aja record is just absolute perfection. Some of the most beautiful chord changes I've ever heard are on that record.
This is one of my all time favorite tunes. I was in a Guitar Center auditioning a Martin D-28 acoustic dreadnought guitar under the ever watchful eye of a store employee. When he handed me the guitar I went straight into the intro and vamp of this song. The quizzical look on his face was priceless. He only knew me as a drummer, which made it doubly confusing for him.
Did you take it home? My one creative foray in woodworking was making a D-28 replica following Lynn Dudenbostel's 4-episode process on the DIY Network. 15 years later and it's hanging on the wall 6 feet from me right now.
@@MikesTropicalTech YES! I did buy the guitar. I love it. If I’m not playing it, I’m anxiously anticipating the moment I’m playing it again. Thankfully my wife plays as well, and we live in an area where people gather to play acoustic instruments almost every day. Music has been the foundation of our social life, Rick Beato has been an inspiration who has greatly expanded my abilities - not unlike a fine musical instrument.
Rick, you really did your homework for this one. One of the coolest videos on YT. Makes me appreciate even more one of my favorite SD songs. Very cool.
Love to watch you analyze these historic pieces, Rick. Your reactions are priceless!...'Peg' was my favorite off the Aja album along with the title song. We played 'Peg' in the high school jazz band...'Hey Nineteen' off the Gaucho album was popular when I was in high school.
After all these years I still get goose bumps when I hear this song. Steely Dan is like lightning in a bottle! As per usual, you hit the nail on the head with your choice of music. Rock on!
The whole Aja album is great. One of my favorite albums full of great songs, awesome musicians and iconic songs. This album was a regular on my turntable in my high school years.
So, this was the last track on Aja and probably the most overlooked (we all know about the perfection of the whole album). Yet, this song beats the snot out of any top 10 pop song today musically. Structure, complexity, originality, interesting, musicianship. Just stellar.
The intro might be weird/unique musically, but I love it; Weird is in the ear of the beholder. Lol. I remember playing an old song around some friends. "Green Eyed Lady". I believe a song way ahead of it's time. One friend thought it was a "weird song". Not to my ear. In fact , just heard it again by Sugarloaf. It deserves to be in one of Ricks "What makes this song great" videos
Maybe it only sounds weird to peole who have deep music theory knowledge. For me, a music theory scrub, the intro sounds like it was supposed to sound like that
I can't read music, not a musician, don't play an instrument and what your saying I can't understand any of that stuff. But I really enjoy your enjoyment while you"re doing your thing. Very entertaining, watching you get off on it!
