Steely Dan aficianados? I know there are some here!
 

Good interview with Beato and Denny Dias

I learned a lot here; for instance, I always knew Becker's first instrument was the bass, but I thought he was also supposed to be a guitar genius. Dias says otherwise, in so many words. (Becker has other musical talents, just to be clear, and some are spelled out here) And, there's a Steely Dan song called Dallas that predates the Can't Buy a Thrill album!

Anyway, this is a fun interview, I think worth a listen if you have a few minutes.

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I love the Dan, though less so their very early work. Particularly like how they did their own thing, invented their own sound, didn’t care about the music trends. Also like The Nightfly.

Have to watch later .... interesting take John .... I've always thought SD's first 4-5 albums were epic.

Big fan, saw them live twice years back. So much great music.

The crazy thing for me is the more i grasp the lyrics and read about Donald Fagen the more i sincerely dislike the guy and find the lyrics depressing and pedantic and in some cased downright horrible. And Fagens voice is nasally. But musically it is some of the greatest stuff ever recorded.

Recently picked up CBAT on vinyl from Barnes & Noble and it is horribly recorded. BUT Only A Fool Would Say that is a top 5 Dan song for me without question.

To me Becker/Fagen were fantastic producers and marginal writers.

It was a great time to be in HS and college:

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I was the lucky one.

I'm not an aficionado but thanks to you, every time I see this thread "FM" starts playing in my head.

Also not an aficionado but I definitely enjoy SD. They have a very unique and fine sound. I need to watch the vid. Thanks.

I've had much, MUCH, MUCH worse earworms, sometimes even from posts on this site.

An "FM" earworm is no static at all.

One of the lead guitarists was Skunk Baxter. After Steely Dan, he went on to play with the Doobie Brothers. More recently, he has worked as a defense consultant and advised U.S. members of Congress on missile defense.

My fave albums are Royal Scam, Aja, and Gaucho, probably because they came out when I was in college and grad school. Yeah, a lot of lyrics are bitter, cynical, sneering, but that’s cool - not everyone wants to be Carly Simon. “Home At Last” is a remarkable song, to squeeze an original take on Homer’s Odyssey into a few minute pop song.

^^^ the purdie shuffle

Huge Dan fan and Rick brings out the best inside stories!

These guys really pushed the envelope with a very unique sound, quirky lyrics, and some of the finest musicians of the 1970s. Denny Dias, Skunk Baxter, Larry Carlton, Purdie, Steve Gadd... Whew! A big part of the soundtrack of my youth along with early Chicago, Stevie Wonder, Santana, The Beatles, The Stones, Zep, Doobies, Allman Bros. and on and on.

What a ride!

My impression of Walter is that his real genius was arranging and producing. He was a solid bass player but just average as a guitarist. I am probably an average guitarist and like Walter I can't hold a candle next these other monster players who recorded with Steely Dan.

My mother bought a new stereo in 1985 that played those new-fangled CDs and I bought three CDs. Dark Side of the Moon, Pictures at Eleven, and A Decade of Steely Dan. I still have A Decade of Steely Dan and listen to those songs all the time.
Babylon Sisters is a favorite, as well as Deacon Blues!!! Heck, just about every song on my CD is a favorite!!!

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I like SD so much I had a largish boat named Dr Wu.

But as I've mentioned before, Fagan is a toxic dude.

HUGE Dan fan. Even in my teens when I was rocking my mullet to Def Leppard I still made room for the Dan in my cassette line up. I remember vividly laying on the beach in Buxton, NC next to my girlfriend (now wife) with my boombox directly behind my head cranking out "Reelin' in the Years" and being amazed at the musicianship. I was also amazed and how good she looked in her bikini. ;)

On Two against nature album, One of my favorites was “ Cousin Dupree”. Creepy dude!

On Two against nature album, One of my favorites was “ Cousin Dupree”. Creepy dude!

The songs are dark. Hey even the origin of their name is creepy.

That said, to me their musical genius was in the precision and the economy of their sound. Listen in isolated tracks and you won't find a lot of fluff and filler. Every note has a purpose and whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

Favs (but not all) include
Pretzel Logic
Royal Scam
Black Friday
Rikki Don't Lose That Number
FM
Do It Again
Don't Take Me Alive
Sign In Stranger

Side question: does anyone else here SD influence in the Eagles song 'Last Good Time in Town' ?
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