Rainbow Rosa
TI Forumite
not gay, just colorful
Posts: 3,604 
|
Post by Rainbow Rosa on Jan 23, 2021 17:39:58 GMT -5
Oh hell, why not.
Can't Buy a Thrill (1972)
Countdown to Ecstasy (1973)
Pretzel Logic (1974)
Katy Lied (1975)
The Royal Scam (1976)
Aja (1977)
Gaucho (1980)
(maybe some of the Becker/Fagen solo stuff?)
Two Against Nature (2000)
Everything Must Go (2003)
FAQ
Q: Oh god, really?
A: That's not a question, really.
Q: OK, fine: why on God's green earth would you devote a whole thread to the music of these soulless dad rock impresarios?
A: Because they're great.
Q: Rosa, are you a boomer?
A: I'll have you know that Steely Dan are beloved by a wide and diverse audience, from white male boomers to black male boomers, from Latino male boomers to the daughters of said Latino male boomers.
Q: Any band hallmarks you'll be keeping track of?
A: Hm, well, the Dan are famous for their impeccable roster of studio musicians, so I'll definitely be keeping track of your Skunk Baxters and Bernard Purdies. We might count the sax solos; we might keep tabs on the drugs and/or the Oriental fetishism in the lyrics. Distressingly, we might need a "teenage girlfriend count" ("Hey Nineteen," "Janie Runaway," etc). I am open to suggestions.
|
|
ayatollahcm
TI Pariah 
The Bringer of Peacatollah
Posts: 1,689
|
Post by ayatollahcm on Jan 23, 2021 18:31:53 GMT -5
Oh hell, why not. Can't Buy a Thrill (1972) Countdown to Ecstasy (1973) Pretzel Logic (1974) Katy Lied (1975) The Royal Scam (1976) Aja (1977) Gaucho (1980) (maybe some of the Becker/Fagen solo stuff?) Two Against Nature (2000) Everything Must Go (2003) FAQQ: Oh god, really?A: That's not a question, really. Q: OK, fine: why on God's green earth would you devote a whole thread to the music of these soulless dad rock impresarios?A: Because they're great. Q: Rosa, are you a boomer?A: I'll have you know that Steely Dan are beloved by a wide and diverse audience, from white male boomers to black male boomers, from Latino male boomers to the daughters of said Latino male boomers. Q: Any band hallmarks you'll be keeping track of?A: Hm, well, the Dan are famous for their impeccable roster of studio musicians, so I'll definitely be keeping track of your Skunk Baxters and Bernard Purdies. We might count the sax solos; we might keep tabs on the drugs and/or the Oriental fetishism in the lyrics. Distressingly, we might need a "teenage girlfriend count" ("Hey Nineteen," "Janie Runaway," etc). I am open to suggestions. Following.
I might suggest either/or a "Does this qualify as yacht rock" category, alongside ranking their coke-o-meter from album to album.
|
|
|
|
Post by MyNameIsNoneOfYourGoddamnBusin on Jan 23, 2021 19:59:14 GMT -5
I went to see Steely Dan once, just for the opening act but was planning on sticking around for most of their set too. Didn't make it very long, on account of boredom, but I do remember they played "Peg". Thus concludes everything I can possibly say on the subject of Steely Dan.
|
|
Rainbow Rosa
TI Forumite
not gay, just colorful
Posts: 3,604
|
Post by Rainbow Rosa on Jan 24, 2021 1:40:48 GMT -5
Oh hell, why not. Can't Buy a Thrill (1972) Countdown to Ecstasy (1973) Pretzel Logic (1974) Katy Lied (1975) The Royal Scam (1976) Aja (1977) Gaucho (1980) (maybe some of the Becker/Fagen solo stuff?) Two Against Nature (2000) Everything Must Go (2003) FAQQ: Oh god, really?A: That's not a question, really. Q: OK, fine: why on God's green earth would you devote a whole thread to the music of these soulless dad rock impresarios?A: Because they're great. Q: Rosa, are you a boomer?A: I'll have you know that Steely Dan are beloved by a wide and diverse audience, from white male boomers to black male boomers, from Latino male boomers to the daughters of said Latino male boomers. Q: Any band hallmarks you'll be keeping track of?A: Hm, well, the Dan are famous for their impeccable roster of studio musicians, so I'll definitely be keeping track of your Skunk Baxters and Bernard Purdies. We might count the sax solos; we might keep tabs on the drugs and/or the Oriental fetishism in the lyrics. Distressingly, we might need a "teenage girlfriend count" ("Hey Nineteen," "Janie Runaway," etc). I am open to suggestions. Following.
I might suggest either/or a "Does this qualify as yacht rock" category, alongside ranking their coke-o-meter from album to album.
1) How are we defining "yacht rock" here? My personal definition of the yacht rock "aesthetic" does not include Steely Dan, who I think of as "sinkers" rather than "sailors," if that makes sense. 2) Does the coke-o-meter measure the amount of coke referenced in the Dan's lyrics or the amount of coke cut while cutting these tracks? 3) Follow-up question: is Steely Dan the only band that has more drugs in their lyrics than at their concerts? |
|
ayatollahcm
TI Pariah
The Bringer of Peacatollah
Posts: 1,689
|
Post by ayatollahcm on Jan 24, 2021 3:17:57 GMT -5
Following.
I might suggest either/or a "Does this qualify as yacht rock" category, alongside ranking their coke-o-meter from album to album.
1) How are we defining "yacht rock" here? My personal definition of the yacht rock "aesthetic" does not include Steely Dan, who I think of as "sinkers" rather than "sailors," if that makes sense. 2) Does the coke-o-meter measure the amount of coke referenced in the Dan's lyrics or the amount of coke cut while cutting these tracks? 3) Follow-up question: is Steely Dan the only band that has more drugs in their lyrics than at their concerts? 1) I would say "West Coast-based, jazz-oriented soft rock," but a better metric could be "How much of this would be played by a dad while he sails to Catalina Island on a Sunday afternoon?" 2) Coke they cut. Will definitely get fun during Aja. 3) This is a zen koan.
|
|
|
|
Post by Prole Hole on Jan 25, 2021 5:28:55 GMT -5
Because there's a bunch of X-Files seasons still patiently waiting for your attention? |
|
|
|
Post by Albert Fish Taco on Jan 25, 2021 12:43:27 GMT -5
1) How are we defining "yacht rock" here? My personal definition of the yacht rock "aesthetic" does not include Steely Dan, who I think of as "sinkers" rather than "sailors," if that makes sense. 2) Does the coke-o-meter measure the amount of coke referenced in the Dan's lyrics or the amount of coke cut while cutting these tracks? 3) Follow-up question: is Steely Dan the only band that has more drugs in their lyrics than at their concerts? 1) I would say "West Coast-based, jazz-oriented soft rock," but a better metric could be "How much of this would be played by a dad while he sails to Catalina Island on a Sunday afternoon?" 2) Coke they cut. Will definitely get fun during Aja. 3) This is a zen koan.
Although they fit either definition in #1 above, even though they were West Coast based in terms of production I would say that the Dan have more of an East Coast vibe, particularly pre- Aja. I'd actually call it an "Exile on Fairfax Avenue" feel, something that tends to be more common in movies/TV than music |
|
moimoi
AV Clubber
Posts: 5,002
|
Post by moimoi on Jan 28, 2021 11:20:06 GMT -5
I am enjoying this critical discourse.
|
|
Rainbow Rosa
TI Forumite
not gay, just colorful
Posts: 3,604
|
Post by Rainbow Rosa on Jan 29, 2021 1:10:43 GMT -5
1) I would say "West Coast-based, jazz-oriented soft rock," but a better metric could be "How much of this would be played by a dad while he sails to Catalina Island on a Sunday afternoon?" 2) Coke they cut. Will definitely get fun during Aja. 3) This is a zen koan.
Although they fit either definition in #1 above, even though they were West Coast based in terms of production I would say that the Dan have more of an East Coast vibe, particularly pre- Aja. I'd actually call it an "Exile on Fairfax Avenue" feel, something that tends to be more common in movies/TV than music So this is a mild spoiler, but I think that Steely Dan start out as a prototypical yacht rock band, and incidentally hit that vibe on a handful of almost-hits ("Dirty Work," "Any Major Dude Will Tell You"), but that even from the very start they have a very New York paranoid/neurotic personality that gets in the way of those yacht vibes, and then starting with Countdown to Ecstasy turn their entire career to eviscerating the skeevy underbelly of the West Coast middle class. This is why I suggested a "teenage girlfriend" count - you know that Oingo Boingo song, "Little Girls" ? There's at least one song playing in that lyrical space per album, for the Dans ("Hey 19" most famously). |
|
|
|
Post by [Citrus] on Jan 29, 2021 14:50:47 GMT -5
Dirty Work convinced me that Steely Dan is good.
|
|
ayatollahcm
TI Pariah
The Bringer of Peacatollah
Posts: 1,689
|
Post by ayatollahcm on Jan 29, 2021 16:13:59 GMT -5
Dirty Work convinced me that Steely Dan is good. Norm MacDonald has that power |
|
ArchieLeach
AV Clubber
I talk too much, I worry me to death
Posts: 289 
|
Post by ArchieLeach on Feb 2, 2021 17:31:07 GMT -5
I've been MIA for awhile, but this is a thread I have opinions on. Promise I'll check the extra pages at the door.
|
|
|
|
Post by pantsgoblin on Feb 4, 2021 9:25:34 GMT -5
One of the better pieces of music writing I've read is Mike Powell on Gaucho in the sadly defunct Stylus magazine: stylusmagazine.com/articles/on_second_thought/steely-dan-gaucho.htmlEveryone on Gaucho is a loser. Everyone. The protagonist of the first single, “Hey Nineteen,” is a 30-something trying to pick up a 19-year-old. That in itself isn’t pathetic or grotesque: there’s no suggestion that he’s bald, fat, unattractive, or particularly lecherous (any more than the situation would already imply). What is, is that he doesn’t care enough to bother “closing the deal”—to employ what I’d assume to be his own lingo, or his own lingo from his Gamma Phi days. Instead, he trails off: “The Cuervo Gold, the fine Colombian make tonight a wonderful thing.” He’s got drugs, money, memories; you think that showing a co-ed a glimpse of orgasm makes any difference anymore? He’s beyond that, he’s numb. The booze makes him impotent anyway. He might be in A&R; he’s the world that got to Steely Dan. The girl? Oh right, I forgot: she’s 19 and dancing with a man 10 years her senior who couldn’t fuck her even if she wanted him to. They just hang out and she watches him glide towards unconsciousness. |
|
ArchieLeach
AV Clubber
I talk too much, I worry me to death
Posts: 289
|
Post by ArchieLeach on Feb 12, 2021 7:25:04 GMT -5
One of the better pieces of music writing I've read is Mike Powell on Gaucho in the sadly defunct Stylus magazine: stylusmagazine.com/articles/on_second_thought/steely-dan-gaucho.htmlEveryone on Gaucho is a loser. Everyone. The protagonist of the first single, “Hey Nineteen,” is a 30-something trying to pick up a 19-year-old. That in itself isn’t pathetic or grotesque: there’s no suggestion that he’s bald, fat, unattractive, or particularly lecherous (any more than the situation would already imply). What is, is that he doesn’t care enough to bother “closing the deal”—to employ what I’d assume to be his own lingo, or his own lingo from his Gamma Phi days. Instead, he trails off: “The Cuervo Gold, the fine Colombian make tonight a wonderful thing.” He’s got drugs, money, memories; you think that showing a co-ed a glimpse of orgasm makes any difference anymore? He’s beyond that, he’s numb. The booze makes him impotent anyway. He might be in A&R; he’s the world that got to Steely Dan. The girl? Oh right, I forgot: she’s 19 and dancing with a man 10 years her senior who couldn’t fuck her even if she wanted him to. They just hang out and she watches him glide towards unconsciousness. was panned by Rolling Stone magazine and many rock-centered publications at the time for the meticulous production and sound, but its lyrics continued the band's knowledge of humanity's brutal pecking order - women who will hang all over you seductively as long as you can afford the good times ("Babylon Sisters"), over-the-hill basketball player Hoops McCann, playing pick-up games for rich hangers-on ("Glamour Profession"), and the gay man watching his lover invite some rough trade over ("Gaucho," which has the line, "Why is he standing in your spangled leather poncho with the studs that match your eyes?," a phrase that, despite its half-humorous flamboyance, is also heart-breaking). The chilling last song, "Third World Man," shows the loser's revenge, a spoiled-brat Hitler-in-training, terrorizing the neighborhood - released in 1980, it scans perfectly with the timeline of our era's horrifying politics. |
|
![[Citrus] Avatar](http://storage.proboards.com/5459120/avatar/fI7z3q6ybFW0H50AaJX3.jpg)
