Members Doctor49 Posted August 16, 2008 Members Share Posted August 16, 2008 Oh well, I guess it takes all kinds. Got that right!Anyway, if we were all the same, this place would fail immediately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Oldskool Texas Posted August 16, 2008 Members Share Posted August 16, 2008 So you think that "Reeling in the Years" is soulless overproduced masturbatory? Well, they certainly repeat the relentlessly annoying chorus enough times to qualify as masturbation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members goodhonk Posted August 16, 2008 Members Share Posted August 16, 2008 i heard they influenced early punk the same way that Huey Lewis influenced grunge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tomcatluc Posted August 27, 2008 Members Share Posted August 27, 2008 'Do it agian' still sounds as sparkling as it did in the 70's. So do the albums 'Pretzel Logic', 'Aja', 'Gaucho' and the recent albums (and the solo albums Fagen released) They are geniuses (don't know the correct spelling) and after nearly 40 year they're still playing live and even getting better every concert. (I saw them 3 times here in Belgium). Their music is timeless, but I can understand people that find them boring. Those who like simple rock, sometimes have problems whith the complicated structure of most of their songs. But in my opinion there's always that irresistable SD-beat, that makes it swing. I was a huge fan of Led Zeppelin in the 70's. But I think most of their music now sounds 'aged'. I never had that feeling whith SD. p.s. Walter Becker is a damn good guitar player en should get some more attention in this forum.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nighthawk15 Posted August 27, 2008 Members Share Posted August 27, 2008 To be quite honest.....I can't stand anything I've ever head from em. And "Reeling In The Years".....dear God. To my ears, that damn song is like fingernails on a chalk-board blasted through a PA:mad: To each thier own though. Glad somebody enjoys them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members aenemated Posted August 27, 2008 Members Share Posted August 27, 2008 lol steely dan? seriously? like, for real? hahahaha awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sonowilson Posted August 27, 2008 Members Share Posted August 27, 2008 I like their most recent stuff the best (Two Against Nature, Everything Must Go). I think those two albums represent the very best of their music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members chiro972 Posted August 27, 2008 Members Share Posted August 27, 2008 To me, the greatness of Steely Dan isn's as a "band." After all, they stopped being a band early in their career. What makes Steely Dan so cool is that their songwriting output represents some of the most interesting, sophisticated, intelligent, and witty music produced in the last thirty years. The lyrics are so idiosyncratic that I can't imagine them being recorded without that obsessive studio polishing that Becker and Fagen did so well. Outside of the great Elvis Costello, Becker and Fagen are probably my favorite songwriters since the Beatles. I agree with what somebody above said about the groove...those songs always have a really good groove built into them to go along with the egghead jazz chords. I have to agree. SD succeed with great lyrics where Rush tries to do the same and fails miserably. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jerry_picker Posted August 27, 2008 Members Share Posted August 27, 2008 Much of the musicianship you hear in Steely Dan is because it was the best money could buy.Fagen and Becker spared no expense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members csm Posted August 27, 2008 Members Share Posted August 27, 2008 Some call it "cheating", others call it "arranging". It's why George Martin gets credit on some Beatles songs. He does? Find me ONE song in their entire catalogue credited to 'Lennon/McCartney/Martin.' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jrockbridge Posted August 27, 2008 Members Share Posted August 27, 2008 In terms of of jazz music, Steely Dan is cocktail jazz. Within rock 'n' roll, Steely Dan is soft rock. Mix in all the other influences, and their music delivers catchy pop hooks. Certainly, their lyrics can be wry and cerebral. But, I'm not seeing the leap to calling them the greatest song writers, or the greatest band. There are much greater poets in rock 'n' roll alone. They are a great pop band at best. They are a watered down mix of genres at worst. They are a jack of all trades master of none. Some clever stuff, but hardly masterful when compared to legendary music throughout history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ru with me drho Posted August 30, 2008 Members Share Posted August 30, 2008 They are a jack of all trades master of none. My opinion is the exact opposite.They are master of one trade...great rhythm section grooves with complex harmonies and terrific blowing, yet with unique lyrical content, sense of humor, and they still sold records and got airtime with every album of the '70s going platinum.They never tried to be like anyone else, and no one else is like them. Yet, both rockers and jazzers consider them talented. Hard to think of anyone else who fits all of those descriptions. Of course, that doesn't mean you'll like 'em. And they, of course, couldn't care less... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bdegrande Posted August 30, 2008 Members Share Posted August 30, 2008 So no "Beatles" for you then, eh? I was a Beatles fan (and a Steely Dan fan, and for that matter an XTC and Talking Heads fan), and I lost a lot of interest in all of them when they stopped playing shows - and I think their music suffered for it, I'm not a fan of the Baroque Sgt. Pepper style at all. Making a studio CD takes a lot of skill (and Steely Dan are superb at it), but it's not particularly a musical skill. more like building a ship in a bottle. I am not a great musician by any means, but I can play something that sounds good given fifty retries and a multitrack recorder. I have a lot more respect for those that actually go out and play music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members inkblot Posted August 30, 2008 Members Share Posted August 30, 2008 I find the Dan to be quite unmemorable. I've listened to quite a bit of their stuff and can only remember two or three songs. I tune them out just like most other easy listening music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dacat Posted August 31, 2008 Members Share Posted August 31, 2008 damn good for sure, best ever? if you like jazz and offbeat carefully crafted blends of whatever.....sure they are as good as it gets there. i liked them a lot better before aja, more raw, course they were always pretty polished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wader2k Posted August 31, 2008 Members Share Posted August 31, 2008 terms like "best " don't fit with music..... I will say that I saw SD live last year and it WAS a GREAT TIME......FANTASTIC live show from a band that never really did live shows back in the day from what I can recall....they were a pleasant surprise.... Everything was NOTE for NOTE perfect and they sound was topnotch..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wader2k Posted August 31, 2008 Members Share Posted August 31, 2008 I saw them live last year in Melbourne, and they were absolutely amazing. donald fagen was on fire, and as well as singing really well, he was playing like a gun, and Walter Becker and the other guitarist (can't quite remember his name) were really, really good. Jon Harrington.....kicks ass on all them solos... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wader2k Posted August 31, 2008 Members Share Posted August 31, 2008 Larry CarltonLee RitenourElliot RandallJeff BaxterDenny DiasRick DerringerMark KnoplerPhil Woods Richard TeeSteve Gaddand many more.At one point, Berklee had a class on their music.Very sophisticated, highly evolved music, maybe too much for this room. this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Geeter Posted August 31, 2008 Members Share Posted August 31, 2008 They are really amazing and I really don't think of them as a band. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wurstburst Posted August 31, 2008 Members Share Posted August 31, 2008 Every time I hear one of their songs, I feel like I should like it. But I don't. They're music feels "stiff" to me - too contrived. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wader2k Posted August 31, 2008 Members Share Posted August 31, 2008 [YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mw843AjJRLg&feature=related[/YOUTUBE] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mw843AjJRLg&feature=related Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Rossness Posted August 31, 2008 Members Share Posted August 31, 2008 Seriously. Perfect combination of Rock, Soul, and Jazz.Seriously- NO! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members docjeffrey Posted August 31, 2008 Members Share Posted August 31, 2008 I didn't read the whole thing, but Katy Lied was one of my favorite albums from the 70's. Still, their music lacked passion. It was too polite and unoffensive. Guys with "Bolder Boulder" T-shirts, cargo shorts and Teva sandals like Steeley Dan. They usually drive Subarus or Previasa, and they recently added The Fray to their iPods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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