Steely Dan

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Steely Dan is an American jazz rock band comprising of guitarist and bassist, Walter Becker, and singer and keyboardist, Donald Fagen, both of whom have also released solo work. The name of the band is derived from a series of dildos mentioned in the 1959 novel, ‘Naked Lunch’ by the avant-garde writer, William S. Burroughs. Their music is characterized by dark, witty lyrical narratives, obscure lyrical allusions and complex, jazz-influenced instrumentation and chord sequences, overlying more ordinary popular song structures. Their fastidious standards in the studio and use of world-class sessions players has been also been a hallmark of their work For this, special credit should be given to their long-time producer Gary Katz and engineer Roger Nichols.

The group’s history can be divided into three stages. In its original conception, the group was a relatively conventional rock band that toured from 1972 to 1974, releasing the singles-chart successes, ‘

Do It Again’, ‘

Reelin’ In The Years’, ‘

My Old School’ and ‘

Rikki Don’t Lose That Number’.

In its second stage (1975 - 1980) the group, now consisting solely of Fagen and Becker, became a purely studio-based act, their album releases showing a growing obsession with polished production values, and whose output became increasingly jazz-orientated, culminating in the highly successful ‘Aja’ (1977) and ‘Gaucho’ (1980). The two split in 1981 following a tumultuous recording process for the latter album, and personal problems for both members.

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classic rock, jazz rock, rock, 70s, jazz
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Can't Buy A Thrill
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Aja
Steely Dan
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A Decade of Steely Dan
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Pretzel Logic
Steely Dan
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Top Tracks

1	Do It Again full track	1,536
2	Reelin' In The Years full track	998
3	Peg full track	932
4	Deacon Blues full track	739
5	Rikki Don't Lose That Number full track	707
6	Dirty Work full track	609
7	Hey Nineteen full track	589
8	Kid Charlemagne full track	583
9	Black Cow full track	524
10	Josie	505
11	Aja full track	479
12	Bodhisattva full track	475
13	My Old School full track	472
14	Babylon Sisters full track	390
15	Home At Last full track	354

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zoraxx wrote:
Monday evening

Brooklyn (Owes The Charmer Under Me)

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romanmoeller wrote:
Sunday afternoon

Greatest band on planet earth!!!!

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FrankTyrell wrote:
Saturday evening

Wow, they're amazing!

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shakeitmadam wrote:
7 days ago

http://www.steelydandictionary.com/ is fairly helpful. . . there was a really good one but the creators may have taken it down.

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pdubbs85 wrote:
10 days ago

anyone know of a good website where i can find insight to steely dan song meanings?

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hotterthanjuly wrote:
11 days ago

markedly* haha

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Cousin_Eddy wrote:
12 days ago

Brilliant! I love Steely Dan!

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hotterthanjuly wrote:
13 days ago

But "Night By Night" is my shit.

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hotterthanjuly wrote:
13 days ago

Pretzel Logic is probably their most eclectic album. I rank it slightly below the band's mid-70s peaks, but I love the carnivalesque waltz of "East St. Louis Toodle-Oo" and the zipping strings of "Through With Buzz." What prevents Pretzel Logic from being Steely Dan's definitive effort is the fact a handful of the songs are a bit too short. What's really frustrating is they tend to be the best tracks from the album, but Pretzel Logic feels like a collection of teasing vignettes. Katy Lied is a more complete, intricate and elegant effort while maintaining consistency from start to finish. The Royal Scam has a marked different personality than anything Steely Dan has recorded. It's simultaneously more robust and confident than the others. Its unrelenting cynicism is a shade more jarring, perhaps, but its snappiness brings an attractive allure that none of its successors have. The Royal Scam is the black sheep of the Steely Dan discography.

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rottmadgers wrote:
13 days ago

'Katy Lied' ftw.

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FootToFace wrote:
14 days ago

i like pretzel logic over both of them. but i'd pick katy lied. it feels more consistent.

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hotterthanjuly wrote:
15 days ago

I still have trouble deciding which Steely Dan album is my favorite between Katy Lied and The Royal Scam. I guess it depends on the day. "Doctor Wu" and "Your Gold Teeth II" are two of the best, and most gorgeous, songs ever recorded. But "Sign in Stranger" has one of the slinkiest, most inventive piano lines ever featured. And "The Fez" is just a funkfest.

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hotterthanjuly wrote:
15 days ago

The final two songs just aren't as strong, regardless of the order or shift. The album wouldn't flow well at all in reciprocated order. "Josie" doesn't have the feel of an opener, and is my least favorite song from Aja. Either way, The Royal Scam doesn't get the attention it deserves.

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MarchIntoTheSea wrote:
15 days ago

Aja only feels "frontloaded" because there is a shift in focus from the front half to the second...not that either half is better than the other. Try listening to the album in reverse order.

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hotterthanjuly wrote:
16 days ago

We're probably the only two who feel that way though haha.

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rottmadgers wrote:
16 days ago

Agreed.

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hotterthanjuly wrote:
16 days ago

Yeah, I will agree with that. But overall, Aja feels frontloaded. And that's frustrating because that first half is absolutely immaculate.

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rottmadgers wrote:
16 days ago

But "Home At Last" is on side two of "Aja." That song ranks right up there with the very best of their work...

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hotterthanjuly wrote:
16 days ago

Compared to their other albums, yes. "Ha." The second half of Aja is not as strong or memorable as its first, despite the first half being some of Steely Dan's best moments on record. Aja gets all of the acclaim that should have gone to The Royal Scam, which is disproportionately overlooked. With Aja, Steely Dan's sound became too meticulous and studio-conscious. It lacks spontaneity and warmth of any of the albums preceding it, especially Katy Lied. Gaucho is similarly sleek in design and formatting but, in hindsight, boasts the better songs. Aja is by no means weak, as Steely Dan has never recorded anything remotely bad, but not the masterpiece many claim it.

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MarchIntoTheSea wrote:
16 days ago

Overrated? ha

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