Tag: steely dan (Page 1 of 2)

There was a time in the late 70s and early 80s where there was a seeming hatred for Steely Dan and their music in the press. It’s not easy to see why, but I guess it was their single minded determination to do what they wanted and not conform to any trend. Now, the music biz is all about trends and the next big thing that they can jump to in the blink of an eye, and Steely Dan are definitely not that.

Nobody makes great sounding albums like this anymore. That knowledge is being lost as everyone thinks they can record straight to a laptop and it’s gonna sound great. Whether you like them or not, the band’s albums are sonically superb and Aja is a pure joy to listen to.

My favourite tracks? Well, I’m going for the title track first as it’s a super smooth groove and you get to hear Steve Gadd laying down some wicked drums. Also, I Got The News is where the band lay into a killer funky groove, which is something they do so well.

Everyone should own a copy of this just as an example of how good albums used to sound.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

It seems people either love or hate Steely Dan. I’m a hard rock and metal guy, but I love Steely Dan. Their production values are off the charts, and I defy anyone to tell me that these albums aren’t some of best sonically amazing albums ever recorded. The band split in ’81 and reunited in ’93.

This is their last album, recorded in 2003, it was released on vinyl as part of RSD. The album before this, Two Against Nature was a killer funky monster, and this album still has that groove but leaning more towards a smooth jazz sound. My favourite track is Godwhacker. I love the snappy snare that drives the song along, plus Walters’ funky guitar that just sits underneath is so cool. A really great sounding album that sounds even better when played loud.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

This was their first album released way back in ’72, and since then I believe they have sold in excess of 40 million albums over all formats. I mean, you have to be doing something right with figures like that. The format is pretty simple; write what we want to write and get the best session guys around to record it.

They sort of hit the ground running with the singles Do It Again (which opens the album and was a smash) and the sublime Reeling In The Years, with its ear-worm hook and chorus, and a great solo from Elliot Randall. As would be their trademark in all later albums, this record is super slick, well written, and perfectly recorded. As well as the already mentioned Reeling In The Years, which is such a great a tune, my other favourite is Fire In The Hole with Donald’s great piano playing – and I love his word play in his lyrics. They just don’t make albums like this anymore and the seventies brought out some brilliantly recorded albums, of which all Steely Dan output from this period are in there.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

So the year is 1980, and the music world is either rocking its brains out, or its new wave crazy. If you’re Steely Dan however, you are the kings of cool and releasing albums that are sonically so good they sound as though they are playing in your own room. Steely Dan release records that session musicians would release if there were no record labels to interfere. This would be the last album they would release until Two Against Nature in 2000.

The guest list of players is a who’s who of the session world, with the likes of Steve Gadd, Jeff Porcaro, The Brecker Brothers, Michael McDonald, and Larry Carlton – to name a few. I love Donald Fagen’s vocal style, and the way he uses words to tell stories is just sublime. They have been called smooth jazz, which nowhere near does the music justice. It’s way deeper than that, there is a really cool funk undertone to a lot of the tracks. Musically, it’s all about the groove and the swing so Donald can weave his vocals that intertwine beautifully. My favourite tracks are Babylon Sisters, Glamour Profession, and Time Out Of Mind as that’s where everything clicks together for me.

8/10 from The Grooveman.