Premier Rock Forum

Teacher's Pet wrote: Fri Feb 10, 2023 11:09 am For me SD's music is vaguely evocative of 1970s dinner parties of my youth.

My 70’s memory of Steely Dan: Riding in the back of a station wagon on a hot summer day with no A/C as my mom drives recklessly down the old dirt road we lived on. Windows down, red dust everywhere, and a Steely Dan song playing on an AM station out of Shreveport. We would be driving to a place I’d rather not be, like church or the grocery store or a Cub Scout day camp. I would be nauseous, and Steely Dan only made it worse. A few years later, I would discover metal and punk, which I loved because it sounded nothing like that awful music playing in the station wagon.

I have no time for Steely Dan in this life. Maybe another life, but not this one.

Delighted to see that this topic has made it to The Gear Page & hoping beyond hope that one of you is TGPFM "olddrummer" (yes, I read the whole thing... :/).

frighteners wrote: Fri Feb 10, 2023 12:18 pm Delighted to see that this topic has made it to The Gear Page & hoping beyond hope that one of you is TGPFM "olddrummer" (yes, I read the whole thing... :/).

^ The TGP thread alludes to the fact that FM Steve's Wikipedia entry was edited a few days ago to indicate that Steely Dan is one of his musical influences...

This shit is hilarious.

I don't love nor hate them. I listened to one of the CD's from the Citizen Dan box set, it was OK. Was surprised at the humor. I'm voting n/c. Steve's snark and phrases like "jazz dork hands" made me laugh.

It's interesting that their idiosyncratic brand of jazz-pop spawned like, 5 or 6 hits that are still ubiquitous on Classic Rock Radio. Only a few artists have as many songs that get played in that format - Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty, Steve Miller Band, etc.

As a recovering Flaming circa 1985-2006 Lips fanboy I wonder if Albini fanboys are ever aware of how cringey they appear in print.

Steve is totally right about teh Boz tho. Dude wrote one of the best soft rock songs of the 70's, "We're All Alone," bonafide hit for Scaggs, Valli, & Coolidge, but for my money Rita sings the best version.

The Dan is Not Crap despite their lack of physical unattractiveness. Like, I'm easy and forever thirsty. Parched. I'm talking eternally cottonmouthed, but it would take a cartel-sized amount of methamphetamines for me to look their way. They are scary ugly, unearthly so. Actually, as they age their respective look gets smoothed out enough, but, goddamn that was some ferocious 70's-ugly happening.

rsmurphy wrote: As a recovering Flaming circa 1985-2006 Lips fanboy I wonder if Albini fanboys are ever aware of how cringey they appear in print.

Highly, highly, highly doubtful.

Every detractor brings up 'jazz chords' and 'complexity' and chops as if that's what fans find appealing about THE DAN. It isn't. We like the songs. We like the hooks. Whatever their music conjures up in some incel's mind is their own problem and is super fucking tiresome to hear about.

I hope my calling them THE DAN is as annoying to them as every self congratulatory takedown I've read is to the rest of us.

Anyway:
1. Countdown to Ecstasy
2. Gaucho
3. Can't Buy A Thrill
4. Aja
5. Katy Lied/Pretzel Logic (tie)
6. Royal Scam

I don't know any of them after that. But The Nightfly is as good as 5-6.

Top songs (changes day to day):
1. Boston Rag
2. Time Out of Mind
3. Change of the Guard
4. My Old School
5. Peg

Not crap, zero waffles.

jeff fox wrote: Anyway:
1. Countdown to Ecstasy
2. Gaucho
3. Can't Buy A Thrill
4. Aja
5. Katy Lied/Pretzel Logic (tie)
6. Royal Scam

I don't know any of them after that. But The Nightfly is as good as 5-6.

It's as good an order as any. The top 5 (1-4 here plus Pretzel Logic) aren't separated by a lot for me.

Gaucho weirdly underrated by most. I guess because it's stretched out and more spare, more relaxed. Great record.

Top songs (changes day to day):
1. Boston Rag
2. Time Out of Mind
3. Change of the Guard
4. My Old School
5. Peg

Do It Again, Hey Nineteen, Deacon Blues, Black Friday, Kid Charlemagne.

Not crap, zero waffles.

Same

Katy Lied is still my #1.

"Gold Teeth II", "Black Friday", "Dr. Wu", "Rose Darling." DAMN.

Royal Scam and Pretzel Logic both seem filler heavy to me. I made a mix that's essentially the best songs from both that I find more enjoyable than listening to either record in full.

four_oclocker_2.2 wrote: Fri Feb 10, 2023 4:42 pm Katy Lied is still my #1.

"Gold Teeth II", "Black Friday", "Dr. Wu", "Rose Darling." DAMN.

Agreed, plus 'Any World (that I'm welcome to)' which may be my favorite overall.

jeff fox wrote: Fri Feb 10, 2023 2:27 pm
Top songs (changes day to day):
1. Boston Rag
2. Time Out of Mind
3. Change of the Guard
4. My Old School
5. Peg

Not crap, zero waffles.

Also changes day to day, but for today:

1. Your Gold Teeth
2. Home at Last
3. Black Friday
4. Your Gold Teeth II
5. Reelin in the Years

Not Crap