British guitarist analyses Steely Dan's SIX vocalists in the early 70's!
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- Опубліковано 23 лют 2019
- Tonight I'm taking a look at Steely Dan with their impressive vocal, and playing ability!
Original video - • STEELY DAN - Reeling i...
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Such superb musicians. Such outstanding composing too! This band rank in the top 20 ever best bands on planet earth. Who agrees with me?
Totally agree, steely dan
For sure...😂
I disagree they are the best
I was taking stock of my life (getting old!) and one thing that hit me was how fortunate I was to grow up with such great music from the 60s and 70s. I remember when this song was new on the radio. Steely Dan is awesome.
Yup!
=////======> ~ 🤨🤔🤗💫👉👍👌‼Yup❗ G-G.
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Well said.
I'm grateful to be SO OLD that I vividly remember the excitement of being a kid waiting for The Midnight Special to start on Friday nights. ... It was like a Free Ticket to mulitiple AMAZING live concerts every Friday night. .... I probably wouldn't have become a musician without it.
Cool!
Me too! I had to sneak downstairs and watch it at the lowest volume. Or my dad would come down and yell Turn off that garbage and get to bed!
You're so right Mark, what a time it was.
Truth. Along with Don Kirshners Rock Concert.
Ohh dam , u guys are bout my age , gfr , doobie bros, linda ronstadt , blondie,ccr , and alot more. Yeah, some pretty cool stuff. And Peter Framton ,,thats right !
I remember singing along to this as a kid and my brother busting me for singing "Are you gathering up the cheese? Have you had enough of mine?" Then he stole my cheese.
Steely Dan - dont take me alive. Larry Carlton guitar playing on that song is amazing.
kel9591 and kid Charlemagne and peg
One of my favorite riffs of all time 👍
Elliot Randall played on the record ( Guitar solo). It is my favourite intro and solo!
Best album cover, and for my money, the royal scam is dans best effort........
Absolutely brilliant band always love the guitar work.
I have been a Dan Fan from the moment I first heard Reelin' in the Years back in the 1970's. I also love Skunk Baxter a truly great guitarists. But Elliot Randell's lead on the original record has never been matched by any other guitarist. The opening was superb. I know it was in the studio but years later he played live with the band and it a had that same magic. Like the opening of Larry Carlton's lead on Don't take me alive had that same magic. Dan's ability to find just the right musician to play on specific parts of their studio albums are unmatched. Also Fil thanks so much for your analysis videos. So often I agree. Please keep up the good work.
Indeed! Elliot Randall!!
I love Steely Dan! They have some of the greatest lead runs ever, so many great songs.👍😎🤘
The 70s was the decade of the storytellers in music from Jim Croce to Gary Wright to Steely Dan to Gordon Lightfoot etc. I could go on and on.
ELO, Steve Miller Band, Supertramp, Pink Floyd........Ha ha! Yes we could go on & on
"storytellers"?!?!? and you didn't mention Genesis w/ Gabriel?!?!
-Stairway
-Freebird
-Dream On
-Hotel California
The decade of 8 minute long chart toppers
Warren Zevon.
I always ran to Steely Dan when I wanted to hear something that made me feel calm and still sounded so polished. Their music just screamed quality.
God i love Steely Dan. I grew up on them, they were my mum's favourite band. I had no idea what they looked like! 😳
Still my favorite band after all these years. Literate and superb musicians are a rarity.
I met the drummer not long after their first release of "Do it Again" in Boston and he was telling my friend about how well their song was doing and that they were going to be on Midnight Special next week. I'll never forget how excited he was about their success.
The one thing I used to hate about the Midnight Special was the way they never had the camera on the appropriate person! Used to drive me freaking nuts!
That's true, i remember that....
The director hired his idiot brother in law as camera man. (Made up)
😂👍
@Sedwick Me neither! Midnight Special, Don Kirshner and Soul Train!
@@wanderingwade8877 Likely 🤣
"Do it Again" is another hit song of theirs that I like alot. The 70's were some happening times in the music world. So much rock music came out in that decade that I believe is the best, and will never be equaled.
In my opinion, the best, most creative ten-year period in music occurred from '65 to '75.
The studio musicians they got on their albums were incredible, the best of the best.
Gotta love dude smilin as he watches! A true love for music indeed.
My all time Favorite Band !
I remember when Peg hit the airwaves and EVERYONE went looking for Steely Dan Albums... Was a terrific time to be alive :-)
The sound of my youth. So many unique sounding bands out of this era. Steely Dan was one of the best.
I commented on another post that those seventies bands were incredibly smart and their songs were very constructed and composed. The guitar solo on 'Don't Take Me Alive' is one of the most vicious pieces of music ever recorded.
Spot on, Ed...smart, skilled, very studied in their approach to composition, arranging and performance. I chuckle when I hear post-punk "purists" (over decades now) talk about "authenticity" as they champion alternative band after band that, while giving the finger to the corporate model, nonetheless lack the technical skill that Fagan and Becker (and studio associates) displayed. The false choice of Authenticity vs. Corporate Sellout overlooks the more fundamental issue of technical prowess in the three areas mentioned above and their decline over time. The Dan were plenty authentic AND far more skilled than the vast majority of contemporary songwriter/musicians who routinely thrill millions with their authentic approach to boring two- and three-chord songwriting. When I listen to Steely Dan, Stevie Wonder, Joni Mitchell (during her mid- to late 70s window) and a few others, they remind me that we didn't have to choose between authenticity and consummate skill during that time. Lucky us. About Carlton's lead on Don't Take Me Alive: "vicious" nails it...thanks for the jog.
Steely Dan...OMG. Yes!
R.I.P Walter Becker.
Re: The Midnight Special. Fleetwood Mac's performance of "Rhiannan" live on the Midnight Special set the bar for live performances. Stevie had an out of body experience and so did I watching that.
Turn my kids onto Stevie with that. They watched with open mouths
I used to have Steely Dan on 8 Track tape back in the day.
Steely Dan would not be Steely Dan without Donald’s unique, snarky, sardonic, New Jersey/New York delivery. I’ve loved it for 40 years and I’m a country boy from Alabama. My favorite band ever.
It’s a joy to see your appreciation for SD- thanks for the insight and for your smile throughout-
I am encouraged by some of the posters here who recognize Steely Dan and the talent of bands of the past, especially the young posters like Atari. What a blessing we had to experience the music of the 70's. I was fortunate to experience the music of the 60's as well. It is my hope that music will return to some of the roots of the 60's and 70's.
Indeed. In my opinion, the best, most creative ten-year period of music was '65 to '75. Incredible.
You had me at Steely Dan. My two greatest treasures on vinyl are original releases of Aja and Hawkwind's In Search of Space, but mostly Aja. Those are "run back into the burning house" treasures. Like, Rosebud important, by which I mean I want people to spend the days after my death trying to figure out why they're so important.
I never saw SD before, but love their music. Great music to dance to...
Steely Dan is one of my all time favourites... Frankly I just love the 70's so much when it comes to music. Having been born in 2003, hardly anybody else I know that's my age likes music like Steely Dan, The Cars/Cap'n Swing (then again most people that like The Cars don't even know Cap'n Swing... lol), Boston, ELO, etc.
I know of Cap'n Swing! They are the closest you can get to The Cars without them being The Cars.
Yeah they went through many incarnations before getting their style; Cap'n Swing has always sounded a lot like Steely Dan in some regards to me, and Cap'n Swing was their name right before evolving into The Cars. Some of their songs were written during this time, most popularly Bye Bye Love, and some were originally intended to become Cars songs but they were left in the obscurity of time.
Atari-Dude 1 Guilty, I love the Cars. Got no clue what that’s a reference to, but that’s ok.
I lived through that whole time period and I still find about bands that were around at the time. Almost all radio stations in my area were top 40 and on AM. Then they went to FM, and the music went disco. It was a sad and dark time.lol. But Eddie Van Halen gave me hope.
I highly recommend you check them out, just search "Cap'n Swing" on Google. Personally, since I'm young, I look back on music in history and look at it objectively, and I like classic rock, disco, 80's synthesizer (not a genre, but I like, for example, Van Halen's "Jump" and "Dreams"), etc. I didn't grow up listening to only one, so I have a lot of music types that I like. As long as it's not hip hop, rap, or mainstream modern I'm good. I think there's still great music out there; check out The Warning, Greta Van Fleet, White Lies, Blossoms, and then there's of course Fil's original songs with Wings Of Pegasus.
Cool!
Oh man I remember this show and the Don Kirshner's rock concert.
My mom wouldnt let me watch Alice Cooper😂
This was THE way to see the bands, there was no MTV-VH1, no video recording. The youngsters today have it easy ! I remember once Buffalo Springfield was on the Tonight Show, had to sneak the tv after bedtime on a school night..and then they were on at the end, almost 1am
I literally have every Dan album ever made.
These guys are God!
Thank you so much, Fil for posting this! ❤❤❤❤
Cool!
@alanna yes they brilliant, always were
Alanna Yes they were!! Once they started using ny session guys they hit god like levels haha
Alanna me too SD got all my cash growing up 🤪
Do you have "The Early Years"?
Baxter and Dias are just incredible together. They all look so young.
Love the band the song and this during my teenage years .Love your enthusiasm Phil rock on !
Your love and passion for music from my era (70's - early 80's) is evident in your face while you listed (and watch) these videos. Been playing guitar in bands for 43 years and have no plans on stopping any time soon....rock on!
One of those bands where EVERYONE is a great musician. That everyone is also a talented vocalist is a huge bonus, esecially considering how many times the line up changed. It's too bad we can't see Baxter's leads, but seeing the rhythm playing of Dias is a great opportunity that doesn't happen often enough. I love Fagen's vocal style. He either tells a story or, as in this song, has a one-sided conversation, as if he's reading a letter, written by him, out loud. Thanks, Fil.
I remember this on tv along with so many others. Shaped my life
🤘😎🤘🎸
He does have a talk, spot on. Totally unique voice
Oh yeah. Love Steely Dan. That is so weird you posted this. I have been singing "Do it again" for three days now. Can't get it out of my head. Them hippies knew their stuff didn't they lol.
Love this video! Never got to see them live, but have almost all of their music. They are from my generation which produced the greatest musicians! Fil, your knowledge is amazing. Thank you. One note: I love, love the clothes from those times!
I am so glad I was young and alive when this played on am radio...
As soon as I saw the two words "Steely Dan", I knew what song was coming; probably not the only one thinking that! Excellent musicians and great harmony.
I grew up on hard rock and metal mainly, but I've always loved Steely Dan - great catchy songs, great musicianship, great vocals, wicked funk grooves, and a really cool, unique, and interesting jazz flair.
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Fil your ability to reveal the gems is truly amazing. Thank you so much for enabling ordinary folks like me to better understand so many treasures.
No problem!
Amazing timeless sound, the drumming is complex and yet simple at the same time
" Do it Again" is my fav Steely Dan song❤
Love these guys!!! Progressive Jazz with Pop sensibility..Elliott Randall plays the solos for studio version of this song. Fun fact; in college Chevy Chase played drums in a band with Becker and Fagen🤘🏻
@Sean Brennan Yes, it is indeed true that Chevy Chase played drums with Fagen & Becker in a very early short-lived band called "Leather Canary".
Some of the work by Larry Carlton on a couple of the Dan's later albums might deserve a review. Especially, "Don't Take Me Alive" where the guitar solo actually starts the song and the guitar on "Kid Charlemagne".
And the great solo on Third World Man from Gaucho
Good clip and analysis - the guitar work in the original studio version of this song was played by a session musician named Elliott Randall and is still one of my all-time favourites; Baxter does a great job on this version but I'd sure like to see a live video from back in the day of him playing the solo in the song "Bhodisattva", another classic Steely Dan tune that really rocks...
Our band used to cover this song in the 90s. We were a 5 piece band and 4 of us sang. This song was so much fun to play. The harmony is very tricky.
God I loved the harmonization. They sound great live too! The Eagles was another group that had the beautiful harmonies a capella ? Me sneaking out of bed at midnight again (grin) to see this.
I love the funny/tongue in cheek lyrics...
Sublime!
RIP Walter and Jim. Thanks
Amen.
Wow, I never knew what they looked like. I grew up with this song!
Great guitar licks in this song, Jeff Baxter is one of my favorite steel pedal guitar players he hit it out of the park when he sat in with the Venturers doing Sleepwalk Santo.
One of my favorite guitar rifs. The timing and pitch changes accompaniedby the incredible vocals of this song make it an enduring classic. Excellent choice in music Fil. Great video sir.
Inlove steely dan even if they are way ahead of my time,,love their music,, thanks pil for featuring them on your channel😉
One my most favorite bands and song
I still say - AND WILL DO TO MY DYING DAY - Steely Dan's best album is their first, Can't buy a thrill (from which this track is taken). It has all the qualities subsequent albums lacked: MELODY!!!, consistency, variety (3 different lead vocalists, as opposed to one) and a strong theme - of repetition. Well done for choosing this track, anyway.
Couldn't disagree more
Their progression musically over the ensuing years far surpassed anything they did on that first record. And that's more than an opinion.
Sure they progressed, they became more & more obtuse. Anyway, the fact that you say your opinion is more than an opinion speaks for itself.@@tomneff7030
loved it
i've been a Steely Dan fan for many, many, moons, and tho i do like this song, i've always been partial to the fantastic tune-smithy of the Royal Scam album.
I've watched a few different "behind the music/the story of", docs on Steely Dan, and learned from them that the band is actually Becker and Fagen . They famously used respected session musicians on everything(even on tour) , and sometimes would have someone come in for work on one song only. Also, they were perfectionist, and would sometimes require 100 takes or more just to get a guitar solo the way they liked. (and it's said they only toured to keep the label happy, they would rather have spent the time in studio)
Cool! Yeah you can hear that perfectionism at work!
Royal Scam was their best album in my opinion
@@laurahulland I would have to agree, followed closely by Aja and Katy Lied (IMO).
Steely Dan was one of my faves!! Thanks Fil! 🎶
One of my all time favorite bands! Great analysis! Thank you!
Loved Steely Dan, thanks Fil!!!
(Skunk’s playing a solo)
“Cut to Denny!”
(Denny’s playing a solo)
“Cut to Skunk!”
Yep, you know you’re a true music fan when things like this drive you crazy.
Thanks for another great video Fil!
Peace. JR
😂👍
Almost got the entire catalog. Vinyl, C.D's and downloads. Man, they came out hot and never stopped evolving. Thanx Fil.
Fagan's vocal are awesome. His voice is unique and fits so well in Steely Dan songs.
These guys were soooo frickin A M A Z I N G!!!! They certainly did reel n rock my years.Vocal harmonies absolutely superb......and like you've been saying.....adding singing to your playing just like doubles the difficulty of performing a song. I been so stupid silly....to only recently realized my voice as an instrument......never thought of it in that way.......just something I did as an adjunct.....and of coarse struggled and continue to struggle with it. Your basically playing 2 instruments! Thanks to vocal coaching of late I'm learning to "play" my 2nd instrument better and finding it as wondrous and thrilling as learning a new instrument.....and admittedly as difficult and frustrating.....but in my case I just do it for kicks cause I love the working it out.....albeit very slowly.....I take my time.....bits n pieces...small steps.
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Great choice Fil........as usual.
Great analysis as always. Steely Dan continued to produce ever more innovative albums right up to 'Everything must go' in the early 2000s. Tremendous.
Seen steely dan in concert 6 times fav band of all time.
That was a nice live performance of one of their early hits. but their Studio work was unbelievable they would spend weeks on just one of their Productions trying out nanny musicians for the shame part or instrument till they got it right. they used the finest Jazz and Studio musicians in the business and fused every kind of music into a classic. the most sophisticated rock Fusion band ever. they were perfectionist par exsalonce. I think Deacon blue it's my favorite. What I love about them is you can listen to one of their great Productions and pick up different sounds and meanings each time you hear it. Thanks introducing them to people who've never heard their sound who should listen to some more of their really sophisticated sound*** thanks fil.
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Tru dat! To me Ricky dont lost that number is the best studio song maybe ever...every note, chord, drum strike if in the right place....
This is the song I heard when I was 12, on AM radio when it first came out that made me want to play guitar, I loved sound of this riff, still do. Thanks Fil
Loved this, Fil ! I believe it was my request. I know I was intending to request you do it, whether I actually carried out that request, I'm not sure. Brilliant analysis, Thankyou!
When I was a kid, this was Saturday night television. I swear the 70s was a great time to be a kid. I still have a Roy Clark picking book from those days. I regret not following up with the guitar. But the music.... I just love it. You have great knowledge. Keep playing!
Great analysis, Fil. Spot on, as you Brits would say. I was just out of high school when I first heard Steely Dan. I became a fan of their unique vocals. And, they did the harmonies without overdubs which meant that they could reproduce their sound live. When bands began spending time in studios their live performances suffered.
This happened to the Beatles. I remember them doing ‘Paperback Writer’ live, and it was nothing like the record. Think about ‘Eleanor Rigby’, ‘Strawberry Fields’, ‘I am the Walrus’, ‘A Day in the Life’? Great, great songs, but in a live performance? Not bloody likely.
With Steely Dan what you heard on the radio is what you got live. Like The Dave Clark Five. When you have so many hit records people want to hear that same sound live.
I remember seeing Three Dog Night live, and they were exactly how they sounded on the radio. They had 3-part harmonies so they did not have to overdub. I saw Earth Wind and Fire live, and, since they had their own horn section their sound was the same as the record.
Yep...agree! I have always deduced that if you can play the guitar and make music...you are great. If you can sing and deliver your message...awesome. Sing + play the guitar (or other instruments like these guys) = really amazing. Steely Dan were really great story tellers with intricate musical deliveries...a really unique and pleasant rock style.
ONE OF MY FAVORITE BAND!!!
Love Skunk! And a rocket scientist (or something like it) at that! Fil, you bring so many genres to the fore!
Good ol Rock & Roll.. I used to watch this show... Reel Good Band :)
A really great Dan album you guys need to hear is Everything Must Go, their last studio album.
It's better than sex, in my honest opinion of course.
Fagin and Becker are unmatched in the writing department and their perfectionism in the studio is legendary, but oh how it pays off.
❤❤❤❤❤
I'm so stoked by this video, can't you tell!😊
Alanna I agree
@@Boddissatva you after mah heart! 😁
Vocal and musical perfectionists and it shows.
Fantastic analysis. The guitar runs become part of the composition. The whole is more important than the parts, yet may of the instrumentation in their songs is epic.
I was born in 1961. I was a teen through the 70s, lucky me! Many my age are critical of modern music. It’s not meant to be mean, only that we have a high bar, IMHO.
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Bingo!
They are a top-notch band. Talented, creative, different and they got what it takes.
Man this is so great.....I remember when I was a kid my Grandmother walked in the room and said I like this song!
I saw Steely Dan and Elton John live in 1973ish at Qualcom Stadium in San Diego, CA. What a show!!!
Elliott Randall played the original solo on the album. Great stuff!
Like Rick Beato says, "before we had Protools, we had Pros" Steely Dan fit's that.
If you want a great guitar solo check out "Peg" by these guys.
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@MOE ORLESS That may be true, and I nearly didn't mention Rick then thought no, I can't rip off another guy's clever comment without giving him credit then I would have been remiss. Steely Dan was a Musician's band.
How I miss this!!!? I'm going to have go through your back log! I live this version, SD are the shit man
Early '70s was the peak of guy with long, very long hairs, even young boy like i was and listen FM radio. Thank Fil
Good video Fil and again spot on. I can't honestly think of another band with six vocalists, all but one of whom are playing instruments. Steely Dan were and are still unique
I see Jeff “Skunk” Baxter in the light colored shirt
Good memories of Steelly Dan, I met Rick Derringer in early 80s we had dinner at a bar where his was playing, thanks for another great analysis Fil xx
Well done, Fil! If you noticed during Denny Dias' solo, he never bent a string... that's what makes him unique; he never bends strings; he slides into the note. I read in a Guitar Player interview once it said he "plays guitar like a piano". Check out his sitar solo on "Do It Again"; you'll see what I mean! Their first album inspired me to take guitar seriously. I was inspired to play guitar via Tommy Bolin.
Great choice Fil!
A fantastic band with many hits! Dont take me alive opening, are you kidding me!
I have all thier albums!
Good Analysis!
Rock!
Suggestion, when you film yourself, keep the camera on your lead hand a bit longer, its great to see close up!!!
Had to check-out Don’t Take Me Alive opening after reading your comment. It had been a while. Just brilliant.
Luckless pedestrians
Cool!
Oh and don't forget black Friday from the Katy lied album 1975 great 🎸 riffs in that as well as underrated album.
Elliott Randall's original lead work is impeccable and sounds fresh even now. This cameraman should have been fired. Denny Dias is completely underrated and is a superb improviser.
It’s the director who decides the shots, not the camera man.
Love Denny, he is one of my favorite guitarists of all time. Just listen to the tracks Aja and Your Gold Teeth II
Right on dude,the credits on the album tell us. I would like to hear his live version but I know he was their session player but loved the studio version of Elliott's lead would love to hear him here.Maybe he played later this song live?I don't know,may never know.Thanks for noting Elliott's original lead.Royal scam album another great guitar oriented album from steely Dan.
Outta my chair and onto the dance floor....good memories
Your analysis is spot on as usual.
I love the fact that you review so mny older, now almost lost works of genius. I won’t even bother to try it o list anything.
Suffice to say it’s right up my alley. ....and I was a metal head/ early hard rock junkie to boot!! 🤘Go figure!🤔
I was a kid when all this music came out & I sooo fondly remember it as a radio backdrop to .... everything!
I never realized how much all this music was burned into the fabric of my life until waaay later.... when I actually started playing myself! 🎸
You musta been born w some genetic 70s in your blood?🤔💥👍😃
Gotta luv it! ✌️ 🎵 🎼 🎶 🌎
Loved this song when it was out in the mid 70's. I remember a local band did a pretty good cover of it in a gig at Newcastle Poly. It went down so well they had to play it three times :)
Cool!
black cow is my favorite tune from them now, because of the horns at the end
Thanks for doing this video mate. I love Steely Dan. I have all their albums.