The guy on the conga drums is Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, who was also a guitarist for Steely Dan for several years, and then went on to The Doobie Brothers and many other musical endeavors. I had no idea he was an accomplished conga drummer!
As a 14 year old living in Podunk, USA, The Midnight Special was as close to live music as I could get. I was too young to drive, had no means to buy albums and no one to talk about music with, this show was my window to Rock and Roll. I was introduced to so many bands and performers across a wide variety of amazing genres forming a strong foundation for music within me.
Same here, growing up in Hawaii we of course had many radio stations that played Hawaiian music and top 40,the Midnight Special was like a whole other world,just awesome! Also years later I met Walter Becker from Steely Dan while surfing at a spot called Tavares Bay,he lived in the north shore town of Paia,Maui and would see him out in water on his boogie board!Aloha from Hawaii🤙🏽
Not all. I've been watching all of them and some are canned and lip-synched. Which is ok, almost every show in the world did that but I do prefer the live ones.
Yes it was Great because it wasn't lip synced it keep off pop posers and frauds off, only High Quality REAL bands appeared on the hey days of the Midnight Special.
@@honeychilerider The funniest lip-synched performance I've seen from the show was Hall and Oates in 1980. In some moments Daryl Hall didn't even try to sing into the microphone.
@@scottlarson1548 It's gotta be hard for bands to do that. It's funny because I thought lip-synching had become a thing when I was a teenager back in the 80s, I didn't realize it had been a thing almost as long as there was television.
Things were different then. I can imagine it's beyond your comprehension. It is , it was a natural evolution. You're just lucky that you were born later, and entered the picture later.
Definitely. The Midnight Special was from an era where all the performers were the real deal and extremely talented no matter what genre of music. I miss those days. Today 95% of the music is total auto tune computer enhanced crap .
Remember when you could get actual entertainment on good old network TV? I remember as a teenager staying up to watch Midnight Special even though I was so tired that my eyes were burning.
Ah the good old days eh? I remember tuning into the Midnight Special and Don Kirshner's Rock Concert back in my pre-cable days. In the post-cable era, the show Night Flight made quite an impression on me as it featured music videos before MTV came around along with all sorts of off-the-wall content that I found pretty entertaining.
@dennydias-id5jh Likewise. If this is the real Denny Dias thanks for the great music and guitar playing over the years. You and Skunk Baxter were a great guitar duo in Steely Dan.
Forgot the year but I had great tix to see them at the Auditorium Theater in Chicago, the a week or so before the show they cancelled and broke up for a good while.
@@user-br2gi8kh5s Sure, and on every imaginable level. Then again, it's an object lesson in how nothing lasts forever. I think the Rock/Pop Genre was done by '77.
Back when I could come HOME.... With the munchies, sit on the floor wearing my Dads old army jacket and watch one of the three channels we had, toatally content with no worries. I had it all, and didnt know it.
congratulations you have won my GOLD🏆Comment award Today..( I had it all and didnt know it) you brought tears to my eyes.. just an old Hippy here at 68yo👏
For the longest time watching videos, I used to think that Danny Dias was Elott Randall. Then I would see Skunk Baxter playing the solo on Reeling in the Years and I was like, why isn’t Randall playing it. Deep.
I prefer Fagen's vocal to Palmer's but the latter does a good job. Baxter is unexpectedly fine on the congas! Dias is great on lead guitar. This is fricking 50 years old but the sounds (def not the duds) are so fresh!
@@kbrewski1 It's hard to imagine Fagen being terrified of being a lead singer, but he genuinely was! You can see him visibly shaking on Reelin' In The Years. And he spoke of it in early interviews. But he owns this song. I love Can't Buy A Thrill, but Palmer was best at what he did on that album. Imagine him taking on Fire In The Hole?? sacrilege! I think he clearly conquered that fear pretty quickly!
Teach your children, and your grandchildren, well, and make sure they realize that there were bands like SD creating such complex, interesting and incredible music.
I did my best at it, at least playing the music. My 22-year-old daughter will sometimes start singing along with a classic rock song and people will look at her and say,” how do you know that song.” She just replies, “My dad.“ I swell with pride anytime she says that.
@@carlosxd9739 I got that,i'm with you on the greatness of the 70s... I was born in '60 so i grew up on the 70s... But my point was 60s started with doo-wop and surf... Beach boys into the Beatles and then the British invasion starts in '64 with the stones,the who,dave clark 5,spencer davis,the animals,more Beatles and a load of others. Then summer of love in '67 and then the hard psychedelic and heavy rock roll in... So i wasn't saying 60s was better just that both decades were so full of great music that there ain't enough time in the day too listen to all of it🥰 🤘
I am fortunate enough to remember when songs like Do It Again were hits on AM radio .. Let that sink in - this was considered a pop song - and along some incredible other artists like Chicago, Earth Wind & Fire, Tower Of Power and The Doobie Bros, this was the music of my childhood because it played on mainstream radio .... and of course, sneaking into the family room in the wee hours on Friday and Saturday nights to watch The Midnight Special and Don Kirschner's Rock Concert .... How times have changed
T.O.P. is still one of the best LIVE bands in the HISTORY of live performing acts...I have a recent concert on DVR with a young black singer....OMG, find it, you will freak out!
I disagree. This was their first release on AOR FM radio. 1972. Who knew that Steely Dan would become a mainstay on FM radio for the next decade? Still consider them one of the top ten bands of the 70’s.
I am fortunate enough to have access to all this great music and all thats been released since then at my fingertips. Times have changed for the better.
@@ivegotpetercrissI’m no boomer, but let me point that there’s a difference between having access to good music like we have now and being completely surrounded by it everywhere you go in the 1970s. I wish I had a Time Machine to check it out.
Very good example why the Midnight Special kicks ass. Great live performances up the wazoo. Everyone always gave it their all and played their ass off. Just amazing
It is with overwhelming gratitude to my older brother...thank you for turning me on to Can't Buy A Thrill. The beginning of a love affair with Steely Dan that continues to this day. I'm now 65, still listening 🎧🎶
My older sister. I'm 66. I was 16, you were 15. Best time for music that there has ever been. Also she turned me on to The Doobie Brothers with "The Captain and Me", which is my all-time favorite album. "Can't Buy A Thrill" is definitely one of the top 5 ever. Take good care (Medicare, that is lol), my brother in rock!
@@JROD082384 Yeah, but i don't really know how pedals are bad though, because that's what this guy was implying. Denny basically just had a Wah pedal in front of him (3:59 if you want an example)
Interesting. After the Captain Fantastic album, Elton fired his bass player and drummer. He wanted a more rock sound. At this point, he now had two lead guitarists, but for the tour, he brought Baxter along as a third lead guitarist. He certainly would have brought a more hard rock sound to the band. Your comment certainly explains how Elton knew Skunk Baxter
David Palmer’s voice was just so damn good. It’s so rare to find truly Great Singers like McCartney, Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, Richard Manuel, Bono, Dion DiMucci… Who have that “Pretty but Gritty” sound to their Voice.
All the camera shots are right on the money. Too many TV shows had the wrong player featured at the wrong time. TMS has all the right angles and the right camera switches. 👍👍
I would have liked to see more straight ahead stage shots so we could see all the musicians playing (poor Walter is in there somewhere), a lot of rear shots from behind,but just good to have these Dan performances at all from the early 70s.
@garion333 Who you talking to? Becker is playing bass behind Skunk Baxter on congas. The drummer they showed multiple times playing, his drum kit is right in the center. That's Jim Hodder. They didn't show his face.
Denny Dias played some wonderful guitar with Steely Dan in the 70s, his solo on Bodhisattva especially is a work of technical mastery. An often forgotten member of the original band. Thanks for the upload.
The fact they where able to simply NAIL IT in all levels, and even so beign critical of their live sound, says it all of how amazing, tight and top notch Steely Dan was. Superb and Masterclass band
Agreed! His playing is amazing on this performance. And he does it with his eyes closed! I am not sure if he always picks so far away from the pickups but it really makes the sound special, like a cross between a guitar and electric sitar!
@@vindas777 That sitar sound is an electronic effect. The best place to pick any stringed instrument is in the middle of the string, where it has the widest vibrations and string feel. Pickups only go so far up the neck, stuck at the end, but your picking technique doesn't have to. If you want a sitar sound, try playing a guitar upside-down. Play up and down the G string with B and E as drones. Using D with G, B and E drones is more like a zither.
@@johnwattdotca I understand how pickups work but thanks for the explanation. I need to point out to you that on the recording it is most certainly an electric sitar NOT an effect. This performance is of course on an electric guitar, which to my ear sounds like it only has some reverb and distortion. He is making the sound with his fingers.
@@vindas777 Others are calling it a sitar sound, and there is something else going on beyond reverb and distortion. I'd call it a plinky sound. Pretzel Logic featured the first guitar synths that really fooled me, knowing the studio pros involved, and it's one of the reasons the band couldn't perform live, at the time. A friend of mine from another city bought the electric sitar when it was auctioned off at Electric Ladyland. Talking about sounding like a sitar is just about the sound. Playing one is very different, because we grew up with twelve notes per octave, and Indian music begins with seventeen.
I'm just a youngster at 70. And it was pretty good... of course it was the best time.. we were young. Nice to look back. And I'm glad you're still with us. Cheers.
This song makes me remember a trip to Boston. The guy I was hanging around with took me to Combat Zone to hear a bacd in a cool little bar. I don't think the back was Steely Dan but they played nothing buy Steely Dan. It was a great night. I forgot the guy I hung out with but if he reads this "THANK YOU!"
This is why the older generation doesn't brag about our music. Because it's music for real And by honest ta God real musicians. Heart and soul and talent can't be replaced
As we used to say in the 70's..... "fuckin [A] man" great band. I'm 72 years old and I've been playing their music ever since 'I first hear them' on the radio in 1973. I have them on my Spotify and listen to them all the time.
This music will never be duplicated, music now is a far cry from the past as far as composition goes. There’s cool stuff out like Tool and some others but it was different then.
do you mean stuff on top 40 radio? There is very great new music out, it just doesnt get the attention of the ever-more-ignorant public. Anna Von Hausswolff comes to mind among countless others.
@@kevind7422 are you familiar with the term, “British teeth”? It refers to the stereotypically misaligned and crooked teeth many Britons have. My statement wasn’t saying that the singer himself was British, but that he has teeth like a stereotypical British person. Also, it was a joke.
Shall I 'Ha' or 'Whinny'? I prefer to focus on the art and presentation of a performer rather than judgements about personal appearances. Guess it's just a me thang.
I may not share the same sense of nostalgia as many here, but listening to this music transports me to a place where i can bond with my parents in the shared experience of hearing great music. I imagine what they must have been like at the time and their parents too. No phones or many cameras. I'm jealous sometimes
When I was 13 i had a friend with teeth like the singers. He used to try to bite me. This song has always reminded me of getting through that tough time.
Wow look how far we came...I miss that era..I was a child in the 70😮's my Dad &Mom used to jam on this song with there feather roach clips...Those was the days .
The guy on the conga drums is Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, who was also a guitarist for Steely Dan for several years, and then went on to The Doobie Brothers and many other musical endeavors. I had no idea he was an accomplished conga drummer!
Yes and he also played with Linda ronstadt as well a great track is your no good 😊
Thanks! I was about to google him after seeing him play. Impressive!
And is now working for the department of defense! The guy can't be stopped!
And google why he's known as "skunk" it's not about weed 😊
And Rocket Scientist...
As a 14 year old living in Podunk, USA, The Midnight Special was as close to live music as I could get. I was too young to drive, had no means to buy albums and no one to talk about music with, this show was my window to Rock and Roll. I was introduced to so many bands and performers across a wide variety of amazing genres forming a strong foundation for music within me.
Same here, growing up in Hawaii we of course had many radio stations that played Hawaiian music and top 40,the Midnight Special was like a whole other world,just awesome! Also years later I met Walter Becker from Steely Dan while surfing at a spot called Tavares Bay,he lived in the north shore town of Paia,Maui and would see him out in water on his boogie board!Aloha from Hawaii🤙🏽
Podunk or New York where I'm from, at 13 years old, this was like viewing another world. Shows like this got so many of us to buy our first guitars!
Same age here, exact same thoughts. Each week, watching this was like winning the music lottery.
😍
Same here. I got back from Nam and got married and we never missed a Midnight Special. Cheers from eastern TN
That guitar solo was incredible.
So awesome that the guy is barely seeing the fretboard lol
He's using a pick dude@@CasperLCat
Denny was/is a great guitarist
Skunk Baxter was better.
Denny Diaz is one of my favorite guitar players of all time.
I love the fact that on 'The Midnight Special', all performances were actually done live and not played to a track. Great stuff!
Not all. I've been watching all of them and some are canned and lip-synched. Which is ok, almost every show in the world did that but I do prefer the live ones.
@@honeychilerider
Almost all the early ones were live. Only in the late 70s did they start using videos and lip synching (the disco crap)
Yes it was Great because it wasn't lip synced it keep off pop posers and frauds off, only High Quality REAL bands appeared on the hey days of the Midnight Special.
@@honeychilerider The funniest lip-synched performance I've seen from the show was Hall and Oates in 1980. In some moments Daryl Hall didn't even try to sing into the microphone.
@@scottlarson1548 It's gotta be hard for bands to do that. It's funny because I thought lip-synching had become a thing when I was a teenager back in the 80s, I didn't realize it had been a thing almost as long as there was television.
If I were in that audience, I wouldn't be able to sit still.
I dig. I rememeber watching this when I was 11 years old and grooving on it. Still can't figure out why anyone present was sitting down during it.
Me too.
Really cmon people you should be dancing especially to that song.
Things were different then.
I can imagine it's beyond your comprehension.
It is , it was a natural evolution. You're just lucky that you were born later, and entered the picture later.
Definitely. The Midnight Special was from an era where all the performers were the real deal and extremely talented no matter what genre of music. I miss those days. Today 95% of the music is total auto tune computer enhanced crap .
Still a masterpiece in 2025
Indeed. This is a real great song!
Yes, since "day one" and again and again and again...
Absolutely 🎉
Indeed
Always will be!
Remember when you could get actual entertainment on good old network TV? I remember as a teenager staying up to watch Midnight Special even though I was so tired that my eyes were burning.
Ah the good old days eh? I remember tuning into the Midnight Special and Don Kirshner's Rock Concert back in my pre-cable days. In the post-cable era, the show Night Flight made quite an impression on me as it featured music videos before MTV came around along with all sorts of off-the-wall content that I found pretty entertaining.
I'm so old. I wish I had a reason to stay up until midnight! :)
You mean when 90% of the shows were God awful playback "performances"?
You're watching this on youtube and still think you need network TV. TV is dead, the future is now. Enjoy it.
Times have changed. UA-cam and other streaming is the new cable, so here's where you find the music too :)
One of the best guitarists of all time.....on congos!! Awsome!!
Hahahaha. Ikr?
Yeah. I'm like. Jeff Baxter? Why the fuck is he playing congos?
@jasonbarton4521 making the song work lol
Somewhere you can find video of Skunk playing drums for Linda Ronstadt.
Skunk channeling his inner Ricky Ricardo!
Killer guitar solo by Denny Dias.
@dennydias-id5jh Likewise. If this is the real Denny Dias thanks for the great music and guitar playing over the years. You and Skunk Baxter were a great guitar duo in Steely Dan.
Sans the sitar effect.. (which I thought was very cool on the studio performance)
@glenstevenjohnson I always thought it was just middle pickup position but you pick the string by the bridge for that tone
One of the Greatest Songs Ever….
Nothing better than watching a band playing live with original material. So glad I grew up in the 60s and 70s when all this great music was made
Great lead guitar work by Denny Dias 🎸
Denny was a bad ass!
I love how he is hardly even looking at his fretboard as he plays!
He could play that solo in his sleep. Looked like he was trying to prove it in the video LOL. He was great though.
Wow..50 years...gone ...in a blink...the 70's and its unique magic...👍👍
Ma jeunesse.Formidable morceau
one of the best solos for guitar in Steely Dan album
Strongly agree.
Cool that he just let it rip, hitting just a few of the signature riffs here and there. Didn't even miss the sitar guitar. We'll, maybe a little.
@@gtrguy5851 had you heard the song AJA steely dan, the solo guitar is Danny Diaz, as well Do it again
That's saying a lot. (Reeling in the Years, Bodhisattva, Kid Charlemagne, My Old School, .etc.
Ahhhhh, the 70s, a magiical time and glad I was able to see it, live it, and be part of it all.
And survive it
I did so much coke back then that I looked good but I am actually the orange-haired dude in this clip.
@@dufunia8313 So you are the singer?
The best of times. Great friends, great music & great memories.
@@bufordtjustice7015 yes
I was lucky to be teenager during this era. It is still hard to believe that quality music existed on network TV back in those days.
Good for you.
Yup great time for live music on broadcast TV
look like Denny can play guitar in his sleep. cant get over the talent here !
I’m 68 and I was fortunate to be in a Steely Dan concert back in the early 70s. Nothing like 70s rock
Forgot the year but I had great tix to see them at the Auditorium Theater in Chicago, the a week or so before the show they cancelled and broke up for a good while.
Me too, in Brussels...
Denny Diaz such a great guitar player, deserved way more recognition.
Absolutely
He is smooth
The 70s were the best times.
I wish I was a teenager of the 70's, that would have been something. I only got a sense of what I missed, growing up in the 80's.
Music-wise. It started out great with all sorts of bands and genres, but by decades' end you could tell it was going downhill.
@@charlesnwarren That's fair, but the first seven years of the 70s music is unparalleled
@@user-br2gi8kh5s Sure, and on every imaginable level. Then again, it's an object lesson in how nothing lasts forever. I think the Rock/Pop Genre was done by '77.
60s were good too. Those were good times.
Back when I could come HOME....
With the munchies, sit on the floor wearing my Dads old army jacket and watch one of the three channels we had, toatally content with no worries.
I had it all, and didnt know it.
congratulations you have won my GOLD🏆Comment award Today..( I had it all and didnt know it)
you brought tears to my eyes.. just an old Hippy here at 68yo👏
aaaaaah those infamous munchies...
Those were good days my brother.
Denny Dias is criminally underrated. He made that solo look so easy.
For the longest time watching videos, I used to think that Danny Dias was Elott Randall. Then I would see Skunk Baxter playing the solo on Reeling in the Years and I was like, why isn’t Randall playing it. Deep.
The Midnight Special and Don Kirchner's Rock Concert are treasures from yesterday. I'm glad UA-cam is here.
No doubt about that! I'm with you
Every Friday night.
Midnight Special with host Wolfman Jack
@@michaelelliott1212 miss hearing Don telling you something about the band/ musician just before they would show play their set.
Yes!!!
Baxter on percussion? Priceless.
I prefer Fagen's vocal to Palmer's but the latter does a good job. Baxter is unexpectedly fine on the congas! Dias is great on lead guitar. This is fricking 50 years old but the sounds (def not the duds) are so fresh!
Yeah, Fagen's voice had a little more bite to it. But at this point he had a bit of "stage fright".
@@kbrewski1 It's hard to imagine Fagen being terrified of being a lead singer, but he genuinely was! You can see him visibly shaking on Reelin' In The Years. And he spoke of it in early interviews. But he owns this song. I love Can't Buy A Thrill, but Palmer was best at what he did on that album. Imagine him taking on Fire In The Hole?? sacrilege! I think he clearly conquered that fear pretty quickly!
The original voice in the recording definitely owns this song.
is the guy on congas the same who played lead guitar on their previous appearances? looks similar.
@CJinsoo
Yes, its Jeff Skunk Baxter, one of the original founders of Steely Dan.
Teach your children, and your grandchildren, well, and make sure they realize that there were bands like SD creating such complex, interesting and incredible music.
I did my best at it, at least playing the music. My 22-year-old daughter will sometimes start singing along with a classic rock song and people will look at her and say,” how do you know that song.” She just replies, “My dad.“ I swell with pride anytime she says that.
Donald Fagan and Walter Becker are master legends. Their contributions to music are timeless and always get better with each listen.
All the Steely Dan albums are front to back classic material, and ditto for the solo albums. Their legacy is pretty much untouchable.
This Channel is a complete treasure trove of live recordings! The Seventies music wise were the best decade.
70s is the best decade for the music 🎉
@@carlosxd9739apparently you have never heard any music from the 60s...🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
@@timhoovermusicman i love it the music from 60s🤩 is amazing, but i love u more the music from 70s 😊
late 60s have a strong case but yeah probably one or the other. 90s had a nice boom but yeah nothing quite like this.
@@carlosxd9739 I got that,i'm with you on the greatness of the 70s... I was born in '60 so i grew up on the 70s... But my point was 60s started with doo-wop and surf... Beach boys into the Beatles and then the British invasion starts in '64 with the stones,the who,dave clark 5,spencer davis,the animals,more Beatles and a load of others. Then summer of love in '67 and then the hard psychedelic and heavy rock roll in... So i wasn't saying 60s was better just that both decades were so full of great music that there ain't enough time in the day too listen to all of it🥰 🤘
I am fortunate enough to remember when songs like Do It Again were hits on AM radio .. Let that sink in - this was considered a pop song - and along some incredible other artists like Chicago, Earth Wind & Fire, Tower Of Power and The Doobie Bros, this was the music of my childhood because it played on mainstream radio .... and of course, sneaking into the family room in the wee hours on Friday and Saturday nights to watch The Midnight Special and Don Kirschner's Rock Concert .... How times have changed
T.O.P. is still one of the best LIVE bands in the HISTORY of live performing acts...I have a recent concert on DVR with a young black singer....OMG, find it, you will freak out!
I disagree. This was their first release on AOR FM radio. 1972. Who knew that Steely Dan would become a mainstay on FM radio for the next decade? Still consider them one of the top ten bands of the 70’s.
I am fortunate enough to have access to all this great music and all thats been released since then at my fingertips. Times have changed for the better.
it's not the same, you'll never understand. 🙂@@ivegotpetercriss
@@ivegotpetercrissI’m no boomer, but let me point that there’s a difference between having access to good music like we have now and being completely surrounded by it everywhere you go in the 1970s. I wish I had a Time Machine to check it out.
Very good example why the Midnight Special kicks ass. Great live performances up the wazoo. Everyone always gave it their all and played their ass off. Just amazing
It is with overwhelming gratitude to my older brother...thank you for turning me on to Can't Buy A Thrill. The beginning of a love affair with Steely Dan that continues to this day. I'm now 65, still listening 🎧🎶
My older sister. I'm 66. I was 16, you were 15. Best time for music that there has ever been. Also she turned me on to The Doobie Brothers with "The Captain and Me", which is my all-time favorite album. "Can't Buy A Thrill" is definitely one of the top 5 ever. Take good care (Medicare, that is lol), my brother in rock!
I did the same thing introduced my baby brother to doobies and steely dan
Best album can’t buy a thrill
The diff between this version and the studio recording show what a perfectionist Donald Fagan was
Fagen looking,exasperated at his Tom-Toms at the end of the performance, and gesticulating at them angrily really says it all... 🤣
I prefer this live version to the original studio version
Bass seems heavier here, I love it!
Seems like he sings on the wrong key or not quite right and seems Fagen is not happy with it. Actually Fagen's voice is much better for me.
THAT WAS GREAT!
Man what guitar licks. He’s lost into his guitar world. Awesome!
He played most of his solo with his eyes closed!
Steely Dan was and still is one of my favorite session bands , along with Allen Parsons Project...
Or Alan
Wow! Never heard this before with Palmer on lead vocals.
Whenever Fagen comes in as a backing vocalist it's so jarring. Where were you the rest of the song?
Stage fright for Fagan.
thanks as I didn't know who this guy was....
Dave Palmer was amazing
I always hated hearing Steely Dan on the radio as a kid in the 1980s, thought they were oldies. Now I love it.
Putting this song & driving threw East L.A., hell yeah! 😎
That guitar solo is all full of heart & soul
RIP Jim Hodder! One helluva drummer and the first in a long line of talented Dan drummers!
Jim Gordon - Jeff Porcaro - RIP.
And he sings Midnight Crusier. Top five Dan song, for me.
No fancy peddles no auto tune no in ear monitors just pure talent
There are literally *pedals in front of the guitarist, so maybe you should go pick up your 50x bifocal prescription, you ignorant old dummy...
@@JROD082384 Yeah, but i don't really know how pedals are bad though, because that's what this guy was implying. Denny basically just had a Wah pedal in front of him (3:59 if you want an example)
@@JROD082384 that seems a bit exsessive.
Saw this line up open for Elton John in September of 1973.
They opened for Elton John? Well, that's messed up, considering how Steely Dan would've been the much better act.
It’s not a competition, but Elton John owned the charts in the early 70s.
Interesting. After the Captain Fantastic album, Elton fired his bass player and drummer. He wanted a more rock sound. At this point, he now had two lead guitarists, but for the tour, he brought Baxter along as a third lead guitarist. He certainly would have brought a more hard rock sound to the band. Your comment certainly explains how Elton knew Skunk Baxter
David Palmer’s voice was just so damn good.
It’s so rare to find truly Great Singers like McCartney, Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, Richard Manuel, Bono, Dion DiMucci…
Who have that “Pretty but Gritty” sound to their Voice.
So true
The guy on the congas was wicked.
skunk baxter.
Wicked on the guitar, as well. Played for the Doobie Brothers later. On guitar, that is.
Skunk absolutely kills it on congas.
Denny Días is a monster talent.
Fantastic band, very intelligent musicians who could weave our neurons a tale. LOVE.
I used to think this was a Santana song 😂
@@DarthTerminatti Did you really? Haha! I love Santana too 😉
that guitar solo was otherworldly!! dude locked in and just enjoyed the space
Walter Becker was a genius.
That rhythm section is just so incredibly deep, ticking off the measures like a steam powered airplane
A steam powered airplane sounds like a very inefficient death trap. 😂
Have a good day friend ✌️
All the camera shots are right on the money. Too many TV shows had the wrong player featured at the wrong time. TMS has all the right angles and the right camera switches. 👍👍
I would have liked to see more straight ahead stage shots so we could see all the musicians playing (poor Walter is in there somewhere), a lot of rear shots from behind,but just good to have these Dan performances at all from the early 70s.
No drummer or bass guitarist, eh? Shame on you!
@garion333
Who you talking to? Becker is playing bass behind Skunk Baxter on congas. The drummer they showed multiple times playing, his drum kit is right in the center. That's Jim Hodder. They didn't show his face.
@@kbrewski1 Shoot, yeah, my reply was meant for the original comment, not yours.
Denny Dias played some wonderful guitar with Steely Dan in the 70s, his solo on Bodhisattva especially is a work of technical mastery. An often forgotten member of the original band. Thanks for the upload.
I love him so much.
I'll be 35 this year and I thank my father for getting me into this music. Steely Dan will rock forever.
Your father has good taste in music.
Dam I loved listening to music in my car in the 70's with tunes like these
The fact they where able to simply NAIL IT in all levels, and even so beign critical of their live sound, says it all of how amazing, tight and top notch Steely Dan was. Superb and Masterclass band
Always loved David Palmer on some of the songs. "Dirty Work" classic good. He's great here.
Love it! No auto tune or lip syncing. Not perfection, just pure talent!
It doesn’t seem possible that Denny Dias could play like he did holding his picking hand in that position. That’s precision!
Agreed! His playing is amazing on this performance. And he does it with his eyes closed! I am not sure if he always picks so far away from the pickups but it really makes the sound special, like a cross between a guitar and electric sitar!
As much as he's picking he's using his arm to press the guitar body into his for that precise balance.
@@vindas777 That sitar sound is an electronic effect. The best place to pick any stringed instrument is in the middle of the string, where it has the widest vibrations and string feel.
Pickups only go so far up the neck, stuck at the end, but your picking technique doesn't have to.
If you want a sitar sound, try playing a guitar upside-down. Play up and down the G string with B and E as drones. Using D with G, B and E drones is more like a zither.
@@johnwattdotca I understand how pickups work but thanks for the explanation. I need to point out to you that on the recording it is most certainly an electric sitar NOT an effect. This performance is of course on an electric guitar, which to my ear sounds like it only has some reverb and distortion. He is making the sound with his fingers.
@@vindas777 Others are calling it a sitar sound, and there is something else going on beyond reverb and distortion. I'd call it a plinky sound. Pretzel Logic featured the first guitar synths that really fooled me, knowing the studio pros involved, and it's one of the reasons the band couldn't perform live, at the time. A friend of mine from another city bought the electric sitar when it was auctioned off at Electric Ladyland. Talking about sounding like a sitar is just about the sound. Playing one is very different, because we grew up with twelve notes per octave, and Indian music begins with seventeen.
That guitar solo is WILD
Literally was thinking that and saw your comment 😮 dude was in the matrix way back
He was tapped into his soul. Which isn't common enough.@@JesseHMcCauley
Yeah..and i been mesmerized by what he did in "Bodhitsatva" my whole life.
I am an Army Veteran. At the age of 10 while the Vietnam War raged on, I experienced the best Music ever!!! 1973❤
Thank you for your service
Before digital, we were growing up to a totally different sound- lucky us! 🌎✌
David's voice was so marvellous while he was with the band. I especially loved Dirty Work. Swoony.😊
50 years ago crazy. Steely Dan always had an amazing fusion sound and famous guest band members.
As a conga player for over 50 years I love this so much.
My mind was just a little bit blown to see Jeff Baxter absolutely owning those congos. Brilliant performance all around!
just turned 73 best time ever you can keep today!
I'm just a youngster at 70. And it was pretty good... of course it was the best time.. we were young. Nice to look back. And I'm glad you're still with us. Cheers.
That, ladies and gentlemen, boys, girls and others - that is how it is done ♥
That guitar solo is what being in the zone looks like
omg that guitar solo by Denny was fire!
76 and still listening...love Donald Fagen
Classiest band with great music, lyrics. Still great in 2023
CAN I PLEASE GO BACK TO THIS TIME,,,,,,,,PLEASE
Remember hearing this in the 70s as a child it is just timeless 🎶🇨🇦🙏
they were so incredibly musically talented.
Greatest Band of All Time.
This song makes me remember a trip to Boston. The guy I was hanging around with took me to Combat Zone to hear a bacd in a cool little bar. I don't think the back was Steely Dan but they played nothing buy Steely Dan. It was a great night. I forgot the guy I hung out with but if he reads this "THANK YOU!"
I wonder if it was The Branch Brothers from Manchester, NH. Steve Branch was obsessed with Steely Dan and the band played all of their songs.
I never realized how good Danny Dias.....wow
Good times never to be repeated. The music was amazing!
A true classic by Steely Dan that has stood up well over the years.
I love reliving the golden years of rock-n-roll. The midnight special was just that... special!
This is why the older generation doesn't brag about our music.
Because it's music for real
And by honest ta God real musicians.
Heart and soul and talent can't be replaced
Vous avez tout expliqué.
Pourquoi chercher alors qu'on avait tout au niveau musique ?
As we used to say in the 70's..... "fuckin [A] man" great band. I'm 72 years old and I've been playing their music ever since 'I first hear them' on the radio in 1973. I have them on my Spotify and listen to them all the time.
fuckin [A] right! I had forgotten that line lol
@@markmercer5274 Triple A, from across the pond. I know I can die contented knowing I lived in the best decades ever ( musically).
Me too, got hooked the first time that I heard them...
Excellent musicians hard to find these days 2025.
No autotune bs. Just pure talent.
Yup real music… I’m 19 and know all of this shit that’s all I listen to
Yes... "Do It Again"... I need it! 🙆♀️
Happy Tuesday... thank you for sharing! 💖
Um dos melhores solos de guitarra de todos os tempos!!!!!!!
This music will never be duplicated, music now is a far cry from the past as far as composition goes.
There’s cool stuff out like Tool and some others but it was different then.
do you mean stuff on top 40 radio? There is very great new music out, it just doesnt get the attention of the ever-more-ignorant public. Anna Von Hausswolff comes to mind among countless others.
@@oldghostbillythank you, great comment!
One my all time favorite bands!
The days when you could have British teeth and still be a mega star
David is a Jersey boy, as in New USA, not the English island.
@@kevind7422 are you familiar with the term, “British teeth”? It refers to the stereotypically misaligned and crooked teeth many Britons have. My statement wasn’t saying that the singer himself was British, but that he has teeth like a stereotypical British person. Also, it was a joke.
Shall I 'Ha' or 'Whinny'?
I prefer to focus on the art and presentation of a performer rather than judgements about personal appearances. Guess it's just a me thang.
@@kevind7422 that was my point. This was from a time when the music was more important than the artist’s appearance.
@@WhyTheHorsefaceI got it instantly... Apparently kevin is still lookin' for it😂
This song is an amazing commentary on the Human Condition. We are so weak. It's tragic. Amazing, musically. So diff than today.
We’re all of that and wonderful too.
I may not share the same sense of nostalgia as many here, but listening to this music transports me to a place where i can bond with my parents in the shared experience of hearing great music. I imagine what they must have been like at the time and their parents too. No phones or many cameras. I'm jealous sometimes
This song was one of my earliest childhood memories; I came alive June 1970😅.
Such a great song. Great performance.
Oh man the Midnight Special! The good old days.
50 years later and little comes close in reference to all that has been produced.....sublime !!!!
One of my favorite 70s songs.
When I was 13 i had a friend with teeth like the singers. He used to try to bite me. This song has always reminded me of getting through that tough time.
Ah, the Midnight Special. No lip syncing or unplugged instruments here. Loved this program.
Wow look how far we came...I miss that era..I was a child in the 70😮's my Dad &Mom used to jam on this song with there feather roach clips...Those was the days .
Best music channel on UA-cam! I enjoy Jeff “Skunk “ Baxter on the congas!
I was wondering had to do a double take 👀👀 but yes he was awesome 👍🎶🎼🎵
Talent on full display. And Skunk on Congas to boot
Best American band of the 70s. Have you got My Old School?
first heard steely dan in 74 have been hooked ever since x