Back in the day, AM stations ruled the radio airwaves. FM was reserved for educational and classical music and programming. FM came in "clear as a bell", but apparently it cost more to broadcast FM. However, FM stations started building and growing...and playing COOL music nearly commercial free. Like Steely Dan. FM music was non-stop listening.
Back in the day, most people listened to AM radio for their music which was dominated by Top 40 programming. FM was relegated to classical music but the sound quality of FM was superior, particularly due to lower background noise (static) and availability of stereo, whereas AM was strictly mono. As boomers came of age, and their (our) obsession with audio and the proliferation of alternative music, people discovered that they could get a broadcasting licenses in the FM spectrum for next to nothing, at least compared to the crowded AM band.
FM had much better fidelity. Bigger frequency response. Bigger bass and more treble. Once people started buying good stereos radio stations started switching over to FM. And once radio stations started broadcasting in FM people could rock out with radio music. Before FM the only way to rock out was to play an album or tape. You can't rock out with AM. Get it?
@@chrisa4695 no...no commercuals at all in early format FM, Commercialization of FM radio happened more than a decade after its earliest appearence in college radio stations.
A British friend of mine who worked with bands like the Eurythmics, Tear for Fears and many other bands in the 80's and 90's said that Steely Dan was always know as the best studio band in the business. Super methodical and real perfectionists.
They didn't tour. Instead they did all their recording in studio. They would play a song a hundred times and then pick out the best recording to put out there to the public. Fagan and Becker were really crazy about the music being perfect.
Growing up in the ‘60’s, summers were spent at the pool with only AM transistor radios to hear our music. Not only very staticky, but it sounded like it was coming out of a tin can. Then during the 70’s, when FM radio began to become poplar, we were BLOWN AWAY at how crystal clear the sound was- and not only that- it was in STEREO!! Love this song- reminds me of all the great parties in the 70’s celebrating music. 😀❤️🤘🏼
More like a plastic can! The speakers on those radios were tiny and cheap. Nevertheless, obtaining one as a kid was almost something of a rite of passage. I remember AM pop radio even though I was just a little kid. The Beatles and Van Morrison and The Rolling Stones and Donovan...
In addition to there being less static on the FM stations over the AM stations, there is another meaning for the static mentioned in this song. Back in the day when Steely Dan was making music, there was a saying. "Hey man, don't give me no static." Meaning, don't give me a hard time. When they sing that the mood is right, there's no static at all. If you get my meaning, the atmosphere at the party was like FM (no static at all).
Back when we got all our hit music from AM stations, we had to battle static all the time depending on where you were. When FM played the hits, it sounded super clean and with ZERO STATIC. Or a ton less than AM.
Yeah, but it's more of a play with words. The "No static at all" part is actually referring to the fact that you won't get any objection from the ladies.
Asia & BJ, you'll love their "Aja", "Deacon Blues", "Josie" and many more!!!! Some of the best engineered music you'll ever hear! Don, Walter and the best session musicians around! edit -old school FM radio had a cleaner signal compared to AM radio(over the airwaves radio), especially for music.
Static is when a radio station doesn’t come in well and you hear crackling noise, that’s static. A.m. radio usually had some static, when you switch to FM there was no static at all.
AM radio also suffered from drift. But those clear channel stations after sunset were cool. From Kentucky I could listen to WLS out of Chicago or WWWL from Louisiana or many 8thers from hundreds if miles away.
@@billallen1307 very true. When I lived on Mississippi Gulf Coast I could pick up WLS. And when I lived outside Chicago picked up WWL out of New Orleans. At night of course.
Steely Dan is the type of band that gets you in your mellow. Other ones to check out - Reelin in the Years, Rikki Don't Lose That Number, Hey Nineteen, Deacon Blues, Peg, Aja, My Old School, Black Cow, Dirty Work, Don't Take Me Alive, Josie and more.
I read the comments regarding the difference between AM and FM radio. AM was also limited on how long the song could be. With FM radio, we got to hear full recordings, instead of the condensed version...like Pink Floyd, Rush, etc.
Steely Dan is a great American rock band founded in 1971. They had a lot of great hits such as "Do It Again", "Reelin' In The Years", Dirty Work", "Rikki Don't Lose That Number", "Hey Nineteen", "Peg", "Josie", "Deacon Blues", "Show Biz Kids", "My Old School" etc.
Blues, jazz and rock are among the genres Steely Dan blended into their sound -- as well as funk, soul and R&B -- and they did it better than anyone else.
This song, with that killer sax solo, never played again in any style, was included in the FM Original Movie Sound Track, back in 1978, and I had that one in Vinyl 2 set Record, edited here at Colombia, that year, under MCA/Polygram label. So good to see how with young pepole like you, this tunes come back to life, bold and strong, as it sould to be. Thanks, and enjoy that album the time you get.
FM was a paid-for gig for Steely Dan as it was the title song of the 1978 movie called, surprise, FM. It was released as a single and also as part of the sound track. Becker & Fagan essentially wrote it specifically for the movie and, as you guys astutely observed, it incorporated and referenced a range of musical styles. It truly encapsulates their musical brilliance and facility that they can so seamlessly move from style-to-style not only across their catalog but within a single song.
These guys were total perfectionists, and they'd continually call in different studio musicians until they hit upon exactly what they were looking for. Not sure you could beat their production. People will steer you toward the hits, all of which should definitely be heard, but I don't think there's a song in their entire catalog that isn't reaction-worthy.
The only thing I recall about the movie "FM" is Linda Ronstadt and her band doing a pretty great cover of the Stones' "Tumbling Dice". Meanwhile, this was one of Steely Dan's last big hits ... the end of an era, really. This is as smooth as a glass of pinot on a warm July night, sitting round a small fire on the beach with friends, looking up at the stars ...
This song is so good, it’s brutal. A real cruising-in-your-car-late-at-night-with- the-windows-down song. (AM radio was all crackly; FM had no static at all.)
When FM radio came out, they had a hard time getting people to leave AM and go to FM, and the way they did it, was to promise no static, static is the crackling sound that comes over the Airwaves, radio and TV.
There was a movie based on this song (called, wait for it... "FM"), that was all about DJs at a radio station. It wasn't bad. And, YES, this song was in it! (along with a LOT of other great tunes!)
Static was the scratchy noise you’d get on AM radio (and probably still do) when the signal is not too good. By comparison, FM had a clarity and quality that was a revelation at the time. It’s difficult to explain the impact on music broadcast on radio to people nowadays. Some of us are old enough to also remember the impact of recordings switching from Mono to Stereo (and how some groups revelled in playing with stereo sound), but that’s for another time….. Another brilliant Steely Dan track with their own flavour of fusion that’s one of my favourites.
AM is for long range. FM is for short range. AM will always have interference. That's the function of having giant Wavelengths. AM the quality increases as you get closer. FM the quality is either there or you just lose the station. That is is a function of being very directional and having as big powerful signal (100,000 Watts) and equipment that squelches the crap on the receiving end.
@@bartstarr100 Excellent, thank you. I was used to listening to music from distant stations on AM because when I was young, British radio didn’t play Jazz, but I discovered VoA and similar stations from working my way along the dial. When FM started in Britain, WoW ! Now, with the Internet, I can listen to African or Indian music direct from Africa or India. I am a happy man.
If you've ever been to their concerts, it's full of musicians in the audience. My 2 brothers are guitarists and I go every chance with them. Thank you for playing. ❤
Steely Dan is one of the most technically sounds bands ever. They are such great musicians and song writers (Donald Fagan and Walter Becker). love their smooth, jazzy, funky vibe. You should check out a lot more of their work. I recommend Rikki Don’t Loose That Number to hear one of the all time classic Walter Becker guitar solos.
Steely Dan's mash up of genres is one reason they're so popular & a timelessly classic band. The other reason is their high level of skillful musicianship.
Yeah, it was about how cool it was in the 70s to hear music in stereo with "no static at all" FM RADIO. The DJ's often had their own shows and selected their own music and people would call the radio station and tell the DJ where they were partying and request a "favorite song" - so the mix of music was wild - it would go from Elvis, to the blues, to a pop tune, to reggea, etc. ALL to keep things interesting for the listening public. And I know that world well, because I used to be an FM Radio DJ back in the mid 70s. I actually played this song on the station at the time. It was a blast. Amazing to me that anyone is interested at all in music this old - so thanks for bringing back some long forgotten memories.
By far my favorite group/music. Steely Dan has it all; Jazzy/R&B/Soft Rock all rolled into one, crisp, precise sound, sometimes serious, sometimes funny and sometimes snarky yet always intelligent lyrics, I can think of literally 15 songs off the top that are great and that’s not counting Donald Fagen’s solo work. Highly recommend “Jack Of Speed” and “Caves Of Altimira”. By the way, I have a tee shirt that says “FM, no static at all” ❤️
I remember the hub-bub over FM....There were boats out in the San Francisco Bay broadcasting FM (FM was not legal at that time) usually at night until the law shut them down.....
In the 60’s all we had was AM radio. Which is loaded with static. When FM was perfected. The music was crystal clear, actually home stereo systems became the big thing. It’s when we started buying recievers, turntables, and speakers. The louder you turned it up. The music remained crystal clear. So for all of us, it was ground breaking. With AM if you turned it louder, the static also got louder.
Glad you finally got back to Steely Dan! FM is smooth!!!! They started moving away from the earlier guitar based rock and getting more sophisticated in the songwriting. Definitely throwing more blues, jazz, R&B, funk, stuff together and it worked! As others have mentioned, you have to do a deep dive into their Aja album...Josie, Black Cow, just some great stuff. Please do yourselves a favor and take that dive into Aja. Jazz harmonies in a pop/rock music structure? Yeah, gave everyone a masterclass in songwriting.
Ah, but even on albums like Katy Lied, you could clearly hear their jazz influenced licks on song like "Your Gold Teeth II, : "Chain Lightning," "Daddy Don't Live In That New York City," and Dr. Wu," I usually point to this album as the start of their transition point, with of course Aja being the culmination of it.
I am 65 and have listened to them since 1972 and this is my favorite by them,#2 is glamour profession 3.Peg, but this beauty,funky,soulful,jazzy and much more..Dan is the man! Great reaction ..Kent in Ohio.
Most American cars had only AM without even an FM option until the mid 70's. AM was pop music, sports, and preachers. FM was Jazz, Classical and Prog Rock (songs longer than the 3-4 min. AM standard).
I bought a 77 Duster new that only had AM and just one speaker. but I didn't give them any static, since it cost 4 Gs. needless to say, I immediately upgraded it.
This song was written for a 1978 movie called FM about a radio station. The soundtrack of that movie was filled with rock and pop standards from the 70's and made the Billboard charts. The movie itself inspired a popular TV show called WKRP in Cincinnati. Steely Dan's catalog is an amazing collection of progressive rock that's inspired by jazz. But even when writing a song for a movie, they had enough talent to create a classic that stands on its own over 40 years after it was released.
Okay I had to stop everything I was doing to watch and listen to y’all’s take on this song! First, let me say it’s been one of my favorite bands since I first started listening to music regularly at around 10 years old in 1976. Their music was all over the radio for most of my growing up and even now here in Vegas on the 91.5 UNLV station they play it regularly. Donald Fagen started the band by himself and heard Walter Becker the lead guitarist playing in a cafe in New York as he passed by and asked him if he wanted to be in his band and the rest was history. I did get to see them a few years ago in SF but since then Mr. Becker has passed away, but Donald Fagen is still touring and I believe they are touring this year. What’s really cool to me is that black people always seem to like the music of Steely Dan when they hear it just like white people love so much of black music especially during that time of the 70s, so I really enjoyed your takes on this FM jam and how much you’all enjoyed it. I’ll be checking you two out now that I found you and thanks.🙏
I had the double compilation album on vinyl. It was a brilliant album with the Doobies , Linda Ronstadt, Eagles and many Joe Walsh and many other Artists!
This cut was for the movie "FM". In this song, FM refers to radio signals and the disposition of the ladies. The good music and the girls were in FM mode. No static at all.
3rd Bass the Rappers from NYC did a song called "No Static At All". You guys got to jam that out. They used the Steely Dan as a background for it. Steely is always a Great choice. Can't lose with them.
The first truly personal cassette player, the Sony Walkman, was introduced in 1979. Before that, portable music was only available on AM/FM transistor radios. Music radio stations usually broadcast using amplitude modulation (AM) technology, which is prone to background distortion known as 'static'. Frequency modulation (FM) stations rarely played pop, rock, or country music. But when they finally did, the increase in fidelity was awesome! That's what this song is about. There was a time before digital files existed. It was awesome - people socialized and danced!
give someone static :to argue with someone; to give someone back talk. I want you to do it and do it now! Don't give me any static! FM radio was static free, commercial free, doesn't matter what's playing...just get high and dig the music...no arguments, no complaints...ya dig?
Not “just another” Steely Dan song. These guys ALWAYS were saying something pretty heavy and profound, thru all kinds of lyrical mastery, silly and non-sensical or soul piercing verbal daggers. Bancorp in the early 70’s there was a station that the youth in the area ALWAYS had tuned. In 1973 there was KQIV-FM...I could call in and ask for anything, and they’d fit it in, sometimes immediately. It was a great pirate styled FM station.
Five genres!! In one song love Walter Becker, Jeff 'Skunk' Baxter and Donald Fagan & Jeff Porcaro especially here. This was first a soundtrack song here...was on their greatest hits.
This was the intro song for the movie, "FM" and it was perfect. Steely Dan is basically two talented guys. Their music is progressive and artistic and evolved from pop to jazz-rock. Their album, AJA, is considered a milestone classic by critics. There were three hits from it, but the title song is my favorite. Their first hit, Do It Again, is a popular favorite and played often on classic radio.
Asia asking "what's static?" was so sweet. AM radio was king back in the day , but the static near overhead electric lines and tram lines .. 🥴 Usually picked up static right in the middle of your favourite song too. 😵
True spoken. AM was what was originally available, but it could be "dodgy", to use our British friends' term. A lot of things could interfere with the signal - overhead power lines, underpasses while driving, even people being in particular locations at the outer edge of the transmission range. FM, on the other hand, was proof against much of this... and allowed stereo transmission and better sound in general. The AM stations couldn't really compete with the musical sound, so many switched their formats to news and sports, and pretty much left the FM band to nusic and public broadcast stations.
Funny enough, there are actually multiple versions of this song. One with a guitar solo at the end which you listened to, one with a sax solo at the end, and one with both. You can never go wrong with Steely Dan, they're often referred to as "your favorite band's favorite band" and yes, they were known for always having amazing production. Check out their song Haitian Divorce when you get a chance, it's got a different sound to the songs you've checked out so far but it's great nonetheless. Keep it up ya'll.
Frequency Modulation = FM Radio - Amplitude Modulation = AM Radio -- I remember back in the day, when mom or dad would drive the car below an underpass or high tension power lines the AM station reception would fade out.
This track comes from the soundtrack to the movie "FM" and was written specially for it, not appearing on any Steely Dan album - except a "Greatest Hits". As an old radio jock, I revelled in FM (Frequency Modulation) not only for it's clarity but the fact that it was in stereo, if you had a stereo receiver. AM (Amplitude Modulation) by contrast suffered from "Static", audible crackling like a worn record, and was in Mono. Steely Dan is perfect for FM letting the listener fully appreciate the incredibly high production values and superb playing of the Musicians. AM was strictly transistor radio quality. BTW, The movie "FM" is really cool, check it out.
Their music always makes me think of a late night interlude with a beautiful lady on the 17th floor of a highrise apartment building in a a city dancing on the balcony with the city lights in the background...
Wife here..Steely Dan is just AMAZING .., Musical Geniuses .., IMHO...Fuze Jazz..,Funk. and Blues all going together..and the Rock at the end..Sooo Perfectly stated!!.
As some have said, Steely Dan originally wrote and performed this song for the 1978 Motion Picture "FM." Although the movie was past it's time when it was aired in theaters, the song still stands up today as one of the best Steely Dan songs. And yes, many of we old timers remember mono AM radio static (like in a lightning storm) and then the crystal clear sound of stereo FM radio which had "no static at all." FM radio often played entire albums with only a commercial break between sides of the record. But I digress. What many folks don't know is that this song was written and performed in the "Aja" album sessions and featured Jeff Porcaro of the classic rock band Toto playing drums, Glenn Frey, Don Henley and Timothy B. Schmidt of The Eagles on backing vocals and great west coast jazz musician Peter Christlieb on tenor sax (he also played sax on a previous hit of theirs "Deacon Blues"). Quite the pedigree even for a Steely Dan song.
Hey my brother and my sister I’ve been looking for y’all. I like your vibe a lot of people don’t like Steely Dan but I know all of the Dan and I can see you guys are intrigued. I was going to recommend an album or two and I thought to myself pick any Dan Album play it from beginning to end you will not be disappointed. Welcome to the fold..😊😎. Peace ❤️
FM was also the theme song for the 1978 movie “FM” about some DJs at an FM station taking over the station. The movie connection explains the fact that there are strings (arranged and conducted by Johnny Mandel, who did a million things in movies as well as recording artists and TV.) Other than this there was maybe one other thing they did with strings. Guitar solo by Walter Becker.
Just got to see Donald Fagen at the Hollywood Bowl a couple weeks ago. His voice is still the same. This opened the show and it was 2 more hours of Steely Dan. What a night of good food, better friends and great music.
so AM stations broadcast for a very long way but always had a bit of white noise or static in the broadcast. FM had a MUCH shorter range but didnt have the normal static of AM hence "no static at all" its basically an advertisement for how FM radio sounds much better than AM FM is the normal radio youd tune into in your car if you dont use a streaming service. AM is all but gone now..
I remember this song coming out. Driving with dad in his new truck that had a AM/FM radio. I was amazed how clear it was with no static at all and it didn’t lose the signal when you went under bridges. I thought that was amazing, how the radio still got the signal while we were under something.
AM-Amplitude Modulation FM-Frequency Modulation. By the time top 40 radio stations switched to FM, they also had the technology to "lock in" on the stations frequency, so that a strong clear, static free, signal could be received at the other end.
You can't go wrong with Steely Dan... They're in a class all by themselves, smooth, funk, jazz will wrap you up in a great night of laid back, simply groove music for ANY mood!! All I can say is, great job and more please... "Deacon Blues" is another tasty musical treat... I BETCHA!!! 🎶👍🏻😉... Asia, you've got sax on the brain, super sax solo will rock your world in Deacon Blues...
Amplitude Modulation AM broadcasting was picked for radio because its signal would travel farther, but would only support mono and frequently included a lot of audio static. Frequency Modulation FM not only supported a stereo signal, was clean but had smaller range. However, building infrastructure took a while because you needed more stations to cover the same area.
What is astounding is how little of music history is known by alot of people. You have to know and understand about all of the AM n FM world that made up radio at that time. AM is still the back bone of radio. We didn't have any Computers Cellphones or video games etc but we were totally into radio and even knew all the names of disk jockeys across the country !! We would listen to WLS out of Chicago at night and it came in clear as in a bell. Great times !!❤❤❤
The long fade out is due to the fact that the song was written for the 1978 movie FM. The fade out is typical “scene music” played while the first scene is set up visually. Wonderful song about a wonderful time when FM was dominated by Album Oriented Rock (AOR). Many wonderful stations ( My local was Starview92) played the original album cuts of songs so you were quick to discover the song that the advertisers and suits were presenting and what the artists produced were, many times, vastly different.
The AM (Amplitude Modulation) Broadcast Band and FM (Frequency Modulation) broadcast bands (BCB) operate with different technology and different space in the radio spectrum. AM technology is susceptible to noise spikes in amplitude and FM is more immune to that kind of noise (including static). The AM BCB is lower in frequency and each channel has a much smaller bandwidth than the FM BCB channels. That narrow bandwidth means a smaller audio frequency range can be transmitted, thus lower audio quality. The FM BCB with wider channels allows for those beautiful higher frequencies in music. Steely Dan's "FM" is a beautiful tribute to the technology that Major Armstrong pioneered decades ago.
I started listening to FM radio in 1976 when an easy listening station converted to a disco format. By 1977 they were playing mostly R&B and Funk. They became the biggest station in Atalanta, V 103. Today they are known as a hip hop station. I worked there for a year 20+ years ago.
AM (amplitude modulation) radio was where pop music was heard by the people, AM radios were standard in cars until the late 1970s, and personal radios were mostly also AM. FM (Frequency Modulation) was a new format of radio which not only provided music free from the scratchy static that AM stations provided ( " no static at all" was frequently used as an announcement on early FM stations), but also provided actual stereo, which until that time was purely an audiophile thing only acheivable by multi-channel amplifiers in a live setting. FM provided a place for people to listen to long tracks and whole album sides because they were also "commercual free". No ads, no interuptions, just pure music. Until the advent of FM radio, all pop music had to fit into the 3 minute song length. Longer songs were edited to make them short enough to fit into AM radios commercial model, and music fans hated the edited versions. There is an error in the lyrics in the video you watched...it should be "Give her some funked up Muzak " not 'music'. Muzak was the brand name of background music that played in stores and elevators in the 60s and 70s, typically pop songs with the vocal tracks removed...another snide reference to a type of musical experience with no soul at all. The track "FM" was the credit song for a movie of the same name. The movie was terrible, but the song remains as a stand out. Walter Becker's haunting guitar solo/outro is phenomenal!
The reference to No Static is on AM, there was a lot of static in the signal, so the music would often have static or get overpowered by it and drown out for a few seconds. And if there was an electrical storm, you heard it on the radio too. lol FM was isolated from other frequencies and interferences like Lightning, so there was No Static At All.
Static is the name for the crackling sound that was common on AM radio. When FM was first introduced, one of it's big selling features was that is had less static. More colloquially, static came to mean aggravation. No static at all implies getting on well (with the girls) and having a clean listening experience.
Back in the day most radio stations were AM it was a weak signal that caused static not bad but it was there. Then FM became an option it was a lot clearer and better stereo quality. That's what this song is saying. I grew up with steely dan great band, great vibe.
I was born January 1970 so I'm 54. I have a 16 year old daughter and she loves Steely Dan. I grew up listening to this band because my mother was crazy about this band. They are amazing. This was saturday cleaning at the apartment!
AM radio signals travel farther than FM, especially at night. In the early 70s I lived about an hour south of Minneapolis. At night we could get a Chicago radio station (WLS, I think) clear as a bell but during the day, all you got was static (has to do with sun spots, I think). There weren't any digital tuners so you just had a tuning knob which, if not exactly tuned in, would result in a lot of static. Digital tuning came in during the 70s but a lot of analog remained as well. The digital tuners locked in on the exact frequency, eliminating a lot of static.
Pete Christlieb on Tenor Sax, at the time he was a member of The Tonight Show Orchestra, Walter and Donald were watching tv one night and he played a jaw dropping solo and recruited him into their arsenal of absolute killer studio musicians.
Hey man, Steely Dan was funky. I saw them live and they sounded amazing. Always the very best brass sections and perfect backup vocals. RIP Walter Becker
I recall the growth of Frequency Modulation (FM) Radio in the early 70’s. My parents listened to the station that played what could be called “elevator music). We lived in the Ft Worth/Dallas area (yeah I intentionally but Ft Worth ahead of Dallas). Anyway I came home from 2-a-day football practice, it was August and H.O.T. hot. Cranked down the window unit A/C aimed the vents down andlaid on the floor to cool off. The radio made a electronic cracking sound, the announcer said “This is KZEW DALLAS” then out came Frank Zappa’s, “Montana Song”. My life was forever changed. My father couldn’t understand why the station he enjoyed changed formats and play that “noise”. He didn’t even like Elvis (explains a lot). Steely Dan was (like Boz Skaggs) fusion of jazz, rock and RnB.
Background vocals by The Eagles. No static on FM radio; loads of static on AM which used to be all there was in cars until the late 60s, but you had to have 4-track or 8-track or FM stereo specially installed.
They’re referring to the FM modulation over that with radio waves versus a.m. modulation, which with a.m. you always got a lot of static FM was more clear and pure
When broadcast radio first came out, it was AM (amplitude modulation). The government immediately stepped in and created the FCC because radio stations were using too much power for their broadcasts. The FCC limited radio stations broadcast power to a 100 mile radius so that it would enable fair competition. Also, the broadcast bandwidth was limited because the technology was new and they wanted to make sure there was enough AM radio frequencies to go around. The result was the frequency bandwidth is so narrow, it doesn't capture the full human hearing frequencies (making it sound real tinny). The side effect is it picks up the atmosphere background noise that we call static. FM (frequency modulation) came along later and that opened up so many more radio frequencies that it is able to support stereo effects and block the static.
"FM" was made for a film soundtrack. I'm old enough to remember when this was new. I was really into Steely Dan as a teenager! This is favorite for that groove. It's so nice to see young people getting into the quality of Steely Dan's music. They evolved from being a band with backing vocals by Michael McDonald to using first rate studio players. Love this track!
Many cars then 9:30 were equiped with only am radio. Adding an FM underdash to ne adle to listen to all the great new album format fm stations was a thing. Many placesthat sold stereo equiplment also had auto stereo add-on equipment, and sometimes a team od techs to install. Or one got a friend, dad or sibling to hook it up.
am radio back in the day had static, and even stations over stations bleed through, when fm radio came out, it was wonderful, No static at all, crisp and clear
Static is the scratchy, crackly noise you get between radio stations on the tuning dial of old radios....the dial having now been replaced by programmable pre-set buttons, you don't get that anymore.
Static refers to distortion in sound that AM radio was subject to due to distance from the transmitter, and the weakness of the signal. FM radio generally wasn't as subject to experiencing static. Also, there are at least two versions of this song, one with a guitar solo on the outro, and another with tenor sax.
AM had a greater range than FM on clear days and took less wattage to broadcast and shorter antenna 📡. FM was less expensive wave length to broadcast in STEREO than AM which was 99% broadcast in mono.
When FM came into the mainstream it changed how we listened to music on the radio. AM had no fidelity in the sound and there was a lot of static (hiss). FM changed that. It was clean and "hi-fi".
"No static at all" was literally FM. AM radio was greatly subject to interference which created static. Thus the megawatt power necessary to provide a strong enough signal to overcome interfering frequencies and cast a large broadcast radius. Due to the differences between AM and FM radio signal modulation antennas needed to be closer together for a large coverage area with FM but the signal was crystal clear - no static at all. This song dropped in 1978; though FM radio broadcasts had been around since the 1930's, it wasn't until the 1980's that FM came into it's own with mass appeal in the U.S.
Back in the day, AM stations ruled the radio airwaves. FM was reserved for educational and classical music and programming. FM came in "clear as a bell", but apparently it cost more to broadcast FM. However, FM stations started building and growing...and playing COOL music nearly commercial free. Like Steely Dan. FM music was non-stop listening.
Back in the day, most people listened to AM radio for their music which was dominated by Top 40 programming. FM was relegated to classical music but the sound quality of FM was superior, particularly due to lower background noise (static) and availability of stereo, whereas AM was strictly mono. As boomers came of age, and their (our) obsession with audio and the proliferation of alternative music, people discovered that they could get a broadcasting licenses in the FM spectrum for next to nothing, at least compared to the crowded AM band.
Not non-stop but 20-30 minutes between commercials as opposed to commercials every 10 minutes on AM for 2-3 minutes T a time.
Ya know we're giving our ages away....lol...luckily I was only 8 or 9
FM had much better fidelity. Bigger frequency response. Bigger bass and more treble. Once people started buying good stereos radio stations started switching over to FM. And once radio stations started broadcasting in FM people could rock out with radio music. Before FM the only way to rock out was to play an album or tape. You can't rock out with AM. Get it?
@@chrisa4695 no...no commercuals at all in early format FM, Commercialization of FM radio happened more than a decade after its earliest appearence in college radio stations.
Steely Dan is simply one of the best bands that ever recorded music.
A British friend of mine who worked with bands like the Eurythmics, Tear for Fears and many other bands in the 80's and 90's said that Steely Dan was always know as the best studio band in the business. Super methodical and real perfectionists.
They didn't tour. Instead they did all their recording in studio. They would play a song a hundred times and then pick out the best recording to put out there to the public. Fagan and Becker were really crazy about the music being perfect.
I was there for their last tour in 1974. In fact, I was at their very last show in LA, and a couple times before. Just great.
Growing up in the ‘60’s, summers were spent at the pool with only AM transistor radios to hear our music. Not only very staticky, but it sounded like it was coming out of a tin can. Then during the 70’s, when FM radio began to become poplar, we were BLOWN AWAY at how crystal clear the sound was- and not only that- it was in STEREO!! Love this song- reminds me of all the great parties in the 70’s celebrating music. 😀❤️🤘🏼
More like a plastic can! The speakers on those radios were tiny and cheap. Nevertheless, obtaining one as a kid was almost something of a rite of passage. I remember AM pop radio even though I was just a little kid. The Beatles and Van Morrison and The Rolling Stones and Donovan...
Oh yeah,I remember those days.Great music ...the best.The 70s rule .
When thus song came out, everyone could relate to it because of the common experience with AM.
I dont even think people are aware of the transistor radios,lol
I remember when those were important!!
What she said!!!...
In addition to there being less static on the FM stations over the AM stations, there is another meaning for the static mentioned in this song. Back in the day when Steely Dan was making music, there was a saying. "Hey man, don't give me no static." Meaning, don't give me a hard time. When they sing that the mood is right, there's no static at all. If you get my meaning, the atmosphere at the party was like FM (no static at all).
James Brown. Static. Dont start none won’t be none
Steely Dan "Black Cow" is one of my favorites.These guys are
more than a band.
Us 70s brats a few good jams Back in our day
Absolutely! Black cow is on the daily rotation!
Back when we got all our hit music from AM stations, we had to battle static all the time depending on where you were. When FM played the hits, it sounded super clean and with ZERO STATIC. Or a ton less than AM.
... and in Stereo too!
Not to mention it didn’t cut out when you went under an overpass or through a tunnel!
Yeah, but it's more of a play with words. The "No static at all" part is actually referring to the fact that you won't get any objection from the ladies.
Asia & BJ, you'll love their "Aja", "Deacon Blues", "Josie" and many more!!!! Some of the best engineered music you'll ever hear! Don, Walter and the best session musicians around! edit -old school FM radio had a cleaner signal compared to AM radio(over the airwaves radio), especially for music.
Also their big hit from that album called "Peg".
Black Cow, My Old School could be added to these suggestions.
Add "Hey Nineteen" please ❤
Static is when a radio station doesn’t come in well and you hear crackling noise, that’s static. A.m. radio usually had some static, when you switch to FM there was no static at all.
AM radio also suffered from drift. But those clear channel stations after sunset were cool. From Kentucky I could listen to WLS out of Chicago or WWWL from Louisiana or many 8thers from hundreds if miles away.
@@billallen1307
I remember that. The drift and definitely picking a up station from hundreds of miles away.
THAT was the cool thing about AM....
@@billallen1307 very true. When I lived on Mississippi Gulf Coast I could pick up WLS. And when I lived outside Chicago picked up WWL out of New Orleans. At night of course.
Steely Dan is the type of band that gets you in your mellow. Other ones to check out - Reelin in the Years, Rikki Don't Lose That Number, Hey Nineteen, Deacon Blues, Peg, Aja, My Old School, Black Cow, Dirty Work, Don't Take Me Alive, Josie and more.
'Ricky don't lose that number' for sure!
Don’t forget “ Black Friday “
FM radio back then was coming on strong. Less static than AM.
I read the comments regarding the difference between AM and FM radio. AM was also limited on how long the song could be. With FM radio, we got to hear full recordings, instead of the condensed version...like Pink Floyd, Rush, etc.
With AM, the signal dropped out under overpasses, and around some buildings.
@@Incomudro1963 Lol... I remember those days...
Steely Dan is a great American rock band founded in 1971. They had a lot of great hits such as "Do It Again", "Reelin' In The Years", Dirty Work", "Rikki Don't Lose That Number", "Hey Nineteen", "Peg", "Josie", "Deacon Blues", "Show Biz Kids", "My Old School" etc.
Blues, jazz and rock are among the genres Steely Dan blended into their sound -- as well as funk, soul and R&B -- and they did it better than anyone else.
This song, with that killer sax solo, never played again in any style, was included in the FM Original Movie Sound Track, back in 1978, and I had that one in Vinyl 2 set Record, edited here at Colombia, that year, under MCA/Polygram label. So good to see how with young pepole like you, this tunes come back to life, bold and strong, as it sould to be. Thanks, and enjoy that album the time you get.
FM was a paid-for gig for Steely Dan as it was the title song of the 1978 movie called, surprise, FM. It was released as a single and also as part of the sound track. Becker & Fagan essentially wrote it specifically for the movie and, as you guys astutely observed, it incorporated and referenced a range of musical styles. It truly encapsulates their musical brilliance and facility that they can so seamlessly move from style-to-style not only across their catalog but within a single song.
These guys were total perfectionists, and they'd continually call in different studio musicians until they hit upon exactly what they were looking for. Not sure you could beat their production. People will steer you toward the hits, all of which should definitely be heard, but I don't think there's a song in their entire catalog that isn't reaction-worthy.
No such thing as a bad Dan song!
Yes!
The only thing I recall about the movie "FM" is Linda Ronstadt and her band doing a pretty great cover of the Stones' "Tumbling Dice". Meanwhile, this was one of Steely Dan's last big hits ... the end of an era, really. This is as smooth as a glass of pinot on a warm July night, sitting round a small fire on the beach with friends, looking up at the stars ...
Martin Mull was in that movie.
This song is so good, it’s brutal. A real cruising-in-your-car-late-at-night-with- the-windows-down song. (AM radio was all crackly; FM had no static at all.)
When FM radio came out, they had a hard time getting people to leave AM and go to FM, and the way they did it, was to promise no static, static is the crackling sound that comes over the Airwaves, radio and TV.
There was a movie based on this song (called, wait for it... "FM"), that was all about DJs at a radio station. It wasn't bad. And, YES, this song was in it! (along with a LOT of other great tunes!)
This song was written for the movie, which is why it only appeared on the greatest hits, and later compilations of Steely Dan.
Static was the scratchy noise you’d get on AM radio (and probably still do) when the signal is not too good. By comparison, FM had a clarity and quality that was a revelation at the time. It’s difficult to explain the impact on music broadcast on radio to people nowadays.
Some of us are old enough to also remember the impact of recordings switching from Mono to Stereo (and how some groups revelled in playing with stereo sound), but that’s for another time…..
Another brilliant Steely Dan track with their own flavour of fusion that’s one of my favourites.
AM is for long range. FM is for short range.
AM will always have interference.
That's the function of having giant Wavelengths.
AM the quality increases as you get closer.
FM the quality is either there or you just lose the station.
That is is a function of being very directional and having as big powerful signal (100,000 Watts) and equipment that squelches the crap on the receiving end.
@@bartstarr100 Excellent, thank you. I was used to listening to music from distant stations on AM because when I was young, British radio didn’t play Jazz, but I discovered VoA and similar stations from working my way along the dial. When FM started in Britain, WoW !
Now, with the Internet, I can listen to African or Indian music direct from Africa or India. I am a happy man.
If you've ever been to their concerts, it's full of musicians in the audience. My 2 brothers are guitarists and I go every chance with them. Thank you for playing. ❤
This was from the soundtrack of a movie called, "FM", about a radio station.
Ironically, the soundtrack is the best thing about the movie...
A lousy movie with a GOAT soundtrack.
Steely Dan is one of the most technically sounds bands ever. They are such great musicians and song writers (Donald Fagan and Walter Becker). love their smooth, jazzy, funky vibe. You should check out a lot more of their work. I recommend Rikki Don’t Loose That Number to hear one of the all time classic Walter Becker guitar solos.
Always perfectly produced. Smart lyrics. Every note just right. Steely Dan is your favorite band’s favorite band.
Steely Dan's mash up of genres is one reason they're so popular & a timelessly classic band. The other reason is their high level of skillful musicianship.
Yeah, it was about how cool it was in the 70s to hear music in stereo with "no static at all" FM RADIO. The DJ's often had their own shows and selected their own music and people would call the radio station and tell the DJ where they were partying and request a "favorite song" - so the mix of music was wild - it would go from Elvis, to the blues, to a pop tune, to reggea, etc. ALL to keep things interesting for the listening public. And I know that world well, because I used to be an FM Radio DJ back in the mid 70s. I actually played this song on the station at the time. It was a blast. Amazing to me that anyone is interested at all in music this old - so thanks for bringing back some long forgotten memories.
Put it this was the 70s were the NUKE BOMB
By far my favorite group/music. Steely Dan has it all; Jazzy/R&B/Soft Rock all rolled into one, crisp, precise sound, sometimes serious, sometimes funny and sometimes snarky yet always intelligent lyrics, I can think of literally 15 songs off the top that are great and that’s not counting Donald Fagen’s solo work. Highly recommend “Jack Of Speed” and “Caves Of Altimira”. By the way, I have a tee shirt that says “FM, no static at all” ❤️
Same here!!
I remember the hub-bub over FM....There were boats out in the San Francisco Bay broadcasting FM (FM was not legal at that time) usually at night until the law shut them down.....
Such a great smooth song! FM always had more variety and a clearer sound than AM radio so there ya go :)
In the 60’s all we had was AM radio. Which is loaded with static. When FM was perfected. The music was crystal clear, actually home stereo systems became the big thing. It’s when we started buying recievers, turntables, and speakers. The louder you turned it up. The music remained crystal clear. So for all of us, it was ground breaking. With AM if you turned it louder, the static also got louder.
Glad you finally got back to Steely Dan! FM is smooth!!!! They started moving away from the earlier guitar based rock and getting more sophisticated in the songwriting. Definitely throwing more blues, jazz, R&B, funk, stuff together and it worked! As others have mentioned, you have to do a deep dive into their Aja album...Josie, Black Cow, just some great stuff. Please do yourselves a favor and take that dive into Aja. Jazz harmonies in a pop/rock music structure? Yeah, gave everyone a masterclass in songwriting.
Ah, but even on albums like Katy Lied, you could clearly hear their jazz influenced licks on song like "Your Gold Teeth II, : "Chain Lightning," "Daddy Don't Live In That New York City," and Dr. Wu," I usually point to this album as the start of their transition point, with of course Aja being the culmination of it.
@@gasaholic47 you're right, it was there, but certainly not harmonically rich as when they did "Aja"!
@@mojorider8455 Oh, of course not, but that shows their progression as musicians and writers. They evolved from album to album.
@@gasaholic47 how about that intro to "Josie"?. Today's rock radio would never play a song like that! Incredible chord progression!
@@mojorider8455 Wait...there's actually rock radio today? 🙃
I am 65 and have listened to them since 1972 and this is my favorite by them,#2 is glamour profession 3.Peg, but this beauty,funky,soulful,jazzy and much more..Dan is the man! Great reaction ..Kent in Ohio.
Most American cars had only AM without even an FM option until the mid 70's. AM was pop music, sports, and preachers. FM was Jazz, Classical and Prog Rock (songs longer than the 3-4 min. AM standard).
I bought a 77 Duster new that only had AM and just one speaker. but I didn't give them any static, since it cost 4 Gs. needless to say, I immediately upgraded it.
You can't go wrong with Steely Dan!!
"deacon blues" is a must listen. Probably my favorite of theirs
This song was written for a 1978 movie called FM about a radio station. The soundtrack of that movie was filled with rock and pop standards from the 70's and made the Billboard charts. The movie itself inspired a popular TV show called WKRP in Cincinnati. Steely Dan's catalog is an amazing collection of progressive rock that's inspired by jazz. But even when writing a song for a movie, they had enough talent to create a classic that stands on its own over 40 years after it was released.
Man i my late teens , I was 17 in 1978 when FM was on 70s Radio
Okay I had to stop everything I was doing to watch and listen to y’all’s take on this song! First, let me say it’s been one of my favorite bands since I first started listening to music regularly at around 10 years old in 1976. Their music was all over the radio for most of my growing up and even now here in Vegas on the 91.5 UNLV station they play it regularly. Donald Fagen started the band by himself and heard Walter Becker the lead guitarist playing in a cafe in New York as he passed by and asked him if he wanted to be in his band and the rest was history. I did get to see them a few years ago in SF but since then Mr. Becker has passed away, but Donald Fagen is still touring and I believe they are touring this year. What’s really cool to me is that black people always seem to like the music of Steely Dan when they hear it just like white people love so much of black music especially during that time of the 70s, so I really enjoyed your takes on this FM jam and how much you’all enjoyed it. I’ll be checking you two out now that I found you and thanks.🙏
I had the double compilation album on vinyl. It was a brilliant album with the Doobies , Linda Ronstadt, Eagles and many Joe Walsh and many other Artists!
This cut was for the movie "FM". In this song, FM refers to radio signals and the disposition of the ladies. The good music and the girls were in FM mode. No static at all.
3rd Bass the Rappers from NYC did a song called "No Static At All". You guys got to jam that out. They used the Steely Dan as a background for it. Steely is always a Great choice. Can't lose with them.
Steely Dan is the gold standard in smooth groove: jazz rock and RnB all together
The first truly personal cassette player, the Sony Walkman, was introduced in 1979. Before that, portable music was only available on AM/FM transistor radios. Music radio stations usually broadcast using amplitude modulation (AM) technology, which is prone to background distortion known as 'static'. Frequency modulation (FM) stations rarely played pop, rock, or country music. But when they finally did, the increase in fidelity was awesome! That's what this song is about. There was a time before digital files existed. It was awesome - people socialized and danced!
give someone static
:to argue with someone; to give someone back talk. I want you to do it and do it now! Don't give me any static! FM radio was static free, commercial free, doesn't matter what's playing...just get high and dig the music...no arguments, no complaints...ya dig?
Not “just another” Steely Dan song. These guys ALWAYS were saying something pretty heavy and profound, thru all kinds of lyrical mastery, silly and non-sensical or soul piercing verbal daggers.
Bancorp in the early 70’s there was a station that the youth in the area ALWAYS had tuned. In 1973 there was KQIV-FM...I could call in and ask for anything, and they’d fit it in, sometimes immediately. It was a great pirate styled FM station.
Five genres!! In one song love Walter Becker, Jeff 'Skunk' Baxter and Donald Fagan & Jeff Porcaro especially here. This was first a soundtrack song here...was on their greatest hits.
This was the intro song for the movie, "FM" and it was perfect. Steely Dan is basically two talented guys. Their music is progressive and artistic and evolved from pop to jazz-rock. Their album, AJA, is considered a milestone classic by critics. There were three hits from it, but the title song is my favorite. Their first hit, Do It Again, is a popular favorite and played often on classic radio.
Asia asking "what's static?" was so sweet. AM radio was king back in the day , but the static near overhead electric lines and tram lines .. 🥴 Usually picked up static right in the middle of your favourite song too. 😵
Thanks for the info
True spoken. AM was what was originally available, but it could be "dodgy", to use our British friends' term. A lot of things could interfere with the signal - overhead power lines, underpasses while driving, even people being in particular locations at the outer edge of the transmission range.
FM, on the other hand, was proof against much of this... and allowed stereo transmission and better sound in general. The AM stations couldn't really compete with the musical sound, so many switched their formats to news and sports, and pretty much left the FM band to nusic and public broadcast stations.
Funny enough, there are actually multiple versions of this song. One with a guitar solo at the end which you listened to, one with a sax solo at the end, and one with both. You can never go wrong with Steely Dan, they're often referred to as "your favorite band's favorite band" and yes, they were known for always having amazing production. Check out their song Haitian Divorce when you get a chance, it's got a different sound to the songs you've checked out so far but it's great nonetheless. Keep it up ya'll.
How did I not know that?
Frequency Modulation = FM Radio - Amplitude Modulation = AM Radio -- I remember back in the day, when mom or dad would drive the car below an underpass or high tension power lines the AM station reception would fade out.
This track comes from the soundtrack to the movie "FM" and was written specially for it, not appearing on any Steely Dan album - except a "Greatest Hits". As an old radio jock, I revelled in FM (Frequency Modulation) not only for it's clarity but the fact that it was in stereo, if you had a stereo receiver. AM (Amplitude Modulation) by contrast suffered from "Static", audible crackling like a worn record, and was in Mono. Steely Dan is perfect for FM letting the listener fully appreciate the incredibly high production values and superb playing of the Musicians. AM was strictly transistor radio quality. BTW, The movie "FM" is really cool, check it out.
Back in 60's & 70's Rock and R&B was mostly played on AM Stations.....it had static on it. When FM started playing it crystal clear
yeah, the no static sound back in the day was so cool, funny to to think about these days but when you got a crystal clear signal it was AWESOME
Their music always makes me think of a late night interlude with a beautiful lady on the 17th floor of a highrise apartment building in a a city dancing on the balcony with the city lights in the background...
Wife here..Steely Dan is just AMAZING .., Musical Geniuses .., IMHO...Fuze Jazz..,Funk. and Blues all going together..and the Rock at the end..Sooo Perfectly stated!!.
As some have said, Steely Dan originally wrote and performed this song for the 1978 Motion Picture "FM." Although the movie was past it's time when it was aired in theaters, the song still stands up today as one of the best Steely Dan songs. And yes, many of we old timers remember mono AM radio static (like in a lightning storm) and then the crystal clear sound of stereo FM radio which had "no static at all." FM radio often played entire albums with only a commercial break between sides of the record. But I digress. What many folks don't know is that this song was written and performed in the "Aja" album sessions and featured Jeff Porcaro of the classic rock band Toto playing drums, Glenn Frey, Don Henley and Timothy B. Schmidt of The Eagles on backing vocals and great west coast jazz musician Peter Christlieb on tenor sax (he also played sax on a previous hit of theirs "Deacon Blues"). Quite the pedigree even for a Steely Dan song.
Hey my brother and my sister I’ve been looking for y’all. I like your vibe a lot of people don’t like Steely Dan but I know all of the Dan and I can see you guys are intrigued. I was going to recommend an album or two and I thought to myself pick any Dan Album play it from beginning to end you will not be disappointed. Welcome to the fold..😊😎. Peace ❤️
This was a theme song for a Movie called FM
These guys had the groove, my parents had me up on them in early 80s. Super talented and unique sound. Great reaction
FM was also the theme song for the 1978 movie “FM” about some DJs at an FM station taking over the station. The movie connection explains the fact that there are strings (arranged and conducted by Johnny Mandel, who did a million things in movies as well as recording artists and TV.) Other than this there was maybe one other thing they did with strings. Guitar solo by Walter Becker.
Just got to see Donald Fagen at the Hollywood Bowl a couple weeks ago. His voice is still the same. This opened the show and it was 2 more hours of Steely Dan. What a night of good food, better friends and great music.
Title track from a great 1978 movie about changing times for commercial radio. Incredible soundtrack. Right up there with American Graffiti
so AM stations broadcast for a very long way but always had a bit of white noise or static in the broadcast.
FM had a MUCH shorter range but didnt have the normal static of AM hence "no static at all"
its basically an advertisement for how FM radio sounds much better than AM
FM is the normal radio youd tune into in your car if you dont use a streaming service.
AM is all but gone now..
"Hey 19" and "Deacon Blues" by Steely Dan is a must react to. You'll love them both.
FM radio had no static. AM radio was prone to static interference so the music of the 60s was more compressed to overcome the static.
I remember this song coming out. Driving with dad in his new truck that had a AM/FM radio. I was amazed how clear it was with no static at all and it didn’t lose the signal when you went under bridges. I thought that was amazing, how the radio still got the signal while we were under something.
We were thrilled when we finally got a FM station in early 1970s. AM Radio wasn't clear and you always got static noise. We thought we were so cool. ❤
The combination of all those genres definitely defines what is known as "Fusion" or "Rock-fusion"
Black Cow and Kid Charlemagne, which many rappers sampled, are my some of my fav songs.
AM-Amplitude Modulation FM-Frequency Modulation. By the time top 40 radio stations switched to FM, they also had the technology to "lock in" on the stations frequency, so that a strong
clear, static free, signal could be received at the other end.
Steely Dan was (and is ) a conglomeration of the best musicians in the world 🎹🎼🎯🔥
Simply put...When FM radio came on the scene it had no static at all compared to AM radio..
It wasn't until 1974-75 that the number of FM stations topped the number of AM stations. Steely Dan's FM titled album was released in 1978.
You can't go wrong with Steely Dan... They're in a class all by themselves, smooth, funk, jazz will wrap you up in a great night of laid back, simply groove music for ANY mood!! All I can say is, great job and more please... "Deacon Blues" is another tasty musical treat... I BETCHA!!! 🎶👍🏻😉... Asia, you've got sax on the brain, super sax solo will rock your world in Deacon Blues...
Amplitude Modulation AM broadcasting was picked for radio because its signal would travel farther, but would only support mono and frequently included a lot of audio static. Frequency Modulation FM not only supported a stereo signal, was clean but had smaller range. However, building infrastructure took a while because you needed more stations to cover the same area.
What is astounding is how little of music history is known by alot of people. You have to know and understand about all of the AM n FM world that made up radio at that time. AM is still the back bone of radio. We didn't have any Computers Cellphones or video games etc but we were totally into radio and even knew all the names of disk jockeys across the country !! We would listen to WLS out of Chicago at night and it came in clear as in a bell. Great times !!❤❤❤
The long fade out is due to the fact that the song was written for the 1978 movie FM. The fade out is typical “scene music” played while the first scene is set up visually. Wonderful song about a wonderful time when FM was dominated by Album Oriented Rock (AOR). Many wonderful stations ( My local was Starview92) played the original album cuts of songs so you were quick to discover the song that the advertisers and suits were presenting and what the artists produced were, many times, vastly different.
The AM (Amplitude Modulation) Broadcast Band and FM (Frequency Modulation) broadcast bands (BCB) operate with different technology and different space in the radio spectrum. AM technology is susceptible to noise spikes in amplitude and FM is more immune to that kind of noise (including static). The AM BCB is lower in frequency and each channel has a much smaller bandwidth than the FM BCB channels. That narrow bandwidth means a smaller audio frequency range can be transmitted, thus lower audio quality. The FM BCB with wider channels allows for those beautiful higher frequencies in music.
Steely Dan's "FM" is a beautiful tribute to the technology that Major Armstrong pioneered decades ago.
I started listening to FM radio in 1976 when an easy listening station converted to a disco format. By 1977 they were playing mostly R&B and Funk. They became the biggest station in Atalanta, V 103. Today they are known as a hip hop station. I worked there for a year 20+ years ago.
AM (amplitude modulation) radio was where pop music was heard by the people, AM radios were standard in cars until the late 1970s, and personal radios were mostly also AM.
FM (Frequency Modulation) was a new format of radio which not only provided music free from the scratchy static that AM stations provided ( " no static at all" was frequently used as an announcement on early FM stations), but also provided actual stereo, which until that time was purely an audiophile thing only acheivable by multi-channel amplifiers in a live setting. FM provided a place for people to listen to long tracks and whole album sides because they were also "commercual free". No ads, no interuptions, just pure music. Until the advent of FM radio, all pop music had to fit into the 3 minute song length. Longer songs were edited to make them short enough to fit into AM radios commercial model, and music fans hated the edited versions. There is an error in the lyrics in the video you watched...it should be "Give her some funked up Muzak " not 'music'. Muzak was the brand name of background music that played in stores and elevators in the 60s and 70s, typically pop songs with the vocal tracks removed...another snide reference to a type of musical experience with no soul at all. The track "FM" was the credit song for a movie of the same name. The movie was terrible, but the song remains as a stand out. Walter Becker's haunting guitar solo/outro is phenomenal!
The reference to No Static is on AM, there was a lot of static in the signal, so the music would often have static or get overpowered by it and drown out for a few seconds. And if there was an electrical storm, you heard it on the radio too. lol
FM was isolated from other frequencies and interferences like Lightning, so there was No Static At All.
Static is the name for the crackling sound that was common on AM radio. When FM was first introduced, one of it's big selling features was that is had less static. More colloquially, static came to mean aggravation. No static at all implies getting on well (with the girls) and having a clean listening experience.
Back in the day most radio stations were AM it was a weak signal that caused static not bad but it was there. Then FM became an option it was a lot clearer and better stereo quality. That's what this song is saying. I grew up with steely dan great band, great vibe.
I was 16 when this tune was released, I loved it then and I'm still loving it today.
You just can't go wrong with Steely Dan.
I was born January 1970 so I'm 54. I have a 16 year old daughter and she loves Steely Dan. I grew up listening to this band because my mother was crazy about this band. They are amazing. This was saturday cleaning at the apartment!
AM radio signals travel farther than FM, especially at night. In the early 70s I lived about an hour south of Minneapolis. At night we could get a Chicago radio station (WLS, I think) clear as a bell but during the day, all you got was static (has to do with sun spots, I think). There weren't any digital tuners so you just had a tuning knob which, if not exactly tuned in, would result in a lot of static. Digital tuning came in during the 70s but a lot of analog remained as well. The digital tuners locked in on the exact frequency, eliminating a lot of static.
Pete Christlieb on Tenor Sax, at the time he was a member of The Tonight Show Orchestra, Walter and Donald were watching tv one night and he played a jaw dropping solo and recruited him into their arsenal of absolute killer studio musicians.
Steely Dan is such windows down, cruising in the breeze, road trip music. One of my favorite bands. So smooth and so amazingly recorded and played.
Hey man, Steely Dan was funky. I saw them live and they sounded amazing. Always the very best brass sections and perfect backup vocals. RIP Walter Becker
I recall the growth of Frequency Modulation (FM) Radio in the early 70’s. My parents listened to the station that played what could be called “elevator music). We lived in the Ft Worth/Dallas area (yeah I intentionally but Ft Worth ahead of Dallas). Anyway I came home from 2-a-day football practice, it was August and H.O.T. hot. Cranked down the window unit A/C aimed the vents down andlaid on the floor to cool off. The radio made a electronic cracking sound, the announcer said “This is KZEW DALLAS” then out came Frank Zappa’s, “Montana Song”. My life was forever changed. My father couldn’t understand why the station he enjoyed changed formats and play that “noise”. He didn’t even like Elvis (explains a lot). Steely Dan was (like Boz Skaggs) fusion of jazz, rock and RnB.
Background vocals by The Eagles. No static on FM radio; loads of static on AM which used to be all there was in cars until the late 60s, but you had to have 4-track or 8-track or FM stereo specially installed.
They’re referring to the FM modulation over that with radio waves versus a.m. modulation, which with a.m. you always got a lot of static FM was more clear and pure
When broadcast radio first came out, it was AM (amplitude modulation). The government immediately stepped in and created the FCC because radio stations were using too much power for their broadcasts. The FCC limited radio stations broadcast power to a 100 mile radius so that it would enable fair competition. Also, the broadcast bandwidth was limited because the technology was new and they wanted to make sure there was enough AM radio frequencies to go around. The result was the frequency bandwidth is so narrow, it doesn't capture the full human hearing frequencies (making it sound real tinny). The side effect is it picks up the atmosphere background noise that we call static. FM (frequency modulation) came along later and that opened up so many more radio frequencies that it is able to support stereo effects and block the static.
"FM" was made for a film soundtrack. I'm old enough to remember when this was new. I was really into Steely Dan as a teenager! This is favorite for that groove. It's so nice to see young people getting into the quality of Steely Dan's music. They evolved from being a band with backing vocals by Michael McDonald to using first rate studio players. Love this track!
Many cars then 9:30 were equiped with only am radio. Adding an FM underdash to ne adle to listen to all the great new album format fm stations was a thing. Many placesthat sold stereo equiplment also had auto stereo add-on equipment, and sometimes a team od techs to install. Or one got a friend, dad or sibling to hook it up.
am radio back in the day had static, and even stations over stations bleed through, when fm radio came out, it was wonderful, No static at all, crisp and clear
Static is the scratchy, crackly noise you get between radio stations on the tuning dial of old radios....the dial having now been replaced by programmable pre-set buttons, you don't get that anymore.
Static refers to distortion in sound that AM radio was subject to due to distance from the transmitter, and the weakness of the signal. FM radio generally wasn't as subject to experiencing static. Also, there are at least two versions of this song, one with a guitar solo on the outro, and another with tenor sax.
AM had a greater range than FM on clear days and took less wattage to broadcast and shorter antenna 📡. FM was less expensive wave length to broadcast in STEREO than AM which was 99% broadcast in mono.
When FM came into the mainstream it changed how we listened to music on the radio. AM had no fidelity in the sound and there was a lot of static (hiss). FM changed that. It was clean and "hi-fi".
"No static at all" was literally FM. AM radio was greatly subject to interference which created static. Thus the megawatt power necessary to provide a strong enough signal to overcome interfering frequencies and cast a large broadcast radius. Due to the differences between AM and FM radio signal modulation antennas needed to be closer together for a large coverage area with FM but the signal was crystal clear - no static at all. This song dropped in 1978; though FM radio broadcasts had been around since the 1930's, it wasn't until the 1980's that FM came into it's own with mass appeal in the U.S.