These Steely Dan clips are a godsend as the band made very few live televised appearances - this clip is 50 years old and it's great to see Fagen, Becker, Skunk, et al tearing it up.... cheers Midnight Special.
Steely Dan is one of those bands you can not listen to for years, hear one of their songs, and you go right back to listening and enjoying like it was the first time.
Just saw this and I was like thinking the same thing! Now I just need to find my Steely Dan cd's, dust them off and listen to some great music again!!!
This is by far one of the finest and most original rock bands in music history. Steely Dan was basically two unbelievable geniuses. Donald Fagan and Walter becker.the duo was incredible. From king of the World to the caves of altamira, one great song after another, wonderful.
Don't leave out Skunk.... he's had quite the career, between Steely Dan, The Doobies, other bands and solo stuff, his production work, movie scores, his session work, writing for Guitar Player Mag, and his defence consultant/contractor work with the government, to the point that be became chair of the Congressional Advisory Board on missle defense.
Once they can figure out how to match up people again (think they used to be called musicians) with the computer-generated music, they'll have something.
Seriously Paula, Mr. Baxter was walking on friggin WATER, you feel me? Donald Fagan was also just so amazing, straight from the heart, and right through the soul, and the most excellent backup singers were just perfectly concise and spot on, and obviously very thrilled to be part of whole consortium, and who WOULDN’T be? BTW: If I misread your handle and it’s Paul (or “Paul A.”), don’t bother with any gender reassignment, I love ALL of you Steely Dan fans faithfully and fully, regardless of your personal plumbing! - Namaste! Glenn Jones PS: I’d never seen this clip before, and I’m totally down with admitting I wept like a hungry infant! Because other than laughing at the beauty and absurdity of life, that’s what I DO, and I also highly recommend others to do likewise, but I will allow that it’s “their call” (ain’t I just the picture of generosity and tolerance?)… - XOXOXO!
This video has just reached 1 million views. It just goes to show not only the importance of Steely Dan as a group, but also of The Midnight Special as an archive of unique and historical performances.
4sure! Coming home after a Sat*nite out getting altered w/your cool friends, coming home to The Midnight Special was a perfect way to end the night. Make some cheesy nachos, pop a bottle of cold Coke open for your munchies and settle in front of the TV to watch some cool af actual LIVE rock music => Steely Dan, Robin Trower, Blue~Oyster~Cult, Joe Walsh w/his Rocky Mountain Way band, every week was a rock&roll treat ! 🎶🎸
Musical artists have been back playing for decades. The Beatles did it. Buddy Holly did it. Whether an artist does this or not depends greatly on the venue, among other things. The Beatles and Buddy Holly are "real music." Them using backing tracks doesn't negate that. And whether your boomer mind can wrap itself around the concept, "real music" exists today as well. Just because you stopped looking for it doesn't mean it isn't there. A tree still makes a noise when it falls in the woods regardless, it turns out.
Steely Dan's first 4 albums stand up to virtually any other bands first 4 albums. Most bands take some time to find the their groove. Steely Dan had it right from the start. I would say Countdown to Ecstasy is one of the greatest second albums of all time. Brilliant stuff.
Oh, to have been there! This and 'Lost Wages' are just so ferocious. I love the shot of the drummer just chewing gum and playing like it's no big thing....
I was 21 in '73. All the chicks were absolutely the bomb back then.....no ugly ass Sailor tattoo's on them, no piercing Bullshi55, no purple and green hair.....just the hottest, long haired, thin, knock-out good looks............natural and gorgeous. Friday and Saturday's we all went to the bars. No DJ's, no juke boxes, just live bands everywhere playing current cover songs and boy did we dance, chicks would come in, you bought them and drink and ever single girl wanted to dance and we danced until 2 AM. Sunday we burnt our clothes as they were ruined from all the sweat! No gangs, no thugs, no guns in the bars, very few with cover-charges....just smiling having hella fun times. God I think I danced with a 1,000 potential wifes......the babes were oh my.......everywhere. We had so much fun!
Blimey! 50 years of being a Dan fan and this is my FIRST glimpse of the almost-mythical backing singers "Porky and Bucky" (Gloria Granola and Jenny Soule).
How they finish the 2nd jam and come back to "California, tumbles into the sea", is one of the tightest cuts in R&R history and still gives me goosebumps!
I went to Bard College, the school referenced in the song's title, in the mid-1980s. And, somewhat ironically, my daughter is now a junior at William and Mary. And we both love Steely Dan.
It was sometimes referenced as another William and Mary but Fagen was pissed about the marijuana bust so it was no longer a William and Mary to him. Points to anyone who knows who the Asistant DA was that is referenced in the song.
Fagen is a pure savant of a songwriter. He just knows how to tell a story, and to pace it perfectly, while he's naturally coming up with great melodies. He's got IT.
@foto21 - his songwriting is one of the greatest ever as far as I am concerned. I remember listening to this song as a kid and loving the musicianship and singing along. Not until later in life as an adult did I realize what he meant by the phrase "35 sweet goodbyes". The poor kids nowadays have to deal with the "subtle" lyrics of songs like WAP. Other brilliant examples of Dan Fagan's include "Charlie Freak" and "Home at Last." There has never been another like him.
The Midnight Special was my connection to the outside world living in a small midwestern town. I'd heard Steely Danon FM radio but seeing them on Mom and Dad's Motorola was a major treat!
Donald Fagen on piano/vocals Walter Becker/bass Jeff “Skunk” Baxter and Denny Dias/guitar Jim Hodder/drums Royce Jones/alt percussion and backup vocals Gloria “Porky” Granola and Jenny “Bucky” Soule/backup singers
Skunk built that guitar for the 'My Old School' recording sesh He said later he knew exactly how it would sound before he played it. Looks like a Rickey pickup at the neck.
Thank you, "The Midnight Special," for leaving no doubt as to Steely Dan's live performance abilities in 1973. When my wife and I saw them play "My Old School" on tour in April 1974, they let Skunk Baxter sing the lead vocal in addition to playing these incredible lead guitar solos. Hard to understand how this song only went to #63 on the singles charts, because over the years it has become every Steely Dan tribute band's set closer.
I think it didn't rank higher because it was in competition with all their other material. Also, fans like to sing along, and this one's not so easy to sing along. That's a dumb fact but it was certainly true in the 70s. This was an FM deep cut that fans loved, but it was not made for AM, which still dominated.
@@beenaplumber8379 Agreed. In 1973 Steely Dan was mostly a cult favorite among college students. That's why so many of their 1974 tour dates were on college campuses.
@@vickihughes5751The question wasn't "Was it less popular?" The question was "Why was it not more popular?" My answer might be wrong, sure, but one thing to keep in mind is that different markets can have very different airplay patterns. You might have been lucky enough to live in a market where the song did much better on AM than it did where other people live.
It always amazes me how Steely Dan was so far ahead of their time with the music they created. Walter Becker & Donald Fagen were true geniuses who mastered their craft, while also making things look effortless. I often wondered why Steely Dan didn’t have more bands trying to copy them. But then I realized that the uniqueness of Steely Dan’s music was in its’ complexity and sophistication. Steely Dan. A band unlike any other. Masters of music.
I'm 62, and remember it clearly. It was Friday night right after school started but before Labor Day. My neighbor/sweetheart 11 year old stayed at our house while her parents were gone. Blazing hot. We were laying on a sheet barely dressed watching this when my mom came it to see what the racket was about. Still, in 1973 we slept on the floor that night with no ridiculous drama.
Everyone is a product of their environment. Your generation is as much to blame for this one as the generations before you are to blame for yours, Greg. Personal responsibility wasn't invented by your generation, or summarily removed by the generation you bore.
Probably the best live performance in the history of live performances.... Just flawless, no autotune, just perfect arrangements , musicianship. And kudos to the mixer awesome mix.
I live in a small town north of San Francisco and we are losing houses down the cliffs due to erosion, a few every few years, there are 3 kind of falling to pieces now....I walk on the beach frequently with my wife and this song is always in my head, as I lived here in 73...well off and on my whole life but I was here when this song was popular, I always thought it was written about us or someone like us... I will forever be 10 years old when I hear this song
I was a frustrated 13yr old wanting more from music I listened to when along came Steely Dan and my musical taste became more complicated, sophisticated and joyous. Thank you Steely Dan. You, Pink Floyd, the Doobies, Roxy Music, Bowie and Led Zeppelin renewed my love of music ... and still do, 50yrs later.
To listen to SD made you feel so cool , like you'd discovered uranium or somethin'! I didn't understand half the lyrics .........which was even more cool . A bit like Zappa .....but even more cooooooooooool!😍😵💫
Fantastic video! One of my favorite songs, featuring the one and only Jeff "Skunk" Baxter shredding hard on lead guitar, back in the days when rock music ruled the world! These guys all earned their pay on this one. My sincere thanks to the folks at The Midnight Special archives!
This is a treasure! What a performance. Skunk Baxter manages to be so raw on those leads, but at the same time perfect for the vibe. Such a great guitarist. And he definitely had "the look." Loved his stuff with the Doobies.
If Midnight Special isn't in the Library of Congress then it should be!! Another great performance from a groundbreaking show. Thank you Burt Sugarman.
How this could be considered to be "yacht rock" is beyond me. I can well understand Donald telling the producer of the recent HBO documentary to get lost (or something like that). Thanks to Rick Beato for the tip on this performance. Amazing energy by the whole band, but kudos to Skunk for his performance. As for the backup singers, well I think we all know - great singing??
I couldn't wait to graduate. I was thinking, "I'm never going back to "'My Old School"" Now that I am on the other end of the spectrum... I wish I could go back to"My Old School" I'm guilty of wishing my life away! 😔 Happy Thursday... thank you for sharing! 💖
Man, I was watching the Beato interview, flipped to a new YT tab to search for this, and BOOM, it was already there as the first suggestion. These algorithms are getting scary.
I got to see them in Denver, CO in 1973 opeining up for Chuck Berry. They first song was "Bodhisattva" it wasn't even on a record yet. Had no idea who they were until they played "Do It Again". Wow, unforgettable.
Thanks for that memory. Were the girls singing backup in Denver? I didn't see them until April 1974, and Jenny and Gloria weren't on that tour. I've always wondered if they ever played "Midnite Cruiser" in 1973, so drummer Jim Hodder could sing lead.
@@andyinoregon just the boys. They only did 3 songs. Bodhisattva, Do It Again, Reelin' In the Years. Everybody wanted them to play more but Chuck Berry had to go on. Phenominal performance. Made me an instant lifelong fan.
@@eyefulpower Appreciate the info. We were lucky to see them as headliners at the U. of Toledo on April 21,1974, because two nights earlier they had to open for The Beach Boys at Ohio State U. Also opened for them in Pittsburgh.
Steely Dan opening for Chuck Berry! Wow. And they only slotted them enough time to do 3 tunes? I've not only seen Steely Dan 20+ times since they restarted touring in 1993, I saw Chuck Berry about 4 or 5 times at his "home base" performance venue in his last few decades, Blueberry Hill basement bar called the Duck Room in St Louis. A tiny little floor area that holds about 300 people. Including his 80th birthday celebration where Joe Perry of Aerosmith was in the audience and walked up to join Chuck on stage to do a few songs. I also was one of the few members of the public that was allowed in to see Chuck's memorial service across the street at a larger music venue. Chuck was laid to rest in his coffin in a white suit, captain's cap, and his guitar! Music performances by his family led by Johnny Rivers, who I met and talked with the night before. Very cool chill guy with great stories. A surreal memorial service.
This is priceless. Just so damn good. What a time for music. I saw them down the Jersey Shore (Asbury Park, I think) in the early 70's when they were opening for Jay and the Americans. Later found out that Jay Black nicknamed them Manson and Starkweather.
These Steely Dan clips are a godsend as Fagen, Becker, Skunk, et al are tearing it up! Cheers Midnight Special! The band made very few live televised appearances - this clip is 50 years old and it's great to see.
@@themidnightspecialtvshowI purchased the Midnight Special DVDs when they were first available, then for some reason they stopped the series. Will more be available to buy?
Wow!!! I never thought this song could sound good without the brass. This is your basic five piece rhythm section with two background singers. Just amazing energy and musicianship
![The Who - Baba O'Reily -- In [High Definition] HD! -1979 - The Kids Are Alright](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kX-bVeojLEA/mqdefault.jpg)
These Steely Dan clips are a godsend as the band made very few live televised appearances - this clip is 50 years old and it's great to see Fagen, Becker, Skunk, et al tearing it up.... cheers Midnight Special.
Their Midnight Special appearances are the brunt of it. Very little more exists aside from TMS appearances.
would you happen to know the name of the guitarist with the beard? they zoom in on him at 2:36
@@spencerphayes Denny Dias
@@gordoh7634 thank you!!
Couldn't agree more! 🥰
How many are here because of Rick’s Skunk Baxter interview?
Well, yeah, but I love this video and I've seen it countless times before.
I'm here because your mom likes to listen to this song while I'm smashing it.
Yup, I have it paused on another tab and needed to pop over and see it first...incredible stuff
I did exactly the same thing. Seen it many times, but Beato’s interview w skunk made me look for different things. Pure gold.
Spot on !
There is nothing more early seventies than those two backup singers, they are awesome.
Agree! Anybody know who they are?
Who they be?
@@EvanDahill Jenny “Bucky” Soule in the green hat and Gloria “Porky“ Granola with the long blond hair.
Especially their wooden moves trying to get funky to music not at all constructed for bopping..stiff white girls
@@jimwiesen2278 Thank you!
Back in 1974, if you went on a date and she was wearing a tube top you felt so blessed.
Or even '73.
@@allancerf9038🤣
I was a 34 DD I could never wear a tube top
1976, my wife used to wear a blue and red all time during the summer. What wonderful days, young, and very carefree! Great music!!!!
I'll be the judge of that LOL @@Littlewildone0
Man, the girls of the 70's were great.
Doesn’t this bring back memories.
Yeah!! No tattoos, weird piercings, or colored half shaved heads.
I know. I missed it by that much. 🤏🏽
Weren't they just, lol.
I was 16 years old in 1972.
the 80s were also pretty damn nice as well. I can never get enough 80s hair...
Steely Dan isn’t just a band, it’s more like a Hall of Fame for musicians.
Like the 27' Yankees. Ruth and Gehrig in the lineup.
Hell yes they were
Hired hands after Pretzel. no longer a 'band'
Did we let them know that rock and roll is here to stay! He'll ya.
Hall of fame is not enough to define Steely Dan
Skunk Baxter makes us forget that the studio version of this song had horns.. Awesome!
👍👍👍
The military technology adviser?
@@Fantabiscuit
Self taught military technology advisor..
@@Rockzilla404 amazing
I swear he was channeling some Terry Kath into those solos....so good!
Steely Dan is one of those bands you can not listen to for years, hear one of their songs, and you go right back to listening and enjoying like it was the first time.
Just saw this and I was like thinking the same thing! Now I just need to find my Steely Dan cd's, dust them off and listen to some great music again!!!
I can't imagine going years without listening to Steely Dan. 😢
Takes me right back to the '70s. Loved Steely Dan.
@@marywatkins6798 For me, their music is timeless.
So good to these early videos. Always so fresh no matter how long ago it was,. Skunk is killing it on this one. 👍🎸🎸🎸
This is by far one of the finest and most original rock bands in music history. Steely Dan was basically two unbelievable geniuses. Donald Fagan and Walter becker.the duo was incredible. From king of the World to the caves of altamira, one great song after another, wonderful.
Give me Steely Dan and Jethro Tull’s discography and I’ll never be bored.
Don't leave out Skunk.... he's had quite the career, between Steely Dan, The Doobies, other bands and solo stuff, his production work, movie scores, his session work, writing for Guitar Player Mag, and his defence consultant/contractor work with the government, to the point that be became chair of the Congressional Advisory Board on missle defense.
Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.
Love from Italy.
❤ beautiful thank you!!!
Good point. Still, great memories of our youth
✊🏼
Well said!
'79 HS grad from Hawaii!
65-74 Very special time for music. Everyone mixed Everything up. Adios from the Ozarks 🌄🐴✌️
Skunk Baxter burning up the guitar!
Blows my mind. His feel and timing and tone is incredible. On fire for sure🧨💥
Everybody looks like they're having so such fun. You never see this kind of thing anymore.
Once they can figure out how to match up people again (think they used to be called musicians) with the computer-generated music, they'll have something.
The drummer looks like he's waiting for a bus
@ebwoodkid13 that was my thought too 😂 looks bored as hell
Pro tools is no fun compared to a real instrument 😂
Skunk was on fire 🔥
Seriously Paula,
Mr. Baxter was walking on friggin WATER, you feel me?
Donald Fagan was also just so amazing, straight from the heart, and right through the soul, and the most excellent backup singers were just perfectly concise and spot on, and obviously very thrilled to be part of whole consortium, and who WOULDN’T be?
BTW: If I misread your handle and it’s Paul (or “Paul A.”), don’t bother with any gender reassignment, I love ALL of you Steely Dan fans faithfully and fully, regardless of your personal plumbing!
- Namaste!
Glenn Jones
PS: I’d never seen this clip before, and I’m totally down with admitting I wept like a hungry infant! Because other than laughing at the beauty and absurdity of life, that’s what I DO, and I also highly recommend others to do likewise, but I will allow that it’s “their call” (ain’t I just the picture of generosity and tolerance?)…
- XOXOXO!
@@glenncbjones
It's Paul A. but loved reading your response!! You have great energy!!
Have a blessed weekend
@@paulapodaca7090 Back atcha bro!
Dude Skunk is fire!
Skunk Rules!!! 😃
This video has just reached 1 million views. It just goes to show not only the importance of Steely Dan as a group, but also of The Midnight Special as an archive of unique and historical performances.
Well said, thanks
4sure! Coming home after a Sat*nite out getting altered w/your cool friends, coming home to The Midnight Special was a perfect way to end the night. Make some cheesy nachos, pop a bottle of cold Coke open for your munchies and settle in front of the TV to watch some cool af actual LIVE rock music => Steely Dan, Robin Trower, Blue~Oyster~Cult, Joe Walsh w/his Rocky Mountain Way band, every week was a rock&roll treat ! 🎶🎸
This is Steely Dan at their best! Thank you, Midnight Special!
I love this! Real music, no phony backing tracks or lip syncing. Steely Dan was so good.
Musical artists have been back playing for decades. The Beatles did it. Buddy Holly did it. Whether an artist does this or not depends greatly on the venue, among other things. The Beatles and Buddy Holly are "real music." Them using backing tracks doesn't negate that. And whether your boomer mind can wrap itself around the concept, "real music" exists today as well. Just because you stopped looking for it doesn't mean it isn't there. A tree still makes a noise when it falls in the woods regardless, it turns out.
How often I mimicked them, as a girl!
These guys actually wound up over-overing everything. Each song on Aja and Gaucho had an array of top studio musicians.
Steely Dan's first 4 albums stand up to virtually any other bands first 4 albums. Most bands take some time to find the their groove. Steely Dan had it right from the start. I would say Countdown to Ecstasy is one of the greatest second albums of all time. Brilliant stuff.
They were 'more than a band,' as one documentary described them.
If Mick Jagger and Freddie Mercury had a child, I think he'd look like this young Donald Fagen. (Love this old clip!) 😄
My God this is such a fierce band. These guys are on fire.
Totally!
high af on coke
Oh, to have been there! This and 'Lost Wages' are just so ferocious. I love the shot of the drummer just chewing gum and playing like it's no big thing....
yea it was only 50 years ago..
@@snoopstp4189Ooops, we done got OLD 😂
One million views for a 50 year old song, not bad!
I think I count for at least one hundred of those.
I was 21 in '73. All the chicks were absolutely the bomb back then.....no ugly ass Sailor tattoo's on them, no piercing Bullshi55, no purple and green hair.....just the hottest, long haired, thin, knock-out good looks............natural and gorgeous. Friday and Saturday's we all went to the bars. No DJ's, no juke boxes, just live bands everywhere playing current cover songs and boy did we dance, chicks would come in, you bought them and drink and ever single girl wanted to dance and we danced until 2 AM. Sunday we burnt our clothes as they were ruined from all the sweat! No gangs, no thugs, no guns in the bars, very few with cover-charges....just smiling having hella fun times. God I think I danced with a 1,000 potential wifes......the babes were oh my.......everywhere. We had so much fun!
Amen to that brother
I think you covered it well.
I'm 26 and a little jealous
At our beach in the mid 70’s it was perfection. Just regular girls that looked awesome, a bonfire at night, a case of cold beer…
Your parents thought the same about your generation. It's called getting old.😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
I think the girls are almost a separate show within the show. So much talent on one stage. No exaggeration
And Walter hiding out behind them!
Who else is on stage? Lol
@@PAULPINBALL
Ever hear of Steely Dan?
Agreed. They are bloody fantastic.
I remember seeing this live. Still the absolute coolest background singers ever.
How are you not grinning ear to ear watching this? Absolutely fantastic.
Love this band❤❤
I've only watched this video 20 times so far.
Great video!! All the performers are amazing! I especially like the featured lead guitarist 🎸 👍
Walter Becker is a rampaging beast!
Yeah, I am!
Blimey! 50 years of being a Dan fan and this is my FIRST glimpse of the almost-mythical backing singers "Porky and Bucky" (Gloria Granola and Jenny Soule).
Same thing, here! WOW! 46 years of fandom, finally a complete crew video..
I dated Gloria's cousin, Mary Muesli.
Yeah, I was always working late on Friday night so always missed the show and never knew of this performance with the girls till recently.
@@pinguinobc Everyone sowed their oats with Mary.
I went to school with Mary, but barley knew her.
How they finish the 2nd jam and come back to "California, tumbles into the sea", is one of the tightest cuts in R&R history and still gives me goosebumps!
Damn you Rick Beato, I have things to do!!😂
Went here in the middle of the interview
He’s an influencer alright!
@@646oleg ...same...
Lmao😅 really!! I just watched the skunk interview and find myself here😅
Me too :-)
I went to the College of William and Mary. We used to love it when Fagen sang "William and Mary won't do".
I went to Bard College, the school referenced in the song's title, in the mid-1980s. And, somewhat ironically, my daughter is now a junior at William and Mary. And we both love Steely Dan.
It was sometimes referenced as another William and Mary but Fagen was pissed about the marijuana bust so it was no longer a William and Mary to him. Points to anyone who knows who the Asistant DA was that is referenced in the song.
@@scotth2313G. Gordon Liddy
Give the man a cigar!
Fagen is a pure savant of a songwriter. He just knows how to tell a story, and to pace it perfectly, while he's naturally coming up with great melodies. He's got IT.
Whatever he has IT isn’t good looks.
@@davidmuir7711 definitely not pretty boys, innit...
@foto21 - his songwriting is one of the greatest ever as far as I am concerned. I remember listening to this song as a kid and loving the musicianship and singing along. Not until later in life as an adult did I realize what he meant by the phrase "35 sweet goodbyes".
The poor kids nowadays have to deal with the "subtle" lyrics of songs like WAP.
Other brilliant examples of Dan Fagan's include "Charlie Freak" and "Home at Last." There has never been another like him.
You prefer BTS? Musicians aren't supposed to be models.@@davidmuir7711
I know right? Music was better when ugly people were allowed to make it.@@davidmuir7711
This rules on so many levels and one of my favorite Steely Dan tracks.
Oh yeah definitely!
Yep! Well said, agreed!
Definitely my favorite Steely Dan song. How much fun to watch this in 2023!
I always loved this song and thought the one lyric was hilarious because my parents went to William & Mary :)
@tretower57 oh yeah perfect song! Wow that's cool your parents went to that school and I never knew it was a school either lol!
Steely Dan albums were must-haves for young folks who owned their first fancy stereo gear in the 70s.
SKUNK!! Dude... was amazing.
Is*
Any Steely Dan performance gets an automatic 'Thumbs Up' based on how few live performances from this era exist.
Damn, Skunk Baxter is one hell of a guitar player!
He also played the guitar solo on Donna Summer's 1979 smash hit "Hot Stuff."
Check it out !!😎
Oleanders growing outside her door. Beautiful.
Oleanders are poisonous.
@@tomfields3682 Even better!
The Midnight Special was my connection to the outside world living in a small midwestern town. I'd heard Steely Danon FM radio but seeing them on Mom and Dad's Motorola was a major treat!
Is this line up the greatest live band of all-time...? Has to be one of them.
Those back up singers are goddesses. I can't take my eyes off of them 😍
Neither could the cameraman 😁
Agreed The backup singers are gorgeous 😍 ❤
Those back up singers are so dam sexy n hot wow and can sing too wow they look so sweet ❤❤
Bucky is HOT!
yes they are, and looking at Fagen kinda hurts the eyes... lol
Donald Fagen on piano/vocals
Walter Becker/bass
Jeff “Skunk” Baxter and Denny Dias/guitar
Jim Hodder/drums
Royce Jones/alt percussion and backup vocals
Gloria “Porky” Granola and Jenny “Bucky” Soule/backup singers
Thank you
50 years ago today
2025 still alive at 65 praise God
And that’s the way it was done back in the day man when people actually played their instruments and there was no auto tune !
Steely Dan is awesome! That was so lively and fun! Those guitar solos killed, and the backup singers were having a blast! Love it!😎
Really shows what a force Skunk was in this band, doesn't it?
@@gordonbaker410 And the Doobie Brothers, too!!!
@@austinteutsch
Absolutely!
Skunk built that guitar for the 'My Old School' recording sesh He said later he knew exactly how it would sound before he played it. Looks like a Rickey pickup at the neck.
Skunk is a genius.
Wow the background singers are phenomenal!! Also skunk is on fire!!
He's also standing up. Usually, he prefers to sit down to play, which was what he did with the Doobie Brothers.
and standing up!
It's a murderers row, pick your star. You right though.
Love me a blonde hippie chick ! Had to endure 4 years of high school with such beauties.
Seems like there were 2 lines of harmony during the verses they forgot. Fagen's all alone on them...
Thank you, "The Midnight Special," for leaving no doubt as to Steely Dan's live performance abilities in 1973. When my wife and I saw them play "My Old School" on tour in April 1974, they let Skunk Baxter sing the lead vocal in addition to playing these incredible lead guitar solos. Hard to understand how this song only went to #63 on the singles charts, because over the years it has become every Steely Dan tribute band's set closer.
Hell - it should rank #63 of all time !
I think it didn't rank higher because it was in competition with all their other material. Also, fans like to sing along, and this one's not so easy to sing along. That's a dumb fact but it was certainly true in the 70s. This was an FM deep cut that fans loved, but it was not made for AM, which still dominated.
@@beenaplumber8379 Agreed. In 1973 Steely Dan was mostly a cult favorite among college students. That's why so many of their 1974 tour dates were on college campuses.
@@beenaplumber8379 It was played all the time on AM where I live. I didn't even have FM in 1973.
@@vickihughes5751The question wasn't "Was it less popular?" The question was "Why was it not more popular?" My answer might be wrong, sure, but one thing to keep in mind is that different markets can have very different airplay patterns. You might have been lucky enough to live in a market where the song did much better on AM than it did where other people live.
It always amazes me how Steely Dan was so far ahead of their time with the music they created. Walter Becker & Donald Fagen were true geniuses who mastered their craft, while also making things look effortless. I often wondered why Steely Dan didn’t have more bands trying to copy them. But then I realized that the uniqueness of Steely Dan’s music was in its’ complexity and sophistication.
Steely Dan. A band unlike any other. Masters of music.
Ahead of their time? I'm not sure anyone else ever got to where they went.
@@zzzzzach, that’s an excellent point! 👍👍
My favourite Steely Dan song. They could make a movie out of the plot of this song.
Skunk killed it!
I was born in 1960 and I feel like I've got to experience the best music ever made by people that had a God given talent before computers.
Jeff Baxter never gets the love he deserves as a guitarist. Guy's great! And some kind of missle defense consultant now!
I’m 72 years old and hearing this for the first time. 👏
Damn, I wish I could hear for the first time again...
I'm 63. I remember very clearly watching this broadcast! Thanks for uploading.
Me too!!!🥳I watched the Midnight Special EVERY weekend!! I’m 64🙋🏽♀️💕
@@donnarupert4926 And Austin City Limits!
I don't know what I was doing, but I'm sure I missed it. I'd remember if I had. ☺🎸🔥💃💃
I'm 62, and remember it clearly. It was Friday night right after school started but before Labor Day. My neighbor/sweetheart 11 year old stayed at our house while her parents were gone. Blazing hot. We were laying on a sheet barely dressed watching this when my mom came it to see what the racket was about. Still, in 1973 we slept on the floor that night with no ridiculous drama.
Thanks, The Midnight Special, for providing us great entertainment and such sweet memories! ❤️
Any time!
Oh yeah ❤
💯
Takes me back to 9th grade. Being a teen in the 70's was great. I will always love Steely Dan/Donald Fagen.
I was in ninth grade too. I always say that: Being a teen in the 70’s was GREAT! 🎉
Yes. So true. Though I actually liked My Old School.
50 yrs ago and still better than most of the crap around today with the exception of a few amazing artists.
Awesome
Skunk and Denny brilliant
What a band ❤
That blonde backup singer knew she was fine! Just another reminder of how great it was to be youthful back in the 70s!
A band like no other...sooo many hits...so much jazz fusion, soo much TALENT and such intelligent lyrics. Kids today have no clue. It's sad.
💯
I plan those tracks to my 22 year old daughter. She loves it and got my old vinyls on top. She is studying jazz violin
Play….*not plan* typo
Well I know there are exceptions...kids who have engaged parents!
Everyone is a product of their environment. Your generation is as much to blame for this one as the generations before you are to blame for yours, Greg. Personal responsibility wasn't invented by your generation, or summarily removed by the generation you bore.
Skunk Baxter : the man & The Legend.
Walter Becker (bass, backing vocals),
Jeff “Skunk” Baxter (guitar, backing vocals),
Denny Dias (guitar, backing vocals)
Gloria 'Porky' Granola (backing vocals),
Jenny 'Bucky' Soule (backing vocals)
Donald Fagen (Fender Rhodes piano, keyboards, lead vocals),
Jim Hodder (drums)
Royce Jones (percussion, backing vocals),
Probably the best live performance in the history of live performances....
Just flawless, no autotune, just perfect arrangements , musicianship. And kudos to the mixer awesome mix.
True that.
Check out AC/DC Let There Be Rock 1978. Some college in England. A nearly perfect rock and roll film. You can smell it.
Thank you midnight special
Those "Home Plate " Jeans on the back up singer with the red tube top is as good as it gets - the 70s at their finest
Between tube tops and Danskins, there weren’t a ton of bras around to burn. 😏
Remember those high waisted jeans that had an exposed zipper from front to back.😛😛😛🤤
Oh my that blondie back up singer..... 💞
Gloria Yeager! Married to the Dodger Steve Yeager
The only thing im looking at
She used to be part of Brazil 66 and then she played Lt. Dish on MASH the TV series.
one of the best lines ever ... "California, tumbles into the sea"
Which is literally happening in the LA area right now....
@@kbrewski1 and SanFran too
Tool Aenema
I live in a small town north of San Francisco and we are losing houses down the cliffs due to erosion, a few every few years, there are 3 kind of falling to pieces now....I walk on the beach frequently with my wife and this song is always in my head, as I lived here in 73...well off and on my whole life but I was here when this song was popular, I always thought it was written about us or someone like us... I will forever be 10 years old when I hear this song
Not the same without the horn part
Steely Dan has always been composed of exceptional musicians. It is always a joy to attend one of their concerts.
I was a frustrated 13yr old wanting more from music I listened to when along came Steely Dan and my musical taste became more complicated, sophisticated and joyous. Thank you Steely Dan. You, Pink Floyd, the Doobies, Roxy Music, Bowie and Led Zeppelin renewed my love of music ... and still do, 50yrs later.
Yep, generally speaking, I feel sorry for kids today. Their "earworm" music 50 years from now will be veeeery different.
If you listen to Steely Dan you are automatically a New Yorker, no matter where you live.
ha ha my daughter lives in New York @@geraldzuckier - a long way from here in Sydney, Australia. Maybe the writing was on the wall.
Love to know who mixed this back then cause it’s killer job for the time period especially
My favorite Steely Dan song.
2023 69 years old and loving this example of modern rock music back in the 70s. They tore that stage up.
Those lead breaks are so ruanchy, you are legally required to register as a s*x offender in 13 states if you dig 'em.
To listen to SD made you feel so cool , like you'd discovered uranium or somethin'! I didn't understand half the lyrics .........which was even more cool . A bit like Zappa .....but even more cooooooooooool!😍😵💫
I remember thinking the line was.....
"old Ann Landers, growing outside her door"
because back then I had never even heard of an oleander
This should have 10 Billion views. It feels like I've watched 9 Billion of them.
Fantastic video! One of my favorite songs, featuring the one and only Jeff "Skunk" Baxter shredding hard on lead guitar, back in the days when rock music ruled the world! These guys all earned their pay on this one. My sincere thanks to the folks at The Midnight Special archives!
I was fortunate enough to see them in concert in 1974. It wax A much smaller venue than most concerts. We were dancing in the isles!
So good. We were lucky werent we? To grow up with these geniuses all over the damned place
This is a treasure! What a performance. Skunk Baxter manages to be so raw on those leads, but at the same time perfect for the vibe. Such a great guitarist. And he definitely had "the look." Loved his stuff with the Doobies.
Check out the Rick Beato interview with Skunk that just recently dropped.
So fun to see Steely Dan, Fagen and Becker but best of all those backup singers. Man the 70s were so rich musically.
If Midnight Special isn't in the Library of Congress then it should be!! Another great performance from a groundbreaking show. Thank you Burt Sugarman.
Hard to believe this kind of stuff was on regular, free TV all of the time back then. Can I please go back to the 70s??
We got this stuff 1 day a week back then. Friday night to Saturday afternoon.
I wish I was still in the 70's
How this could be considered to be "yacht rock" is beyond me. I can well understand Donald telling the producer of the recent HBO documentary to get lost (or something like that). Thanks to Rick Beato for the tip on this performance. Amazing energy by the whole band, but kudos to Skunk for his performance. As for the backup singers, well I think we all know - great singing??
Preserving these videos so future generations can hear what real music was.
I couldn't wait to graduate. I was thinking, "I'm never going back to "'My Old School""
Now that I am on the other end of the spectrum... I wish I could go back to"My Old School"
I'm guilty of wishing my life away! 😔
Happy Thursday... thank you for sharing! 💖
Gorgeous girls and Jeff Baxter on lead guitar!! Awesome!!
I don’t know a Jeff Baxter. Is he related to Skunk Baxter?! LOL. 😃
Jeff still Loves Laura Royko 💖
Me too! 😁
Those girls are really GETTING IT ON!!!!!!!!!!! YES!
Man, I was watching the Beato interview, flipped to a new YT tab to search for this, and BOOM, it was already there as the first suggestion. These algorithms are getting scary.
I got to see them in Denver, CO in 1973 opeining up for Chuck Berry. They first song was "Bodhisattva" it wasn't even on a record yet. Had no idea who they were until they played "Do It Again". Wow, unforgettable.
Thanks for that memory. Were the girls singing backup in Denver? I didn't see them until April 1974, and Jenny and Gloria weren't on that tour. I've always wondered if they ever played "Midnite Cruiser" in 1973, so drummer Jim Hodder could sing lead.
@@andyinoregon just the boys. They only did 3 songs. Bodhisattva, Do It Again, Reelin' In the Years. Everybody wanted them to play more but Chuck Berry had to go on. Phenominal performance. Made me an instant lifelong fan.
@@eyefulpower Appreciate the info. We were lucky to see them as headliners at the U. of Toledo on April 21,1974, because two nights earlier they had to open for The Beach Boys at Ohio State U. Also opened for them in Pittsburgh.
Steely Dan opening for Chuck Berry! Wow. And they only slotted them enough time to do 3 tunes?
I've not only seen Steely Dan 20+ times since they restarted touring in 1993, I saw Chuck Berry about 4 or 5 times at his "home base" performance venue in his last few decades, Blueberry Hill basement bar called the Duck Room in St Louis. A tiny little floor area that holds about 300 people. Including his 80th birthday celebration where Joe Perry of Aerosmith was in the audience and walked up to join Chuck on stage to do a few songs.
I also was one of the few members of the public that was allowed in to see Chuck's memorial service across the street at a larger music venue. Chuck was laid to rest in his coffin in a white suit, captain's cap, and his guitar! Music performances by his family led by Johnny Rivers, who I met and talked with the night before. Very cool chill guy with great stories. A surreal memorial service.
@@kbrewski1 Great info! I've always had Chuck Berry on my Mt. Rushmore of singer/songwriters, along with Bob Dylan, Paul Simon and Joni Mitchell.
1:04 Skunk Baxter (now Pentagon missile defense consultant)
That guitar is smoke 🔥
Steely Dan utterly smoking........Becker in full swing, Skunk tearing it up......and the two "Chick" singers absolutely fabulous.
The 70's would not have been the same without Steely Dan.
Skunk always around big hits with Steely Dan and Doobie Brothers
these back uo singers are pure 70's energy. Love it
Absolutely Great! Nothing today can even come close.
This is priceless. Just so damn good. What a time for music. I saw them down the Jersey Shore (Asbury Park, I think) in the early 70's when they were opening for Jay and the Americans. Later found out that Jay Black nicknamed them Manson and Starkweather.
Skunk Baxter! So original and capable
These Woman have Great Energy and Hit the Notes
These Steely Dan clips are a godsend as Fagen, Becker, Skunk, et al are tearing it up! Cheers Midnight Special! The band made very few live televised appearances - this clip is 50 years old and it's great to see.
Our pleasure!
@@themidnightspecialtvshow Yes thank you as well. I have many DVDs and will you be releasing new stuff via this format too?
@@themidnightspecialtvshowI purchased the Midnight Special DVDs when they were first available, then for some reason they stopped the series. Will more be available to buy?
Wow!!! I never thought this song could sound good without the brass. This is your basic five piece rhythm section with two background singers. Just amazing energy and musicianship
Love it!!
70’s awesomeness, those back up singers and Skunk! ❤️
Magnificent Masterpiece from Master Musicians, fan for over 50 years, top of the line solid gold standard of excellence