“Aja’s got a problem” cracked me up. The thing about Steely Dan albums is that whichever one you’re listening to at the moment is unquestionably their best. Every track on every album is just that good.
@@christinerobinson9372 Thanks for the suggestion however my comments should be taken 'tongue in cheek'. As a 15 year old I was totally smitten by Benefit, the first Jethro Tull album I'd heard. (Been a lifelong Tull fan). As an aspiring bassist I admired Glenn Cornick of JT and then started listening to Cream and Led Zep. (Loved these bands and their bass players Jack Bruce and John Paul Jones). Even started listening to the Jacques Loussier Trio and their acoustic bassist. Read a Melodymaker interview with Jack Bruce who was asked who he considered to be the best bassist of all. Surprisingly he answered Bach. Love Bach. I really appreciate the Scarlatti sonatas. (Check out sonata k87) but the biggest headbanger of all isn't a 'shredder' on lead guitar but Leo Van Doeselaar the Dutch organist. Why not check out Bach's Dorian Toccata and Fugue (Smalin).
In real life, the song's protagonist, the infamous LSD chemist, was once busted because he ran out of gas. So after that, he was always hyper aware of the gas level in any car he had access to.
Song's about a dude named Owsley 'Bear' Stanley, a manufacturer of LSD in 1960's-70's San Francisco. He was also a pioneer of audio engineering, and was sound engineer and inventor of the "wall of sound" sound system for the Grateful Dead, who are legends in their own way.
@@christinerobinson9372 Different Wall of Sound. Spector's was a way of recording albums with many instruments and lots of vocals and production. The Grateful Dead had an actual wall of amps in '74 that was used for their live shows.
The song was about the LSD production, but Owsley was as said, a genius with sound enginerring and helped many an artist or group get "their sound". To say Steely Dan was a good group wasn't really a comment worth making. They weren't actually a group, even when they finally toured Fagen picked who would or could go on the road, but the albums with more session players than most people could count were sheer perfection and are still be taught in music schools. For all us Old People who grew up with this on the radio every day and night, weren't we the lucky ones....Amen
@@eboethrasher I disagree, I would put both The Royal Scam and Katy Lied over Aja. Aja is too laid back for my tastes. Those two albums have a bit more bite to them.
Gentlemen.... the stars came into perfect alignment when Steely Dan recorded this track. I've heard top tier musicians say that the guitar solo by Larry Carlton is their favorite guitar solo. When you listen to this again try to pay closer attention to Bernard Purdie on drums. This track is a masterpiece in so many ways. Every track on the album " The Royal Scam " is a winner. There are NO FILLERS on this album. It's EAR CANDY from the first track until the last track. Great job, guys.
Yup. Or go back and listen to when the first guitar solo actually starts - he starts pinging you bars before you realize it. And listen to just the bass line. Each on its own is masterful, but the combined sum is even more than the considerable parts.
EVERY song on this album "Royal Scam" is awesomely quirky yet musically complex. Got this album in 1976 and it's just as good now as ever. That's 46 years of staying power. "Green earrings" "The royal scam" "Haitian divorce" "The Fez" "The caves of Altamira" are gems. And then they came out with Aja. Ridiculously good.
Kid Charlemagne was a real life chemist who specialized in hallucinogenic drugs. When it comes to Steely Dan it's a safe bet most songs are about sex and/or drugs.
"Clean this mess up else we'll all end up in jail ..the test tubes and the scales..just get em all outta here".....one of my favorite lines in a song ever
.. the beauty of the Dan is that they created amazing works of musical genius that, though sophisticated rock and jazz infused, still were able to be a hit on pop radio.
Owsley Stanely was not the creator of LSD, but he certainly was "the best in town" and made literally millions of doses in his East Bay underground lab. He was aided by his wife Melissa Cargill who was a chemist, and "turned it on the world", while moonlighting as the Grateful Dead's first sound engineer. "Those San Francisco nights" would be "The Matrix", "Avalon Ballroom" and those other tiny acid-drenched venues the nascent San Francisco sound began in. Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead owned an "A-frame" house in Mill Valley in Marin county and probably had Owsley's number on the wall. "Those day-glo freaks who used to paint the face have joined the human race." The daisy-chain hippies in Golden Gate Park with the painted faces eventually got jobs like their parents. Owlsey did go down to LA and supplied the six Acid Tests between Feb and March of '66 in southern California. "Still an outlaw in their eyes" ... LSD became outlawed in California in October of '66. Anyway... yeah, it's a potent song in many ways and pregnant with meaning. I'll add that the "White men in the streets" refers to the rise of cocaine and how people turned from LSD after it was outlawed. Also Stanley was captured by the police when his car ran out of gas (Is there gas in the car? Yes there’s gas in the car).
Yep the government don't like competition when comes to drugs, but he can claim to be the first to mass produce LSD illegally and his was the best in town. .He claimed the dead needed the money to keep the show on the road. Their sound system was big and cost a lot to move around ect...... . Love how SD put the bust in the song, "is there gas in car, is there gas in the car" He got busted in his car trying to escape and it ran out of gas. Some one forgot to fill her up I guess.
WOW. Apparently my ear for drumming is getting good, because I had no idea Bernard was on this track, but I heard those shuffle transitions and it just 'felt' like him.
GENTLEMAN...... YOUR IN FOR THE RIDE OF YOUR LIFE MUSICALLY.. STEELY DAN DOESNT MISS... YOU'LL HAVE 50 SONGS THAT ARE ALL YOUR FAVORITES BEFORE ALL IS SAID AND DONE.
The level of musicianship on this track is nuts. Everyone is killing it. Carlton's solo at the end and through the outtro is as good as it gets. Leaves me wanting more. All time tune. Actually just discovered you guys and I specifically searched this song. Keep up the great work.
This is some complex music, with amazing harmonies, a layered chord structure, and great performances, including two Larry Carlton guitar solos. But please say SOMETHING about the propulsive funk shuffle that Bernard Purdie lays down on the drums! It is stellar!
I've been watching pretty much all of your Steely reactions, which has been great for me. I was born in the late 70s, grew up with my dad listening to Aja and Gaucho, so watching your videos and getting reacquainted with The Dan has brought me a lot of nostalgia and feel like I'm hearing them for the first time all over again...Thank you fellas!
Steely Dan's 1980 album - Gaucho - has tunes like 'Babylon Sisters', 'Hey Nineteen' and 'Glamour Profession' which are just stunning. Thanks for all the hard work and amazing Steely Dan tunes. You're spreading the joy and shining a light on some great music.
Seeing you guys get so into this song, and seeing it bring you so much joy, makes me so happy. Top tier song. Absolute masterpiece from, IMHO, the greatest band of all time. ❤
Ned from Spain here. Sweet reaction fellas. By the way that monster groove is courtesy of funky funky drummer Bernard Pretty Purdie and bass genius Chuck Rainey. The guitar solo by Larry Carlton is from beyond in sophistication, swing and stank.
This entire album is incredible. Right up there with Aja. They really don't have a bad record, despite the fact that they underwent significant changes in style over the years.
Donald Fagen doesn't have what most people would consider a great singing voice but it is definitely unique and I think that's what makes it great in my opinion. You immediately know that it's Steely Dan or his solo work.
“10 out of 5”; Love that! Had to come back and re-watch this reaction; yep, I think this is my favorite reaction of yours; THANK You for bringing joy to my night!
Look guys, all I'm going to say (based on an earlier comment I left on a previous Steely Dan video): I told you so! These two solos are some of the best guitar solos in rock history and, yes, the vocals killed it!
I was always a huge Steely Dan fan and this was my favorite song. In the 1990's I was a manager in a business and had a number of people that I had to manage. One of them was a 20 year old girl who asked me about this song because she heard it on the radio. I explained it to her and we became great friends. Steely Dan came to town the next year and we went to the concert, one of the best times of my life.
Donald Fagan has a truly unique voice. He and Walter Becker basically, with a revolving group of top-tier session musicians were Steely Dan, and they were famous for being obsessive about the quality of their production. That incredible Steely Dan production value. Love your guys responses
In the aja document donald Fagan said he grew up around listening to black music being in the club that's why you hear alot of r and b soul in every song they do he said his mom grew him up around black neighborhood and enjoying soul music 😊
Hey Guys, this is one of my favorite Steely Dan songs and it has probably my #1 favorite rock/pop guitar ever, which is performed by one of the best studio musicians in the history of recording, Larry Carlton. I see that you got sucked into the killer groove early on. The interaction between the bass and drums is insane. If you haven’t already, you should check out Rick Beato’s UA-cam channel (3 million+ subscribers). He’s a guitarist, producer and music educator and there’s a lot of great content on his channel, but specifically, in his series of videos called “What Makes This Song Great”, he’s got a video on this song in which he breaks down the structure, writing and the guitar solo in detail.
God dammm this song is good, I was boppin along with you guys. Love your videos, look forward to binging your content, love your personalities and that y'all are so passionate about great music!
Kid Charlemagne is about owesly, the greatful dead chemist , he was around in the 60s, he made purple haze, they called him bear. So Steely Dan ate Owsley acid, there are basically saying thank you for the trip, guess a tribute to him.
It is so amazing to see people watching the progression of the Dan and realize that they are witnessing musical perfection. They are like modern day Mozart or Beethoven, blending sounds perfectly to produce musical perfection
From Wikipedia: Augustus Owsley Stanley III (January 19, 1935 - March 12, 2011) was an American-Australian audio engineer and clandestine chemist. He was a key figure in the San Francisco Bay Area hippie movement during the 1960s and played a pivotal role in the decade's counterculture. Under the professional name Bear, he was the sound engineer for the rock band the Grateful Dead, recording many of the band's live performances. Stanley also developed the Grateful Dead's Wall of Sound, one of the largest mobile sound reinforcement systems ever constructed. Stanley also helped Robert Thomas design the band's trademark skull logo.[1] Called the Acid King by the media,[2] Stanley was the first known private individual to manufacture mass quantities of LSD.[3][4][5] By his own account, between 1965 and 1967, Stanley produced at least 500 grams of LSD, amounting to a little more than five million doses.[6] (skipped some here)" Stanley returned to Los Angeles to pursue the production of LSD. He used his Berkeley lab to buy 500 grams of lysergic acid monohydrate, the basis for LSD. His first shipment arrived on March 30, 1965 and he produced 300,000 hits (270 micrograms each) of LSD by May 1965; then he returned to the Bay Area. In September 1965, Stanley became the primary LSD supplier to Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters. By this time, Sandoz LSD sold under the trade-name Delysid was hard to come by, as Sandoz halted LSD production in August 1965 after growing governmental protests at its proliferation among the general populace, which meant that "Owsley Acid" had become the new standard.[13][14] He was featured (most prominently his freak-out at the Muir Beach Acid Test in November 1965) in The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test (1968), Tom Wolfe's book detailing the history of Kesey and the Merry Pranksters. Stanley attended the Watts Acid Test on February 12, 1966 with his new apprentice Tim Scully, and provided the LSD. Stanley also provided LSD to the Beatles during filming of Magical Mystery Tour (1967),[15] and former Three Dog Night singer Chuck Negron has noted that Owsley and Leary gave Negron's band free LSD.[16" Also when they say to "the white man on the street" they are referring to the increasing cocaine sales and use.
You guys are great. So many listens do not appreciate how great these guys are at writing and performing music. Thank you both for your love of great music.
One of the most enjoyable reviews. This happens to be my favorite song!! You guys are great to watch, very articulate and just plain enjoyable to watch. Well done.
The only songs I knew of Steely Dan were the hit and the greatest hits from the CD I bought in the early 90s. I grew up around Steely Dan's Music but didn't really get into it till now. Thank you, love hearing the album music instead of just the hits.
Steely Dan has always been on a different level. They integrate different types of music, played by Fagan, Becker (RIP, Walter), with some of the best studio musicians out there. This particular song is one of my favorites of theirs, with one of my favorite guitar solos. Just true musicianship from start to finish.
Excellent reaction to a phenomenal song -- absolutely one of my favorites by them. One I think both y'all would really dig is "Your Gold Teeth" from Countdown to Ecstasy. It's so very funky.
Welcome down the rabbit hole, requested, steely dan , Jack of speed. If this doesn't move you your dead inside, love your channel and your respect for pure sounds.😁👍
We had the best music in 1970s and 80s. If you've been to a Steely Dan concert, it is filled with other musicians. They are so smooth and incredible ability to write and produce their music. ❤
You guys have a wonderful energy, and seeing you reacting to this incredible album is just icing on the cake. Ya'll keep this going, you got yourselves another subscriber !
Back in 1993, I was in a music store and heard this song being played in the background. I was very intrigued and asked for the band's name. Ended up buying The Royal Scam and Fagen's Kamakiriad, and eventually all Steely Dan records as well as Fagen's and Becker's solo albums.
Fellas- another one for you is Don Fagen’s solo effort which I consider to be #3 in the Aja-Gaucho- and then The Nightfly trilogy. He’s playing a 60’s nighttime jazz DJ and all the songs are brilliant. New Frontier captures the early 60’s feeling of freshness and modernity. And it’s kind of reggae!
Avid Dan fan always, now I’m 68, and happy to buy any new SD boxed or remastered offering and not quibble about the price. That’s what we will do to experience every nook and cranny of their musical brilliance. Hooked for life, aural narcotic.
I am SO digging your Steely Dan reactions! The Best. Band. Ever. I remember when you were listening to Black Cow, you said Fagen’s vocals weren’t doing it for you but you loved the background singers. Now, you love his voice. Yeah, he IS the sound of Steely Dan. I can’t picture any other singer singing these songs. And by the way, he has 4 KILLER solo albums that are every bit as good as the Steely Dan stuff. Keep listening and I’ll keep watching. This music will change you, just as it did me. It’s a change for the better.
the secret sauce on this, my friends, is Bernard Purdie and Chuck Rainey, two of the greatest musicians and rhythm section players ever. So tight and tasty - you could build a house on that groove.
Great beginning to the Royal Scam reactions! Personally I like this album better than Aja, which I love. This album has some of the best guitar solos ever, and Don't Take me Alive starts out with a guitar solo. Green Earrings is the sickest progression and transition song on the album, and Haitian Divorce is, well, you'll see. The Fez, The Caves of Altamira and the rest of the album is fire! Fire!! Green Earrings is my favorite, now, I think. LOL Great album, dive deep.
As I watch you guys reviewing SD, I realize they were the soundtrack to my youth. So many tracks made it into rotation on the radio that they were around for the majority of my middle and high school years.
“Aja’s got a problem” cracked me up. The thing about Steely Dan albums is that whichever one you’re listening to at the moment is unquestionably their best. Every track on every album is just that good.
WORD!!!
I've got a problem with Steely Dan! What do you listen to after them?
@@williamjackson1819 “Repeat”? 😀
@@christinerobinson9372 Bob Dylan? AFTER STEELY DAN? Thou Jesteth!
@@christinerobinson9372 Thanks for the suggestion however my comments should be taken 'tongue in cheek'. As a 15 year old I was totally smitten by Benefit, the first Jethro Tull album I'd heard. (Been a lifelong Tull fan). As an aspiring bassist I admired Glenn Cornick of JT and then started listening to Cream and Led Zep. (Loved these bands and their bass players Jack Bruce and John Paul Jones). Even started listening to the Jacques Loussier Trio and their acoustic bassist. Read a Melodymaker interview with Jack Bruce who was asked who he considered to be the best bassist of all. Surprisingly he answered Bach. Love Bach. I really appreciate the Scarlatti sonatas. (Check out sonata k87) but the biggest headbanger of all isn't a 'shredder' on lead guitar but Leo Van Doeselaar the Dutch organist. Why not check out Bach's Dorian Toccata and Fugue (Smalin).
"Is there gas in the cah? Yes there's gas in the cah." Donald Fagen is a freakin' legend y'all.
Oh yeah, the best bit right there .🚘
In real life, the song's protagonist, the infamous LSD chemist, was once busted because he ran out of gas. So after that, he was always hyper aware of the gas level in any car he had access to.
They talked right over that part, too excited I can understandable 😂
Use that line many times a month
@@bfstackledirectWas it Owlsley?
Larry Carlton’s guitar solo on this track is considered one of the greatest ever guitar solos of any song.
Subjective
Voted best by guitarists. I agree
@@jofi4580 everything is subjective.
@@bishlap Apples and Oranges.
Elliot Randall and Jimmy Page might argue a little, but yes, Carlton is a damned prodigy genius.
Song's about a dude named Owsley 'Bear' Stanley, a manufacturer of LSD in 1960's-70's San Francisco. He was also a pioneer of audio engineering, and was sound engineer and inventor of the "wall of sound" sound system for the Grateful Dead, who are legends in their own way.
Owsley also makes an appearance in Grace Slick's "Mexico" song
@@christinerobinson9372 Different Wall of Sound. Spector's was a way of recording albums with many instruments and lots of vocals and production. The Grateful Dead had an actual wall of amps in '74 that was used for their live shows.
I believe my friend, Howard Steele, was involved making the wall of sound hardware for Ronny Spectre.. probably a different "wall of sound".
Didn't he drive a psychedelic painted motor home?
The song was about the LSD production, but Owsley was as said, a genius with sound enginerring and helped many an artist or group get "their sound". To say Steely Dan was a good group wasn't really a comment worth making. They weren't actually a group, even when they finally toured Fagen picked who would or could go on the road, but the albums with more session players than most people could count were sheer perfection and are still be taught in music schools. For all us Old People who grew up with this on the radio every day and night, weren't we the lucky ones....Amen
Picking your favorite Steely Dan album is like choosing your favorite child, it's not easy.
🤣😂🤣😂🤣
But, you know which one is deep down😉
The one who earns the most when grown up 😉😄
Aja, by far. Other albums might even have your favorite songs on them, but Aja is back to back to back bangers.
@@eboethrasher I disagree, I would put both The Royal Scam and Katy Lied over Aja. Aja is too laid back for my tastes. Those two albums have a bit more bite to them.
It makes me BEYOND HAPPY to see someone appreciate the Dan!
me too
The best band the world has ever known...
@@bishlap Huh? So ... what's your complaint? Why tell me?
@@bishlap Not at all what I meant. Sorry you interpreted it that way, but no one else seems to have done so. ♡😹
hell yeah I put them up there with supertramp
This IS a masterpiece!
hahahahaha !!!!.....I LOVE their reaction to the great Kid Charlemagne......and they didnt even mention the incredible bass playing
Gentlemen.... the stars came into perfect alignment when Steely Dan recorded this track. I've heard top tier musicians say that the guitar solo by Larry Carlton is their favorite guitar solo. When you listen to this again try to pay closer attention to Bernard Purdie on drums. This track is a masterpiece in so many ways. Every track on the album " The Royal Scam " is a winner. There are NO FILLERS on this album. It's EAR CANDY from the first track until the last track. Great job, guys.
Purdie absolutely KILLS it. 👏👏👏
Yup. Or go back and listen to when the first guitar solo actually starts - he starts pinging you bars before you realize it. And listen to just the bass line. Each on its own is masterful, but the combined sum is even more than the considerable parts.
EVERY song on this album "Royal Scam" is awesomely quirky yet musically complex. Got this album in 1976 and it's just as good now as ever. That's 46 years of staying power. "Green earrings" "The royal scam" "Haitian divorce" "The Fez" "The caves of Altamira" are gems. And then they came out with Aja. Ridiculously good.
Check out our Steely Dan Playlist. We did full album reactions for Royal Scam and Aja and currently we are doing ‘Can’t Buy A Thrill’
Me too, bought it back then.
"Is there gas in the car...yes there's gas in the car" My favorite Steely Dan song!!!
Especially how the guitar sounds like a cop siren right before…he runs out of gas!
"I think the people down the hall know who you are!"
cah
Kid Charlemagne was a real life chemist who specialized in hallucinogenic drugs. When it comes to Steely Dan it's a safe bet most songs are about sex and/or drugs.
And was the Grateful Dead’s sound man……..
This boomer didn't even know Kanye sampled this, LOL! But seeing you flip out over this & Bodhisattva & Don't Take Alive really made my day. 👍
It thrills my heart to see so many young brothers discovering the Dan groove...
"Clean this mess up else we'll all end up in jail ..the test tubes and the scales..just get em all outta here".....one of my favorite lines in a song ever
One of the greatest pop songs ever. Glad you guys “got it”. Not everyone does. Also take some time with Larry Carlton’s amazing guitar solo as well.
The fact that you called this a pop song deserves that you are never allowed to make a comment again
Steely Dan were a lot of things, but pop wasn't one of them.
.. the beauty of the Dan is that they created amazing works of musical genius that, though sophisticated rock and jazz infused, still were able to be a hit on pop radio.
@@eattherich9215
Tons of radio play = pop(popular)
Nothing to be ashamed of.
I love so many Steely Dan songs, but this is my absolute favorite! It has everything they have to offer!
Larry Carlton’s solo must rank as the best ever, bar none. Every note follows the chords perfectly.
Love you guys reactions👍
And that outro is pure joy
Steely Dan is all that. Jazz, blues funk and rock all rolled into one band. Unique as hell. Kind of hits that Earth Wind and Fire vibe.
Don't forget the band Chicago too. Hard to beat a kick butt band with a killer full horn section
Good call on the EWF vibe
The Bass , drums & clavinet are killer but then Larry Carlton comes in to top it off ! Just a phenomenal track.
Love seeing you guys discovery and appreciate the genius of Steely Dan, they transcend genres!
Owsley Stanely was not the creator of LSD, but he certainly was "the best in town" and made literally millions of doses in his East Bay underground lab. He was aided by his wife Melissa Cargill who was a chemist, and "turned it on the world", while moonlighting as the Grateful Dead's first sound engineer. "Those San Francisco nights" would be "The Matrix", "Avalon Ballroom" and those other tiny acid-drenched venues the nascent San Francisco sound began in. Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead owned an "A-frame" house in Mill Valley in Marin county and probably had Owsley's number on the wall. "Those day-glo freaks who used to paint the face have joined the human race." The daisy-chain hippies in Golden Gate Park with the painted faces eventually got jobs like their parents. Owlsey did go down to LA and supplied the six Acid Tests between Feb and March of '66 in southern California. "Still an outlaw in their eyes" ... LSD became outlawed in California in October of '66. Anyway... yeah, it's a potent song in many ways and pregnant with meaning.
I'll add that the "White men in the streets" refers to the rise of cocaine and how people turned from LSD after it was outlawed. Also Stanley was captured by the police when his car ran out of gas (Is there gas in the car? Yes there’s gas in the car).
Dead fan for life. Did not know that. 😀. "Not so old " = 1st show Alpine Valley '82. ❤
I heard he was connected with the CIA
Never knew all the connections. Makes it even more meaningful. Thanks!
Yep the government don't like competition when comes to drugs, but he can claim to be the first to mass produce LSD illegally and his was the best in town. .He claimed the dead needed the money to keep the show on the road. Their sound system was big and cost a lot to move around ect...... . Love how SD put the bust in the song, "is there gas in car, is there gas in the car" He got busted in his car trying to escape and it ran out of gas. Some one forgot to fill her up I guess.
The “technicolor motorhome” was the bus the Merry Pranksters toured in, spreading their acid infused message.
Your enthusiasm for the song is fantastic & infectious.
All that and the insane rhythm section are two brothers: Bernard Purdie on drums, and Chuck Rainey on bass. It does NOT get any better than this.
You are right on about that! Rainey and Purdey took over the songs and Walter and Donald couldn’t do a thing about it😆
Two giants of the era. Better recognize.
WOW. Apparently my ear for drumming is getting good, because I had no idea Bernard was on this track, but I heard those shuffle transitions and it just 'felt' like him.
@@wallacegrommet9343 Chuck insisted on the slap bass on Peg. Did it on the down low counter to Donald’s wishes….until he heard it.
This song is epic perfection.
glamour profession is another masterpiece. the Dan is your favorite bands, favorite band,
I swear to god that the lyrics for Kid Charlemagne were the blueprint for the Breaking Bad series.
Lmao In malcolm in the middle hal has a radio persona named Kid Charlemagne. Also they mention Steely Dan in Breaking Bad during a breakfast scene.
You two crack me up; It's great to see you *getting* it first time. Donald's vocals soar, but there's so much great about this one.
"Is there gas in the car?" "Yes, there's gas in the car". Makes me laugh every time!
Im 64 year sold. Grew up on this. these guys are awesome
I have seen a first reaction from a young guitarist in tears at Larry Carltons playing. "How does he do that" I disbelief. Beautiful good on you guys
GENTLEMAN......
YOUR IN FOR THE RIDE OF YOUR LIFE MUSICALLY..
STEELY DAN DOESNT MISS...
YOU'LL HAVE 50 SONGS THAT ARE ALL YOUR FAVORITES BEFORE ALL IS SAID AND DONE.
60
@@katylied24 PROBABLY MORE IF YOU FOLLOW DONALD FAGANS SOLO CAREER.....
WHICH IS ALSO GREAT.
The level of musicianship on this track is nuts. Everyone is killing it. Carlton's solo at the end and through the outtro is as good as it gets. Leaves me wanting more. All time tune. Actually just discovered you guys and I specifically searched this song. Keep up the great work.
The praisin' to heaven moments crack me up in a good way, man. Love seeing new Steely fans bask in their glow.
This is some complex music, with amazing harmonies, a layered chord structure, and great performances, including two Larry Carlton guitar solos. But please say SOMETHING about the propulsive funk shuffle that Bernard Purdie lays down on the drums! It is stellar!
This is a masterpiece you said it. If I had to tell somebody with the best Steely Dan song is it would the kid Charlemagne
Your reactions to the first 30-45 seconds of the tune I think may have endeared me to your style. Well done fellas.
I've been watching pretty much all of your Steely reactions, which has been great for me. I was born in the late 70s, grew up with my dad listening to Aja and Gaucho, so watching your videos and getting reacquainted with The Dan has brought me a lot of nostalgia and feel like I'm hearing them for the first time all over again...Thank you fellas!
Don’t Take Me Alive is a killer cut from this album.
Yes starting a song with a guitar solo was inspired.
Steely Dan's 1980 album - Gaucho - has tunes like 'Babylon Sisters', 'Hey Nineteen' and 'Glamour Profession' which are just stunning. Thanks
for all the hard work and amazing Steely Dan tunes. You're spreading the joy and shining a light on some great music.
Seems I really do love Babylon Sisters!
Time Out of Mind is brilliant too
@@007ndc Hell yeah!
Seeing you guys get so into this song, and seeing it bring you so much joy, makes me so happy. Top tier song. Absolute masterpiece from, IMHO, the greatest band of all time. ❤
Ned from Spain here. Sweet reaction fellas. By the way that monster groove is courtesy of funky funky drummer Bernard Pretty Purdie and bass genius Chuck Rainey. The guitar solo by Larry Carlton is from beyond in sophistication, swing and stank.
This entire album is incredible. Right up there with Aja. They really don't have a bad record, despite the fact that they underwent significant changes in style over the years.
It really is a masterpiece it’s hard to believe SD isn’t concerned one of the top 3-5 bands ever. Well they are by me.
and ME !! lol
@@alanconrad8490 and me, along with a few others, but The Royal Scam is right up there. It's a daily listen.
Donald Fagen doesn't have what most people would consider a great singing voice but it is definitely unique and I think that's what makes it great in my opinion. You immediately know that it's Steely Dan or his solo work.
Donald doesn't have a great voice, but he is a GREAT singer.
His voice is incredible on this track
His voice is amazing. Iconic.
“10 out of 5”; Love that! Had to come back and re-watch this reaction; yep, I think this is my favorite reaction of yours; THANK You for bringing joy to my night!
That CLAVINET! Magical!
Love seeing young guys save their souls
I have to come back and watch this about every three weeks. Damn this is a feel good reaction
Look guys, all I'm going to say (based on an earlier comment I left on a previous Steely Dan video): I told you so! These two solos are some of the best guitar solos in rock history and, yes, the vocals killed it!
Another favorite reaction. It pops up & I click. 💜💜💜
Steely Dan was one BADASS band!! Here, at their Peak!!!!!
I was always a huge Steely Dan fan and this was my favorite song. In the 1990's I was a manager in a business and had a number of people that I had to manage. One of them was a 20 year old girl who asked me about this song because she heard it on the radio. I explained it to her and we became great friends. Steely Dan came to town the next year and we went to the concert, one of the best times of my life.
Awesome times!!
Sorry bro. She coulda been the one...
Donald Fagan has a truly unique voice. He and Walter Becker basically, with a revolving group of top-tier session musicians were Steely Dan, and they were famous for being obsessive about the quality of their production. That incredible Steely Dan production value. Love your guys responses
Don’t you luv how good music makes you feel.
In the aja document donald Fagan said he grew up around listening to black music being in the club that's why you hear alot of r and b soul in every song they do he said his mom grew him up around black neighborhood and enjoying soul music 😊
Hey Guys, this is one of my favorite Steely Dan songs and it has probably my #1 favorite rock/pop guitar ever, which is performed by one of the best studio musicians in the history of recording, Larry Carlton. I see that you got sucked into the killer groove early on. The interaction between the bass and drums is insane. If you haven’t already, you should check out Rick Beato’s UA-cam channel (3 million+ subscribers). He’s a guitarist, producer and music educator and there’s a lot of great content on his channel, but specifically, in his series of videos called “What Makes This Song Great”, he’s got a video on this song in which he breaks down the structure, writing and the guitar solo in detail.
God dammm this song is good, I was boppin along with you guys. Love your videos, look forward to binging your content, love your personalities and that y'all are so passionate about great music!
Kid Charlemagne is about owesly, the greatful dead chemist , he was around in the 60s, he made purple haze, they called him bear. So Steely Dan ate Owsley acid, there are basically saying thank you for the trip, guess a tribute to him.
EAR~GASM !!! Hahaha ~ it's the Perfect word for every Dan song! Thank you for that!
This was my jam back in the day! I was 17, I can feel this, taste this, smell this!
When the Dan are cookin there is none better.
The legendary rhythm-section of Bernard Purdie & Chuck Rainey. Goddamn....those Cats could Swing!
"Is there gas in the car? Yes, there's gas in the car!" My favorite line of the song.
I'm 53 and smiled so much watching this... I love to see you loving this...!
There's SO much 70's music you're gonna love....!
The music and storytelling is so freaking unique.
It is so amazing to see people watching the progression of the Dan and realize that they are witnessing musical perfection. They are like modern day Mozart or Beethoven, blending sounds perfectly to produce musical perfection
From Wikipedia: Augustus Owsley Stanley III (January 19, 1935 - March 12, 2011) was an American-Australian audio engineer and clandestine chemist. He was a key figure in the San Francisco Bay Area hippie movement during the 1960s and played a pivotal role in the decade's counterculture. Under the professional name Bear, he was the sound engineer for the rock band the Grateful Dead, recording many of the band's live performances. Stanley also developed the Grateful Dead's Wall of Sound, one of the largest mobile sound reinforcement systems ever constructed. Stanley also helped Robert Thomas design the band's trademark skull logo.[1]
Called the Acid King by the media,[2] Stanley was the first known private individual to manufacture mass quantities of LSD.[3][4][5] By his own account, between 1965 and 1967, Stanley produced at least 500 grams of LSD, amounting to a little more than five million doses.[6]
(skipped some here)" Stanley returned to Los Angeles to pursue the production of LSD. He used his Berkeley lab to buy 500 grams of lysergic acid monohydrate, the basis for LSD. His first shipment arrived on March 30, 1965 and he produced 300,000 hits (270 micrograms each) of LSD by May 1965; then he returned to the Bay Area.
In September 1965, Stanley became the primary LSD supplier to Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters. By this time, Sandoz LSD sold under the trade-name Delysid was hard to come by, as Sandoz halted LSD production in August 1965 after growing governmental protests at its proliferation among the general populace, which meant that "Owsley Acid" had become the new standard.[13][14] He was featured (most prominently his freak-out at the Muir Beach Acid Test in November 1965) in The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test (1968), Tom Wolfe's book detailing the history of Kesey and the Merry Pranksters. Stanley attended the Watts Acid Test on February 12, 1966 with his new apprentice Tim Scully, and provided the LSD.
Stanley also provided LSD to the Beatles during filming of Magical Mystery Tour (1967),[15] and former Three Dog Night singer Chuck Negron has noted that Owsley and Leary gave Negron's band free LSD.[16" Also when they say to "the white man on the street" they are referring to the increasing cocaine sales and use.
The merry pranksters traveled around in the technicolor motor home. I think it still exists
Royal Scam might not get the hype of other dan albums but 2 minutes into it you're hooked!
You guys are great. So many listens do not appreciate how great these guys are at writing and performing music. Thank you both for your love of great music.
One of the most enjoyable reviews. This happens to be my favorite song!! You guys are great to watch, very articulate and just plain enjoyable to watch. Well done.
Loved how u guys reacted to this tune........ The best ever..
Michael McDonald's vocal towards the end is killer. Like an exclamation mark.
They used him a lot....as in ....'Broadway Duchess".....his line in I Got the News....Aja
The only songs I knew of Steely Dan were the hit and the greatest hits from the CD I bought in the early 90s. I grew up around Steely Dan's Music but didn't really get into it till now. Thank you, love hearing the album music instead of just the hits.
I get genuine joy in watching ya'll fall in love with my favorite band.
You dudes have GOT to hear Haitian Divorce. The production on that (and the talk-box guitar) is insane. Beautiful, haunting song all the way around.
Agreed!!
I loved your reaction to this one! I never had such a good time listening to this track!
"Is there gas in the car, yes there is gas in the car" is the famous line at the concerts. The fans go crazy
I love watching folks get turned on the GENIUS of Steely Dan! Welcome to world fellas!!
Steely Dan has always been on a different level. They integrate different types of music, played by Fagan, Becker (RIP, Walter), with some of the best studio musicians out there. This particular song is one of my favorites of theirs, with one of my favorite guitar solos. Just true musicianship from start to finish.
Excellent reaction to a phenomenal song -- absolutely one of my favorites by them. One I think both y'all would really dig is "Your Gold Teeth" from Countdown to Ecstasy. It's so very funky.
Love your gold teeth.. you don't have to dance for me I've seen you dance before.
Welcome down the rabbit hole, requested, steely dan , Jack of speed. If this doesn't move you your dead inside, love your channel and your respect for pure sounds.😁👍
after 15 yrs of engineering you still get excited about music...you guys are supercool
The great Larry Carlton on guitar. Third World Man is another great song with Larry. Donald is a great singer for sure. Love iy
You guys talked over the best lyric “ is there gas in the car” the escape, the way out with the test tube and the scale, superb! Thanks guys.
We had the best music in 1970s and 80s. If you've been to a Steely Dan concert, it is filled with other musicians. They are so smooth and incredible ability to write and produce their music. ❤
You guys have a wonderful energy, and seeing you reacting to this incredible album is just icing on the cake. Ya'll keep this going, you got yourselves another subscriber !
Back in 1993, I was in a music store and heard this song being played in the background. I was very intrigued and asked for the band's name. Ended up buying The Royal Scam and Fagen's Kamakiriad, and eventually all Steely Dan records as well as Fagen's and Becker's solo albums.
Yeah, love this and love you guys. Your reactions were/are priceless. Thanks for sharing the joy!❤
I love you guys - been a Steely fan from day one and I love to watch you guys groovin on the gift that keeps on givin
Fellas- another one for you is Don Fagen’s solo effort which I consider to be #3 in the Aja-Gaucho- and then The Nightfly trilogy. He’s playing a 60’s nighttime jazz DJ and all the songs are brilliant. New Frontier captures the early 60’s feeling of freshness and modernity. And it’s kind of reggae!
omgg I think I’m going to cry the best song ever
Avid Dan fan always, now I’m 68, and happy to buy any new SD boxed or remastered offering and not quibble about the price. That’s what we will do to experience every nook and cranny of their musical brilliance. Hooked for life, aural narcotic.
Is there gas in the car? Yes there's gas in the car! I am lovin that you are loving. Classic rock at its best. You guys know it!
I am SO digging your Steely Dan reactions! The Best. Band. Ever. I remember when you were listening to Black Cow, you said Fagen’s vocals weren’t doing it for you but you loved the background singers. Now, you love his voice. Yeah, he IS the sound of Steely Dan. I can’t picture any other singer singing these songs. And by the way, he has 4 KILLER solo albums that are every bit as good as the Steely Dan stuff. Keep listening and I’ll keep watching. This music will change you, just as it did me. It’s a change for the better.
the secret sauce on this, my friends, is Bernard Purdie and Chuck Rainey, two of the greatest musicians and rhythm section players ever. So tight and tasty - you could build a house on that groove.
Great beginning to the Royal Scam reactions! Personally I like this album better than Aja, which I love. This album has some of the best guitar solos ever, and Don't Take me Alive starts out with a guitar solo. Green Earrings is the sickest progression and transition song on the album, and Haitian Divorce is, well, you'll see. The Fez, The Caves of Altamira and the rest of the album is fire! Fire!! Green Earrings is my favorite, now, I think. LOL Great album, dive deep.
Freaking MASTERPIECE 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
You got the intricate parts guys, every bit of it. Bravo!
As I watch you guys reviewing SD, I realize they were the soundtrack to my youth. So many tracks made it into rotation on the radio that they were around for the majority of my middle and high school years.