after almost 50 years of Dan ive figured out the BEST part of Steely Dan. is Steely Dan. if i am a lucky man, ill be listening to the Dan when i shuffle off this mortal coil...
McDonald's all over the SD catalog doing backup vox. The Peg background is McDonald singing a 5-part harmony with notes so close together that it had to be absolutely perfect. No auto-tune in 1977. Becker & Fagen ran him through the ringer for many hours to the point of exhaustion until it was just right, with every hair in place.
Aja, 1977 Album of the Year. Very difficult task with all the Talent back when the Music Industry was it it's peak. Almost every song on this Album was Played on every Radio Station, for Years and years. We all know the words well from so much exposure. Exposure is what this Tune is all About. Poor Peg got herself a photo shoot in a Girly Magazine and regretted it.
I remember well when this album came out. The DJ's on the radio all loved it! It was the talk of the town for a month. Those guys were falling all over themselves for a chance to play something from it. Right up there with Dark Side of the Moon as one of the greatest albums ever recorded.
I dig the way you listen to the whole piece of music without pausing and hacking the flow to bits. The Steely Dan song that hooked me is "Reelin' in the Years". The first time I heard it, I knew I had to learn to play guitar! 😊 Rock on, keep on being your genuine self 👍
And he has the scars to prove it, ha! Theres an interview where he mentioned the number of takes they would do on one line. Turned out amazing though, worth the sore throat for sure
@@spooley That's from 'The Making of Aja' documentary, easily found here on YT. Michael said that Donald and Walter made him sing a four part harmony for the backing vocal, and he did all the parts. They didn't have Pro Tools back then, so he had to nail the pitch in a different key every time 'till he had all the tracks perfect. He said that it was the most difficult thing he had to do in his entire career.
@@HareDeLuneYeah, I tried to share the link but apparently YT is against sharing the love among their creators. I like the other clip of the bass player who was slapping the strings secretly after being told they didn't want him doing so, a little subterfuge turned out well. There's a great "Behind the" video on the Band's Brown album on YT too, Levon Helm in the studio listening to playback with the power and knowledge still within him.
Couple of things about this track my friend 1) The Graydon solo is considered a classic among guitarists. Legend holds that up to 7 or 8 crack studio cats took a shot at it but struggled to play over the tricky changes. Jay came in and Fagen said “think blues” and he laid it down without a problem (killer double stops!) 2) Marotta’s drums are also considered to be worthy of serious study (there are plenty of You tube stuff dedicated to just this drum track) precision groove and a high that that is perfectly recorded 3) Chuck’s bass line is also considered a masterpiece (check Rick Beato’s interview of Rainey) 4) The lyrics have been speculated over by Dan fans for decades! Is Peg a porn star? What exactly are these sardonic literature majors laughing behind our backs over? Remember, the whole album is comprised of 35 of the best studio musicians at the time, in the world. There really isn’t a band, just brilliant songwriters, engineers and players. In fact, this is something that will (or cannot) ever happen again. No one could afford it! No click, all analog…cheers
The closest I can think of - and they played a different style - is Alan Parsons Project. They too were pretty much two guys: Parsons and Eric Woofson - and the rest were studio musicians.
The changes are actually fairly simple - Major I-IVs over a 12 Bar Blues. I think it was the approach and "feel" that was eluding those other players.. If you watch the Making of Aja, they play some of the other solos and most of them take this weird funky fusion approach that is like the opposite of what Don & Walt wanted lol
Lee, doing a fine job. Michael Mcdonald was recommended to Becker and Fagen in 1973 by the just hired drummer, Jeff Porcaro, of the future band, Toto, which was formed with his brothers and some other classmates from high school. I'm a lucky guy, I went to High School with Jeff P. and his brothers. We knew that Jeff was hugly talented, apparently so did Becker and Fagen and they hired him at 19 years old. Fifty years ago, I met and hung out with my favorite band, SD, including Michael Mcdonald, for 2 nights at a venue in Glendale, CA, prior to their 1974 tour. What a weekend, we were drinking on the Dan and I was 18! Great memories, lots of great stories to tell. Night by Night from Pretzel Logic, Jeff's first drumming track with SD, it kills, give it a listen.
"NO!" is a constant with The Dan fans, doesn't mean No, don't play it, it means NO Don't end it! Oh, btw, if you think time flies now in your life, believe me, it goes faster as you get older! Keep on!
Yeah, man, at the end of every song I say no! I wish it would just keep going forever. But it's so good because they leave you wanting more as all great artists do.
The album "Aja" which the track "Peg" is off of is considered a technical masterpiece by many that know a lot more about music than I do. The musicians, the vocals, the mixing, the engineering and the production on this album is top notch.
I mentioned this on another song. Jay Graydon was the 8th lead guitarist they tried for the lead on this song. None of the previous 7 got the sound they wanted.
Really like your reactions, man. 60 yo dude from Kansas, US here. I always forget how good this sounds. Man that bass guitar, well basically everything but still man that's crazy. I had bought some of their earlier albums and really like them as a band, even though I was into normally harder kind of rock, but when this came out I was in high school and already starting to lean more towards punk and post-punk and some thrash and stuff like that. But then this album came out and the song Josie was getting played on the radio a lot and I absolutely loved it. So I bought the album just for that and normally only listened to that one song but occasionally to the album and of course I heard the album at other people's places as well. But now that I'm older, I've heard every song on this album many times and I really love it. I even saw somebody react fairly recently to a much more recent Steely Dan that I had never heard of, although it might have been from 2001 or something like that. And I think it was generally overlooked but I don't know why this person reacted to it, probably by request, and I found myself watching the reaction three times just to listen to the song three times and I was surprised at how much I really liked it.
Jay Graydon was a session musician in Los Angeles, working with such artists as Gino Vannelli, Barbra Streisand, Dolly Parton, Diana Ross, The Jackson Five, Alice Cooper, Cheap Trick, Al Jarreau, Christopher Cross, Ray Charles, Cher, Joe Cocker, Marvin Gaye, Hall & Oates, Wayne Shorter, Olivia Newton-John, Albert King.
Hey Lee! Happy Sunday! Aja is a masterpiece. Not a dull moment on the album. Peg is a killer song! Looking forward to back to back America's. Everyone is hyped up for it!!👍😎
SD Albums are a story from beginning to end. Michael McDonald joined SD and he was over over-the top happy to join SD as it was his favorite band, Donald helped Michael get into the Doobies.
You'll notice Rick Marotta's drums are simplified. He does only transitional fills and ONLY with snare (and high hats) when he does. He hits straight through without fills, NO TOMS, and only changes high hat lifts. He says he did that because frankly he couldn't stand the dead sound of the toms in the studio so he deliberately avoided using them at all. Genius.
I subscribe to a lot of those reaction channels, and this song is the #1 gateway drug into Steely Dan appreciation. Everybody loves it and it always leads to more and more. You'll hear Michael McDonald on a lot of Steely Dan songs from '74 on or so.
If you haven't done so yet, check out the Two Against Nature Concert. It showcases how tight Steely Dan was. Some great session musicians and backup vocalists.
Wanted to just listen to your reaction while I was on another screen but you are so authentic to watch, lol I can't miss your facial reactions!! Besides as an SD devotee if you cut me I bleed SD, ha ha.
Hey Lee, wanted to share something with you! Let this channel be something to dive into, to really fill your mind with positive thoughts that will get you through! Something about you bro really resonated with my struggles and let me tell you, it gets BETTER! We are here for you! Thanks
I second checking out (at least the "Peg" segment) of the "making of Aja" doc: Becker/Fagen at a console, pulling up some of the rejected solos alone is worth it.
Some excellent behind the scenes talk on UA-cam if you search "Behind the record Steely Dan". Becker and Fagen were such driven perfectionists its no wonder they made such great music.
One of the few groups that never put out one bad song or album. You could pick literally any random song and it would be an absolute banger in some way or another.
Fagen and Becker always had numerous players lay down tracks then they would pick whichever track they liked for the recording. Jay Graydon, the guitarist, came in to do the track. Apparently all the other guitarists were trying to play jazz things. Graydon listened to the tape and told Fagen, "It's just a simple blues 1-4-5 progression", and layed down what we hear. You can hear him talking about it here: ua-cam.com/video/Ghp88V3Qm8w/v-deo.html Love that solo!!!! Thanks, Lee. Stay groovy, my friend
Just found your channel yesterday and subscribed today. Steely Dan is my favorite band and Peg is my all-time favorite song. Always love watching reactions to it and yours is truly one of the best. If you want to listen to a Dan song that features many star-studded performers, I suggest "Time Out of Mind." If you're ever in the mood for some 90's grunge, I would suggest the album "Dragline by Paw." It's the greatest hidden gem I ever found. Sorry about all the pain your going through with family and friends. Hang in there kid, they'll be good times too. That's life.
I appreciate you Joe! Glad to have you aboard!! Thank you for the kind words. I love The Dan. I heard Aja once and the rest was history and they ended up with their own day for a video every week the next week LOL I immediately picked up on how special these dudes were. Donald and Walter are just geniuses of the highest order. I'm glad you enjoyed it! I've got a lot of SD videos.
Peg is one of their more heavily played radio friendly songs. For Steeley Dan, "run of the mill" is still a cut above the rest. Once you finish Aja, there is a Behind the Music doc. that is about the recording of Aja you should watch. Has interviews and shows the guys at the console breaking down the track layers. Fascinating stuff on how they put it all together.
There is a great documentary on the making album Aja. It shows you how Becker and Fagen would hire whole sets of studio musicians multiple times, mixing and matching, until they got the sound they wanted. They went through 4 or 5 guitarists until Jay Graydon hit that solo. Rick Marrota said that he had a high hat technique that was audible when it played back, he said in all the songs he ever recorded this song was the only one ever to do it. That’s how incredible the engineering, and how particular B & F were.
One I keep suggesting. It's not on a Steely Dan album (except "best of's" ) and kind of Donald Fagen by himself. "True companion". It's on the "heavy metal" movie sound track. Mostly an instrumental with a few lyrics at the end, but really good. Very few people have done reactions to it
Great review, Lee! You are spot on! I have watched many reaction channels, and yours by far is one of the best on UA-cam. What I like about your reviews is he let the music do the talking first and then you do your review at the end, we’re many other reaction channels stop and talk through the song and missed the whole vibe and review of the music. Don’t know if you have seen the reaction channel of Andy and Alex, but I would say You two are the best of the best reaction channels! Rooting for you brother!
The story behind Peg is fascinating. It' about an aspiring actress taking racy photo shots and told from the perspective from her ex-boyfriend who she dumped because he couldn't advancer her career.
In the making of Aja documentary, Rainey talks about when they were recording Peg he wanted to do some bass slapping. Fagen and Becker really didn't want him to do it, as it had become very popular at the time. Rainey however, being in tune with what was happening at the time, wanted to try some, so he snuck it in there, especially in the chorus. In the studio, he was sitting behind a partition, and he turned his body away so that they wouldn't see him doing slapping. Rainey said "They never knew it," though that if you listen carefully you can hear when he's doing it. 😁
if you wanna go down a HUGE rabbit hole, reseach McDonald, from start til now, is totally mindblowing, not just bands he was in but who all he sang with or for...
one of their best. Aja Jazz. Michael McDonald signing background (his voice always stands out). Secertly dirty lyrics . There was such variety Maybe hit "Daddy don't live in that New York City No more" from the Katy lied album
Hey, I am so sure you would like some of the production that Dave Stewart put into the Eurythmics music. The album "Touch" was very different from the other albums. I was so excited to hear it. Check out the song Regrets from that. I recently learned there are 3 brass instruments played by Dick Cuthell. Fugelhorn, trumpet, and cornet. I thought it was just trumpet.🤷♀️ cuz I'm unedumuhcated😅
Aja was my first steely dan song ever! Gadd ate his Wheaties the morning of that session for sure. He was getting down! Still one of my favorite SD songs :)
bUT NOT FKNG "yacht rock". They were hip NY boys who were perfectionists and their cryptic lyrics alone were way above the IQ of some entitled group on a yacht. Geezus. Hate that lazy millenial label. NOT on SD.
I know that you like Prog bands Lee so you should check out an obscure one that I know you will love called Ethos-Ardour please take a listen and be the first one on your block to turn the fans on to them you won't be disappointed!
Hey brother, you finally got around to "Peg". It's a great album which has what I think is the signature Purdie shuffle by Bernard Purdie, famed R&B soul drummer! I'm not a drummer so I'm not sure exactly which song it is, but Peg is a great groove and song. Everything off this album is great
You mentioned the rhythm section. You mentioned Marotta's high hat thing. You mentioned Mike McDonald's backing vocals. You mentioned the guitar solo, plus the SD ruthless dismissal of those who didn't cut it. As a previous commenter has said, there's a "making of (Peg)" video available on YT which you really should watch. All your points are covered. I really like your reaction stuff. As you say, and I agree, most others are MFing awful.
Oh no shit really?? Yeah I gotta check that out. Sounds facisnating lol these guys are quite interesting. I appreciate that man I really Do. I try very hard not to be terrible but the medium demands it, It feels like. But I will continue to buck the trend. #LessTerribleReactionVideos All jokes aside, thank you I appreciate the kind words bro 🙏
@@L33Reacts Hey brother Lee, that video is cut from a longer doco called 'The Making of Aja', as I and other commenters have mentioned here. Definitely worth your time. Very informative and entertaining. I grabbed it on DVD many years ago.
after almost 50 years of Dan
ive figured out
the BEST part of Steely Dan.
is Steely Dan.
if i am a lucky man, ill be listening to the Dan when i shuffle off this mortal coil...
Another Super fav of mine this is such an awesome Epic tune❤
Don’t forget to listen to their “FM” track.
I can listen to the final lyric lines on Loop for hours as it is such a great Jam❤
McDonald's all over the SD catalog doing backup vox. The Peg background is McDonald singing a 5-part harmony with notes so close together that it had to be absolutely perfect. No auto-tune in 1977. Becker & Fagen ran him through the ringer for many hours to the point of exhaustion until it was just right, with every hair in place.
The 'Making of Peg' video is fascinating! Highly recommended!!
Aja, 1977 Album of the Year. Very difficult task with all the Talent back when the Music Industry was it it's peak.
Almost every song on this Album was Played on every Radio Station, for Years and years. We all know the words well from so much exposure.
Exposure is what this Tune is all About. Poor Peg got herself a photo shoot in a Girly Magazine and regretted it.
I remember well when this album came out. The DJ's on the radio all loved it! It was the talk of the town for a month. Those guys were falling all over themselves for a chance to play something from it.
Right up there with Dark Side of the Moon as one of the greatest albums ever recorded.
One of the top Steely Dan hits. You can't go wrong with this one.
As a Lifelong Heavy Metal fan, Aja is My guilty pleasure. Killer Lp, arrangements are amazing. All in all, another "Wake n Bake" Masterpiece.
💯🔥
I dig the way you listen to the whole piece of music without pausing and hacking the flow to bits. The Steely Dan song that hooked me is "Reelin' in the Years". The first time I heard it, I knew I had to learn to play guitar! 😊 Rock on, keep on being your genuine self 👍
I appreciate you bro! Thank you! Steely Dan is the best. I'll add that track to the list! Thanks for the tip.
Steely Dan and The Doobie Brothers , the soundtrack to my life during a very great part of my life.
“Skunk” Baxter played with Both !
LOOOOOVE STEELY SUNDAAAAAY!!!
McDonald was a Steely Dan Background singer for years
He was everyone's Background Singer through out the 80's and 90's.
I always recognized the voice but had no idea that was actually him.
He is friends with Fagan. They were recently in a band together, Dukes of September
Plus he got two whole lines of lead on "I Got the News".
ua-cam.com/video/waIBA6_0GQc/v-deo.html
Michael McDonald provided backing vocals on several Steely Dan albums.
And he has the scars to prove it, ha! Theres an interview where he mentioned the number of takes they would do on one line. Turned out amazing though, worth the sore throat for sure
@@spooley
That's from 'The Making of Aja' documentary, easily found here on YT.
Michael said that Donald and Walter made him sing a four part harmony for the backing vocal, and he did all the parts.
They didn't have Pro Tools back then, so he had to nail the pitch in a different key every time 'till he had all the tracks perfect.
He said that it was the most difficult thing he had to do in his entire career.
@@HareDeLuneYeah, I tried to share the link but apparently YT is against sharing the love among their creators. I like the other clip of the bass player who was slapping the strings secretly after being told they didn't want him doing so, a little subterfuge turned out well.
There's a great "Behind the" video on the Band's Brown album on YT too, Levon Helm in the studio listening to playback with the power and knowledge still within him.
Here's the Back Story for the Song, including Michael's Multi-Track Harmonies!!!> ua-cam.com/video/waIBA6_0GQc/v-deo.html
Couple of things about this track my friend 1) The Graydon solo is considered a classic among guitarists. Legend holds that up to 7 or 8 crack studio cats took a shot at it but struggled to play over the tricky changes. Jay came in and Fagen said “think blues” and he laid it down without a problem (killer double stops!) 2) Marotta’s drums are also considered to be worthy of serious study (there are plenty of You tube stuff dedicated to just this drum track) precision groove and a high that that is perfectly recorded 3) Chuck’s bass line is also considered a masterpiece (check Rick Beato’s interview of Rainey) 4) The lyrics have been speculated over by Dan fans for decades! Is Peg a porn star? What exactly are these sardonic literature majors laughing behind our backs over? Remember, the whole album is comprised of 35 of the best studio musicians at the time, in the world. There really isn’t a band, just brilliant songwriters, engineers and players. In fact, this is something that will (or cannot) ever happen again. No one could afford it! No click, all analog…cheers
The closest I can think of - and they played a different style - is Alan Parsons Project. They too were pretty much two guys: Parsons and Eric Woofson - and the rest were studio musicians.
The changes are actually fairly simple - Major I-IVs over a 12 Bar Blues. I think it was the approach and "feel" that was eluding those other players.. If you watch the Making of Aja, they play some of the other solos and most of them take this weird funky fusion approach that is like the opposite of what Don & Walt wanted lol
Lee, doing a fine job.
Michael Mcdonald was recommended to Becker and Fagen in 1973 by the just hired drummer, Jeff Porcaro, of the future band, Toto, which was formed with his brothers and some other classmates from high school.
I'm a lucky guy, I went to High School with Jeff P. and his brothers. We knew that Jeff was hugly talented, apparently so did Becker and Fagen and they hired him at 19 years old.
Fifty years ago, I met and hung out with my favorite band, SD, including Michael Mcdonald, for 2 nights at a venue in Glendale, CA, prior to their 1974 tour. What a weekend, we were drinking on the Dan and I was 18! Great memories, lots of great stories to tell.
Night by Night from Pretzel Logic, Jeff's first drumming track with SD, it kills, give it a listen.
I always say congratulations to anyone that finds SD. Donald Fagen (and Walter) is a genius. Great music...
You bet
"NO!" is a constant with The Dan fans, doesn't mean No, don't play it, it means NO Don't end it! Oh, btw, if you think time flies now in your life, believe me, it goes faster as you get older! Keep on!
Yeah, man, at the end of every song I say no! I wish it would just keep going forever. But it's so good because they leave you wanting more as all great artists do.
The album "Aja" which the track "Peg" is off of is considered a technical masterpiece by many that know a lot more about music than I do. The musicians, the vocals, the mixing, the engineering and the production on this album is top notch.
This album won awards that no non-classical recording ever won!
I mentioned this on another song. Jay Graydon was the 8th lead guitarist they tried for the lead on this song. None of the previous 7 got the sound they wanted.
Really like your reactions, man. 60 yo dude from Kansas, US here. I always forget how good this sounds. Man that bass guitar, well basically everything but still man that's crazy.
I had bought some of their earlier albums and really like them as a band, even though I was into normally harder kind of rock, but when this came out I was in high school and already starting to lean more towards punk and post-punk and some thrash and stuff like that.
But then this album came out and the song Josie was getting played on the radio a lot and I absolutely loved it. So I bought the album just for that and normally only listened to that one song but occasionally to the album and of course I heard the album at other people's places as well.
But now that I'm older, I've heard every song on this album many times and I really love it. I even saw somebody react fairly recently to a much more recent Steely Dan that I had never heard of, although it might have been from 2001 or something like that. And I think it was generally overlooked but I don't know why this person reacted to it, probably by request, and I found myself watching the reaction three times just to listen to the song three times and I was surprised at how much I really liked it.
Great tune, great band! They really knew how to fuse rock & jazz together! Next, check out Bodhisattva, released in 73! Guitar work is fantastic! ✌️
Donald Fagen, man...YIKES. Amazing composer.. Latin, Blues, Jazz......Just awesome.
Jay Graydon was a session musician in Los Angeles, working with such artists as Gino Vannelli, Barbra Streisand, Dolly Parton, Diana Ross, The Jackson Five, Alice Cooper, Cheap Trick, Al Jarreau, Christopher Cross, Ray Charles, Cher, Joe Cocker, Marvin Gaye, Hall & Oates, Wayne Shorter, Olivia Newton-John, Albert King.
Hey Lee! Happy Sunday! Aja is a masterpiece. Not a dull moment on the album. Peg is a killer song! Looking forward to back to back America's. Everyone is hyped up for it!!👍😎
I'm fascinated by the bass.
Love the drums and bass on this cut.
Put two great songwriters in the studio with great musicians and producer and you have Steely Dan
Yes Saturday and Steely Sunday .Preaching to the converted but love to see your reactions to my favourites.
Haha the weekends are really the best times around here. All the great Jams 👍 👌
My favorite Steely Dan track! It's just so cool.
SD Albums are a story from beginning to end. Michael McDonald joined SD and he was over over-the top happy to join SD as it was his favorite band, Donald helped Michael get into the Doobies.
For sure one of my favorite guitar solos in this one!
M.McDonald singing backup with himself...
You'll notice Rick Marotta's drums are simplified. He does only transitional fills and ONLY with snare (and high hats) when he does. He hits straight through without fills, NO TOMS, and only changes high hat lifts. He says he did that because frankly he couldn't stand the dead sound of the toms in the studio so he deliberately avoided using them at all. Genius.
a bad painter blames the brushes
and geniuses knows which one should be used when.
Rick was the second.
Awesome reaction, I agree, this is sort of the prototypical Steely Dan song, and because of who they are, that makes it pretty great. Rock on Lee!
I subscribe to a lot of those reaction channels, and this song is the #1 gateway drug into Steely Dan appreciation. Everybody loves it and it always leads to more and more. You'll hear Michael McDonald on a lot of Steely Dan songs from '74 on or so.
If you haven't done so yet, check out the Two Against Nature Concert. It showcases how tight Steely Dan was. Some great session musicians and backup vocalists.
Prayers for your girl's father! Music is good for the soul.
Wanted to just listen to your reaction while I was on another screen but you are so authentic to watch, lol I can't miss your facial reactions!! Besides as an SD devotee if you cut me I bleed SD, ha ha.
The breakdown after the first chorus, I stop what I’m doing and pay attention to the sonic beauty.
Hey Lee, wanted to share something with you! Let this channel be something to dive into, to really fill your mind with positive thoughts that will get you through! Something about you bro really resonated with my struggles and let me tell you, it gets BETTER! We are here for you! Thanks
Watch Classic Albums,the making of Aja where Chuck Rainey and the other musicians explain their part playing on this song.🎶🔥
I second checking out (at least the "Peg" segment) of the "making of Aja" doc: Becker/Fagen at a console, pulling up some of the rejected solos alone is worth it.
Just a great feel-good tune. Always loved this.
You should check out Dr Wu and King of the World next
"I Got the News" is a must.
Some excellent behind the scenes talk on UA-cam if you search "Behind the record Steely Dan". Becker and Fagen were such driven perfectionists its no wonder they made such great music.
A big hit song that holds the groove all through this tune!Michael McDonald also food backing vocals on the albums Katy Lied and The Royal Scan!
You get the top-level studio guys that know what they are doing and it's just magic.
With Steve Gadd they had one of the greatest drummers ever - period.
Hey Dude, I commented about the song, but I want to give you Props for the Frank Frazetta Art Behind you!!!
Purdy shuffling thru the room.
One of the few groups that never put out one bad song or album. You could pick literally any random song and it would be an absolute banger in some way or another.
Fagen and Becker always had numerous players lay down tracks then they would pick whichever track they liked for the recording. Jay Graydon, the guitarist, came in to do the track. Apparently all the other guitarists were trying to play jazz things. Graydon listened to the tape and told Fagen, "It's just a simple blues 1-4-5 progression", and layed down what we hear. You can hear him talking about it here: ua-cam.com/video/Ghp88V3Qm8w/v-deo.html Love that solo!!!! Thanks, Lee. Stay groovy, my friend
Just found your channel yesterday and subscribed today. Steely Dan is my favorite band and Peg is my all-time favorite song. Always love watching reactions to it and yours is truly one of the best.
If you want to listen to a Dan song that features many star-studded performers, I suggest "Time Out of Mind." If you're ever in the mood for some 90's grunge, I would suggest the album "Dragline by Paw." It's the greatest hidden gem I ever found.
Sorry about all the pain your going through with family and friends. Hang in there kid, they'll be good times too. That's life.
I appreciate you Joe! Glad to have you aboard!! Thank you for the kind words. I love The Dan. I heard Aja once and the rest was history and they ended up with their own day for a video every week the next week LOL
I immediately picked up on how special these dudes were. Donald and Walter are just geniuses of the highest order. I'm glad you enjoyed it! I've got a lot of SD videos.
And yeah I've got a feeling its gonna get better very shortly. It's always the worst right before it gets better 😪
You can hear Michael McDonald singing backup on this. I've Got the News especially.
Peg is one of their more heavily played radio friendly songs. For Steeley Dan, "run of the mill" is still a cut above the rest.
Once you finish Aja, there is a Behind the Music doc. that is about the recording of Aja you should watch. Has interviews and shows the guys at the console breaking down the track layers. Fascinating stuff on how they put it all together.
There is a great documentary on the making album Aja.
It shows you how Becker and Fagen would hire whole sets of studio musicians multiple times, mixing and matching, until they got the sound they wanted. They went through 4 or 5 guitarists until Jay Graydon hit that solo. Rick Marrota said that he had a high hat technique that was audible when it played back, he said in all the songs he ever recorded this song was the only one ever to do it. That’s how incredible the engineering, and how particular B & F were.
One I keep suggesting. It's not on a Steely Dan album (except "best of's" ) and kind of Donald Fagen by himself. "True companion". It's on the "heavy metal" movie sound track. Mostly an instrumental with a few lyrics at the end, but really good. Very few people have done reactions to it
You're gonna love Home at Last, one of my favorites. Bernard Purdie and Chuck Rainey shine.
Michael McDonald from the Doobie Brothers! Keep it cool Lee, good job!
Rick Beato does an interview with Jay Graydon, and they break down this solo. It's excellent and not very long I recommend it
You should watch the documentary about the making of AJA....ITS WAYCOOL...
Great review, Lee! You are spot on! I have watched many reaction channels, and yours by far is one of the best on UA-cam. What I like about your reviews is he let the music do the talking first and then you do your review at the end, we’re many other reaction channels stop and talk through the song and missed the whole vibe and review of the music. Don’t know if you have seen the reaction channel of Andy and Alex, but I would say You two are the best of the best reaction channels! Rooting for you brother!
It's funny that you have new headphones around the time of listening to this song, because I always test new headphones out with this song 😄
The story behind Peg is fascinating. It' about an aspiring actress taking racy photo shots and told from the perspective from her ex-boyfriend who she dumped because he couldn't advancer her career.
Nice intro! Keep it up with the Dan
Please check out more songs on their 1st album..when you get a chance
Check out the Dukes of September - the best of the best - Donald Fagen, Michael McDonald and Boz Scaggs!
Love seeing Paul’s book on your shelf!
You can thank a very generous Patron for that. I just opened it for a video last night. Can't wait to read it :)
In the making of Aja documentary, Rainey talks about when they were recording Peg he wanted to do some bass slapping. Fagen and Becker really didn't want him to do it, as it had become very popular at the time. Rainey however, being in tune with what was happening at the time, wanted to try some, so he snuck it in there, especially in the chorus. In the studio, he was sitting behind a partition, and he turned his body away so that they wouldn't see him doing slapping. Rainey said "They never knew it," though that if you listen carefully you can hear when he's doing it. 😁
And on the "making of" documentary with DF and WB playing and listening to isolated tracks they quickly pick it out.
🙂♥️🎶 Steely Sunday!
De La Soul sampled this. On their song "Eye Know"
Aja
Please consider "King of the World" My favorite Steely song. 😄
if you wanna go down a HUGE rabbit hole, reseach McDonald, from start til now, is totally mindblowing, not just bands he was in but who all he sang with or for...
one of their best. Aja Jazz. Michael McDonald signing background (his voice always stands out). Secertly dirty lyrics . There was such variety Maybe hit "Daddy don't live in that New York City No more" from the Katy lied album
His backup vocals were so awesome here. A lot to love here. This was a great track 😁
Tight, good on lsd
Although I love a lot of Steely Dan's songs this one is my favorite!
Aja the tune .....Steve Gadd's drumming near the end should please you
Buttersmooth.
I Keep Forgetting by Mike MacDonald
Y’all remember Tom Scott and the LA Express?
Hey, I am so sure you would like some of the production that Dave Stewart put into the Eurythmics music. The album "Touch" was very different from the other albums. I was so excited to hear it. Check out the song Regrets from that. I recently learned there are 3 brass instruments played by Dick Cuthell. Fugelhorn, trumpet, and cornet. I thought it was just trumpet.🤷♀️ cuz I'm unedumuhcated😅
De La Soul sampled this song. Awsome
If you think the drum work on Peg is good, listen to Aja. Unbelievable drum work by Steve Gadd!
Aja was my first steely dan song ever! Gadd ate his Wheaties the morning of that session for sure. He was getting down! Still one of my favorite SD songs :)
@@L33Reacts
"Ate his Wheaties"!
Aww dude! Yer killin' me! Been years an' years since I heard that! 😂😂
Glad I saw this cuz this would definitely be one of my pics cuz this is epic Steely Dan❤
Dooby Brothers, What A Fool Believes with Michael McDonald would be a great one to do.
Michael Mcdonald wasn't very famous yet. His backing vocals are in a lot of songs by a lot of people.
He's got such a distinct voice too. I'm surprised I didn't catch it before I read his name lol
Algy saw a bear,
the bear saw Algy,
the bear was bulgy,
the bulge was Algy!
😁
The Dan: Sex, Drugs and Jazz n Soul
bUT NOT FKNG "yacht rock". They were hip NY boys who were perfectionists and their cryptic lyrics alone were way above the IQ of some entitled group on a yacht. Geezus. Hate that lazy millenial label. NOT on SD.
I know that you like Prog bands Lee so you should check out an obscure one that I know you will love called Ethos-Ardour please take a listen and be the first one on your block to turn the fans on to them you won't be disappointed!
Do Michael McDonald's 'I Keep Forgettin''
Radio friendly.
Is that some Frank Frazetta art in your background?
Hello!
It most certainly is! Two great classics from the Master. Brother Lee obviously has good taste in art as well as music. 😎
Hey Nineteen
More like aJazzrock solo/ Fusion
Hey brother, you finally got around to "Peg". It's a great album which has what I think is the signature Purdie shuffle by Bernard Purdie, famed R&B soul drummer! I'm not a drummer so I'm not sure exactly which song it is, but Peg is a great groove and song. Everything off this album is great
Home at Last features the Purdie Shuffle. Such a great drummer! What a character
@@johnhoerl7326 thx! I knew it was on there somewhere!
This is a very radio friendly one. As catchy as it is, it's probably my least favorite on Aja. Looking forward to the rest
You mentioned the rhythm section. You mentioned Marotta's high hat thing. You mentioned Mike McDonald's backing vocals. You mentioned the guitar solo, plus the SD ruthless dismissal of those who didn't cut it. As a previous commenter has said, there's a "making of (Peg)" video available on YT which you really should watch. All your points are covered. I really like your reaction stuff. As you say, and I agree, most others are MFing awful.
Oh no shit really?? Yeah I gotta check that out. Sounds facisnating lol these guys are quite interesting. I appreciate that man I really Do. I try very hard not to be terrible but the medium demands it, It feels like. But I will continue to buck the trend. #LessTerribleReactionVideos
All jokes aside, thank you I appreciate the kind words bro 🙏
@@L33Reacts
Hey brother Lee, that video is cut from a longer doco called 'The Making of Aja', as I and other commenters have mentioned here. Definitely worth your time. Very informative and entertaining. I grabbed it on DVD many years ago.
Purdy shuffle
I think this is Rick Marotta on this one. Purdie only attended the rehearsals. They didn't choose his take.