Great stuff! I was just listening to this album a couple of days ago! Its because of this channel that im 100 percent becoming a die hard fan! Im so obsessed with Aja i bought the cd and have been playing it nonstop ever since the video on patreon! I love being apart of your musical journey! Thanks for bringing forward all this great content! Love you guys! Enjoy your week and thanksgiving! Im thankful for you both!
Buy Citizen Steely Dan Eric. It has all the heyday 70s albums, plus a couple of indispensable extras. then buy Two Against Nature and Everything must go. Then upgrade your stereo and try to source Super Audio CD versions. Then start scurrying around the internet like a thief for the large number of available bootlegs - They're brilliant live I've been a fan for 49 years, die hard for a mere 40ish. I like other bands too (just not as much).
Discovering a band such as Steely Dan in 2021 has to be like uncovering buried treasure, really fun watching your reaction to their music. You cannot go wrong with any of their albums, including their solo work. I've said it before, SD would be my choice if I could only pick one group to listen to while stranded on a desert island.
For many years steely dan would not tour since they said they could not produce the sound very well out of the studio. There were many other artists they used on their songs.
I grew up in Hawaii, was turned onto Steely Dan by a military guy in the early 80s. I immediately became obsessed, bought their records and discovered their genius. A Sunday at the beach drinking cold beers with friends listening to Goucho album on repeat is how I spent much of my youth. It never gets old.
Now that you guys are firmly addicted to Steely Dan, it’s time to start with the REALLY good shit. Get a hold of the “Royal Scam” album. There are three songs on that album that must be shared. Start with the title track, follow it up with “Don’t Take Me Alive”, and complete the trilogy with the single greatest SD song of all time: “Kid Charlemagne”.
@@jacksonmorganfroghin4815 I’m with BOTH of you on this lineup, Phil & Jackson. Those 4 tracks from “The Royal Scam” will not disappoint. And easily done in two Monday Marathons. Keep the Steely Dan train rolling. I live for it! 🥰 Thanks! ✨🤪
Love that you guys are loving The Dan! I'm a total Prog Nut, love Rush, Genesis, Yes, Gentle Giant, King Crimson, etc., but Steely Dan is right up there with them as one of my favorite bands. Just some of the best music ever.
Babylon Sisters features legendary R&B drummer "Bernard Purdie" whom on this and "Home at Last" from "AjA employs the 'Purdie Shuffle" rhythm later inspired John Bonham on "Fool in The Rain' and Jeff Porcaro(Toto) on 'Rossana".
That purdie shuffle was absolutely sick and could have been the rhythm for any steely Dan song it just fit perfectly. I just discovered the making of aja documentary last night and Fagan and Becker were pure musical geniuses
This was the height of Donald Fagen's perfectionism, with his 274 mixes of "Babylon Sisters". Also see Rick Beato's What Makes This Song Great Ep.#3 video on Larry Carlton's playing on "Kid Charlemagne" (after checking that one out).
Love that you guys are loving my favorite band! Don’t forget, Fagen has 4 solo albums too and The Nightfly is as much a classic as any SD. And FWIW, my favorite is Countdown to Ecstasy.
I like the point you made about Steely Dan being easy to listen to, easy to digest. I think that's something sort of unique with them. You can get down in the weeds with them and explore the complex chord structures and really enjoy it on that level, and you can also just take it at the surface and enjoy it just as much. They're very versatile in that respect. I love Yes, but I'm not going to put on Close To The Edge to play in the background while I'm doing something else. I want, and need, to sit down and pay attention to that one. I need to be deep into it. I can't speak for everybody, but that's how I feel about some music.
I remember playing this when it first came out, bought on its initial release. Got goosebumps when hearing "Babylon Sisters" - still do. Such a great arrangement and performances. Masterful!
You two have gone from "never gonna do another Steely Dan reaction ever again!" to being "totally obsessed with them" in a fairly short amount of time. I knew it wouldn't take long. You just needed to do that second song.
Hi guys , can't go wrong with a Steely Dan song. Love watching you both grooving along. Made me laugh when Nick mimed a harmonica & Lex put him right with her trumpet mime. Hey Nineteen is one of your best reactions during the track as you got into the groove. That was brilliant to watch as we listened. I really enjoyed that ! Thankyou both.
I love Steely Dan more than anything, and I really love that you guys are into them! That is so cool! Like I always say, you guys have such great taste in music. Love your channel, Gary
You have over 300 reactions in 5 days ., that should tell you how special your reaction to Steely Dan is with people. We're all reliving that same feeling that you are having right now, every time we think about the first time we heard it., welcome to the family of Dan it's a long deep dive into their music catalog, but it's worth it... You may not understand all of it but you'll never forget it and it's worth the price of admission for your ears
One of their best. Babylon sisters oh glamor perfection. Gaucho is a great album. Hey 19 on aja ? Who is not obsessed with steely dan ? They hire so many musicians when they make the albums. When I was you I thought it was Becker and Fagan. It's so much more they hire tons of people took a year to MAKE aja. when buying speakers I n the 80s we brought this because so many bells keyboards guitar and can you here it all.
When I first heard him singing "drive west on Sunset, to the sea" I just said WOW. Beautiful music. The last song on this album 'Third World Man is amazing. Larry Carlton at his finest. Maybe his solo in Kid Charlemagne off Royal Scam is as good. Classic!
Just love Babylon Sisters, probably my favourite Dan song. Such a slinky, lowslung groove, mostly down to the incomparable Purdie shuffle. Nobody does sleazy, jaded cynicism like them. The smooth delivery is often at odds with the lyrics. The music might have been played by the cream of LA session musicians by then, but the lyrics still retained that New York cynical sensibility. Talk about a picture painting a thousand words, loved when Nick mimed a harmonica, Lex looks at him, shakes her head, and mimes a muted trumpet. Busted Nick😄. I think you'd love the Royal Scam Nick. Probably their most guitar orientated album since Countdown To Ecstasy. Guitarists have been dissecting Larry Carlton's solo in Kid Charlemagne for years and in Haitian Divorce you've got another infectious groove. It was Haitian Divorce that first got me into them when it charted in England in 76.
I have been listening to Steely Dan since 72. Now you know why. I'm 73 and they still blow me away. You too when you're 73. Something to look forward to.
Gaucho is another fantastic album and I would gladly listen along with you guys if you’re willing to film a full album reaction. If not, happy listening anyway, I’m sure you’ll love it!
I'm so pleased you guys had the same reaction I did when those songs were first released. Steely Dan have been my favourite band since 1972! Its so thrilling to know they have same effect on this generation of fine young people like you.
Hey Nineteen is taken from their eighth album Gaucho in 1980 which featured 32 different musicians on the album and ones heard on Hey Nineteen are, Hugh McCracken on guitar, Rick Marotta on drums and both Victor Feldman and Steve Gadd on percussion. Other notable musicians on the album are Mark Knopfler, Joe Sample, Michael McDonald, Patti Austin and David Sanborn.
You have to get to "Time out of Mind" One thing about SD is that each album has a great feel but they didn't just replicate that feel/sound on the next album - they're already on to the next exploration. & SD is the soundtrack for many people's lives - that's something that is a great shared experience.
@@fredzeppelin3969 Yes. But he was sort of on the song. He recorded a lot but they didn't like most of it. At the end of the day they only used about 15 seconds of his work.
@@fredzeppelin3969 No problem at all. He did get credit as lead guitar as that's what he was signed to do. Becker & Fagen asked him to play because the liked what he did on "Sultans of Swing" but he didn't really hit the mark for what they wanted (of course, they were incredibly picky perfectionists) so the contribution to Time Out of Mind was much less than anticipated.
Glamour, that's a great way to describe it. This song is making me homesick, I grew up In Los Angeles! All the L.A. references. You have to take a great car ride at night on a Summer night listening to Steely Dan with the windows down!
First of all, I profoundly appreciate you two as a COUPLE! I wish that my (now defunct) marriage was so strongly bound together by love, respect and appreciation of what each other uniquely brings to the relationship. Second, I so enjoy being taken back to a time when I played in a jazz-rock-funk band (with keys/synth, saxes and trumpet) in the Pac NW. Steely Dan's Babylon Sisters--bizarre as it was having male vocalists singing the ladies' evocative/provocative lyrics--and Peg, Hey Nineteen, Josie, Green Earrings and Ricki (Don't Lose that Number) were our cornerstone booty-shakers (along with Earth Wind and Fire, Chicago and Blood Sweat and Tears hot numbers). fwiw I was playing along with my five-string bass, slap 'n popping where I probably shouldn't have LOL!
Guys once again you’ve brightened my day. Next album has to be Royal Scam main track you’ll love is Green Earings. And dig out FM a jazzy masterpiece. Thanks my friends across the pond 🤟
Once again... So very tight, all on the back of the beat, and horns giving us that touch up and down the spine. Steely Dan is an addictive... Here's another jazzy vibe for you... Gino Vannelli... Brother to Brother Great voice, amazing live performer and first class band. You also need to dig into Dan's Can't Buy A Thrill.... Fabulous album.
Two of my favorites, yay! "The Cuervo Gold The fine Colombian Make tonight a wonderful thing." Check out yer Royal Scam. Another great one. So many. Tx y'all.
The two of you did a great job in this reaction. I'm glad that you continue into the next song and then you compared them. The Gaucho album may be my favorite album. Every track is better than the next. I fell into the "Steely Dan Rabbit Hole" back in the early 1980's. I purchased Mobile Fidelity records by Steely Dan and I had a good stereo system at the time. I remember inviting friends over to listen to the Dan. Those were great times.
Another wonderful reaction, you two! I have been such a huge fan since my college days back in the '70's- (I could never seriously date any guy who wasn't into Steely Dan!) and, luckily, my husband is a big fan too! We put on the Citizen cd's and harmonize as we putter around the house. I'm so glad you have each other to explore the wealth of the SD catalogue! ❤❤
You both are awesome! Thanks for continuing to play my GOAT band. Hey Nineteen and Time Out of Mind were the radio friendly hits back in the day. I know you'll get there someday, but the last song on the album is a haunting tale that could easily be played in a Jazz club. The theme of the song has a few interpretations. I think it is about a veteran's battle with PTSD. Nick....with Larry Carlton on guitar. The song gives me goosebumps hearing his chord changes.
Hi sorry me again I heard you say you like Chick Corea , Al Dimeola you should really listen too the super band they put together with Stanley Clarke and Lenny White band is Return to Forever the track you should start with is Sorceress. Honestly guys it’s right up your street trust me you’ll be amazed. Love you guys love fron UK ✌️
Great selections! I'm so eager to see/hear your thoughts. And I'm thrilled that you are obsessed with Steely Dan. Never drank Kirschwasser from a shell, but it is on my bucket list.
That drum beat on "Babylon Sisters" is Bernard Purdie and the famous "Purdie Shuffle". If a standard 4/4 drum beat is like soldiers marching then the shuffle is like skipping down the sidewalk. Purdie's shuffle was special. Only Jeff Porcaro, IMHO, could come close.
CLASSICS!! I agree with Phil Zoda... “Don’t Take Me Alive”, from "Kid Charlemagne" album.. Awesome stuff... glad you guys are hooked on Steely Dan, they are great! Regards, ALinCAL
Royal Scam is the underrated album in their catalogue. But there are at least six more killer tracks on this album. Don't leave out Green Earrings, The Fez, Haitian Divorce and The Caves of Altamira you've already heard. Dive deep. Royal Scam, Don't take me Alive, Sign in Stranger and the fantastic Kid Charlemagne have already been suggested. The album is 🔥, don't miss a track. Peace
This is from my favorite Steely Dan album. Thanks for covering three tracks so far. I appreciate the enthusiasm for Glamour Profession. Lexi liked the bass on that one and for good reason. This is the same bassist that co-wrote the song For The Love of Money by the O'Jays ,played with Chaka Khan most notably on I'm Every Woman and he played in a fusion group called Eyewitness with Steve Khan(who plays on Gaucho as well). Crack bass player Anthony Jackson played on a few tracks on the album. He only made it to two. More on that note at the right time. Babylon Sisters has a dual meaning. The Babylon Sisters refer to the cities of San Francisco and Los Angeles. It also refers to the two women entangled with our protagonist. Shake it refers to the earthquakes in SF and LA and quite literally to the two girls in question. Also Becker and Fagen don't play any instruments on this song. They had a penchant for using studio musicians and this was one of the manifestations of that use. Hey Nineteen had an interesting story regarding their manager, Irving Azoff. They refer to him on the album credits as Irving Azoff:Protection! A sarcastic Mafia reference. The Cuervo Gold reference in that song caused Cuervo's sales to go up. Irving Azoff called Cuervo to see if he could get royalties from them for that sales uptick! Protection indeed.
Another great reaction you two..👍👍. I still listen to SD music, and even after all these years they still sound fresh and in no way dated. Cheers Bob..
I have heard this song my whole life of over 40 years. I never knew what they meant with the line "Like a Sunday in TJ, that it's cheap but it's not free..." until I moved to Tijuana, MX about 5 years ago and it blew me away lol.
Hello! Thank you for the video!Please pay attention to the young singer Diana Ankudinova.Make reactions to the songs of CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE, Personal Jesus, Crow🌞🌞🌞DIANA ANKUDINOVA is a talented young singer. I would like to know your opinion. I think you will be surprised. Diana has a very unusual voice and artistic presentation for her age.🌹🌹🌹 Thanks in advance
Can I just say that you guys both look more beautiful, handsome and enjoyable to watch now that you are Steely Dan fans? I cant wait to continue watching your journey!
YOUR VIETNAM VET FAN, REMEMBER AFTER WAR PICKING UP STEELY IN 1973//// DONT SLEEP ON THE ROYAL SCAM---SHORTER SONGS, LESS JAZZY BUT SO FULL OF COOL////ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAY SEASON---KEEP LISTENING///CHICO
What a concept....two brilliant music giants play this stuff and change band and back up musicians on almost every album. I tried to write all these guys on a list and I gave up. No one is LIKE Steely Dan,ever.
Imagine yourself parked by acliff side road over looking the city with all its lights and quiet hum at 3am with these two songs in repeat in your car stereo. Beside your best friend who constantly giggles interjecting philosophies of life regarding each and every passage of the lyrics of the songs. It was an awakening. And you my dear friends have to consider that discovering Steely Dan's music is such an awakening. Thank you to both of you. "... talk it out, till daylight" -SD
Steely Dan have got me through many a long day in work. Zappa and Steely Dan and Grateful Dead is all I need. Fantastic musicians. Great songwriting. Makes me feel emotion on another level.
Glad to see that you are enjoying your Steely Dan “obsession”. But since you’ve done nearly exclusively later Dan (I think you “[Did] It Again” off of the first album 😉), when you’re ready, I’d go to the first five albums (up to “Royal Scam”, which has its advocates in the comments section). There are similarities for sure, but that chapter feel qualitatively different (to me, anyway). The first two albums are real Steely Dan Band albums, with Becker and Fagen increasingly branching out to the cast of thousands approach that informs the later work. And while the early albums lack a some of the sophistication and jazzy elements of Aja and beyond, to me they make up for it in rock/pop craftsmanship. I love ‘em all, but when I want to just listen for fun, I’ll put on “Can’t Buy A Thrill” or “Countdown to Ecstasy” or “Katy Lied” or....
I seriously feel like Nick and I could have been best friends in the 80"s! Lol I remember roller skating to " Hey Nineteen" back in the 80s .. I Love how both of you, Nick and Lexi appreciate good 80s music that moves you!! I am not sure if you have ever experienced "Longtime Foreplay" from Boston! Those sounds from the 80s music will move you!! From Broomfield Colorado, keep reacting to best time pieces!
On Babylon Sisters: The Rhythm Section - Bernard Purdie (Drums) & Chuck Rainey (Bass) - doesn't get much better than that! Add Randy Brecker, Tom Scott Walter Kane horn section; Don Gronlick (Clavinet); Steve Khan (Guitar), Errol "Crusher" Bennett (percussion) - hard to beat! (Singers - Lani Groves, Patti Austin, Diva , Gordon Grody, Zachery Sanders, Toni Wine & Lesley Miller)
This album came out when I was just starting college in Gainesville FL, and already being a huge Dan fan for a few years, I was blown away again. The horn / keyboard instrument Fagen plays in concerts is called a melodica. It’s a cool sound like mixing an accordion with a harmonica with a synth. After waiting 3 years since Aja came out, my friends and I were wearing the grooves out of this album back then!
Hi guys, glad that you're really into the Dan ... but please go further back in time! The second, third and fifth albums (Countdown to Ecstasy, Pretzel Logic, The Royal Scam) in particular are superb for their instrumentation, lyrics, guitar work ... try My Old School, Night by Night and Kid Charlemagne from those albums sequentially. They're different to what you've been listening to, but in a good way! At the moment you're locked into the jazz-y feel of the 'easy listening' vibe they got into later, which in my view is the weaker part of their output. Yes, really. But trust me, the early albums are where the gold is.
I love Steely Dan, but I really wish you'd be as excited about the first 8 YES albums as you are about Steely Dan. It's incredible music, as you already know.
Checkout Toto Rosanna Jeff Pocaro was Toto's drummer and also Ton of Steely Dan's recordings Boz Skaggs Lowdown is a great shuffle too! Porcaro, Steve Lukather were legendary session players in LA , Band for Micheal Jackson Thiller Porcaro has one of the most outragous discograhpy from late seventies and eighties. The Famous Rosanna shuffle derived from Bernard Purdie shuffle on Babylon Sisters. Toto was jazz rock fusion pop
My work is so stressful right now due to the fact that 25% of the employees are out with Covid so we are all doing three jobs and worried about getting sick ourselves. So I want to give a huge thank you to Mario for your suggestion that cleared all my stress. I always thought Steely Dan was under appreciated but I can't tell you how much watching the passion you two show for their music warms this fans heart. This is one of the friendliest sites on the entire web and your enthusiasm for the music is a constant joy for me. Thank you both!
Ugh so sorry to hear that and hope everyone who is out recovers fully and quickly. Also hoping those are working aren't exposed. We are so happy to be able to send our love through these videos to you and everyone who needs it! Thank you for being such a huge part of what we do... your comments are our joy! Thank YOU!! Lots of love, Lex
The solo is played on a synthesizer with a patch that is supposed to sound like a Harmonica / blues harp in the way Toots Thielemans or Stevie Wonder would play. You may have seen Donald Fagen play melodica live on some songs and he also uses melodica on "Mary shut the garden door" from his solo record "Morph the cat" But on "Hey nineteen" and also on "IGY" from the "Nightfly" he plays a synth. You can´t bend notes on a melodica like he does here.
Great stuff! I was just listening to this album a couple of days ago! Its because of this channel that im 100 percent becoming a die hard fan! Im so obsessed with Aja i bought the cd and have been playing it nonstop ever since the video on patreon! I love being apart of your musical journey! Thanks for bringing forward all this great content! Love you guys! Enjoy your week and thanksgiving! Im thankful for you both!
Buy Citizen Steely Dan Eric. It has all the heyday 70s albums, plus a couple of indispensable extras. then buy Two Against Nature and Everything must go. Then upgrade your stereo and try to source Super Audio CD versions.
Then start scurrying around the internet like a thief for the large number of available bootlegs - They're brilliant live
I've been a fan for 49 years, die hard for a mere 40ish. I like other bands too (just not as much).
@@briangray00 thanks for the suggestions ! I am a new fan! But love everything i have heard!
As a rule of thumb I think you'll find that your favorite Steely Dan song is whichever one you happen to be listening to.
That is so spot on!
Well stated Cal. Depends on my mood. But they never disappoint.
That is a great observation 👏
@@antrivers46 Thank you.
bang on. i can’t get tired of them
Discovering a band such as Steely Dan in 2021 has to be like uncovering buried treasure, really fun watching your reaction to their music. You cannot go wrong with any of their albums, including their solo work. I've said it before, SD would be my choice if I could only pick one group to listen to while stranded on a desert island.
I'd go along with that.
I first listened to Steely Dan, in 1975, I was15.
Discovering Steely Dan the winter of ‘76 was special also!
For many years steely dan would not tour since they said they could not produce the sound very well out of the
studio. There were many other artists they used on their songs.
Welcome to the world of Walter becker,a legend 😊
when i think of steely dan, i think of precision engineering - everything is so well crafted.
oh yess
I grew up in Hawaii, was turned onto Steely Dan by a military guy in the early 80s. I immediately became obsessed, bought their records and discovered their genius. A Sunday at the beach drinking cold beers with friends listening to Goucho album on repeat is how I spent much of my youth. It never gets old.
Now that you guys are firmly addicted to Steely Dan, it’s time to start with the REALLY good shit. Get a hold of the “Royal Scam” album. There are three songs on that album that must be shared. Start with the title track, follow it up with “Don’t Take Me Alive”, and complete the trilogy with the single greatest SD song of all time: “Kid Charlemagne”.
Don't forget Haitian Divorce, my favorite SD song of all.
Agreed, sign in stranger too.
@@jacksonmorganfroghin4815 I’m with BOTH of you on this lineup, Phil & Jackson. Those 4 tracks from “The Royal Scam” will not disappoint. And easily done in two Monday Marathons. Keep the Steely Dan train rolling. I live for it! 🥰 Thanks! ✨🤪
Great album ! Love Green Earrings Also 😁👍
Everything You Did, Don't Take Me Alive...🗿🌴
Every single time I listen to this song, I get chills at "The Cuervo Gold..." it is just such a musically perfect section and a beautiful vocal.
Love that you guys are loving The Dan! I'm a total Prog Nut, love Rush, Genesis, Yes, Gentle Giant, King Crimson, etc., but Steely Dan is right up there with them as one of my favorite bands. Just some of the best music ever.
A person after my own heart. Repeat this comment verbatim. Great reaction guys.
Same here.
DITTO!
You have great taste.
Hard to believe this was conceived and recorded over 40 years ago. The years flew by!!
Babylon Sisters features legendary R&B drummer "Bernard Purdie" whom on this and "Home at Last" from "AjA employs the 'Purdie Shuffle" rhythm later inspired John Bonham on "Fool in The Rain' and Jeff Porcaro(Toto) on 'Rossana".
Hey jg! Great seeing you here ... and fun watching these reactors get obsessed with Steely Dan! They are still in heavy rotation in my life. ✨🤪
That purdie shuffle was absolutely sick and could have been the rhythm for any steely Dan song it just fit perfectly. I just discovered the making of aja documentary last night and Fagan and Becker were pure musical geniuses
This was the height of Donald Fagen's perfectionism, with his 274 mixes of "Babylon Sisters". Also see Rick Beato's What Makes This Song Great Ep.#3 video on Larry Carlton's playing on "Kid Charlemagne" (after checking that one out).
GREAT suggestion !
the 274th time is the charm!!!
Love that you guys are loving my favorite band! Don’t forget, Fagen has 4 solo albums too and The Nightfly is as much a classic as any SD. And FWIW, my favorite is Countdown to Ecstasy.
What are your favorite songs on countdown to ecstacy?
My Fav is "Royal Scam."
@@magnito5982 hard to say. But probably My Old School and King of the World.
@@adamp2029 While it is not my favorite SD song, king of the world is definitely up there.
Don't forget the brilliant Walter Becker album - 11 Tracks of Whack
I like the point you made about Steely Dan being easy to listen to, easy to digest. I think that's something sort of unique with them. You can get down in the weeds with them and explore the complex chord structures and really enjoy it on that level, and you can also just take it at the surface and enjoy it just as much. They're very versatile in that respect. I love Yes, but I'm not going to put on Close To The Edge to play in the background while I'm doing something else. I want, and need, to sit down and pay attention to that one. I need to be deep into it. I can't speak for everybody, but that's how I feel about some music.
👍🏽
that's very true. I have the same feeling about a Antonio Carlos Jobim - works as background, works for psyche, works for soma
I remember playing this when it first came out, bought on its initial release. Got goosebumps when hearing "Babylon Sisters" - still do. Such a great arrangement and performances. Masterful!
You two have gone from "never gonna do another Steely Dan reaction ever again!" to being "totally obsessed with them" in a fairly short amount of time. I knew it wouldn't take long. You just needed to do that second song.
Hi guys , can't go wrong with a Steely Dan song. Love watching you both grooving along. Made me laugh when Nick mimed a harmonica & Lex put him right with her trumpet mime. Hey Nineteen is one of your best reactions during the track as you got into the groove. That was brilliant to watch as we listened. I really enjoyed that ! Thankyou both.
Awesome guys. So great to hear these again. Production still sounds amazing 40 yeas on!
I love Steely Dan more than anything, and I really love that you guys are into them! That is so cool! Like I always say, you guys have such great taste in music. Love your channel, Gary
I agree. I think they have the best taste of all the reactors I watch. They really and truly love music and SD is also my all time favorite band.
You have over 300 reactions in 5 days ., that should tell you how special your reaction to Steely Dan is with people. We're all reliving that same feeling that you are having right now, every time we think about the first time we heard it., welcome to the family of Dan it's a long deep dive into their music catalog, but it's worth it... You may not understand all of it but you'll never forget it and it's worth the price of admission for your ears
Very smooth and I have to say really enjoyed the interaction between the two of you 💕thank you very much Nick ! Thank you very much Lex !
One of their best. Babylon sisters oh glamor perfection. Gaucho is a great album. Hey 19 on aja ? Who is not obsessed with steely dan ? They hire so many musicians when they make the albums. When I was you I thought it was Becker and Fagan. It's so much more they hire tons of people took a year to MAKE aja. when buying speakers I n the 80s we brought this because so many bells keyboards guitar and can you here it all.
Nick reminds of a Steely Dan fact. They were almost impossible to cover as the apparently simple bits were technically very difficult.
When I first heard him singing "drive west on Sunset, to the sea" I just said WOW. Beautiful music. The last song on this album 'Third World Man is amazing. Larry Carlton at his finest. Maybe his solo in Kid Charlemagne off Royal Scam is as good. Classic!
👍🏽
Just love Babylon Sisters, probably my favourite Dan song. Such a slinky, lowslung groove, mostly down to the incomparable Purdie shuffle. Nobody does sleazy, jaded cynicism like them. The smooth delivery is often at odds with the lyrics. The music might have been played by the cream of LA session musicians by then, but the lyrics still retained that New York cynical sensibility. Talk about a picture painting a thousand words, loved when Nick mimed a harmonica, Lex looks at him, shakes her head, and mimes a muted trumpet. Busted Nick😄. I think you'd love the Royal Scam Nick. Probably their most guitar orientated album since Countdown To Ecstasy. Guitarists have been dissecting Larry Carlton's solo in Kid Charlemagne for years and in Haitian Divorce you've got another infectious groove. It was Haitian Divorce that first got me into them when it charted in England in 76.
If your into SD, check out the Doobie Brothers, after 1976, when Michael Mcdonald joined them. (Michael sang on Peg!)
I have been listening to Steely Dan since 72. Now you know why. I'm 73 and they still blow me away. You too when you're 73. Something to look forward to.
Gaucho is another fantastic album and I would gladly listen along with you guys if you’re willing to film a full album reaction. If not, happy listening anyway, I’m sure you’ll love it!
👍
3rd World man off Gaucho... really sweet .memorable Larry Carlton guitar solo
I love Gaucho and of course Aja but... The Royal Scam is becoming my favorite Steely Dan record. So much groove and class. Enjoy your trip!
👍
The Royal Scam ✅
Great reactions. Love you guys. You truly seem to get it, the spirit of the songs. Love Steely Dan and love your reactions
I'm so pleased you guys had the same reaction I did when those songs were first released. Steely Dan have been my favourite band since 1972! Its so thrilling to know they have same effect on this generation of fine young people like you.
Hey Nineteen is taken from their eighth album Gaucho in 1980 which featured 32 different musicians on the album and ones heard on Hey Nineteen are, Hugh McCracken on guitar, Rick Marotta on drums and both Victor Feldman and Steve Gadd on percussion. Other notable musicians on the album are Mark Knopfler, Joe Sample, Michael McDonald, Patti Austin and David Sanborn.
You are correct to be obsessed with Steely Dan!! The best band!!
You have to get to "Time out of Mind" One thing about SD is that each album has a great feel but they didn't just replicate that feel/sound on the next album - they're already on to the next exploration. & SD is the soundtrack for many people's lives - that's something that is a great shared experience.
Hopefully you knew that the guitar work on "Time Out Of Mind" was a young session player named Mark Knopfler
@@fredzeppelin3969 Yes. But he was sort of on the song. He recorded a lot but they didn't like most of it. At the end of the day they only used about 15 seconds of his work.
@@jirimondo thanks, did not not know that side of the back story
@@fredzeppelin3969 No problem at all. He did get credit as lead guitar as that's what he was signed to do. Becker & Fagen asked him to play because the liked what he did on "Sultans of Swing" but he didn't really hit the mark for what they wanted (of course, they were incredibly picky perfectionists) so the contribution to Time Out of Mind was much less than anticipated.
Yes!!!
I speak pantomime! “hey, awesome harmonica! Wut, that’s trumpet, with a bell. Right right, exactly!”
Glamour, that's a great way to describe it. This song is making me homesick, I grew up In Los Angeles! All the L.A. references. You have to take a great car ride at night on a Summer night listening to Steely Dan with the windows down!
First of all, I profoundly appreciate you two as a COUPLE! I wish that my (now defunct) marriage was so strongly bound together by love, respect and appreciation of what each other uniquely brings to the relationship. Second, I so enjoy being taken back to a time when I played in a jazz-rock-funk band (with keys/synth, saxes and trumpet) in the Pac NW. Steely Dan's Babylon Sisters--bizarre as it was having male vocalists singing the ladies' evocative/provocative lyrics--and Peg, Hey Nineteen, Josie, Green Earrings and Ricki (Don't Lose that Number) were our cornerstone booty-shakers (along with Earth Wind and Fire, Chicago and Blood Sweat and Tears hot numbers). fwiw I was playing along with my five-string bass, slap 'n popping where I probably shouldn't have LOL!
Thank you SO much for your sweet comment and support! That definitely sounds like a fun time... thank you for sharing that with us! :) - Lex
If someone claims to be a musician and does not get the Beatles and Steely Dan I have to wonder about their credentials.
Guys once again you’ve brightened my day. Next album has to be Royal Scam main track you’ll love is Green Earings. And dig out FM a jazzy masterpiece. Thanks my friends across the pond 🤟
Yes! Royal Scam! Thank you, Mate! ✨🤪
Yep Royal Scam alot better than Gaucho album.
I just think Gaucho is such an under-rated masterpiece.
You have to give it up for the one and only Bernard Purdie on drums Babylon sister, The man...
Purdie is a legend
Once again... So very tight, all on the back of the beat, and horns giving us that touch up and down the spine.
Steely Dan is an addictive...
Here's another jazzy vibe for you...
Gino Vannelli... Brother to Brother
Great voice, amazing live performer and first class band.
You also need to dig into Dan's
Can't Buy A Thrill.... Fabulous album.
Yep, still awesome. I still get chills hearing Babylon Sisters. Thank god for ears!
"Don't Take Me Alive" PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE with a cherry on top!
Two of my favorites, yay!
"The Cuervo Gold
The fine Colombian
Make tonight a wonderful thing."
Check out yer Royal Scam. Another great one. So many. Tx y'all.
The two of you did a great job in this reaction. I'm glad that you continue into the next song and then you compared them. The Gaucho album may be my favorite album. Every track is better than the next. I fell into the "Steely Dan Rabbit Hole" back in the early 1980's. I purchased Mobile Fidelity records by Steely Dan and I had a good stereo system at the time. I remember inviting friends over to listen to the Dan. Those were great times.
THIS is what I grew up listening to as a teen. Love Steely Dan to this day. Glad to see your reactions!
Another wonderful reaction, you two! I have been such a huge fan since my college days back in the '70's- (I could never seriously date any guy who wasn't into Steely Dan!) and, luckily, my husband is a big fan too! We put on the Citizen cd's and harmonize as we putter around the house. I'm so glad you have each other to explore the wealth of the SD catalogue! ❤❤
Love watching you two. Thanks for playing Steely Dan , my favorite band.
You both are awesome! Thanks for continuing to play my GOAT band. Hey Nineteen and Time Out of Mind were the radio friendly hits back in the day. I know you'll get there someday, but the last song on the album is a haunting tale that could easily be played in a Jazz club. The theme of the song has a few interpretations. I think it is about a veteran's battle with PTSD. Nick....with Larry Carlton on guitar. The song gives me goosebumps hearing his chord changes.
Sorry, forgot the name of the song!! "Third World Man".
Those 3 verses of 🎶"The Cuervo golllld... The fine Colombian" 🎵 might be the smoothest 32 seconds of music ever recorded
Love that shuffle groove on Babylon Sister.
Check out Dr. Wu if you haven't already. To me that sounds so classic SD.
👍🏽
Simply great stuff from the Great Steely Dan ❤️💫☝️
For Whatever Reason,, This One Always Makes Me Think Of Another MUST HEAR Classic,, STEELY DAN "FM" (NO STATIC AT ALL)
👍🏽
Hi sorry me again I heard you say you like Chick Corea , Al Dimeola you should really listen too the super band they put together with Stanley Clarke and Lenny White band is Return to Forever the track you should start with is Sorceress. Honestly guys it’s right up your street trust me you’ll be amazed. Love you guys love fron UK ✌️
Great selections! I'm so eager to see/hear your thoughts. And I'm thrilled that you are obsessed with Steely Dan. Never drank Kirschwasser from a shell, but it is on my bucket list.
Make sure you have some water available!
That drum beat on "Babylon Sisters" is Bernard Purdie and the famous "Purdie Shuffle". If a standard 4/4 drum beat is like soldiers marching then the shuffle is like skipping down the sidewalk. Purdie's shuffle was special. Only Jeff Porcaro, IMHO, could come close.
CLASSICS!!
I agree with Phil Zoda... “Don’t Take Me Alive”, from "Kid Charlemagne" album..
Awesome stuff... glad you guys are hooked on Steely Dan, they are great!
Regards,
ALinCAL
I’m so glad I found you two! I am obsessed with Steely Dan! There are some songs I haven’t heard yet, so it’s fun to react along with you.
Yes im obsessed too 😂
My favorite Steely Dan album is The Royal Scam, which is where Caves of Altamira is on
I love these 2 songs glad you've discovered them. 😎🙂 Enjoy!!!
Royal Scam is the underrated album in their catalogue. But there are at least six more killer tracks on this album. Don't leave out Green Earrings, The Fez, Haitian Divorce and The Caves of Altamira you've already heard. Dive deep. Royal Scam, Don't take me Alive, Sign in Stranger and the fantastic Kid Charlemagne have already been suggested. The album is 🔥, don't miss a track. Peace
no i'm never gonna do it without the FEZ on!
This is from my favorite Steely Dan album. Thanks for covering three tracks so far. I appreciate the enthusiasm for Glamour Profession. Lexi liked the bass on that one and for good reason. This is the same bassist that co-wrote the song For The Love of Money by the O'Jays ,played with Chaka Khan most notably on I'm Every Woman and he played in a fusion group called Eyewitness with Steve Khan(who plays on Gaucho as well). Crack bass player Anthony Jackson played on a few tracks on the album. He only made it to two. More on that note at the right time.
Babylon Sisters has a dual meaning. The Babylon Sisters refer to the cities of San Francisco and Los Angeles. It also refers to the two women entangled with our protagonist. Shake it refers to the earthquakes in SF and LA and quite literally to the two girls in question. Also Becker and Fagen don't play any instruments on this song. They had a penchant for using studio musicians and this was one of the manifestations of that use.
Hey Nineteen had an interesting story regarding their manager, Irving Azoff. They refer to him on the album credits as Irving Azoff:Protection! A sarcastic Mafia reference. The Cuervo Gold reference in that song caused Cuervo's sales to go up. Irving Azoff called Cuervo to see if he could get royalties from them for that sales uptick! Protection indeed.
The two girls are observed by the protagonist and the journey is all in his mind
Hey Nineteen. I picture a guy in his late 30s dating a girl of 19 at a Roller-Skating Rink in 1979.
The groove in Babylon Sisters is sooooo deep. Both of these tracks are great. It would be cool if you could do the complete album reaction on patreon.
One of those bands that are on their own pedestal, unique
That beautiful chord after "just until we're out of town".... OMG it's sublime.
Gbmaj13 chord 🤘
Followed by Bbm7 just sublime
Another great reaction you two..👍👍. I still listen to SD music, and even after all these years they still sound fresh and in no way dated. Cheers Bob..
Good morning, Guten Morgan, Buenos Dias from San Antonio Texas!!!!☕🇺🇲💯✌😎❤❤❤❤
I have heard this song my whole life of over 40 years. I never knew what they meant with the line "Like a Sunday in TJ, that it's cheap but it's not free..." until I moved to Tijuana, MX about 5 years ago and it blew me away lol.
My top 5 all-time albums: Steely Dan- Aja; Billy Joel-The Stranger; Fleetwood Mac- Rumours;
Bruce Springsteen- Born To Run; Carole King- Tapestry.
A Dirty Old Man Double Shot! Lol. Satyr’s paradise.
Tru dat!
The Royal Scam Album is a Masterpiece, my favorite Dan Album
Hello! Thank you for the video!Please pay attention to the young singer Diana Ankudinova.Make reactions to the songs of CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE, Personal Jesus, Crow🌞🌞🌞DIANA ANKUDINOVA is a talented young singer. I would like to know your opinion. I think you will be surprised. Diana has a very unusual voice and artistic presentation for her age.🌹🌹🌹 Thanks in advance
Diana Ankudinova is an amazing singer,her voice fascinates!
Diana Ankudinova 😊👍👍🔥🔥🔥💥💥💥🎉🎉🎉💫💫💫💯
Can I just say that you guys both look more beautiful, handsome and enjoyable to watch now that you are Steely Dan fans? I cant wait to continue watching your journey!
Oh yes, also gotta do My Old School! Such a fun song and the guitar solos will make your jaw drop.
YOUR VIETNAM VET FAN, REMEMBER AFTER WAR PICKING UP STEELY IN 1973//// DONT SLEEP ON THE ROYAL SCAM---SHORTER SONGS, LESS JAZZY BUT SO FULL OF COOL////ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAY SEASON---KEEP LISTENING///CHICO
What a concept....two brilliant music giants play this stuff and change band and back up musicians on almost every album. I tried to write all these guys on a list and I gave up. No one is LIKE Steely Dan,ever.
Genius! Pure genius from Becker & Fagen.
Great reaction! The harmonica-like sound is a trumpet played with a mute attached.
All Steely Dan songs deserve a second listen! They grow on you ❤️🔥
I saw them in 2014 in New Orleans, i was on my feat the whole time, Walter Becker was on Rythm guitar, Jon Herrington on lead
Still sounds fantastic, 40 years after it's creation. Fun reaction.
Listening to Babylon Sister w a RUSH t
😎😎😎😎😎😎😎
Imagine yourself parked by acliff side road over looking the city with all its lights and quiet hum at 3am with these two songs in repeat in your car stereo. Beside your best friend who constantly giggles interjecting philosophies of life regarding each and every passage of the lyrics of the songs. It was an awakening. And you my dear friends have to consider that discovering Steely Dan's music is such an awakening. Thank you to both of you. "... talk it out, till daylight" -SD
To see your guys appreciation and happiness…wow priceless. This song is a masterpiece
Steely Dan have got me through many a long day in work. Zappa and Steely Dan and Grateful Dead is all I need. Fantastic musicians. Great songwriting. Makes me feel emotion on another level.
Glad to see that you are enjoying your Steely Dan “obsession”. But since you’ve done nearly exclusively later Dan (I think you “[Did] It Again” off of the first album 😉), when you’re ready, I’d go to the first five albums (up to “Royal Scam”, which has its advocates in the comments section). There are similarities for sure, but that chapter feel qualitatively different (to me, anyway). The first two albums are real Steely Dan Band albums, with Becker and Fagen increasingly branching out to the cast of thousands approach that informs the later work. And while the early albums lack a some of the sophistication and jazzy elements of Aja and beyond, to me they make up for it in rock/pop craftsmanship. I love ‘em all, but when I want to just listen for fun, I’ll put on “Can’t Buy A Thrill” or “Countdown to Ecstasy” or “Katy Lied” or....
Traveling from Australia to LA next year for the first time, renting a car and want to drive around LA with these songs blaring away. Magic.
*Throws arms in the air WOO HOO! Gonna be great. : ) Love the way they wrote the horns over the bass. Such a great mix.
Two of my favourite reactors doing one of my favourite groups. Happy Monday!
I seriously feel like Nick and I could have been best friends in the 80"s! Lol I remember roller skating to " Hey Nineteen" back in the 80s .. I Love how both of you, Nick and Lexi appreciate good 80s music that moves you!! I am not sure if you have ever experienced "Longtime Foreplay" from Boston! Those sounds from the 80s music will move you!! From Broomfield Colorado, keep reacting to best time pieces!
How sweet, thank you so much for the support! ❤️ from Lone Tree!
On Babylon Sisters: The Rhythm Section - Bernard Purdie (Drums) & Chuck Rainey (Bass) - doesn't get much better than that!
Add Randy Brecker, Tom Scott Walter Kane horn section; Don Gronlick (Clavinet); Steve Khan (Guitar), Errol "Crusher" Bennett (percussion) - hard to beat!
(Singers - Lani Groves, Patti Austin, Diva , Gordon Grody, Zachery Sanders, Toni Wine & Lesley Miller)
This album came out when I was just starting college in Gainesville FL, and already being a huge Dan fan for a few years, I was blown away again. The horn / keyboard instrument Fagen plays in concerts is called a melodica. It’s a cool sound like mixing an accordion with a harmonica with a synth. After waiting 3 years since Aja came out, my friends and I were wearing the grooves out of this album back then!
Hi guys, glad that you're really into the Dan ... but please go further back in time! The second, third and fifth albums (Countdown to Ecstasy, Pretzel Logic, The Royal Scam) in particular are superb for their instrumentation, lyrics, guitar work ... try My Old School, Night by Night and Kid Charlemagne from those albums sequentially. They're different to what you've been listening to, but in a good way! At the moment you're locked into the jazz-y feel of the 'easy listening' vibe they got into later, which in my view is the weaker part of their output. Yes, really. But trust me, the early albums are where the gold is.
I love Steely Dan, but I really wish you'd be as excited about the first 8 YES albums as you are about Steely Dan. It's incredible music, as you already know.
yepper !! this couple needs to hear AND YOU AND I ...right away !!
@@michaelbeerbados3291 Rick Wakeman just played it on piano on his yt channel
@@michaelbeerbados3291 If I get a spot on the Request List next month, “And You and I” will be my pick. Thanks ✨🤪
Checkout Toto Rosanna Jeff Pocaro was Toto's drummer and also Ton of Steely Dan's recordings Boz Skaggs Lowdown is a great shuffle too! Porcaro, Steve Lukather were legendary session players in LA , Band for Micheal Jackson Thiller Porcaro has one of the most outragous discograhpy from late seventies and eighties. The Famous Rosanna shuffle derived from Bernard Purdie shuffle on Babylon Sisters. Toto was jazz rock fusion pop
That wasn't a harmonica on Babylon, that was a muted trumpet. Such an awesome nostalgic sound!
My work is so stressful right now due to the fact that 25% of the employees are out with Covid so we are all doing three jobs and worried about getting sick ourselves. So I want to give a huge thank you to Mario for your suggestion that cleared all my stress. I always thought Steely Dan was under appreciated but I can't tell you how much watching the passion you two show for their music warms this fans heart. This is one of the friendliest sites on the entire web and your enthusiasm for the music is a constant joy for me. Thank you both!
Ugh so sorry to hear that and hope everyone who is out recovers fully and quickly. Also hoping those are working aren't exposed. We are so happy to be able to send our love through these videos to you and everyone who needs it! Thank you for being such a huge part of what we do... your comments are our joy! Thank YOU!! Lots of love, Lex
The solo is played on a synthesizer with a patch that is supposed to sound like a Harmonica / blues harp in the way Toots Thielemans or Stevie Wonder would play. You may have seen Donald Fagen play melodica live on some songs and he also uses melodica on "Mary shut the garden door" from his solo record "Morph the cat" But on "Hey nineteen" and also on "IGY" from the "Nightfly" he plays a synth. You can´t bend notes on a melodica like he does here.