As a 45 year old black man who's been listening to hip hop and music like steely Dan since high school I am truly happy to see brothers like you shedding light to many peeps who never heard of good 💩 like this!!
Couldn’t have said it better myself, coming from a soon to be 46 year old Hispanic man who grew up to music like this, thanks to my mom. Rest In Peace, Mom.... May 1956-April 2021.
I had the same reaction nearly a generation early (now 61) listening to Earth Wind and Fire. I will always believe, to the day I day I draw my dying breathe, that EWFs "Gratitude" is not only the best Double LP I've ever heard, but the BEST live concert ever recorded. Sun Goddess, New World Symphony...REASONS. Spectacular, one and all. If you haven't listened to this Double LP/Concert, you owe it to do so for yourself before YOU die. Which I hope won't be anytime soon. Re: "Reasons": I was (then) a high tenor. And I was able to match Phillip Baileys highest note. For about five weeks. It destroyed my voice--killed off four octaves. But it was worth it!!!! I was young once too....
Indeed. Abe Laboriel and Larry Carlton have played on lots of projects together and are a great fit. Love them both. Also, Jeff Porcaro played drums on about half the tracks of this album too!
Some years ago as Larry Carlton walked past me at Jazz Alley after his set I thanked him for coming out to Seattle & he patted me on the shoulder. Unexpected gesture I will never forget.
The entirety of Donald Fagen’s “The Nightly” is that great. It’s an iconic album with the best of the best musicians playing on every track. The entire album should be experienced.
Stereotomy...Alan Parsons...was the very first DDD recording.....no mistaking this is an excellent album....all I ask is pay attention to music history.
"The Nightfly" wasn't the first DDD album produced, but it was so meticulously recorded & put together that it was essentially an industry standard for the next 2 decades. Brilliant stuff!
And the ending with just the cowbell and keyboard is like a bomb-ticking sound …all the way down to the sad , lonely harmonica and Don playing solo right to the end. -symbolic and incredible
Walter Becker, unfortunately, had a bad time of it in the late '70s including a heavy narcotics addiction that led to them disbanding in the early '80s. This entire album by Fagen is fantastic, you should really treat yourself by listening to all of it. The video for New Frontier was one of my favorites back when MTV was all about watching music videos.
It was a great video - 'she's got a touch of Tuesday Weld', 'she's wearing Ambush and a French Twist' (the video just clears up any ambiguity). and I liked the homage to Dave Brubeck
This Nightfly album sounds incredible in 5.1 Dolby Digital surround, on DVD Audio. 15 years ago I bought all of the seven Steely Dan and Don Fagen DVD Audio (album) releases. All specifically engineered by Elliott Scheiner (ELS Surround in Acura cars). Breathtaking on a good surround system.
As long as you've started the album, check out "The Nightfly," "I.G.Y.," and "Walk Between the Raindrops." Oh hell, just listen to the whole damn thing . . .
It is pretty dark. It seems to be about a doomsday prepper looking for love. God bless you if you can find a lady that is willing to spend her life in an underground bunker and also digs Brubeck at the same time.
@@humorpotamus Yes, looking at it that way does make it seem a bit dark. But back then it was kinda cool when you found out a family built a bomb shelter in their backyard. Kinda like the fun of having a pool. But he was just dreaming it would be just the two of them as after the apocalypse.
This stuff was recorded at the height of the Cold War, when nuclear war with the Soviets was a real possibility. Steely Dan recorded multiple songs dealing with nuclear holocaust. This is more upbeat, as the earlier stuff dealt with the aftermath, rather than date night!
If you guys want a total trip, check out the genius video that has the Brubeck Quartet covering The Sranglers' Golden Brown. You will be doing a double take and checking your memory banks for which and whose is the cover. ua-cam.com/video/2Qs1J612nZs/v-deo.html
Simply one of THE greatest concept albums of all time. Not a bad cut to found anywhere on the album. When this album came out, it became a favorite "demo & test" record for audio engineers, stereo salesmen, and live sound crews. The first pop album ever to be recorded direct to digital. As others have already said, definitely a "desert island" disc.
I've been waiting for somebody to mention it. Different vibe from The Nightfly, still incredible. The single "Century's End" from the Bright Lights, Big City soundtrack is great as well.
He's writing about real stuff from that time on that album. As a kid, I still remember a big display of bomb shelters at the local shopping center parking lot (no malls yet) that you bury in your backyard. No kidding.
Yep. I remember a fellow selling underground bomb shelters in the parking lot of White's Auto back in the 60s. I thought it would be so cool to have one. Be great to play in.
Jamel - This whole album is just one big groove. PLEASE can I suggest "Walk Between The Raindrops". from this album as well.. One of my favourite songs.
From Wiki.. "After the release of their third LP in 1974, the other members left or were fired from the band, which evolved into a studio project headed by Becker and Fagen." "Steely Dan's best-selling album was 1977's Aja, which was certified platinum. Three years later, they released Gaucho." "Their next album wasn't until 1995, when they released the live album Alive in America. It was followed by the multiple Grammy Award winning Two Against Nature in 2000, and Steely Dan's most recent album Everything Must Go in 2003."
When I was 9 or 10 and first starting to play the drums I got his "Time Out" album as a birthday present. First time I heard Take Five I became an instant Jazz and Dave Brubeck fan and have been ever since!
The juxtaposition of this entire album is incredible. This song is so bouncy, happy and utopian, but the lyrical nods to bomb shelters and the cold war oppose all of that. Brilliant. And you know the song is good when Jamel doesn't pause it once! How often does that happen?
Steely Dan broke up in 1981 but got back together in 2000 and made several great albums before Walter Becker died in 2017. Donald put out several great albums in the 20 odd years they were apart. RIP, Walter. I miss him.
Im a sound engineer, mostly Front of House in live gigs. Nightly is one of my "soundcheck the PA" albums. Im not the only one. Lots of my engineer friends use this and Gaucho to get a feel for how a large system sounds. These albums were the Gold Standard for studio engineering and production. Good taste man
The music video to this is worth watching, by Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton who also directed Tom Tom Club's Genius of Love and created Max Headroom.
I love how he delivers that line. The way he says "I like your eyes- I llllllike him too!" As if he had a little slip of the tongue and was getting embarrassed :)
That little compliment slipped in between lines about 50s jazz combos namely Brubeck (check out TAKE FIVE ) was on purpose I believe. That's the way you do it, money for nothing and your chicks for free.
The cool thing about this tune is unless you pay close attention to the words, you would never guess this song was about the very real potential of nuclear war with Soviet Union in the early 60s during JFKs New Frontier, where tensions about the Berlin Wall and the Cuban Missile Crisis had school kids practicing stop, drop and roll and nuclear bomb attack drills, and fall out shelters were being built. Fagen"s ability to cloak his sometimes depressing and serious songs about society in a sheen of glossy smooth jazzy grooves and catchy melodies is pure genius.
Your "funk" is my "smooth", "easy listening", or "jazzy pop". A tune like Weather report's Cucumber slumber is "funky" in my world :D (Or perhaps "I'm in a funk" means something entirely different? English is pretty foreign to me.)
Unbelievably this song peaked at #70 on the pop charts in 1983. i first saw this video on "night tracks" a weekend video show and thought this song was amazing. He is a musical genius with all his different changes and instruments.. I was shocked it wasn't more popular...this song is a one of a kind
Donald Fagen doesn’t have a bad song in his entire catalog. I can listen to any of it and it makes your day. Truly music that centers you. Keep up the great reactions, brother! Love your work!
When you realize that Jamel didn't notice the cowbell until the end of the song, while it was going through the ENTIRE song, lol. Such a great song, again I reiterate we were spoiled.
You got that right!! The 1970s and early 1980s AM and FM radio airwaves were a veritable cornucopia of musical styles and genres and some great bands/ artists that refused to be pigeonholed!
Yo! My brother had this on CD back in the 80s and I loved it so much. Great sound . You just made me download the whole album, because it is a masterpiece
😆 I'm black and I heard this in 82 when it came out and loved it. My parents didn't judge the music I played. If you like this song you will love all of steely Dan's music. Donald Fagen was the core melody maker.
It's amazing how that simple four note piano riff at the end of the verses makes the song come alive to goosebump level. Donald is a genius songwriter.
Still one of the best concerts I ever saw was Chuck Mangione in 1979 when he was touring off his "Children of Sanchez" album. Two sets: the first was just his quintet playing a lot of songs from Feels So Good and previous albums, after the intermission they were joined by a small ensemble including horns, strings, and percussion to play selections from Sanchez as well as orchestrated versions of other songs such as "Chase the Clouds Away." Total show was over 2 1/2 hours and he and the band hung around afterwards to talk and sign autographs.
"She's got a touch of Tuesday Weld" Tuesday was a famous model and actress of the time. The whole song, indeed album, is full of references to the 50's and 60s and the red scare of the time when America feared a Russian attack on the country. Donald is a fantastic lyricist and musician and I think this was the first album that was entirely recorded digitally. It's a masterpiece and benchmark for all aspiring recording engineers.
That's Larry Carleton playing those guitar solos. He was the original guitarist for the Crusaders, one of my favorite jazz bands led by Joe Sample, Wilton Felder, Wayne Henderson, Pops Popwell, and my favorite drummer from back in the day, Stix Hooper.
Glad you got to this fine album! The production, composition, musicianship and overall talent are on a different level! So smooth and inviting...One of my all time favorites! 🤩
This song STANK sooo bad!!!!! Good Lawd!!! I been listening to this since day one!!!! Still sounds good all these years later!!!! I'm sitting here shruggin my shoulders!!! Jamel, Portland, Oregon loves you!!
I think there's a magic about musicians that have made it that were born between 1900 and 1960. Although there are definitely ones born later than that, that have done some amazing things, I still appreciate the pioneers of this style. They were exposed to more styles and were innovative as well. I grew up with all of this great stuff and am always amazed what they came up with. All the ones that shaped my musical taste when I was a kid were mostly born in the 1930s to 1950s. They left their mark on this world and I appreciate that you are keeping this great music alive.
This whole album is a gift from the gods. Its release date brings me back to my girl I loved - Ms. Michelle and her kids - and the most beautiful time of my life. She was truly also another gift from God who taught me what true love should be. This music was the soundtrack to that time. Thanks to Jamel (and Donald F.) for those gifts.
I remember being about 5 and a tape of this was behind the tv cabinet glass and one thing was for sure is i was not allowed to touch it! More precious than Gold.
Yes indeed!! One of the greatest works of art in decades. A true masterpiece. Love your attitude, your appreciation, your t shirt and your overall vibe. Thanks for spreading beauty and joy!!!!
On a role with my FAVORITE Group and Mr. Donald Fagen from it!!!!! REAL MUSIC!!!! You have no idea Jamel, how happy my soul is right now seeing someone "Get it" and love it! Grown Folks Music!!!! I have to support you now. You bring too much joy😊
This entire album is Groovealicious! One of my favorite albums of the 80s, cause it's not an 80s album 😁 It's a great listen all the way through - not a bad song in the bunch
Can’t emphasize enough how amazing this album is almost 40 years later. So many albums lose their impact as time goes by but I know I’ll be listening to this into my grave. Donald Fagen is a Jazz legend and I thank you for highlighting him.
I came across your channel and you have sincerely helped me ENJOY music again! I grew up in the 70's and forgot how wonderful all of this music was and is - THANK YOU for the gift of enjoying it again!!
Love SD, but did not know about DF solo stuff. TY........a lot!! "Why'd they have to call it quits after I turned one". I love you Jamel....classic reaction!
was that at the schnitzer?.....my daughter got drumsticks a while back there....then she saw them in Vegas ....you gotta start them early on ultra fine music
I used to have a steely dan mix tape for my baby when he got cranky. Mellowed him right down. The only music that would. He's in his thirties now. Really enjoy listening to good music with you.
Love watching you groove to the music of my generation, Jamel. It was always extra great to learn and play these Donald Fagen, and Walter Becker tunes in the bands I played with back in the day, a real treat. I later got to produce casino shows for many of my musical heroes, including Ray Charles. Steely Dan is one of the greatest bands ever, keep exploring and learning; we evolve through our music and goodness brother! Onward... TG.
My son is 37, this was my Saturday Morning clean up music… Steely Dan classics along with Donald Fagens solo stuff. The. album Aja was always playing in my house. Some years ago he treated me to a live concert at the Beacon Theatre here in NYC. This is fabulous music and tons of great hits! Great studio musicians. My faves and the joy of my musical life starting with Ricky Don’t Lose that Number. You know the song. Amazing jazz groove!!!What a groove!!! Enjoy and thanks for your review. Some of us older folks already knew!!❤️❤️❤️
Watching your reaction and appreciation of great music truly brings joy to my heart and hope that more and more people will discover the great music you cover on this channel. Cheers and Mahalo! 👍🏻
@@xebio6 Well, my implicit question was perhaps whether Mr Collier knows about jam sessions. Or is that old meaning dying out in English? Btw, some other typical UA-cam or reactor expressions I often wonder about is "slay the piano", "shredding on guitar" and such. I haven yet found any explanation as to what they really mean, other than that they seem to denote something positive (as opposed to what I though at first).
@@herrbonk3635 For your information where I grew up we referred it as a jam. I’m quite sure Jamal know what I’m talking about since he and I grew up in the same. type of neighborhood.
Definitely check out the song Take Five by Dave Brubeck. Fagen is a fan of modern Jazz, especially the Cool Jazz movement of the 50s and 60s. While Miles Davis, John Coletrane, and other greats were known for the East Coast Cool Jazz sound, Dave Brubeck and his band (who all looked like accountants, much like Fagen on the album cover) perfected their own West Coast Cool Jazz sound. Miles, Coltrane, Chet Baker, Sonny Rollins, and so many other Jazz legends are also worth checking out, because they insipred bands like the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, Earth Wind & Fire, Chicago, and so many others. I am so enjoying watching your journey. It's inspiring to see the joy and surprise in your face as newly discovered music carries you along on this adventure! I'm happy to be a subscriber to your channel, and look forward to more new videos. Thank you and God bless!
I’m happy that you are sharing this awesome artist and I grew up with him in the eighties . I’m 55 years old and eighties are the best times in my life
Just recently found your channel! Love seeing your reactions to hearing these great, timeless tunes from my all-time favorite artist (Donald Fagen) and group (Steely Dan). It’s truly uplifting to see that we share a pure love of great music that transcends any barriers of race/culture/generation
As a 45 year old black man who's been listening to hip hop and music like steely Dan since high school I am truly happy to see brothers like you shedding light to many peeps who never heard of good 💩 like this!!
I’m right there with you, brother Julius...Only difference is I’m 44 and white. Haha 👊🏼
Agree. I am a 45 yo Black woman.
Couldn’t have said it better myself, coming from a soon to be 46 year old Hispanic man who grew up to music like this, thanks to my mom. Rest In Peace, Mom.... May 1956-April 2021.
I had the same reaction nearly a generation early (now 61) listening to Earth Wind and Fire. I will always believe, to the day I day I draw my dying breathe, that EWFs "Gratitude" is not only the best Double LP I've ever heard, but the BEST live concert ever recorded. Sun Goddess, New World Symphony...REASONS. Spectacular, one and all.
If you haven't listened to this Double LP/Concert, you owe it to do so for yourself before YOU die. Which I hope won't be anytime soon.
Re: "Reasons": I was (then) a high tenor. And I was able to match Phillip Baileys highest note. For about five weeks. It destroyed my voice--killed off four octaves.
But it was worth it!!!! I was young once too....
Agreed and I'm a 43 year-old white guy.
When you have Abe Laboriel on bass, Ed Greene on drums, and Larry Carlton on lead guitar, if you're not moving, one might assume you're dead.
Abe is one of the best bass players ever!
Indeed. Abe Laboriel and Larry Carlton have played on lots of projects together and are a great fit. Love them both. Also, Jeff Porcaro played drums on about half the tracks of this album too!
Knew Abe well from his days with Lee Ritenour.
abe’s son is Paul’s drummer. he’s great too
Some years ago as Larry Carlton walked past me at Jazz Alley after his set I thanked him for coming out to Seattle & he patted me on the shoulder. Unexpected gesture I will never forget.
I have never heard a Steely Dan/Donald Fagen song I didn't love! My all time favorite band ! ! ! ! !
Snowbound is underrated I love that one too
Same!!
vonny b kamakiriad?
Me either!! Love them all.
Me too!!!!!!!
The entirety of Donald Fagen’s “The Nightly” is that great. It’s an iconic album with the best of the best musicians playing on every track. The entire album should be experienced.
Agree 💯+%.
Confess your passion, your secret fear. Prepare to meet the challenge of the New Frontier ❤️
Yes
what a songwriter
Challenge accepted!
Their lyrics are timeless!
What a poet and lyricist Fagen is!
This was the first DDD record: Digitally recorded, mixed and mastered. All the best engineers in the business worked on this recording!!
Mianly the late great Roger Nichols.
I thought Dave Grusin’s Mountain Dance was?
Stereotomy...Alan Parsons...was the very first DDD recording.....no mistaking this is an excellent album....all I ask is pay attention to music history.
I did not know that. It sounds great on my stereo system.
"The Nightfly" wasn't the first DDD album produced, but it was so meticulously recorded & put together that it was essentially an industry standard for the next 2 decades. Brilliant stuff!
The whole album is ear candy!
Damn right it is!
And the ending with just the cowbell and keyboard is like a bomb-ticking sound …all the way down to the sad , lonely harmonica and Don playing solo right to the end. -symbolic and incredible
Wow.
A definite desert island disc. Works thousands of times and is still fresh.
That is exactly how I describe it! Definitely a desert island choice!
Me, too! In my Top 5 (3?!) of ALL TIME! Every song is a classic!!!
Whole album...the
Greatest.. feel the
Nightfly 😇
@@jameswilhoite8150 ...hello Baton Rouge!"
well said
Walter Becker, unfortunately, had a bad time of it in the late '70s including a heavy narcotics addiction that led to them disbanding in the early '80s. This entire album by Fagen is fantastic, you should really treat yourself by listening to all of it. The video for New Frontier was one of my favorites back when MTV was all about watching music videos.
I liked watching the Tuesday Weld look-alike climbing up the stairs, but that's just me. Ladies first!
It was a great video - 'she's got a touch of Tuesday Weld', 'she's wearing Ambush and a French Twist' (the video just clears up any ambiguity). and I liked the homage to Dave Brubeck
Fagen's solo work has always been underrated.
Kamakiriad, his following album is another gem!
Totally agree John..he's a master.
Morph the Cat was a great solo album of his.
You know you’re good when you’re addressed as “brother Donald”
I must have played this song literally a million times blasting it in my car and still never tire of it. Nothing like it.
Me too. I still do sometimes.
Donald Fagen's "The Nightfly" was one of the earliest adoptees of an all digital recording.
ironic given the album cover
Ry Cooder „Bob Till You Drop“ I think was the first one and a truly Great Album
This Nightfly album sounds incredible in 5.1 Dolby Digital surround, on DVD Audio. 15 years ago I bought all of the seven Steely Dan and Don Fagen DVD Audio (album) releases. All specifically engineered by Elliott Scheiner (ELS Surround in Acura cars). Breathtaking on a good surround system.
Top 5 album…
@@chris62tt Christopher Cross and Donald Fagen used the same 3M 32 track digital system.
As long as you've started the album, check out "The Nightfly," "I.G.Y.," and "Walk Between the Raindrops." Oh hell, just listen to the whole damn thing . . .
I can't put this album on without just letting it roll start to finish.
I'm the same with every Steely Dan album.
Absolutely!
Oh yes - “Raindrops” is classic!!
Not one bad song.
This song is obviously the BEST song with a bomb shelter theme ever recorded!
love it
Or the worst..climb out unto the sunlight?..nuclear winter? No sunlight..only cold death
It is pretty dark. It seems to be about a doomsday prepper looking for love. God bless you if you can find a lady that is willing to spend her life in an underground bunker and also digs Brubeck at the same time.
@@humorpotamus Yes, looking at it that way does make it seem a bit dark. But back then it was kinda cool when you found out a family built a bomb shelter in their backyard. Kinda like the fun of having a pool. But he was just dreaming it would be just the two of them as after the apocalypse.
This stuff was recorded at the height of the Cold War, when nuclear war with the Soviets was a real possibility. Steely Dan recorded multiple songs dealing with nuclear holocaust. This is more upbeat, as the earlier stuff dealt with the aftermath, rather than date night!
Donald Fagen deserves a Kennedy award for his entire body of work. Genius!! RIP Walter Becker. There will only be one Steely Dan.
He's so smooth Donald Fagan , this guy was born to play music he's so natural.
Funky✔Groove✔ 👍 👍 air candy for Sure.💙
These songs are like wrapping yourself in a warm blanket after being out in the cold....that "Ah, that's more like it" feeling.
“I.G.Y.” (off of the same album) will rearrange your DNA & give you life. Thank me later.
+1
So much this.
What a beautiful world this will be
What a glorious time to be free
Get your ticket to that wheel in space while there's time
100%
💯💯💯💯
Oh, and since you noticed the Brubeck reference, listen to "Take Five", Brubeck's signature song.
Seriously!
Signature song of the Quartet, but written by sax man Paul Desmond.
Or "Blue Rondo ala Turk" same album.
If you guys want a total trip, check out the genius video that has the Brubeck Quartet covering The Sranglers' Golden Brown. You will be doing a double take and checking your memory banks for which and whose is the cover. ua-cam.com/video/2Qs1J612nZs/v-deo.html
Try to clap along to Unsquare Dance!
Simply one of THE greatest concept albums of all time. Not a bad cut to found anywhere on the album. When this album came out, it became a favorite "demo & test" record for audio engineers, stereo salesmen, and live sound crews. The first pop album ever to be recorded direct to digital. As others have already said, definitely a "desert island" disc.
Pretty sure the first time i heard IGY was in a stereo and tv store when my mom bought a stereo system :)
Not to mention when the VIDEO came out they played it ONCE an HOUR with hall and oates lol and whoever 🤣 because that's all the videos they had!!
This music and his voice just puts you in a mood and place of pure serenity 💗🕊️
100%
Also! Donalds other solo album is amazing. "Kamakiriad"
I've been waiting for somebody to mention it. Different vibe from The Nightfly, still incredible. The single "Century's End" from the Bright Lights, Big City soundtrack is great as well.
@@spongo I have a friend who played drums on Ruby Baby.
Kamakiriad secretly one of the best albums of all time
H Gang is A great BEAUTIFUL great song from his album Morph The Cat Such a a distinct UNBAN VIBE
@@robstearns7080
Yesssss And Mary Shut The Garden Door
This song was a Bop then, it's a Bop now, it will be a Bop forever.
She-bop, we bop & they bop, you bop, I bop........
Agree
I once drove all the way from California to North Texas and listened to this on cassette the whole way! Amazing album with incredible musicianship!
Love it that you've been groovin' to all of that Steely Dan and now checking out Fagen's first solo effort. Keep going, man!
He's writing about real stuff from that time on that album. As a kid, I still remember a big display of bomb shelters at the local shopping center parking lot (no malls yet) that you bury in your backyard. No kidding.
We had similar in the UK during the 2nd World War. They were called Anderson shelters.
Ahh. Ok that would explain the bomb shelter referenced in the video.
Yep. I remember a fellow selling underground bomb shelters in the parking lot of White's Auto back in the 60s. I thought it would be so cool to have one. Be great to play in.
Civil Defense shelters, bomb drills! How did we survive🤔
@@michaeldubya Duck and cover baby.
I would also suggest Green Flower Street and The Goodbye Look from this album!!!
I thought The Goodbye Look was on Gaucho! Thanks!
Me too, two of the best!
“Goodbye” is epic!!
Ruby Baby and Maxine....Don’t forget!
Great selection's. :-)
Jamel - This whole album is just one big groove. PLEASE can I suggest "Walk Between The Raindrops". from this album as well.. One of my favourite songs.
This my favorite late night driving record
Something about this album with just the glow of the dashboard cluster
Exactly!!😊
Yep, late after midnight on a summer''s night with the windows open. Good memories, thank you for helping me remember.
@@Fooleish recently did that with this album and I'm in my 20s. That's awesome
I’ve never heard this song, and I think I’m in love. ❤️ Added to playlist. Thank you, everyone!!
Do yourself a favor. Just get the whole album. It’s so worth it.
Steely Dan founded in 1971 and disbanded in 1981. One decade, as titled by their greatest hit album, "A Decade of Steely Dan".
From Wiki..
"After the release of their third LP in 1974, the other members left or were fired from the band, which evolved into a studio project headed by Becker and Fagen."
"Steely Dan's best-selling album was 1977's Aja, which was certified platinum. Three years later, they released Gaucho."
"Their next album wasn't until 1995, when they released the live album Alive in America. It was followed by the multiple Grammy Award winning Two Against Nature in 2000, and Steely Dan's most recent album Everything Must Go in 2003."
Saw them live in the early 90s. It was pretty fabulous. It was the first opportunity I’d had to see them.
There wasn't a bad cut on this album. BTW, you should do some Dave Brubeck, like "Take Five" if you haven't heard it.
Chuck Mangione - "Feels So Good"
Herb Alpert - "Rise"
🤣Ha! Just listened to this a few hours ago!! Did yoga to Brubeck!
My Daddy introduced me to Brubeck's "Time Further Out" around the time JFK was in office.
When I was 9 or 10 and first starting to play the drums I got his "Time Out" album as a birthday present. First time I heard Take Five I became an instant Jazz and Dave Brubeck fan and have been ever since!
@@mattpobursky850 Time Further Out would have messed with your head severely. Consider "Unsquare Dance" ua-cam.com/video/lbdEzRfbeH4/v-deo.html
The juxtaposition of this entire album is incredible. This song is so bouncy, happy and utopian, but the lyrical nods to bomb shelters and the cold war oppose all of that. Brilliant. And you know the song is good when Jamel doesn't pause it once! How often does that happen?
The sophistication of this pop is really what makes it stand out.
Melodic, toe tappin, with depth and layering. Unmatched production value.
Steely Dan broke up in 1981 but got back together in 2000 and made several great albums before Walter Becker died in 2017. Donald put out several great albums in the 20 odd years they were apart. RIP, Walter. I miss him.
It is such a joy to see you get into this 🎧🎶 such fantastic music!...and it’s ALIVE!
Im a sound engineer, mostly Front of House in live gigs. Nightly is one of my "soundcheck the PA" albums. Im not the only one. Lots of my engineer friends use this and Gaucho to get a feel for how a large system sounds. These albums were the Gold Standard for studio engineering and production. Good taste man
The music video to this is worth watching, by Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton who also directed Tom Tom Club's Genius of Love and created Max Headroom.
Agree.... the video was absolutely cutting edge in the early MTV days. I have always loved this song!
"I hear you're mad about Brubeck
I like your eyes, I like him too
He's an artist, a pioneer
We've got to have some music on the new frontier"
I love how he delivers that line. The way he says "I like your eyes- I llllllike him too!" As if he had a little slip of the tongue and was getting embarrassed :)
That little compliment slipped in between lines about 50s jazz combos namely Brubeck (check out TAKE FIVE ) was on purpose I believe. That's the way you do it, money for nothing and your chicks for free.
this one song has like 9 killer lines. Donald is easily one of the greatest writers in music history.
Patrick Stallings, have you read his book, EMINENT HIPSTERS. I recommend it. He makes the word hipster cool again.
The cool thing about this tune is unless you pay close attention to the words, you would never guess this song was about the very real potential of nuclear war with Soviet Union in the early 60s during JFKs New Frontier, where tensions about the Berlin Wall and the Cuban Missile Crisis had school kids practicing stop, drop and roll and nuclear bomb attack drills, and fall out shelters were being built. Fagen"s ability to cloak his sometimes depressing and serious songs about society in a sheen of glossy smooth jazzy grooves and catchy melodies is pure genius.
Well said.
Two artists I go to when I'm in "a funk": Michael Franks and Donald Fagen.
Thank you for reminding me of Michael Franks!! Aaahhh! He's not on my playlists, must do something about that.
I went thru a whole phase of Michael Franks, haven't listened in ages.
Your "funk" is my "smooth", "easy listening", or "jazzy pop". A tune like Weather report's Cucumber slumber is "funky" in my world :D (Or perhaps "I'm in a funk" means something entirely different? English is pretty foreign to me.)
Ohhhh Michael FRANKS you just brought back memories. Michael Franks my years in the Caribbean oh smooth
The whole album is the album all others will be judged by for production, song writing and all around general genius.
Unbelievably this song peaked at #70 on the pop charts in 1983. i first saw this video on "night tracks" a weekend video show and thought this song was amazing. He is a musical genius with all his different changes and instruments.. I was shocked it wasn't more popular...this song is a one of a kind
Donald Fagen doesn’t have a bad song in his entire catalog. I can listen to any of it and it makes your day. Truly music that centers you. Keep up the great reactions, brother! Love your work!
True Companion?
@@FizzgigMcarthur Great song from Heavy Metal! One of my favorites. Very atmospheric.
When you realize that Jamel didn't notice the cowbell until the end of the song, while it was going through the ENTIRE song, lol. Such a great song, again I reiterate we were spoiled.
You got that right!!
The 1970s and early 1980s AM and FM radio airwaves were a veritable cornucopia of musical styles and genres and some great bands/ artists that refused to be pigeonholed!
They got back together and ended up winning a Grammy for album of the year in 2000.
Two Against Nature has some solid
grooves on it as well. Jack of Speed and the title track, ohyah.
@@jeffrichard9338 PLEAAAASE Jack of speed!!
Yep that album upset Eminem who thought he had it made. Hahahaha
Jack of Speed - ABSOLUTE must!
@@jeffrichard9338 When I run front of house sound, I tune the room with Jack of Speed!
They are playing this summer at Jones Beach Theatre on Long Island, NY with Steve Windwood. I am so excited!
Awesome
I am seeing them in June!!!
They’re playing at the. Xfinity center in Mansfield, MA. I hope it doesn’t get cancelled
My sister took me to see Steve Windwood a very long time ago at…. Jones Beach
Yo! My brother had this on CD back in the 80s and I loved it so much. Great sound . You just made me download the whole album, because it is a masterpiece
Please check out George Benson...Anything from the Breezin' album. "This masquerade" in particular.⭐❤️
Great choice!!
Hell, yeah!
Loved that album,
LOVE that song!!
I prefer "Affirmation"!
@@sharonraizor2839 Affirmation is also my favorite. Breezin' and Aja are my two favorite albums.
😆 I'm black and I heard this in 82 when it came out and loved it. My parents didn't judge the music I played. If you like this song you will love all of steely Dan's music. Donald Fagen was the core melody maker.
It's amazing how that simple four note piano riff at the end of the verses makes the song come alive to goosebump level. Donald is a genius songwriter.
Chuck Mangione - "Feels So Good"
Herb Alpert - "Rise"
YES!!
Chuck Mangione -"The Hill Where The Lord Hides"
Still one of the best concerts I ever saw was Chuck Mangione in 1979 when he was touring off his "Children of Sanchez" album. Two sets: the first was just his quintet playing a lot of songs from Feels So Good and previous albums, after the intermission they were joined by a small ensemble including horns, strings, and percussion to play selections from Sanchez as well as orchestrated versions of other songs such as "Chase the Clouds Away." Total show was over 2 1/2 hours and he and the band hung around afterwards to talk and sign autographs.
Fun and Games - Chuck Mangione
Hwy 101 - Herb Alpert
Actual Proof - Herbie Hancock
Carnival - Spyro Gyra
Birdland - Weather Report
Wow.....I wish@@submandave1125
Jamel lit up when his Cowbell chimed in, LOL
This kind off music never gets old Just perfect.!!👌👏👏👏
"She's got a touch of Tuesday Weld" Tuesday was a famous model and actress of the time. The whole song, indeed album, is full of references to the 50's and 60s and the red scare of the time when America feared a Russian attack on the country. Donald is a fantastic lyricist and musician and I think this was the first album that was entirely recorded digitally. It's a masterpiece and benchmark for all aspiring recording engineers.
That's Larry Carleton playing those guitar solos. He was the original guitarist for the Crusaders, one of my favorite jazz bands led by Joe Sample, Wilton Felder, Wayne Henderson, Pops Popwell, and my favorite drummer from back in the day, Stix Hooper.
Stix is criminally underrated. What a groove master.
Glad you got to this fine album! The production, composition, musicianship and overall talent are on a different level! So smooth and inviting...One of my all time favorites! 🤩
This song STANK sooo bad!!!!! Good Lawd!!! I been listening to this since day one!!!! Still sounds good all these years later!!!! I'm sitting here shruggin my shoulders!!! Jamel, Portland, Oregon loves you!!
Now we're talkin' Jamel!Grooovy Baby!🎶🎸🎹🎵🎤🐮🔔🎶
It’s like hearing their songs for the first time with Jamal. It’s ageless and timeless
This haunting and dazzling song sounds fantastic listening thru real headphones.
I think there's a magic about musicians that have made it that were born between 1900 and 1960. Although there are definitely ones born later than that, that have done some amazing things, I still appreciate the pioneers of this style. They were exposed to more styles and were innovative as well. I grew up with all of this great stuff and am always amazed what they came up with. All the ones that shaped my musical taste when I was a kid were mostly born in the 1930s to 1950s. They left their mark on this world and I appreciate that you are keeping this great music alive.
I was also born in that time, ha ha!
This whole album is a gift from the gods. Its release date brings me back to my girl I loved - Ms. Michelle and her kids - and the most beautiful time of my life. She was truly also another gift from God who taught me what true love should be. This music was the soundtrack to that time. Thanks to Jamel (and Donald F.) for those gifts.
They each (Donald and Walter) did some solo work... they are all great. They came back together and did two more albums in 2000 and 2003.
I remember being about 5 and a tape of this was behind the tv cabinet glass and one thing was for sure is i was not allowed to touch it! More precious than Gold.
Yes indeed!! One of the greatest works of art in decades. A true masterpiece. Love your attitude, your appreciation, your t shirt and your overall vibe. Thanks for spreading beauty and joy!!!!
Now do the music video for this song. It was considered one of the best in the "early days" of MTV. Female director too if I remember correctly.
Love the video!
On a role with my FAVORITE Group and Mr. Donald Fagen from it!!!!! REAL MUSIC!!!! You have no idea Jamel, how happy my soul is right now seeing someone "Get it" and love it! Grown Folks Music!!!! I have to support you now. You bring too much joy😊
This entire album is Groovealicious! One of my favorite albums of the 80s, cause it's not an 80s album 😁
It's a great listen all the way through - not a bad song in the bunch
Classic and indispensable. I often play this wonderful album. Followed them since '72, finally seeing them in London in 2009.
The band was *initially* , together for 10 years. Donald went solo. Musical genius indeed.
Steely Dan...
@@grahamhooper9696 Period!
Can’t emphasize enough how amazing this album is almost 40 years later. So many albums lose their impact as time goes by but I know I’ll be listening to this into my grave. Donald Fagen is a Jazz legend and I thank you for highlighting him.
This album has celebrated its 40th Anniversary of its release and still sounds great even today.
Since the anniversary if I’m in a music store I’ll buy The Nightfly in whatever format they have. Starting a collection for the impending grandkids.
I came across your channel and you have sincerely helped me ENJOY music again! I grew up in the 70's and forgot how wonderful all of this music was and is - THANK YOU for the gift of enjoying it again!!
Love SD, but did not know about DF solo stuff. TY........a lot!!
"Why'd they have to call it quits after I turned one". I love you Jamel....classic reaction!
He is just as incredible live. He performed here in Portland a few years ago. Raised my kids right.....my son went with me and loved every minute.
was that at the schnitzer?.....my daughter got drumsticks a while back there....then she saw them in Vegas
....you gotta start them early on ultra fine music
@@raderke It was at the Moda with the Doobies in 2018. My kids have been listening to the good stuff all of their lives....and they are in their 30s.
mine in their 30s also.....last time I saw Steely Dan was 96.....Moda was Rosegarden then...but my daughter has seen them 3 times
You have to do "Walk Between the Raindrops" from this album! Killer swinging groove!
I used to have a steely dan mix tape for my baby when he got cranky. Mellowed him right down. The only music that would. He's in his thirties now. Really enjoy listening to good music with you.
"We've got to have some music on the new frontier".....this will do just fine thanks.
Love watching you groove to the music of my generation, Jamel. It was always extra great to learn and play these Donald Fagen, and Walter Becker tunes in the bands I played with back in the day, a real treat. I later got to produce casino shows for many of my musical heroes, including Ray Charles. Steely Dan is one of the greatest bands ever, keep exploring and learning; we evolve through our music and goodness brother! Onward... TG.
Always REALLY liked this one!
Great to hear this song and great to see you enjoy this as well. Like FYI its been a few years since hearing this song/album.
Jamel you made my day! Check out “Cousin Dupree” by Steely Dan, and listen to the lyrics reeeeaaal well!
My son is 37, this was my Saturday Morning clean up music… Steely Dan classics along with Donald Fagens solo stuff. The. album Aja was always playing in my house. Some years ago he treated me to a live concert at the Beacon Theatre here in NYC. This is fabulous music and tons of great hits! Great studio musicians. My faves and the joy of my musical life starting with Ricky Don’t Lose that Number. You know the song. Amazing jazz groove!!!What a groove!!! Enjoy and thanks for your review. Some of us older folks already knew!!❤️❤️❤️
Brother your gonna love the album….
Watching your reaction and appreciation of great music truly brings joy to my heart and hope that more and more people will discover the great music you cover on this channel. Cheers and Mahalo! 👍🏻
Brother J, if you haven't done it already...
"The Goodbye Look" from Donald Fagen...
☮&❤ my Brother from another mother!
I'm so happy you are listening to this song! Its one of my favorites.
That harmonica sounding instrument is a breath powered keyboard called a Melodica...Fagan is probably the best Melodica players there is.
You are right about Fabian and the Melodically. However, the album credits Hugh McCracken with playing the harmonica on this track...
Jamal such a cool Dude!!!!Helped me through the covid!Thank you Sir!
Walt Becker’s solo effort though not producing hit singles is still a premiere jam.
Do they really jam (improvise together)? I though they produced their records very strictly.
@@herrbonk3635 "A jam" here means crazy good music, especially if it's groovy. Not a jam session. You're right in that they were such perfectionists.
@@xebio6 Well, my implicit question was perhaps whether Mr Collier knows about jam sessions. Or is that old meaning dying out in English?
Btw, some other typical UA-cam or reactor expressions I often wonder about is "slay the piano", "shredding on guitar" and such. I haven yet found any explanation as to what they really mean, other than that they seem to denote something positive (as opposed to what I though at first).
@@herrbonk3635 For your information where I grew up we referred it as a jam. I’m quite sure Jamal know what I’m talking about since he and I grew up in the same. type of neighborhood.
@@rogerscollier7424 So your jam means...?
The usage I knew were
1) fruit+sugar in a jar
2) something got stuck
3) playing music freely together
Definitely check out the song Take Five by Dave Brubeck. Fagen is a fan of modern Jazz, especially the Cool Jazz movement of the 50s and 60s. While Miles Davis, John Coletrane, and other greats were known for the East Coast Cool Jazz sound, Dave Brubeck and his band (who all looked like accountants, much like Fagen on the album cover) perfected their own West Coast Cool Jazz sound. Miles, Coltrane, Chet Baker, Sonny Rollins, and so many other Jazz legends are also worth checking out, because they insipred bands like the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, Earth Wind & Fire, Chicago, and so many others.
I am so enjoying watching your journey. It's inspiring to see the joy and surprise in your face as newly discovered music carries you along on this adventure! I'm happy to be a subscriber to your channel, and look forward to more new videos. Thank you and God bless!
It got me off the chair and dancing - real '80's!..lol
I’m happy that you are sharing this awesome artist and I grew up with him in the eighties . I’m 55 years old and eighties are the best times in my life
Take a listen to “Any Major Dude” by SD.
Yesssss second this!
Fourth
Fifth
Just recently found your channel!
Love seeing your reactions to hearing these great, timeless tunes from my all-time favorite artist (Donald Fagen) and group (Steely Dan).
It’s truly uplifting to see that we share a pure love of great music that transcends any
barriers of race/culture/generation
His next album “Kamakiriad” is pretty good too. I recommend Trans-Island Skyway
The New Frontier groove continues ALL the way thru Trans Island Skyway & Countermoon!
Florida Room is my favorite.
YOU DID IT DIDN'T YOU MY BROTHER! Discovered 1 of 4 great Fagen solo-album GEMS! Don't stop !