Read more from the author HERE. This column is sponsored by Aviation Records.
Seven-time Grammy award winner Roger Nichols succumbed to pancreatic cancer in April, 2011 at age 66. Renowned for his engineering work on such Steely Dan albums as Aja, Katy Lied, and Two Against Nature, the longtime music fan sidestepped a career in nuclear engineering for a permanent stint behind a recording console that also captured thunderous takes from such revered luminaries as Placido Domingo and Frank Sinatra. Of course, the sound of Steely Dan vocalist Donald Fagen was nowhere near as smooth as the Chariman of the Board's tenor. Nichols, however, added a sheen to the group's studio recordings that stamped them as documents of the highest quality, both critically and commercially.
Because of the carefully crafted nature of the Steely Dan discography, the original albums do not vary in quality much, with each containing a greater successive degree of contributions from lauded session players including Wilton Felder of the Crusaders and Steve Gadd. Guitarist Larry Carlton joins in, contributing an even deeper sense of jazz comprehension to the table, while even Wayne Shorter of Weather Report spices up some tracks.
From Can't Buy a Thrill (1972) through 1980's Gaucho, the group's albums displayed wide-ranging stylistic variety encompassing the sounds of rock ("Reelin' in the Years"), reggae ("Haitian Divorce"), blues ("Chain Lightning"), and even country ("With a Gun".) But, by far, the band's greatest contribution to the world of music was its constant return to its jazz-fusion roots as explored en masse by the 1978 "Record of the Year," Aja.
An extended hiatus resulted in several solo recordings issued by both Fagen and bassist Walter Becker; much of the material resembled the sound of Gaucho combined with 1980s and 1990s production gloss. But the audio surface of 2001's Two Against Nature fortunately benefitted from the stripped-down approach that had typified such popular artists as Norah Jones. Ultimately, the success of the reunion disc was less expansive in scope yet essential in its furthering of the original Steely Dan musical ethos. as if time had never stopped, and, a decade on, the road continues for the duo of weathered jazz troubadours.
A decade on, the road rolls on for the duo of weathered jazz troubadours, and, combining the familiar with the not-so-standard, here is a list of the twelve best Steely Dan recordings. For longtime fans and newcomers, the list is a reminder that tasteful, improvisatory musicianship never truly evaded the musical landscape-even if it has been replaced by distorted guitars, electronic beats, and vocoders.
Track: Reeling in the Years
CD: Can't Buy a Thrill (MCA 11886)
Musicians: Donald Fagen (vocals, piano), Walter Becker (bass), Jeff "Skunk" Baxter (guitar), Denny Dias (guitar), Elliot Randall (guitar), David Palmer (background vocals), Jim Hodder (drums). Composed by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen.
"Reelin' in the Years" is one of Steely Dan's most beloved songs. The antagonist portrayed within has seemingly ruined Donald Fagen's life, and he questions every stage of the person's existence, from their teenage years to their lack of success in college to infidelity that confirms that the object of his affection was neither knowledgeable nor sensitive to his needs.
Implying that his lover has stolen both his money and tears and has left him emotionally bankrupt, Fagen's negativity leads him to croon, "You wouldn't even know a diamond if you held it in your hand," and, in his self-examination, he determines that he would never commit to the individual. Without denial, he reflects upon the past and, while he cannot forget it ("The trip we made to Hollywood is etched upon my mind"), his wish is to put it away forever, claiming that the person's "everlasting sermon" is fading fast.
To the writers of this track, those who lack education who claim to be geniuses are the real problem in the world. Backed by Elliot Randall's crunchy, distorted lead guitar, this song is the place to start when discovering the music of Steely Dan.
Track: Bodhisattva
CD: Countdown to Ecstasy (MCA 11887)
Musicians: Donald Fagen (vocals, piano, synthesizer), Walter Becker (bass), Jeff "Skunk" Baxter (guitar), Denny Dias (guitar), Jim Hodder (drums). Composed by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen.
"Bodhisattva" is an excellent track dealing with a somewhat obscure topic in a Western world that, according to Steely Dan frontman Donald Fagen a few years later, welcomes its citizens with "sausage and beer."
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a bodhisattva is, "a being that compassionately refrains from entering nirvana in order to save others and is worshipped as a deity in Mahayana Buddhism." However, you have to question the beliefs of the narrator here, who surely proof that the religion works to even begin to believe in it. Sarcastically, vocalist Donald Fagen instructs whomever acts as his "shakabuku" (or initiator) to take him "by the hand" and lead him to verifiable proof of the religion's powers. The only true reference to anything specific includes mentions of Japan and China, but this "china" is not the country but an allusion to the porcelain that is manufactured in that nation. Hence , in stating that he would like to see "the sparkle of your china," the lyricist states that he basically could never believe in what he considers the "porcelain god" of organized religion. In the final verse, a note about cults and religious fanatics surfaces in the words, "I'm going to sell my house in town," a commentary which could mean that Fagen had checked out the scene and could not relate to those who sacrifice everything for religion's sake.
Exactly why the main character is so skeptical is the question; certainly, he had been led to explore the tenets of the practice, but, upon meeting its ideologies, a complete rejection seems in order. The guitar duel between Denny Dias and Jeff Baxter creates a jazz firestorm within, as the person who was termed a "Razor Boy" and one of Hollywood's "Show Biz Kids" on the very same album may not be quite ready for such a major (and shocking) change in his life to occur.
Track: Peg
CD: Aja (MCA 112056)
Musicians: Donald Fagen (vocals), Paul Griffin (electric piano, background vocals), Jay Graydon (guitar), Steve Khan (guitar), Don Grolnick (clavinet), Tom Scott (lyricon), Chuck Rainey (bass), Rick Marotta (drums), Victor Feldman (percussion), Gary Coleman (percussion), Chuck Findley (trumpet), Jim Horn, Plas Johnson, Jackie Kelso (saxophone, flute), Richard "Slyde" Hyde (trombone). Composed by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen.
"Peg" is a rare instance in Steely Dan's discography where the music takes precedence over the lyrics. While the storyline chronicles the life of a Hollywood hopeful, the peppy funk tune is given the royal treatment by a stellar cast of musicians including Bernard "Pretty" Purdie, Chuck Rainey, and backing vocalist Michael McDonald, a frequent contributor to Becker and Fagen's recordings.
According to Rainey's interview during VH-1's The Making of Aja, he added slap bass behind Becker and Fagen's backs during downtime. Good call on his part, as helps the music thrive in an engaging and friendly sort of way. With guitarist Jay Graydon placing the icing on the cake with a melodic, yet technical solo, the track still captivates after thousands of listens.
Whether or not the subject matter is about long-forgotten actress Peg Entwistle, who committed suicide by throwing herself from the Hollywood sign, is uncertain-after all, there are several actresses named "Peg" listed in the Internet Movie Database. However, you will most likely get into the groove before you consider the lyrics, which is a refreshing and welcome change in a catalog of music largely sequestered in psychoanalysis.
Track: Gaslighting Abbie
CD: Two Against Nature (Giant 24719)
Musicians: Donald Fagen (Fender Rhodes, clavinet, vocals), Walter Becker (guitars), Tom Barney (bass), Ricky Lawson (drums), Chris Potter (tenor saxophone), Michael Leonhart (trumpet), Roger Rosenberg (bass clarinet), Jim Pugh (trombone), Lawrence Feldman (clarinet), Dave Trifani (tenor saxophone), Carolyn Leonhart, Cynthia Calhoun, Michael Harvey (background vocals). Composed by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen.
Two Against Nature won Steely Dan a 2001 Grammy award for Album of the Year, and the recording stands out for its bouncy, upbeat nature rather than for the drab, dark undertones that colored Gaucho, its studio predecessor.
"Gaslighting Abbie" maintains the group's standard of twisting bop-influenced grooves together with characters whose true natures unfold as the song progresses. Here, a husband attempts to drive his wife crazy with his lover's help, and described are the techniques that will erase his summertime pain ("Flame is the game/the game we call Gaslighting Abbie/It's a luscious invention for three".) This "game" involves psychological torture , assisted by blood, fifteen watt light bulbs, fresh cable, and spiked herbal tea. As Fagen sings of these activities, concluding, "a tweak or two and she's out of here," you have to wonder whether or not you would feel comfortable sitting alongside him in the same room. In many ways, this track could be the most explicit Steely Dan recording, as far as its subject matter is concerned. However, that does not keep it from being one of their most effective.
Track: Hey Nineteen
CD: Gaucho (MCA 112055)
Musicians: Donald Fagen (vocals, piano, synthesizer), Walter Becker (bass), Hugh McCracken (guitar), Rich Marotta (drums), Steve Gadd (percussion), Victor Feldman (percussion), Frank Floyd and Zack Sanders (background vocals). Composed by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen.
While "Hey Nineteen"'s narrator may not be a true "Gaucho" in the South American sense, he gets his kicks from Colombian cannabis, Cuervo Gold, and human jailbait. While the pleasures reflected upon are fleeting, the basis for his admiration is purely physical in that the two can share pleasures of an illicit (rather than intelligent) nature; she is so out of touch with reality that she is not familiar with Aretha Franklin, the "Queen of Soul." Her worldly vision is interesting in that, even though Ms. Franklin is best known for her vast array of rhythm and blues recordings from the 1960s, she was still a current artist and a viable record seller in 1980, the year that this track hit #10 on the Billboard pop chart.
Obviously, the woman referenced in "Hey Nineteen" is even more clueless than the "average" pop music buyer in an era when the track was popular with that demographic. In fact, Donald Fagen's reference to Franklin seems to set the entire tone of the recording; a soul chorus cascades over vague disco/R&B beats that could easily pass for pop and rides a traditional rhythm alongside a variety of simpler chord variations. Ultimately, this tale of an intergenerational love affair seems even more relevant thirty years on into an era where such trysts are more common than they were at the time of recording.
Track: Do it Again
CD: Can't Buy a Thrill (MCA 11886)
Musicians: Donald Fagen (vocals, piano, electric piano), Walter Becker (bass), Jeff Baxter (guitar), Denny Dias (guitar), Victor Feldman (percussion), Jim Hodder (drums). Composed by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen.
Steely Dan's highest Billboard chart entry (#6), "Do it Again" acts as a basic blueprint for their music. The track fuses latin jazz flourishes and a light samba feel that provides the catalyst for some awesome sitar-guitar soloing by Denny Dias, and the scene is set "at the border," where the main character is "gunning" for a perceived thief of "water."
Whether or not the "water" is H2O is debatable, but what is known is that whatever is in question is consumable, as the quest seems to consume his life with negative results. After he is dragged by his feet into a place where "mourners" sing, his fate seems sealed as he acknowledges the streets are less safe for him than prison because of the general problem of readjustment back into society. Back on the outside to "do it again" (whatever "it" is), this man has obviously failed tremendously. His character his character is so flawed that, as a liar by nature, he finds himself "back in Vegas" after claiming that he is not a gambling man.
What a shame, because Fagen describes someone who has certainly been given more than one chance at life and has refused to alter his behavior. Life goes on, as do mistakes left corrected, but the main question is if he had been willing to "swear and kick and beg" while pleading for freedom, why didn't he change his abhorrent behavior before it was too late. The judge was smart in letting him go as a punishment; as a lifelong criminal, he would have been right at home behind bars, that's for sure.
Track: Babylon Sisters
CD: Gaucho (MCA 112055)
Musicians: Donald Fagen (vocals), Steve Khan (guitar), Don Grolnick (electric piano), Tom Scott (alto and tenor saxophones, clarinet), Randy Brecker (trumpet, flugelhorn), Chuck Rainey (bass), Bernard Purdie (drums), Patti Austin (vocals), Diva Grey, Gordon Grody, Lani Groves, Leslie Miller, Toni Wine (background vocals), Walter Kane, George Marge (bass clarinet), Rob Mounsey (horn arrangement), Crusher Bennett (percussion). Composed by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen.
"Babylon Sisters" utilizes one of Steely Dan's most intricate chord charts. The tale is immediately followed by "Hey Nineteen" on the 1980 album Gaucho, so you will notice a pattern in the themes that, while plaintively referenced in the lyrics, play out much more quizzically here.
Chronicling the plight of characters who have crossed the "point of no return," as in "Hey Nineteen," this particular narrator seems to possess some sort of fetish for women "so fine, so young." Of course, this leaves us wondering a) why are these pleasures "cheap" yet "not free," and why are they being linked to Tijuana when it does not sound as though the rendezvous is happening outside of L.A. ("Here come those Santa Ana winds again"), b) even though it is obvious that the character should not play with the "fire" his desire for "cotton candy" objectifies, why are the characters heading out of town for a "one- night stand" when they could simply stay in their own hometown, and c) why does the speaker characterize himself as not what he "used to be," even though his exploits seem to find him in peak form?
If all else fails in your quest for answers, focus on the searing horn section, which punches the air with its unison riffs, the slow dirge that definitely plays as a musical oxymoron to the story (even though it may symbolize the actual act), and, once again, the challenging chart, which probably features the most chord changes in their entire catalog. These elements drown out the vocals, which are mixed so low that they're tough to hear. However, if you listen closely, they are clear-even if the muse's motives are not.
Track: Josie
CD: Aja (MCA 112056)
Musicians: Donald Fagen (vocals, synthesizer), Walter Becker (guitar), Larry Carlton (guitar), Dean Parks (guitar), Chuck Rainey (bass), Jim Keltner (drums, percussion), Victor Feldman (electric piano), Timothy B. Schmit (vocals), Chuck Findley (trumpet), Jim Horn, Plas Johnson, Jackie Kelso (saxophones, flutes), Richard "Slyde" Hyde (trombone). Composed by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen.
From the Aja CD, "Josie" is constructed around light jazz flourishes, a horn section that keeps the group's syncopation tight as a headlock, and an infectious, celebratory energy where the cheerfully positive vibe is transparent.
In a familiar way, "Josie" avoids an explanation of what is truly happening in the lives of the characters. While, in lead singer Donald Fagen's eyes, it is "good" that she is returning to the neighborhood because she, for some reason, is its "pride," he contradicts this by stating that it is "bad" that she has returned in her current form because, before, she was, "the best friend we never had."
Strong emotions are voiced by the narrator when it is stated that hats, hooters, and motor scooters are going to appear during a beach party that occurs upon her arrival. The lack of further description of who Josie is, though, still makes this a puzzle worth solving.
Track: Kid Charlemagne
CD: The Royal Scam (MCA 112051)
Musicians: Donald Fagen (vocals), Larry Carlton (guitar), Chuck Rainey (Bass), Bernard Purdie (drums), Paul Griffin (keyboards), Don Grolnick (keyboards), Michael McDonald (vocals), Venetta Fields, Clydie King, Shirley Matthews (vocals). Composed by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen.
Larry Carlton's fierce solo on "Kid Charlemagne" is widely viewed as one of the most important guitar solos in history. Without Donald Fagen's dire reflections of 1960s San Francisco acid culture, though, the tune would not exist in the first place. In reference (or not, as these things go) to Ken Kesey's novel The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, the protagonist is a chemist on the lam. Unfortunately for him, his fame has exceeded expectations, and, if he is caught, prison time is assured because of the nature of the crime-mainly, manufacturing and selling drugs.
The character referenced in the song's title is someone who exists on the fringes of the then-current 70s world which had longed for the conservatism that future president Ronald Reagan embodied. His generation, according to the narrator, has no use for a person such as an LSD manufacturer whose time in the scene of alternative lifestyles was obviously limited by the sheer weight of his notoreity. "You are obsolete/look at all the white men on the street," he is warned, and he is later deemed an outlaw in the eyes of the law.
At the end, when the character loosely based on the enigmatic and recently departed Owsley Stanley is arrested after his car runs out of gas, a police officer tells him that even he knows of his reputation amongst the prisoners in the jail ("The people down the hall know who you are") and you get the feeling that he should have taken the officer's advice to minimize the amount of illegal items that he carries with him on the city streets. This is a story without unexpected twists that always ends tragically.
Track: Pretzel Logic
CD: Pretzel Logic (MCA 11917)
Musicians: Donald Fagen (vocals), Walter Becker (bass), Jeff Baxter (guitar), Dean Parks (acoustic guitar), Michael Omartian (paino), Jim Gordon (drums), Victor Feldman (percussion), David Palmer (background vocals), Wilton Felder, Plas Johnson, Ollie Mitchell, Jerome Richardson, Ernie Watts (horns). Composed by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen.
The true meaning of Steely Dan's "Pretzal Logic" will remain undiscovered without asking its authors for a direct explanation. You may, however, hear a tale that longs for the simplicity of the Golden Age of Hollywood as it reluctantly accepts the entertainment industry's current condition of modernization. "Those days are gone forever," Fagen sings as he laments stepping "up to the platform" and being scrutinized for his shoes. This may be a statement on the platform shoes that celebrities wore during the 1970s; their cartoonish implications lead an obviously popular performer to retort that he "seen them on the TV/the movie show."
That his word choice is "seen" and not the proper form of "saw" is crucial to any sort of comprehension of the setting, because the very first lyrics implore that the same person would, "love to travel the Southland in a traveling minstrel show." It is unknown what kind of entertainment the person is truly providing (even if it is implied that it occurs in blackface), but it is certain that the person speaking either was born and raised in the southern part of the USA or knows that his roots lie there, even if he no longer benefits from the South's perceived simplicity of lifestyle.
Musically, the track is built around a rather minimal (for this group, anyway) blues pattern. The instrumentation is spare and the vocals are abundantly multi-tracked. A horn section simmers in the background and, although it is not one of the prominent sonic aspects, its inclusion fills up the entire sound spectrum. Even with the thought provoking lyrics, without the brass, the tune would have sounded somewhat less full, and that would have subtracted from its instrumental thrust.
Track: Black Friday
CD: Katy Lied (MCA 11916)
Musicians: Donald Fagen (vocals), Walter Becker (guitars, bass), Michael McDonald (vocals), Michael Omartian (keyboards), David Paich (keyboards), Jeff Porcaro (drums). Composed by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen.
Donald Fagen said about Katy Lied: "Each song is seen from a different view point. Some I imagine have an idealistic tone to them, while others are someone who is obviously suicidal. Obviously the narrator...is really in the deep stages of severe depression. And of course, I probably was when I was performing them." Such is the case with the CD's lead track, Black Friday.
Session drummer Jeff Porcaro's blues shuffle lurches while the main character contemplates digging a hole and crawling inside because of the impending doom of the upcoming day. Slaughter is apparently on the way and he has already made preparations for his exit, potentially going so far as to alter his identity in order to escape the possible consequences. Ready for life on the run, he plans to "collect everything" he is owed and "let the world pass by," and, praying for the Lord not to let disaster find him, he seeks sanctity but has left himself an exit even in that case ("If he don't come across, I'm gonna let it roll.")
This track broke the top forty in the US, and the chart placement confirms that Becker and Fagen were able to allay intergenerational superstitions (such as those symbolized by Friday the 13th) onto wax, linking all listeners together in a sociological (and, ultimately, musical) way.
Track: Rikki Don't Lose That Number
CD: Pretzel Logic (MCA 11917)
Musicians: Donald Fagen (vocals), Walter Becker (bass), Jeff "Skunk" Baxter (guitar), Dean Parks (acoustic guitar), Michael Omartian (piano), Jim Gordon (drums), Victor Feldman (percussion), David Palmer (background vocals). Composed by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen.
Some fans have speculated as to whether or not "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" was written about a college acquaintance. While this link has never been verified, it is tough to confirm, because the wistful narrative never addresses any sort of actual event and, even though it urgest the person to call when they "feel better," none of the characters' true feelings are true feelings are ever displayed.
The amount of distance is rare; usually, Becker and Fagen's characters are engaged in more or less obvious lifestyles even if it is tough to follow all of their moves throughout the song and. Many of the writers' most confusing tunes take place at gatherings of some sort even if the event is make-believe, but that does not occur here even though there is an insistent reference to the concept of returning home in the lyrics. Perhaps Fagen was lusting over someone whose heart was unavailable here, but you'd never know it with lyrics such as, "I have a friend in town, he's heard your name/We can go driving out on slow hand row."
The light samba feel, the free-flowing guitar solo by Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, and the overall musical cohesion forces listeners to relate, emotionally, to the track, and, in that way, the recording is one of the band's best sounding productions. Good luck finding "slow hand row" on a map, though.
