Some of the best songwriting of all time. Great melodies, harmonic intelligence and phenomenal progressions...witty West Coast vice-drenched lyrics. I love most of they're stuff and Two Against Nature is a landmark album musically and sound-wise it's just great.
I used to be in a Steely Dan tribute for a while. After that I tried writing some songs in the same vein.
They started out with a very Dylanesque sound (some songs are almost copies), then moved towards increasingly complex jazz harmony and ended up with something quite unique. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what's Steely Dan compositionally as the key ingredients seem to change over time. Around the period of "Pretzel Logic" and "Katy Lied", they use a lot of add9 chords. On "Aja" and "Gaucho" there's a lot of altered chords (9b5, 7#5#9 etc). Then again, the actual chords may not be as important as the placement of those chords and their relation to the melody and lyrics.
I used to be in a Steely Dan tribute for a while. After that I tried writing some songs in the same vein.
They started out with a very Dylanesque sound (some songs are almost copies), then moved towards increasingly complex jazz harmony and ended up with something quite unique. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what's Steely Dan compositionally as the key ingredients seem to change over time. Around the period of "Pretzel Logic" and "Katy Lied", they use a lot of add9 chords. On "Aja" and "Gaucho" there's a lot of altered chords (9b5, 7#5#9 etc). Then again, the actual chords may not be as important as the placement of those chords and their relation to the melody and lyrics.
Here's one of our interpretations:
Wow, I can't believe someone in this day and age has the stones to make music like this! No matter what anyone else says around here, my hat's off to you guys. It is interesting, the song starts a bit like, and later returns to the feel of something like Boz Scaggs/Toto's "Miss Sun". I don't mind that at all. Who's the guitar player? Really nice soloing over changes, Carlton, Graydon, and the others would surely approve. You even did a nice job of capturing a good bit of the production and engineering feel of that kind of stuff. Now I'm just going to have to listen to more of your tunes. Excellent!
__________________ Congratulations 2010, and now 2012 World Champion SF Giants!!!
I used to be in a Steely Dan tribute for a while. After that I tried writing some songs in the same vein.
They started out with a very Dylanesque sound (some songs are almost copies), then moved towards increasingly complex jazz harmony and ended up with something quite unique. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what's Steely Dan compositionally as the key ingredients seem to change over time. Around the period of "Pretzel Logic" and "Katy Lied", they use a lot of add9 chords. On "Aja" and "Gaucho" there's a lot of altered chords (9b5, 7#5#9 etc). Then again, the actual chords may not be as important as the placement of those chords and their relation to the melody and lyrics.
Here's one of our interpretations:
Holy crap Stefan, I listened to more of your band's stuff, amazing! I should have figured that you were fellow Viking brothers...... It seems you guys grew up on some of the same music I did, how did that happen in Sweden? Nice Brother To Brother cover, and really liked "New York Town", how did you get Jay Graydon to play on it? Cheers
Stefan, checking out 'Hard Goodbye' now. Love your music! I gotta get the CD, any vinyl versions?
Quote:
Originally Posted by stefolof
I used to be in a Steely Dan tribute for a while. After that I tried writing some songs in the same vein.
They started out with a very Dylanesque sound (some songs are almost copies), then moved towards increasingly complex jazz harmony and ended up with something quite unique. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what's Steely Dan compositionally as the key ingredients seem to change over time. Around the period of "Pretzel Logic" and "Katy Lied", they use a lot of add9 chords. On "Aja" and "Gaucho" there's a lot of altered chords (9b5, 7#5#9 etc). Then again, the actual chords may not be as important as the placement of those chords and their relation to the melody and lyrics.
Here's one of our interpretations:
__________________
-Rob
There'll be war, there'll be peace.
But everything one day will cease.
All the iron turned to rust;
All the proud men turned to dust.
@Beyersound: The guitar player is Göran Turborn, the same guy who nailed the "Brother to Brother" solo. Jay is a close personal friend and we were very lucky to have him do a solo.
Steely Dan and the whole "westcoast" thing is big in Scandinavia.
You will get no argument from me about the Dan. They are a huge reason why I am still doing this after 30 odd years.
You have to admit though that a lot of their stuff has not "aged" very well.
Like the chorus for Dr. Wu or the backing vocals on big black cow...I could go on forever.
A lot of younger slutz are probably put off by this purely because of the sonic idiosyncracies of what used to be "hip" almost 40 years ago.
I know some of the material just makes ME gag today although I was nuts for the stuff when I first heard it.
I don't see where any of their music hasn't aged well. The two songs you mentioned happen to be a few of my favorites. The chorus on Dr. Wu still brings on chills and Black Cow is just the essence of cool. I also don't agree with your definition of what hip is. Good music is good music. I work daily with these "younger slutz" that you mentioned. My studio is part of a performing arts center/school and I usually have a few interns each semester and we bring in young musicians to has something to record. I always make a point of playing a lot of music for them and have NEVER gotten a negative response. I've probably made at least a 100 die hard Dan fans in the past six years.
I don't see where any of their music hasn't aged well. The two songs you mentioned happen to be a few of my favorites. The chorus on Dr. Wu still brings on chills and Black Cow is just the essence of cool. I also don't agree with your definition of what hip is. Good music is good music. I work daily with these "younger slutz" that you mentioned. My studio is part of a performing arts center/school and I usually have a few interns each semester and we bring in young musicians to has something to record. I always make a point of playing a lot of music for them and have NEVER gotten a negative response. I've probably made at least a 100 die hard Dan fans in the past six years.
- They are, amongst other things, FUN and their lyrics is small masterpieces. Zappa described some parts in his music as 'Eye-brow' parts.- I like to think of The Dans lyrics the same way.
I don't see where any of their music hasn't aged well. The two songs you mentioned happen to be a few of my favorites. The chorus on Dr. Wu still brings on chills and Black Cow is just the essence of cool. I also don't agree with your definition of what hip is. Good music is good music. I work daily with these "younger slutz" that you mentioned. My studio is part of a performing arts center/school and I usually have a few interns each semester and we bring in young musicians to has something to record. I always make a point of playing a lot of music for them and have NEVER gotten a negative response. I've probably made at least a 100 die hard Dan fans in the past six years.
Judging from all the replies above, I'm in the minority around here. Oh well...
Steely Dan are outstanding...the Gaucho album is one of my favourites...great arrangements, performances and engineering. I like the fusion of styles - a big influence for me...and many others
Steely Dan and the whole "westcoast" thing is big in Scandinavia.
Haha, my mum is Danish
I generally find it frustrating that people don't really appreciate this kind of music any more because I spent ages learning all the theory and how to write that sort of stuff and the only people who appreciate it are at least 25 years older than me :/
Some of their middle stuff (Pretzel Logic/Countdown) sounds aged to me. Part of this I think is that they hadn't reached a commercial level where they could get the session players and the raw time in the studio, as the did later.
I think Aja (and to a lesser extent Babylon Sisters) is timeless. Sure it's got elements of the age, and some of the songs are due to their prevalence of air time are indelibly associated with certain events in our lives (those of us old than say 25). However, when listen to that album I hear a unity despite all the different musicians and I would consider it to be a near perfect album (even including I Got The News), and on a 20-bit remastered version songs like Aja and Home At Last sound amazing!
I would say Aja should required listening for anyone serious about popular music in the past 50 years.
Some of their middle stuff (Pretzel Logic/Countdown) sounds aged to me. Part of this I think is that they hadn't reached a commercial level where they could get the session players and the raw time in the studio, as the did later.
I think Aja (and to a lesser extent Babylon Sisters) is timeless. Sure it's got elements of the age, and some of the songs are due to their prevalence of air time are indelibly associated with certain events in our lives (those of us old than say 25). However, when listen to that album I hear a unity despite all the different musicians and I would consider it to be a near perfect album (even including I Got The News), and on a 20-bit remastered version songs like Aja and Home At Last sound amazing!
I would say Aja should required listening for anyone serious about popular music in the past 50 years.
What I can I say? Their music is hypnotic. Almost alien. The first time I read and interpreted their scores (Babylon Sisters) I thought the harmonies were wrong. I was mistaken, they were perfect. In my jazz school they used to say that Steely Dan had a high harmonic intensity.
I always carry at least one Steely Dan CD in my car charger.
I think Steely Dan's music is fantastic-- their songs are brilliant harmonically, rhythmically, lyrically, and aesthetically speaking.
I think some of the sweeter moments of their songs are the understated moments: The quiet passing chords on the keyboards, the slick guitar licks & chord melodies, and the cheesy synthesizers mixed in with the brass sections.
The way that their lyrics not only carry multiple (and most of the time unexpected) meanings, but a general feeling and sound that contributes so much to the songs is genius.
Aja and Gaucho are my favorites. Babylon Sisters is about as good as it gets.
How SD music cannot age well is beyond me. Becker and Fagen's approach to their music is in the same vein as FZ in many respects, perhaps more subtle lyrically if you're not dialed in to what their about.
Musically they have always stretched the boundaries. I'll never forget the first time I heard Larry Carlton's solo on Kid Charlemagne. Still sends shivers down my spine.
How SD music cannot age well is beyond me. Becker and Fagen's approach to their music is in the same vein as FZ in many respects, perhaps more subtle lyrically if you're not dialed in to what their about.
Musically they have always stretched the boundaries. I'll never forget the first time I heard Larry Carlton's solo on Kid Charlemagne. Still sends shivers down my spine.
I generally find it frustrating that people don't really appreciate this kind of music any more because I spent ages learning all the theory and how to write that sort of stuff and the only people who appreciate it are at least 25 years older than me :/
You're gonna be in a great position in x years time though, when everyone gets sick to their souls of four chords and a drum machine, and sophisticated music comes back into fashion again. That's when you will shine through as the hippest of musicmakers, and you will be in great demand!
Have any of you guys heard "The Bear" by SD... I think it's an unreleased track that was meant to be on Aja or Gaucho. I heard it for the first time a few days ago and I love it:
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I was mistaken, they were perfect. In my jazz school they used to say that Steely Dan had a high harmonic intensity.
