OK so tomorrow there's a new Steely Dan record coming out...

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and this is the thread where we talk about it.

http://steelydan.com/Images/emg/emgcover1.jpeg

(I like the artwork; it reminds me of the pretzel vendor on the Pretzel Logic cover.)

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 9 June 2003 15:51 (twenty-two years ago)

it's out today here! i object to the title (second hand doesn't seem *right* for the dan, somehow) but i look forward to reading what y'all think of the music

― zebedee (zebedee), Monday, 9 June 2003 16:15 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah I was under the impression today was the release date, but the website says 6/10.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 9 June 2003 16:17 (twenty-two years ago)

wow. I can't believe I haven't heard anything about this. Let's hope it doesn't suck as bad as Two Against Nature.

That is a great cover btw.

― Will (will), Monday, 9 June 2003 16:18 (twenty-two years ago)

reminder UK gets new releases Monday, Americans on a Tuesday.

it was album of the week, last week at the BBC

Steely Dan, Everything Must Go
http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/classicpop/reviews/steelydan_go.shtml

not my bag, too smooth and bland AOR. [last week BBC had two full length tracks on real audio, now only 30 second samples]

go to google cache, to still listen to the tracks in full
http://216.239.37.100/search?sourceid=navclient&q=cache:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Fmusic%2Freviews%2Falbumofweek.shtml

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Monday, 9 June 2003 16:24 (twenty-two years ago)

I hate when they do coloring like that -- what is the significance of 'h', 's' and 'o'?

― dleone (dleone), Monday, 9 June 2003 16:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Two Against Nature did not suck. The title track from the new one almost caused me to have a nervous breakdown last week. That is all.

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Monday, 9 June 2003 16:49 (twenty-two years ago)

In a bad or good way?

Steely Dan covering the Manics = a vision. But not one I'm up for entertaining.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 9 June 2003 17:16 (twenty-two years ago)

"I move to dissolve the corporation/in a pool of margaritas."

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Monday, 9 June 2003 17:29 (twenty-two years ago)

I will say that the Replicants' cover of "Dirty Work," to which I have just listened, is pretty cool.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 9 June 2003 17:30 (twenty-two years ago)

I've only heard the couple of mp3s that are floating around -- "Blues Beach" and "The Last Mall." I don't wanna hear any more until I buy the record. But so far, classic. Fagen's voice is GREAT on "Last Mall"; seems like he hasn't had this much fun in the studio since The Nightfly.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 9 June 2003 17:38 (twenty-two years ago)

i like how the title delivers a crushing revelation in the form of a bad pun.

― amateurist (amateurist), Monday, 9 June 2003 17:55 (twenty-two years ago)

the commercial for the album that was on t.v. last night was really funny.

― scott seward, Monday, 9 June 2003 18:58 (twenty-two years ago)

So is it really all about William Gibson novels?

― fortunate hazel (f. hazel), Monday, 9 June 2003 19:06 (twenty-two years ago)

OK, "suck" may be a little harsh. But it is far and away their worst. Even worse than Gaucho which is saved only by two strong singles (although I really haven't listened to this one in over 5 years). Everything from Can't Buy a Thrill through AJA is golden. Of course, this is only my opinion.

Does "nervous breakdown" = good or bad?

― Will (will), Monday, 9 June 2003 20:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Gaucho which is saved only by two strong singles

mentalist alert, Gaucho is a freaking masterpiece

my nervous breakdown is of the good/bad kind i.e. the song is genius beyond genius, I'm of the opinion that there's nobody in the whole history of pop music who can touch Becker/Fagan on their best day & the song "Everything Must Go" is their best day multiplied by their best day: fucked me up something PROPER

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Monday, 9 June 2003 20:14 (twenty-two years ago)

the last time I was this excited to wake up & go down to the record store was, like, never

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Monday, 9 June 2003 20:15 (twenty-two years ago)

i'm buying this and the stan brakhage dvd set today. sometimes commodity fetishizing has its rewards.

― amateurist (amateurist), Monday, 9 June 2003 20:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Does RJG know???

― Lara (Lara), Monday, 9 June 2003 21:22 (twenty-two years ago)

"who the fuck is steely dan" ?

― piscesboy, Tuesday, 10 June 2003 17:15 (twenty-two years ago)

this is lurvly. more later. still on the first listen.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 10 June 2003 22:08 (twenty-two years ago)

So didja go to RFTT last nite?

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Tuesday, 10 June 2003 22:10 (twenty-two years ago)

YES I DID AND IT WAS THA BIZNESS BABY

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 10 June 2003 22:13 (twenty-two years ago)

rox0r!

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Tuesday, 10 June 2003 22:15 (twenty-two years ago)

"tomorrow's for squares but tonight's for real"

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 10 June 2003 22:20 (twenty-two years ago)

hey, the trumpet player on this album went to my high school!

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 10 June 2003 22:33 (twenty-two years ago)

I wrote a long-ass post where I went nuts on the album track by track, then decided against it. This album is tremendous and the last four songs are just a relentless nearly unbearable sequence. Awesome, awesome, awesome.

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Tuesday, 10 June 2003 22:52 (twenty-two years ago)

> Two Against Nature did not suck. <

Of course it didn't.
And Gaucho has its fair share of abiding allure.
(It's rather some of the earlier ones that gimme dem dissa-points when i relisten to 'em)

A new Dan? Mmm...

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Tuesday, 10 June 2003 23:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Post it, John!

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Tuesday, 10 June 2003 23:03 (twenty-two years ago)

It warms my heart that ILM is this fond of Steely Dan.

― Dan I., Tuesday, 10 June 2003 23:06 (twenty-two years ago)

"I'm so in love with this dirty city/This crazy grid of desire"

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 10 June 2003 23:14 (twenty-two years ago)

As I mentioned in chat, I admire Steely Dan. But I doubt I'll ever love them. Would be interested in this new album, though, a bit more than Two Against Nature.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 10 June 2003 23:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Post it, John!

not can do, did a select-all + delete in the text window when I decided it was better to just say "dude: SD roolz"

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Tuesday, 10 June 2003 23:35 (twenty-two years ago)

I hope it's better than Two Against Nature. I finally heard that lately and I thought it was good, but not really anything I wanted to hear. An unembarrassing comeback though. (Maybe what I really mean is that I hope I like it more than Two Against Nature.)

― Rockist Scientist, Wednesday, 11 June 2003 02:57 (twenty-two years ago)

It warms my heart that ILM is this fond of Steely Dan.

I know, right? I was shocked to find myself among such kindred spirits when I first got here.

I'm sad that you deleted your post, John. You ooze a love for the Dan that even the rest of us put together can't approach. It's unreasonable and intoxicating.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 03:02 (twenty-two years ago)

I like 2vn and think it has some great songs (esp. "West of Hollywood," which just kills me) but the new one sound like a real band work: they're locked into each other. JBR has good stuff to say about this & is more articulate about it than I am.

Also, the sequencing of this thing is positively wondrous

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 03:07 (twenty-two years ago)

i love steely dan. 2 against nature was a fucking piece of shit.

― chaki (chaki), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 03:21 (twenty-two years ago)

I thought the great songs on 2vN ("Almost Gothic," "Jack of Speed," "West of Hollywood") were brilliant but found a lot of the other songs problematic. Maybe Becker and Fagen just weren't comfortable writing together after so many years (sure they'd toured in the '90s, but writing new songs != trotting out your old hits), because on EMG the old one-completes-the-other chemistry appears to be back. The other major complaint I had about 2vN: the backup singers sounded too modern (and too vapid, but not in the cool blank-expression AM-radio way, rather in the icky estrogen-overdrive Sherwin-Williams-commercial way). I want my Steely Dan (and everything that that brand name implies) to be perpetually stuck in the '70s. On EMG it's 1979, time has stopped dead cold, and the girl singers are papering the walls in your rehab-clinic from hell.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 03:31 (twenty-two years ago)

i sure hope so, jbr. i sure hope so.

― chaki (chaki), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 03:33 (twenty-two years ago)

I never actually heard the whole Two Against Nature, but "Cousin Dupree" was fuckin' great.

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 03:35 (twenty-two years ago)

And this time there are more of those "ooh" moments where I have to rewind a bit and play the section over to make sure I didn't dream what I just heard.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 03:37 (twenty-two years ago)

I see what you mean, JBR, and I agree, although I was hesitant at the time 2vN came out to bitch about it being "overproduced," since that sounded so much like a by-rote seventies rock argument to make against the band. "Oh it's too polished!" How do you say that about SD with a straight face?

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 03:37 (twenty-two years ago)

There's a difference between "slick" and "too busy," though.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 03:38 (twenty-two years ago)

They played "Jack of Speed" in '96 when I saw them with my mom ("Joel what's that smell?" "That's marijuana, mom."). Thought the song sucked then, too.

― hstencil, Wednesday, 11 June 2003 03:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Sherwin Williams commercial = OTM, and brilliantly put

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 03:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Does anyone know who plays drums on the album?

― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 03:59 (twenty-two years ago)

Keith Carlock.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 04:02 (twenty-two years ago)

("Almost Gothic," "Jack of Speed," "West of Hollywood")

The title track was pretty cool too, but the backing countermelody in the chorus was too choppy.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 04:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Same thing I hated about "Gaslighting Abbie," come to think of it -- substitute "verses" for "chorus."

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 04:07 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm terribly excited about this album, I must admit. I may not gain many credibility points by admitting this (but then again, when have I ever had credibility points to begin with, hm?), but I do quite adore Steely Dan. Just about anything Steely Dan's done, I've liked.

*scrolls upward*

*breathes sigh of relief* Oh goodie. This is one of those forums where people actually like Steely Dan. Thank God I've found you! You don't know how long I've waited!

― Dee the Lurker (Dee the Lurker), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 04:14 (twenty-two years ago)

p.s.: I won't actually be able to get the album until next month. Oh well. "Good things", all that.

― Dee the Lurker (Dee the Lurker), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 04:15 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm definitely going to be picking this up very soon. Jesus, _Gaucho_ is such a treasure -- "Third World Man" is one of the Dan's most amazing songs, especially the final minute or two, the ever-so-slow repeating of "He's... a... third... world... maaaaaan" over the new chord changes. Agog beauty.

― Clarke B., Wednesday, 11 June 2003 04:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Why won't you be able to get it, Dee? You can always download. Say the word, and I'll put it up on my ftp server for you. Sharing is caring.

E-mail me.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 04:40 (twenty-two years ago)

holy fuck this is so fuckin cool

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 05:22 (twenty-two years ago)

is this a good Steely Dan album to get if you've never heard them before? (this thread has inspired me)

― ryan (ryan), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 05:25 (twenty-two years ago)

youve heard them

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 05:34 (twenty-two years ago)

i suspect i have in an anonymous omnipresent classic rock kind of way

― ryan (ryan), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 05:36 (twenty-two years ago)

mmm... i don't get it yet. the songs are blending together. i expect this will grow on me somewhat. West Of Hollywood was my favourite off of 2VN, fwiw.

I'm living without my turntable right now, and Katy Lied is the only old Dan I have on CD. it's honestly been killing me to not have Gaucho or Countdown to Ecstasy.

Steely Dan was my very first concert, in 94 when i was all of 11 years old... aww!

― derrick (derrick), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 06:56 (twenty-two years ago)

omg did you guys see the steely dan taxi cab confessions?

http://www.repriserecords.com/steelydan/player/

― chaki (chaki), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 07:45 (twenty-two years ago)

OMG THAT IS THE BEST THING EVER.

― hstencil, Wednesday, 11 June 2003 07:51 (twenty-two years ago)

I can't hear the Cab Confessions thing on that link (no soundcard).

The question is, do I pay another £2 to get the album that comes with the DVD with that stuff on it?

(Maybe I should if it really is THE BEST THING EVER.)

― James Ball (James Ball), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 13:14 (twenty-two years ago)

I love Jack of Speed so much, esp. the line "that right-wing hooey sure stunk up the joint"

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 13:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Can I get a shout-out for Walter Becker, please? I'm on my fourth listen of EMG and "Slang Of Ages" is witheringly beautiful and so OTM with lyric and vocal...it's everything the Dan should be.

I'm squarely in the pro-"Two Against Nature" camp -- especially tracks like "Janie Runaway" -- but this is more charming with each listen. Kinda has a "Nightfly" vibe, which is a good thing. I just bought the DVD-Audio, so I'll be bathing in the surround mix tonight. Can't wait.

― Erick H (Erick H), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 17:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Walt Weiskopf is one gddamm great choice for SD sax player - miles better than Chris Potter on 2AN - tho' he's a little underused on EMG. Still, I think it's easily the best SD-related product since 'Gaucho' - great singing (from Fagen AND Becker!) everything sounds lean and fat-free w/out being underheated, and the title track is as gd as anything they've ever done.

― Andrew L (Andrew L), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 21:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Dee, you can also stream the album on the Steely Dan website. Which is what I'm doing now. Full report later.

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 21:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Andrew L completely right on about that title track: it is for real one of their all-time best. The lyric just kills me

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 21:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Walt Weiskopf, cool...he plays on Billy Drummond's Dubai, a jazz album I really, really like.

― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 21:57 (twenty-two years ago)

I was pleased to read Fagan say this in today's NYT:
"We think of our records as comedy records to some degree."

And this is pretty good, too:
"I think we're more of an influence on composers of advertising jingles and perhaps smooth jazz groups."

― arch Ibog (arch Ibog), Thursday, 12 June 2003 16:22 (twenty-two years ago)

er, Fagen.

― arch Ibog (arch Ibog), Thursday, 12 June 2003 16:23 (twenty-two years ago)

i see something wrong with this:
"NEW STEELY DAN"

no no and no.

― sarah mccormick (unsarah), Thursday, 12 June 2003 16:41 (twenty-two years ago)

that NYT article

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 12 June 2003 17:03 (twenty-two years ago)

"A Steely Dan album is a trip through the warped mind of our unreliable narrator (as played by Fagen), and the ultra-polished instrumentals reflect the idealized soundtrack that he hears in his head as the stories and fantasies unspool."

"As evidence for this interpretation...

― TMFTML (TMFTML), Wednesday, 18 June 2003 17:13 (twenty-two years ago)

one year passes...

I'm finally listening to a borrowed copy of this, and I like it a lot more than Two Against Nature. I don't know them all that well: the only other albums I've heard are the best of (greatest hits?) and Aja, although I'm sure I've heard some other material. Listening to this is an interesting exercise, since I can hear their sound anew without the associations and already formed jugments left over from hearing their hits in the 70s. It's making me more sympathetic to listeners who complain about them being too smooth. I'm a little bit ambivalent about some aspects of their sound, and yet they usually win me over. Also, I'm going to need to listen carefully with the lyrics in front of me, since I think it's worth doing that.

― Rockist_Scientist (rockist_scientist), Saturday, 16 October 2004 22:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Just got EMG last weekend, I like it so far. I haven't heard Two Against Nature...

― A Million Talking Hot Dogs (AaronHz), Saturday, 16 October 2004 23:07 (twenty-one years ago)

I feel "Everything Must Go" is stronger too. "Two Against Nature" sounds a bit like this "yes, we can play" exercise, but "Everything Must Go" has way stronger songs.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Saturday, 16 October 2004 23:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Rockist, try 'Katy Lied' -- very jazz at many points, but definitely not too smooth.

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Saturday, 16 October 2004 23:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Katy Lied is my fave too, go for it.

― A Million Talking Hot Dogs (AaronHz), Saturday, 16 October 2004 23:17 (twenty-one years ago)

I will definitely consider that. I'm enjoying this Everything Must Go more as it goes on.

― Rockist_Scientist (rockist_scientist), Saturday, 16 October 2004 23:18 (twenty-one years ago)

I think 'Pretzel Logic' is the right way to start...

― Baaderoni (Fabfunk), Saturday, 16 October 2004 23:33 (twenty-one years ago)

I bought Pretzel Logic AND Katy Lied on the same day when I was still in my skeptical "re-evaluation" stage of SD fandom. Do that, they're my favorite band now.

― A Million Talking Hot Dogs (AaronHz), Saturday, 16 October 2004 23:41 (twenty-one years ago)

After looking at what tracks are on what albums, I am leaning toward Pretzel Logic, mostly because "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" is on it and that's probably my favorite song of theirs. (Not the best logic, since there's no guarantee that the album with my favorite song will be my favorite album, but I think I would go with that.)

x-post with AMTHD

― Rockist_Scientist (rockist_scientist), Saturday, 16 October 2004 23:43 (twenty-one years ago)

"Barrytown" is on it, that song rocks.

― A Million Talking Hot Dogs (AaronHz), Saturday, 16 October 2004 23:47 (twenty-one years ago)

"Pretzel Logic" has one of the best cover versions ever made on it, the great guitar version of "St. Louis Toodle-Doo"

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Saturday, 16 October 2004 23:57 (twenty-one years ago)

I've got the Duke Ellington version on my computer as well as SD's. It's fun to compare them. Duke's is a bit woozier and trippier.

― A Million Talking Hot Dogs (AaronHz), Saturday, 16 October 2004 23:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Sure, I mean, Duke Ellington played it the way it was supposed to being played, with brass and woodwinds. But Steely Dan managing to copy those sounds using guitars was still quite fascinating

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Sunday, 17 October 2004 00:02 (twenty-one years ago)

I didn't say it wasn't.

― A Million Talking Hot Dogs (AaronHz), Sunday, 17 October 2004 00:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Everything Must Go has the worst production of any album I've ever heard.

― Mr. Snrub, Sunday, 17 October 2004 13:12 (twenty-one years ago)

I guess you dislike the idea of proper production then

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Sunday, 17 October 2004 13:18 (twenty-one years ago)

I've listened to Pixeleen back-to-back more than any other Dan song, I believe. It's neat to read that I didn't get this at first; it must have been just a day later that I hit my head an fell in love. One of the best.

Question: For what album was 'Here At The Western World' initially recorded? My guess is Katy Lied.

― derrick (derrick), Sunday, 17 October 2004 22:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Pretzel Logic has "With A Gun" also, which is an intense track.

― Ian John50n (orion), Sunday, 17 October 2004 22:13 (twenty-one years ago)

I listen to Pretzel Logic and 2vn the least of all my Dan albums, perhaps also Aja. At the top are CtE, EMG, Gaucho, and Katy Lied.

to be honest, I still don't have the reissue of Can't Buy A Thrill. It's just never in stores.

― derrick (derrick), Sunday, 17 October 2004 22:20 (twenty-one years ago)

What? Really? I found mine new at a video/CD store in Willits CA!

― A Million Talking Hot Dogs (AaronHz), Sunday, 17 October 2004 22:22 (twenty-one years ago)

They've usually got the others, just not CBAT. I'm sure I could order it, and it may come to that.

― derrick (derrick), Sunday, 17 October 2004 23:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Haha that store had CBAT, PL, and Aja. Had to order everything else.

― A Million Talking Hot Dogs (AaronHz), Sunday, 17 October 2004 23:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Question: For what album was 'Here At The Western World' initially recorded? My guess is Katy Lied.

The Royal Scam, according to AMG.
Its first appearance on an LP was 1979's Greatest Hits, though for my money the best place to get it would be Gold (Expanded Edition), which also includes "F.M.", some Fagen solo soundtrack stuff("Century's End", "True Companion") and a live version of "Bodhisattva".
I can't think of a reason to own Greatest Hits,A Decade of Steely Dan or the Showbiz Kids double disc if you've got the main albums and the Expanded Gold, unless Showbiz Kids has extraordinarily cool liner notes or something. Does it?

― A Million Talking Hot Dogs (AaronHz), Wednesday, 20 October 2004 22:30 (twenty-one years ago)

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