Steely Dan...so ugly, yet so good.

I know a fellow with a motor launch for hire
A skinny man with two-one shoes
Cause tonight they're arranging a small reception just for me
Behind the big casino by the sea"

this gets my vote for most excruciating scenario in an SD song btw

"Show-bizness kids makin' movies of themselves
You know they don't give a fuck about any body else..."

Just realised - Best use of handclaps , this song.

While checking spelling I learned:
"Methaqualone was developed in the 1960s by William H. Rorer, Inc. At that time, the company's best-known product was Maalox, a digestive aid that derived its name from its ingredients, magnesium and aluminum hydroxides. To enhance the product recognition of their new sedative drug, the company incorporated the aa of Maalox into the name Quaalude. The other elements of the name are presumed to be a contraction of the phrase quiet interlude, a soothing, even poetic description of the drug's effect."

Start with "Can't Buy a Thrill"? I feel like the other vocalist they used to use might be something easier for die-hard SD fans to digest, though Fagen and Becker are on record as thinking he was the shizz. Great album anyhow, though, yeah.

"Bad news breaking in 18A
Missy's kitty turn inside out she say
Spider queen demon and that whole crew
Across the lobby the wicker wing chair flew
All the nice people those goodly souls
Quaking in their respective hidey-holes
Everyone's wasted in this gruesome dream
Not a one of them left to hear you scream"

Countdown to Ecstasy
Aja
Pretzel Logic
Katy Lied
Can't Buy a Thrill
Two Against Nature
The Royal Scam
11 Tracks of Wack (Becker--quite good!)
Gaucho
The Nightfly
Everything Must Go
The Live One That I don't Really Remember
The Fagen Solo Albums That I don't Really Remember

Any SD album hits the "instant summer feeling" vein, but _Aja_ most
of all. Always thrown by friends who say they hate Steely Dan, as
that's such a foreign concept to me.

"I can't cry anymore
While you run around
Break away
Just when it seems so clear
That it's over now
Drink your big black cow
And get out of here"

"Our town is just like any other
Good citizens at work and play
Normal folks doin' business in the normal way
This morning was like any other
Mommies kissing daddies goodbye
Then the milkman screamed
And pointed up at the sky

Chorus:
From Sheilus to the reefs of Kizmar
From Stargate and the Outer Worlds
They're speeding towards our sun
They're on a party run
Here come Tomorrow's Girls
Tomorrow's Girls

You see them on the grass at lunch hour
Soaking up the vertical rays
In their summer dresses
A little smile can really make your day
Their kisses feel like real kisses
And when they cry they cry real tears
But what's left in your arms
When the static clears

Chorus:
They're landing on the Jersey beaches
Their engines make the white sand swirl
The heat is so intense
Earth men have no defense
Against Tomorrow's Girls

In the cool of the evening
In the last light of the triple sun
I wait by the go-tree
When the day's busy work is done
Soon the warm night breezes
Start rolling in off the sea
Yes, at lantern time
That's when you come to me
Come to me

Our home is just like any other
We're grillin' burgers on the back lawn
Some time goes by
We fall asleep with the TV on
I dream about a laughing angel
Then the laugh becomes a furious whine
Look out fellas
It's shredding time

Chorus:
They're mixing with the population
A virus wearing pumps and pearls
Lord help the lonely guys
Hooked by those hungry eyes
Here come Tomorrow's Girls
Tomorrow's Girls

Chorus:
From Sheilus to the reefs of Kizmar
From Stargate and the Outer Worlds
They're speeding towards our sun
They're on a party run
Here come Tomorrow's Girls
Tomorrow's Girls"

just saw the thread!

I recall when I was small
How I spent my days alone
The busy world was not for me
So I went and found my own
I would climb the garden wall
With a candle in my hand
I'd hide inside a hall of rock and sand

On the stone an ancient hand
In a faded yellow-green
Made alive a worldly wonder
Often told but never seen
Now and ever bound to labor
On the sea and in the sky
Every man and beast appeared
A friend as real as I

CHORUS:
Before the fall when they wrote it on the wall
When there wasn't even any Hollywood
They heard the call
And they wrote it on the wall
For you and me we understood

Can it be this sad design
Could be the very same
A wooly man without a face
And a beast without a name
Nothin' here but history
Can you see what has been done
Memory rush over me
Now I step into the sun

The Replicants as well.

Katy tried
I was halfway crucified
I was on the other side
Of no tomorrow
You walked in
And my life began again
Just when I'd spent the last piaster
I could borrow
All night long
We would sing that stupid song
And every word we sang
I knew was true
Are you with me Doctor Wu
Are you really just a shadow
Of the man that I once knew
Are you crazy are you high
Or just an ordinary guy
Have you done all you can do
Are you with me Doctor

i haven't heard a note of the two reunion albums and have never particularly been moved to. but i've always wondered: might there be anything in there for a cuz like me? and if so, which one of the two for starters?

But I'd re-hear "Countdown to Ecstasy" if I were you, I think the sound-not-quite-gelled quality of it lends it even more menace than comes to it naturally.

By the way, did anyone else see the TAXI CAB CONFESSIONS clip starring Fagan and Becker that was posted on their site this year....it was absolutely hilarious and strange and uncomfortable.

Who's got a friend named Melanie?
Who's not afraid to try new things?
Who gets to spend her birthday in Spain?
Possibly you, Janie Runaway

Of course, all of us are wrong:
http://216.157.110.135/record-reviews/s/steely-dan/two-against-nature.shtml

What isn't true? The sense of humor? or that the master tapes are missing?

Soon you'll throw down your disguise
We'll see behind those bright eyes
By and by
When the sidewalks are safe
For the little guys

Children we have it right here
It's the light in my eyes
It's perfection and grace
It's the smile on my face
Tonight when I chase the dragon
The water will change to cherry wine
And the silver will turn to gold
Time out of mind

(Gaucho never gets enough love.)

Where did the bastard run
Is he still around
Now you gotta tell me everything you did baby
I'm gonna get a gun
Shoot the lover down
Are you gonna tell me everything you did baby

Traces are everywhere
In our happy home
Now you better tell me everything you did baby
I jumped out of my easy chair
It was not my own
Now I want to hear about everything you did baby

I never knew you
You were a roller skater
You gonna show me later
Turn up the Eagles the neighbors are listening

You know how people talk
I wonder what they say
I think you better tell me everything you did baby

I never knew you
You were a roller skater
You gonna show me later

You never came to me
When you were so inclined
Yes you could have told me everything you did baby
I know where baby's at
I know your filthy mind
Now you're gonna do me everything you did baby

Well the danger on the rocks is surely past
Still i remain tied to the mast
Could it be that i have found my home at last
Home at last

She serves the smooth retsina
She keeps me safe and warm
It's just the calm before the storm
Call in my reservation
So long hey thanks my friend
I guess i'll try my luck again

seriously! b & f are in top form in their interviews: cynical, catty, brilliant, jaw-droppingly articulate. some very good interviews with the hired hands too (they really don't make 'em any cooler than chuck rainey, do they?).

I stepped up on the platform
The man gave me the news
He said, You must be joking son
Where did you get those shoes?
Where did you get those shoes?

Well, I've seen 'em on the TV, the movie show
They say the times are changing but I just don't know
These things are gone forever
Over a long time ago, oh yeah

I always thought the slickness was the point, the dichotomy of the bizarro dark beatnik poetry lyrics snuck into gorgeous melodies and elevator jazz.

I've spent a bit of time playing their songs on the piano, and haven't found the chord changes to be overly fussy. I can't sing them, though--that guy sings realy high.

The degree to which this record is informed by Pretzel Logic-era Steely Dan is hard for me to convey here and now. But in terms of mood, tone and dynamics, it's a dead-ringer. Cryptic lyrics frame scenes, but the listener is allowed to provide many details. The first three tracks are amazing. There's some dud on side 2, but for the most part, this is a great record that has helped sate a Steely Dan jones fueled in large part (lately) by some great posts about the band I've discovered in these parts.

As far as when I said the new albums seemed to "complex" I'm probably just misspeaking because I don't really know theory or play piano. I guess there was just something about the melodies that didn't seem as singable or pop catchy as the old stuff.

Some of the songs are hard to play, at least for a hack such as myself. I just meant that I don't find them to be ostentatious.

I'm also a pretty big fan of the crossroads linking Steely Dan and Boz Scaggs, such as Bobby Caldwell's "What You Won't Do for Love"

Not to mention hstencil and yours truly.

CAAAAN YOUUUU HEEEAAAAR ME DOCTOR!?!?!

that's my shit

GROSS!! AS!! HELL!! But awesome!!