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I love Steely Dan..!..anyone else?


bubinga5
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Hey guys girls.

My mum used to listen to these guys where i was brought up in New Zealand, this great music was my musical diet along with lots of great stuff like Donny Hathaway and The All.man Bros (sorry to name drop).....Steely Dan to me are the perfect mix of pop, funk rock and jazz.

Bass players Chuck Rainey and one of my favorite's Sax/Bass player Wilton Felder are on bass duties on a few classics..
On a side line i tried to buy a Wilton Felder album on CD with Bobby Womack and it was +£200.00. :)

Anyway does anyone dig this great band? I think its wonderfull...

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Ah, one of my all-time fave bands, I discovered the 'Dan back in their (and my!) early days in the early '70's.
They'd just released their 2nd album 'Countdown To Ecstacy' and the first track -- 'Bodhisatva' -- totally blew me away. I've been a major fan ever since.
They were always considered a 'muso's band' - although more correctly a duo I suppose, with top session sidemen, not the least being Larry Carlton on guitar. Of course, as you've mentioned above bubinga5, the magnificent Chuck Rainey played much of those great bass lines. Great melodies, lyrics, vocals, chord sequences, musicianship, style - the whole package.
If you've not heard it, you should also definitely check out Donald Fagen's solo album 'The Nightfly' - the best album Steely Dan never made!
Right, I'm off to play along with 'AJA' again.... :)

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I hoover up anything to do with them,the creme de la creme,Aja is probably my favorite album of all time and something i will neverever stop loving.Steely dan are proper music!.....Anyone who wants to argue,,,,play the bass line to peg properly.

Edited by YouMa
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Ahh..when i post i always know i will get a wealth of knowledge from my bass brothers .I will check Donald's album out...Yeah SD were so innovative..fantastic bluesy guitar playing.. , as a time in music, the 70' s never stop amazing me with these amazing people.

Stingray5 i think i mentioned The Allman Bros, dont know if you have heard these guys.. i recommend an album called Begginings..Some 70's hammond rock, but some turns into Jazzfunk.. Very cool.

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[quote name='YouMa' post='299075' date='Oct 4 2008, 02:43 AM']I hoover up anything to do with them,the creme de la creme,Aja is probably my favorite album of all time and something i will neverever stop loving.Steely dan are proper music!.....Anyone who wants to argue,,,,play the bass line to peg properly.[/quote]

Oh more love. :) .Peg is one amongst many, i erm....i havent learned to play.....i like my hip hop, and De la Soul were very clever to sample that great erm....synth brass??
A long shot, but can anyone tell me what bass Chuck is playing on this record.?...Great punchy tone he has.. Didnt he play Spector basses or Ken Smith??

I have heard Walter and Donald were sticklers for everything being perfect, ie tightness..and it shows, i couldnt get a Rizla between there rythm section.

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[quote name='YouMa' post='299086' date='Oct 4 2008, 03:36 AM']Off subject but i like Outta space by billy preston.[/quote]
Am i still up!?..Oh Billy Preston on the organ..Totally off the subject but i like Billy Cobham's Spectrum..Mind blowing..Think its Lee Sklar on bass.not sure mind??

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[quote name='YouMa' post='299092' date='Oct 4 2008, 04:24 AM']For me zappas lot can piss on them sometimes,but i love dan and zappa equal dan and zappa will always seduce me some how.[/quote]






I like Steely Dan too...thought sometimes they can be a just a wee bit too shiny and perfect.

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[quote name='thebeat' post='299093' date='Oct 4 2008, 04:52 AM']



I like Steely Dan too...thought sometimes they can be a just a wee bit too shiny and perfect.[/quote]Yeah i know what you mean, i like a few mistakes. but for me i appreciate the effort that they make..its like taking a girl you really like out, thats really made an effort...or maybe in my lack of sleep that didnt make any sense at all. :)

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Huge fan of Steely Dan here. Been lucky enough to see them on two different tours - they don't come to Europe that often! I think "The Royal Scam" is one of my favourites, along with "Katie Lied" and "Two Against Nature" which won a couple of grammys in 2000. Obviously I love Aja - impossible not to - but these are all wonderful albums.

Re. Donald's solo work - all fantastic, of course, but Kamikiriad is probably my favourite. Snowbound has great bass on it, courtesy of Mr Becker. Speaking of whom, has just released his second solo album "Circus Money" - worth a listen!

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Oh, if anyone gives a hoot, check out four photos of Steely Dan I took at their last London date (supported by the excellent Sam Yahel trio).

[url="http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=17015&l=776cb&id=506897028"]http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=...mp;id=506897028[/url]

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They went to Paris last year ...my first Steely Dan concert . It was just perfect !!!
If I'd have to put a TRIBUTE Band together it would be for them . I've learned to play bass with Aja and Pretzel , last 2 Album are great and Walter Becker is really a Bad ass bass player !!

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They went to Paris last year ...my first Steely Dan concert . It was just perfect !!!
If I'd have to put a TRIBUTE Band together it would be for them . I've learned to play bass with Aja and Pretzel , last 2 Album are great and Walter Becker is really a Bad ass bass player !!

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[quote name='bubinga5' post='299089' date='Oct 4 2008, 04:00 AM']Oh more love. :) .Peg is one amongst many, i erm....i havent learned to play.....i like my hip hop, and De la Soul were very clever to sample that great erm....synth brass??
A long shot, but can anyone tell me what bass Chuck is playing on this record.?...Great punchy tone he has.. Didnt he play Spector basses or Ken Smith??

I have heard Walter and Donald were sticklers for everything being perfect, ie tightness..and it shows, i couldnt get a Rizla between there rythm section.[/quote]


Ah Peg, great track and one I use for practice a lot, fingerstyle, double stops and slapping, a real workout. Chuck is THE MAN on those early Dan recordings Aja and The Royal Scam really do it for me.

In answer to your question Chuck used a P bass for his early recordings. He famously slapped on Peg despite being told not to by Becker & Fagen, to disguise what he was doing he turned his back and sat behind a music stand or something. There is something on youtube which covers this [url="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=6x6uoNqH-_A&feature=related"]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=6x6uoNqH-_A&...feature=related[/url] , Chuck relates his addition to the track at about 1:15 onwards, enjoy.

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I totally love Steely Dan, and so do all my musical mates from the scene I used to live in when I was in Manchester. So much so that they put a band together called H gang in which I played bass. We headlined the Manchester Jazz Festival and did a few nights at The Cinnamon club in Bowden. There is some evidence [url="http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=157445473&MyToken=534533d9-b841-4ab2-b5f4-b7a1d0d1d929"]here[/url] in the shape of a few recordings that were done at the gigs. They are No.s 2,3 & 4 in the player (its a myspce page) the mix is not that great but the playing I think is good and it was lots of fun,

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[quote name='YouMa' post='299075' date='Oct 4 2008, 02:43 AM']I hoover up anything to do with them,the creme de la creme,Aja is probably my favorite album of all time and something i will neverever stop loving.Steely dan are proper music!.....Anyone who wants to argue,,,,play the bass line to peg properly.[/quote]

Definately, every song on Aja has a great bass line, my favourites to play are Peg and Home At Last.

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[quote name='YouMa' post='299075' date='Oct 4 2008, 02:43 AM']I hoover up anything to do with them,the creme de la creme,Aja is probably my favorite album of all time and something i will neverever stop loving.Steely dan are proper music!.....Anyone who wants to argue,,,,play the bass line to peg properly.[/quote]

+1......



Garry

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The Steely Dan 4CD box set is well worth the money, look out for it on EBay, it comes up for sale now & then. Cost me about £20 I think.

Watch out for Nearly Dan, great covers band with some really good musicianship [url="http://www.nearlydan.co.uk/gigs.htm"]http://www.nearlydan.co.uk/gigs.htm[/url]

What was the Wilton Felder album you were after?

Was it Inherit the Wind? [url="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=b_BTq8e6M-k"]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=b_BTq8e6M-k[/url]

I'm sure I've got it kicking around somewhere - I'm a complete Bobby Womack nut so bought it purely for the fact the sang on it :)

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