What Are You Listening To ~ Dec. 2019

Log in

SmokingPipes.com Updates

Watch for Updates Twice a Week

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Status
Not open for further replies.

renfield

Lifer
Oct 16, 2011
4,989
39,861
Kansas
Now playing Steely Dan - Aja. Over 40 years later it still takes me away every time.

Done up in blueprint blue
It sure looks good on you
And when you smile for the camera
I know I’ll love you better
Peg

Jay Graydon’s guitar solo on Peg is a grad class in taste, style, harmony and groove in very few notes. Michael McDonald’s stacked vocal harmonies in the chorus are mind blowing. The whole song is a masterpiece of arrangement, harmony and performance masquerading as a pop tune. Just my opinion.
 

saltedplug

Lifer
Aug 20, 2013
5,192
5,112
Did you know that Steely Dan used different guitarists for different songs, suiting them to the song, possibly different guitarists on the same track? Have you seen that clip where MCDonald complains about their required pronunciation of "ch," I think it was. You listen to their work and it's always a leg up from anyone else's. I listened to them exclusively for about 6 mos. and was happy to find their later work as well as the many concerts they did, Fagen with or without Becker. It's hard to imagine all the talent ending up an exit, needle in arm. Used to be that the culture of poverty and musicians in general were at risk; now it's everywhere.
 
  • Like
Reactions: brian64
Jun 9, 2018
4,337
13,958
England
Did you know that Steely Dan used different guitarists for different songs, suiting them to the song, possibly different guitarists on the same track? Have you seen that clip where MCDonald complains about their required pronunciation of "ch," I think it was. You listen to their work and it's always a leg up from anyone else's. I listened to them exclusively for about 6 mos. and was happy to find their later work as well as the many concerts they did, Fagen with or without Becker. It's hard to imagine all the talent ending up an exit, needle in arm. Used to be that the culture of poverty and musicians in general were at risk; now it's everywhere.
Nice to see you back Salted, hope you are doing well.
 

renfield

Lifer
Oct 16, 2011
4,989
39,861
Kansas
Did you know that Steely Dan used different guitarists for different songs, suiting them to the song, possibly different guitarists on the same track?
Yeah, they’d have what amounts to completely different bands doing different takes of a single track. Frequently it was the drums that would make or break it. Graydon didn’t even know his solo got used until he heard it on the radio. Walter and Donald were Perfectionists with a clear vision of what they were after. Their engineer, Roger Nichols, was in a league of his own. At one point he wrote a drum sequencer in assembly language to get a sound he was trying to get. His all analogue recordings still sound better than most anything else that was contemporary. Most people would’ve created sterile perfection but The Dan produced records that grooved. IMO.
 

dino

Lifer
Jul 9, 2011
2,050
14,928
Chicago
Guitarist Milos Karadaglic and Anoushka Shankar (Ravi's other daughter) cover "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" from Milos' CD Blackbird-The Beatles Album.

 

brian64

Lifer
Jan 31, 2011
10,017
16,048
Most people would’ve created sterile perfection but The Dan produced records that grooved. IMO.

That's it exactly.

I can only speak of the music I know well...and out of those, there are some other bands and solo artists who may have achieved non-sterile perfection on one or two albums, but only SD pulled it off on their entire catalog.
 
  • Like
Reactions: renfield

prndl

Lifer
Apr 30, 2014
1,571
2,902
"Sargent Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band".

Bill Cosby...not the Beatles but, Bill Cosby. Yep,THAT Bill Cosby.

I found it (unfortunately) on another forum and, although it doesn't quite reach Yoko's high-water mark, it would surely be in the top 5 worst recordings ever.

Let's just say I warned you and leave it at that.
 

brian64

Lifer
Jan 31, 2011
10,017
16,048
"Sargent Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band".

Bill Cosby...not the Beatles but, Bill Cosby. Yep,THAT Bill Cosby.

I found it (unfortunately) on another forum and, although it doesn't quite reach Yoko's high-water mark, it would surely be in the top 5 worst recordings ever.

Let's just say I warned you and leave it at that.
LOL ... I might have lived my entire life without knowing this. Fascinating. It's a strange world.

But I suppose if William Shatner could do all of those covers, why not Cosby? LOL
 
  • Haha
Reactions: smudgersmissingleg
Status
Not open for further replies.