Steely Dan

Steely Dan are famous for their use of chord sequences and harmonies that explore the area of musical tension between traditional pop music sounds and the sounds of avant-garde music. Thin Lizzy is now widely recognized as one of the first hard rock bands to employ double lead guitar harmony, a technique later refined and popularized by groups such as Iron Maiden. Sadly, long-serving Dan saxophonist Cornelius Bumpus (who previously played with The Doobie Brothers and Moby Grape) died of a heart attack in February 2004. The band reunited without him in 1999 for a European tour and live album. In 2003 Steely Dan released another superb album, Everything Must Go and toured America. He died in 1986, a victim of drug abuse. In March 2001, the original members reunited on stage for the first time in decades when Steely Dan was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. After the band broke up in the mid-80s, Lynott began a solo career.

It was not only a brilliant return to form but proved to be one of the surprise successes of the year, and in February 2001, it earned them four coveted Grammy Awards. During the late 1970s and early 80s, Thin Lizzy played to a rabid fanbase but was unable to break into mainstream markets. Finally in 2000 they released their first studio album in twenty years, Two Against Nature. Fighting (1975) was their first album success, but the next album, Jailbreak, was a smash hit thanks to the single "The Boys Are Back in Town", now their most remembered hit. They toured to great acclaim in 1995-96, performing mainly songs from the later Steely Dan albums plus a selection of re-arranged Dan classics, and they released a live CD of the tour, Alive In America in 1997. Their first taste of success was the 1973 hit single, Whiskey in the Jar, a cover of a traditional Irish song. With Becker now mainly playing lead and rhythm guitar, they put together a strong new backing band that included an additional keyboard player and guitarist, female backing singers and a horn section. Lynott remains one of rather few black men to achieve significant success in hard rock.

tour to support Fagen's album (which sold poorly, even though the concerts were extremely successful). Thin Lizzy was a hard rock/proto-heavy metal band, formed in Dublin by Birmingham born bassist and singer Phil Lynott in the late sixties. These events finally led to a reformation, and to the surprise and delight of fans, they mounted a U.S. Thin Lizzy Greatest Hits (2004). Returning the favour, Fagen then produced Becker's first solo album 11 Tracks Of Whack (1994). One Night Only [live] (2000). (It also features Titus and Helms' daughter Amy on backing vocals). Boys Are Back in Town: Live in Australia (1999).

The second event was Becker's production of Fagen's second solo album Kamakiriad in 1993—a brilliant and hugely underrated work that ranks with any of Steely Dan's best recordings; Fagen later nominated it as the most satisfying recording experience of his career. Dedication: The Very Best of Thin Lizzy (1991). The first was on October 25, 1991, when Becker attended a concert by Fagen, who was at the time performing as part of the New York Rock and Soul Revue, which Fagen co-founded with his partner, producer and singer Libby Titus (who was for many years the partner of Levon Helm of The Band). Life (1983). Two key events led to Becker and Fagen getting back together as Steely Dan. Thunder and Lightning (1983). After the release of his album, Fagen began to suffer from writer's block, so he withdrew from writing and recording for several years, although he occasionally did production work for other artists, as did Becker; one notable credit was British group China Crisis, who were strongly influenced by Steely Dan. Renegade (1981).

Interestingly, it included the only other song in the entire Steely Dan oeuvre that was not written by Becker and/or Fagen—a cover of Leiber and Stoller's Ruby Baby. The Adventures of Thin Lizzy (1981). In 1982 Fagen released his groundbreaking solo album The Nightfly, which was favourably compared to his Steely Dan work but failed to match the wide audience appeal of the two previous Dan albums. Chinatown (1980). scene, beat his addictions and raise a family. The two tried writing together again in the mid-1980s but were unhappy with the results. Continuing Saga of Ageing Orphans (1979). Becker subsequently moved to the Hawaiian island of Maui to escape the L.A. Black Rose: A Rock Legend (1979).

Becker was also having personal difficulties including the loss of a girlfriend to a drug overdose. Nevertheless, the Gaucho album was another major success, and they scored another hit with the single Hey Nineteen, but by this time the duo had decided to split up, and they announced the parting in June 1981. Live and Dangerous (1978). By the time of the release of Gaucho in 1980, they realised that the partnership was running out of steam and that they had reached their peak with Aja. Bad Reputation (1977). After Aja was released, ABC was bought by MCA and for most of the next three years they were caught in contractual problems that prevented them from recording a follow-up album, although they scored another hit single with the title theme from the movie FM. Johnny the Fox (1976). The story of the making of the album has been documented in an episode of the popular TV and DVD series Classic Albums. Remembering (1976).

It cemented the duo's reputation as songwriters, as well as their legendary reputation for studio perfectionism. Jailbreak (1976). charts within three weeks of release, and was one of the first American LPs to be certified 'platinum' for sales of over 1 million albums. Fighting (1975). Regarded as one of the best (and best-recorded) albums of the period, it won a slew of awards, had shot into the Top Five in the U.S. Night Life (1974). Although some doubted that they could last as a studio-only group, Becker and Fagen proved their critics wrong in spectacular fashion with the 1977 release of their sixth LP, the dazzling, jazz-oriented Aja, which saw them using the services of top-notch jazz and jazz-rock and soul musicians including Larry Carlton, Wayne Shorter, Steve Gadd, The Crusaders, Chuck Rainey and legendary session drummer Bernard "Pretty" Purdie. Vagabonds of the Western World (1973).

The new album was a hit, as was the 1976 follow-up, The Royal Scam. Shades of a Blue Orphanage (1972). Their 1975 LP Katy Lied saw the duo using a diverse group of session players, including guitarist Elliot Randall, saxophonist Phil Woods, bassist Wilton Felder, percussionist-vibraphonist Victor Feldman, keyboardist (and later producer) Michael Omartian and guitarist Larry Carlton, with only Dias remaining from the original group. Thin Lizzy (1971). After touring to support the abum, Becker and Fagen decided to withdraw from the road to concentrate on writing and recording. The other band members, feeling that they had in effect been reduced to the role of session players, gradually left the group. Baxter and McDonald went on to great success as members of The Doobie Brothers. John Sykes. It is also notable as the only Steely Dan album to contain a song by another composer—their delightful cover of Duke Ellington's East St Louis Toodle-Doo. Snowy White.

They returned to prominence with their classic third LP Pretzel Logic in early 1974, a diverse but superbly realised set that produced another huge hit single, Rikki Don't Lose That Number, a US Top Ten hit which became another enduring FM rock radio staple. Midge Ure. After the LP was released they replaced Hodder with drummer Jeff Porcaro (later a member of Toto) and added singer and keyboard player Michael McDonald. Scott Gorham. Their second album, Countdown To Ecstasy, was released in 1973 but the singles lifted from it (including Bodhisattva) failed to repeat the chart success of their predecessors. Gary Moore. Produced by Katz and recorded by Roger (The Immortal) Nichols at The Village Recorder, they released their debut album, Can't Buy A Thrill, in 1972 and made an immediate impression with the hit singles Dirty Work (later covered by Max Merritt) and Reelin' In The Years, which soon became a staple of FM radio and features one of rock's all-time great guitar solos (performed by Eliott Randall). Brian Robertson.

The addition of a second lead vocalist (Palmer) was mainly made at the insistence of the label's executives, who felt that Fagen's idiosyncratic voice lacked commercial appeal, but it soon became obvious that it was in fact ideally suited to their material, and Palmer left the group after the first LP. Eric Bell. After realizing their songs were too complex for other ABC artists, at Katz's suggestion they formed their own band with guitarists Denny Dias and Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, drummer Jim Hodder and singer-keyboard player David Palmer, and Katz signed the band to ABC as recording artists. Katz would produce all their 1970s albums and from the first album on they commenced a long and successful collaboration with engineer Roger Nichols, who has since worked on every Steely Dan album, and the duo's solo projects. He hired Becker and Fagen as staff songwriters and they flew to Los Angeles.

Although they had a few notable successes—Barbra Streisand recorded their song I Mean To Shine—they made little significant headway until they met Gary Katz, who had just become a staff producer for ABC Records in Los Angeles. Around this time they tried to start a group with guitarist Denny Dias, but this was unsuccessful, so Becker and Fagen moved to Manhattan, hoping to establish themselves as professional songwriters. They remained with The Americans until mid-1971 when they quit to work on the soundtrack of the low-budget film You Gotta Walk It Like You Talk It, which was produced by Kenny Vance of The Americans. After Fagen graduated in 1969, the two moved to Brooklyn and in 1970 they joined the pop group Jay and the Americans, where they worked under pseudonyms (Fagen's was 'Gustav Mahler', Becker's was 'Tristan Fabriani').

Becker and Fagen met at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York (See this lyrical tribute (http://www.steelydan.com/lyrcountdown.html#track6)) in 1967 and began playing in local groups; one of these, The Bad Rock Group, included future comedy star Chevy Chase on drums. Fagen once explained, "We just wanted to give the band a little more thrust than most other bands.". Burroughs: Steely Dan is the name of a steam-powered dildo that appeared in Burroughs' book Naked Lunch. The band's name (like a number of others) is derived from the works of William S.

The "Fever Dreams" website (see External Links) is highly recommended, and contains some fascinating, revealing (and sometimes hilarious) analyses by Dan fans, some based on the rare snippets of information that Becker and Fagen occaasionally reveal about their writing. It is typical of their wry sense of humour that the reference to kangaroos makes no particular sense unless one knows that Muswellbrook is located in Australia. and also because it allowed them to create the amusing couplets in the next stanza:. This reference has startled and amused many Australian fans, but is believed that Becker and Fagen in fact selected the name from an atlas, primarily because it worked effectively with the next rhyme:.

The song Black Friday (1975) contains one of their most fascinating 'namechecks', a surprising reference to the town of Muswellbrook in northern New South Wales, Australia:. The 'Two Against Nature album (2000) contains numerous references to New York, including the district of Gramercy Park and the well-known upmarket food business http://www.deandeluca.com/. 'Namechecking' is another classic Dan lyrical device, and references to real places and people abound in their songs. Jazz is a recurring theme, with references abounding in their songs, and there are numerous other film, television and literary references and allusions, such as Home At Last (from Aja), which was inspired by The Odyssey.

Many songs contain subtle coded references, word-games, unusual (and sometimes original) slang expressions and intriguing lyrical choices and constructions, all of which enable the songs to be analysed in considerable depth. Steely Dan's lyrics are unusually challenging and interesting, and can attract and hold one's attention alongside the music, inviting repeated listenings to their songs. As the title suggests, the song was inspired by the famous 1944 George Cukor thriller Gaslight, starring Ingrid Bergman, in which the husband of Bergman's character (played by Charles Boyer) attempts to drive her mad. Gaslighting Abbie (2000), also from the Two Against Nature album, likewise presents itself at first as a love song, but further examination of the lyrics reveal that the narrator is conspiring with his lover on a sadistic plan to drive his wife insane.

A good example of this aspect of their writing can be found in the song Janie Runaway (from Two Against Nature). At first glance it reads like an optimistic love song, with the narrator singing the praises of his new love, but a closer examination reveals a relationship between a teenage (and probably underage) runaway and a jaded, wealthy, New York roue who, by song's end, part threatens, part bribes the girl into joining him for an out-of-state 'threesome' weekend with another young woman. Many of their songs concern love, but none can be classed as straightforward love songs, since there is inevitably an ironic or disturbing twist in the lyrics which sets them apart from the typical love song fare. Other intriguing themes are also present, such as prejudice, growing old, failure, poverty and middle-class ennui, but typically seen from an ironic and detachedly intelligent perspective. The first two lines draw on the fact that Owsley's acid was famed for its purity, although the last line is clearly a reference to the famous psychedelic bus named "Furthur", which was used by the Merry Pranksters.

This is evident in the following lines:. Although the lyrics are, at first glance, typically oblique and allusive, Becker and Fagen have hinted that it was partly inspired by the exploits of the infamous 1960s San Francisco-based LSD chemist Owsley -- although it conflates the core story with numerous other images of the Sixties. Another good example of their '70s writing style is Kid Charlemagne from The Royal Scam. Some lyrics are notable for their unusual scansion patterns; a prime example of this is their 1972 hit Reelin' In The Years, which crams an unusually large number of words into each line, giving it a highly syncopated quality, similar to rap:.

Themes of sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll appear, but never in a straightforward manner, neither encouraging or discouraging, and many (if not all) of their songs are tinged with an ironic edge. The duo have said that in retrospect, most of their albums have a 'feel' of either New York or Los Angeles, the two main bases where Becker and Fagen lived and operated (see below). Characters appear in their songs that evoke these cities. Lyrically, their songs cover a wide range of topics, but in their basic approach Becker and Fagen's writing can be compared with the observational, novelistic style of Lou Reed, and with songwriters such as Randy Newman, who specialises in creating fictional personae that narrate the song. Their albums are also notable for the characteristically 'warm' and 'dry' production sound, and the sparing use of echo and reverberation -- effects which were often heavily over-used on other rock recordings of this period.

This gives the song an unexpected drive, without overpowering the sound; it is not even immediately apparent. For example, in the song Parker's Band, two drum kits are used (a technique which was standard in the Big Band era). It also comes from the sound of each instrument, which is recorded with utmost fidelity and attention to sonic detail, in a style that appeals to the ear and is mixed such a way that all instruments are heard and none are given undue priority. The attraction of Steely Dan's music also comes partly from the structure of each song, which will often contain counter-melodies and solid but supple rhythms.

On several albums they used famous session trio of Venetta Fields, Shirley Matthews and Clydie King, who have appeared on many other famous recordings including albums by The Rolling Stones and Boz Scaggs. Becker and Fagen also favour a distinctly soul-influenced style of backing vocal, which after the first few albums were almost always performed by a female chorus (although Michael McDonald features prominently on the 1977 song Peg). The guitar solo on Peg, for example, was attempted by four fine guitarists before Jay Graydon's chorus became the 'keeper'. Long known as perfectionists, they often recorded take after take before selecting the player or performance that made the final cut on their albums.

Their major musical focus has always been to create a precise mood or 'feel' that underscores the lyrics. This comes partly from the tightness of the musicians and partly from Becker and Fagen's deep grounding in and love for jazz and rhythm & blues. Musically, their sound is full of energy, though not an energy of aggression or speed. Perhaps influenced by their early hardships as songwriters for hire, the duo have never given songs to other performers.

Although Becker and Fagen might have at first owed a certain lyrical debt to Bob Dylan, they rapidly developed their own distinctive style and have since become one of the most accomplished and respected songwriting teams of their age. Their enigmatic, sardonically humorous and topical lyrics add enormously to the appeal of the songs. Steely Dan's albums are found by fans to be satisfying on many levels. Their music, which may at first appear 'smooth' and 'easy listening', is characterized by complex jazz-influenced structures and harmonies, witty and literate lyrics and unparalleled musicianship.

The band's heyday was in the 1970s, when they released a half dozen consummate albums, which skilfully blended jazz, rock and roll, funk, rhythm and blues, pop and everything in between. The first stage of the group was as a conventional rock band that toured and recorded from 1972 to 1974; the second stage (1975–80) was as a purely studio-based act, still using the name Steely Dan, but now based solely around the songwriting team of Becker and Fagen, and using hired session players on their recordings; the third stage was Becker and Fagen's surprise return to recording and performing during the 1990s, with the band reconstituted as a large jazz-rock ensemble that both tours regularly and has released several acclaimed live and studio albums. The group's history is divided into three stages. Steely Dan is an American jazz rock band based around musicians and songwriters Walter Becker and Donald Fagen.

Sneaker. 2003 Everything Must Go. 2000 Two Against Nature. 1995 Alive in America (live).

1980 Gaucho. 1977 Aja. 1976 The Royal Scam. 1975 Katy Lied.

1974 Pretzel Logic. 1973 Countdown To Ecstasy. 1972 Can't Buy A Thrill.