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September, October, November & December 2013 Posts

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Date: Thurs, January 02, 2014, 17:29:36 ET
Posted by: hoops, snowy chicago...will the snow ever stop?

Thank you for your patience while the BlueBook was down for the past six days or so.

Let's try this again...and Happy New Year.

Jim


Date: Fri, December 27, 2013, 11:15:25 ET
Posted by: Bookkeeper's Son, Florida

I saw Ricky Lawson live with both the Yellowjackets and Steely Dan. Enjoyed his gift both times! Great drummer. Shame he passed so young.


Date: Fri, December 27, 2013, 09:17:11 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

Huffingtonpost had a little article about Ricky's death... but no mention of Steely Dan.


Date: Fri, December 27, 2013, 02:29:12 ET
Posted by: DocMu,


Erskine + Barney



Date: Fri, December 27, 2013, 01:03:19 ET
Posted by: Lutz, SF

HouDanFan, they sure were a great rhythm session and to me it seemed that Tom Barney was a little more prominent in the mix.
Freddie gets buried sometimes, at least at the shows that I have been too.
How about Carlock and Barney in 2003.
That was magical.


Date: Thurs, December 26, 2013, 16:45:32 ET
Posted by: john, New York

r5PWDf http://www.c1dOvW6eef5JOp8ApWjKQy5RO5mLafkc.com


Date: Thurs, December 26, 2013, 01:08:29 ET
Posted by: HouDanFan, Houston

No disrespect at all to Carlock and Washington, both incredible, but Lawson and Barney were my favorites. Just me. RIP my man


Date: Wed, December 25, 2013, 21:58:21 ET
Posted by: search, k

I always suspected this was the inspiration for the Supremes cover.

http://tinyurl.com/qyjhpk8

Could be just a coincidence.


Date: Wed, December 25, 2013, 21:19:41 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

I'll echo the sentiments around here about Love is an Itchin'. An incredible song to do introductions. Leaps and bounds and leaps and bounds ahead of the shitty ones they've been using lately. But then again... isn't that the norm for the last two tours?

Happy last 2.5 hours of Christmas to ya guys!


Date: Wed, December 25, 2013, 18:41:08 ET
Posted by: Show Biz Kid, the other side

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gi-GOZICU-Q


Date: Wed, December 25, 2013, 18:30:57 ET
Posted by: RIP, Ricky Lawson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJOjdtTWZzo&t=3m44s


Date: Wed, December 25, 2013, 18:17:31 ET
Posted by: Silent Night, Ricky lost his number

http://www.latimes.com/obituaries/la-et-ms-drummer-ricky-lawson-founding-member-of-yellowjackets-dead-at-59-20131224,0,6141471.story#axzz2oX0wTbvu


Date: Wed, December 25, 2013, 18:13:21 ET
Posted by: kzkzkz, NYC

Ricky Lawson has left us after he was pulled from life support Monday night; he passed at approx. 7pm.

RIP

http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2013/12/25/ricky-lawson-drummer-aneurysm/4198717/


Date: Wed, December 25, 2013, 17:36:55 ET
Posted by: Steve Gennarelli, Tampa FL

I just wanted to add that, IMO, "Love is Like an Itching in my Heart" was the best Non-SD song performed at any of their shows since the tours began in the 90's.
Yes, even better than "The Steely Dan Show".


Date: Wed, December 25, 2013, 12:04:09 ET
Posted by: DYLYNFAN, HARRISBURG PA

TO Dan Fan, while I cant say what was done for the intros for every
show in 08, I can say for sure that they did Itching on 6-14-08
at The Beacon. Not only was I there, I have a "souvenir" from the show.


Date: Wed, December 25, 2013, 11:18:40 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

Eminent Hipsters was underneath the tree this morning, though my wife reports that it was already half off at the very large chain bookstore she bought it from.

Then again, we're in the middle of Indiana, and Donald did everything he could to sabotage the sales. And I love him for that. Merry Christmas, Don and Walt.


Date: Wed, December 25, 2013, 08:08:03 ET
Posted by: Michael,

Well whaddya know? Just got Eminent Hipsters as a Christmas gift.


Date: Wed, December 25, 2013, 07:16:19 ET
Posted by: Michael, 'Tis the season

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Here's hoping for something new from SD in 2014.


Date: Wed, December 25, 2013, 02:08:01 ET
Posted by: TO Danfan, still awake

Make that cant remember 2008 band intros.


Date: Wed, December 25, 2013, 01:50:26 ET
Posted by: TO Danfan, by the fire

Merry Christmas to all here on The Blue. Hope you are all warm and safe.

Re 2008. It is the best set list I've enjoyed. The better half and I headed north to the casino for the July 4 show and made a night of it staying over and getting well prepared for the ensuing fun.

The concert hall was a box that holds about 4000? and we were middle centre half way up. They played a long set for a casino gig and were chased off by a big bear at the end. The sound was pretty good.

Here's what they played which I thought was just unbelievable for a casino show.

Movie/Fez intro
Royal Scam
News
Showbiz Kids
Everything You did
TVN
Hey 19
Do It Again
Glamour Pro
New Front
Gaucho
Home At Last
Parker's Band
Josie
Third World Man
Aja
Peg
FMr
Kid C

Of course all songs were excellent and the band was terrific as always. Highlights for me...Glamour, Third World Man, Gaucho, TVN

Then we saw them at Massey Hall Nov 25, 2009 for the Aja + hits show which was also awesome. That is when they did Love Is Like An Itchin'
for the band intros. Can't remember how hey they did the band intros in 2009.

Cheers


Date: Tues, December 24, 2013, 13:09:04 ET
Posted by: DYLYNFAN, HARRISBURG PA

And if I can add my two cents, how about Love Is Like An Itching In
My Heart, which blew the roof off during band intros. IMHO


Date: Tues, December 24, 2013, 10:56:24 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

Oh, and I'd like to wish everyone on the Bluebook a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year.

May your next couple days be filled with food, family, and fun. (In that order).

I hope you're all snug in your beds, while visions of black cows dance in your heads.


Date: Tues, December 24, 2013, 10:48:39 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

Chris, I agree 100% about the 2008 shows.

The Royal Scam to start off with, plus the Fez/Movies overture.
Everything You Did
Two Against Nature
New Frontier
Gaucho
Parker's Band

Plus some shows got Glamour Profession.

KILLER setlist. Loved it.


Date: Tues, December 24, 2013, 10:15:19 ET
Posted by: Chris, nh

After listening to a new 2008 live recording, I've come to conclusion that 08 was a very underrated tour. Royal Scam has a backbeat that Carlock and Freddie Washington absolutely destroy. Two Against Nature sounds the best it ever did. A new Instrumental Overture. Becker still slamming. First half of the setlist full of flawless transitions.


Date: Sun, December 22, 2013, 18:45:21 ET
Posted by: Hutch,

Got Eminent Hipsters a couple of days ago. Absolutely love it. I really like Don's writing style. There's some really fine prose woven into this little book and, of course, it's extremely funny.
No one should be offended. Seriously.

"If you don't get it you ain't never gonna get it".
- Louis Armstrong


Date: Sun, December 22, 2013, 12:40:09 ET
Posted by: kind of, makes sense

It was rock's dubious decade.


Date: Sun, December 22, 2013, 12:20:47 ET
Posted by: sad, calif

rip ricky my wife and i enjoyed dinner with you at jerrys, before your club gigs at Lava lees. He was a very kind and nice soul, invited us everywhere when he was in town. Will never foget the kiss on the forhead during your break.thank you for the great stories.


Date: Sun, December 22, 2013, 10:57:26 ET
Posted by: UH?,

GCF, That makes absolutely no sense at all.


Date: Sat, December 21, 2013, 17:53:55 ET
Posted by: Steve Gennarelli, Tampa FL

"Dirty Work" was featured in "American Hustle" among many other great songs from the 70's.
Really a neat movie. I'm sure Amy Adams will win the Oscar.
She showed a ton of range in this one.


Date: Sat, December 21, 2013, 16:06:04 ET
Posted by: Chris, nh

FYI - some lovely naughty gems are cropping up in the usual place ...


Date: Fri, December 20, 2013, 13:49:28 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

Damn... that sucks.

Love him on Kid Charlemagne in that Two Against Nature DVD.


Date: Fri, December 20, 2013, 11:06:48 ET
Posted by: Lurker Ray, Sunny SoBe

#1........Ricky never lost that number

RIP


Date: Fri, December 20, 2013, 10:09:29 ET
Posted by: Chris, nh

My first Dan show was in 2000 with Lawson on drums. 12-year-old me was in awe of his drum solo during Josie. Years later when I listen back to bootlegs, the solo still amazes me, but the depth of his groove is what keeps me coming back to that era. An incredibly subtle and tasteful cat. What a loss to the music world.


Date: Thurs, December 19, 2013, 22:33:50 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

RIP Ricky Lawson.


Date: Thurs, December 19, 2013, 19:43:16 ET
Posted by: hoops, chicago

A favorite memory of Ricky Lawson is from the closing show of the Steely Dan Tour 2K in Dusseldorf. As many of you know, in 1996, Walter sang Jack of Speed with different lyrics and a bluesier, faster tempo than on Two Against Nature and during Tour 2K when Donald sang lead. Well, at this last show, Ricky kicked up the tempo back to 1996. This is speculation on my part, but it looked like everyone but Donald knew this was going to happen. Maybe I'm wrong. Anyhow, it was really cool.

Thanks and rest in peace, Ricky.

Jim


Date: Thursday, December 19, 2013,  16:59:56 ET
Posted by: Bearer of Bad News, NYC

although it is yet to be officially announced by his family, former Yellowjackets, Michael Jackson and Steely Dan (among others) drummer Ricky Lawson has passed away. His friends in Los Angeles confirmed his passing late last night. R.I.P. Ricky

Date: Thursday, December 19, 2013,  12:31:39 ET
Posted by: steelydoc, near the Revel

former SD piano man John Beasley has reported on his Facebook page that Ricky Lawson is brain dead in a coma...

Date: Thursday, December 19, 2013,  09:19:36 ET
Posted by: Hutch, C

Indications are that Ricky Lawson has died. It hasn't been officially confirmed as I write but friends of his family have indicated that is the case.

Rest in Peace.

Date: Wednesday, December 18, 2013,  19:52:28 ET
Posted by: kzkzkz, N Why? C

http://www.freep.com/article/20131218/ENT04/312180134/detroit-drummer-ricky-lawson-dies


Not confirmed. (Yet?)

Date: Tuesday, December 17, 2013,  00:18:10 ET
Posted by: GregM, NY

Going to pop SD live in Detroit 2000 (boot) and soak in Ricky's sublime drumming. Hope he recovers soon.

Date: Monday, December 16, 2013,  23:27:48 ET
Posted by: tomorrows girl, right here

Don had a new album in 2012??!! I'm really out of the loop! lol

Love the title-Sunken Condos. Is it after hurricane Sandy? What do you all think about the music?

Date: Monday, December 16, 2013,  12:12:12 ET
Posted by: Josey,Mass

Just read on a drum site that Ricky Lawson has suffered a stroke. Hope he recovers well and get's back to grooving! What a great feel he has!

Date: Sunday, December 15, 2013,  15:48:00 ET
Posted by: hoops,chicago

Speaking of Michael Omartian, I heard a couple of years ago that he was very ill. I hope he's doing better.

Date: Sunday, December 15, 2013,  13:48:26 ET
Posted by: Philippe,�a d�pend

Yes Hutch, great interview indeed, sincere is the word for me. The man has let his sarcastic style aside and what appears is a great respect for the music, the musicians, some of you won't agree but to me the book was also full of sincerity and respect , towards his audience particularly, showing it's not always easy to stay at the same level of excellency when the venue is bad and the audience is full of tv babies talking during songs, taking pictures, but doing is best to deliver the most honest performance.
Anyway, in those days of low activity in terms of Dan music, some weeks ago I suggested that you could listen to Robert Kraft's stuff. HMV Japan just rereleased all his albums plus a live one never released before, recorded in N.Y with a young John Herington on guitar. You'll find some of his music on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Yqz5BFMwxg&hd=1
Enjoy this one first, I wish you could hear "Groove speed" as well, very Steely Danish really.
Of course you can order the cd's one by one but I suggest you got the boxset because once you're trapped you'll end up ordering all of them anyway.

Please come back to say what you think of him, or drop me a line if you wish.

Have a nice pre Christmas rush week

Amicalement

Philippe, not Michael !

Date: Saturday, December 14, 2013,  19:46:59 ET
Posted by: Sam,NYC

re: American Hustle. I had the choice today to either see that or Inside Llewyn Davis. I chose the latter since American Hustle is going to open wide next week.

Llewin declares "In the entertainment business you don't let your practice stuff get out. It ruins the mystique." I thought of the pre-cbat demos.

Date: Saturday, December 14, 2013,  11:47:29 ET
Posted by: Jimmie,the train

Now we know who put the cigarette burns on the Bosendorfer that so infuriated Michael Omartian.

Date: Friday, December 13, 2013,  20:11:24 ET
Posted by: Hutch,

Sorry Michael... I meant Philippe. Good interview.

Date: Thursday, December 12, 2013,  12:14:04 ET
Posted by: Bookkeeper's Son, Florida

I saw Jim Hall perform with Ron Carter at the Blue Note in NYC a couple of years ago. Great guitarist who will be missed.

Date: Thursday, December 12, 2013,  08:23:54 ET
Posted by: harmolodic, kicking that gong around

I've been a pretty consistent Steely Dan fan over the years, from digging them in real time in the '70s and '80s to seeing them live in Manassas in the '90s, to kind of rediscovering them recently. I originally wasn't much of a fan of their solo stuff (except Nightfly, and Sunken Condos is a blast).

I'm somewhat embarrassed to say I had never checked out Walter's solo albums until very recently. What the hell was I thinking? or not thinking. Circus Money is the bomb. One amazing song after another, not a weak one in the bunch. To me this is very different from Don's material and from Steely Dan. There's a darker edge to it. Walter's voice, while a bit more conventional and less distinctive than Don's, is excellent. His phrasing is dead on and so is his intonation. He goes from tender and wistful (Bob is Not Your Uncle) to harsh and brutal (God's Eye View) easily.

This CD is on constant rotation in my car and house.

Now I am getting into 11 Tracks of Whack, which sounds distinctly different and more stripped down. So far so good but I haven't listened to it enough to make informed comments. I'll report back on it soon...

Date: Thursday, December 12, 2013,  18:23:45 ET
Posted by: hutch,

Michael - Thanks for that link. A short interview but honestly one of the best and most forthright I've read in a while. Donald really opened up on that one.

Date: Wednesday, December 11, 2013,  18:23:45 ET
Posted by: kzkzkz, cyn, cyn

Just caught a screening of "American Hustle". Not going to give anything away but, wonderful use of SD's "Dirty Work" early on.

Date: Wednesday, December 11, 2013,  18:23:45 ET
Posted by: hoops, chicago

R.I.P. Jim Hall. "Performed almost to the end." I believe Walter Becker cited him as an influence during the "Piano Jazz" show.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/11/arts/music/jim-hall-jazz-guitarist-dies-at-83.html?ref=obituaries

Date: Wednesday, December 11, 2013, 08:02:50 ET
Posted by: Michael,

While we're waiting for more SD news, here's a little something I put together yesterday.

Groove Junkie

http://www.motifator.com/index.php?ACT=39&fid=130&aid=13900_KQF6fbaXZ4H2K1ob9eUK&board_id=1

Date: Wednesday, December 11, 2013, 06:10:14 ET
Posted by: Philippe, Pau

A Donald interview in mmusicmag, don't think it was posted before, quite interesting:
http://musicians382.rssing.com/browser.php?indx=11657736&item=17

Date: Mon, December 9, 2013, 22:15:25 ET
Posted by: not all book signings were paid admission SF was $40 but then cancelled,


Date: Mon, December 9, 2013, 16:46:59 ET
Posted by: hoops, chicago

J Lamott:

Glad you asked. Different Larry Klein. Here's a link to a fine Q & A with "our" Larry Klein. I have a great deal of respect for this Larry.
http://mmusicmag.com/m/2011/08/larry-klein/

Date: Mon, December 9, 2013, 13:49:17 ET
Posted by: Lutz, SF

Keith Carlock is on tour with Mike Stern on the West Coast, also in the band: Randy Brecker and Anthony Jackson.

A real treat, think Aja on steroids.

Date: Mon, December 9, 2013, 10:40:35 ET
Posted by: J Lamott,

Hoops, etal:

Is this the same Larry Klein that produced WB and was Joni Mitchell's husband?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKdnMRsqugw

Date: Mon, December 9, 2013, 00:27:12 ET
Posted by: Share, & Share Alike

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBE5QfRqzxM

I wonder if he's playing a different version on his headphones.

Date: Sun, December 8, 2013, 16:37:03 ET
Posted by: How, Come?

Why is it that we don't see any live recordings from the first two tours in support of CBAT and CTE? I understand why there's nothing after 1974's PL tour, but why nothing for the previous ones, even if they were only a supporting/opening act?

Date: Sat, December 7, 2013, 19:28:31 ET
Posted by: S.S.S.,

So will there be a Dukes of September tour next year? Will Donald do any more book signings? Is it true that all the book signings were with paid admission?

Date: Sat, December 7, 2013, 13:43:49 ET
Posted by: Centurys End,

Is Donald's performance of Bright Lights, Big City on CD anywhere? I remember it being pretty short, but I'm a completist and would like to have it.

Date: Fri, December 6, 2013, 20:37:28 ET
Posted by: Wu, now

Funny stuff, Hoops. Back in the day, Steely Dan had a funny site. I don't think Donald was trying to be funny in his book, although it was O.K. with him if he was. I don't think Donald is as much funny as he is just odd or eccentric.

Date: Fri, December 6, 2013, 11:28:34 ET
Posted by: S.K., on the dune

I was in a record shop in the Village recently. They had a copy of The Nightfly with the title in turquoise. Is this a Limited Edition? A misprint? Any reason for the change????

Date: Thurs, December 5, 2013, 4:07:59 ET
Posted by: hoops, on the quick

Came across this link to a series of hilarious Amazon.com reviews of a $40K/$30K refurb 85" Samsung TV.

Steely Dan is not mentioned but when I read the it--especially the initial review where the guy talks about selling his daughter into slavery to pay for the TV--it reminded me of the humor you would find at SteelyDan.com several years back. Revisited some of those SteelyDan.com "writhings" and then thought about Donald's book. It's even more likely that the SteelyDan.com stuff was a lot more Walter than Donald.

Date: Thurs, December 5, 2013, 11:14:22 ET
Posted by: Lunch TV, o

In the wake of DF's disdain for TV Babies, this seems particularly Dangential. Who said it?

"I wasn't brought up in a house where there was a lot of reading and stuff. I was brought up on TV. Who was William Burroughs? They never brought him up in high school in the Sixties -- unless you hung around with that kind of crowd. And I didn't hang around with no crowd that was talking about William Burroughs"

Date: Thurs, December 5, 2013, 11:03:00 ET
Posted by: Michael,

Since Dan-related activity is minimal right now, here's some Rhodes action over a funky groove.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYGDAspkXIY

Date: Thurs, December 5, 2013, 20:08:00 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu,


Some news tangentially Dan related as Neil finn is arguably among the greatest active songwriters on the planet along with D&W and Paddy McAloon.

Dizzy Heights is out in February and the songs leaking out from various sessions are more introspective and jazzy in the Austin City Limits sense.

Impressions makes a positive one...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYs0GgD_bp0

Date: Thurs, December 5, 2013, 20:08:00 ET
Posted by: Lutz, SF

http://www.booksmith.com/event/fagen

Date: Wed, December 4, 2013, 20:08:00 ET
Posted by: Dave (from acquisitions), Philadelphia

DF great interview on the Ron and Fez show yesterday. you can on demand it if you have Sirius XM, might be posted on youtube eventually. Steely Dan was the featured artist of the day.

Date: Tues, December 3, 2013, 20:08:00 ET
Posted by: 7-10, splitter

What's next? A bowler will get cremated and they can can give out rosin bags made from his ashes.

Date: Tues, December 3, 2013, 02:06:09 ET
Posted by: CJB, Qualified Rave

New largely positive NYT review of EH by Janet Maslin:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/03/books/eminent-hipsters-by-donald-fagen-of-steely-dan.html

"[T]he TV babies in his concert audiences probably won't be the readers of his book, 'Eminent Hipsters.' It's too sly and idiosyncratic and unpredictable for them..."

"'Eminent Hipsters' is as bleakly funny about the aging rocker's plight -- What's he going to write songs about? His kidney stones? -- as Steely Dan always has been about its perversely chosen subjects."

Date: Mon, December 2, 2013, 23:43:33 ET
Posted by: CJB, YVR

SueDave, thanks for the news. Suspected as much, kind of hoped it was otherwise.

Date: Mon, December 2, 2013, 17:36:27 ET
Posted by: Nicholas Urfe, Phraxos

This woman's name wasn't Marlene, but perhaps it should have been...
http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/Blog/2013/12/02/Family-holds-funeral-at-bowling-alley/5471386003239/?spt=sec&or=on

Date: Mon, December 2, 2013, 10:05:06 ET
Posted by: Technicolor Motorhome, SE USA

Don't forget about the superb Dan tribute band next weekend "12 against nature" - they really don't play many gigs anymore. Their other band "Make me smile" will play as well (obvious by the name what material that set will be)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzWv9Dr6rLc

Date: Mon, December 2, 2013, 10:01:39 ET
Posted by: Bob Evensen, Afton, MO

Just checking things out here. A newbie here.

There's always a lot of attention to Aja and Gaucho. My favs are Katy Lied and Royal Scam. All four of those albums are perfect.

Date: Sun, December 1, 2013, 22:12:25 ET
Posted by: suedave,Eh

DF & the Seattle book tour.

Scheduled. Cancelled.

Rescheduled. Cancelled.

Hope everything is ok.

Date: Sun, December 1, 2013, 18:11:28 ET
Posted by: razorboy666,

Roger Nichols book -that is definitely something I am interested in reading/studying. I'm in the learning phase of audio production and it's probably over my head but it can't hurt. Thanks R.D. for your perspective. As a dan fan I want the details, sordid or whatever. Basic human curiosity, I guess. I've bought everything else they've ever put on the market, so why stop now? If anything, I relate to Don more now than before I read his book.

Date: Sun, December 1, 2013, 13:27:29 ET
Posted by: Wu,OK

I'll take what I can get with Donald's book. Donald's grocery list is probably better than most writing today. Getting the book as a Christmas gift.

Date: Sun, December 1, 2013, 07:23:51 ET
Posted by: R.D.,

You have Donald's book which is the personal story about his upbringing and then the Dukes tour.

Then you have Roger Nichols' book which effectively tells a lot about how Steely Dan recordings were made.

That fact that only one person has reviewed the latter suggests that Dan Fans want to know sordid details about Donald's life, not how to make great music.

Donald made the right choice of content.

Date: Sat, November 30, 2013, 19:04:26 ET
Posted by: razorboy666,

I haven't read the entire book but skipped to the "juicy" parts I keep hearing about. As far as I'm concerned I think it's pretty funny. I've always felt Don was a kindred spirit to Woody Allen who probably would have a similar view. Another worldly wise view from the bleaker side of life - what else would anyone expect?

Date: Sat, November 30, 2013, 11:22:50 ET
Posted by: KD,

Thanks for the heads-up on that Kim.

Haven't read the book yet, saving it for an easy Christmas gift for the wife, but the radio admission that Donald was drinking flat Coke during his trips to the Village Vanguard kind of rings true. Not trying to overreach here, but in the age of Diet Coke and endless bottles of water (to say nothing about libations), there's got to be some reason he's slinging back a can of regular Coke at every show.

I know it's the world's most popular drink, probably overreaching ... but let me have this one.

Date: Fri, November 29, 2013, 11:22:50 ET
Posted by: Kim,

Donald discussing Eminent Hipsters on Canadian radio:
http://www.cbc.ca/q/blog/2013/11/27/steely-dan-donald-fagen-eminent-hipsters/

Date: Fri, November 29, 2013, 13:38:23 ET
Posted by: J.B.,

I like most of Donald's new book, although technically, I listened to it and didn't read it. One thing, Donald complains about venues. The Danziens have had the same complaints, even requesting that Donald play venues that don't cater to fat cats and series ticket holders who could care less.

I can't get to these book events. If I could, my question for Donald would be, "Why do you continue to play venues that you and your fans loathe?"

J.B.

Date: Thurs, November 28, 2013, 14:24:15 ET
Posted by: hoops, chicago

Happy Thanksgiving, you Americans, you.

Date: Thurs, November 28, 2013, 08:35:21 ET
Posted by: Michael, @Chris

Thanks for clearing that up.

Date: Thurs, November 28, 2013, 08:12:01 ET
Posted by: PETE EVANS, MANCHESTER UK

Don's book claimed fourth place in the Mojo (UK) list of music books of 2013 !

Date: Wed, November 27, 2013, 12:06:52 ET
Posted by: Napoleon, U.K.

Favourite Christmas song? Easy... Jack Of Speed. It has sleigh bells in it

Date: Wed, November 27, 2013, 12:05:34 ET
Posted by: Chris, nh

Michael, I believe that was Elliot Randall.

Date: Wed, November 27, 2013, 12:01:27 ET
Posted by: Steve,

I'm a fanatic for Hunter Thompson, Spinal Tap, satire. So I expected that Donald's book would fit somewhere along side those. It doesn't measure up, not even to the classics at Steely Dan.com. At least the book wasn't inexplicably interrupted with a chapter penned by Martha Wainwright.

If you are a Dan Fan left hungry for actual new insights into Steely Dan's music, check out Roger Nichol's Recording Method: A Primer for 21st Century Audio Engineers. He completed it less than a year before he died. Basic explanation of technology. Some great anecdotes. Pretty classy book. Professional. Congenial. No adolescent whining. Put aside Fagen's book and put this one on the top of the must-read stack.

Steve

Date: Wed, November 27, 2013, 11:37:05 ET
Posted by: Larry, 10-7-13

I am Happy to be (Thanks) giving this to you-
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLx7OzIA-nsBt-iJK__JG5Hzwaq31c237c

Date: Tues, November 26, 2013, 16:35:36 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu, Franz Kafkaland

Speakin' of Jonesin' Billy Joe Armstrong (Green Day) and Norah Jones remade an album of covers the Everly Brothers made...and it's actually Great. Who'd a think it?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0R_rhdglVBk


Date: Tues, November 26, 2013, 12:27:29 ET
Posted by: CJB, Franz Kafkaland

Can anyone in Seattle shed any light on the rescheduled DF talk?

Town Hall website shows *new* date of December 19th, then sez the event is "cancelled & will not be rescheduled." Eh?

Date: Tues, November 26, 2013, 08:39:06 ET
Posted by: Michael,

The Reddit thread is interesting with some funny comments. One member didn't know who did the guitar solo on Night By Night and someone said Jeff "Skunk" Baxter. Wasn't it actually Denny Dias?

Date: Mon, November 25, 2013, 18:45:49 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

There's a conversation on reddit about perfectly produced albums used to test audio equipment, and there's a lot of praise for Steely Dan and Fagen going on... Nightfly in particular.
http://www.reddit.com/r/Music/comments/1reh1u/rage_against_the_machines_debut_album_is_often/#cdmlt3k

Date: Mon, November 25, 2013, 18:24:04 ET
Posted by: Ida Lee, Ida Hoe

1. DFs book was amusing. Read it and sold it on eBay. Maybe he hates his fans sometime, maybe not. Ask any doctor.....I am sure some of them hate some of their patients some of the time.....some hate all of their patients some of the time......some hate some of their patients ALL of the time......but none hate ALL of their patients ALL of the time. If they do, it's time to get out. As for the no-shows at the book signings.....get over it. The question is on you.....what were you doing there in the first place? Nothing better to do? We like the MUSIC, the albums and the concerts. Not autographs, not books, MUSIC.

Several years ago, when I was still commuting from Idaho to Phoenix for stints of work, I had rigged my itinerary to include a layover in Denver for the sole purpose of seeing DFs solo gig there. Traffic and airport security caused me to miss my flight and getting on a new itinerary was convoluted as heck...."if I'm not in downtown Denver by 8PM, you may as well fly me straight to Phoenix".....the gate agent was super nice, and a month later when I went back to the airport and tried to find her to tell her this story, I found that she was permanently on sick leave due to a recurrence of breast cancer (she later died). My revised itinerary included a plane change in Salt Lake, with a negative layover. Miraculously, I made the plane change. Got to the airport and when the rental car shuttle got stuck in traffic (the driver was Jamacain and in no hurry), I disembarked and RAN about half a mile to beat the shuttle to the rental car center, beating everyone else on the bus to the line. Then the lines for a rental car. Then the drive to downtown Denver and finding a place to park. Ran like a bandit and got to the door of the Tower theater at straight-up 8:00. Door was locked. Sign said "Concert postponed due to travel problems for the band". Was I pissed? No, I laughed and said "the joke's on me, I'm too old for this, I have a family now".

2. Bought the Mark Masters Ensemble CD "Everything You Did" recently. This is a very different CD of Dan covers. Jazz. Won't give track listings, but a few are songs never done live by the duo. Several of the songs are almost unrecognizable. It was actually fun to play "Name that Tune" while listening to them. In fact, "Do IT Again" sounds something like a Christmas song in parts.
Grab a copy

Later.

Date: Mon, November 25, 2013, 17:05:01 ET
Posted by: Trez, here

I'm jonesin' for an ELS HOME Stereo system. Even more cool: how about three ELS systems for different budgets? I don't think my wife would go for a $20,000 audio system, but $1,200? Maybe.

Beats headphones are by Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine. How about ELS- and WCB-approved cans?

Sounds sweet!!!!

Trez


Date: Mon, November 25, 2013, 15:41:37 ET
Posted by: The Dean,St. Augustine Beach

Hoops, thanks for that ELS link. While I'm not often a fan of these reworkings, JJ's version of Ellington's I'm Beginning to See the Light was really fantastic. I will have to check out more from that album.

As for mobile audio, I'm in a similar situation. My CRV has very ordinary sound. It's a 3-year lease and I have one more year on it. The next vehicle (buy or lease) will have decent sound. I had great sound in my old BMW 740 and even the Grand Cherokee Limited I drove in while in So Cal had a pretty nice Infinity Gold system. It did have an unfortunate preference for country music, though.

Date: Mon, November 25, 2013, 14:16:09 ET
Posted by: hoops, on the quick

Some cool stuff about the ELSSurround system. http://www.acura.com/ELSSoundSystem.aspx Nifty! (Several bits of info including an especially cool clip with ELS and Joe Jackson talks about Steely Dan a touch.)

Nine years, close to 150K miles (mostly city) and $3K repairs due on the last NYTFLY --so I had to retire it. Acura is out of my budget, so I've been wrestling with the surround system packaged on the new NYTFLY which I've been really fortunate to purchase. Very happy with the car except the sound system is a mixed bag. It's a cross over, I'm tall so my head is above certain typical listening points and there's one speaker that I'd like to smother with a pillow--but I will simply disconnect it when enough months have gone by.

Been driving it -- and tweaking the equalizer--with The Nightfly, Aja and Circus Money, as well as Stevie Wonder's Innervisions, Kind of Blue, Best of John Coltrane, Marvin Gaye compilation (Gold), Donna Summer's Bad Girls Deluxe, Van Morrison's Sense of Wonder and Avalon Sunset and Lou Reed's New York and 2003 compilation. Like I said, I find myself adjusting the equalizers. A lot of it is more familiar stuff as I get the hang of the sound and adjusting it. I suppose that's a good sample of what I've been listening to lately.

Based on that selection, I'd say I'm attracted to crabby artists, half of whom are dead.


Date: Mon, November 25, 2013, 01:33:25 ET
Posted by: Lutz, SF

Thank you, Napoleon for that link, Hutch, other that promote creative and organic grooves here.
Lalah Hathaway, wow.
Ordered that Snarky Puppy family night dvd today, all the other singers are amazing if not stunning as well.

Wish I was at that show, would have traveled for that one.
That $200 pancake show in August was fine too, in retrospect just one too many for me.
I believe Donald when he says each show takes that much out of him.
imo they just schedule too many for them to enjoy it, that's show biz I suppose.
Would he do an extended Vegas gig at Ceasar's or the Hard Rock?
Santana was brilliant there and relaxed, Dennis on drums no less.
Us suckers would go.


Date: Mon, November 25, 2013, 00:09:11 ET
Posted by: Enquiring Mind, Confused & disgusted

Young Wu, I'm still earnestly looking for an explanation - any explanation, from you or anyone else who champions this noisy, obnoxious fraud - as to how a guy like "Eminem" belongs in a musical discussion. Even a broad one. I didn't bring him up - you did.

As far as the strident chick-hating dude goes, I don't even know where to start. I know it's best to just ignore lunatics, but I have to say....you're all fucked up, man. I sure hope that doesn't hurt your, uh, feelings...


Date: Sun, November 24, 2013, 23:52:53 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Let me just see if I have this straight:

Men have been free to fuck anything that moves, without impunity, for centuries. But should women decide to express a bit of sexual freedom any negative fallout is THEIR FAULT? Seriously?

Forget your sloppy historical perspective, your decision to begin the discussion of current culture with the 60's is arbitrary and, quite frankly , stupid. IMO, of course.

When I read this mindless drivel I can't help but think, what did your mother, girlfriend, wife and/or church do to you? Seriously you have a problem. Seek mental health help ASAP. Run, don't walk. Someone is available tomorrow.


Date: Sun, November 24, 2013, 23:47:19 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

Holy shit, even if it's a joke, this anti-women stuff is unbearable. If you're trying to be funny, you're failing miserably.

And if it's real? I can't even imagine the psychological trauma that has lead you down this path of innate insanity.


Date: Sun, November 24, 2013, 23:45:41 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

I don't have a "deep respect" for the dude, my friend.

Why does this annoy you so much?? Are you that insecure to acknowledge that artists/musician/people/whatever-word-gets-me-in-the-least-amount-of trouble in other genres can have talent?

I'll never own more than 10 Eminem songs. Meanwhile, my love for this Steely Dan guy that I've heard so much about knows no depth.

And of course I'm glad our guys beat Eminem for that Grammy in 2000.
But beating Kid A? Eh...

(As if we could get MORE off topic, but it is kinda funny how this little group here seems to be the only group that likes that Album of the Year decision. It depresses me how often I see it ripped apart.)


Date: Sun, November 24, 2013, 23:22:35 ET
Posted by: Enquiring Mind, shocked & appalled

Even a reasonably intelligent guy like Young Wu is emboldened to express deep respect in a musical conversation for someone he readily admits has little-to-no actual musical ability. A guy - this "Eminem" clod - who performs crude, vulgar spoken word bits (not actually "music", mind you) - all based on his own shitty, shitty existence, upbringing, & garbage life/style, and nothing more - for the masses who admire his disjointed ravings simply because they don't know any better. Or even worse, because they actually relate to them. That doesn't speak well for the future of popular music. Or for the future of our society.

Just like the papers separate WWE/UFC from actual sports, can't we please separate low grade "entertainment" from "music" here?

Anyways...I never felt so good about a Grammy win from well over a decade ago.


Date: Sun, November 24, 2013, 23:04:37 ET
Posted by: JustSayin'Son, AirWhere

it's MARSHALL MATHERS...not MICHAEL MATHERS.

if you're gonna hate, at least get your facts straight. <--see what i did there?


Date: Sun, November 24, 2013, 22:37:36 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

Yeah, damn... I'm sorry I kept the conversation going. Didn't expect the - as The Dean put it - "misogynistic bullshit".

For the record, I don't think I ever called Eminem a musician. I don't believe he has ever really shown any particular talent to be labeled as musician. But as a rapper... I think he's fairly talented.

I think he's good at taking his inner anger and rage and directed it into quality music. I think he's got an awareness about him that comes through the music which makes it (for a lack of a better description) sound "real". I think he has an ability to take long disjointed rants and string them together in a way that makes sense. I think he raps with talent; he can change his voice when he's exposing a different emotion. He can spit out 100+ words in 15 seconds. His lyrics aren't all time great, sure... but they're fairly clever. They're funny. Sometimes they do reach into another level of quality.

I think there's talent there. I like him. But I can understand and respect people who don't like him.


Date: Sun, November 24, 2013, 22:22:45 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

I'm a bit speechless (odd for me, I admit).

"you can't discuss music without discussing the culture in general" While I don't entirely agree with that (great music is timeless) I understand the point.

The rest is the most misogynistic bullshit I have read in many, many years.


Date: Sun, November 24, 2013, 20:42:55 ET
Posted by: An Enquiring Mind, didn't ask for that

Clarification: I was hoping that someone here could defend Mr. Eminem's alleged "musicality" or shed some light onto what makes him - in the eyes of the mainstream and at least one poster here - a "musician". I'm genuinely curious.

A ridiculous rant espousing sociopathic hatred for women in general wasn't exactly what I was lookin' for.

How about a strictly "musical" assessment, hopefully from one of the folks on here who might be more familiar with this guy's career and who believe he is a musical phenomenon rather than a low grade/bottomfeeder cultural one? Or from those who think he's a skilled musician rather than just a semi-literate self-absorbed puke representative of the burgeoning welfare set?


Date: Sun, November 24, 2013, 18:33:11 ET
Posted by: razorboy666, austin

And here I've always said the National Enquirer is sick.


Date: Sun, November 24, 2013, 17:48:35 ET
Posted by: razorboy666, ausitn

Hey I saw White Denim perform at Utopia Fest last year. Wonderful show - they were having a great time. Last week I saw Sarah Jarosz, another wonderful performer. Like every generation, genius emerges and it's our job to make sure we're lucky enough to happen to run across it. I always appreciate the tips I get from the the BlueBook.


Date: Sun, November 24, 2013, 17:48:01 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu,

Gotta give props to a guy/band who looks like Santa Claus while half blind and deaf making catchy music:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUt4AZ3J42A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WnATZLcXuA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYBS64OXYIk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_oNvajFcmI


Date: Sun, November 24, 2013, 17:43:25 ET
Posted by: An Enquiring Mind, wants to know

I would like someone - anyone - to explain exactly what Eminem's talent is, from a strictly musical standpoint. I don't get his kind of stuff at all, but I'll be the first to admit that there's lots I don't get and that fact obviously doesn't negate any particular act's value or validity. But what is it that this guy does, in musical terms, that could cause him to be considered "talented" or "musical"? I'm not looking for an assessment of his saleability/marketability, or of his entertainment value to those who admire him, since those things are already evident. He obviously has a significant audience, but that doesn't make him a "musician" or his product "music" any more than having steroid-riddled goons pretend to fight each other makes pro wrestling a "sport".

What has always drawn me to the music that I love has been the music itself - not the scene, not the window dressing, not the hype, not the hair, and, with the exception of The Beatles, not any perceived "cultural impact". It's always been the playing, the notes, the songs themselves. The music.

From the Eminem stuff that I have been unwittingly exposed to (admittedly not the entire Eminem catalog), I don't see any of the following being applicable:

- Instrumental virtuosity.
- Instrumental competency.
- Lyrical sophistication.
- Lyrical ability.
- Musical complexity.
- Musical innovation.
- Originality.

I guess I can see how many, especially damaged individuals in a sick society, might relate to the guy's crudely-rendered stories. I just don't get how he qualifies as a musician, and I really don't get how his self-aggrandizing product can technically be considered music.


Date: Sun, November 24, 2013, 17:08:36 ET
Posted by: suedave, Sunny Seattle

Hi Ben from Indy - nice meeting you in person this fall!!

Donald Fagen book tour has also been rescheduled in Seattle - December 19th, I believe.

Re: non Steely Dan music recommendations for other people in this crowd. I think that we as a group have an extremely eclectic mix of other favorite music, and it's more likely than not that our tastes diverge. Go figure.


Date: Sun, November 24, 2013, 11:57:02 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

Mike, I don't think "great" music needs an explanation... but I think that defending the talent of someone who is getting criticized doesn't mean that the music doesn't speak for itself.

I mean, I guarantee that rambling nutjob has never listened to more than 20 seconds of an Eminem song. Now, am I a mega-ulta fan of the dude? No. But are there half a dozen or so songs of his that I think are good - or even great? Yeah. I think the guy is talented, and I think that giving a little explanation as to why I think that directed to a group that probably never listens to him doesn't speak about a lack of talent. I mean, I've defended Steely Dan to some of mindless yuppies I've encounter who love to spew the "elevator music" nonsense.


Date: Sun, November 24, 2013, 10:46:14 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Yes, Snarky Puppy is terrific. That was a great performance---thanks for posting it. As far as the ability to sing chords, I have heard it done before---by throat singing Tibetan Monks. I think this is the first time I have heard in a contemporary setting. Well, come to think of it, what was Janis Joplin screaming? :#)


Date: Sun, November 24, 2013, 10:00:04 ET
Posted by: What do I, know?

Napoleon - yeah, I saw the Lalah Hathaway video. I thought she had kicked in a harmonizer with a footswitch until a more musical friend put me straight. Certainly explains the stunned reactions of the rest of the band - didn't even know that was physically possible !


Date: Sun, November 24, 2013, 09:48:16 ET
Posted by: Michael, Re: Snarky Puppy

They've got talent, that's for certain. They solo all over the place, which under normal circumstances I'd tire of, but they manage to mix up the action by varying the rhythm section or gradually phasing into a different part of the song to break away from the monotony of hearing the same thing for 8-9 minutes. Some of their horn charts will sound funky, sometimes almost vaudeville in extravagance. Their sound varies from focused with a strong lead melody and nice harmonic changes to downright showy or gimmicky.

Overall I like them. They remind me of the jazz/fusion and library music of the 70's. Hopefully they're not just a one-trick pony. Time will tell.


Date: Sun, November 24, 2013, 09:21:15 ET
Posted by: Hutch,

I've got tickets to see Snarky Puppy here in Richmond on Feb. 1st.
I don't go to all that many concerts anymore. This is one I'm really looking forward to.


Date: Sun, November 24, 2013, 08:56:19 ET
Posted by: Napoleon, U.K

I like what I've heard from Snarky Puppy. A friend of mine showed me this video for the first time last week. Witness Lalah Hathaway actually sing chords... I'm not making it up.

6mins 11s in to the vid

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SJIgTLe0hc


Date: Sun, November 24, 2013, 08:16:17 ET
Posted by: What do I, know ?

In view of the current discussion about modern music I just wondered what SD fans make of the Snarky Puppy circus in all it's manifestations ? I rather enjoy the youthful exuberance and technical precision, although I guess they could be percieved as smug Berklee androids if you were having a bad day.


Date: Sun, November 24, 2013, 07:46:30 ET
Posted by: Michael,

Please don't get me wrong -- I never said that there's no good music being produced in the here and now. It's just not coming from any of those groups IMO.

Wu, just because we don't see eye-to-eye on the music we appreciate doesn't mean that I don't respect you or your opinions. I'm just saying that good art doesn't require a narrative or explanation. There's even a few old-school rap/hip-hop songs I enjoy, such as Coolio. So there.


Date: Sat, November 23, 2013, 23:24:51 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

But seriously... what are some other good modern bands (I see modern going as far back as about 15-20 years or so) that are also fairly successful??


Date: Sat, November 23, 2013, 23:21:06 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

Haha, I'm glad to hear that some people around here agree with what I said... yet think that I have horrible taste in music!

That's okay... I'm gonna go listen to Kanye's Black Skinhead and there's nothing you can do about it!!


Date: Sat, November 23, 2013, 22:41:11 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Nappy, I hear you but...

As far as I know, Don certainly liked The Band and seemed to enjoy playing with Levon. So I think there is a some chance he would appreciate this kind of stuff.

The Band has to be one of the biggest successes in roots crossover music. I also have to think he and Walt can appreciate someone like Emmylou Harris. I mean, how could you not?

Yes, that style is fairly hot at the moment. Part of that is due to some big acts like Mumford and Sons (who bring a bit of that sensibility to their stuff). But I also think it is because it is one place where there is a lot of people mixing influences and taking chances---outside of the influence of the hitmakers and an overwhelming subculture. But I would also agree that the bigger it gets, the more commercial it will get, and the more garbage, we will hear.


Date: Sat, November 23, 2013, 22:28:13 ET
Posted by: Napoleon, U.K

@Billy and Dean,

Listened to all the links provided and I appreciate the approaches. It's always good to hear some rootsy stuff. I play keys in a folk band myself.

Funnily enough it's a style that's quite en vogue at the moment. In an effort to keep things on a Dan tangent, can you imagine Don and Walt releasing music like this?!

Maybe a compilation covering all their older or unreleased demos featuring all these new fangled artists we've referenced! (dirty work has been covered a fair few times)

Nah, me neither...


Date: Sat, November 23, 2013, 22:14:11 ET
Posted by: DYLYNFAN, HARRISBURG PA

Just put away my shovel. I dig! Thx The Dean.


Date: Sat, November 23, 2013, 22:11:10 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

One more, just for the hell of it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiDqtYbZpIc


Date: Sat, November 23, 2013, 21:54:35 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Another thumbs up to Young Wu for his basic sentiment---and another head shaking response to his list of (mostly) horrible artists. And, BTW, most of those on the list are far from "newer" IMO.

I know it's easy to throw stones and run away, so like Napoleon, I will offer up an example of a newer artist I think is worthy of some airtime.

But first I will jump around a little on the old soap box. It's been said the late 60's and early 70's were a special time for music due to (among other things) the confluence of styles and the open playlists of many influential radio stations at that time. That opportunity for bands not focusing on "hits", not pretty, not video friendly or interested, became very limited for many years.

It's been said the Internet and to some extent satellite radio are the new frontiers and provide an opportunity for musicians to find their audience and not simply rely on what programmers and labels decide to force down our collective throats. I think there is some truth to that. But keep in mind, that also means there will be a lot of unlistenable garbage in the mix (no different than what was happening in the 60's and 70's---though the mix may have changed). Perhaps the biggest beneficiary of this new musical paradigm is the music in a rather nebulous genre called "Americana" by some. Many of these artist are blending elements from blue grass, blues, rock, jazz, traditional country, folk, soul, gospel, etc.

I'm not suggesting there is a new Steely Dan on the horizon. But there are a number of artists worth your time, I think. At least you know you aren't getting packaged goods like contemporary country, or image-conscious posers like many in what is known as "Indy" rock. Many of these newer acts have deep roots, and seem to care more about making music, than their next appearance on some TV show.

So in an attempt to pay back Napoleon for his intro to White Denim I offer Carolina Chocolate Drops. They blend a lot of shit together and are very talented. Here are three videos highlighting a bit of their musical range:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Da08oMVJ09Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVIaiADsyYo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYtR0KgIzd0

Hope you dig.


Date: Sat, November 23, 2013, 20:26:49 ET
Posted by: Napoleon, U.K

@Young Wu,

I'm with you on this one. There's plenty of great music out there being produced by people other than the members of Steely Dan (I agree with the choice of Folds, Radiohead and Dave Matthews). However, as this is a SD forum it might be tricky to win some folks over.

That said, none of them really possess the unique jazz/pop sound of the Dan consistently through out their catalogues.

I think It's important to keep sharing material with all Bluebookers though as too much of one thing isn't good for anyone and the next Steely sounding band might just about to release their stuff as we speak.

Sorry for the repetition but in case people missed my post the other week heres a link to, who i feel are the young pretenders. I went to see White Denim live in Manchester last Tuesday and they blew me away. Only four members but a lot of great playing, seamless fusion of styles with 70's rock band sensibilities. Heres a link to the new album on youtube...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSwPPC-119k


Date: Sat, November 23, 2013, 19:58:34 ET
Posted by: Some, thing ain't right here

That list of "great" newer music is filled with purveyors of unoriginal, sort-of-OK-if-your-standards-aren't-too-high product - at best. At worst, it contains Nine Inch Nails. And the screed features an endorsement of the "talent" of Kanye West. Kanye West - the guy who mostly just re-processes the recordings of others and talks over them.

Look, keeping current is wonderful, but not when it means the lowering of standards to a point where they disappear entirely. Really, the only thing notably absent from that post is a cheering section for the new one by Miley Cyrus - something called "Bangerz" [sic] - which features major contributions from one Pharell Williams (a guy who apparently has quite the following on The Blue as well). Let's slot Miley in between "Foo Fighters" and "Wilco", just for the hell of it. Just so we can all keep "current".

So, no, Steely Dan music isn't the only music that's any good. Nobody here has ever said that, though. But as a case advocating for diversity in musical tastes, that list just made a roomful of musicians and music lovers/collectors here collectively throw up our last three meals.

And for anyone who's keeping score, Michael pretty much nailed it. Again.


Date: Sat, November 23, 2013, 18:06:43 ET
Posted by: CJB, YVR

Will everyone bitching about lame present-day music PLEASE go check out, even on Youtube, "Steely" Dan Bejar (aka DESTROYER)? Start with anything off "Kaputt." THXBAI.

That Darcys record was pretty great, too, whatever some folks here had to say about it.


Date: Sat, November 23, 2013, 17:10:54 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu, when they wrote it on the wall

when there wasn't even any Hollywood.


Just after the last Ice Age. Blow tubes, lyre-thingys, and sticks. Music's been going downhill ever since...


Date: Sat, November 23, 2013, 16:07:11 ET
Posted by: Michael,

When you need resort to lecturing people on the *talents* of said artists, something is clearly wrong. The art should speak for itself.

I don't know of a single song by any of those groups listed that's any good, let alone classic like the majority of SD's output is. It's all throwaway junk.


Date: Fri, November 22, 2013, 19:42:55 ET
Posted by: Sam,

I've mixed feelings about the book. I like the first half. The second half, not really.


Date: Fri, November 22, 2013, 19:27:02 ET
Posted by: The Dean, Manatee Bar. It's Happy Hour!

Thanks for the update, Gus. Good info as always.


Date: Fri, November 22, 2013, 02:58:08 ET
Posted by: Gus Winterbottom, Torrance, CA

Good evening friends. Relating to the recently scheduled San Francisco book signing, I received an e-mail about 12 hours ago as this is written, which included the following text. I hope this puts some recent (apparently unfounded) speculation to rest.


"We want to let you know that we have indeed been able to reschedule Donald Fagen, now that his family medical emergency has settled -- we're on for Wednesday, December 18, same time same place same plan as originally scheduled -- and that tickets are now available: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/448019"

Mrs. GW and I did make the trip up last time, but I doubt that we will be able to attend the December 18 signing.

November 21 (or what's left of it on the West Coast) is noteworthy to me because in 1980:

- "Gaucho" was released (at least according to Wikipedia; I personally don't remember)
- Mrs. GW and I were introduced
- The world found out who shot J.R. Ewing


Date: Thurs, November 21, 2013, 22:32:08 ET
Posted by: kzkzkz, wrong side of the pond again

...and now for something completely different -

**LONDON � Monty Python�s surviving members � Eric Idle, Michael Palin, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones � revealed their new project at a press conference in London Thursday.

The troupe will perform on stage at the O2 Arena in London on July 1, 2014. The show will contain some of their greatest hits �with a modern, topical, Pythonesque twist.�

Cleese said: �People do really want to see the old hits, but we don�t want to do them in a predictable way. The main danger we have is that the audience know the scripts better than we do.�

�We quite enjoy getting together to be very silly,� Palin said.

Phil McIntyre will produce the show, which will include some new material. The audience can expect �comedy, pathos, music and a tiny piece of ancient sex,� Idle said.**

LIFE IS GOOD


Date: Thurs, November 21, 2013, 08:29:52 ET
Posted by: Michael, @Ulalume

While I agree with most of what's been said, I don't believe that music really needs to be wholly original nor revolutionary in order that it be enjoyable. So long as the songwriting itself is strong, the music will take care of itself.

Corporatists measure everything's worth according to the size of its commercial following. Mainstream music is little more than a manufactured product, a commodity to saturate the market with for the sake of lining the studio execs' pockets.

Older musicians live and die off their back catalogs, constantly rehashing the same tired songs, appearing in made-for-TV documentaries (self-advertisements...) waxing nostalgia, discussing how much they've accomplished, forever clinging to their former glories. How many other occupations do you know of where your income is dependent upon your ability to promote decades-old work?


Date: Wed, November 20, 2013, 22:30:12 ET
Posted by: Former contributor, MIA

@ Ulalume - Thanks for the post. Your assessment is spot-on, and crystalizes things for many of us observers of pop culture `n` stuff.

Too bad you bloo [sic] it with the last few lines.


Date: Wed, November 20, 2013, 21:24:07 ET
Posted by: Ben, Indy

Hey Dandom, long time, no post!

A wish from the peeps @ jambase.com:

http://www.jambase.com/Articles/120008/Phil-Lesh-Friends-We'd-Like-To-See-Donald-Fagen

Also, a belated Thanks to Donald, Walter, and the BEST band in the land for making my summer splurge of shows worth every moment, mile, and monetary commitment. True SD Fans of/at: Cleveland, Kettering, Louisville, Detroit, Ft. Wayne, Indy (of course), and the Beacon Bunch for the final four - let's do it again in '15!



Date: Wed, November 20, 2013, 14:44:35 ET
Posted by: Nicholas Urfe, Phraxos

DAMN, Ulalume. I was going to respond to your post, but I think I'll just go kill myself instead. All is lost.

But what about twerking - isn't that new?


Date: Wed, November 20, 2013, 12:17:36 ET
Posted by: A, R

Original source of review below, easier to read and illustration of DF.

http://www.buffalonews.com/gusto/donald-fagen-and-a-musical-memoir-that-surpassed-itself-20131114


Date: Wed, November 20, 2013, 11:33:59 ET
Posted by: Another, Review

http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/2013/11/17/fagen_s_eminent_hipsters_a_musical.htm


Date: Wed, November 20, 2013, 11:31:00 ET
Posted by: Ulalume,

I agree that things, particularly in art and mass media are mostly rehashed and shitty and will get much shittier. To top it off, the youth of other nations are inspired by and actually aspire to this shit. And it is indeed very shitty when viewed through the perspective of a fifty or sixty something, fat, graying, balding, black T shirted urban white boy.

Across the board things are very closely approaching practical, scientific and economic limits. So many things in art, architecture, science or whatever have been done for so many years by so many people, in so many countries novel ideas seem to have effectively run out. And resources are being competed for by more and more people have limits. This trend is world wide now.

The 50th anniversary of the JFK assassination was an opportunity to reflect back and realize that not much has really advanced in many major areas in the past 40 to 50 years, compared to the previous 50 years. We had basically the same cars, telecommunication, same types of housing, every home appliance that exists today, color TV credit cards, mass media, air and space travel, no static FM Radio, computers etc. Music synthesizers were around. Even medicine was advanced to probably about 80 percent of what it is today and overall life span is still about the same as it was then. Most of the advances, mostly in computing power have merely improved or have copied what existed 50 years ago.

So pretty much everything we take for granted today has been around for a half century. Most every genre of music we have today existed in basic form, jazz, rock, metal folk, blues, reggae and today's forms are just fusions of those. There really hasn't been anything that has been a completely new and otherworldly music scene, such as psychedelia or progressive rock since the 1960's.

Major reasons why we see stagnation across the board in all these areas:

There are actual barriers in science such as speed of light, time and distance, the fact that you can never convert energy 100% or complex math problems, singularities that are impossible to solve. We are now closely approaching many of these limits.

Art is not for art's sake. It has been subjected to corporate greed and unless you are indie you are snuffed out.

There is too much "art" out there by too many people. And not enough room for originality if it does not make money. And extremely difficult to be original as most everything has been done.

And there are too many people, period. Competing for too little resources, consuming more wealth than they generate. There will never be any Jetsons jet packs for all and moving sidewalks in the sky. Well maybe someday for a privileged few, who are high in the economic stratosphere. Such as DF.

There no longer exists the work ethic, long term sacrifice and vision in today's people who are now the great grandchildren of those who built the nation as hungry, motivated immigrants. What does exist is Entitlement. But no shame, responsibility or accountability.

Those 100 dollar jeans hanging off the asses of the 20 something youth are paid for by welfare checks or drug dealing. Not by entrepreneurship, application of mind, bending of back, or sweat of brow. But most likely by a fat, graying, balding, black T shirted daddy who buys everything for that 20 or 30 something kid of his including a free basement bedroom, smart phone and munchies.

Most movies are remakes or rip offs of the past. Ideas have run out. What else is there? What is revolutionary is that you can now get movies in about 10 different ways.

There is little that hasn't been already done powerful enough to shock or "inspire".

So what is a 50 something fat, graying, balding, black T shirted urban white boy to do, other than go to Steely Dan concerts, multiple times for the same old tired set lists?

And what is a 60 something urban, neurotic, jaded, rich, spoiled rock star living in a bubble to do?

He writes a fairly shitty, whiny, condescending book that for major parts shits on his fans, for money. And then like a petulant egotist blows off scheduled book signings that many authors do for free.









Date: Wed, November 20, 2013, 08:15:10 ET
Posted by: Billie Rubin, Suss THIS

While the rest of your are sitting around wondering why Donald isn't inspiring you, why he's somewhat unhappy with the world today, have you ever wondered who is inspiring HIM these days?

Donald and Walter grew up at a time when there was a lot to be inspired by... great new music that was actually new and interesting made by people with actual depth and intelligence, great scientific achievements that set us on a course for a wide open future full of possibilities, urban cities that were dirty and gritty and full of stark realities just waiting to be written about and experienced, and set against a rural landscape that truly was another world compared to where he they came from.

Now what do they have... what do any of us have? Taylor Swift? Justin Bieber? New Kids On The Block? A dumbed down nation of people who can't find Canada on a map? Jay-Z? P-Diddy? Eminem? Thug life? Gangbangers? Crack cocaine? Where's the "wide open future" in any of this? Where's the "endless possibilities" we should be expecting? WHERE'S MY FUCKIN' INSPIRATION? About the only thing you can turn to today is science... and even half of that is "junk science" bought and paid for by some corporation hoping to use it as a sales pitch.


There's not a whole fucking lot to be inspired by these days... If you think Donald Fagen is alone in this, YOU'RE WRONG! I can reel off a list of incredible songwriters and artists who can't make a dime today because they're adrift in an ocean of unsophisticates who can't appreciate their art. How you gonna sell cerebral art to a nation of thugs? A nation of neanderthals standing on the street corner spitting on the ground with a hoody pulled over their heads and their pants hanging down below their asses? THIS IS THE PRESENT WE FIND OURSELVES IN! And you blame Donald Fagen for being negative about that? The only question I have is, WHY AREN'T YOU?


And D&W's relationship to the world today? Well, it's kind of like this...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqoSxVf4qTY





Billy


Date: Wed, November 20, 2013, 00:23:05 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu,



toni: I could be wrong, but the IGY solo sounds very much like a young Chris Potter.


Date: Tues, November 19, 2013, 17:14:30 ET
Posted by: toni, This isn't a damn book club...

Some nice new things on good old youtube

great live version if I.G.Y form the 93s tour with a bad ass saxophone solo. Is it Cornelius Bumpus?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jewb0w5sv9c&list=FLBKKvqo2I7wfFl3BzxFwsXw

check out the dudes Chanel he has got some great other stuff, too.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Chelovisiontv?feature=watch

All too mobile home from the 11 tour

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnRkkhQjl7s&list=FLBKKvqo2I7wfFl3BzxFwsXw&index=2

and a good version of home at last from this years Beacon show

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mP-sAY4Fays&list=FLBKKvqo2I7wfFl3BzxFwsXw&index=3

Have fun and keep the spirits up


Date: Tues, November 19, 2013, 16:20:47 ET
Posted by: The Rooster, The Lido

I am curious about the book tour. Had VIP tix for SF date, wanted to see if the books were pre-signed.

the email from the venue said "family illness". Heart says give the guy benefit of the doubt, head says he has a social anxiety disorder - particularly when fans ask if he is purposefully emulating Elmer Fudd in Godwhacker. Be wery wery quiet...

Either:

1- he was really sick
2- didn't like tough questions
3- tickets/book didn't sell.
etc..


Date: Tues, November 19, 2013, 14:28:04 ET
Posted by: Flatbush Chuck, That NYC

For anyone here in the intersection of the Venn circles (1) "haven't seen them yet" and (2) "care", here's a sifting of the first several print reviews of EH tossed up by the good folks at Google:


Qualified disappointment from Slate:

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/books/2013/10/donald_fagen_s_eminent_hipsters_reviewed.html


Qualified appreciation from self-proclaimed Dean of American Rock Critics, Robert Christgau (in a joint review with Rod Stewart's book):

http://bnreview.barnesandnoble.com/t5/Rock-Roll/The-Cynic-and-the-Bloke/ba-p/11735


These are fairly enthusiastic:

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/nov/14/eminent-hipsters-donald-fagen-review

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/artsandentertainmentbooksreview/10382567/Eminent-Hipsters-by-Donald-Fagen-review.html

http://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/review/eminent-hipsters

http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/entertainment/articles/2013-10/17/donald-fagen-steely-dan-eminent-hipsters-book-review

http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/books/book-review-eminent-hipsters-1-3159610


This guy combines appreciation with some of the complaints I'm reading on this page:

http://www.uncut.co.uk/blog/wild-mercury-sound/reviewed-donald-fagens-eminent-hipsters


The (ellipsis-filled) quote from Rolling Stone that B&N posted looks positive, but I haven't seen the rest of it yet-- it doesn't appear to be online.


Date: Tues, November 19, 2013, 08:30:25 ET
Posted by: harmolodic, fire walk with me

it's been a great couple of years. A Steely Dan tour, a new Fagen album, and his book. I can understand honest disagreement with some of what Fagen says therein and a few here have expressed that. But for the most part the dissenters come off as trollish whiny adolescents--I mean, are you guys really adults?

Anyway, good times for Dan fans. The only thing that would top this all off would be a new album!


Date: Tues, November 19, 2013, 00:44:27 ET
Posted by: Writer, H

Most likely scenario: Sales weren't strong enough (the book and/or tickets) for the publisher to foot the bill for him to travel out west. It had been out long enough at that point for them to know.


Date: Mon, November 18, 2013, 22:15:49 ET
Posted by: Bob, NYC

So.........what happened to the BOOK tour??


Date: Mon, November 18, 2013, 16:29:28 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

It must be a sign of my old age that I can't suss out NY Bill's posts anymore.


Date: Mon, November 18, 2013, 13:25:30 ET
Posted by: Oh, yeah

Thought I recognised that nihilistic, single-celled-organism style of empty bitterness. Makes sense now.


Date: Mon, November 18, 2013, 11:32:50 ET
Posted by: You know there's,

not much going on in the SD world when NY Bill is posting as about 8 bogus personnas again.

lol


Date: Mon, November 18, 2013, 10:32:57 ET
Posted by: truth,

Billy Ruben is not that far off. That's for sure. Kudos my friend.


Date: Sun, November 17, 2013, 10:23:46 ET
Posted by: Entertaining one, right now

QUOTE: "Have you ever in your life entertained a violent thought?"

Yup. Almost every time I read the Bluebook.

Enough of the shallow assessment of DF's book. Let's get back to the incessant set list whining, please.

I'm waiting...


Date: Sun, November 17, 2013, 05:45:48 ET
Posted by: Lame, r

When I heard that DF was putting a book out, I looked forward to the discussions here. I imagined things like "On page 86 where he discusses how pissed <player X> was when they nixed his solo on <song Y>...." But it provides no such fodder.


Date: Sat, November 16, 2013, 15:49:44 ET
Posted by: Michael, @What?

From eariler: "No, I'm not a psycho; [the flash-fire fantasy] was just a momentary surge of wrath....The crowd, they know not what they do. But when I'm fighting exhaustion, putting everything into the performance and still feeling like I'm getting an indifferent response from the house, it's easy to morph into the Hulk. I guess I'm getting more and more thin-skinned as the tour goes on....I mentioned to Vince that I regretted my behavior onstage, bothering the girls with my theater fire scenario." [123]

He got angry with the crowd's indifference, told the backup singers about the fire scenario he fantasized about in the heat of the moment and then later regretted it. No, he didn't apologize directly to that audience but they were innocuous.

Again, despite his creative genius, Donald is still human. Have you ever in your life entertained a violent thought?


Date: Sat, November 16, 2013, 14:58:22 ET
Posted by: hoops, on the quick as usual

With K.D. on this: a compilation of past web writhings would be awesome. I'd pay for that.

Came across the following a few days ago and it was well received by another audience of Donald fans. While I don't think anyone is entirely one personality type, I found this to be a good model to consider when reading Donald's book or any of his creative work. (No direct Steely Dan content--just what you choose to apply.)

http://themetapicture.com/how-to-interact-with-the-introverted/

Gotta run!

Best,

Jim


Date: Sat, November 16, 2013, 11:24:47 ET
Posted by: What?, you must be smokin wherever you are

DF didn't apologize for shit.


Date: Sat, November 16, 2013, 08:33:35 ET
Posted by: Michael, Just one more thing

About Don's negative comments: Sometimes we say things which we regret. (Lord knows I've done enough bad things in my life.) Even the best of us have flaws. Can't people forgive and forget? The man already apologized.


Date: Sat, November 16, 2013, 07:36:58 ET
Posted by: Jeff, on location

Here's the Beatles discussing that.

http://youtu.be/zWSfqQcJ9tE?t=4m30s


Date: Fri, November 15, 2013, 22:56:27 ET
Posted by: ,

>Fact is Donald is A SONGWRITER, a MUSICIAN, a PERFORMER, that's what you're paying him for.

Some of us paid for his book. And it was somewhat of a bummer.


Date: Fri, November 15, 2013, 20:50:49 ET
Posted by: drewslo, San Luis Obispo

I kind of like the fact that the guy who co-wrote "Don't Take Me Alive' stays in character during concerts.


Date: Fri, November 15, 2013, 18:12:09 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

That is one criticism that I don't mind -- republishing the columns that have been around for years, some of which I still have bookmarked on this computer.


Date: Fri, November 15, 2013, 15:07:57 ET
Posted by: N. Mailerp,

DEAR BLUEBOOK POSTERS:

Please refrain from referring to DF's new literary offering as a "book" as though it's a revelatory, singular creative piece of literature.

It is a compilation of already-read essays and a travelogue. Period.



Date: Fri, November 15, 2013, 12:57:42 ET
Posted by: anymanleft, Rio Grande

I haven't read DF book yet but feel almost like I have from all the posts.Lot of conflicting opinions, as with most everything Donald does these days. But I am reading a great book about Pete Townsend, Who I Am. Very insightful and well written.

I had the chance to see The Royal Scam,a very good SD cover band, for the second time recently. The vocals are spot on and this time there was a difefrent guitarist than the first who nailed most of the solos. The sax palyer is a bit weak, but hey, I don't listen to SD for the saxes.Check em out if you get the chance.

And congrats to Don on his winning his Downbeat award this year. Who said he's not a jazz musician!

Peace


Date: Fri, November 15, 2013, 09:58:05 ET
Posted by: Flatbush Chuck, That NYC

Jim: Thanks for your response and thoughtful elaboration. An e-mail will follow asap.


Date: Thurs, November 14, 2013, 21:30:32 ET
Posted by: hoops, chicago, on the quick...can i get my work done so I can go home?

To Flatbush Chuck. I'm posting as me--as are KD and a few others. I'm not sure who you are in real life--so you will tell us, right? Here? Private email to me?

Thank you for your posts and observations. I do appreciate them and have found more than a couple helpful. They were helpful in further appreciating the best parts of the book. Your posts also helped me to learn to appreciate the parts I didn't before. And, yes, you've helped me become more clear as to why I find other passages and aspects of the book to fall short of the quality of satire and writing that I expect of Donald Fagen and Steely Dan's other work. (Humility check: I know, I'm not that great a writer and I badly need an editor.)

Truly, the excerpts I've heard about or even read since September distorted my view of the book to the point I wasn't interested when it came out. (Donald really needs to fix P.R. assuming he cares that the book sells.) In the past couple of weeks, I've been able to listen to it linearly from start to finish and get a sense of context for the various passages. For example, the story about his imagined audience catastrophe gets a lot of press, but is totally different and quite relatable in the context of the book, as you point out.

I also think most anyone who was alive during or is interested in the 1950s and 1960s would be enthralled with the first part of the book, even if they hated the music of Steely Dan and Donald Fagen. His sharings on John Lennon's murder, Ezra's death, and managing depression, anxiety and paranoia are exceptionally poignant, intimate, and moving. (BTW: Normally I find those three descriptives annoyingly cliched, along with "celebrate," "passion," and "brand." )

That said, yes, the diary is satirical, etc. but, for now I'll just say, I'm indifferent to revisiting it. Maybe after the holidays, I can re-read it. Maybe we can have one of our classic Dandom essay contests where we write a rebuttal or an imagined "missing epilogue" or "excised lines from the editor's desk."

I'm fans of other artists and expert subjects for which I am known to be an immense devotee while also being a scathing critic all at once. Steely Dan's quite the exception. I can only think of maybe half-a-dozen things I don't especially care for, that I think need more work to be brought up to Steely standards. Donald's book is one of them. Compare with tens of thousands of other things I do think are great.

--Jim


Date: Thurs, November 14, 2013, 14:40:24 ET
Posted by: Flatbush Chuck, That NYC

From the horse's mouth, offered for some context:

"Don't get me wrong, I love the work, but my sixty-four-year-old body and brain are starting to fail....For a lot of performing artists, every night in front of an audience, no matter how exhilerating, is a bit of a ritual slaying. Without necessarily letting it show, you use every last bit of your marrow, every last atom of your energy in an attempts to satisfy the hungry crowd. On some levelyou're trying to extinguish yourself. Because, corny and Red Shoes-y as it may seem, that's what you are, and they need it." [109]

"Joy trumps ATD, for a change. Good crowd, good enough sound, nice vibe all around....the earth falls away and it's just you and the crew creating this forward motion, this undeniable, magical stuff that can move ten thousand people to snap free of life's miseries and get up and dance and scream and feel just fine.
Wait, I'm in too good a mood. Somebody, stop me, please." [145]

"...the band, inspired by the wildly responsive, obviously snockered Friday night crowd, laid down the grooves behind the singers and soloists, who were all on fire. For a couple of hours, five thousand people forgot their problems, their grief, the fear of their inevitable appointment with oblivion and were lifted up and out of it by seeing and hearing a hot band play some good music. So there." [132]

"No, I'm not a psycho; [the flash-fire fantasy] was just a momentary surge of wrath....The crowd, they know not what they do. But when I'm fighting exhaustion, putting everything into the performance and still feeling like I'm getting an indifferent response from the house, it's easy to morph into the Hulk. I guess I'm getting more and more thin-skinned as the tour goes on....I mentioned to Vince that I regretted my behavior onstage, bothering the girls with my theater fire scenario." [123]


Date: Thurs, November 14, 2013, 11:37:25 ET
Posted by: ,

>Bloody hell. He didn't like the reactions and audience at an old-timey revue show that he probably regretted a week into signing up for.

They toured more than one year as the Dukes. If you don't think DF is interested in old-timey revue shows, you don't know DF. That's how the Dan got back together in the 90s.

Also, I think the people who are turned off by the book and the people who are screaming "satire" at them are talking past each other. Here's DF's own words:

"My natural motive is irony. I was a little afraid Mike and Boz would be mad, but I sent it to them. Mike thought it was funny and Boz had reservations. It is exaggerated somewhat � audiences in Canada aren't actually mummified. It's just me being honest, and me feeling old, and I have to say, if you want to know the truth, I just don't care."

For those who keep bringing up the satire thing - I guess I don't understand what you're trying to say. To me it the diary sounds like a grumpy old man complaining that he woke up on top of his Macbook power brick. Something being funny and something being satire are two different things. I don't see satire here. He lives in a bubble -- the Dan would fly out of hubs to play concerts because most cities don't have nice enough hotels for chrissakes -- and this journal is the perspective of a guy who is forced to not stay in the Ritz for a few weeks. If it were a satire of this perspective it would actually be more interesting than it ultimately is in the book.


Date: Thurs, November 14, 2013, 10:47:05 ET
Posted by: Some, further analysis


It's been said - not by me, mind you - that Steely Dan fans are, on balance, a cut above the usual drooling idiot rock music crowd. Maybe even a few cuts above. The thought implies that they are (or feel they are, or seem to be) more perceptive, more insightful, whatever, and thus more predisposed to critical thinking and more inclined to "get" things that might be beyond the grasp of the average lunch-bucket-toting Journey fan. Like our musical heroes Don & Walt, we dig jazz, satire, and other smarty-pants stuff. Like I said, that's not my opinion, that's just what seems to be the general consensus, formed by outsiders and SD fans alike.

So how is it that so many here have embarrassed themselves, even if under the veil of anonymity, by commenting vehemently & negatively on a satirical piece they clearly either haven't actually read for themselves, or even worse have read but didn't understand?

Let's face it, the audiences at those 2012 Dukes shows were, as a collective unit, a pretty drab affair compared to the usual SD crowd. Even more cell phone use during the performances. Even more loud talking during unrecognized songs. Even more Big Gulp Beers and the Potty Break Parades they cause.

In other words, even more fat, gray, bald, dumb, selfish, semi-cadaverous inattentive folks than usual. Can we at least all agree on that?

So, apparently Mr. Fagen saw what the rest of us saw, and decided to describe it with some clever-if-sadistic wordplay. "Satire", we call it. He was writing, in an admittedly exaggerated fashion, about the audiences at those 2012 Dukes shows - the ones described in the previous paragraph. The ones who showed up mainly to hear re-heated Doobie Brothers hits and other comfortable, nostalgic radio fodder from the '70s. He was NOT characterizing the people who attended Rarities Night, Soboba, The Gorge, and/or Chumash. He was NOT talking about the mostly-into-it Steely Dan crowds. He was talking about the mostly-out-of-it Dukes crowds.

He was right on.

The book is fucking hilarious.

Bloody hell, indeed.


Date: Thurs, November 14, 2013, 06:04:54 ET
Posted by: tripstar,

Probably posted before, but worth watching despite certain notorious absences, this BBC documentary on early British prog is both fun and informative. Interesting interview segments and fascinating live footage that ranges from the grotesque to the sublime and back again. Those were the times...
The first minute got me hooked and made me laugh out loud...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyPnNsY_0Pc


Date: Wed, November 13, 2013, 23:23:39 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

Bloody hell. He didn't like the reactions and audience at an old-timey revue show that he probably regretted a week into signing up for -- as many do soon after taking on a job they were on the fence about. He had the same reaction to the punters that 99.9 percent of most workers have for the people that take in the creations emanating from their paid-for work.

This thing reeks of the typical Boomer response. You're not a special snowflake, Donald Fagen wasn't really keen to play for you despite the money you spent, kindly get over yourselves.


Date: Wed, November 13, 2013, 22:29:49 ET
Posted by: cyborg320,

Before passing final judgement on Donald or his EH book, or peeling any onions here are some aspects to ruminate upon

Is EH fiction or non-fiction in the card catalogue?

Have you lost most of your respect and or admiration for DF?

Has your respect for DF gone up since the release of this book?

Now that the truth is out would you still be still willing to travel distances, stay overnight and pay $300 to sit before DF for 2 hours knowing full well that he despises you?

Do you now feel that DF is a damaged individual, but give him a pass because his music is so good?

If so, do you feel it was wise of DF to compose such a book? Should DF have left well enough alone, remained shrouded in mystery and would have eventually died as a legendary figure?

Discuss.






Date: Wed, November 13, 2013, 15:05:12 ET
Posted by: If only, I could be on the inside

First I can't get DF because I'm not a working musician. Now I can't get him because I'm not a New Yorker. What other shortcomings must I overcome, how many more layers does the onion have, before I can sip from the rarefied cup of understanding?


Date: Wed, November 13, 2013, 13:35:44 ET
Posted by: Flatbush Chuck, That NYC

To Longtime Fan, re the Dukes diary:

Look, as a native New Yawka perhaps I'm more inured than some to folks whose motto seems to be "Kvetcho, ergo sum." (Although before anybody goes all regional/ethnic about this, doesn't every corner of America (except possibly Minnesota) produce some well-documented native species of curmudgeon?) You might also grant that curmudgeons have their uses, in life and in literature, at least if they're not too narcissistic or altogether graceless. Personally, I don't find Fagen to be either of those; and I'd add that he shows plenty of the merciless self-awareness which tends to be a redeeming trait of the curmudgeon.

But maybe I bought into (and some others here don't) the impression that Fagen presents himself confessionally in EH as a character-- an introvert with hyperactive amygdala of his own who, by the luck of discovering a multi-sourced "hipster" ethos, found a way to craft for himself a vocal persona (and songwriting co-persona). One, I'd add, that in the end intrigued millions of listeners with temperaments both similar to and very different from his own. The capper of the story: When this reluctant singer, riddled with insecurity, finally opened his mouth to sing, what he projected was (to paraphrase an old UK commentator on Steely Dan) a voice "from a place of such rarified bohemian priority that it was hard to determine exactly where it was situated." In the Connee Boswell chapter in particular he says some things about her singing-- emotionally connected to yet ironically distanced from the words, etc.-- that pretty much nail his own.

The Dukes diary comes across for me as an extended postcard about how the emotionally battered old combination of adaptive hipster and bright, easily disenchanted kid-nerd that is DF is treading water in late middle-age. While, let's not forget, still putting out good records and shows (OK, I didn't see any Dukes shows, but he sang me my money's worth with SD this past 10/3).

OK, he lays the whining on a bit thick in places. The "TV babies" thing is overused and insufficiently unpacked. And while I thought he did enough to signal that his more hyperbolic rants were intended to be taken as just that, perhaps he could have walked some of them back more explicitly-- and added (as he did at Barnes & Noble) a disclaimer about liking many audiences just fine, even in guns'n'Jesus country.

But on balance EH strikes me as a decent overview-- from the privileged (though never infallible) first-person perspecive-- of what went into Fagen's persona, and the complicated way it relates to the human being behind it.


Date: Wed, November 13, 2013, 11:36:52 ET
Posted by: Longtime Fan, Not the truth, just how I honestly feel.

Re: the book. The first part was good. Definitive unless Walter writes his own version . But then Donald's laugh turns into a furious whine for the opening of the diary. The second half isn't good writing at all. Absolute narcissistic crap. If we're all TV babies, then Donald is simply a dick. I know those cover songs, Donald, and let me tell you, your cover versions suck. Not only do I know people who could do better covers, those people could cover them with more joy and without all your indulgent contempt.

Does Donald have a single kind word to say about his fans who support him? I could find nary. I don't it expect it to be a swoon fest about fans, but, you know, there might be a single sentence or interlude like, "All kvetching aside, the fans actually have been good to me supporting me in my financial success."

People do get too nuts about things at face value. Look at Randy Newman's I Love L.A. and Short People. The first is scathing but people think it's favorable. The second is a great satire of prejudice, but there is that bridge that shallow people ignore. But how can you have a jokey book that insults over and over again.. I don't think it will make it to cut-outs. I think Penguin figures it will be a stiff and printed few copies.

Given that the Dukes shows are such agony, why does he even go on tour except for the money? Pathetic.

As long as we're being honest, we could start with the fact Donald's voice was horrible when I saw him at the end of the Dukes tour. At least he could apologize for that.




I do compare with when Walter accepted the Grammy for 2vN when he declared it a victory for the fans. He showed cool and snarky doesn't have to be a bore. While he may also think some of the same things Donald thinks, he also seems to get the positive side as well. God bless Walter, I don't how he puts up with Donald.


Date: Wed, November 13, 2013, 09:50:32 ET
Posted by: Napoleon, UK

Just had the opportunity to listen to the Tom and Don tapes and I think anyone who's been trying to second guess Donald Fagen's mood/character purely from his book should listen to these skits. Fagen's giggling all the way through. I would suggest he's no more depressed or happy than the rest of us!


Date: Wed, November 13, 2013, 07:35:58 ET
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Date: Tues, November 12, 2013, 21:04:30 ET
Posted by: Gaslighting, Abbie

I'm too tired to fart tonight.


Date: Tues, November 12, 2013, 17:16:01 ET
Posted by: The Dean, Manatee Bar. It's Happy Hour!

Mitch, very interesting. But I think you make one large mistake. Steely Dan doesn't just play hits. In fact, they rarely play a few of their most well known songs. And they always include a few deep cuts. I think many here are upset that they play the same few deep cuts on every tour.

As for "Slip Kid" I'm fine missing that (instant bathroom break for me). But to be fair, I wouldn't likely be at a WHO concert.


Date: Tues, November 12, 2013, 17:08:59 ET
Posted by: Flatbush Chuck, That NYC

Read Eminent Hipsters twice now. TO Q-&-A my response:

Q: Would you have found this book interesting if it hadn't been written by a longtime hero of yours?

A: Much of it, yes; in particular much of the first half. Whoever the author is, he's affording me a thoughtfully opinionated perspective on how several broad cultural strands of the American scene that I first remember had come together. Since he's just over a decade older than me-- a more senior boomer, no more or less-- many of the cultural elements depicted here are joltingly familiar to me but presented from a more comprehensively-viewed angle; he's affording some absorbing contextualization. (Not to say a definitive one, of course; nor would he claim that.) And in any event, he's a very nuanced commentator on anything that really piques his interest.

Q: What do you think of the writing?

A: Intelligent, lucid, usually funny when he tries to be, and poignant on those widely scattered occasions he deigns to be. He's a good but not great storyteller; he's more a cultural critic. Not a brilliant prose stylist, but an altogether commendable one. And find me another "rock star" who combines intellect and raconteuring so well.

Q: What do you think of the Dukes tour diary?

A: What the devil's so scandalous here? It's clear that he's giving himself full rein for in-the-moment hyperbole, and that he's at every point doing a healthy amount of seeing himself as iithers see him. The entry with the flash fire fantasy is repeatedly disclaimed as "my psycho rant," an entry in which he signals from the git-go that he's gonna vent some spleen to (over)state a point about how audiences can be daunting/disappointing/unfair/insulting. (It's no accident that his "reducing" political conservativism to oversized amygdalas is also in this entry, just a bit earlier; when a guy with Fagen's sense of irony and complexity (e.g., holding aloft the Korzybski quote "the map is not the territory") ends an argument with "Period. End of story," is he really asking you to believe that he believes he's settled the matter? Personally, I'd be interested to hear Fagen's take on Johanthan Haidt, Daniel Kahneman, et al.)

Q: Biggest disappointment?

A: I liked the chapter on Bard, but I guess Fagen had scooped himself with that Entertainment Weekly piece a few years ago which shadowed his revelatory return to the school. There's more of both content and texture in that EW piece, including the Rikki Ducornet thing.

Q: Biggest reward?

A: Plenty of clues as to where elements of Fagen's musical and lyric sensibility came from (influences on phrasing, verbal flow, etc.).


Date: Tues, November 12, 2013, 16:30:19 ET
Posted by: Mitch, Chicago

Here's part of an article that appeared in a recent issue of Rolling Stone regarding the The Who's upcoming last 50th anniversary "retirement" tour: Fans hoping to hear The Who break out rarities like The Who By Numbers deep cut "Slip Kid" are going to be disappointed. It's easy for fans to stick their heads in the sand and not understand the economics of touring" Roger Daltrey says. "It's incredibly expensive to put on a show, so you have to put bums in seats. There might be 40, 000 total people in America who want to hear "Slip Kid". That won't be enough to put us on the road That's the problem"
This is the same situation that plagued the recent Steely Dan tour for long time die-hard fans who wanted rarely played cuts. I hate this kind of mentality, but at least Daltrey was up front and honest about it. No reason to go see a band that should have hung it up after John Entwistle died. I'm going to puke if I hear Pinball Wizard yet again.


Date: Tues, November 12, 2013, 10:43:43 ET
Posted by: Hutch,

A "Mood Swings" show of another kind......

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/bob-dylan-readies-iron-sculptures-for-exhibit-20130924


Date: Mon, November 11, 2013, 18:05:36 ET
Posted by: Three Weeks Out of Rehab, What a Shame About Me

Do you mean stacking cutouts at the Strand, or everywhere?


Date: Mon, November 11, 2013, 12:24:19 ET
Posted by: Fresha Del Puerto, Babylon

So how long before this book makes it to the cutout bin?


Date: Mon, November 11, 2013, 10:57:24 ET
Posted by: Steve,

I've completed Donald's book from start to finish.

There are parts I like and those I don't. Most of all, when he talks about others, he reveals more about himself than he does those he talks about.

The debate here is interesting and insightful as well, complements the book nicely. So thanks everyone.


Date: Sun, November 10, 2013, 22:33:16 ET
Posted by: hoops, chicago

You may need to hit your browser's refresh or reload button before you can post. Thank you for your patience.

Jim


Date: Sun, November 10, 2013, 07:50:40 ET
Posted by: Billie Rubin, Kind of Blue

This all too Mobile Home
The only home I've ever known...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=923jxZY2NPI


Date: Sun, November 10, 2013, 00:05:07 ET
Posted by: Jimmie, ""

I'm all for still buying CDs over downloading. But 4 CDs of someone talking? I dunno.


Date: Sat, November 09, 2013, 13:36:56 ET
Posted by: Lurker Ray, SoBe - Stone Crab Season!

"Then it was the summer of '65 and my friend Pete gave me that psychedelic sugar cube. After the universe stopped squirming around and the colors dimmed down a bit , I was left with a new sense of possibility. When I started college that fall I noticed that guys who played even worse than I did were all in bands and seemed to be having major fun".

Donald Fagen, Eminent Hipsters

I still think the best way to enjoy the project is by audio book read by Donald himself. Especially since we have all read many of the pieces before.

It also should be noted and not discussed here before, that the 4CD set starts with Donald alone at the Rhodes!

Way cool.


Date: Sat, November 09, 2013, 13:02:53 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

That's not to say I don't dig the material, or don't have it bookmarked (kind of a pain in the rear for my hairstylist wife when she needs to get on salonbooker.com, and it auto-fills), and don't re-read it. It's just that it's been talked about on here before.

What we really need is for Walter Becker to re-discover the joy of writing on the internet, as he so expertly did from 1996 to 2000.


Date: Sat, November 09, 2013, 12:21:38 ET
Posted by: B. Travers,

Right, KD. It's mainly just a compilation of his writings. Nothing new, nothing neeeeeeeeeeeeeew.


Date: Sat, November 09, 2013, 11:42:06 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

Person without a handle --

I think the biggest reason nobody is talking about the book is because a huge chunk of its content was available to read over and over years ago, and we're already familiar with it.


Date: Sat, November 09, 2013, 10:48:25 ET
Posted by: ,

@wtf:

That would be strange.

It's interesting how unpopular the book seems to be here. The nicest thing people are saying about the book is that they don't want to talk about it. Why aren't people discussing the book here? Is it pretty much a flop even amongst the fans?


Date: Sat, November 09, 2013, 10:36:20 ET
Posted by: wtf,

It's obviously the same person going under different names dissing DF and his book tour. He buddy! Get a life!


Date: Sat, November 09, 2013, 10:31:35 ET
Posted by: Bob, NYC

Donald's book is such an embarrassment, no wonder he is dropping out of the book tour.....


Date: Sat, November 09, 2013, 10:19:42 ET
Posted by: Phil again, Still in Pau

http://m-tcs.dola.com/event/2013/11/05/a-night-with-robert-kraft

Too late sorry


Date: Sat, November 09, 2013, 02:25:21 ET
Posted by: Phil, Pau France

Hi everyone, while most of you are sleeping, let me add a line to Steve L's list of suggestions:
Robert Kraft full discography, rereleased those days on cd in Japan.
Lots of Don's moments, his second album was produced by Larry Carlton , he describes his music as "metropop", something tells me you will dig him:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Yqz5BFMwxg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQMT2Xufzbs


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Kraft_%28composer%29

Have a nice week end

Philippe


Date: Fri, November 08, 2013, 20:33:30 ET
Posted by: ,

�What's any artist, but the dregs of his work? The human shambles that follows it around.�

-Wm. Gaddis


Date: Fri, November 08, 2013, 17:40:36 ET
Posted by: Michael, @,

Sure, Don's book is fair game for discussion. I'm just saying that it has no bearing upon my life.


Date: Fri, November 08, 2013, 15:28:14 ET
Posted by: ,

That would be professional life, and talking about a book that was released a few days ago (along with its tour) certainly seems like fair game.

What about the music would you like to discuss?


Date: Fri, November 08, 2013, 14:59:31 ET
Posted by: Michael,

Eh, so what about a book tour? I'm here because of the music, not to dissect Donald's personal life.


Date: Fri, November 08, 2013, 13:36:02 ET
Posted by: Luke, Burbank

Well, I guess Donald's book tour pretty much bombed.


Date: Fri, November 08, 2013, 11:57:46 ET
Posted by: DonBreithaupt, Los Ageles

Sunken Condos wins the "Beyond" category of the Downbeat Readers' Poll!


Date: Fri, November 08, 2013, 11:55:57 ET
Posted by: DonBreithaupt, Los Angels

Steve M: Thanks for the plug, sir!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/headquarters/id554723912?uo=4

; )


Date: Fri, November 08, 2013, 11:44:10 ET
Posted by: Steve M, Scotland

These are nothing new, they've all probably been mentioned here before but in light of the current request for Steely Dan 'ish' music to tide us over here goes

State Cows:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjapZQNw4zI

Norwegian Fords:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeW5IRBBihU

Jango:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrMUDQVz_OM

Monkey House #1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WKLnIh0D2I

Monkey House #2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9gdR6TmCXw

Love and Money:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ua8rXr4cP5c

and finally, can't find a link on YouTube but the Steve Lukather track 'Stab in the Back' from a few years back was a fun SD tribute

enjoy!


Date: Thurs, November 07, 2013, 18:24:42 ET
Posted by: Napoleon, U.K

@The Dean

Glad you checked it out. It's getting harder to find stuff in the temporary absence of our dynamic duo. If anyone else has any recommendations then I'm all ears.

Nappy


Date: Thurs, November 07, 2013, 18:24:42 ET
Posted by: Napoleon, U.K

@The Dean

Glad you checked it out. It's getting harder to find stuff in the temporary absence of our dynamic duo. If anyone else has any recommendations then I'm all ears.

Nappy


Date: Thurs, November 07, 2013, 18:07:27 ET
Posted by: JTE, Tacoma

I can't believe this. Don is blowing off the West Coast leg of the tour because he can't face the fans? What a little Diva this guy is.


Date: Thurs, November 07, 2013, 18:06:40 ET
Posted by: The Dean, Manatee Bar. It's Happy Hour!

Nappy,

That White Denim video wasn't bad. Maybe a bit of a Robert Palmer vibe (with a touch of the Feat). Last chord was a bit Dan-ish, though.

Thanks.


Date: Thurs, November 07, 2013, 17:23:07 ET
Posted by: Napoleon, U.K

Please, someone out there tell me they've heard White Denim's new album Corsicana Lemonade?! Something to bridge the gap and keep the peace here...

Track 5 'Come Back' reminds of all the good guitar stuff from the old Dan cuts like My Old School, Reelin' and King of The World.

The album track isn't uploaded but here's a good live version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-790Sl5zs0

What do you think?


Date: Thurs, November 07, 2013, 13:12:36 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, Fort Macleod, Alberta, Canada, Nov 7 1943

Happy 70 Joni Mitchell!

Now where's Carey?


Date: Thurs, November 07, 2013, 12:53:05 ET
Posted by: KD, adsf

Case in point!


Date: Thurs, November 07, 2013, 10:15:16 ET
Posted by: Pat Riley, Dukes Shows

No exclusive interview for you KD.


Date: Thurs, November 07, 2013, 09:31:20 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

Seriously, Rafael, did you see anyone at those Dukes shows that you wanted to grab a beer with? Me neither.


Date: Thurs, November 07, 2013, 09:22:31 ET
Posted by: Rafael, Sausalito

Donald is really feeling the heat. Cancelling appearances. Can't stand to sit in front of the fans he detests and face the music. Squirming like he did in Washington DC. It might have been cancelled because only about 10 people paid the $40 after hearing about what he wrote in the book.


Date: Thurs, November 07, 2013, 01:31:28 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu,


BR - weird, but pretty good


Nothing beats weird (but not good) by Dickies cover Nights in White Satin. This may have single-handedly ended the punk rock movement

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sJbpTwGYg8



Date: Wed, November 06, 2013, 23:44:22 ET
Posted by: The dog ate, His homework


Date: Wed, November 06, 2013, 23:32:38 ET
Posted by: these spam spell casters must have, put a hex on DF


Date: Wed, November 06, 2013, 20:37:06 ET
Posted by: Good luck on that reschedule, It's only a book tour


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Date: Wed, November 06, 2013, 19:00:58 ET
Posted by: CJB, YVR

DF cancelled in Seattle, too.

BAH.

Best wishes for whichever Fagen family member's under the weather, looking forward to the re-schedule!


Date: Wed, November 06, 2013, 17:36:54 ET
Posted by: Nicholas Urfe, Phraxos

Billie Rubin - the Darcys covered the entire Aja album. Many on the Blue found it abhorrent, some tolerable, some appreciated the effort - if I am correctly remembering the mood of the comments back then.


Date: Wed, November 06, 2013, 15:06:57 ET
Posted by: AS, Bro

A second email clarified: "unexpected illness in the family." Best wishes to DF's fam. I hope everything's okay.


Date: Wed, November 06, 2013, 15:04:54 ET
Posted by: Another Scurvy, Brother

DF Cancelled in SF tonight. So bummed. Crestfallen even. Anyone know the cause? Email just says "unforeseen circumstances."


Date: Wed, November 06, 2013, 11:16:35 ET
Posted by: Marty, N

On the discussion of technology, which of you bought EH as an E-book? I have both the Kindle and print editions. E books are useful, but it's kind of like walking on a treadmill. You don't seem to go anywhere.


Date: Wed, November 06, 2013, 08:01:13 ET
Posted by: Michael, @Some

Thanks for the interesting discussion. We can respect each others' opinion without resorting the usual immature back-and-forth diatribe.

Wait a sec... You're not into mobile phones, social media or online games? Seriously? Well neither am I.

Maybe you'd enjoy some video games for recreation. If you like card games, puzzles, pinball, board games or whatever else, it's all available digitally and most of it for free.

Whether music, a movie, game or software, my personal preference is to own the physical item, even though with music I upload to my computer (so that I'm not constantly switching discs in and out). Besides, I don't trust all-digital distribution. I've read various accounts where people had their data erased/destroyed by the online distributor and never got a refund. Companies are trying to claim that you as a consumer don't really purchase and own their product, that you're only paying for a temporary license and that they still maintain ownership rights. Of course that's utter bull. If you pay for something, you're the rightful owner, period.


Date: Wed, November 06, 2013, 07:55:36 ET
Posted by: Haven't read EH, yet

Regarding the tour diary piece where DF apparently takes it out on the fans, there are seemingly two schools of thought: 1) it's an insult and DF must pay, and 2) it's literary license exaggeration and those who don't get it are humorless and dull.

Assuming that it's overblown exaggeration so we should all see through it and appreciate DF's humor, is the tour diary filled with similar tratement of other tour-related items, or is our keen insight into DF's scathing humor needed only for his comments about fans? For example, does he excoriate his bandmates, the roadies, hotel clerks, etc., but we don't care because they're not us?


Date: Tues, November 05, 2013, 22:01:31 ET
Posted by: Hector E., Calabasas

See here you anonymous punk who thinks 8 bit is bad and that constructive criticism of what DF wrote was "unjust". What do you stand for? You are a pile of fecal matter as far as I am concerned.

And why exactly is commentary about DF trashing his fans in the book unjust?


Date: Tues, November 05, 2013, 20:33:37 ET
Posted by: Mike in NYC, NYC

Hoops, I've been away for a few days, just saw your response to my query about the word 'funn." Thanks. I will see if I can find that interview on the net.


Date: Tues, November 05, 2013, 19:29:31 ET
Posted by: Some, more (8) bits

Honestly, I was not trying to be gratuitous with those opinionated posts - I really didn't get the whole 8 bit thing at all. Turns out that what these guys are doing may actually be just another form of musical expression, even though I personally can't appreciate the stuff from a strictly musical standpoint. But instead of coming at me - an incredulous non-believer, so to speak - with personal insults or caustic language, as is so often the case here and elsewhere on "the internet", both posters who objected to my thoughts or who had some skin in the game opted to respond with measured, intelligent words. So, sincere thanks to KD/asdf and Michael. That's how it should be, in public anyways.

As far as any vitriol, there wasn't any intended on my part. Sometimes it just feels right to respond in an exaggerated manner to make a point, understanding that the risk can be that no-one reading printed words has the benefit of being able to judge facial expressions, tone of voice, et cetera. Witness the number of people who were (unjustly) offended by DF's hilarious satirical tour diary.

For some, musically speaking, it's ALL about the "organic", and the strictly "electronic" stuff seems foreign, sometimes even offensive to our ears. Taking it one step further, rejecting an electronic-based/technology-obsessed world and its (often) bad noises can even be a healthy decision. A handful of us weirdos have simply chosen to live without most of the "unorganic" disruptions - mobile phones, so-called "social media", addictive & silly fantasy games, and a whole host of other artificial stuff. We do use the internet, but it's a spice, not a meal. A small part of life, not "life itself". In that context, some of the noise is difficult to embrace. And a lot of the time I feel like a dinosaur. It's not all bad, though - whoever thought being an extinct species could actually be viable, or even downright fun?


Date: Tues, November 05, 2013, 19:07:45 ET
Posted by: Vladimir, Minsk

Vlad comes back with the Blue after beings off of the communications in Siberia for much times. But it is like the times travels - the Blue it is not for changing. At Siberia, the firing squads are in the lines and shoot the prisoner. At the Blue, the firing squads are in the circle and everybody is shoots the other. What it is that makes the bloods boiling, Vlad is cannot tell.

Vlad outs!!!


Date: Tues, November 05, 2013, 08:18:34 ET
Posted by: Aaron Altman, Washington DC

A lot of alliteration from anxious anchors placed in powerful posts.


Date: Tues, November 05, 2013, 08:15:57 ET
Posted by: Michael, @Some

They're not using toys to do 8-bit versions of SD music; they're using either the soundchips onboard the console itself (though not in this instance) or an emulation thereof. It's not a matter of real vs fake music; the duality is between organic vs electronic.

I respect the fact that you prefer organic, as do I, but I grew up with the early video games as part of my cultural upbringing and therefore appreciate the latter for what it is. Nowadays a lot of the soundtracks for video games are done with licensed music or a live recording of, say, an orchestra. A good example of this is the Dragon Quest VIII, composed by Koichi Sugiyama. Have a listen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_91rZvCPm8s

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is one game, part of a series which I have no inclination to play. Those war-themed first-person shooters are completely unoriginal and stupid.

<


Date: Mon, November 04, 2013, 21:08:33 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

Some,

seems like a reasonable conclusion. And with that in place, nothing precludes me from enjoying dated things like Deodato's take on Steely Dan songs, or something like the whiff that was the post-Carlton Crusaders take on 'Luckenbach.' To pass the 8-bit covers off as "kitsch" might be a bit much, and clearly it doesn't come close to approximating the originals, but I don't understand the vitriol you came out with initially.

It's not about a hipness gauge. It's about understanding where the artist (even while working with someone else's songs) was coming from.


Date: Mon, November 04, 2013, 20:35:01 ET
Posted by: Gaslighting, Abbie

It smells just like someone farted.


Date: Mon, November 04, 2013, 18:24:49 ET
Posted by: Some, final random thoughts

I'll readily admit that I don't "get" the whole "8 bit" scene. To be honest, I never knew there was an "8 bit scene" until recently. The idea of working hard to deliberately re-form real music (don't make me define it for you) into the goofy sounds made by children's toys doesn't seem "cool" or "outmoded" to me, it just seems degrading to the original subject matter. But it's only one opinion, isn't it?

However, having said that, I now understand that at least three posters here do "get it", and at least one is passionate about it. However puzzling I find that, and however irritating and unlistenable I personally find the end results, I have to concede that, as Michael has often pointed out, taste is an individual thing. I guess what ultimately bothers me about it is the actual sounds themselves. I've never played a video game of any kind in my life, nor do I have any plans to sit in a comfy chair and do twenty hours of Call of Duty or Modern Welfare anytime soon. That's another scene I just don't get. And I fully realize I'm in the minority on that one.

So if you guys claim that no disrespect to the source music is intended, I'll have to take you at your word. The originals still exist for me to enjoy, so, really, why should I care about what someone does to them in their own spare time for fun?


Date: Mon, November 04, 2013, 15:53:27 ET
Posted by: DYLNFAN, HARRISBURG,PA

Hey uncle Ira, you still owe me money!!!!


Date: Mon, November 04, 2013, 15:47:35 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

"Alliterative"? How in the world are the Jewish references "alliterative"?

Looking at the posts I assume are those in question, these references certainly are not alliterative, nor do they seem particularly illustrative or allegorical. Rather they seem superfluous and gratuitous.


Date: Mon, November 04, 2013, 14:48:29 ET
Posted by: erratum,

you mean allegorical?


Date: Mon, November 04, 2013, 14:31:51 ET
Posted by: Ira Finkelsteinmanthaloff Esq., Semite in Chief

Mr. Taylor

The anti semitic references I believe to which you are referring have been reviewed and have been determined not to be anti and only incidental to the subject of the rants in question and were merely alliterative in nature.


Date: Mon, November 04, 2013, 11:51:00 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello, Baton Rouge

Hey, what's up with all the anti-Semitic rants? Not cool. Knock it off!


Date: Mon, November 04, 2013, 11:18:34 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

Some,

It's clear that you don't get it. This isn't someone trying to emulate the sounds from the songs. This is done via 8-bit on purpose to create cool, out-moded, almost anachronistic tones.

Pretty daft response on your end, if I'm honest.


Date: Mon, November 04, 2013, 08:19:25 ET
Posted by: Michael,

@DocMu, a lot of songwriters use Garage Band, including Donald Fagen. Guess it's pretty useful.

@Some, I'll take a stab.

"Mindlessly copying the work of others with the ultimate goal of trivializing it is just disrespectful & selfish, and not in any way creative."

Not everyone has access to a professional-quality studio and crack session musicians, nor is everyone is a virtuoso performer themselves. In what way is it considered disrespectful and selfish to do an 8-bit rendition of music they enjoy?

"If you really don't have any musical ability at all, don't fake it with a computer program. Whatever 'computer program.'"

There's no other way to do an 8-bit version of something without the assistance of a computer. Donald Fagen himself used Garage Band while composing tracks for Sunken Condos, even wound up incorporating sounds from it on the album. So then, is Donald faking it? SD's earlier albums relied upon computers to some degree, whether it was for mixing, mastering, Wendel (yeah, that's right), a synth, an effects pedal or whatever. Try making an album without the assistance of anything computer-related - not gonna happen.

"Isn't there already enough lightweight fluff in the world?"

Replicating SD's music isn't necessarily an easy thing to do.


Date: Sun, November 03, 2013, 22:54:24 ET
Posted by: Some, random thoughts

Mindlessly copying the work of others with the ultimate goal of trivializing it is just disrespectful & selfish, and not in any way creative.

If you really don't have any musical ability at all, don't fake it with a computer program. Whatever "computer program".

Isn't there already enough lightweight fluff in the world?

There may very well be some humorless people on this board, but the "Casper guitar" comment was not "humorless", it was "humorous".

Miles just rolled over in his grave.

That is all.







Date: Sun, November 03, 2013, 22:29:55 ET
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Date: Sun, November 03, 2013, 21:19:40 ET
Posted by: DocMu,


Michael - Yeah, the 8 bit Gina is like the best Ringtone ever...and I agree there's some art to making that work.

I'm thinking about getting into some kind of composing thing. I used garageband a bit earlier in the year recording some trumpet and piano duets for my son, who played the former. I'd like to relearn keyboards, guitar - maybe even the bass and drums. An increasingly middle-age brain needs some release beyond the usual stuff...and it's too hot for golf down here most of the year.

Anyway, GB provide structure to deposit ideas and come back and merge, flush out the good ones for kicks


Date: Sun, November 03, 2013, 20:13:40 ET
Posted by: Grillin Burgers, o

Here's a Burger Chef commercial. Don's father's failed venture.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0A3GUlmIFzE

The book implies that the chain went under soon after the family got into it, but they were around well into the 80's.


Date: Sun, November 03, 2013, 19:21:26 ET
Posted by: Michael,

@Doc Mu, I agree.

@About, doing 8-bit renditions is, I would argue, something one does strictly for fun and joy, not as a lesson in creativity. You should respect the fact that not everyone who works with MIDI is a capable songwriter. Whether you're skilled at composing, arranging, performing, or copying (not to be confused with plagarism), each requires its own skill-set. BTW, don't underestimate the skills which may be developed by copying, because that's first-hand experience in learning how to put all the pieces together. Who knows? Maybe these people will take what they learn and run with it.

When I composed my first songs, they were really, really bad. Very dissonant, random, clumsy. But as I continued working and stuck with it, learning by trial-and-error what I felt worked and what didn't, my songwriting and arranging skills improved progressively. The truth is, no matter how much rigorous studying in music theory you may undergo, the only way you're going to learn and get good is by doing. In my opinion theory is only useful in deconstructing preexisting works.


Date: Sun, November 03, 2013, 19:04:16 ET
Posted by: ,

Here ya go, dude:

http://kindofbloop.com/

There's a helluva lotta humorless people on this board.


Date: Sun, November 03, 2013, 18:34:59 ET
Posted by: About, that "8 bit" stuff

While musical taste is, of course, a personal thing, given that the music of Steely Dan has always been so painstakingly arranged & beautifully produced, and given how much meticulous attention to detail has been paid to its creation (especially on solos) over the years, it shouldn't be too surprising that the idea of reducing it down to this level of simplicity - as if it had been created specifically to be performed using instrumentation recovered from the Toys R Us discount bin - might be frowned upon by some. Also, there really doesn't seem to be much creativity involved in taking someone else's hard work and messing with it for no particular reason other than "you can". It might even be reasonable to suggest that anyone with a decent level of musical skill should concentrate on something original. There's enough novelty fluff out there already, no?

Or, how about the entire Miles Davis catalog re-recorded on a Casper The Friendly Ghost plastic guitar?


Date: Sun, November 03, 2013, 16:36:29 ET
Posted by: Irving A.,

For a lead single choice I think they thought that since Last Mall sounded like IGY which was Don's biggest seller. Choosing Blues Beach defies belief and it really should have never been released to the public.


Date: Sun, November 03, 2013, 12:50:20 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu,

I'm not sure about the other 8-bit tracks but Lunch with Gina percolates...and oddly sounds a little hip and modern. I think it illustrates how strong the track and composition are.

Why Gina and Pixeleen weren't the singles from EMG instead of the meh Last Mall and Blues Beach is beyond me.

The remainder arguably could be the soundtrack to Tron - but with Gina it works.


Date: Sun, November 03, 2013, 12:15:48 ET
Posted by: Michael,

To each their own. Judging from the comments sections in the videos, the consensus is that most people enjoy them, as do I. With regards to the songs with more intricate harmonies and arrangements, speaking as someone with experience with MIDI, it takes a good amount of skill to reproduce these, as opposed to, say, your typical pop/rock fluff.


Date: Sun, November 03, 2013, 10:46:49 ET
Posted by: Another, really kewl experiment

Might be to take a five minute digital recording of Yoko Ono's finger nails scratching a chalkboard, and mix that with a track of Bjork's teeth chewing aggressively on a ball if aluminum foil. With the right production, this could theoretically be slightly more irritating than any novelty music versions of Steely Dan songs.


Date: Sun, November 03, 2013, 10:36:48 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Sparky, I can't say for sure if you are stupid. Perhaps just naive and/or a bit lazy. Growing up in the 60's and 70's many got burned buying those Greatest Hit compilations, only to find out they were performed by some cover band. Close inspection of the cover revealed the necessary information, but it didn't seem necessary, I guess. So while I would never be inclined to buy a compilation hits album of the 70's I would at least take a look at the front and back cover before paying for it. If the info isn't there, then you are off the hook for that one.

Regarding these combo tours of bands from the 70's, there is a big difference between BANDS combining and individual ARTISTS playing on the same bill. Your example of Journey/Loverboy/Night Ranger (I just had to go trow up a little thinking about that) is a great example of when you can probably expect to get the obvious. Not necessarily so with Brian Wilson and Jeff Beck (who performed in St Augustine recently). What should we expect from that pairing? Beach Boys songs with Beck on guitar? Two bands? If someone would only be satisfied with Beach Boys songs, and has no desire to hear other kinds of music, I think it behooves them to find out what to expect before buying a ticket. I wonder if people who went to see Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris were pissed because they didn't hear enough Dire Straights tunes.


Date: Sun, November 03, 2013, 07:45:51 ET
Posted by: Michael,

Time for more 8-bit Steely Dan. This guy, posting under the SN of MrHopeTelevision, really knows his stuff.

Lunch With Gina
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EawhFJNGz48

Don't Let Me In
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrW-Xqk5h_Y

Stand By The Seawall
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVqXJmYcAEo

I Got The News (outtake version)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjTLznHpcD0

West Of Hollywood
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-iAIcyr5G8

Show Biz Kids
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqMjRdwLves

With A Gun
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQBPS-ARBwE

This last one is by a different person, 8BitRenditions, but nevertheless great.

Do It Again
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oA-prAdlll0


Date: Sun, November 03, 2013, 01:02:46 ET
Posted by: Sparky, Q

It's been common in recent years for old bands to double or triple up for tours. Journey/Loverboy/Night Ranger and things like that. No doubt many people assumed with the Dukes that it was three 70s stalwarts pooling their respective hits together for a concert.

I've bought a couple of 70's hits compilation CDs, and was pissed to find out that they are newly recorded versions of the originals. Was it stupid of me to buy them without doing any "research?" (They were purchased in the store while browsing.) I would certainly read the fine print before buying another CD (something I've been getting away without doing since 1986), but that's exactly what happened to a lot of people who bought tickets to see the Dukes.


Date: Sat, November 02, 2013, 21:40:42 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

As to the question of whether ticket buyers knew what to expect, I can say this:

If they had done 20 seconds of research on these Interwebs they would have known what to expect. Sometimes the band was advertised as Dukes of September Rhythm Revue. Othertimes, "Rhythm Revue" was left out. I'm sure that wasn't in the control of anyone in the Band. Since I'm not a moron, I always do a tad of research before plunking down my duckets.

With that said, I was shocked that many people in attendance had no idea what they were there to see. So it doesn't surprise me that many were surprised. Fortunately the St Augustine crowd was wildly enthusiastic and seemed to be happy with everything that was played--though there was a bit of minor grumbling, post show, about the absence of certain "hits"--much the same as there is after a Steely Dan show. Funny, I virtually never overhear someone complaining about the absence of deep cuts or complaints they played much of the same setlist in previous shows.


Date: Sat, November 02, 2013, 12:00:08 ET
Posted by: ,

Also, I'm not really sure why the hostility. I love the Dan. I have no gripes with Fagen. I was just making a point that he seems oblivious to reality with respect to that one part - the Dukes audiences - in the book.

I liked reading the book. I think the book was a mistake, and I wouldn't be surprised if it quietly goes out of print in the near future. A book is not an internet page. A book is a *Book*, which carries a lot of weight, even today, and goes a long way toward defining one's legacy.


Date: Sat, November 02, 2013, 11:59:10 ET
Posted by: Steely Dan, Star Wars

OK, so recently, some guy paid $700 for a laserdisk of Return of the Jedi outtakes and posted all of it on-line to Facebook. How cool is that?!! Now, if only the guy who bought those rare Steely Dan reel-to-reel's earlier this year from eBay would do the same! :-)


Date: Sat, November 02, 2013, 11:51:20 ET
Posted by: ,

Errr ... yes, he's "allowed to" complain, you are correct. My point, which you apparently didn't grasp, is that he voluntarily put himself in this situation he is complaining about. It was foreseeable that the less-than-enthusiastic audiences would be annoyed, having been duped.


Date: Sat, November 02, 2013, 11:25:50 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, Re: Tuning standard 440Hz vs 432Hz

Date: Fri, October 25, 2013, 01:04:42 ET
Posted by: dr. harmonius, a7#5

i'd be fascinated to hear ya'll's take on this topici'd love to get input from you all - AND PAT on this topic!

432hz

http://www.whydontyoutrythis.com/2013/08/440hz-music-conspiracy-to-detune-good-vibrations-from-natural-432hz.html
______________________________________________________________________

A few thoughts: The theory basically suggests that the ISO standard tuning frequency of A=440Hz could've been accepted as the new internationl standard in the '50s (replacing the 432Hz standard) mainly as a result of nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbles' desire to find yet another way of manipulating human minds and emotions through invisible and ubiquitous means. Quote:
�The music industry features this imposed frequency that is �herding� populations into greater aggression, psycho social agitation, and emotional distress predisposing people to physical illness.�

Well... the discussion on what sounds best, whether one standard is more in accordance with "universal principles" than others etc., is one thing. It can be interesting and informative to look into the subject I think, even if I don't have very strong opinions on it myself. Btw, I note that the article only deals with two different standards, but in reality there's a handful of different tuning frequencies that each have their own loyal "fanbase", e.g. continental European concert pitch for classical music is A=442Hz or 443Hz. Also, for special purposes of genuine period instruments music and certain baroque church music, tuning frequencies as far from todays ISO standard as 415Hz (currently A flat) and 466Hz (A sharp) is commonly used.

As for the use of a given tuning frequency as a weapon or means of mass manipulation, I'll start by confirming that I absolutely don't doubt Mr. Goebbles (or his likeminded fellas around the world at all times) regarding their unrestrained desires to manipulate.
But if this was another attempt at that, it must be one of the least accurate and controllable instruments in that department ever, I think. If it was actually herding populations into greater aggression, psycho social agitation, and emotional distress predisposing people to physical illness, that population would eventually include themselves and their descendants for generations. Also, I think anyone would agree that there's numerous other well known, more significant and far less mysterious reasons and incentives for all of the afforementioned symptoms, and the assumed effects of the altered tuning standard thus would not be/ is not crucial. Genes, social/economical and environmental factors, degree of personal freedom etc., is what mostly influences these things, not what tuning standard is currently in use in most of popular music. IF the 440Hz, on top of all those essential factors, actually puts its mark on the collective conciousness and well being, it must be to such a small degree that it wouldn't be able to make an otherwise happy person less happy, not to a noticable degree, anyway. And if a fellow human is denied basic needs like food and water, a fair and predictable social order, etc. - try giving him/her that, and you'll probably find that he or she will be able to live a life as good as any, even with the "440Hz machine" turned on full throttle.

Besides, even if all of this frequency terror stuff was true, we'd have to admit that Goebbles was not the father after all. The 440Hz standard was used informally in the US since 1926.

But, like the poster called "in tune" (with the vibe) replied to "dr. harmonius"s original post:
______________________________________________________________________

"yes cool, dr harmonius

A=432Hz is a frequency we choose for tuning our instruments and music. If experienced acoustically, it seems to feel better for singing and for acoustic instruments such as pianos. Tunings such as Twelve True Fifths at A=432Hz and C=256Hz sound richer. Unfortunately it Must be experienced to come to that conclusion. Ultimately you have a choice called free will, and we reserve the right to use A=432Hz or C256Hz as Our choice for music enjoyment and enrichment."
______________________________________________________________________

Yes, we have the free will to decide what frequency we use for tuning our personal instruments. Also, if you're a bit tech savvy, you can listen to your favorite music recordings with altered pitch if you find 432HZ to be better in tune with your own vibe.

As for the audio examples in the video, I think for me the order of the clips is crucial. After listening to the "music" (almost music) played in any of the two tunings for half a minute, any subtle change of pitch sounds wrong, of course. Try to replay the two clips in inverse order.

I have stacks of vintage vinyls recorded before the A=440Hz became standard, both jazz and classical music. The most significant difference between them and newer records, is that the 432Hz tuned things are more impractical to play along with on the guitar, since I have to re-tune, and also my guitars were of course all built, stringed and adjusted/ intonated for the 440Hz standard.
I'll gladly admit many of those records DO sound way better than most contemporary pop music, but that's mostly because the artists played and sung better.


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Date: Sat, November 02, 2013, 08:04:01 ET
Posted by: Michael,

While Donald has the right to speak his mind about concert-goers or whoever, they have the right to do the same. It's called free speech.

KD, you keep referring to certain people as "anonymous twats," yet who are you to talk?


Date: Fri, November 01, 2013, 23:30:56 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

Nah, I think he's allowed to complain about whatever he gotdamn wants, anonymous internet poster.


Date: Fri, November 01, 2013, 23:24:11 ET
Posted by: ,

When the Dukes shows were advertised, did they say "Fagen, McDonald, and Scaggs, performing old R&B standards?" Or did they just say "Fagen, McDonald, and Scaggs, in concert?" Why would people not presume they're playing their own songs at their concert? Being more than just a casual fan, I knew what it was, so I was able to give it a pass. But most concertgoers are casual fans, which doesn't make them fools.

They can't have it both ways. They want to sell larger venues so they advertise in a misleading way to sell tickets, fine. But don't complain if some people are pissed.


Date: Fri, November 01, 2013, 16:01:34 ET
Posted by: tact, poise and reason, the shriek express

Casual fan

In addition to what you stated, the main issue appears to be people who attend Dukes shows who are poorly informed as to what the show will consist of. When they hear old soul and R+B tunes, which they have little appreciation for, they react rudely and disrespectfully. These fools fully deserve Dons contempt.


Date: Fri, November 01, 2013, 15:01:45 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Good stuff as usual, "casual fan".

If I get a chance while running my errands today, I am picking up Em-Hip.


Date: Fri, November 01, 2013, 14:23:13 ET
Posted by: casual fan, Bemused

I am amused and bemused by people taking offense, or reacting in some sort of startled fashion, at DF describing some audiences as undeserving for their collective failure to appreciate the same music he does.

The man is a music snob, and he has every right to be. And its just his persona to hold in contempt concert goers who aren't open minded enough to enjoy what they as artists thought that they'd like to play to give insight into what formed their own catalogs.

Personally, I blame the current concert paradigm of prepackaged, prerecorded tracks and carefully rehearsed theatrics, that have people paying $100 to hear an album played note for note (largely because its just a recording of the album) with some people really far away dancing amidst fireworks.

Then again, I also blame the internet. And of course Obama.


hr>

Date: Fri, November 01, 2013, 11:40:34 ET
Posted by: JJ, W

Didn't Denny Dias say something about no fart jokes?


Date: Fri, November 01, 2013, 11:08:40 ET
Posted by: Napoleon, UK

Apologies if this has already been posted but heres a 5 min video clip of Don at the Barnes and Noble book event...

The best opening answer to any question: '...I was just phoning it in'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gy9kmGKGO6o


Date: Thurs, October 31, 2013, 23:21:30 ET
Posted by: Buck Jones, Hampton

You did, Gaslighting. I can smell it from here.


Date: Thurs, October 31, 2013, 22:05:51 ET
Posted by: Gaslighting, Abbie

Who Farted?


Date: Thurs, October 31, 2013, 07:59:50 ET
Posted by: Michael, @, (comma)

Dean Parks discusses on the Classic Albums: Aja DVD how they'd work to get the songs down perfect and then move *past* perfection to the point where it would sound almost spontaneous (hence the Duke Ellington reference made by Donald), which in a way it does. Nevertheless, even if Donald doesn't consider himself a perfectionist, it's obvious that he's about as close to one as it gets when in a studio.


Date: Wed, October 30, 2013, 18:51:48 ET
Posted by: ,

One more thing (my impression from the book):

Yes, he hated some audiences, and yes, he was being serious. No, it was not a joke (something being funny alone does not a joke make), and no, it's not just because they're not Steely concerts.

He also seems to be a depressive guy who hates anything and everything that exists in the present day, except his wife and a child, who he shares a funny moment with. So I wouldn't take it too personal.

He wants to be blasted to the future or the past, anywhere but the here and now.

Try to feel some compassion for the guy, he is likely less happy than you are.


Date: Wed, October 30, 2013, 18:39:34 ET
Posted by: ,

Oh, also:

It was at a synagogue. So no backstage. He had to walk through the crowd to get to the front, and then there was no escape on the way out. So there was definitely a crowd of haranguers formed around him on the way out. I just rolled out.


Date: Wed, October 30, 2013, 18:27:24 ET
Posted by: ,

I saw the Q&A in DC.

What an amazing opportunity. If you have the chance, go to one of these. I got there relatively late and got basically front-row seats in an intimate setting.

Couple of take-aways (paraphrasing):

- Walter is a killer lyricist. And I'm not too shabby myself.

- We aren't perfectionists. That's a common misconception. We come from the big band jazz tradition, a la Duke Ellington, where you have to play it right.

- It's up to others to judge [when talking about whether he was a grumpy old man]. I don't remember the exact wording of this, but this was right at the end and it stuck with me. He also seemed vulnerable at this point.


Date: Wed, October 30, 2013, 16:47:58 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

What part of "he was talking about fans at a Dukes of September concert, not Steely Dan fans" wasn't heard loud enough?

He's talking about struggling to play for people that are there to hear "Takin' It To the Streets," guys, not a Steely Dan tour.


Date: Wed, October 30, 2013, 14:41:01 ET
Posted by: Dave T.,

True that show attendance won't go down because very few will read the book. DF fears it will go down. Why else won't he stand behind the parts of the book where he disrespects the fans?


Date: Wed, October 30, 2013, 13:48:38 ET
Posted by: search, k

Good review here.

http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/20131024_Steely_Dan_s_Fagen_digs_deep_in_memoir.html


Date: Wed, October 30, 2013, 13:17:15 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

I can fully guarantee that this book will not have any effect on decreased crowd sizes for any future Steely Dan tours. It's absurd to think that it will.

There will be no drop off because of the book. Because of their over-saturation of the marketplace and their stale, tired setlist? Maybe...


Date: Wed, October 30, 2013, 07:46:31 ET
Posted by: Michael, @Opinions

I agree, but then I didn't critique Don's book -- I haven't even read it, as stated. (Who would review an album based on listening to 30 sec. sound clips?) However, it does seem that some of the content in Eminent Hipsters has definitely struck a nerve, hence the backlash.

Donald does his best work while seated at a Rhodes. That's my take.


Date: Wed, October 30, 2013, 03:41:48 ET
Posted by: simmering pissed, formerly boiling

Still pissed. But here are some salient points

Like Fagen's book, my posts were intended to hilarious while sending a message which still seems to be lost on a good number of you. Humor comes in many forms and some are hard to get across in print. If the posts were delivered by Dice Clay or other stand up the message would have a different perception.

That message is that as a fan who has spent much time and expense on SD and enjoyed it for many years, I do not appreciate Fagen's choice to rag on the very fans that provide his livelihood. Don't have to accept it no matter how funny it is supposed to be. Don't have to accept it as the Torah of Fagen especially now that he wishes he would take some of it back. Don't have to have read the book to give it the "Goodbye Look".

Now last week I just happened by the Philadelphia "book peddling" event where Fagen was treated with kid gloves by the interviewer David Dye. Essentially the same stock questions were posed to Fagen earlier in the day in a radio interview by Ms.Coane. Fagen stuck to his story later for the book event. The only mention of the part of the book where the tour diary/fan bashing occurred was when Fagen said that he had an "Acute Touring Disorder" which was caused after about 3 weeks of the touring. A deft sidestep I would say. And that was that. Questions on index cards were collected from the audience, but Mr. Dye carefully shuffled through them. Little doubt Mr. Dye picked the most innocuous ones to ask Fagen.

Interestingly, now, that we see reports coming out of this week's Washington DC book event, looks like instead of Eminent Hipster, Don has become a "Pre-Eminent Back-pedaler".

As reported by Bluebook posters who attended the DC event:

" he was visibly bothered at the attention given to the part of his book where he appears to dislike his audience, and said it was not representative of the book or his view toward his fans"

Well, WTF is it SUPPOSED to represent? Humor can't be humor without some underlying truth. Looks like Don is having some second thoughts. He can't retract it, but he clearly can't or won't own it either. It is bothering him that there probably will be less asses in seats at his next gig.

"Don was asked why he has been touring so much if his book seems to indicate that he hates touring - He stated that he loves playing and performing, especially with the band that they have now and that the agony of touring is worth it"

I can't say for sure but use of the word "agony" is interesting since I proposed "Agony and Ecstasy==Suffering the Fools Who Made Me Rich" as a more apt title for Fagen's book a few days ago. The agony of touring is worth 400 to 500 thousand per night. Remember the Price was Right? If he really loves playing and performing, Fagen should do a solo tour with all of his own material even if 100 people show up. i think he could draw enough fans to break even, or make a few bucks. He won't because he loves money more than playing.

The otherwise brilliant Don was flat out stupid to even think up this shit about the fans and to go forward and publish it. Now his hypocrisy is as plain and indelible as that protruding proboscis of his. His attacks on the fans, especially for things they can no more control, age etc. than Fagen himself can control being ugly, old, and Jewish. This to me is what is really "Bizarre", the pot calling the kettle black, so to speak.

A old lesson from the great poet Omar Khayyam, most likely a Muslim

"The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all your Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it."

From a more contemporary source for TV Babies everywhere

"A Mr Donald Fagen, a Rock n Roll Hall of Fame musician and first time book author, who let fame, fortune, ego, greed etc. cloud his judgement by writing a book that had portions that revealed his true contempt for his fans, but not for the large sums of money he collected from them. He then later publicly denied that his writings represented his views of his fans upon at last realizing that his attitude would alienate the fans and might cause a loss of concert revenue. File this unfortunate string of events under "H" for the need for Humility and to guard against Hypocrisy. A lesson for Mr. Fagen and all who might slide down that slippery slope in the Twilight Zone."




Date: Wed, October 30, 2013, 01:21:49 ET
Posted by: Those weren't, "fake quotations"

They were descriptions, and they were representative of the sloppy stuff posted here recently by those people who haven't even bothered to take the time to read what they're commenting on, whether it's the book or some drip's garbage-filled post. Sorry, Mr. eel. You're guilty as charged. Calling me a "troll" or any other silly name won't change that.


Date: Wed, October 30, 2013, 00:30:35 ET
Posted by: moray eel, o

Ok, now that you have made up a bunch of fake quotations, I can see who the troll is now.

Thanks.

m.e.


Date: Wed, October 30, 2013, 00:01:09 ET
Posted by: I think, my points still stand

Way too much "I haven't read the book but here's my hard-and-fast opinion based on excerpts and headlines" crap, never mind the sheer unbridled carelessness of the "how dare you call that guy an anti-Semite....oh, wait I didn't actually read his post" crap.

Read the book and love it. Or hate it. But read the damn thing. THEN comment. Fair enough?

And if you're going to defend others' "rights" to be clumsy, selective, ignorant, or just plain stupid.....take a few seconds to read the words & positions you're defending. It's not too much to ask, is it?


Date: Tues, October 29, 2013, 23:35:14 ET
Posted by: moray eel, selection

Please permit: I hadn't actually read that post and it should probably be taken down.

Hopefully, people will understand that some may have a different opinion on the book with out being classified as trolls and anti-Semites.

m.e.


Date: Tues, October 29, 2013, 23:27:57 ET
Posted by: SteelyDon, richmond

I also just got back from the book signing. It was a pretty cool experience sitting in such a small venue and in the second row. I agree, Don did want to emphasize that he does not hate his audience and that this passage is simply a fantasy draw up for comedic purposes.

I thought he was fairly engaging and he seemed to really try to give detailed answers.

One other tidbit that stuck out - Don was asked why he has been touring so much if his book seems to indicate that he hates touring - He stated that he loves playing and performing, especially with the band that they have now and that the agony of touring is worth it.

I was slightly embarrassed with the generic questions that our fellow fans wanted answered - One of the Q/A questions was "Would you ever consider doing a duet album and with whom?" C'mon we can do better.

The thing that really struck me about Don was his nervousness. It's not really expressed in his speech but in his fidgeting - his fidgeting whether cracking each knuckle in each finger, rubbing his hand up and down the arm of the chair, or mouthing something to himself under his breath, was continuous.

It was a pleasure to listen to him talk frankly about various topics -I feel like his is genuinely a good guy.


Date: Tues, October 29, 2013, 22:59:20 ET
Posted by: ccw, dc

Just got back from the DC interview/book event with Mr. Fagen. Very enjoyable hour of conversation, he was expansive and thoughtful in his answers. I don't know how much of this is redundant of the book (I just got a copy tonight!) but here are a few nuggets I remember from the evening:

- his older cousin Barbara, a "bohemian babe," briefly dated Miles Davis.

- he is a fan of the Byrds (many of his favorite jazz/blues/pop artists I'd heard him speak about before, but not this one)

- he was visibly bothered at the attention given to the part of his book where he appears to dislike his audience, and said it was not representative of the book or his view toward his fans

- He originally rejected Kanye West's request to use a "Kid Charlemagne" sample, until Kanye personally wrote a letter to Fagen and Becker begging ether to allow it because the song was about Kanye's father.


Date: Tues, October 29, 2013, 22:15:41 ET
Posted by: kzkzkz, He's made it now!

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304799404579158061447645846

The Wall Street Journal kids.


Date: Tues, October 29, 2013, 21:53:21 ET
Posted by: Please permit me , to explain something

When someone uses the terms, "hook nosed Jew" and "money hungry Kike", it isn't "attacking their character" to state that the individual may very well be anti-Semitic. It's a reasonable conclusion based on available evidence - the person's own quoted words, and taking into account the context provided by the complete post.

When someone passes definitive, negative judgement on something they haven't read or heard or experienced for themselves, it isn't "attacking their character" to imply that the person may not be particularly bright. It's a reasonable conclusion, based on the inherent ridiculousness (not to mention laziness) of those who quickly form a stridently negative opinion based on incomplete or false/misleading evidence when the full thing is readily available for analysis.


Date: Tues, October 29, 2013, 21:36:43 ET
Posted by: Hutch,

Harmolodic - Thank you.


Date: Tues, October 29, 2013, 21:09:12 ET
Posted by: moray eel, opposite

Actually, I think that those critical of the book have been far more restrained about the situation.

I didn't like the book as much as some of you guys, but I didn't personally attack the characters of those of you who enjoyed it. It has been suggested that those who didn't like the book are anti-semites or that they don't have half of a brain.

When a contest was proposed to write satiric diary entries, I didn't take the bait. While I consider the book to be ripe for such an effort, as much as Frederic Raphael's self-serving memoir of working with Stanley Kubrick, I'm not convinced that attempts to poke some fun at the book would be appreciated here.

I also feel that Donald has entered into a self-destructive process and he doesn't need help tearing it apart. Sometimes a certain self-defense mechanism can be triggered and one may try and reject the thing that one fears losing.

If there are any SD tours in the future, I would expect attendance to take a big drop and you may start to see tour dates cancelled completely for lack of interest.

Just my take...

m.e.


Date: Tues, October 29, 2013, 18:59:56 ET
Posted by: Opinions, are like....well, you know......

As far as this new DF book goes, I don't think it's particularly appropriate to frame the recent contentious discussion here as being an exercise in "differences in opinion". Legitimate differences in opinion are fine, and to be expected, but opinions based on misinformation (or opinions formed by reading an article or a headline but not the work in question) can't be taken seriously and have no place in an intelligent conversation. "Chilling out" has nothing to do with it.

Remember how a year ago a handful of people here took an immediate dislike to Sunken Condos based on short low-fi samples? That was pretty stupid, and at least some of those people now probably feel as dumb as they looked here back then. As bad as that was, this is far worse. The negative reactions to the book have been downright bizarre ("DF won't get another nickel from me", "His live performance career is over", "I'm burning my SD stuff", and so on), and all appear to have come from posters who haven't even read the book.

It's not just about context. It's about having an informed opinion. One people would be entitled to if they had, y'know, actually read the damn book.


Date: Tues, October 29, 2013, 18:33:26 ET
Posted by: Michael, @Bookkeeper's Son

It goes to the heart of the point, that being that no matter how good an artist is (or thinks themselves to be), they're not immune to criticism. It comes with the territory.

Therefore, I think people need to chill out and accept the fact that we all won't agree on everything. Opinions are part of what makes us individuals after all.


Date: Tues, October 29, 2013, 17:23:37 ET
Posted by: I'm just an idiot nonmusician, from somewhere

Harmolodic, since working musicians - how clever of you to become one - are the only people capable of understanding where DF is "coming from," perhaps the subtitle of EH should have been "Abandon all hope ye non-working-musicians who enter here."


Date: Tues, October 29, 2013, 16:48:01 ET
Posted by: The Dean, Manatee Bar. It's Happy Hour!

Re Eminent Hipsters:

Hard to comment too much on the book, or reviews, since I have yet to read the book. (Hopefully I will pick it up in the next week or so.) But it seems to me the reviews are very positive (and mostly pretty well written) while the headlines to those articles are stupid and/or obvious. Pretty much par for the course for headlines, no?

I'm more surprised by longtime Dan fans being either surprised or insulted by some of Don's comments. What the fuck did you expect?

So far all the excerpts I have read are hilarious and I'm very positively disposed to the book already.


Date: Tues, October 29, 2013, 16:12:48 ET
Posted by: Bookkeeper's Son, Florida

Michael,

First I read the first 20 pages of Sunken Condos reviews on Amazon. The lowest rating was 3 stars. Then I did look at the 1 and 2 star ratings. Yes, they were predictably very critical of the CD. Wouldn't expect someone to praise a recording and yet give it 1 or 2 stars. That is why I noted the "Dodgy vinyl" one star review because he liked the music.

By listing the actual totals I was merely attempting to apply perspective. The 16 1 and 2 star ratings are 5% of the total review.

For grins I looked up the percentage of one and two star ratings for a couple of other recent releases from "old timers".

Bob Dylan "Tempest" Approximately 8% were one & two stars.

Van Morrison "Born to Sing.." Approximately 6% were one & two stars.


Date: Tues, October 29, 2013, 14:56:52 ET
Posted by: DeaconBlues16,

I actually think the Grantland review was actually pretty positive:

"He�s smart, he�s witty, he has impeccable taste in pretty much everything, he�s extremely cranky, he seems a little lonely in the world, and he�s likely far more vulnerable than he lets on. You�ll learn as much about him as you will from listening to his records. But the nectar of hatred served up by Eminent Hipsters is too sweet not to taste."

That seems like a positive impression to me at least. Let's not forget that the book is judged on how well-written it is and how entertaining it is, not on how Donald Fagen perceives his audience as it comes across in the book.


Date: Tues, October 29, 2013, 14:17:43 ET
Posted by: RJ Squirrel, My book scheduled to arrive 10/31

Not a good review: http://www.grantland.com/blog/hollywood-prospectus/post/_/id/90419/rock-memoir-book-club-donald-fagen-exposes-unbridled-contempt-for-fans-in-eminent-hipsters

Really "unbridled contempt for fans"?? Need to read it myself.


Date: Tues, October 29, 2013, 13:37:29 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

A great review from up north:

http://www.randomhouse.ca/hazlitt/feature/smart-alec-disco


Date: Tues, October 29, 2013, 13:08:44 ET
Posted by: Flatbush Chuck, That NYC

Rog: As metaphysical empiricism goes, a check in the casket at least seems to beat that feather-floating-across-the-room test that John and Julian Lennon reportedly concocted. :)


Date: Tues, October 29, 2013, 12:53:26 ET
Posted by: harmolodic, Here's to your fuck, Frank

Great book. A few quick thoughts:

1) Donald clearly is engaging in dry, wry humor in the memoir section. If you think it's all negative, you haven't read the book. On more than one occasion he talks about what a great thing it is when the venue and audience are hot, the band is cooking, and everything is transcendent. At one point he even says something like "But I'm sounding too positive. Someone stop me!" Great stuff.

2) As a working musician, I know exactly where he's coming from. This is how we talk to each other about shitty food, shitty audiences, shitty sound systems, etc. It's part blowing off steam, part truth, and part just the way we hang. It's a musician thing. You whiners wouldn't understand.

3) It's apparent the whiners are trolls or anti-Semites or both. You lose any credibility whatsoever making fun (in the least clever way ever) of Donald's appearance. Seriously? What are you, 12?

4) It's a good book, a fun read, and Donald is a really good writer. His knowledge of music is amazing. He's a keen cultural critic. Four and a half stars.


Date: Tues, October 29, 2013, 11:28:05 ET
Posted by: Rog, NE Ohio

Here's why he and Susan don't talk since Jerry died.

Jerry had asked each of his children to drop a $100 bill into his casket at his funeral in case, it turns out, you can take it with you. It's some kind of tradition with Jewish accountants.

Susan dutifully put in her Ben Franklin.

Don put in a check for $200 and took out the cash.


Date: Tues, October 29, 2013, 09:56:32 ET
Posted by: Flatbush Chuck, That NYC

Who was that Gilda Radner character who used to get agitated about something she'd misheard and then, when clued in, would sweetly conclude, "Never mind."? I'm getting something of that here viz. before-reading-the-book vs. after-reading-the-book.

I noticed that Donald posted a clarification after his Dylan remarks were mis-framed. This one he'll no doubt sit out.

On balance, I quite like what I'm reading.

While Donald is rarely the direct subject of these chapters, he emerges as a character throughout-- more sympathetically in the early, formative chapters, more caustically in the diary. He does everything (tour derangement syndrome, etc.) to signal to the reader that the diary writer is to be taken as anything but an omniscient, infallible narrator, and that what follows is at least as much a reflection on the writer as on his subjects.

In other words, he owns his fallibilities without endorsing them. In some '70s interview, Fagen remarked that he tended to see both sides of an issue and hence "wind(s) up having no firm opinions about anything." For all that he's obviously grown more outwardly opinionated, something of this epistemic humility still makes it through the mix. The nuns who taught me in school in another world used to use that line: when you point a finger four others are pointing back at you. I sense Donald gets this emphatically.

I can see no such escape hatch for "Boiling Pissed." Is he gonna soft-shoe out of here with a "Ha ha, how'd you like my impression of a mean-spirited paranoid bigot?" If a burst of ill temper is like a bubble that escapes from a pond to betray a bit of rot underneath, it sounds like Donald is owning up to the bit of rot he (like all of us) has lurking underneath-- and pretty wittily. But BP dude, it sounds like what you got there is a toxic waste site.


Date: Tues, October 29, 2013, 09:39:16 ET
Posted by: I'm , re-reading it right now

I hereby enthusiastically second fagenism's warning label concept. Such a label, exactly as posted, should have been affixed to the outer wrapper of each copy of the book, and those exact words should have been printed on the flyleaf of every copy. We now realize that this likely would have have prevented any possibility of damage to those more delicate readers' delicate sensibilities, or at least may have softened the blows in advance.

I suspect the reason no warning was included with the book is that it probably never occurred to The Author that so many people wouldn't get what he was doing, or that so many folks would opt to be "offended" through their literal interpretations of his words. He gave his readers the credit he figured they deserved.

He obviously misjudged the intelligence of a (significant?) percentage of his fanbase.


Date: Tues, October 29, 2013, 04:45:18 ET
Posted by: fagenism, She go (I cry)

I can't believe Viking (the publisher of Eminent Hipsters) didn't put a label on the cover of the damn thing.

"WARNING: Author makes fun of himself and his fans. If you: A) find yourself in said category and B) have no discernible sense of humor, your precious little feelings may be hurt."


Date: Tues, October 29, 2013, 04:26:13 ET
Posted by: Shangri-la, Direct from Lhasa

Ah, so now we see the true motivation of Boiling Pissed: s/he is a raving anti-semite whose real agenda is to slam Don because he's Jewish. Classy. By the by, what the hell is a 'bass-tet?' None of the Bronx-raised alter kockers or bubbes in my family have ever heard of the term.

Anyways, I read the book cover to cover in a few hours on Sunday and don't see what all the hate is about. The sketches of the artists Don admires are drawn with love and poignancy. Although I had read most of those pieces on Don's former haunt on the Internet, new little tidbits about Don's life are satisfyingly sprinkled throughout.

The last third of the book, which comprises Don's 2012 Dukes tour diary, does not seem to me to carry the controversial anti-fan ban/burn-this-book label that so many here and in the press seem to believe is warranted. Rather, I gather it's classic Don: sure, curmudgeonly and ironic, but mostly self-effacing and refreshingly human. He skewers himself constantly throughout this chapter for having become so effete after so many years of celebritydom (as much as I expect to get skewered for defending his writings in the first place, which is plenty). He also writes an aching entry about his stepson's suicide.

Really, my only complaint is that this tome is rather brief, but sometimes, a sip is more precious than a gulp. This taste is rich.


Date: Tues, October 29, 2013, 01:28:37 ET
Posted by: BOILING PISSED, CRITICAL TEMPERATURE

@I've read it et. al.

This also for the proposed Eminent Hipsters "essay"contest

Don's literary abilities as well as Walter's are a major factor in what drew most of us to the Dan. In the book EH Don made an excellent pejorative account of something he should NOT have which are his PAYING CUSTOMERS. HIS FANS!!!!

To do something like this is NOT at all "Eminent" and certainly not cool or "hip". To Walter, it a good bet that what Don did with this book was truly Cringeworthy. Therefore the book's title is a misnomer and should read something like "The Agony and the Ecstasy--Suffering these Fools Who Made Me Rich".

Another poster earlier said something to the effect that there are places you just don't go topically. It would be like if someone made fun of autistic children or someone's mother, and then was, as Fagen is, being praised for such a fine job of doing so.

Don needs to take a good long look in the mirror. That is if he can stand to subject himself to that sort of punishment. How can this guy who looks like a cross between bird and reptile with a toucan beak and the mouth and fangs of a snake possibly be critical of the personal appearance of his fans? Where does this hook nosed Jew bass-tet get off doing that? As the years go on, Don's face is like the picture of Dorian Gray run amok with all of the purulent pus-filled baggage inside of him that inspired his greatest works rising to the surface.

And what of the fans who got up for frequent piss breaks $15 beers of which Fagen probably netted six or seven dollars of that. What the F is this money hungry Kike bitching about? Greedy bass-tet should be thankful!

I will let you in on a well-kept secret. The real reason that the fans are getting up for $15 beers, pee breaks etc. is that they cannot stand to look at this ugly son of a bitch Fagen for more than one or two songs. Unbeknownst to Fagen and media types about one third of these fans are rushing to the rest rooms to vomit so they can muster up enough fortitude to watch Don's hideous sunglassed mug for a few more songs modulating back and forth above the Fender Rhodes for what Don alone believes emulates Ray Charles. A real hipster, I'll tell ya that Don Fagen is!

Fagen may be disgusted by the fans, but now it can be told that they are just as disgusted with him. The fans come for the hits, and Fagen the money whore gladly provides it to them. If Don cared about art, he would have changed the setlist and played "just what he felt".


There were more than a few posters that intimated that EH was written as sort of a Death Wish on the part of Fagen to end his live performing career. His greed to make money off the fans he despises is too strong for him to just up and retire. So he wrote a book to hopefully piss off the fans to involuntarily end this endless touring. His music was great but never was mega-selling. Eminent Hipsters will not be mega-selling enough to get out to most of his fans who would be pissed to see what a worm he is. So Fagen will not get his wish.

Donald Fagen will continue to be a tortured artist, doomed to spend his remaining days performing for crowds that disgust him and who are mostly disgusted by him, unable to extricate himself from the grasp that their filthy lucre has on his soul.






Date: Mon, October 28, 2013, 22:55:22 ET
Posted by: I've , read it

The 4 CD audio version arrives tomorrow, and then I will be able to say, "I've heard it" as well.

It's Good Stuff, full of great bits and real insight into DF's world. The dark humor in the second half is relentless. As in, "relentlessly hilarious" and "relentlessly (and refreshingly) honest". DF has put into writing what some of us concertgoers have felt over the past few tours as we struggle with the behavior of the people in the audience around us.

For all those poor aggrieved types who have decided to be insulted/offended by the book, what the hell did you expect? An oh-so-earnest, straightforward account of life of the road? Another boring & clich�d Rock 'n' Roll life story? Really?? Have you ever taken a minute to read any of the SD reissue/remaster CD liner notes, or anything that Fagen has written recently or said in interviews since Morph came out? If the answer is "yes", why do you suddenly expect (demand?) to be written for at the level of a tell-all Stones biography, or yet another hackneyed "rock star" expos�? How did you people ever lock onto Don and Walt's music in the first place?

At least Jives - slightly pickled or not - has the good sense to come to the realization that this is one amazing Cranky Old Guy. What about the rest of you premature ejaculators??


Date: Mon, October 28, 2013, 22:53:05 ET
Posted by: Hackensack, 65026

Good mind set bookeepers son


Date: Mon, October 28, 2013, 22:04:42 ET
Posted by: Jivester, Glasgow

Been interesting this last week watching the ebb and flow re:The Don as he riffs in the book...i initially posted in agreement with some here that although i'll always live the music i,too, was wearying of The Don's groucho mode.

But i thought a bit more and realise he's just being honest.It's allowed -and most of us would surely respect that in an age of so must plastic n hype.

And,also,over the years-from the start really-he's always been upfront about hjs worldview and the music biz.

Thus ive changed my view from last week although i confess i havent read the book but ive followed opinion closely.Essentially Don is being true and honest which is noble and honourable.He never promised us anything else.

Its a brave and principled stance for a reluctant dude who'd probly just write songs in a quiet room yet finds himself under the spotlight of scrutiny and exposure for decades.

There's always been a natural ennui in Don's work but i must also register how much this weeks debate led me to better understand and appreciate just how much light,humour and outre playfullness Walter has brought to the party all these years.

Im a tad drunk so forgive my ramblings but its all good :-)

Peace yoll.


Date: Mon, October 28, 2013, 17:52:45 ET
Posted by: Michael,

Yeah, and did you read the rest of SC's one-star and two-star reviews?


Date: Mon, October 28, 2013, 16:47:22 ET
Posted by: Bookkeeper's Son, Florida

Straight from Amazon. Ratings for Sunken Condos:

176 5 Stars
65 4 Stars
40 3 Stars
8 2 Stars
8 1 Stars

One of the 1 star ratings loved the music but disliked the "dodgy vinyl.

Aja has 1 two star rating and 2 one star ratings.

Two Against Nature 52 two star ratings and 41 one star ratings.


Date: Mon, October 28, 2013, 16:37:13 ET
Posted by: Michael,

Has nothing to do with being tough. You're just insecure.


Date: Mon, October 28, 2013, 16:08:46 ET
Posted by: SteelyDon, Richmond

Is anyone planning on attending the EH event in Washington DC tomorrow? I live in Richmond VA and I am thinking of taking a ride up. It would be cool if a mini-don fest could be arranged.


Date: Mon, October 28, 2013, 14:54:26 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

Stay strong, Internet Tough Guy. Stay strong, never change.


Date: Mon, October 28, 2013, 14:11:58 ET
Posted by: search, k

Kenny Vance discusses his home getting wiped out by Sandy. His tapes were destroyed, and he's said in previous interviews that he had old Becker/Fagen stuff under lock and key.

www.cnn.com/2013/10/28/opinion/vance-ruined-house-sandy/


Date: Mon, October 28, 2013, 14:05:42 ET
Posted by: Michael, @KD

That is all you have to say? That I'm "an anonymous twat" for formulating an opinion on someone's artistic work? You'd think it were a personal matter to you whether or not I personally validate their work. Funny thing is, the first song they posted here was pretty good, so I'm rather taken aback at the sudden drop-off in quality...

Besides, you think *I'm* harsh? Get a dose of the real world. Have you bothered to read some of the negative reviews for Sunken Condos on Amazon? They're littered with personal barbs about how Donald is just an old geezer whose forever stuck in the past, how he should retire, some of them want a refund, etc. etc. In other words, you need to develop thick skin in order to survive in the music industry.

I refuse to apologize for being honest.


Date: Mon, October 28, 2013, 13:53:27 ET
Posted by: hoops, chicago, on the quick

GE: Yes. I've seen this problem since iOS 7 was introduced. There's basically a HUGE blue space above the page after it loads completely. I'm exploring a fix and maybe iOS 7.04 will have it when it come sout. In the mean time, here's a work around (beside using Chrome or Opera for iOS). After the screens turns blue, keep scrolling down with your fingers and you'll see the whole Bluebook; but if you need to post, hot the "Post" button really quick before the full page loads with the huge blue space at the top.

I'm about a quarter through Donald's book now; at the part where he discusses L. Ron Hubbard, etc. It's a great book! This isn't a book filled with contempt, etc. Donald indirectly addresses this is in the Forward and in what I've read so far.

Even those who aren't fans of Donald or Steely Dan but grew up in the 50s and 60s will, LOVE this book--at least what I've read so far.

So my apologies to Donald (not like he reads this place) and anyone who is misguided by my earlier posts which were reactions from what was in the press and parrotted here by those who had not read the book.

This all reminds of me of what happened with Morph The Cat. A couple of months before it came out, some who had advanced copies started bashing it and I had no idea of how to respond. Low and behold, someone working for Warners in the UK saw my predicament and advanced me a copy with their usual conditions. In doing so, that person resolved a lot of the negative publicity that I had no idea how to respond.

So in this case, in a certain way, I should have read the book before weighing in; at the same time, in the unlikely event Donald's people are reading this--including some of the junk posts, including my own previous junk posts--well, they should have advanced me a copy.

Looking forward to reading more.

Jim


Date: Mon, October 28, 2013, 13:30:26 ET
Posted by: Bookkeeper's Son, Florida

Two comments:
Oh and wait just another minute, makes a very good point. There are some people at SD shows (and other shows as well) I have contempt for after they repeatedly scream out requests and talk during all songs they don't recognize or consider unimportant.

Second, I prefer to delude myself with the belief Donald's comments are directed at all of those people referenced above and certainly NOT ME!


Date: Mon, October 28, 2013, 13:12:39 ET
Posted by: GE, SLC

Question:

I am having problems logging onto this sight from my mobile devices both iPad and phone. The screen flashes for a second and then goes blank and blue.

Anyone else having this issue and if so, have you been able to fix it? I don't have a PC at home anymore so I want to resolve this. Hoops?

TIA
GE


Date: Mon, October 28, 2013, 12:47:23 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

I haven't listened to it. Had I listened to it and disliked it, something in my makeup would probably prevent me from being an anonymous twat about it on an online message board.

I guess I have that going for me.


Date: Mon, October 28, 2013, 11:44:22 ET
Posted by: Michael, @KD

What would you have me do, shower them with praise? It's my opinion of their work. Am I entitled to it? I'm somewhat difficult to please. So be it.

Let me throw the ball in your court, KD: what do you think of their EP?


Date: Mon, October 28, 2013, 11:31:29 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

Feeling pretty good about yourself after that last post, Michael?

(Probably not.)


Date: Mon, October 28, 2013, 10:48:02 ET
Posted by: Michael, Re: 1957 Tail-Fin Fiasco

I listened briefly to each of the four tracks' verse and chorus. It lacks that special quality which is requisite for all memorable songs. The chord changes are very pedestrian, the lyrics are dull and the arrangements are positively uninspired. That's my honest opinion.


Date: Mon, October 28, 2013, 10:26:10 ET
Posted by: The 1957 Tail-Fin Fiasco, Essex, UK

The 1957 Tail-Fin Fiasco have a new 4 track EP available comprising "Cruise Control', 'The Legend Of Josi & The Juke', 'List Song' and 'Breakfast Of Kings' here

http://the1957tail-finfiasco.bandcamp.com/releases

It's perhaps a bit less obviously 'Dan inspired, but hopefully the spirit is still there. Some of you guys have been kind enough to say good things about our previous stuff, so I hope you might enjoy this too.

Cheers to you all.


Date: Mon, October 28, 2013, 10:14:33 ET
Posted by: Michael,

Certain individuals are extremely self-critical and this aspect of introspection tends to carry over into their social lives, especially when coupled with bouts of depression and a overly cynical outlook. Also, our opinions tend to be shaped by the people we surround ourselves with, Donald included. However much of his personality is the byproduct of Walter's (or whoever's) influence is unknown.

Note that doesn't justify whatever thorny, mean-spirited comments or judgements Donald may pass on others in his book. But we've all said things much better left unsaid. Well ok, maybe we didn't sell it in print form, but still.


Date: Mon, October 28, 2013, 05:51:46 ET
Posted by: Haven't read it yet, so.., UK

I thought it was well documented that some of the most uplifting and life-changing art comes from those people for whom the 'weather' in their head is far from sunny. I always sensed some pretty grim weather in Donald, which is what drew me to him all along. Setting profoundly hopeless lyrics to profoundly hopeful music is a wonderful self-healing sort of alchemy, that lifts the spirits of others as a by-product. Having listened to the lyrics of Great Pagoda of Funn, I don't think I could be surprised by anything in the book.


Date: Sun, October 27, 2013, 22:53:40 ET
Posted by: OK,, one last thing before I'm REALLY done

QUOTE: "Donald won't get another nickel out of me".

Huh? Based on some hilariously over-the-top musings in a satirical tour diary? No more SD/DF live shows, ever, and no more purchases of SD or related music, new or old - ever? This particular over-the-top reaction may very well re-define the term "thin skinned".

It's also pretty petulant stuff, coming from someone claiming/pretending to be an "associate professor". Of "journalism", or of anything else for that matter.

I think it bears repeating: "The literal mind is always confounded by the creative mind".


Date: Sun, October 27, 2013, 22:45:47 ET
Posted by: I would not vote for Don to be Dog Catcher,


Date: Sun, October 27, 2013, 22:14:02 ET
Posted by: Hackensack, 65026

Hoops: as u requested to hear I am reading the book. I'm on july 11 of the journal. Well as I posted earlier im not reading it but listening to it. It's great to hear DF speak his own words. I'm just curious if he shared the same disgruntled feelings in the 2010 Dukes tour as in 2012


Date: Sun, October 27, 2013, 15:58:08 ET
Posted by: hoops, chicago

I'd love to consider more of these posts...but I think most people posting haven't read or listened to Donald's book.

I will try an add a fifth question to the posting page, "Did you read the book or not?"

I think one of those Dandom.com writing contests will be forthcoming where entrants (i.e. us) write rebuttals to Donald's diary with the funniest entries winning.

So far, the responses here that stick out in my mind are KD's about people attending Dukes expecting to hear a revue of Doobs, SD and Scaggs. I would add as corollary to KD's post, if you're gonna want my appreciation of a cover of Ray Charles, Al Green or Marvin Gaye, you can or cannot be different as their originals, but your take has to be as good as or better. In the same vein, few Steely Dan covers or reinterpretations are as satisfying as SD's originals.

I also like the post about Miles Davis. But as I read the book, my overarching response is that most of this is not news to me nor should it be to others. Donald's been saying much of this for years.

Jim


Date: Sun, October 27, 2013, 15:27:14 ET
Posted by: Jocelyn G.,

I am an Associate Professor of Journalism and the humor is not lost on me. It is the subject matter. One would think considering Donald's fertile mind he might have have chosen something other than his fans to skewer.

Donald won't get another nickel out of me. Walter is looking like the bigger man right now and I would go to one of his shows. Not that such an event will ever happen ;o)


Date: Sun, October 27, 2013, 15:14:19 ET
Posted by: You know you read the blue too much when, ...

You learn of most celebrity deaths on it.


Date: Sun, October 27, 2013, 14:52:26 ET
Posted by: Steve Gennarelli, Tampa, FL

Don's an artist and he's certainly entitled to his opinion.

I can understand his disdain for the audience not being turned on by a Ray Charles tune that he wants to "resurrect" for 2012, yet the same audience "pops" for the opening chords to "Hey Nineteen", a song that he's (if anything) overplayed on tour.

I think his honesty in the book is quite refreshing. Anyone with half a brain will think its funny and won't take offense with it.


Date: Sun, October 27, 2013, 14:45:31 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

Lou Reed died!? Wow.

And on a Sunday morning no less.


Date: Sun, October 27, 2013, 14:30:50 ET
Posted by: moray eel, Sue

To me, it seems like DF is trying to destroy his career as a live performer. Then again Lou Reed just died so maybe there is something in the air.

m.e.


Date: Sun, October 27, 2013, 13:24:19 ET
Posted by: LR, Poolside

YW,

Funny. I was a much younger man back then
but I never for a moment thought that Miles
had "contempt" for us that night. I just
figured he was losing himself in the music
and that the lights were bothering him.


Date: Sun, October 27, 2013, 13:18:59 ET
Posted by: Vile 1,

Hard to believe for any reason that people will still pay hundreds or thousands in costs to be in the same room with DF who is so disgusted with us fat, pony tailed gray haired black T-shirted geriatric suckers. He should should be disgusted with himself for preying on these people that he can't stand. Obviously he is not disgusted enough to turn down the money.

This includes some of us who were looking through our old coat pockets and turning over sofas to find money and even hitch hiking to go see this wretch.


Date: Sun, October 27, 2013, 12:43:08 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

Lurker Ray, you saw Davis live?

Fuck you.

(But seriously, that must have been amazing.)


Date: Sun, October 27, 2013, 11:55:45 ET
Posted by: Lurker Ray, SoBe - Endless Summer

Unfortunately many of us here including myself
are not able to attend a DF EH Event.

I am sure some really great questions are just
waiting to be asked that are not vindictive or
incendiary. Mine would be,

"Did you attend the 1964-1965 NY Worlds Fair and
what was your impression and memories of it?"

Any others out there? I am really surprised no one
has recorded one of these EH Q&A sessions yet? Seems
like that would be a easy thing to do unlike many
concert venues.

Young Wu,

I saw Miles play with his back to us the whole show.
But I like many around me were moved to tears many
times that evening. His take on Cyndi Lauper's
"Time After Time" was quite astounding.

Really don't quite get all of the backlash for EH?

"You should never meet your heroes. Paul Newman... I was so excited about meeting him, but he turned up in shell suit bottoms, slippers, and a jumper. He was just so worn out and old, he wanted to go home."

Allan Carr


Date: Sun, October 27, 2013, 11:44:30 ET
Posted by: Miles Davis, don't give anything away


I had contempt for my audience only if I ever turned around to look at them!


Date: Sun, October 27, 2013, 11:35:15 ET
Posted by: pixeleen,

jacquie ann and CJB:

Could not agree with you more !!!


Date: Sun, October 27, 2013, 11:15:25 ET
Posted by: Josey, Mass

I don't know if he has contempt for his audience, but Keith Jarrett has certainly been known to act like a shitass to his audience. God forbid you go to one of his concerts and a sneeze or cough starts brewing! I guess it interferes with all the annoying grunting he does while playing piano.

Having said that, there's definitely not many pianists on his level!


Date: Sun, October 27, 2013, 11:10:10 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

Miles Davis had contempt for his audience? I've never heard that.


Date: Sun, October 27, 2013, 10:25:06 ET
Posted by: jacquie anne, Boston fan

CJB - Exactly!


Date: Sun, October 27, 2013, 09:28:38 ET
Posted by: jacquie anne, Boston fan

CJB - Exactly!


Date: Sun, October 27, 2013, 07:22:31 ET
Posted by: Mr. K. Baba, Nowhere

The Dukes diary is one of the funniest things I've read in years. Just brilliant.

And it's obvious that Donald holds the greatest amount of contempt for himself, not his audience. For letting that blonde from high school get away. I would think most people get over the One That Got Away over time. But I guess not Donald.


Date: Sat, October 26, 2013, 23:27:05 ET
Posted by: CJB, YVR

I don't care if an artist I admire is "contemptuous" of me or not. Their relationship to me is pretty much irrelevant, because they're not my partner, BFF, college bro, & etc. We don't have a relationship, short of the one usually enjoyed by performer & artist. Many great artists have been contemptuous of their audience, & still made great art of lasting quality. Miles Davis comes to mind. So does Dylan. I could easily list twenty more.

An artist's job is to make the best art they can.

My job as a viewer, consumer, co-creator, whatever -- should I choose to accept it, big qualifier -- is to dig what they're laying down, & to vamoose if I don't.

Lots of insecure goof balls on here these days, mostly anonymous, or the usual "CA," "UK," ilk., panties in a twist b/c Don didn't bow down or genuflect toward them.

Your favorite artist isn't your friend, or your life coach. Artists don't owe self-proclaimed "fans" anything, other than art work of the highest quality. To paraphrase Neal Stephenson, I sometimes fantasize that DF or WB & I have lots in common & could be friends if we ever met. But that's a fantasy, and neither artist owes me anything, & I'd be much better off making friends of my own & developing art of my own than bitching on an internet chat site about either artist's unapproachability, the cold shoulder, etc.

The book, which I've half read, is well written & very moving.

Looking forward to seeing DF in person in Seattle soon.


Date: Sat, October 26, 2013, 22:23:51 ET
Posted by: hoops, Chicago, on my smartphone

KD: haven't fully read the Dukes part yet, but you make a good point.

Everyone: picked up my copy at the Barnes and Noble that is featured in the Tribune interview--like it matters. I've read a little bit of the first part which talks about his youth, and then I read some pages from the second part which is with the Dukes of September.

It's much, much better than I thought based on the reviews and the comments I have been seeing here on the blue as well as on Facebook. I think it's all about context. I remember when the movie Natural Born Killers came out. I'm not someone who is crazy about violent movies. So I didn't want to see it. But I had a couple friends who kept insisting that I see it because they thought it had a really great message. My hesitantcy lasted for several months. Finally I did see it. And I was amazed at how important to the message was all this violence. I don't generally like violence but in this case it was really allegorical violence. It was all about context.

So this book looks like an easy read. I hope to have it done next day or so. Looking forward to discussing it some more.

I really wish everyone who comments about the book would indicate whether they have read the book or not.

Happy reading!

Jim


Date: Sat, October 26, 2013, 22:17:11 ET
Posted by: Hackensack, 65026

I don't like to read books. So I got eminent hosted on audio 4cd. Even if I did want to read it I wouldn't miss the opportunity of hearing DFs words from the horses mouth himself. Im loving God story telling. I just finished listening to the first half. Time for tour diary part


Date: Sat, October 26, 2013, 21:40:58 ET
Posted by: jacquie anne, Boston fan

3 points -
My love of Donald's/SD's music, as with any art, is not, and never will be predicated in any way by his love and/or appreciation of me.

I spend my money to see Donald/SD for my entertainment only.� I stop being entertained, I stop going.

Lastly, unfortunately,� I agree with him about many of my fellow concert goers.� They show no appreciation for what they are experiencing or the most basic respect for those around them.� I don' really like a lot of them.

Lighten up, folks. I think he's a very funny grumpy old man.


Date: Sat, October 26, 2013, 21:16:52 ET
Posted by: jacquie anne, Boston fan


Date: Sat, October 26, 2013, 18:49:41 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

The "contempt" thing boggles me.

He's not griping about a Steely Dan show. He's complaining about those that appear unmoved at a Dukes show, waiting to hear Doobie Brothers hits. The distinction is enormous.


Date: Sat, October 26, 2013, 16:56:59 ET
Posted by: Geoffrey, Stoke-on-Trent

Regardless of one's take on Donald's book, mainly his literal or figurative contempt for his fans-just how many amongst you would still pay $200 to $300 US to attend a concert knowing the performer holds your kind in such contempt?


Date: Sat, October 26, 2013, 15:16:45 ET
Posted by: Michael, @hoops

I don't take contention with his wit (nor think many here would dispute his obvious talents) but one would think that he's much more than the sum of so few parts, so to speak. There's so much great subject matter to be utilized, it's mind-boggling.

On a somewhat related note, yesterday I was watching Night Gallery (ep: The Waiting Room) and was reminded just how great some of the old TV writers were (in this instance, Rod Serling). That level of creative ingenuity is sorely lacking from what passes for entertainment these days.


Date: Sat, October 26, 2013, 14:41:53 ET
Posted by: hoops, from a smartphone

So true, "One," so true.


Date: Sat, October 26, 2013, 14:35:27 ET
Posted by: Lex,

Well, I was born in 1959. So I narrowly escaped being born since 1960 and being part of the group of fans targeted by Fagen in his book. I am relieved and feeling much better about myself now.


Date: Sat, October 26, 2013, 14:20:27 ET
Posted by: One, last thing

To all of you who have chosen to take everything written by DF at face value:

"The literal mind is always confused by the creative mind".


Date: Sat, October 26, 2013, 14:20:19 ET
Posted by: Stevie Dan, Philadelphia, PA

Saw Madeleine Peyroux last night. Had no idea who was going to be in her band - so was quite surprised when Jon Herrington and Jim Beard walked on stage. Very cool to see them in a much different musical environment than a few weeks ago at the Beacon.

Beard really had lots of opportunity to show his keyboard talents - he had his Hammond B3, along w/ a Steinway and Roland, and got to use them all equally. Herrington had just his one guitar and was nice to see him play in a slower/quieter style than when touring w/ SD.


Date: Sat, October 26, 2013, 12:30:47 ET
Posted by: hoops, on break

I emphasize that haven't had time to read or listen to the book--I've been getting five hours sleep a night.

First, some housekeeping issues: 1) Deleted spam. I think I got the right ones--email me if not. 2) Razorboy666 and Long Time Listener: I see your handle entered but no message. I'm assuming you had no content but if there was, please resend/repost.

Michael: Like I said, I think Walter would be much more witty than I. But if writing something like that makes him a pervert, then he's my kind of pervert! :-)

Layback Lenny. Yes: Van Morrison is even more so. That's why "Vandom.com" only lasted a few days. A couple guys named Henk and Art in the Netherlands took over the content from me about 20 years ago, although I'm again the third, silent partner who supports them with this server. I'll leave it at that.

Moray Eel: Thank you for your perspectives, some of the best so far. Very much worth pondering.

That said, for those of you think or thought Steely Dan is mostly all Donald, re-think again, in light of the book, all that Walter must contribute to Steely Dan.

Fly low and be cool.

Jim


Date: Sat, October 26, 2013, 12:22:45 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

moray eel... many thanks to you! Really appreciate it.


Date: Sat, October 26, 2013, 11:18:49 ET
Posted by: in tune, with the vibe

yes cool, dr harmonius

A=432Hz is a frequency we choose for tuning our instruments and music. If experienced acoustically, it seems to feel better for singing and for acoustic instruments such as pianos. Tunings such as Twelve True Fifths at A=432Hz and C=256Hz sound richer. Unfortunately it Must be experienced to come to that conclusion. Ultimately you have a choice called free will, and we reserve the right to use A=432Hz or C256Hz as Our choice for music enjoyment and enrichment.


Date: Sat, October 26, 2013, 11:10:13 ET
Posted by: ,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedonic_treadmill


Date: Sat, October 26, 2013, 10:50:15 ET
Posted by: Len, USA

Moray Eel, great observations there.

DFs attitude toward the low level workers with whom he interacts is largely sculpted by the fact that he never had a job. His father paid for his college education. And as he points out in the book, after a stint as a Jay and the Americans side man, he achieved instantaneous success with Can't Buy a Thrill.


Date: Sat, October 26, 2013, 10:09:15 ET
Posted by: dave (from acquisitions), Philadelphia

DF's appearance in Philly was never advertised as a book signing as far as I can see. I checked out the philly free library to get info on the event and nothing on there said book signing so i don't know where people are getting that from. I'm going out to buy the book later today, looking forward to reading it.


Date: Sat, October 26, 2013, 09:47:18 ET
Posted by: moray eel, depressed

Young Wu: "does anyone know of any articles/interviews where Fagen dives in deeper in regards to his depression? Is it talked about at all in the book? "

His depression and contempt for everything are basically the only things that the book talks about.

In the Dukes of September chapter, he tells the readers in the early 80's:

"I could hardly get through the day, much less write music. I started seeing a shrink and gobbling antidepressants."

The only enthusiasm found in the book is in his nostalgia for some of his childhood heroes. But remember that Fagen is fond of Abbie Hoffman's quote, "Nostalgia is a form of depression."

He talks about the pain of growing up as an alienated Jewish kid in the burbs, but then he alienates whats left of the fan base by classifying them as either mindless TV Babies (born post 1960) or the geriatric crowd.

He describes the fans who paid to see them in Canada:

"They must have bused people in from nursing homes. There were people on slabs, decomposing, people in mummy cases."

It's full of contempt for everyone: the agreeable room service guys, the waitresses who bring him his food, the security girls backstage - they all seem to piss him off.

He doesn't leave his hotel rooms because there's a chance a fan may recognize him and he might actually have to talk to them.

Lots of bitching about hotels (pillowcases, pools, others guests). Lots of bitching about venues (dumpy dressing rooms, poor sound, etc.). So, we come to understand he hates playing on the road. But he doesn't like playing in New York either because friends and relatives might want to see the show.

I found a few things interesting. He does open up a little regarding some of the tragedies that his family has experienced. He goes into the Ezra situation and some personal stuff regarding his grandfather. I also enjoyed the part about the Boswell Sisters. He decides to open the book by praising Connee Boswell, but it would have been better if he had spelled her name correctly. There are other bad spelling errors and some tour information that is wrong.

Fagen remarks that when he tours with Steely Dan, the venues are shrinking. He then adds that he is being disingenuous. Maybe, maybe not. But with the the disdain that he shows for the fans, it's not surprising if people are starting to spend their money elsewhere.

Toward the end of the book, he talks about being sixty-something, taking painkillers, his blood pressure and other ailments.

"Let's face it, I'm a dead man," he says.

This could be a little comic if used as a change of pace from the rest of the writing. Instead, it reads like a final confirmation from a guy who seems eager to go to his grave feeling sorry for himself.

If viewed in the best possible light, it may be viewed as being in the same vein as some of the great curmudgeonly writings of an earlier America. Twain and Burroughs are both mentioned. Fagen does take some shots at the media, politicians, law enforcement and big business; but most of his misanthropy is directed at the people who pay to see his shows and the low wage workers who provide his comforts.

I'll end this with a couple of Mencken quotes that may be appropriate.

"A celebrity is one who is known to many persons he is glad he doesn't know."

"A cynic is a man who, when he smells flowers, looks around for a coffin."

m.e.








Date: Sat, October 26, 2013, 09:30:13 ET
Posted by: Michael, @hoops

"That said, my other hesitancy with Donald's book is that, frankly, I think he's much more entertaining and less boring when he's interviewed with Walter. Ditto, overall, for lyrics. For example, you just know that if Walter was on board for the writing of "Security Joan", there'd be a climatic verse, bridge or outro where the singer and Joan start fornicating on the conveyor belt inside TSA Xray machine. Then it all gets accidentally broadcast on the internet after their exchange of bodily fluids causes a special chemical reaction that triggers the explosives alarm. Of course, the lyrics would be more wry and succinct than what I just wrote."

Well gee, that's just great. From what I gather from the above, Walter is typecast as a pervert whose contribution amounts to *slyly* (ooh!) injecting sexual innuendo at every opportunity. If such were the case then he'd be one poor, deprived lyricist lacking in imagination. There's far more interesting subject to cover matter than just sex and drugs. Heck, the media shoves it in society's face every single day, so it's lost its edge.

For the record, Security Joan is just fine the way it is.

As far as Donald's book/memoir/whatever is concerned, I haven't read it and therefore cannot make an informed opinion.

Later.


Date: Sat, October 26, 2013, 07:47:03 ET
Posted by: Jake, r

I just had to look up Roger Waters spraying the crowd with a machine gun. I wonder if he stopped doing this after the Aurora theater incident.


http://youtu.be/CFYM0XBhsN8?t=34s


Date: Sat, October 26, 2013, 02:10:00 ET
Posted by: Shark DeVille,

some of you are taking Donald's tour diary WAY too seriously. It is meant to be humorous and over-the-top. If you haven't learned by now that Donald has a somewhat perverse sense of humor, then you have really missed the boat.

Donald also sings songs about incest, near-pedophilia, and murder. Does that mean he actually does those things? Of course not. Nor does he really want to see his audience perish in flames. It's an extremely exaggerated and satirical account of life on the road.

This is just Donald being Donald: dark, humorous, and tongue firmly-in-cheek.


Date: Sat, October 26, 2013, 00:37:42 ET
Posted by: Oh, and wait, just another minute

Please remember that none of the dull witted Classic Rock Clods who pay and pay and pay to see some guy named Steely Dan (hopefully) perform their half dozen Classic Rock Faves - the balding/greying/ponytailing/texting/talking/$15-beer-guzzling dimwits who subsidize this touring band for the rest of us - will ever read this book. Or any other "book", for that matter. DF can go onstage again, any damn time he wants, without worrying that this low print run tome will cause more than a handful of potential ticket buyers to abstain. Get real...


Date: Sat, October 26, 2013, 00:32:24 ET
Posted by: dr phil,

he will probably use an insanity defense

or the devil made him do it


Date: Sat, October 26, 2013, 00:29:20 ET
Posted by: Wait, just a minute

Roger Waters turned his bitterness and his contempt for his audience into a multi-million selling opus. It has been widely reported that his original concept for "The Wall" stage show involved the audience being fire-bombed. During recent performances of the piece, Mr. Waters unloads a machine gun into the crowd. Everyone loves it, apparently.

Most of what has been quoted here and elsewhere from Eminent Hipsters was widely available prior to the publication of the book - on the old DF website or in interviews given prior to the recent SD tour - and none of it is particularly shocking or even remotely offensive.

So why all the feigned indignation??


Date: Sat, October 26, 2013, 00:27:55 ET
Posted by: Lex,

I know that Eminent Hipsters was written with full intent and not like some quickly written angry email sent to someone's boss without thinking it through first. It would take totally brass balls on Donald's part to show his face in front of a live audience ever again unless he never intends to after the way he slammed his fanbase.


Date: Sat, October 26, 2013, 00:05:14 ET
Posted by: Razorboy666, Austin


Date: Fri, October 25, 2013, 23:57:54 ET
Posted by: Long Time Listener, Southeast


Date: Fri, October 25, 2013, 23:52:58 ET
Posted by: Mr. T, pity the fools

Either the book is supposed to be funny or it is an account of DF's true feelings. It can't be both. If it supposed to be funny it isn't. To envision your own audience who are devoted and paid big bucks to see you burnt to death like in the movie Carrie as a vengeful act is really some sick shit. If it isn't meant to be funny then DF needs psychiatric help. If he is a patient he needs to get better medication or another shrink. And maybe a better editor or proofreader. His depressive mood swing no doubt did not last the entire time it took to write, edit and publish this book. Either way DF Mad Genius is a man to be pitied.

DF chose the worst possible topic by trashing his own fans. As an entertainer, like using the N-word today, you just don't go there unless you are a Mad Genius intent on committing career suicide. Maybe DF knows that there are enough fools out there and on this board that are drunk on his Kool Aid that will come to his defense with any fool excuse. And he would be right.


Date: Fri, October 25, 2013, 23:52:31 ET
Posted by: Anonymous/Twelve/Year/Old/Puke , So Totally, Like, Y'Know, Offended 'n' Stuff

Waaaaaaaaaah waaaaaaaaah wahhhhhhhh!!!! I just found out that my former musical hero doesn't love me!! Even worse, I'm so simple I can't appreciate anything that just might have been written to be read on more than one level!! Anything other than a facile, straightforward interpretation is beyond me!!! I'm throwing all my Steely Dan stuff in the garbage!! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!

Wait...I just realized...a revolting odor is all that results from heating piss to 212 degrees....


Date: Fri, October 25, 2013, 22:42:54 ET
Posted by: Uknow�,

Dreamsville


Date: Fri, October 25, 2013, 22:39:49 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu,


Listening to the NPR tape. Donald's perspective is that of a fatigued touring artist who is beset by psychoses while out on the road too long. It's as much a comment on him...sly, wry, and not meant to be taken seriously.


Am checking out the playlist. Dreamland by Henri Mancini's Band is just a marvelous piece of music.


Date: Fri, October 25, 2013, 21:55:17 ET
Posted by: Layback Lenny, Boston

Why are people making a big fuss over Donald's attitude toward the audience? The long time fans know that Donald has never been a real social extrovert that tries to get cozy with the crowd. This is just Donald's personality. I think Van Morrison probably has the same temperament. I'm really looking forward to reading Donald's book now.


Date: Fri, October 25, 2013, 20:35:59 ET
Posted by: Graucho, DC

Disappointing to read what Donald has to say about some of his audiences. The tortured artist, I get it but nevertheless. To dump on his loyal fans, that made him rich when his career is over is downright hypocritical, classless and tacky. Not to mention ungrateful and back stabbing. You guys excusing this with mood swings and depression need to wipe the froth off your mouths. This was written, corrected and edited, so it's with full intend. What a petulant little weasel.


Date: Fri, October 25, 2013, 19:01:09 ET
Posted by: Willy Bacon, New York

I hope Donald's book is better than last year's dreadful "Who I Am" memoir by Pete Townshend. Townshend's book was really long and boring, but at least Pete came out to the tables and signed his book in front of the public.


Date: Fri, October 25, 2013, 18:17:36 ET
Posted by: Not, O

attn NPR: @steelydansays is not Fagen's twitter account


Date: Fri, October 25, 2013, 18:08:23 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

I remember reading an interview last year when SC came out, and Fagen mentioned a need for pills for depression when talking about Weather in My Head.

It was really just a passing comment... does anyone know of any articles/interviews where Fagen dives in deeper in regards to his depression? Is it talked about at all in the book?


Date: Fri, October 25, 2013, 18:04:47 ET
Posted by: Jeb, San Francisco

Hey, Bob! Have you thought about seeing a psychiatrist?


Date: Fri, October 25, 2013, 17:52:09 ET
Posted by: Bob,

Haven't read the book yet.

Donald is a genius who openly admits in interviews to being treated for severe depression. Sounds like he still suffers severely. I suspect that the book isn't intentionally funny. He's seriously writing from his dark, depressed perspective of the world.

None of this is news to anyone thinks about how stiffly he acts in the likes of Taxi Cab confessions. Or think about the lyrics in Great Pagoda of Funn where he sings about his relationship with Libby and writes about severed heads and people gossiping about them.

It might be hip to view it as a big joke while others are angered that he can't seem to appreciate his exceptional gifts. But the reality is that this is just a very sad book written by a genius with mental illness. It's relatively common.


Date: Fri, October 25, 2013, 17:35:18 ET
Posted by: Lurker Ray, SoBe - Off To The Water

Hoops,

YES, the 4 set audio CD set of EH is "unabridged".


Date: Fri, October 25, 2013, 16:39:53 ET
Posted by: Denise, Hinktown

Just listened to that NPR interview (thanks for posting the link) and could hear the Ray Charles influence in DF's work. They played the opening of Georgia and for a moment I thought it was going into On the Dunes. Looking forward to reading the book, and after hearing him speak about it, will appreciate the humorous point of view with which some of it was written.


Date: Fri, October 25, 2013, 16:12:41 ET
Posted by: hoops, chicago

Forgot to respond to Mike's "Funn" question: Donald has answered your question. I don't have the exact wording handy, but in an interview around the time Morph came out, he said something to the effect that he wanted to demonstrate that he had a sense of whimsy or, yes, funn. I didn't have my "cheekiness meter" handy when said this...you'll have to gauge on your own.

That said, my other hesitancy with Donald's book is that, frankly, I think he's much more entertaining and less boring when he's interviewed with Walter. Ditto, overall, for lyrics. For example, you just know that if Walter was on board for the writing of "Security Joan", there'd be a climatic verse, bridge or outro where the singer and Joan start fornicating on the conveyor belt inside TSA Xray machine. Then it all gets accidentally broadcast on the internet after their exchange of bodily fluids causes a special chemical reaction that triggers the explosives alarm. Of course, the lyrics would be more wry and succinct than what I just wrote.

Have Funn...

Jimm


Date: Fri, October 25, 2013, 15:45:45 ET
Posted by: Smooth Jazz Hater, Berkeley, CA

I hate to admit it, but I have to agree with boiling pissed's post.


Date: Fri, October 25, 2013, 15:43:38 ET
Posted by: hoops, chicago

Woo-wee! Someone is really mad about Donald's book. Whomever you are, please get help. Better yet, privately email me your address so I can pick through your garbage can and pick up your Donald Fagen discards.

Me? I have to admit that for several weeks, after all the news previews, I was afraid I would see myself as one of the audience members that he wanted on fire. And as such have been a bit leery of it to say the least. Of course, Donald himself makes it pretty clear that he suffers from depression so it's not like I read his books for spiritual inspiration. Speaking of which, I work with Atheists who believe in a soul as well as those who don't--good philosophical arguments for both. So it was interesting to read in the Tribune interview that DF thinks all this cyber business can be bad for the soul.

Anyways, now that I'm all over that, I am about to obtain an audio version to complement the book since I only have time to listen during my commute to work. So here's my dilemna: I noticed the downloadable version at Amazon.com is described as "Unabridged." I'd rather have a CD version but is the CD "Abridged"?

Also: Maybe I missed other folks talking about it, but everyone knows that Roger Nichols (or I guess technically his estate) has a new book out too, right???? It would be cool if Amazon had a bundle of "Imminent Hipsters" (book) + "Imminent Hipsters" (CD + Roger Nichols' book for some spiffy 20% price plus a free audio book download.

Anyone see any such deals elsewhere?

Gotta run.

Jim


Date: Fri, October 25, 2013, 15:08:59 ET
Posted by: Bob,

I feel dirty and used.


Date: Fri, October 25, 2013, 14:43:20 ET
Posted by: Mike in NYC, NYC

Ask Donald why he spelled funn with two "n's" in Great Pagoda of Funn. He might have some fun with that, as opposed to at the reading I attended where someone asked him about an obscure song's drum track (he could not remember) and another guy who went on about Rikki from, well, you know the song. The one question that was somewhat interesting was about how he and Walter write together and Donald just said what he has said elsewhere about it being a true collaboration and 50-50.


Date: Fri, October 25, 2013, 14:22:19 ET
Posted by: chris, nh

boiling pissed: I'm not sure that Fagen is the bitter one in this scenario


Date: Fri, October 25, 2013, 14:13:21 ET
Posted by: steelydirector, right here, right now

Fagen on NPR's "On Point" with Tom Ashbrook today.

http://onpoint.wbur.org/2013/10/25/steely-dan-donald-fagen


Date: Fri, October 25, 2013, 13:34:40 ET
Posted by: Steel Turd, Earth

DF = NBAOJ --- nothin' but an old Jew who can't buy a thrill...


Date: Fri, October 25, 2013, 13:03:56 ET
Posted by: boiling pissed, just back from the trash burn barrel

A cautionary tale to all hero worshipers.

I always thought Fagen was full of himself. That usually goes with the rock star status. So for most artists you "cut them some slack" as he puts it.

But the utter contempt, humorous or not, that Fagen has shown in his remarks and now his writings for the fans who have given him millions of dollars providing him with a secure retirement is truly "so outrageous".

Now that he is eligible for Social Security and has amassed a pile of untold millions $$ he now feels comfortable, no, righteous! and free from ramifications about spewing what he really thinks of his fans.

And the fact that he has such thoughts is telling. All along it seems that he felt subjugated like a passive aggressive child being asked to clean toilets to perform the same F-ing setlist, "night by night" for these lesser being fans of his, if it were not for the half million $$ a night he was collecting from them.

An intelligent educated man with any character would accept the "limitations" of the unwashed majority of the fans, take their money and just shut the F up.

Fagen feels that his audience should sit there like attentive loyal sycophants, as if he alone among all performing acts is "entitled" to that. He is indignant that a $250 paying customer of his gets up and walks out as if this had never happened to any other concert performer in the history of music. Somehow he feels as though he is above it all and appears emotionally scarred and evidently it affected his psyche. "Any major dude" would have sucked that up as well as the $250 of which Fagen already had of that fan's money and not let out a peep.

Some say these rantings are that of an old curmudgeon, the Big Bird looking piece of shit Fagen has become. But I have to say that most likely "it's been there since Fagen came out, a special lack of grace and you can see it in his face". Recall that Barrytown was written when Fagen was in his early 20's.

While at the burn barrel today I felt like "the kid who lived and learned while I watched Fagen's records burn". Watched the vinyl shrivel and cardboard char like the bodies of his audience that Fagen graphically describes.

This book can be seen as a coda, a final "F-You Very Much" and that most likely we won't be seeing any more Steely Dan Shows or records.



To quote Doc Mu, it has been a "good run", it seems.


Date: Fri, October 25, 2013, 11:38:03 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu,


Bookeeper: Yep. Although they did use an indoor theater in Austin this roundup.

It doesn't take much to schedule reasonably. The 2003 tour blew through Dallas in September. It was a pleasant night and the Donald was on.




Here's my question: "If the Dynamic Duo are indeed so easily bored why play the same **** setlist every night?" ;)


Free Slinky Thing, Good Stuff, Downtown Canon, Paging Audrey, Memorabilia, Mona, and Miss Marlene!!!




It's been a good run.


Date: Fri, October 25, 2013, 10:28:55 ET
Posted by: Here a , Q

Ask him why he had a falling out with Susan.


Date: Fri, October 25, 2013, 10:11:28 ET
Posted by: Mr. Belzoni, Funway West

Went to the Philly book "signing" last night. Pre-signed books for sale. It was recorded with David Dye for World Caf� live. Donald looked a little nervous and maybe even disinterested. He talked about his early life and music he likes(mostly old jazz-Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins etc.). He did crack a few jokes but never really smiled. He answered some questions that were written on index cards by the audience. No mention of a solo tour or when steely might tour again. I was hoping he would address how they determine what songs they play but none of that was asked. I was glad I went but my feelings were confirmed that he really isn't comfortable being "famous", and would probably be happiest on a deserted island with some old jazz records. Despite it all he and Walt are incredibly talented songwriters and musicians and my favs of all time. Mr.B.


Date: Fri, October 25, 2013, 10:09:13 ET
Posted by: ccw, dc

I've been trying to come up with a great question to ask Donald Fagen, assuming there's an audience Q&A at his DC appearance next week. Nothing sycophantic, nothing controversial/offensive, and nothing too obscure-fan-questionish. Any thoughts out there for something you've always wanted to ask The Maestro?


Date: Fri, October 25, 2013, 10:09:05 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

Lurker Ray... that is hilarious!!


Date: Fri, October 25, 2013, 09:45:27 ET
Posted by: hoops, chicago

Will take care of spam in the next couple of hours.

BTW: Be sure to scroll through the tweets above too.

Best,

Jim


Date: Fri, October 25, 2013, 09:22:49 ET
Posted by: JivesMig, Glasgow

Lutz,

Cant argue with the essence of your post.

Ive been increasingly underwhelmed by a few such issues as you describe for a while.

Always will love the music but the old grouch routine wearing a bit thin for me too.


Date: Fri, October 25, 2013, 07:15:37 ET
Posted by: Snake Mary,

Interesting audio interview with Fagen about 'Eminent Hipsters' with Marty Moss-Cowain on WHYY.

http://whyy.org/cms/radiotimes/2013/10/24/songwriter-donald-fagen/


Date: Fri, October 25, 2013, 02:32:31 ET
Posted by: Lutz, SF

I find Don's rage about the audiences underwhelming.
Playing small ball and cheap shots without backing it up.
He's been in show biz too long to act surprised about crowd reaction.
Most folk didn't want to hear boogie woogie and might not have been fond of that deep Ray Charles tune that takes Don back to his childhood.
If you're going to put your names on the banner to sell big $$$ tickets to those -in your mind- Jesus and gun loving dumb masses in flyover country, don't act surprised when they did not come that night to learn music history and what you grew up with in Jersey.
I went to the Dukes show in 2010 and was a bit surprised how long it took to get what is considered the "bacon" for most of the audience. They took some chances. I liked it at first but was afraid that it really didn't have a good flow. Some cute, really old songs (too many to get the crowd into the concert) straight to predictable hits.
This made no sense since SD set lists takes no chances whatsoever.
50 quasi identical shows. Well executed, but no genius in that. You couldn't even slip one deeper cut in with those geriatric audiences? They might have not noticed, as long as you remembered the lyrics!
And to so openly despise them as old when he himself looks like he could be stuffing sweetnlow into his pockets at the buffet line in Boca Raton is worth a song by itself.
Maybe let go of the young models and work some old geezers into the songs? Keeping it real.
Having seen SD live about 15 times since 2000, I could see how, over the years they turned into this great, predictable, well oiled machine that rakes in the cash without annoying the genius on stage too much.
From exciting and creative to repetitive with great solos.
The band is fantastic no less, but not challenged.
Or why not play some shows for real fans that will really appreciate and understand it all, some larger club gigs perhaps?
Money, money, money....
Was there ever any show for charity in all these years ? For such a compassionate Socialist there should have been many.
Instead the Dukes played at a corporate event in Bush's Texas for big bucks and did not even put it on their website touring schedule...
Not even Don can have it both ways.
Good luck with the book, Don.
I'll buy some old Ray Charles Lp's right here on Haight Street.
Still love your music!


Date: Fri, October 25, 2013, 01:04:42 ET
Posted by: dr. harmonius, a7#5

i'd be fascinated to hear ya'll's take on this topici'd love to get input from you all - AND PAT on this topic!

432hz

http://www.whydontyoutrythis.com/2013/08/440hz-music-conspiracy-to-detune-good-vibrations-from-natural-432hz.html


Date: Thurs, October 24, 2013, 19:21:26 ET
Posted by: Lurker Ray, SoBe

Is it just me?

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2013-10/77902081.jpg

http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110117133055/muppet/images/0/07/Sam_Eagle.JPG


Date: Thurs, October 24, 2013, 18:21:28 ET
Posted by: Disgusted, World

Feds charge former disc jockey Dave Herman with trying to have sex with girl, 7

Former WNEW-FM disc jockey Dave Herman was arrested by federal agents today and charged with trying to transport a 7-year-old girl from Bergen County to St. Croix to sexually abuse her.

Herman, 77, who lives Airmont, N.Y. and has a home in St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, was grabbed in the airport, where federal authorities said he was waiting for the girl to arrive, New Jersey U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said this afternoon.

The only thing was: There was no girl, and the mother with whom he thought he�d been communicating was the Computer Crimes Unit of the Bergen County Prosecutor�s Office, a complaint on file in U.S. District Court in Newark says.

Beginning last November, Herman �initiated a series of chats� with what he believed was a 36-year-old single mother with a 6-year-old daughter, the complaint says.

http://cliffviewpilot.com/feds-charge-former-disc-jockey-dave-herman-with-trying-to-have-sex-with-girl-7/


Date: Thurs, October 24, 2013, 17:51:48 ET
Posted by: Lurker Ray, SoBe

"Steely Dan singer Donald Fagen just 'being honest' in new book"

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-10-23/entertainment/chi-donald-fagen-20131023_1_rock-music-walter-becker-steely-dan


Date: Thurs, October 24, 2013, 16:51:42 ET
Posted by: sxovbrzzac, United Kingdom

cxaqyeboepn, http://www.agnvbhgvta.com/ uczjerqzez


Date: Thurs, October 24, 2013, 13:55:30 ET
Posted by: ejndlquhhz, USA

brrnmeboepn, <a href="http://www.mxnoexmfao.com/">vfvvemyify</a>


Date: Thurs, October 24, 2013, 12:22:46 ET
Posted by: Bookkeeper's Son, Florida

Doc Mu

It isn't so much they schedule August dates in Texas or Florida. It is more that they perform in outdoor venues on those dates. I don't have any insight into the venue selection process for artists. However, I would think they would try and pick indoor venues in brutally hot states in the summer. If I am not mistaken, the Mood Swings Tour had two outdoor dates and two indoor dates in Florida.


Date: Thurs, October 24, 2013, 12:17:18 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

Long live this man...

Mike, Boz and I are pretty old now and so is most of our audience. Tonight, though, the crowd looked so geriatric I was tempted to start calling out bingo numbers. Nevertheless, by the end of the set they were all on their feet, albeit shakily, rocking to Mike�s performance of Buddy Miles� �Them Changes.� So this, now, is what I do: assisted living.

The crowd sat through our versions of some of the great sixties soul tunes, hating them, waiting only for the amygdala-comforting Doobie Brothers hits that Michael sings, Boz�s dance numbers and the Steely Dan singles that remind them of high school or college parties. They despised the old Ray Charles tune, and I started to despise them. Toward the end of the show, during McDonald�s piano introduction to �Takin� It to the Streets,� I think I really made [backup singers] Carolyn and Catherine uncomfortable by walking back to their riser and telling them, as a way of venting my rage, that I�d been imagining a flash theater fire that would send the entire audience screaming up the aisles, trampling each other to get to the exits, ending up in a horrible scene outside on the sidewalk with people on stretchers, charred and wrinkled.
--------------------------------------------------------
http://www.grantland.com/blog/hollywood-prospectus/post/_/id/90419/rock-memoir-book-club-donald-fagen-exposes-unbridled-contempt-for-fans-in-eminent-hipsters

Although for someone who hates his audiance so much (and I can't blame him for that at all), why the fuck does he handcraft his setlists for these "TV baby" assholes!!!!


Date: Thurs, October 24, 2013, 00:17:58 ET
Posted by: �,

this year


Date: Thurs, October 24, 2013, 00:17:18 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu, left of the Rio Grande



That night in San Antonio was hot enough for spontaneous combustion. Why the Dan/Fagen pick August to tour Tejas is beyond me.

No wonder Walter took a knee after that leg.


Date: Wed, October 23, 2013, 19:28:24 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

It was the San Antonio show:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/chi-donald-fagen-20131023,0,7973716,full.column


Date: Wed, October 23, 2013, 17:14:38 ET
Posted by: casual fan, orlando

Re the Grantland review of DF's book: Surely I am not the only one who sleuthed which show he was talking about where he fantasized about the audience catching fire.


Date: Wed, October 23, 2013, 17:01:54 ET
Posted by: Jeb, San Francisco

That Steely Dan Dilectus DVD is from a 2003 live performance at The Pine Knob Amphitheatre in Clarkston, MI. You can see parts of it on YouTube.


Date: Wed, October 23, 2013, 16:24:56 ET
Posted by: Aja1, Newton

http://www.grantland.com/blog/hollywood-prospectus/post/_/id/90419/rock-memoir-book-club-donald-fagen-exposes-unbridled-contempt-for-fans-in-eminent-hipsters

Odd place to find a DF related anything, but I enjoyed this write-up.


Date: Wed, October 23, 2013, 16:00:28 ET
Posted by: Bookkeeper's Son, Tower Room at Eden Roc

I just came across a Steely Dan concert DVD on Ebay titled Dilectus. From a 2003 concert in Australia. Has anyone seen this DVD? Any comments on the quality of the recording etc.?


Date: Wed, October 23, 2013, 09:36:22 ET
Posted by: Mike in NYC, NYC

The interview last night lasted about 45 minutes and then there was a 15 minute Q&A with the audience. He mentioned liking Bill Evans and Red Garland and being influenced by Frank Zappa. Also being dismayed at an audience member's negative reaction to the Dukes doing a Ray Charles song as opposed to just the expected familiar hits. I have an extra copy of the signed book, if anyone is interested please contact me off-list.


Date: Tues, October 22, 2013, 23:16:13 ET
Posted by: Lee , Tampa

Hollywood's middle name is "Babylon". See:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_Babylon


Date: Tues, October 22, 2013, 22:48:13 ET
Posted by: Jeb, San Francisco

How long was the interview at Barnes & Noble?


Date: Tues, October 22, 2013, 22:39:01 ET
Posted by: Mike in NYC, NYC

Thanks to those who posted on Glamour Profession. Good food for thought.

I just got back from Donald's appearance at Barnes and Noble. Very enjoyable. In addition to the book there is a 4 cd set of Donald reading the book which I expect will be a lot of fun and fascinating. Although he was not signing anything tonight (they had pre-signed books for sale though not the audio version signed) I managed to catch him as he was being taken to his car and he signed the cd cover of Sunken Condos. Someone in his group, I think maybe Libby Titus, remarked "Oh that's a good idea" when they saw what I was asking him to sign.


Date: Tues, October 22, 2013, 20:10:09 ET
Posted by: Stevie Dan, Philadelphia, PA

Just got word that Donald will be the 11am guest for a one hour live radio interview on thurs. 10/24 here in Phila. The show is Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane on WHYY. It should be a very interesting hour. Marty (a woman) is an exceptional interviewer and conversationalist - and they take listener calls too.

You can listen to a live stream at www.whyy.org. You can also listen to a podcast which is usually post within 24 hrs of it airing. Donald will be in town for his book discussion that evening at the Free Library of Phila.


Date: Tues, October 22, 2013, 14:42:46 ET
Posted by: fagenism, She go (I cry)

Loved, loved, loved Eminent Hipsters.


Date: Tues, October 22, 2013, 10:52:14 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, It's ...

... Holly F****n' Wood


Date: Tues, October 22, 2013, 10:22:34 ET
Posted by: tact, poise and reason, grinding through my day gig

MikeNYC

The song Glamour Profession concerns drug dealers-to-the-stars in '70s L.A. who are deluded into overstating their importance in the grand scheme of Hollywood society, hence the line "I'm the one". When the drug dealer states " Hollywood I know your middle name" he is suggesting he knows Hollywood intimately, the people, the secrets, the identities of those who consume his product.

When one of us knows someones middle name, it usually indicates that we know that person pretty well, pretty intimately.


Date: Tues, October 22, 2013, 10:01:11 ET
Posted by: Billie Rubin,

"Re: Glamour Profession: What is Hollywood's middle name? Sex, coke, greed? Other?"




Uh.. GLAMOUR?


Date: Tues, October 22, 2013, 08:23:16 ET
Posted by: random, thoughts

I'm with Donald on golf.

And I can attest to the fact that the Red Bank Dukes show sounded like shit.


Date: Mon, October 21, 2013, 20:28:12 ET
Posted by: Eric Clapton, I've got your middle name right here


She Don't Lie


Date: Mon, October 21, 2013, 15:13:18 ET
Posted by: JiveMig, Glasgow

MikeNYC,

Hollywood's middle name?

I always though either:

1. LY-as in Lie

Or

2. Y- as in Why?


Date: Mon, October 21, 2013, 13:57:56 ET
Posted by: Mike in NYC, NYC

Re: Glamour Profession, any thoughts as to what Hollywood's middle name is?


Date: Mon, October 21, 2013, 13:55:16 ET
Posted by: Mike in NYC, NYC

Re: Glamour Profession: What is Hollywood's middle name? Sex, coke, greed? Other?


Date: Mon, October 21, 2013, 11:09:21 ET
Posted by: Askin', Q

Anyone know what time Kindle books become available on their release date? Midnight eastern time hopefully?


Date: Mon, October 21, 2013, 10:37:39 ET
Posted by: tom, d

donald is not going to sit and sign all your books, like ron jeremy.

the books will already be signed, then you can by the signed books.


Date: Sun, October 20, 2013, 22:28:40 ET
Posted by: kzkzkz, nycnycnyc

http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/5763118/roseland-ballroom-historic-nyc-venue-closing-in-april

But the memories will last a lifetime.


Date: Sun, October 20, 2013, 10:32:29 ET
Posted by: Michael,

Larry Carlton discusses his Kid Charlemagne solo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCjslt49gz8


Date: Sat, October 19, 2013, 15:03:04 ET
Posted by: And a pretty stupid template,, too

The "articles"/templates on this Chinese-based site are neither clever nor particularly funny. They claim in their "about us" section that they're satirizing mass media. In reality, the whole thing seems to have been concocted by a particularly dull 12 year old kid.

The internet is full of clever, funny stuff written by creative people. This "mediamass" thing is filled with poorly written false death announcements and the like. If you read the comments below the articles, you'll see that many people (obviously) who visit the site are unaware that its creators think they're doing "satire", and so they end up confused about what they've read. How is that funny?

Unlike The Onion (and its imitators), where the material is usually clever and well-written, but obviously facetious, this site contains nothing but misleading repetitive garbage.


Date: Sat, October 19, 2013, 14:42:56 ET
Posted by: really, url


of course they don't do 5 seconds research: It's a template


http://en.mediamass.net/people/donald-fagen/highest-paid.html


Date: Sat, October 19, 2013, 13:46:05 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

And if it's tongue-in-cheek, it's still hilarious!


Date: Sat, October 19, 2013, 13:44:50 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

"The American musician has an estimated net worth of $185 million. He owes his fortune to smart stock investments, substantial property holdings, lucrative endorsement deals with CoverGirl cosmetics. He also owns several restaurants (the �Fat Becker Burger� chain) in Washington, a Football Team (the �Queens Angels�), has launched his own brand of Vodka (Pure Wonderbecker - US), and is tackling the juniors market with a top-selling perfume (With Love from Walter) and a fashion line called �Walter Becker Seduction�."

http://en.mediamass.net/people/walter-becker/highest-paid.html

I'm dying' over here!!!! Hilarious!!

Do these people do 5 seconds worth of research???


Date: Sat, October 19, 2013, 12:15:03 ET
Posted by: Lurker Ray, Sunny SoBe

"PREEMINENT HIPSTER"

http://www.npr.org/2013/10/19/237040499/the-birth-of-bird-young-charlie-parker-found-focus-faith-in-music

Also highly recommended, just check out some of these charts!

http://www.npr.org/2013/10/19/237141507/wynton-marsalis-goes-back-to-church

I think the 4 CD audio version of Don's new book is nicely priced
at $29.99. Should be great to hear him read it himself. Here is a link where I got mine and it offers no tax and free shipping:

http://www.audioeditions.com/products/Eminent-Hipsters-Donald-Fagen-2823419.aspx


Date: Sat, October 19, 2013, 07:23:05 ET
Posted by: Fred, F

Try this. Juvenile, I know.

http://www.pornolize.com/translate/?lang=en&url=http://steelydan.com


Date: Sat, October 19, 2013, 04:59:59 ET
Posted by: tripstar, ha, ha

"Do not reproduce (even with permission)"
So obviously tongue-in-cheek... Check the other links on the page: WB's dog recovering from surgery, WB does Gangnam style, WB sexiest musician alive...
My faves are his vodka brand and his perfume/fashion line "for the juniors market"


Date: Sat, October 19, 2013, 02:00:22 ET
Posted by: CJB, YVR

$$$? Walter? Really?

That site sure seems sketchy to me. Read the endorsement deals in paragraph 4 etc. and ask yourself if everything jibes.

Still pretty easy to tell "Becker from Bunk on the Internet superhighway." Just saying.


Date: Sat, October 19, 2013, 01:10:16 ET
Posted by: Billie Rubin, Not just Circus Money

WALTER BECKER NAMED HIGHEST PAID MUSICIAN IN THE WORLD!



http://en.mediamass.net/people/walter-becker/highest-paid.html


Date: Fri, October 18, 2013, 20:05:08 ET
Posted by: Chris, nh

Where I live (hint -- it's NH) there's a venue nearby that regularly hosts authors on book tours, and there's always an admission fee. So the assertion that these things never cost money is incorrect. I'm not an expert on book tours, but I'd guess whether or not there's an admission fee has to do with the venue. I'd also guess that Fagen isn't making money directly through ticket sales, but rather his publisher is either paying him or it's part of his contractual agreement for what was probably a decent advance.


Date: Fri, October 18, 2013, 15:39:04 ET
Posted by: Jeb, San Francisco

Hmmm...I guess I will go to Donald's book signing tour after all. It will probably be my only chance to meet him. I hope Donald brings his melodica along. Conversations tend to bore me.


Date: Fri, October 18, 2013, 13:22:33 ET
Posted by: Hackensack, missouri

Agree with u bookeepers son. Pretty much a no-brainer


Date: Fri, October 18, 2013, 12:30:14 ET
Posted by: Bookkeeper's Son, Florida

Seems $40.00 is not a bad deal for the book tour considering what you get. The pre-order price on Amazon is $17.00, which means you are paying $23.00 for an autograph and close seating. Anyone seen what pro-athletes charge for their signatures at autograph sessions lately? Or what concert "meet and greets" prices are these days?


Date: Fri, October 18, 2013, 12:21:59 ET
Posted by: Steve M, Scotland

In that 2013 touring band pic on SD.com, is Catherine Russell shoving something up Walters ass?

Can we begin to speculate......??


Date: Fri, October 18, 2013, 12:11:44 ET
Posted by: mr parker, socal

The Top 20 Concert Tours ranks artists by average box office gross per city and includes the average ticket price for shows in North America. The previous week's ranking is in parentheses. The list is based on data provided to the trade publication Pollstar by concert promoters and venue managers.

18. (20) Steely Dan; $440,184; $85.21


Date: Fri, October 18, 2013, 11:08:50 ET
Posted by: bigrigger, group hug


steelydan.com put group photos online


Date: Thurs, October 17, 2013, 22:38:05 ET
Posted by: Another , Scurvy Brother

The $40 VIP tix to Donald's SF book gig come with a signed copy of the book and a seat up front. I really didn't have to think twice to decide whether that was worth it.


Date: Thurs, October 17, 2013, 20:09:41 ET
Posted by: JK,

Let me tell you something. After watching this year's SD tour with its rehash of the same old same old about 50 times in 43 cities it was stoopid for anyone who has been to multiple shows to even pay $20 to see it. On the other hand it would be worth 10 times that to see Fagen doing something new completely different and unprecedented with this book tour. If anyone disagrees they need to speak up now and tell me if I'm wrong. And I particularly mean this Jeb character who started all of this to come in here for the first time with such an inane assertion.


Date: Thurs, October 17, 2013, 18:47:08 ET
Posted by: Stevie Dan, Philadelphia, PA

DF's book event in Phila. is free. No tickets needed. You just show up at the Free Library of Phila, Central Branch. They do charge for some author/book events. Usually bigger, more well know names/authors.


Date: Thurs, October 17, 2013, 16:59:07 ET
Posted by: Jeb, San Francisco

Why should I pay admission for Donald's book tour? It's stupid to charge the public $20-40 just to see Donald promote his book. Most authors do these things for free. I'd rather use the money to see a concert.


Date: Thurs, October 17, 2013, 13:44:34 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

Super lame, but also (and this is before I read the review) important to remember that authors don't create their own headlines. Don't let it affect your view of the piece.


Date: Thurs, October 17, 2013, 13:32:53 ET
Posted by: Zip, Skip

Another review called "Reelin' In the Years". So lame.


http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/entertainment/articles/2013-10/17/donald-fagen-steely-dan-eminent-hipsters-book-review


Date: Thurs, October 17, 2013, 13:10:33 ET
Posted by: Henrod, Beacon theatre

At the Gaucho show. FREAKIN AWESOME. Possibly the best of the 8 Beacon shows I've seen. The band is killer tight and everyone is playing their asses off. Don boogie-ing on Godwhacker looked like he was having a blast. Bodi just started...


Date: Thurs, October 17, 2013, 04:07:06 ET
Posted by: SS, HK

Josey,

There has to be at least one spell caster in the 2vN title track who will be as good as, if not better, than any of the ones praised here from time to time.

Of course, money talks and has be shown to work better than most spells.


Date: Wed, October 16, 2013, 20:21:09 ET
Posted by: Clete, N/A

I first heard of that Jive Five version of Hey Nineteen here. Took me a long time to sniff it out somewhere. I think it was Napster.

http://tinyurl.com/k44wswc


Date: Wed, October 16, 2013, 19:21:57 ET
Posted by: tripstar, borderline brute

You know how one thing leads to another on the internet... I checked out the Steely Dance thing (sounds like FUN) and in a question of minutes I'd come across:
A doo-wop "Hey Nineteen":

https://soundcloud.com/search?q=resnik%20music%20group%20hey%20nineteen

Then this, a French version of the same tune (only cover in a language other than English I've ever heard: below average arrangement, terrible vocalist)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCM8W1d34EQ

Then this (apparently Umphrey Mcgee routinely cover SD, and a good job they do- love Jake Cinninger):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjVkS4ZZ7FU

Probably posted before, but new in my collection of SD-related rarities.


Date: Wed, October 16, 2013, 15:46:28 ET
Posted by: Mel, up

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-207_162-57606569/books-by-donald-fagen-and-linda-ronstadt-take-a-look-at-music-and-life/


Date: Wed, October 16, 2013, 09:30:35 ET
Posted by: Josey, Mass

So, to all my Steely friends - a couple of questions: 1 - I'm trying to get my estranged girlfriend to come back to me. Is there anyone I can seek out to, perhaps, cast a spell of some kind in order to sway her decision? 2 - Once she does come back, I'm in the market for a diamond...quality's not really an issue at this point.

Anybody? Anything?...


Date: Wed, October 16, 2013, 03:34:00 ET
Posted by: Brain Strainer,

You all don't get it.

This "plea" for $3500 funding for Steely Dance and other elements of this video are so preposterous it is clearly satirical. Think of it as like one of those fake commercial skits they use on Saturday Night Live that starts out looking very real and then turns hilarious.

Now, go back and watch the video with this presumption and you will bust a gut laughing.

The poster PGE (the comedian in the video?) is awarded 1 point for submitting an Abdominal Strainer...


Date: Wed, October 16, 2013, 02:46:03 ET
Posted by: fagenism, She go (I cry)

A few (mutually exclusive) speculations about Steely Dance.

1. The guy is sincere.

2. This is a poorly executed, unfunny joke.

3. The guy is trying to make an atrocious album to prove some kind of point about today's music landscape, with or without involvement from Don/Walt.

4. This is the start of a marketing campaign for Steely Dan's next album. Guy gets funded; starts video diary detailing the making of this abomination; hits creative rock bottom and starts writing new songs instead; Don and Walt love them, decide to come by for some recording sessions; we get to follow the recording of Steely Dan's tenth album through this guy's eyes.


Date: Wed, October 16, 2013, 00:23:21 ET
Posted by: you must be joking son, relaxing @Camarillo

Aside from disgracing the Dan's music which is beside the point, it is really bad and has nothing redeeming about it as music.

If the intent was to parody the Dan as a spoof, then steely dance is quite humorous.


Date: Tues, October 15, 2013, 21:04:11 ET
Posted by: The Steely Dan Back Catalog, Does Not Need To Be Re-Purposed For Children

Anyone fondly remember the "Rosebud/DiscoBalls" Pink Floyd-"inspired" atrocity of the late 70s? I didn't think so. Didn't we learn anything from that dance music "tribute" and the rest of the similar garbage that followed?

The Mona Lisa isn't in desperate need of a moustache & goatee and the Sistine Chapel ceiling would not be improved by the addition of a colorful McDonald's Big Mac motif overlay. The Lincoln Memorial does not deserve to be strewn with dog waste in the name of art. And so on.

Somebody needs to kickstart this fundraising jackass in the direction of Miley Cypress/Justine Bieber et al where this sort of remix/recycling crap might actually pass for entertainment.

ps - Boom boom boom boom.


Date: Tues, October 15, 2013, 20:57:32 ET
Posted by: Horrible Shit, is what steely dance is

On the plus side, as an ugly little troll the dude's been able to use steely dance to get some decent to fairly hot bitches interested.

Dude should give up mastering that dreck and take the $3500 and try to hit some of that azz.


Date: Tues, October 15, 2013, 19:27:35 ET
Posted by: The Dean, Manatee Bar. It's Happy Hour!

Boom boom boom boom

I need some money

Boom boom boom boom

to take some of the greatest music of our time

Boom boom boom boom

and make it as unlistenable as possible

Boom boom boom boom

Please help me do that

Boom boom boom boom




Seriously though, wouldn't he need money for licensing? Was that every mentioned? Did he just basically admit to stealing the music of Steely Dan for profit?

As absolutely horrible as that was, the guy does seem to have some talent (Boom boom boom boom) and the singers weren't too bad, actually, for that sort of thing. (Boom boom boom boom) Too bad they can't take that talent (Boom boom boom boom) and put it to better use.


Date: Tues, October 15, 2013, 14:59:15 ET
Posted by: PGE, Steely Dance

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1943554911/steely-dance-needs-mixing-and-mastering

Thoughts...?


Date: Mon, October 14, 2013, 23:35:52 ET
Posted by: Wetton Fan, Steely Dan Fan

http://iridiumlive.com/live-webcast/

Both Wetton sets started with Do It Again. Also sang What's Goin' On; I Can't Find My Way Home and Lady Madonna. He comes in about 25 minutes into the Trio's performance. Both sets can be seen at that link above. Do It Again. Didn't see that one coming. Wasn't there some "discussion" here about John Wetton a while ago? Guess he's a SD fan and reads this thread!!


Date: Mon, October 14, 2013, 22:26:35 ET
Posted by: kzkzkz, wow

John Wetton just opened his second set with "Do It Again".

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Date: Mon, October 14, 2013, 21:49:42 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

Dammit, where is the new Zeppelin album?


Date: Mon, October 14, 2013, 10:38:51 ET
Posted by: kzkzkz, nycnyc

Hey prog fans & music fans, bass player/vocalist John Wetton (King Crimson, Asia, U.K. etc.) will be performing tonight, Monday, October 14th at NYC's Iridium Jazz Club with The Les Paul Trio. The show (both sets) will be streaming live for all to see. Should be cool. Hey, what else you gots to do?
8pm & 10pm est.
http://theiridium.com/iridiumlive/

Enjoy.


Date: Mon, October 14, 2013, 10:21:09 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

kuleebaba,

The Dan influence on the Stepkids is pretty obvious. Sounds (and looks) like they also had a steady diet of MTV and Prince, for example. I like the music but I'll pass on the videos (especially The Lottery).

And I have to agree Mr. LaPage, The Who and SD have very little in common. But what confuses me most about Dice's post he calls these two bands "reluctant" to release new material. Is he saying he thinks SD has new material ready to go but is simply holding it back? I'm not getting any reluctance from Don and Walt. I just don't think they have found the time to work together to create new stuff in a while. Both have released their own solo albums and Don is constantly touring with SD and The Dukes. Like most here, I'm anxiously awaiting a new SD studio album (and NO, I don't think we've seen the last one). but digging the concerts and solo projects until that time comes.


Date: Mon, October 14, 2013, 10:07:14 ET
Posted by: Michael,

@kuleebaba, The Stepkids have an interesting sound and some funny MVs. Not quite Steely Dan, but solid nevertheless. Thanks for sharing.

Jazzassin, "Anyone dare to speculate if there will be more new SD material in the future?

No one seems to put too much into statements like 'sometimes we can smell it,' etc. from D&W, or what?"

We need some hard facts to form a discussion around. Problem is, there's nothing to go on as of yet. The tour just wrapped up so let's wait and see what happens.


Date: Sun, October 13, 2013, 23:43:44 ET
Posted by: kuleebaba, Pondering the Mystery

A lot of reviewers in the popular press rave about such-and-such band sounding like Steely Dan; that's a lot to live up to. So with that forewarning, I'll add another one:

The Stepkids (google "The Stepkids Steely Dan" and you'll see what I mean).
"The Lottery": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtqI8BeR7uI

I was turned on to them last year with their more psychedelic "Sweet Salvation": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-E3NE6XGQ4


Date: Sun, October 13, 2013, 19:47:47 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, Not getting fooled again

The Who? Yep, just the same, except for the style of music, the types of bands, and the fact that 50% of the original Who is dead.


Date: Sun, October 13, 2013, 18:54:32 ET
Posted by: Dice, Las Vegas

Steely Dan remind me of The Who. Both bands are very reluctant on releasing new material to the public.


Date: Sun, October 13, 2013, 15:34:00 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, inside condo, trying to locate snorkel, long

I can't believe it's a year already since the release of Sunken Condos.
It still sounds like brand new I think. And god knows I've tried to wear it out. For some reason I suspect it's the kind of record that just
IS Always fresh and new, and will make us think so many years from now. Right in the middle of all its bittersweet aging thematics and occasional despair it really has a generous amount of youthful vitality and a twinkle in the eye that to my ears is much less obviously present on the somewhat more consistently dark "Morph" album.

Anyone dare to speculate if there will be more new SD material in the future?

No one seems to put too much into statements like "sometimes we can smell it", etc. from D&W, or what?

A big thank you to all concert & soundcheck reviewers, tweeters, amateur recording wizards and you know who, who made it bearable, in a way at least, to not go to the US for SD gigs in 2013.
Thank you. I't's been a pleasure to live vicariously through you guys! :D


Date: Sun, October 13, 2013, 13:11:16 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello, Baton Rouge

@ UH?, b...LOL!

Stick it with your steely knives...

;_)


Date: Sun, October 13, 2013, 12:46:46 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

@ Jim Taylor
Yep it was 2009. Good setlist which included Bad Sneakers, Any Major Dude and Do it Again.


Date: Sun, October 13, 2013, 12:16:19 ET
Posted by: Kirk , NorCal

Make that "Reelin."


Date: Sun, October 13, 2013, 12:14:27 ET
Posted by: Kirk , NorCal

Went to the Ahmad Jamal concert at UC Davis last night. Though AJ is 83, he plays like he's 38. Loved the concert . . . but walked away disappointed because he didn't play my favorite of his songs: Poinciana. He's got six decades of a musical library to choose from, and can't play every tune his fans expect to hear.

I suspect Walter and Donald have to make similar hard choices for their set list, and inevitably some members of the audience will leave the concert disappointed. W&D do their best to please the greatest number, but there's always going to be someone like me who came to the concert to hear their personal favorite, and didn't. For the casual fan, that's likely to be Rikki or Realin' or My Old School. The casual fans are the ones who fill most of the seats, and pay most of the bills. Giving them what they want is good business, and is simply polite. The casual fans make it possible for the rest of us, the non-casual fans, to spend some time with the musicians we love. So maybe we should quit the griping about set lists and appreciate what we have while we still can. Who knows, maybe Steely Dan will still be touring when W&D are 83.


Date: Sun, October 13, 2013, 12:08:16 ET
Posted by: UH?, b

Jim Taylor - Time: please don't waste it. At least mine


Date: Sun, October 13, 2013, 07:40:13 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello, Baton Rouge

"It's interesting when people die"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46bBWBG9r2o

OK, where is my beer?


Date: Sun, October 13, 2013, 07:17:32 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello, Baton Rouge

@ Mr. LaPage: It had to be 2009, because Nashville was the only 2011 Tennessee show, which I did attend. I have seen a few shows at Mud Island, including Stevie Ray Vaughn and Crosby Stills and Nash. CSN were actually very good. There is something about the open area in the back of the stage. Since the venue faces the river, but is also backed by the inlet, the sound seems to crackle with no reverberations. I am no acoustics expert so maybe someone more knowledgeable on this board can explain.

I drove up from Baton Rouge in the morning and, after I checked into my hotel downtown, I went straight to The Rendezvous for lunch and then walked over to Mud Island for sound check. It was quite a marvelous day!


Date: Sun, October 13, 2013, 04:51:19 ET
Posted by: Lutz, SF

donaldfagen.com is missed by fans here, maybe not so much by the general audience that demands hits only, apparently .
Facebook as a website seems like a joke for a star like him but it seems to work.
I do understand why some artists were or are on myspace.
Don seems a number too big for either one.
It really does not take that much money or time any more to build and maintain a decent website, let's say for Don that's one or two encores.
Hopefully all that money saved will go into the new Steely Dan album!



























Date: Sun, October 13, 2013, 04:05:18 ET
Posted by: Norman, United States

+1 Mu

Going too far too fast in that final wing over
As your glider comes tumbling out of the clouds
And you clutch at your chest but the chute never opens
And they find you there tangled in that white nylon shroud

In true Strainer fashion, a bonus beer for his efforts.


Date: Sun, October 13, 2013, 02:56:45 ET
Posted by: DocMu,



surf and/or die

"Since your daredevil hang glider fell out of the sky"


Date: Sun, October 13, 2013, 02:56:39 ET
Posted by: DocMu,



surf and/or die

"Since your daredevil hang glider fell out of the sky"


Date: Sun, October 13, 2013, 02:35:04 ET
Posted by: Brain Strainer, Chengdu

In the video the Hungarian skydiver appears to plunge to his death somewhere in China. But, Dangentially, and as is sung on the Aja title tracj, the (dead?) skydiver says or thinks to himself:

"Up on the hill
They think I'm okay
Or so they say"

If this is correct, I'll take a milk stout or a Belgian lambic. Either way, you can keep your free beer if it is any sort of that lager urine.


Date: Sun, October 13, 2013, 02:21:36 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

@ Jim
I saw SD at Mud Island in either 09 or 2011 and while I had no complaints re the band's sound, as an outdoor venue it is more prone to constant inane chatter during songs which was almost a constant aural backdrop to the music. It was a Greatest Hits night, and all around me were middle aged housewives who felt the need to talk in detail about their days activities and where they went on vacation that summer right during the songs, oblivious to the fact it was a concert. You get some of that unfortunately at most concerts nowadays, but in the smaller indoor theater venues it seems to be less of a problem than at outdoor places like that. My impression of that Memphis crowd was that they were there to hear the few Dan tunes they remembered from high school/college like Hey 19 and Josie and were content to gab during the rest of the show. But Memphis is a cool town to visit (Beale St, Sun Records)


Date: Sat, October 12, 2013, 22:54:48 ET
Posted by: Gary, Los Angeles

Whenever you click on www.donaldfagen.com it shifts to his Facebook page. I didn't even know Donald had his own website.


Date: Sat, October 12, 2013, 19:45:11 ET
Posted by: Norman, North America

Free beer to the first person to say why this is Dangential

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/bestoftv/2013/10/10/intl-vo-china-wingsuit-flyer-death.cctv.html


Date: Sat, October 12, 2013, 19:10:30 ET
Posted by: Hip, M

In interviews, he's given two different reasons for shutting it down. One was that he was getting ripped off, and in another he said it was too time consuming. Makes sense that it would be removed right around the time the book was announced.


Date: Sat, October 12, 2013, 16:38:34 ET
Posted by: B. Heigh,



Does anyone wonder why Don shut down donaldfagen.com?

Cynically thinking, did he do it in light of the release of his new book (as many of the same articles that were available to read for free via his site are included in the new book.)?


Date: Sat, October 12, 2013, 14:41:06 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello, Baton Rouge

I agree with Mr. LaPage that the Louisville Palace was a great, intimate venue in an interesting downtown location. But for my money (and this venue was trashed on this board when the schedule first came out) by far the best sound of my 3 shows was Mud Island in Memphis. It was pristine. And it is hard to beat the downtown Memphis atmosphere... a great, historic Southern city.


Date: Sat, October 12, 2013, 14:10:36 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, in the den

@bookkeeper's son, that has been one of my favorite things about the last few tours, especially this one--the smaller intimate venues with great sight lines and many of them beautiful restored old theaters. Much better than generic outdoor sheds and bigger arenas. Louisville's Palace Theater, Indianapolis's Murat, St Louis' Peabody Opera House, Kansas City's Midland all great old intimate venues with good sound. Usually in interesting urban areas. Since I went to 6 shows this tour, I purposely sat low in the center balcony at a few shows for a change of pace and perspective from sitting in the orchestra. Hard to go to concerts at big hockey arenas after getting spoiled at great venues like those.


Date: Sat, October 12, 2013, 13:22:34 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello, Baton Rouge

A few observations:

1)I can only speak for myself, but KOTW in Louisville was very well received and peeps for the most part stayed in their seats.

2) Donald went out of his way to point out that Razor Boy was a song they had not played before. It was not so much for a vocal break, but it has become the tradition that the girls are always featured on a song. I think he wanted acknowledgment that they were playing cuts that had not been played before.

3) In answer to Jim's question about how many times I have seen the band, the answer is: 9 times from 1993 in Nashville to Memphis this year. There was a long period from 1994-2007 when I didn't see them at all for various reasons. Certainly a paltry number compared to many on this board.

4) I am always grateful to be in the same room with Donald and Walter and love to hear them play the songs they wrote. Peg, Josie, KC, MOS Reelin', Babylon Sisters...these are the reasons I became a fan. Am I going to complain now when I get the quite rare opportunity to see them perform these songs live? I don't think so.

5) Deep cuts. Sigh...Your Gold Teeth, Godwhacker, Green Earrings, TOOM (not a hit, IMHO), KOTW, Razor Boy, DTMA, Daddy, Monkey, (is Aja a hit or a deep cut?) they played all of these songs at some point during the shows I attended (ok, DTMA was at sound check.) Home At Last! Hell, I have heard Razor Boy more times than I have heard Rikki (a big "hit"), which is exactly 0!

6) I am not afraid to point out faults. The Houston show was plagued with technical problems with Walter's gear. In fact, I noticed in Memphis that the Guitar Tech that Walter was working with in Houston had switched over to working with Jon. I have stopped pointing out when Donald drops a line, because it has become almost axiomatic. They are not perfect (except for Carlock).

Now that the tour is over, I will drop out for awhile. I enjoyed meeting some of you during the tour and I hope there is another record and tour in the future.




Date: Sat, October 12, 2013, 13:14:16 ET
Posted by: Bookkeeper's Son, Flow-Ree-Duh

Where I am coming from: I have seen SD live around 12 times, including back in 1974. My interest in SD goes beyond casual but not to the level of some of the people posting here such as Hoops. Never been backstage, do not own any of the pre-Dan recordings, bootlegs (although I would like to), don't know every factoid about the guys, etc.. I purchased the first two albums when they were released and listened to them extensively. It wasn't until much later that I purchased any of their other recordings. Whatever the reason, those records did not interest me at that time. It was the mid 80s before I began listening to that body of work. Since, I own and enjoy thoroughly all the officially released Dan material. I consider myself a big fan, until I see how dedicated some of you are here on this board and other SD boards (RIP Banyan Trees.

I commented recently about taking a musically engaged friend to see a Steely Dan show and him carping about the new & less familiar material. It was difficult to ignore the fact that when a new song was played from 2vN or EMG the energy in the room waned. Personally I was familiar with and enjoyed the songs, yet I was apparently in the minority.

While we would all like to think Walter and Dan are completely immune to certain things, they aren't going to tour to half empty houses. At least not for long. Let's face it, the they used to perform in large venues with upwards of 12,000 to 15,000 seats. Now the halls are averaging around 3,000 seats. I for one am thrilled to be able to hear them in acoustically tuned places such as Ruth Eckerd Hall. Makes the music that much more engaging.

That brings me to the set list issue. Of course they are going to include songs the majority of people in attendance want to hear. Unless they play their entire catalog each night, someone is going to be disappointed they didn't play their preferred song. Every time I have seen them live I wished I could change a song here or there. Example is Godwhacker. It is not my favorite song of the new releases. Would be much happier to hear Gaslighting Abby or Jack of Speed. What am going to do, let it ruin my evening? Sit there and stew? No, I enjoy the song, arrangement and performance. That song in particular has been used to stretch the band. With an expanded horn section. It's not as if I dislike the song.

Some time ago I recall reading an interview (can't put my hands on it, maybe someone else can) where Walt and/or Donald said Josie would be played almost every night because they personally love the song and enjoy playing it. If I remember correctly Peg was in that category with them as well. That should dispel comments here about them performing "hits" to appease the unwashed masses and disrespect or disenfranchise the true die hard fan. Safe to say, most people go to a concert with their own version of a perfect set list in mind. Also equally safe to say most of those lists would have very little overlap.


Date: Sat, October 12, 2013, 11:56:31 ET
Posted by: RD, ?

Carlock drum solo at John Mayer concert in 2010. Looks like he's put a few pounds back on since.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe87Ih-YOcU


Date: Sat, October 12, 2013, 10:20:22 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

Van Morrison has very little in common with Steely Dan other than some eclectic blues based song foundations in my view. Never a big fan and would never spend big bucks to see him. I would rather see SD play 2 hours of nothing but Peg, TOOM and Hey 19 (that should please the Fan Boy Extremist faction). As I read these posts that complain about other people's posts and this bizarre anal retentive desire by a small cadre here to tell other people what to think and what to say, I am astounded by the need to stamp out diversity of opinion and the intolerance of even the slightest critical observations of the band and tour.
If people want to complain about certain songs played too much, so what?
If people want to express desires to hear certain songs played, so what?
If people want to praise the setlists, so what?
What damage does it do to you? It's an opinion or a preference on a music discussion forum. Is it really so troubling and upsetting for some of you to hear views you may not agree with? I am astounded at some of the intolerance and narrow mindedness of some parts of what should be a fairly highly educated, liberal, diverse and open minded fan base.
As the great Sgt Hulka once said, 'Lighten up Francis'


Date: Sat, October 12, 2013, 00:56:51 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

With all due respect to Hoops (who deserves our respect), I think the good Van/Bad Van concerts are a thing of the past, for the most part, A vestige of years gone by. I admit to not having seen him enough to know this for sure, but my experience (and the experience of others I know) suggests otherwise. Certainly there was a time this was true (my first time seeing Van during the Wavelength tour in the late 70's speaks to that). This might be due, in some part, to his very sparse tour schedule. I don't think he drinks (and whatever) to the degree he did years ago, either. I don't visit the Van board (truth is, I didn't even know it existed) but I do read reviews and communicate with some fellow fans.

As far as comparing SD to other groups, I have no problem with that, on occasion, as long as the comparisons are well thought out, based in reality and don't involve comparisons like X is better/worse than SD. EQUATING SD with other artists is absurd, of course. Any two (or more) things can be compared. NYC Mike is right, sometimes Van goes off on "his own" so to speak. And that is normally an extremely rewarding experience. With SD it's the band who gets to improvise on a nightly basis (within strict boundaries of course). Those are different things. I wouldn't say one is better than the other---just different.

And I have to wonder Ida, why should have My Rival been this year's Razor Boy? Because you like it? To my knowledge Razor Boy has NEVER been played in concert before. Full disclosure, it's one of my favorite Dan tunes. I think it may have been chosen because it has never been played before and it gives Don a break from singing for a tune--something many hear simply don't understand or want to admit. Would you be OK with Rival being sung only by the girls--or Walt?


Date: Fri, October 11, 2013, 23:30:44 ET
Posted by: Hackensack, missouri

A few weeks it was the beatles. Now it's van Morrison. Can we stop comparing others with SD?


Date: Fri, October 11, 2013, 22:32:20 ET
Posted by: Mike in NYC, NYC

As a big Van fan I've been enjoying the discussions of Van Morrison and Steely Dan. Just bought a ticket to see Van in New York in November, the first time he'll be back here in four years.

Van is much more likely to perform what he feels like performing than what the audience wants and there was a time he shunned the hits and called Brown-Eyed Girl a dinosaur. But for the past 10 years or more he's often closed his shows with Brown-Eyed Girl and Gloria. And there was a show I heard recently where he actually did Georgia after asking for requests and that was yelled out. But he's also likely to include a few songs the casual fan would not know and the last show I saw, when he was last in NYC, he ended the show with a very long, On Hyndeford Street, it had to be ten minutes long (no tapes have surfaced, alas) and Van was moaning and growling at the end for what seemed like several minutes. It was mesmerizing. I love hearing Steely Dan live, especially songs like My Rival, Glamour Profession Aja, Black Cow, Dirty Work, and Your Gold Teeth, but when Van is on he deviates from a song and improvises like a jazz musician. It can be meditative and then explosive, very dynamic. It can be a very different experience than just a great jam, which is not to take anything away from live Steely Dan which I love and can be perfection and grace. The difference is where the music can take you.


Date: Fri, October 11, 2013, 22:16:47 ET
Posted by: Mike in NYC, NYC

Anyone from this list going to this event? Should be fun. I just read a two page excerpt on line where Donald talks about going to see jazz greats including Bill Evans at places like the Village Vanguard, fascinating stuff for the music and NYC content.

http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/author-events/Donald-Fagen/50250498


Date: Fri, October 11, 2013, 21:26:28 ET
Posted by: search, k

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/books/2013/10/donald_fagen_s_eminent_hipsters_reviewed.html


Date: Fri, October 11, 2013, 21:21:39 ET
Posted by: CJB, YVR

Pretty sure that of all the things Boise has to worry about, a Don & Walt solo material/"deep cuts" tour is not among them.

That said, Boise was a great venue to see the band this summer, & the International Bird of Prey Center was a fun place to visit before departing out of town for the High Desert in eastern Oregon.

If W&D ever return, winter or summer, I'll be back in a flash.


Date: Fri, October 11, 2013, 21:09:00 ET
Posted by: Hardly to be belived, But only on the Bluebook


Just now, some whiner/poster quoted chronic setlist complainer Young Wu's 2013 concert HIGHLIGHT - Don't Take Me Alive - as a song he/she wants RETIRED from the live set. "Tired of THAT song."

It's a great song by ANY reasonable standard, and played very few times this tour.

Looks like even the hardcore SD whiners can't get their shit together.

Maybe YOU drips should "get a room"....

ANOTHER room.....


Date: Fri, October 11, 2013, 19:15:37 ET
Posted by: Ida Lee, Boise

I agree with the set list complainers, but realize that if the duo does not please the massess, not enough people will show up to their shows to keep them touring. Having said that, when they do multiple nights, they should keep the set list as mutually exclusive as possible, playing half of "Decade" one night, the other half the next night, and the balance of the show should be no repeats.

I have no idea why they have not played "My Rival" more often. It shoulda been this year's "Razor Boy". Other unfathomable ommissions thus far are "Kings" (the guitar solo is amazing), "Charlie Freak", "Three Picture Deal", "Morph" and "Memorabilia". Maybe the latter will surface in a solo tour. Perhaps the duo can satisfy the rarities hunger by a double-solo tour called something like The Becker-Fagen Project. They can play their solo stuff, the rare Dan and pre-Dan songs we all want to hear and advertise that there will be a 3-hit limit for each show. It may be hard to sell enough tix in the smaller metro areas, but maybe not. Here in Boise, it would be better to do this in the winter where a gig like that would jump off the page and not get drowned out by other summer tours.

Everyone has their list of a few songs that they wish would be retired, at least for a few tours. Here's mine:
Dirty Work
Don't Take Me Alive
Kid Charlemagne (great song, but it has lost its freshness)
Josie
Home at Last
Babylon Sisters

-Just my 3-cents.


Date: Fri, October 11, 2013, 19:15:11 ET
Posted by: Ida Lee, Boise

I agree with the set list complainers, but realize that if the duo does not please the massess, not enough people will show up to their shows to keep them touring. Having said that, when they do multiple nights, they should keep the set list as mutually exclusive as possible, playing half of "Decade" one night, the other half the next night, and the balance of the show should be no repeats.

I have no idea why they have not played "My Rival" more often. It shoulda been this year's "Razor Boy". Other unfathomable ommissions thus far are "Kings" (the guitar solo is amazing), "Charlie Freak", "Three Picture Deal", "Morph" and "Memorabilia". Maybe the latter will surface in a solo tour. Perhaps the duo can satisfy the rarities hunger by a double-solo tour called something like The Becker-Fagen Project. They can play their solo stuff, the rare Dan and pre-Dan songs we all want to hear and advertise that there will be a 3-hit limit for each show. It may be hard to sell enough tix in the smaller metro areas, but maybe not. Here in Boise, it would be better to do this in the winter where a gig like that would jump off the page and not get drowned out by other summer tours.

Everyone has their list of a few songs that they wish would be retired, at least for a few tours. Here's mine:
Dirty Work
Don't Take Me Alive
Kid Charlemagne (great song, but it has lost its freshness)
Josie
Home at Last
Babylon Sisters

-Just my 3-cents.


Date: Fri, October 11, 2013, 17:09:23 ET
Posted by: hoops, chicago, as always, really on the quick

Vis a vis Steely Dan.

Van Morrison: I host (but am not responsible for content) for a Van Fan list comparable to the Dandom Digest. I post once a year. It's been around for 20 years, run by a guy named Henk in the Netherlands. Never have met him but the list is at Dandom's server. I think there's maybe 2,000 people on that list. Thing is, I'd HATE if SD ever had shows like Van. First of all, he generally play about half songs half way before changing to another. When Van's good HE'S great, and when he's bad, he's horrible--even offensive! Lucky if you get more than 100 minutes. He often watches his watch during the show. I would never travel to see him because he's so prone to cancelling or walking off the stage early. But when he's on...awesome!

Dylan? He has a 50 year rep--make that fan culture--for live performing. The masses still think Steely Dan is a man who only works in the studio and this is the first time he's been out on tour.

Clapton: If someone gave me tickets I'd go, but really, see Clapton over and over again? I respect him and maybe I'd see him once--but only if he played hits.

Jim


Date: Fri, October 11, 2013, 17:00:26 ET
Posted by: hoops, chicago, as always, really on the quick

SOME of you don't grasp the irony of your posting week after week how they are tired of the same set list.

As I've said before, Request night is the height of not hearing deep cuts and hearing about 80% of "Decade", 60% of "Aja" and 40% of "Gaucho".

As long as we're repeating...here's what I posted about eight weeks ago...


===

Quickly:
Regarding the setlist debate: for me, the only annoying, disappointing, and repetitious part of all this tour is THE REPETITIOUS COMPLAINING. To answer "Just Asking." I've seen SD three times this tour and maybe about 80 times total. I know that there are more than a few of you out there who have seen them over a 100 times. so I'll let those people chime in.

But to answer the other questions. I'll bet it's 100 people at most shows (save for towns with multiple mights) who have or will have seen the Dan twice or more on the tour. That's out of what? typically 3,800 at most of these venues. Those numbers are generous.

You know what else? 99% of the attendees are hearing what they want to hear this tour. (Most all don't what the bluebook is nor is it necessary for them to care.) Not only that, King of The World was a peak potty break opportunity for most of the audience. (Not that I wouldn't have loved to hear it myself.) Same thing happened through the years when they played the likes of True Companion, title track off Guacho on Gaucho night, more so for My Rival, Hey 19 always drives the crowd more wild than any other song. As soon as they hit the opening chords of "Hey 19," the crowd goes nuts. And while there are those here who thought Internet Request Night was/is fixed, I know it isn't because they play Rikki Don't Lose That Number on those nights when Donald really doesn't want to play it.* We're the "1% (of the 1%)" and the 99.9% want to hear "Decade" in its entirety and pretty much the complete Aja album. One might argue if anyone has a right to complain about the set lists and what fans want to hear, it's Donald, Walter and the band, but I'm sure they have a different perspective.

When I talk before the shows with those who end up having tickets next to me, I never anymore mention that I saw them at a previous show. The response is inevitably, "You gotta be kidding." I fact, I WAS asked by fans at both Detroit and Indy where I was from (like CIty or 'burbs nearby?) and they they was insane to drive hours to see SD; moreover, one did ask if I thought they would play "Hey 19" and "Book keeper's son." (I don't bother anymore correcting to "Don't Take Me Alive." "My response: I have no idea! Maybe they will!!") But of course the shoe goes on the other foot at Dukes shows: part of me would rather Boz just played his "Hits!" album and left it at that.

So as I said a few weeks ago, what's amazing for us long time appreciators of SD, is how great the performances have been getting. They are playing better than ever. Moreover, Donald's voice has gotten really great this year, compared than the past two or three tours. I was concerned about the durability of his voice the past couple of tours.

So the questions about how many times (have you seen SD) are good ones. I'd like for people to state that. It could be interesting.

(To elaborate, I have to wonder how many people bitch about the set list simply based on what they read: "I went to one show but I read the set lists to eight different shows--so boring!")


Best,

Jim


Date: Fri, October 11, 2013, 02:09:13 ET
Posted by: Mason, home

The set list is BORING!!!!

http://www.edhat.com/daypics2011/Steely%20Dan%20set%20list%208-20-13.jpg

White paper, black ink, plain font. Same thing every god damn show. What was so special about rarities night? Looks just like all the other set lists.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6eb7BmmDyyQ/Tnk76SAtNNI/AAAAAAAAB9A/LB-ZkrzhAF4/s1600/NYCRarities17sep2011.png


Date: Fri, October 11, 2013, 00:46:09 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

I think Van is one of the best Steely Dan analogues around as to how they handle their careers and their concerts. They record what they like. They both have a pretty broad following and their own collection of well known songs. Neither concentrates on making hits, however. If something they record catches on with the public, fine. But I don't feel Van or SD records songs specifically with the ideal of making a "hit".

Both Van and The Dan shun celebrity and dislike interviews. Neither participates in bullshit like American Idol or lets their music be used for commercials, for example.

And while I've seen SD many more times than Van, I've seen Morrison enough to know his concerts are similar to SD with regard to setlists. Both have performed entire albums, I believe at the behest of their management. Truth is, neither act has many "hits" in the traditional sense. However both have songs many have heard.

Van and SD perform many songs fans want to hear, and leave many unperformed, at any given concert. Both perform what most fans would consider "deep cuts" in that many in attendance have probably never heard them. And both acts play a select fes of songs at most concerts.

The idea that SD play only hits---and all their hits--is complete rubbish. They do, however, play several deeper cuts very often. Van's not all that much different. While Van may play a wider variety of songs in his concerts, most of them are familiar with the crown (more covers, for example) and most of the songs tend to have a pretty familiar blues-based construction.

Comparing SD to solo artists, with small bands it preposterous. It's like saying I saw a guy who played anything the audience asked--and then strummed those songs on a guitar. SD has more complicated arrangements and a large band. The shit has to be tight, or it doesn't get played.

I can relate to wanting to hear a broader setlist. I'm a fanatic and have been to many SD concerts (thought typically only one per tour). But bitching about it CONSTANTLY doesn't do anyone any good. I'd advise a few here to look at their posts and consider: Is my posting more repetitive aa the SD setlist? I can guarantee you it is less entertaining.

I'd love to see Van at the Masonic, again this time. I've seen him there 2-3 times before. (One of those times has been preserved as "A Night in San Francisco") All were thrilling concerts. Van obviously is thrilled at performing with his talented daughter, Shana (and John Lee Hooker). Unfortunately I don't think I can afford to travel back this year. But I can tell you what. If fortune shines upon me, and I get the chance to go to the show, I will NOT complain about the setlist. Whatever Van decides to play will be good enough for me.


Date: Thurs, October 10, 2013, 15:32:00 ET
Posted by: Michael, Dallas

If Walter did say the fans always want a greatest hits show, then Donald & Walter could change their outlook when they tour. Eric Clapton, Van Morrison and Bob Dylan have never relied heavily on the hits at their concerts. These artists play what they want to play without giving in to the "hits only" audience.


Date: Thurs, October 10, 2013, 13:23:56 ET
Posted by: Hutch,

The band playing Josie without Walter. Kind of strange to both the eyes and ears. His parts definitely missed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5HJ8e7lI8M


Date: Thurs, October 10, 2013, 08:54:45 ET
Posted by: Face, s

In 96, Becker stated that they learned from previous tours that fans want a greatest hits show.


Date: Thurs, October 10, 2013, 08:13:24 ET
Posted by: fagenism, She go (I cry)

beaubo:

About Todd Rundgren. I absolutely adore the cover of Rhymes that Don and Todd did. I have listened to that cover more than Ruby Baby and Out Of The Ghetto combined. Something about the production and Don's relaxed vocal delivery.

Link for the lazy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-m66623AoL8

I have a lot of respect for Rundgren in general, especially as a singer, and pondered the idea of him and Don teaming up on a larger scale. Sadly I think there is a risk of Todd's ego getting in the way of such a collaboration (see, for instance, XTC:s Skylarking album).


Date: Thurs, October 10, 2013, 06:44:52 ET
Posted by: TheFez, Boston

My wife and I knocked one off the bucket list by finally heading to NYC this past weekend and catching the Saturday night Greatest Hits (I mean audience request) night. We both thought the show was great but a bit short in time as well as 'deep cuts'. The band sounded great. I don't want to beatch about the set list as we love almost all their stuff but we were expecting perhaps a YGT2 or perhaps something deep from CBAT. Regardless, we had a great time in the city.

Also, ironically, we ate at an earthy/crunchy restaurant in back of the Beacon called 'Josies'. After dinner I snuck out for a smoke and who is strolling down the street towards me? None other that John Herrington heading to the show. I had met John at Mohegan when we got backstage for the EMG tour. I said Hi to him and he stopped and chatted with me for about 5 minutes. Both times I have met him he comes across as a real nice, genuine guy. I was respectful, not wanting to be 'that fan' and it was a nice experience. Looking forward to 2015 and perhaps a new album? Live DVD? (I know Donald is doing one for Dukes ala PLUSH for PBS). would like to see a SD one. Perhaps CTE or KL album nights next time around. They have already said they in no uncertain terms there will be no CBAT album night.


Date: Thurs, October 10, 2013, 02:55:53 ET
Posted by: CJB, YVR

One final thought...

Mid-six figures is, what, 400, 500 thousand? Divided by 1500 (about 1/2 of the Beacon's seating capacity) = $333 a ticket? We could Kickstart Rarities Night 2015. Just saying. I for one will be glad to put my $ where my mouth is.


Date: Thurs, October 10, 2013, 02:51:27 ET
Posted by: CJB, YVR

Beaubo, thanks for that. Explains the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Three Dog Night, most nostalgia acts.

Neil Young? Tom Waits? Maybe not so much.

I caught 2 dates this tour. One, Boise, was the most impressive of the 13+ I've seen. Don's vox A++, the whole band impeccably tight.

If I ever win mega lottery $$$ I'm offering WB mid-six figures to play some small club of his choice. See you all there for "Paging Audrey" & "Hat So Flat."

So glad WB & DF are still alive & making music!


Date: Thurs, October 10, 2013, 00:47:47 ET
Posted by: beaubo, Cleveland

For all of you reminiscing about the 1993 tour, indeed the early dates (I was at their opening show in DTW) had Becker and Fagen solo stuff and SD deep cuts. It was a rabid fans' dream and a casual fans' nightmare. And guess what, word spread amongst the concert promoters very fast about the setlist and by the time the band hit Cleveland a month or so later, the setlist had been totally whitewashed.

The lesson for the band was simple in '93 and they never forgot it (or at least their management and promoters never let them forget it)- touring is a BUSINESS, not an indulgence for the band or its fanatic, but fringe fan base. Even Reeling In the Years reworked arrangement did not survive past 2 tours, its now the original song.

Other than the Dead and Phish, bands don;t expect fans to pop up at multiple tour dates.
So, what seems stale for the dozen people (max) who see 3+ dates, is heaven for the 99.999% of the audience who sees the band as a one-off proposition.

Todd Rundgren took the 'I will play what I want' route and swiftly and irrevocably went from arenas to clubs. His disdain for what made him popular in the first place- his early hits, is not lost on other classic rock artists. There is a reason that classic rock stations play the same shot over and over...because THATS what the vast majority of casual, but ticket buying public wants.

If you want to customize a Steely Dan setlist, contact Irving Azoff with a check for a mid-six figure sum and assuredly your setlist wishes can come true. Otherwise, it is critical to understand that the competitive classic rock concept marketplace will essentailly be responsible for locking in a good 75-80% of Steely Dan's setlist.

Maybe not good for some of your sensibilities, but definitely good for Fagen and Becker's IRAs....and there is no shame in that.

I was blown away by the Cleveland show and the Beacon 'Royal Scam'...no ifs ands or buts.
Sure, I had my setlist wish list, but I was thrilled just to be in the same room as those guys!!!!!








Date: Thurs, October 10, 2013, 00:06:29 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello, Baton Rouge

Highlights of the tour for me in no particular order:

Meeting Elsup and Dan and crew in Louisville, and LWO and Ed in Houston;

KOTW in Louisville;

Sound checks in Houston and Memphis, including DTMA in Memphis;

My seats and the sound in Memphis;

Watching Walter in Memphis with no techies around leaning back into his amp and feeling it;

Razor Boy;

The sheer joy of meeting up with my Nashville friends in Louisville after driving all day from Baton Rouge;

The feeling I always get when the band is finishing up the intro and Donald, Walter and the Brats walk out on stage...

It was a great summer... looking forward to 2015.


Date: Thurs, October 10, 2013, 00:06:19 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello, Baton Rouge

Highlights of the tour for me in no particular order:

Meeting Elsup and Dan and crew in Louisville, and LWO and Ed in Houston;

KOTW in Louisville;

Sound checks in Houston and Memphis, including DTMA in Memphis;

My seats and the sound in Memphis;

Watching Walter in Memphis with no techies around leaning back into his amp and feeling it;

Razor Boy;

The sheer joy of meeting up with my Nashville friends in Louisville after driving all day from Baton Rouge;

The feeling I always get when the band is finishing up the intro and Donald, Walter and the Brats walk out on stage...

It was a great summer... looking forward to 2015.


Date: Thurs, October 10, 2013, 00:05:44 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello, Baton Rouge

Highlights of the tour for me in no particular order:

Meeting Elsup and Dan and crew in Louisville, and LWO and Ed in Houston;

KOTW in Louisville;

Sound checks in Houston and Memphis, including DTMA in Memphis;

My seats and the sound in Memphis;

Watching Walter in Memphis with no techies around leaning back into his amp and feeling it;

Razor Boy;

The sheer joy of meeting up with my Nashville friends in Louisville after driving all day from Baton Rouge;

The feeling I always get when the band is finishing up the intro and Donald, Walter and the Brats walk out on stage...

It was a great summer... looking forward to 2015.


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 23:39:31 ET
Posted by: Jive Miguel, Bogota

Yes, Dean, one of the true highlights of my 55 years. Dad's been asking me to translate SD lyrics for 30+ years now, as well as jokingly wondering when they're gonna release a collection of "love songs". They start out with Gerry Mulligan's Blueport, then right into Your Gold Teeth, and my folks were reeled in for the rest of the evening. "Wow!" was heard several times. And not a single complaint about the set list! Go figure. Their favorites on the evening were surely YGT, 19, Black Cow, Bodhi, and My Old School, among others. Dad was amazed that seemingly every single person in the crowd knew the lyrics to My Old School, leading him to conclude that these were not fans, but members of an odd, happy, musical cult.

This year was particularly satisfying, with Donald's pipes in such good shape all summer long, with phenomenal energy, chemistry and precision among all the players, and the audiences in Boca and Bethlehem thoroughly digging the band.


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 23:28:22 ET
Posted by: Toad, Seattle

Tour is all over now. It's time to move on to the next event: Donald Fagen's Eminent Hipsters book tour.


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 22:39:29 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Jive Miguel, great story about taking your parents to the SD show. Very cool. Glad they liked it, but a bit surprised they didn't bitch about the setlist.

:#)


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 21:23:10 ET
Posted by: Zak, Philly

I wonder where Lurker Ray is at? He seems to be missing from this board for some time now.


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 20:07:26 ET
Posted by: Jive Miguel, Bogota

Chris, I have to agree with you about Don's vocals. He slinks onto the stage with that aloof, cool-cat 'tude, but under that devil-may-care exterior lies a relentless, uncompromising perfectionist, as reflected in every single note of music they perform on tour. I can attest to just how challenging and demanding SD vocals are by my numerous, epic Steely Dan "FAILS" at a variety of karaoke forums over the years. I attended 2 shows this year, and they were simply on fire for 2+ hours.

One of the great events of my life took place on 9/8/13 in Boca Raton, when I took my reluctant, skeptical 80+ mom and dad to see the Dan. They were absolutely enthralled..."mesmerized" as Dad described it. We're blessed to live in a time that we can watch and listen to 2 hours of one of the most unique, talented, and exhilarating musical acts on the globe.


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 20:06:15 ET
Posted by: Agent Of The Law, Back From The Movies

Mr. LaPage- You molested my three young sons in your den, you disgusting scumbag.


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 19:58:08 ET
Posted by: kzkzkz, Going Through Withdrawal

As always, since the early '90's, Thank You Donald & Walter & the company that you keep so we can see the glory for playing just what you feel.


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 19:28:55 ET
Posted by: Chris, Nh

Fagen's voice on Aja night in Boston this year was the best I have ever heard it. I'm still shocked that this was the case as it defies all logic; vocals are not supposed to improve with age. He's clearly dedicated to performing at the highest possible level and holding his own with all the monster musicians on stage. He's actually a star, which is funny when you think about his career.


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 19:17:32 ET
Posted by: Chris, Nh

Mr. Lapage: my post wasn't directed at you. My language should have made that clear.


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 18:20:12 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

I'm sure I speak for a lot of us when I send out a "thank you" to Donald Fagen for whatever the hell he did for his voice in the weeks leading up to the tour, as he's never sounded better.

What's more impressive is that the preparation came on the heels of what can be an annoyingly-long press tour for the last album, and the final edits and prep on his book release.

Even after hearing them play it a dozen or so times in person, this summer's performance of the song "Aja" was a lifetime highlight. Again, I think I speak for a lot of us in pointing that out. Brilliant.


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 18:07:57 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, in the den

Great, now some ahole mouthbreather is posting crap using my name. What a little slime ball


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 17:44:56 ET
Posted by: HAL 9000, San Francisco

Yikes! Tickets for Van Morrison are going on sale tomorrow. Looks like ticket prices are about the same as Steely Dan at $275.00 each.


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 17:42:21 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, Greasy easy chair

Yeah, thanks Napoleon. That version of Everything You Did really did it for me!


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 17:42:11 ET
Posted by: Mike in NYC, NYC

Reidar, Thanks for posting the set lists and nice to meet you. Here's hoping the Dan are back at the Beacon in two years.


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 17:32:54 ET
Posted by: Hutch,

Napoleon - Indeed thanks for that one. Might have been someone who "knew someone" at The Beacon or just a lucky break.
Nice watching Jon and Walter trading fours there for a bit. Walter's timing and musical sense always comes through.


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 17:31:28 ET
Posted by: Slang me,

Personally, LaPage, I wish Hoops would ban you again.


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 17:29:11 ET
Posted by: Hutch,


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 17:14:27 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

Okay I realize I have been a condescending little bitch. I will try to improve my behavior and not blow smoke out of my ass like I have been doing. I make up for my short pecker by calling other people names and thinking everything that I do is okay. Basically I need therapy which I will be starting soon, and I hope everyone will forgive me.


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 16:56:18 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

Cosmic Wow, the 93 tour had 3 saxes, no brass, as I earlier posted.


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 16:46:23 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

Blow it out your shorts "that's right". My post was directed to those who referenced me or responded to me. If you don't like my "shallow opinions" etc, then don't read em. The audacity of me to comment multiple times during a Steely Dan tour where I went to 6 shows on a Steely Dan comment board. You can't fix stupid.


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 16:37:19 ET
Posted by: Napoleon, U.K

Thanks to whoever posted this video. It's titled 'Haitian Divorce' but features a bonus track at the end...

Never heard Everything You Did live before! (especially with a Purdie Shuffle)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PndMJSZ982Y


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 16:15:47 ET
Posted by: Cosmic Wow, Atlanta

@SD oldie,
Good call! I just spent the afternoon listening to the SD St. Louis show from 9/1/93 on my laptop while working in the office. What a thoughtful production considering the way the band sprinkled Becker songs and Kamakiriad and Nightfly songs into the mix. Was great to hear Chain Lightening and Green Flower Street live as well. It sounds like the only wind instruments they used in '93 were a pair of saxes and a trumpet, but no trombone. Is that correct?

I would say it was slightly better than Mood Swings (I attended four shows), but not significantly better. Keith Carlock, Jim Beard, and Jim Pugh make the current band extra special!

@Reidar from Norway,
What a great set list from the Beacon finale! Pretzel Logic as an encore!?! Does that mean there were two encores - KC and PL???


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 15:39:19 ET
Posted by: That's right, "LaPage"

It's all about you. Every post, guaranteed.

That is exactly why you need to ramp up your production department, so you can post even more than your usual 2 or 3 times per day. Especially now that the tour is over. Bluebook readers are looking forward to lots more random insults, quick-tempered retorts filled with name calling, shallow "opinions", and lengthy discussions about "progressive" rock.


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 15:32:06 ET
Posted by: Gary, Los Angeles

According to Pollstar's Top 20 tours of 2013, the Steely Dan Mood Swings tour came in at No. 18. With $269,640 average gross per city and the average ticket price being $78.48.


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 15:29:22 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

"Some of you so called Fanboy Extremes who poot your pants at every single factual observation or opinion that isn't fawning or glowing, need to unclench your buttocks and relax. What would be the point of the forum if everyone had the exact SAME views? Stop being prissy cheerleaders and accept some diversity of opinion."

Post of the year... post of the decade.


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 15:07:02 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

For the record, because of some comments which seem to be erroneously directed my way, I have not complained about the setlists at all. I have talked about the setlists, commented on various aspects of the setlists, and the realities of the tour. As someone who went to SIX shows thus tour, and as someone who has seen SD around 15 times dating back to 1993, and as someone who was an avid Dan fan since about 1974, I feel I have every right to comment on various aspects of the tours, both good and 'bad'. I thought that was the point of this forum, not to simply be a mindless cheerleader without independent thought, as if you are part of the marketing team.

As someone who went to MULTIPLE shows (6) this tour, it's logical and natural to want to see some variations in the setlists when you see a show. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the shows or am being critical for no reason--I went to 6 shows for cripes sake. I frickin love this band. Some of you so called Fanboy Extremes who poot your pants at every single factual observation or opinion that isn't fawning or glowing, need to unclench your buttocks and relax. What would be the point of the forum if everyone had the exact SAME views? Stop being prissy cheerleaders and accept some diversity of opinion.


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 14:39:59 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, in the den

I was at that 1993 show in St Louis, my first SD concert ever. I had seen the Rock and Soul Revue at the same venue in 91 I believe. I treasure the memories of that 93 concert, and remember pinching myself as I heard these songs that I never thought I would hear live. An all saxophone lineup I believe, no trumpet or trombone. I have that bootleg and its great to have an audio record of my first ever Dan experience.


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 13:57:07 ET
Posted by: SD oldie,

Just listened to SD@Riverport Amphitheater- St. Louis 9/1/1993 and after seeing them Aug 17 in SF this year, I gotta say the the 1993 concert blows this years concert away. WOW. Walter singing Book of Liars and Fall of '92. Also Donald with I.G.Y, Green Flower Street, Tomorrow's Girl, Countermoon, Teahouse on the Tracks.. No that was a kickass concert! Drew Zingg on guitar great soloing. Might be even better than Herington..


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 13:01:18 ET
Posted by: Chris, nh

Every tour there's a contingent of outspoken folks who complain about the setlist. It seems the majority of them don't attend any shows during said tour.


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 11:59:45 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

God, I'd love an update with Circus Money, Sunken Condos, and the last five years of touring...


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 11:49:43 ET
Posted by: Steve M , Scotland

There was an updated edition of the Sweet book which took us up to 'Morph' and came out in 2007.


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 11:42:12 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

Well, I was already alive and kickin' in 94, so...

But do you really not see a difference in seeing a band for the first time in 20 years, a band that you never though would get back together... and seeing that same band live six out of the last eight years?? Do you really not understand why one might be most lenient to accept any setlist in the early nineties?


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 11:30:42 ET
Posted by: geo,

Young Wu, Yes, the Sweet book came out before you born. Before fans were complaining about set lists and just happy they were out playing anything.


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 10:43:29 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

Haha, HouDanFan... there's certain lines that you just shouldn't cross.

I've got another couple month of happiness before a soul-crushing winter sets in.


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 10:29:11 ET
Posted by: tripstar, sleepy in the Old World

I had this dream last night, one of those amazingly vivid dreams that you wake up halfway through and remember every single detail... Usually in these cases I am able to go back to semi-sleep and sort of "steer" the dream where I want to in an almost conscious way, but this time I have been unable to fall asleep again (tough luck, it was 4:15 AM...) I should have written everything down immediately, but I didn't and various bits are beginning to vanish... This is what I still remember:
Donald was in town!! And I was his guide/runner/translator etc. The dream was basically Donald and I in several locations, mostly bars and cafeterias, chatting away (I think I did most of the chatting, he didn't look super interested but he was polite and even smiled a couple of times). He looked tall, less of a bent back than in real life maybe, smartly dressed in black, a bit like Jeff Golblum -a decent choice IMHO if there's ever a movie made about SD, which is unlikely.
So we sit in huge, overblown caf�s the size of sport halls... No place I can identify, but I know it is my hometown (Bilbao). At some point he asks me to get him something (Moroccan hash?) and when I get back he's gone... I look for him and I eventually find him in the same caf�, holding a newborn BABY in his arms, of all things! Baby's mum is smiling, she's busy (making a call?), baby's dad arrives and grabs baby... They smile and thank Don... We leave and sit in another huge caf�-like structure...
And then Walter shows up!! We chat, I ask them for an AUTOGRAPH, they chuckle, possibly ridicule me, eventually agree to sign the inside of a cookie packet (?), no paper available it seems, BUT on condition that Don signs as Walt and Walt signs as Don. This detail is so creepy... I mean, that's something you would expect they'd do in real life...
So then they order something to eat, Walt leaves without eating (no chance for me to discuss Grant Green or guitar voicings for the mu chord or how I started dabbling in guitar because of his playing on FM or whether he actually meant to quote Ellington at the end of his Black Friday solo or how I get goosebumps whenever I listen to Upside Looking Down...) Don and I sit there, I ask him whether he'd like to finish Walt's huge ICE-CREAM portion (flavour: chocolate and coffee to be precise), and when Don is savouring said ice-cream, really enjoying it, slurping away like mad... then I wake up.
What all of this means I have no idea (Freudian analysts feel free to comment). Probably nothing too special: I'd like to see them at least once, the chances of that happening are slight, they are running out of time -and so am I, for that matter. I don't recall ever dreaming of SD, which is why I needed to tell the Bluebook.
Apologies if this bored you, you can now go back to whining about setlists, you lucky SOBs.


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 10:24:03 ET
Posted by: HouDanFan, Houston

Young Wu...isn't time for you to start shoveling snow?....Mr La Page go help him please


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 10:12:21 ET
Posted by: henrod, NY

It's interesting to ponder what the hell happened to the blue book. This may as well be a political blog with red and blue polarized, never to agree, and therefore shut it all down. Yes - the set lists have remained largely the same Don't want to go? Don't go! Complain, get it out of your system, and let it rest. Some of you clearly need a new hobby.

For me, the opportunity to see/hear players of this caliber playing songs of this caliber will never get tired. I'd go see the exact same sets in 2015 at the Beacon if they come around again. That's my preference, and the preference of my friends who are SD fans. I don't much care for Razor Boy, Show Biz Kids or YGT. I'd love to hear Midnite Cruiser, Brooklyn, Any Major Dude, and I'm thrilled that I got to hear Pearl of the Quarter in 2011 and capture it on video. I watch it all the time. But, I never walk away from one of the 9 Beacon shows I've seen disappointed in any way.

Rant on, SD fans!


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 09:05:21 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

Did the Sweet book really come out originally in '94?? Wow. The copy I have goes up to 2vN, I think.


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 08:49:39 ET
Posted by: Mr Webster, h

Clue:

re�vi�sion
[ri-vizh-uhn]

1.
the act or work of revising.

2.
a process of revising.

3.
a revised form or version, as of a book.


I'm pretty sure DH was referring to meaning #3 when he spoke of the revised Sweet book.


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 01:27:08 ET
Posted by: A Clue, get one.....

Dan Historian - Sweets book came out in 1994 not 2006. Only 12 years off.


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 00:44:38 ET
Posted by: Hackensack, missouri

The highlight for me was in Kansas City meeting and talking to Walter before the show, the tight music that was played and being given a setlist directly from Roger Rosenberg. Enough said


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 00:29:08 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

Well clearly you're not talking about me... because in the last 24 hours or so I had two posts expressing my love for this band live.


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 00:25:45 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

The Dean, your inability to detect sarcasm is embarrassing. I expect more from true Fagen and Becker afficianados.


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 00:03:16 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello, Baton Rouge

Highlights of the tour for me in no particular order:

Meeting Elsup and Dan and crew in Louisville, and LWO and Ed in Houston;

KOTW in Louisville;

Sound checks in Houston and Memphis, including DTMA in Memphis;

My seats and the sound in Memphis;

Watching Walter in Memphis with no techies around leaning back into his amp and feeling it;

Razor Boy;

The sheer joy of meeting up with my Nashville friends in Louisville after driving all day from Baton Rouge;

The feeling I always get when the band is finishing up the intro and Donald, Walter and the Brats walk out on stage...

It was a great summer... looking forward to 2015.


Date: Wed, October 09, 2013, 00:03:14 ET
Posted by: Gary, Los Angeles

Wow! Shocking. The Beacon audience didn't even get King of the World. I guess the love affair with the New York Beacon Theatre is over.


Date: Tues, October 08, 2013, 23:44:01 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

The setlist complaining is nothing new, and shouldn't come as a surprise.

But I do admit to getting a real chuckle out of those who have said it was "UNFAIR" they didn't get the songs others got. Are we in the first grade? Unfair? Really?

Waaa! I want my mommy!


Date: Tues, October 08, 2013, 23:38:24 ET
Posted by: I can't , even begin to imagine

....what kind of person repeatedly, continually, and obsessively posts nothing but negative comments & complaints - and little else - on the fan site of a band he/she claims to love.

Is this "Steely Dan" band really all that bad?

If you read nothing but this site, you would surely answer, "Yes".

Unreal.


Date: Tues, October 08, 2013, 23:34:50 ET
Posted by: Reidar from Norway, @Upper East Side

Well then my friends, Mood Swings Tour 2013 has come to an end and it closed with Greatest Hits Night and it's was the best Greatest Hits Show I've been to even though I have heard it all before. But I can't find the right words to describe it, it was awesome!
Here is the Set List:
YGT
Aja
19 (Walter with a extra long monolouge)
Show Biz Kids
Black Cow
Black Friday
Time out of mine
Deacon Blues
Bodi
Rikki don't loose that number
FM
Dirty Work (Brats)
Don't take me alive
I want to (Brats)
Josie
Peg
My old school
Reelin' in the years
Encore:
KC
Pretzel Logic

My seventh show this time has come to an end and I'll be packing up and fly back to Norway. But I do hope and think I'll be back here in NYC in two years time.
Thank you to all the wonderful people I have met on my own private Tour to this wonderful city, hope to see you all again.


Date: Tues, October 08, 2013, 23:23:04 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

"Sadly, some of you pathetic critics can't even imagine getting off your lazy asses and attending a live event to judge for yourselves.....hell, maybe even ending up enjoying the live show of a lifetime...."

Who here criticizes the setlist while being too "lazy" to see them?? I've seen them six times. Once every tour since 2006. Aja Night in Toronto 2009 and Canandaigua in 2008 are two highlights of my concert history.

I do like the excuse of "they have to play the hits for the casual fans". Yeah... except for the fact that they've had a grand total of three top 10 singles and they basically never play two of them. They never play their two most popular/successful songs. So if they really cared about churring out the hits, wouldn't Rikki and Do It Again make the setlist rotation more than the current two or three times a tour?

And again, I guess some people have trouble reading. It's not the hits that annoys me personally. I understand having to play Nineteen/Peg/Josie over and over. Every band has that. It's the rest of the setlist that's gotten stale.

Honestly, I really think this site is an anomaly when it comes to fan forums. I've never seen such such defiant defense from diehards when it comes to discussions of a stale, repetitive, hits-heavy setlist.

It's gotten scary around here. You criticize anything that this band does, and you're an outcast, shunned to the shadows. It's creepy.


Date: Tues, October 08, 2013, 23:05:47 ET
Posted by: Greg M, NY

<<Really, what you love is your own narrow, selfish views of the band and its music.>>

Probably right.


Date: Tues, October 08, 2013, 22:54:14 ET
Posted by: @ Greg NY, (and those of his kind)

OK - You are both crazy AND ungrateful.

You live in NY, but it just wasn't worth your valuable time to see The Royal Scam, in all its glory, played all the way through, for a lousy sixty-five/eighty-five bucks?

You couldn't find a couple of spare hours to watch one of the planet's finest live ensembles play the Gaucho album in its entirety?

The very idea of witnessing the Aja album, start to finish, now bores you to tears, so you just didn't go?

Was last Saturday night's amazing concert, complete with drop-dead renditions of Deacon Blues, Rikki, FM, & the sublime perfection of Black Cow, beneath your dignity??

What did you do on these evenings that you consider more worthy of your time? Please don't answer.

In reality and contrary to your claim, you (and the other whining chronic complainers here) don't "love this band" at all. You just want people to think you do. Really, what you love is your own narrow, selfish views of the band and its music. You appear to live in a Fantasy Land of your own creation, just like so many of the other self-absorbed malcontents who now populate this formerly-great-but-now-let's-all-admit-it-pretty-run-down board.

Some of us can't imagine how perfectly shitty it must be to live in a sour world dominated by printed/internet-posted "setlists". Some of us travelled great distances, at great expense, to witness these Beacon shows, and we loved every minute of it. We, of course, were actually "there". In person. As opposed to "on the internet reading a list of songs".

Sadly, some of you pathetic critics can't even imagine getting off your lazy asses and attending a live event to judge for yourselves.....hell, maybe even ending up enjoying the live show of a lifetime....

Postscript: 2011's "Rarities Night" didn't sell out. And despite the preponderance of actual rarities throughout the setlist that night, some self-professed "hardcore fans" here still found reason to complain. That pretty much says it all, doesn't it?


Date: Tues, October 08, 2013, 22:48:25 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello, Baton Rouge

Sorry, the Sweet commentary on the set list is bullshit. The first thing he does is equate quality with sales. Therefore, in his world EMG is inferior to everything that preceded it and Morph is also worthless. I think that the string of tracks starting with Green Book through EMG is every bit as good as anything they did after Aja. Sales have been declining since before Jerry Garcia died. Is there anyone on this board that thinks that Mona and Pagoda are inferior because the record didn't sell as well as past releases? Really?


Date: Tues, October 08, 2013, 22:35:31 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello, Baton Rouge

I thinks that Steve Gennarelli is correct...They love playing songs like Your Gold Teeth, Green Earrings, TOOM, Godwhacker, SBK..all songs that feature the band and allow the players to stretch out... as well as Donald and Walter... The Memphis show was the first show that I have ever seen that Green Earrings was NOT played... going back to 1993. In '93 and 2007 they opened with it...(ok notwithstanding the overture in '93). They obviously love playing it and I don't begrudge a band playing the songs they love to play as a band. It's the bebop in them.


Date: Tues, October 08, 2013, 21:13:56 ET
Posted by: Steve Gennarelli, Tampa FL

I think Don & Walt enjoy playing "Godwhacker" & "Your Gold Teeth II" because they give the band some neat things to do and most of the players get a spotlight moment on these.
Since the set list was so static this time out, I really thing the ladies rendition of "Razor Boy" was the highlight of the tour. That and the couple of times that they resurrected "King of The World".


Date: Tues, October 08, 2013, 21:11:42 ET
Posted by: search, k

The Sweet commentary on the setlist.

http://tinyurl.com/merezvq



Date: Tues, October 08, 2013, 21:05:43 ET
Posted by: Mojo Daddy, Here, there . . . everywhere!

You are so right. But for a few tunes here and there this is the same old song and dance. Well performed - yes. But, c'mon, change up the set list and don't rip people off by saying that this is a request night and just play the same old tired set list from greatest hits night. What a joke. How about a Becker and Fagen night. First half of show is DF solo tunes and second half is WB tunes.

Of course, the defenders of the faith will say the same nonsense, but we all know that this is a great band playing mostly the same setlist night after night. Snooooze.


Date: Tues, October 08, 2013, 20:09:40 ET
Posted by: Greg M, NY

Call me ungrateful. Call me crazy. I love this band.

But this is the first tour that I've skipped since going to see these guys in 2000.

I live in NY, so I had every reason to make it to Beacon.

But the setlist kept me home... I saw it in 2011.

Gotta be WB's call this time around. I think he is not up to learning new or different tunes anymore... =(


Date: Tues, October 08, 2013, 19:58:41 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, Looking in my beer fridge

Young Wu has something against beer guzzlers? Wtf, we all don't have a meth lab in the garage....


Date: Tues, October 08, 2013, 19:06:19 ET
Posted by: Dan Historian, pages of history

Even the last revision of the Sweet book knocks the static set list. And I believe that was written after the 2006 tour.


Date: Tues, October 08, 2013, 18:29:07 ET
Posted by: Clean WIlly, NYC

so, for tonight, fair to assume setlist almost certainly --
(with maybe DTMA or FM swapped in there)

Your Gold Teeth
Aja
Hey 19
Show Biz Kids
Black Cow
Black Friday
Time Out of Mind
Daddy Don't Live in that New York City No More (WB vocals)
Deacon Blues
Bodhisattva
Ricki Don't Lose That Number
Do It Again
I Wanna Do Everything for You (Band Intros)
Josie
Peg
My Old School
Reelin' in the Years
E:Kid Charlemagne


Date: Tues, October 08, 2013, 17:25:44 ET
Posted by: steelydoc, near the Revel

pineapples abound onstage tonight...


Date: Tues, October 08, 2013, 17:01:14 ET
Posted by: Cosmic ,

Young Wu- When are you going to realize that for every one hardcore SD fan there's a thousand casual fans? Donald and Walter don't give a shit about the small group of hard cores. They play for the masses. As far as Godwhacker and Showbiz Kids go, they obviously both enjoy playing those songs. They obviously hate playing tunes like King of The World. Stop crying alreday. You're too young to remember when most of the rest of us were just happy when they got back together in 1993.


Date: Tues, October 08, 2013, 14:24:17 ET
Posted by: Razorboy666, Austin

All the greatest SD hits which are pretty great. Excellent demonstration of technique at the show in Austin too, although if there is a next time I'll make more of an effort to control the buzz. Saw Steve Miller (I know but free tickets) a week ago with Eric Johnston sitting in and Monte Montgomery and Oz Noy (separate shows) this past weekend. Lots of good music around here. I truly hope the Dan will put out another record and rest up from all the touring. Plus, I believe that's how they could make us diehards most happy now. And maybe themselves as well - who knows? But they're probably trying to keep all the supporting cast gainfully employed. Thanks for reading.


Date: Tues, October 08, 2013, 13:44:46 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

In the end, it's not Becker and Fagen's fault... it's the beer-guzzling jackasses who complain that they didn't hear Rikki or Do It Again.

I understand playing the hits for the causal fans. But Showbiz Kids and Godwhacker aren't hits. Why do they have to play them tour after tour after tour? Is Your Gold Teeth going to be a new standard?? It's not that they're playing hits... it's just that they're playing a stale setlist.


Date: Tues, October 08, 2013, 12:48:07 ET
Posted by: Bookkeeper's Son, In a Smoking Jacket

A couple of tours ago I took a friend along to see Steely Dan. I considered him an enlightened sort of person when it comes to music, musicianship and performance. He is not a hardcore Dan fan. Throughout the show I had to endure comments from him about songs from Two Against Nature and Everything Must Go. "Why are they playing these new songs? Don't they know everyone only wants to hear the old stuff?" Etc., etc.. His reaction surprised me. Needless to say I have not invited him to come along again to see the Steely Dan Show!

Maybe Walter and Donald have resigned themselves to play to what the majority of attendees at their shows want? Even if it excludes deep cuts and less often performed songs. Everyone has their own opinion of the perfect set list, or ways to improve the set lists. All perfectly valid. It comes down to there being only so much time available at each show. Walter and Donald have the unenviable (or is that an enviable) task of paring down the catalog for a particular performance. As much as we would like they can't play them all.

Already looking forward to the next Steely Dan tour and planning to attend as many dates as possible.

Mark


Date: Tues, October 08, 2013, 08:22:13 ET
Posted by: AC Revel, Attendee

I was one and done this tour. Glad I got to hear Green Book.


Date: Tues, October 08, 2013, 01:45:46 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

The lesson is if you want to see different tunes, go to early shows in the tour and go to several shows if possible. A lot of bands try things out and 'work out the kinks' early on. Genesis used to do that all the time playing different tunes early in a tour trying to see what worked best for the show before settling in with a pretty standard setlist.


Date: Tues, October 08, 2013, 00:26:15 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

"I feel good that Donald & Walt made it fair to everyone who went their shows with no area of the country getting a "special select setlist" aimed at pleasing the die-hard non-casual fans."

Yeah, who every though Canandaigua, NY would get a better setlist than their precious Beacon Theater? We at least got Green Book, New Frontier, Razor Boy, and Don't Take Me Alive. (Well, I guess a couple NY shows got that last one).

I never gave a review of that show, but Don't Take Me Alive was the clear highlight. I don't understand for the life of me why they dropped it.

Oh, and this year's My Old School was the best I've ever heard.


Date: Tues, October 08, 2013, 00:13:44 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu,



The set list aside for the albums has become the equivalent of driving down the freeway with the left turn signal solidly on. ;)



Date: Mon, October 07, 2013, 23:40:54 ET
Posted by: Reidar from Norway, @Upper East Side

For those who are interested, Aja Night Set List:

Aja (complete)
YGT
Time out of mine
19
Show biz kids
Green earrings
Black Friday
Godwhacker
Daddy don't live in that NYC nomore
Bodi
I want to (Brats singing)
My old school
Reelin' in the years
Encore:
KC

Asyou all see nothing out of the ordenary, but it's always good to watch a band as good as this. Great evening.


Date: Mon, October 07, 2013, 23:27:01 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, in the den

Man, I think it's really unfair that LA got a show with Rikki, Do it Again AND King of the World, plus an extra long show. What makes LA so special?


Date: Mon, October 07, 2013, 22:48:57 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

So Gary, you're happy no one got to see a significantly better setlist than you?
That's the spirit! Toast yourself with some Cuervo Gold!


Date: Mon, October 07, 2013, 21:58:06 ET
Posted by: Gary, Los Angeles

Ahhh...I feel much better now. I thought for sure that the New York Beacon crowd was going get a batch of rarely played tunes, but that doesn't seem to be the case for this tour. They are sticking to the standard setlists. As the Mood Swings tour comes to a close, I feel good that Donald & Walt made it fair to everyone who went their shows with no area of the country getting a "special select setlist" aimed at pleasing the die-hard non-casual fans.


Date: Mon, October 07, 2013, 21:38:32 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello, Baton Rouge

Good point about Mona. I always loved that song for the ambiguity of her depression. Third person omniscient. These guys can write in any mode.


Date: Mon, October 07, 2013, 21:32:30 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello, Baton Rouge

I always thought that the Deacon Blues narrator was a ghost, so Miss Marlene is in that tradition... Only the narrator in Miss Marlene is of the Limited/Subjective Third Person. He is probably delusional. As is the First Person narrator in Deacon Blues. Oh, well. Last night of the tour. Bittersweet.


Date: Mon, October 07, 2013, 21:28:34 ET
Posted by: Mike in NYC, NYC

I also find Miss Marlene sad though the music makes me feel good, same with Mona though that music is plainly melancholy. I can hardly listen to Downtown Canyon, so beautiful and yet so sad. Marlene reminds me a bit of Charlie Freak, also a sad tale but the music has a certain gait to it. It's an interesting juxtaposition, one they have often used, upbeat music, downbeat lyrics.


Date: Mon, October 07, 2013, 18:39:53 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, playing with my wacha

WACHAAAAAAA!

He was Razor Boy sharp.

Back for some East St Louis Toodle O

The Cards are going to Do it Again

Hey Bandwagon Bucco fans, take that Jolly Roger and s......
sing
'I want a name when I lose....call me Deacon Blues'


Date: Mon, October 07, 2013, 16:58:20 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

Lucky bastards...

Steely Dan "The Royal Scam" first three song played live Beacon Theatre 10-03-13

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=J0DuzlPa4Lo

Kid C as an opener seems so strange, yet so fantastic. Like, it sets a whole different mood.


Date: Mon, October 07, 2013, 15:23:07 ET
Posted by: fagenism, She go (I cry)

Random:

Does anyone else consider Miss Marlene one of Don's saddest songs? I can think of few Dan/Don songs that hit me with such a strong sense of bittersweet melancholy every single time I hear it.

Something about a beautiful gal who's going grand yet has her life cut short, perhaps.


Date: Mon, October 07, 2013, 14:46:27 ET
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Date: Mon, October 07, 2013, 14:06:49 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, Polishing 11 rings

You're right. I am polishing the 1926, 31, 34, 42, 44, 46, 64, 67, and 82 rings too,


Date: Mon, October 07, 2013, 13:38:01 ET
Posted by: Josey, Mass

I don't understand why they don't play more from 2VN or EMG. My worthless opinion is that anything on those two are certainly as strong as whatever else has been on their basic setlists from the past 4 tours.


Date: Mon, October 07, 2013, 13:12:09 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

Clearly KZ and LaPage aren't real fans. How dare you criticize the setlist.

Don't you know the setlist is crafted for all the casual fans, yet all us diehards are supposed to think that it's perfect???

Come on, a little cognitive dissonance never hurt anyone... join in guys!

hr>

Date: Mon, October 07, 2013, 11:41:47 ET
Posted by: Clean Willy, Atlanta

I too attended "Request Night" on Saturday night inside the Beacon Theatre, and I was disappointed they did not deviate from script that much at all, whereas I would have expected Dr. Wu, Haitian Divorce, Pretzel Logic or Jack of Speed (my personal request). It was odd that Walter first told the audience "the songs were picked by YOU", but then Donald contradicted that statement by later calling it "Greatest Hits" night. Having said that, I was pleased to hear FM for the first time, and it was somewhat of a deviation to hear Deacon Blues, Babylon Sisters, Dirty Work (the Brats) and Rikki. Considering I flew up from Atlanta to hear the Gaucho show on Friday, then this one, it was a disappointment. On a positive note, the band sound great both nights. This concluded four Dan shows for me in 2013: my hometown show, Atlanta, which was actually the most underwhelming of the four, then Clearwater, FL (excellent venue/show) and finally the awe inspiring Beacon. Some final thoughts: Why are the guys so reluctant to cover multi-Grammy winning, Two Against Nature, in live shows? Do they think the songs from this album would not "engage" their audiences enough? When if ever will they drop Reelin in the Years from their setlist? I contend Reelin is the 2nd worst song they ever wrote, behind "Through with Buzz". Are they actually afraid they cannot appeal to the masses if they were to pick up more of 2 Against and less of the old, pre-jazz crap? Far be it for them to appeal to the masses.....right??? Would be interested to hear others on this topic.....


Date: Mon, October 07, 2013, 11:22:02 ET
Posted by: Kustie the Klown, Washington, DC

I've seen Steely Dan a ton of times and was at "Request Night" Saturday night. The playing was, as always, outstanding. However, I was a bit underwhelmed. Those songs on the setlist COULDN'T have been the "most requested". Did the band not know it was request night, or something? It was written on the ticket, that's how the show was marketed! When Fagen made reference to it being "greatest hits night" it was a bit of a slap in the face to the audience. Furthermore, looking at the various show setlists from this run, it seems like we got LESS of a show than other nights when they played full albums! You would think the Saturday night crowd would get something special for "request night". Instead, it was by far the most rote, by the books setlist I've ever seen from Steely Dan. They really could've gone to some special places with this show. Instead they went nowhere.


Date: Mon, October 07, 2013, 08:37:26 ET
Posted by: tact, poise and reason, departing NYC

LaPage, those WS rings aren't the only things you've been polishing lately. Go Bucs.


Date: Mon, October 07, 2013, 00:38:46 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, Polishing the 06 and 11 WS rings

Dammit, suddenly a team that had trouble drawing more fans than ushers have everyone jumping on the Jolly Roger bandwagon. Cards will get er done. See 2011 NLDS, see 2012 NLDS.


Date: Sun, October 06, 2013, 21:00:12 ET
Posted by: kzkzkz, NYC

Was really upset I could not make the request nite "knowing" they would play King Of The World, Dr. Wu again, Do It Again, Midnight Cruiser etc. I would have been upset if I did go with them pulling no surprises. FM was played greatest hits night, Rikki I saw during the Aja night, those were it. (?) Donald could have at least sang Dirty Work as the brats have always sang that. But really, requests were that strong for Gold Teeth, Daddy & Show Biz Kids/ (??) Over say, Pretzel Logic, Do It Again, Home At Last, Midnight Cruiser, Chain Lightning, Dr. effing Wu? (???) I think not.
I was very satisfied with the band and their song choices for the 2 (Aja & Scam) shows I saw. Not complaining as they were GREAT, again.

But, but, but.


(????)


Date: Sun, October 06, 2013, 20:35:15 ET
Posted by: Noodles, San Francisco

An Evening with Donald Fagen in conversation with Ben-Fong Torres about Eminent Hipsters at the Swedish American Hall in San Francisco on November 7. Tickets are $20 and $40 for VIP.


Date: Sun, October 06, 2013, 20:29:08 ET
Posted by: Mike in NYC, NYC

Hackensack, I did see that pineapple bit, it looked to me like it was made out of rubber. Walter made a couple of funny faces to the crowd just before exiting the stage, class clown: thumbing his nose, fingers in the ears. Donald said something to the effect of "Eh, a few a day." vis-a-vis the cigarette he strolled on stage with just before the encore. He put it out before starting to play. For about two seconds the sound went out during the encore.

It was a great night for Roger on sax and Jon had some amazing solos as the night before. Black Cow was very nice. I was hoping for something a bit unusual, say from side two of Pretzel Logic or at least something like Pearl of the Quarter. Saw several songs twice in just two shows. The first night I went, Gaucho, was truly outstanding so I have no complaints esp. since they only tour every other year. And that's a sentence I would not have uttered/written in that quiet time before Two Against Nature.


Date: Sun, October 06, 2013, 19:50:57 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Canadian Gaucho, thanks for the link. Good review and some great pictures. I like the pics of Deep Blue, too.

And I agree it is a bit duplicitous to have Greatest Hits night and Request night, if they are essentially both the same night. What I don't understand is people here being surprised about that now. It was that way the past two tours, if I remember correctly.

These theme nights are mostly the promoters thing--not Walt and Don's ideas. Walt basically admitted when talking about request night they may, or may not, play what was requested. He was joking around, but it's clear they don't take these things that seriously. If the promoter wants to play these games, they just stay out of it and play their music. At least that's the way I sees it.

Go Pirates!


Date: Sun, October 06, 2013, 18:20:58 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

@ Canadian Gaucho

You lucky bastard. I got to see a Scam show in 2009 w Larry Carlton guesting, one of my fav Dan shows ever. Never have seen the Gaucho album live though.


Date: Sun, October 06, 2013, 17:55:36 ET
Posted by: The Canadian Gaucho , Montreal

Great review and nice photos from the Beacon shows at http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2013/10/steely_dan_in_t.html

Managed to fly in and see the Royal Scam and Gaucho nights at the Beacon this year - the band was as tight as ever. These musicians make perfection look effortless.

Nice to meet fellow Dan Fans before the show and backstage afterwards. Looking forward to doing it again in 2 years should be so lucky. Safe travels home all.


Date: Sun, October 06, 2013, 17:40:16 ET
Posted by: Agree with , Mr. LaPage

I totally agree with Mr. LaPage. It's somewhat deceitful to call the one show "Request Night".


Date: Sun, October 06, 2013, 17:06:33 ET
Posted by: Cruz,

I wonder if Walter's recent flu symptoms caused the band to retool the setlists for these Beacon shows. Maybe they thought Walter couldn't tackle the rarely played songs like King of the World.


Date: Sun, October 06, 2013, 17:03:01 ET
Posted by: Felicity, Youngstown


Where did the Steely Dan Database go??? The site is still there, but none of the links to audio work! Is this a problem with my own personal computer, or is the database really gone? Please answer, anyone who has any information about this (especially how to access he database). Thank you!


Date: Sun, October 06, 2013, 17:00:07 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

I think the point is why have nights specifically called Greatest Hits and Request Nights if you are basically going to play the same setlist. If you really aren't going to play some different album cuts as "requests", then call both nights Hits nights and drop the subterfuge.


Date: Sun, October 06, 2013, 16:04:19 ET
Posted by: Flatbush Chuck, That NYC

Agree with The Dean. It's been aired here how large a % of any given night's crowd wants precisely to hear the hits. Could a genuine RN diverge much from GHN?

Maybe Donald shouldn't have teased us with pre-tour quotes about real surprises, new album nights, et al. We got the usual small quotient of new/rare numbers, no more or less. We also-- if what I heard on 10/3 is any indication-- got reasonably fresh takes on the perennials, pretty thrillingly rendered.

That said, one could be forgiven for hoping that on a 7-night stand in their hometown & biggest market they might have gamely ventured a truly novel program, with a few great regulars anchoring a selection of rarities and real treats.

For me, that would go something like this:

Boddhissatva
Rikki
Black Cow
Barrytown
Downtown canon [WB of course]
Brooklyn
Aja
Gaucho
Rose Darling

Razor Boy [gals]
Maxine [DF + gals]
Charle Freak [WB!]
Any Major Dude
West Of Hollywood
Everything Must Go
Deacon Blues
YGT II at long friggin last

My Old School
King Of the World

Doubtless the greatest-hits crowd would WTF? themselves out of the theater at the end; but mightn't even plenty of those folks be intrigued/impressed?

Wai-- did I forget the good Doctor...


Date: Sun, October 06, 2013, 16:00:24 ET
Posted by: Hackensack, missouri

Anyone at beacon Saturday night see Df hand someone in the front row a pineapple after Reelin'??? There is a video on youtube. He's getting applause after the encore. Jim pugh hand WB the pineapple and he sys it behind a speaker. DF picks it up and walks to end of stage and hands it to someone. I'd say it's someone they know and is some sort of an inside joke. Does anyone have any thoughts on it that were there last night?


Date: Sun, October 06, 2013, 14:08:43 ET
Posted by: fagenism, She go (I cry)

Reidar:

Was Don's cigarette of the jazz variety, by any chance?


Date: Sun, October 06, 2013, 13:56:26 ET
Posted by: Nick, 9

Would just be interesting to know why certain songs get shelved very early on. Green Book and King of the World this tour.


Date: Sun, October 06, 2013, 13:09:23 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Why would anyone expect request night to be different from greatest hits? The audience wants hits, they always do.

And anyone who thinks the show needs "new life" wasn't at the show I saw this year. More "life" than anyone could handle.


Date: Sun, October 06, 2013, 09:35:28 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

Virtually no difference between Greatest Hits night and Audience Request night. They've been playing the same show since 2011.

Man, just one or two tweaks to the setlist would really bring new life to the show...


Date: Sun, October 06, 2013, 08:06:10 ET
Posted by: Michael,

Well, who didn't see this coming? I'm sure we'll get by somehow...

Here, watch a video of a cat playing with a bird. Should cheer you up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFyI1cjsuGU


Date: Sun, October 06, 2013, 01:24:04 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

Wow, only songs different than usual setlist were Dirty Work, FM and Rikki on Request Night? More glad than ever I did the Rarities night in 2011. Surprised they didn't at least do a Dawn of the Dan setlist this tour since they are playing a big chunk of Countdown already.


Date: Sat, October 05, 2013, 23:47:13 ET
Posted by: Reidar from Norway, @Upper East Side

Request Night?? Donald called it Greatest Hits, and so it was.
No surprises at at all.
Set List:
YGT
Aja
19
Show Biz Kids
Black Cow
Black Fridy
Time out of mine
Rikki don'tloos that number
Daddy don't live in that NYC nomore
Bodi
Dirty Work (Brats singing)
FM
Babylon Sisters
I want to (Brats again)
Deacon Blue
Peg
My old school
Reelin' in the years
Encore:
KC (Donald walking on smoking a cigarett)


Date: Sat, October 05, 2013, 23:29:04 ET
Posted by: Meh, Request nite?

I'd request my money back.


Date: Sat, October 05, 2013, 22:53:30 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Regarding the dude on the T-shirt, I still have been unable to find an answer. (Yet something spoke to me that night, compelling me to drop $40 on the thing---glad I did, actually.)

Anyway, hadn't thought about it for a while so did a bit of searching tonight--to no avail. Well, maybe not NO avail since I found a little interview I don't believe I have seen before. If I had to wager, I'd bet it has been posted here and I just didn't see it---or wasn't quite drunk enough for it to make the proper impact:

http://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2013/07/23/top-10-questions-answers-from-our-steely-dan-interview

I actually found an "answer" to one question I had not yet solved:

Excerpt:

2. How did the name Mood Swings: 8 miles to Pancake Day come about?
Walter: How did it come about? We made it up.

Donald: In truth, we put up Mood Swings,that was the easy part. Then we were reminiscing about the old television show Route 66 and we remembered how in those days they used to name TV episodes using very eccentric titles like Who�s Afraid of the Muffin Man, things like that. So, we decided we were going to have a subtitle for our Mood Swings tour. In fact, we�re thinking we might change the subtitle every few weeks.

Walter: In a way, you may have wasted your question in that we may do exactly as Donald says there. The other thing is 8 Miles to Pancake Day is�this is a reconciliation of the classic space time dilemma, in other words, time versus distance. In other words, like the Russian army sergeant says, �You will dig me a ditch from here to dinner time.�


Date: Sat, October 05, 2013, 19:12:51 ET
Posted by: kzkzkz, not where I'd like 2B

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rg-vizVApCg

About 17 seconds in I caught Carolyn putting the needle on the record. Forgot about that part and almost missed it. Don't recall the album flip, wasn't paying that close attention though either night I went.
Jim- re:camera/security.
I used a small camera to video and had it in my pants pocket along with my cellphone. There was a security check upon entering the Beacon, handheld scanners were used. Figure they thought it was just a phone, or they only cared about weapons. Ushers may or may not stop you during the show. As stated also, be mindful of your fellow audients, I kept the camera close to my body and below shoulder height. There were several people in the crowd that had their camera/phone light/flash on while recording pics/video.
DON'T BE THAT PERSON.


Date: Sat, October 05, 2013, 18:19:36 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello, Baton Rouge

Sorry: https://www.google.com/search?q=jean+piaget+quotes&rlz=1C1CHLA_enUS554US554&es_sm=93&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=dItQUqu4FIS69gTw6oCQBQ&ved=0CEYQsAQ&biw=1024&bih=667&dpr=1.


Date: Sat, October 05, 2013, 18:18:20 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello, Baton Rouge

I thought that the gentleman on the shirt might be a psychologist/psychiatrist. The closest I can come to a likeness is Jean Piaget, who was a Swiss psychologist/philosopher famous for his epistemological research with children. The trouble is, I did not buy this particular piece of swag(I ended up buying the black tee with Don and Walt in the front seat, the coffee mug and the very nice canvas shopping bag). So the pictures I have of this guy are close, but not definitive. He is famous for this quote: �Intelligence is what you use when you don't know what to do.�

This is a web site with pictures of Mr. Piaget, but I can't find the one on the tee. I am probably wrong.


Date: Sat, October 05, 2013, 15:15:26 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

Carolyn has been doing this since 2009 and the album shows popped up, but I've never been close enough to see it in action. Very cool touch from Don and Walt.

I'm just glad the eight-track gimmick didn't result in the out of place track placement live.


Date: Sat, October 05, 2013, 13:35:24 ET
Posted by: Mike in NYC, NYC

Stevie, We went for the same three songs, always nice to connect with like-minded people! I did not notice Carolyn flip the record but what a cool touch. Did she do that during all the album shows? I wonder if the man on the t-shirt is a somewhat obscure musician given that Donald used to have a photo montage of jazz musicians on the front of his keyboard in previous tours.


Date: Sat, October 05, 2013, 13:00:02 ET
Posted by: Stevie Dan, Philadelphia, PA

To Mike in NYC�
I asked that same question a few weeks back. No one seems to know who the guy on the tour t-shirts is. Someone suggested it looked like Woodrow Wilson, but it's definitely not him. I'd love to know too, if anyone has another idea who it is?

I was there too last night. What a great evening. Sat 2nd row, lower balcony - very good seat location for sight and sound. 3rd show of the tour for me, and definitely the best - so cool to see Gaucho album. I also was primarily there to see Glamour Profession, My Rival, and 3rd World Man live. Herrington's solo was so perfect on 3rd World Man!

I haven't seen this mentioned for any of the full album shows: Did anyone notice Carolyn Leonhart walk to a podium near the front of the stage that had a turntable on it and flip the album side after they played Glamour Profession. I think it was easier to see what she was doing from the balcony. Nice little touch. I wonder if they've done this at all the album shows on the tour or just at the Beacon?

Will be back tonight for one last show. There's nothing like Steely Dan at the Beacon!


Date: Sat, October 05, 2013, 12:13:06 ET
Posted by: Reidar from Norway, @Upper East Side

A bit late, but had connectiion problems after I got home after the consert. Here is the set list:

Gaucho Complete
YGT
Aja
Black Cow
Show Biz Kids
Black Friday
Godwhacker
Daddy don'tlive in that NYC no more
Bodi
I want to (Brats singing)
Josie
My old school
Reelin'in the years
Encore:
KC

All in all a enjoyable evening.


Date: Sat, October 05, 2013, 11:51:12 ET
Posted by: Mike in NYC, NYC

Got a ticket at the last minute at the box office last night at 8:30, one of the few left, got to my seat just as Babylon Sisters was ending. Can't complain, 90 bucks for a seat in the Loge and was I glad I made the effort. One of the best SD shows I've seen and I've seen them about 15 times including at Roseland Ballroom in the late 90's (can't find my ticket stub to confirm the date) and Donald solo on the Morph tour.

Walter hilarious on Hey Nineteen and the rest of Gaucho was stunning esp. My Rival and Third World Man. I went basically to hear Glamour Profession live and was not disappointed. The only thing I will say is, generally and always, more Jon Herington, cannot get enough Jon Herington. THough some of Walter's solos were great and I enjoyed his vocals on Daddy, I was just, and as usual, blown away by Jon's solos on Bodhisatva and Reeling, two songs I was ready to shrug off and maybe use as an excuse to take a bathroom break. Glad I stayed in my seat.

Sound was excellent and the audience was on the quieter side which was actually a nice change from my last time at the Beacon on the previous tour when too many casual fans drank too many beers. Incredibly tight band. The only new song was predictably Godwhacker but it really rocked/swayed/funked.

Security was laid back from what I could see. I saw no problems and some people capturing songs here and there. But people need to respect other people and not hold up their lcd screens which is distracting. You want to videotape, fine, but hold the camera lower.

Oh yeah, they followed up the whole of Gaucho with an astoundingly tight Aja and Black Cow, then a seriously and I mean seriously cooking Gold Teeth that reminded me of first hearing that early Steely Dan sound way back in high school. All of this culminated in a My Old School that was a celebration of the Dan, not a nostalgic boring look back.

Can anyone id the gentleman on the tour t-shirts? No one I asked had any idea who it was.


Date: Sat, October 05, 2013, 08:58:17 ET
Posted by: Billie Rubin, Everywhere, Anywhere, Nowhere

"Also in 1974, Gordon played on the majority of tracks on Steely Dan's album Pretzel Logic, including the single "Rikki Don't Lose That Number".


The sad story of Jim Gordon, now in prison for nearly 30 years...



http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/jailed-drummer-jim-gordon-denied-parole-20130517


Date: Fri, October 04, 2013, 22:45:43 ET
Posted by: RP, NC


Found a couple of tracks from the Beacon Scam night on Thursday..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rg-vizVApCg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifSYAbqXfBM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A54dANvNeHM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMFzAxAIes8


Date: Fri, October 04, 2013, 22:19:09 ET
Posted by: Henrod, Beacon theatre

At the Gaucho show. FREAKIN AWESOME. Possibly the best of the 8 Beacon shows I've seen. The band is killer tight and everyone is playing their asses off. Don boogie-ing on Godwhacker looked like he was having a blast. Bodi just started...


Date: Fri, October 04, 2013, 21:00:57 ET
Posted by: Ned, d

Thanks PGE. Turns out I was onto something thinking a female vocalist could make a good WB cover.


Date: Fri, October 04, 2013, 20:30:48 ET
Posted by: Jim'sDeadlySpree, Chicago

Will be at the show Monday. I'm in the front row of the balcony - dead center. It's gonna be awesome.

From anyone who's been to any of the Beacon shows - how militant has security been with video cameras? Trying to decide if it's worth bringing a decent rig or if I should just go with the phone and be done with it.

Thanks!


Date: Fri, October 04, 2013, 19:12:29 ET
Posted by: PGE, Re: Walter Becker covers

Here's Sara Colman's fine take on Book Of Liars:

https://myspace.com/saracolman/music/song/book-of-liars-33472247-34632118


Date: Fri, October 04, 2013, 18:17:10 ET
Posted by: Lutz, SF

Jazz,I absolutely second that.
Some said here a few years back that after a little while, CM got old, it was even Rajah I believe.
I never felt that way, as it grows on me and sounds stunning as well.
Larry Goldings is also on Steve Gadd's new cd and they will play a few concerts this fall. His own trio is fantastic as well.


Date: Fri, October 04, 2013, 17:52:26 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

There was a female jazz singer that covered, I believe, "Downtown Canon." It's on YouTube somewhere, and I'm pretty sure it was posted here -- I didn't find it in some YT wormhole.

It was good, mellow and sweet, but all it made me want to do is go back and listen to Walter and Carolyn's version of it.


Date: Fri, October 04, 2013, 16:19:20 ET
Posted by: Brandon, Seattle

I agree with Jazzassin. I love Larry Goldings organ work too. I think Donald & Walter should book the Larry Goldings Trio as their opening act for the next tour.


Date: Fri, October 04, 2013, 16:08:17 ET
Posted by: Ned, j

I'm surprised nobody's really covered any of Walter's solo material. A lot of potential there. For some reason I always imagined what Sheryl Crow would sound like on This Moody Bastard.

It took me a long time to come around to 11tow. Whenever I heard somebody praise it, I just dismissed it as a knee jerk reaction from SD fans who would think an album of Don farting was great. I find C$ to be too reliant on backing vocals.


Date: Fri, October 04, 2013, 14:48:23 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu,


Gotta agree that Klein should produce any new Dan album. The band played fabulous on C$ - crisper than EMG

Downtown Canon and Paging Audrey IMHO are the highlights of 21st Century Dan...the remainder has highs and lows as did 11 ToW (Girlfriend - worthy of a hit single)


...I still prefer Sunken Condos...Don has the mojo back.


It's not just the voice as this tribute demonstrates:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxwkKl-_UgM





Date: Fri, October 04, 2013, 14:08:15 ET
Posted by: hoops, chicago

KD.

I agree with you 100%

Think of it as a different way of saying, "It's the best album of the Modern Dan, but a certain group of fans and casual listeners wrongly won't give it the time of day unless Donald sings and is involved with the horns."


Date: Fri, October 04, 2013, 14:02:59 ET
Posted by: Flatbush Chuck, That NYC

Caught the show last night, my first SD since Roseland '03 (excepting a Morph Beacon show-- the celebrated Martha Wainwright night). Very glad I went. The band was incandescent, which (as is usual in life) doesn't mean textbook-perfect, but on balance something better. Walter's, well, a trooper.

Donald made me proud. Sang his ass off. And we should all be that cool at 65. (Really, I shoulda been half that cool at 25.) Since he seems restless for work lately, should a DF solo tour loom, anybody here want to start a drumbeat for Nightfly Night? He got 5/8 of the way there in '06, the omissions being Ruby, Raindrops & Maxine (now THAT's an exquisite thing-- can you hear the Brats filling out the harmonies & Weiskopf having a go at Brecker's solo? And I seem to remember hearing them rehearsing Maxine at Poplar Creek way back in '94).


Date: Fri, October 04, 2013, 12:53:48 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

This isn't what you're hoping or asking for (you're referring to the reception, not the production), but I would want nothing to do with Donald's vocals on 'Circus Money.' That album is so note-perfect, I wouldn't want any changes.


Date: Fri, October 04, 2013, 12:10:27 ET
Posted by: SD 4EVA,

WOw ...Just listened to DTMA from last night - WOW! Sounds like Herrington screwed up the guitar opening


Date: Fri, October 04, 2013, 11:23:48 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, behind door #2

Larry Goldings' understated organ on Downtown Canon completely floors me every time.
The album as such is a killer and still grows after 5 years.
Walter's bass sounds so unbelievably great it's worth the $s alone.


Date: Fri, October 04, 2013, 10:46:34 ET
Posted by: hoops, chicago

'Circus Money' is the best thing to happen to Steely Dan since 1982's 'The Nighyfly', and that includes Kama, MTC, Condos, Walter's other one, EMG, 2vN and all those tours.

C$ also changed my view that only Donald and Walter should produced Steely Dan. I get a sense Larry Klein contributed a lot.

If C$ would have had Donald's vocals (just because people are used to his) and a few DF horn runs, I think it might have been accepted as one of The Classic Steely Dan Albums.

Gotta run,

Jim


Date: Fri, October 04, 2013, 10:44:33 ET
Posted by: kzkzkz, Afterscam

Couple o' clips from Royal Scam night in NYC.
Enjoy kids, I know I did!

Kid C - http://youtu.be/rg-vizVApCg
DTMA - http://youtu.be/HjoQoMtpJUI
GE - http://youtu.be/A54dANvNeHM









Date: Fri, October 04, 2013, 10:40:53 ET
Posted by: JB, NY

Mike in NYC, check Stubhub throughout the day; prices drop as it gets later and I saw a upper balcony seat for last night's show for as low as $39.00.


Date: Fri, October 04, 2013, 09:57:20 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

I've seen shows when Walter's playing seemed a bit "off" or unfocused. But not this year's show. Walt's playing was fine--among the best I have seen him.


Date: Fri, October 04, 2013, 09:54:42 ET
Posted by: Mike in NYC, NYC

Looking for a single ticket for tonight's Gaucho show. Cash-strapped but would love to hear Glamour Profession and My Rival live!


Date: Fri, October 04, 2013, 01:22:25 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu,


The chords underneath the sax solo on Book of Liars is amazing. The doublet that starts it off are possibly the 2 finest among the Dan catalog. They completely change the landscape of the song.


Date: Fri, October 04, 2013, 01:11:03 ET
Posted by: JB, NY

Fabulous show tonight. Donald totally enjoying himself and Herington on fire!


Date: Fri, October 04, 2013, 00:03:04 ET
Posted by: Reidar from Norway, @Upper East Side

A very nice evening indeed, Walter was back and he looked ok.
Her are the set list:
The Royal Scam (you all know what songs were played)
YGT
Aja
19 with Walter's monolougue
Show Biz Kids
Black Fridy
Time out of mine
I want to (Brats singing)
Peg
Bodi
My old School
Encore:
Reelin' in the years

Solid as ever, this band is getting better and better.
Looking forward to Gaucho tomorrow.


Date: Thurs, October 03, 2013, 23:09:09 ET
Posted by: Hackensack, missouri

Favorite walter lyric= "leaving with all I need but less than I deserve" from downtown cannon


Date: Thurs, October 03, 2013, 22:59:09 ET
Posted by: Hackensack, missouri

Kd.....amen to that. Surf and/or die. Enough said


Date: Thurs, October 03, 2013, 22:50:52 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

I came here to post this without looking at the previous few posts with may be related to my short bursts from earlier. Not reading them until Friday.

I'm listening to my StL bootleg from 1993 that I got in 1999. 'Book of Liars' just ended. Nobody writes lyrics like Walter fucking Carl Becker. 'Circus Money' is the best thing to happen to Steely Dan since 2003, and that includes Donald's solo album and all those tours.

We need Walter. Writing lyrics, updating a website, telling us that he's Kookie Kookie, and that he can lend us our comb.

Walter?


Date: Thurs, October 03, 2013, 21:38:34 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu ,

thank Hutch - StLouis 1993 > AiA

Best to Walter



Date: Thurs, October 03, 2013, 20:08:54 ET
Posted by: wow, west of hollywood

a bunch of experts?

you critics should be in down in washington d.c.


Date: Thurs, October 03, 2013, 19:00:59 ET
Posted by: hoops, chicago

Like I posted on August 2, 2013:

"Then there's Walter's playing which has gotten even better. Solos are great from 'Josie' to 'Home At Last' to even a quirky end to 'Monkey In Your Soul,' as I hopefully have it down right. I kept pausing to think, 'Wow!'"


Date: Thurs, October 03, 2013, 18:10:39 ET
Posted by: Hume,

Show should be good.


Date: Thurs, October 03, 2013, 16:17:11 ET
Posted by: steelydoc, near the Revel

the BEACON THEATER has just posted on Facebook that the Steely Dan show for tonight is ON!!!!

Hope you're feeling no pain, Walter!!


Date: Thurs, October 03, 2013, 15:24:40 ET
Posted by: Chris, nh

KD, I'm with you 100% on this one. When I go back and forth between 2011 bootlegs and 2000 bootlegs, the difference is startling.


Date: Thurs, October 03, 2013, 11:47:22 ET
Posted by: KD, adsf

Really -- No, I wasn't. Referring to the last two tours, sadly.


Date: Thurs, October 03, 2013, 11:46:28 ET
Posted by: Stevie Dan, Philadelphia, PA

@ Hutch:
Wow, that's a great recording. Very cool to hear them from the first tour back. Seems like a soundboard to me. Thanks for posting! Great stuff!


Date: Thurs, October 03, 2013, 11:10:23 ET
Posted by: Hutch,

1993 in St. Louis. The whole show. Audio only.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekAyDSkHHsI


Date: Thurs, October 03, 2013, 10:33:01 ET
Posted by: Really?, h

Ok. So the night before. He was probably not feeling any better that night.


Date: Thurs, October 03, 2013, 10:31:31 ET
Posted by: Really?, y

We are bashing a guy for his performance at a concert he had to leave because of illness?


Date: Thurs, October 03, 2013, 08:50:59 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

Chris -- sometimes I can't believe that this is the same player we saw on the PBS special that was only 13-plus years ago. I'm not even comparing him to the guy from 'Black Friday' in 1975, this can't be blamed on not touching the guitar much in the early 1980s.

I hope he's doing better, but, yikes.


Date: Thurs, October 03, 2013, 08:40:06 ET
Posted by: Pastafarian, NY

The Flying Spaghetti Monster can sub for Walter. He's noodly.

http://freethoughtblogs.com/ashleymiller/files/2013/06/1768142.jpg


Date: Thurs, October 03, 2013, 02:15:01 ET
Posted by: Still Sparkin', Hong Kong

KzKzKz,

It's not often (more or less never) that I read anyone talking about Steely Dan's Aja, PF's Animals and Yes' Going for the One as monumental albums from their youth. But that's completely aligned with where I was musically at the time. I managed to see the Yes - Going for the One tour in 1977. I'm still a pretty big fan of all three bands.

Impressive that you've been to so many SD shows. Great to have the band come right to your neighborhood, I suppose.


Date: Wed, October 02, 2013, 23:44:47 ET
Posted by: Chris, nh

Yikes, Becker hit some real clunkers in that Godwhacker clip.


Date: Wed, October 02, 2013, 19:44:53 ET
Posted by: Denise, Hinktown

Kzkzkz, thanks for posting the Godwhacker clip.

Walter, sending positive vibes your way, feel better soon.


Date: Wed, October 02, 2013, 18:24:43 ET
Posted by: Stevie Dan, Philadelphia, PA

To Philly Dog:
If your planning to spend the whole day in town, spend the money for a parking lot nearby at 18th and Callowhill Sts. or behind the library at 19th and Callowhill Sts. If your just coming for the program and only plan to spend a few hours, just park on the Ben Franklin Parkway and buy a parking ticket at the Kiosk.


Date: Wed, October 02, 2013, 16:02:38 ET
Posted by: my easy chair, p

They didn't look that old. Now if they were to sit down next to each other in wheelchairs...


Date: Wed, October 02, 2013, 15:07:27 ET
Posted by: fagenism, She go (I cry)

Literally got a big lump in my throat seeing Don sit down next to Walt in that clip. The duo never looked quite that old to me before. Very bittersweet feeling. Get better, Maestro Becker!


Date: Wed, October 02, 2013, 14:47:41 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin,

So sad to read about Walter and his fever. Let's hope it's just a temporary thing.
Get well, Walter!


Date: Wed, October 02, 2013, 13:09:31 ET
Posted by: Phillydog, Bound

Stevie,

What's the best parking option? Thanks.


Date: Wed, October 02, 2013, 11:44:15 ET
Posted by: kzkzkz, ----

A couple more vids from Monday-
"Godwhacker" -
(One of my all-time favorite SD moments starts about 4:50 in when The Donald sits next to Walter.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSyDLuSMQDo

"Black Friday" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGgeKJs-eek


Date: Wed, October 02, 2013, 10:37:16 ET
Posted by: post, it

http://news.radio.com/2013/10/02/two-millennials-go-to-a-steely-dan-show-an-im-chat/


Date: Wed, October 02, 2013, 01:00:56 ET
Posted by: Stevie Dan, Philadelphia, PA

To Steely Don:
I've been to other author-book discussions at the Free Library of Phila. The room is a small and intimate, old auditorium in the basement in the Central branch of the library (seats 150 to 200ish). The library charges for some author events, however this one is free. I would get there 30 to 60 minutes early to make sure you get in. David Dye a long time Phila radio broadcaster (WXPN and national show The World Cafe) will be asking the questions. I don't know if they'll take questions from the audience (but if that's important to you, you could call and ask). My guess is the program will go 75 minutes. If you like architecture you'll enjoy roaming through the massive French neoclassical building designed by renowned Phila. architects Horace Trumbauer and Julian Abele.

And if you can make a day of it, spend time at the Barnes Foundation just across the street. The Barnes's museum has one of the largest collection of impressionist paintings in the world. It's an amazing and special place.


Date: Wed, October 02, 2013, 00:56:31 ET
Posted by: Don Patrol, Mtl

@ Reidar, Great that you made it again! Won't be able to make it this time, but saw a couple of shows early in the tour.Have a great time, and safe travels! You rock!


Date: Wed, October 02, 2013, 00:19:56 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

No Do it Again on GH night? Surprised since they had been playing it this tour


Date: Wed, October 02, 2013, 00:14:30 ET
Posted by: Bruce, Springfield, IL

Was there a replacement for Walter after he left the stage?


Date: Tues, October 01, 2013, 23:23:41 ET
Posted by: Reidar from Norway, @Upper East Side

Set list for the Greatest Hits Show:
Blueport Cover
YGT
Aja
19
Show Biz Kids
Black Cow
Black Friday
Time out of mine
Deacon Blues
Bodi
Rikki don't loose that number
FM
Don'ttake me alive
I want to (Brats singing and Donald doing the presentation)
Josie
Peg
My old School
Reelin' in the years
Kid Charlemain

Walter was sick so he left before Deacon Blues, he had a fever Donald told us and it was the first time he didn't finish a consert.
Donald said he should be ok for Thursday.
Lets hope so.
Get well Walter.


Date: Tues, October 01, 2013, 23:19:44 ET
Posted by: Jim'sDeadlySpree, Chicago

Will be in NYC Monday night for the show. Birthday present to myself.

Dinner recommendations in the neighborhood? Earlier poster mentioned a sushi joint - anything else worth noting?

Has anyone in the band been spotted after the show performing anywhere, or is it hit-or-miss?

Tanks.


Date: Tues, October 01, 2013, 21:33:33 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Regarding the deal between Azoff and the despicable Dolan clan, I seriously doubt SD will ever play The Forum. Anything is possible, I suppose, but that would be a horrible place for a Dan concert, IMO. Unless that is, it can be configured for a bit of intimacy and retain some quality of sound.


Date: Tues, October 01, 2013, 21:18:48 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

I would advise that you hurry on down asap


Date: Tues, October 01, 2013, 20:56:18 ET
Posted by: Bobby, CA

One hour can someone tweet or post the set??


Date: Tues, October 01, 2013, 20:16:10 ET
Posted by: clean willy, NYC

hey, im in nyc and thinkin of running down to catch the show -- anyone know what time the band actually hits the stage?
thanks


Date: Tues, October 01, 2013, 19:35:01 ET
Posted by: Swamper, Q

If you're in NY for the Beacon shows and looking for something else to do music related, check this movie out at the IFC center.

http://www.magpictures.com/muscleshoals/


Date: Tues, October 01, 2013, 12:56:57 ET
Posted by: Bookkeeper's Son, Florida

KZKZKZ:
Thank you for the post. I enjoyed the video clips. They didn't play Rikki in Clearwater, the show I attended. At the time I was okay with it as it is not one of my favorites. However seeing this performance at the Beacon changes my mind. I now wish it was in the Clearwater set list. Donald's vocals & Herington's solo were perfect. Not that I am complaining about the set list. As I stated in my comments about the show I saw, I am grateful for the opportunity to hear Steely Dan songs performed by such a talented group of musicians.

I was fortunate enough to see them on their first (and only?) national tour in 1974 (I think). They opened for Chicago. Cannot remember the set list after all these years, but I do recall enjoying their performance. At the time we just took it for granted they would be around every year or so, performing live. I would like to echo your "enjoy it while you can" comment.

It appears from the Beacon video that Walter's on-stage amp arsenal has grown since Clearwater. As was pointed out a while back, he is still in acquisition mode when it comes to equipment. Full blown G.A.S. (Gear Acquisition Syndrome). Fantastic.

Mark


Date: Tues, October 01, 2013, 11:32:37 ET
Posted by: kzkzkz, Thank You Donald, Walter & Co.

I remember going to the King's Plaza Mall in Brooklyn some 40 years ago. My parents drove me and a childhood friend who was making his first visit back to NY after moving south a few years prior. Guess I has 10 or 11. The am radio in the car was pumping out this tune, "Rikki Don't Lose That Number", my friend stated. Inside the mall, think it was a Sam Goody's (that was a record store for those too young)we looked valiantly and found that single (45 rpm record). I had heard some other Steely Dan tunes over the next few years, "Do It Again", "Reelin" In The Years","Green Earrings", but it was not till 1977 when their "Aja" album came out that I was hooked in the same way I am today. That was the greatest set of music I had ever heard, ok, along with 2 other 1977 releases; Pink Floyd's "Animals" and Yes' "Going For The One". At the time Steely Dan had stopped touring. What a shame. I said to myself and anyone within earshot that if they did ever tour again, I would see every show possible in the NYC tri-state area. Starting with The Donald's first appearances at the China and Cat Clubs, through those wonderful and amazing Lone Star Roadhouse gigs, I've come close to seeing all NYC shows; including the many multiple night Beacon runs. Roseland, Jones Beach, MSG etc. Nearly all. At least 30 or 40 I guess since '93 when they officially started to do it again. My work, or lack of work over the past couple of years has made it difficult to go as often as I'd like to, but with a day off yesterday and a few bucks in my pocket I went to the Beacon box office about 3pm and scored an amazing seat for another viewing (my 6th) of the "Aja" album.
Thank you again, Donald + Walter for assembling such a wonderful band to showcase this brilliance. Mere words can not describe my feelings after seeing this album performed again in it's entirety. Wonderful sound at the Beacon last night. As Walter said during his "Hey 19" monologue, "Enjoy it while you can kids, this can't go on forever."
Take his advise folks, quit yer bitching about setlists and ENJOY IT WHILE YOU CAN!!! I know I did. Hoping to catch a few more this run. I'll update after those shows if/ when that happens. For now, please enjoy these ditties from last night :


Aja - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LJI77rwIno
H@L - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=im3XM_zHSsk
Rikki - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mefXunNMlr4


Date: Tues, October 01, 2013, 11:25:07 ET
Posted by: LInk, 2

This link doesn't require a subscription.

http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/digital-and-mobile/5680140/irving-azoff-and-madison-square-garden-co-announce-300


Date: Tues, October 01, 2013, 11:23:11 ET
Posted by: WSJ, online

According to this, you can expect shows at the LA Forum on future tours.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323893004579055590298180458.html


Date: Tues, October 01, 2013, 11:18:13 ET
Posted by: Reidar from Norway, Presently in New York City

To Jazz: You bet I am, all seven shows as in 2011. It might become a tradition doing this:-)
You might call me a little bit more than just interested.

Met old friends last night and hoping to see a few familiar faces throught the next week or so. To all: The Amsterdam Ale House is the place to meet up before the shows.


Date: Tues, October 01, 2013, 11:01:15 ET
Posted by: SteelyDon, She smile...She Laugh...She Stay wit Me

I am thinking about going to the book signing event in Philadelphia. I will have to travel from Richmond VA to do so. Does anyone have any insight to how the event will run. Seems like this will not actually be a book signing. But will their be an audience Q & A. Does anyone think this is worth going to or IS anyone going?


Date: Tues, October 01, 2013, 10:22:48 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, Norway, too

Reidar, are you attending the full Beacon run this year like you did in 2011?
If so, you must be a Dan loony even further beyond help than myself, which is quite an accomplishment! :D

I wish you a great stay in NYC and some truly magic nights with Steely Dan!


Date: Tues, October 01, 2013, 08:26:57 ET
Posted by: susan , USA

If you haven't yet checked out Jon Herington's CD "Time On My Hands" we have a price that fits every budget- it is "name Your Price" download all month at http://www.jonherington.com/music.html you can download the CD for as little as one cent. If you already have it- please share with a friend and VOTE for Jon Herington for Vintage Guitar Album of the Year http://www.vintageguitar.com/hall-of-fame/
Thanks all!

Warm Regards

Susan


Date: Tues, October 01, 2013, 00:05:56 ET
Posted by: Reidar from Norway, At present New York City

Set list for the first Beacon show was the same as the Aja Show in Boston.
After Aja:

YGT
Rikki
19
Show Biz Kids
Black Friday
Time out of mine
Godwahcker
Daddy don't....
Bodi
I want to do everything for you
My old school
Reelin'
Kid C
Untouchable Theme


Date: Mon, September 30, 2013, 23:22:57 ET
Posted by: Hackensack, missouri

Mr lapage. Of course I would agree. However given my experiences at concerts including SD...people are always taking to each other, texting, on Internet, being up to get drinks(nothing wrong with drinking) and missing 1/4 of the concert etc etc.


Date: Mon, September 30, 2013, 22:29:59 ET
Posted by: tact, poise and reason, I asked for a lift

As the tour has progressed, and based on DFs pre-tour statement, I've suspected that Weather In My Head would make an appearance at some point. I thought that song would be the most probable of the SC songs to be played. Time is running short, but I remain hopeful. Any thoughts? Will we hear any SC this week? Weather or something else?


Date: Mon, September 30, 2013, 22:23:38 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

I sure would hope that anyone at the Beacon show right now wouldn't be concerned about posting setlists during the show, and are enjoying the music instead


Date: Mon, September 30, 2013, 20:42:33 ET
Posted by: Hackensack, missouri

Please. If someone is at beacon show tonight please post setlist. Of course the first 7 songs we already know what will be. Hourly the rest of it will be somewhat altered from the norm of the tour


Date: Mon, September 30, 2013, 20:38:37 ET
Posted by: BOB,

Ahny news from the Beacon tonight???


Date: Mon, September 30, 2013, 20:33:08 ET
Posted by: lovethisgig, Atlanta

:)


Date: Mon, September 30, 2013, 20:32:34 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

Re the comments about the bad sound at the Sands in Bethlehem, it's too bad the Dan didn't play at the acoustically perfect Zoellner Theater on Lehighs campus. Only holds 1000 but that is where they held the North East Art Rock Festival (best prog festival ever) for over a decade, and it would be sublime to hear SD in that pristine hall.


Date: Mon, September 30, 2013, 18:56:33 ET
Posted by: hoops, chicago

Thanks for your patience. Things should be back to normal (i.e. name calling, shallow opinions, anonymous hate speech, etc.).

Carry on.

Jim


Date: Mon, September 30, 2013, 08:24:50 ET
Posted by: Big Fan, still working

I can't wait for the Beacon show next Saturday. I actually had Stubhub up the day before the shows were announced looking at tickets to Foxwoods trying to find decent seats and I was so disappointed that this was only possible show I could see them at. I haven't missed a tour since 93 but had sort of resolved that this was it. I've sworn I'd never go back to Foxwoods with the 90 minute only sets and terrible acoustics, but the announcement of the Beacon shows changed all of that. We are planning a busy trip. We are going to attend the undefeated Lehigh at undefeated Fordham football game at noon in the Bronx which most likely is for the Patriot League championship and the automatic FCS bid to the playoffs. Then check into our hotel and walk to the Amsterdam Ale House for dinner just before the show. Sunday morning we are going to go to the Space Shuttle museum. This will be a very cathartic trip for me to see the Shuttle after working on it for over 30 years. As I also near retirement in the next 2 or 3 years to see the most complex machine ever made by man no longer being used and with no US replacement in sight is very sad. The Shuttle on display there is the Enterprise which never actually went into space but was the first one built and was used for ground vibration testing. It's funny the last job I'll probably work on is using old Shuttle engine parts to retrofit in Boeing's new heavy lift vehicle. I tried to talk the wife into going across the bridge to see the Eagles Giants game at the Meadowlands at 1 on Sunday after the tour (plenty of seats available) but she drew the line at that idea.


Date: Mon, September 30, 2013, 02:26:53 ET
Posted by: Citizen Cane,


You kids get off my lawn!


Date: Sun, September 29, 2013, 23:37:20 ET
Posted by: Sparkle of your China, NYC

http://img220.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=511286658_dfferrarri_122_645lo.jpg


Date: Sun, September 29, 2013, 22:07:14 ET
Posted by: Retired contributor, Belleview Morgue

Young Wu - check your email as soon as you can.


Date: Sun, September 29, 2013, 20:48:40 ET
Posted by: David I, Hartford

I was at Foxwoods for my first ever Steely Dan show last night - it was fantastic in every respect. I did, however, pull a classic first-SD show move - I stared at the Borderline Brats for almost the entire show. I can't recall if I looked at Walter Becker.

r>

Date: Sun, September 29, 2013, 19:15:15 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Yes, Young Wu, the setlist this tour has been fairly static. Even when compared to the relatively static setlists of the past couple tours.

With that said, the setlist this year is phenomenal. I am shocked that anyone seeing a show would have any complaints about it. The band is in superb form and several of the songs have been heavily re-arranged. Of the dozen + SD shows I have seen (I know that isn't many compared to others on this board) this years's show might have been the best.


Date: Sun, September 29, 2013, 18:10:56 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

Hopefully I don't cause anyone to go into fits of hysterics, but these are the most static Steely Dan setlists I've ever seen...


Date: Sun, September 29, 2013, 17:13:27 ET
Posted by: Snake Mary, Detroit

Sometime lurker and infrequent poster returning to the tour from my self-imposed exile after being banished from the Gorge in 2003 by the HOB management for my too real Engorgement souvenir laminates.

Really looking forward to performances of Royal Scam and Gaucho at the Beacon this week, as well as sharing the things we know and love with those of our kind.

Will be bringing the taste you've been waiting for...


Date: Sun, September 29, 2013, 15:05:24 ET
Posted by: 30ips, Woodmont on the Sound

Am I the only list reader who went to the Foxwoods show last night? They were just great, with crystal-clear sound, top to bottom. Last time I saw SD was at Tanglewood, and you could not hear Herrington. Well, last night they had him cranked up, and he did not disappoint, nailing all the classic leads plus injecting very tasty licks of his own. I am not a true fanatic, but I know the catalog pretty well, and they played three tunes I have never heard. The band was just on fire, and Donald in fine voice. Sadly, Walter did not do well on the Daddy/NYC vocal - he kinda talked his way through it. Still, it was OK. The Brats were fantastic, and this time you could hear 'em. A super-cool night...I hope you were there. Walked by the FOH console on the way out, and they are still using the MIDAS board - sounds amazing.


Date: Sun, September 29, 2013, 11:55:25 ET
Posted by: Stevie Dan, Philadelphia, PA

Thanks to all for the feedback on the sound at The Sands.


Date: Sun, September 29, 2013, 08:02:00 ET
Posted by: Michael, @Jim

I'd love to hear your rendition. Keep me posted.


Date: Sun, September 29, 2013, 02:49:05 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

EC, you still don't get it, and hilariously enough as others have noted, you are a nasty hypocrite who can't get out of the way of your own double standards, and it appears you don't play well with others, both on the internets and in person by your own admission.I am sure you will now come up with some other irrelevant misanthropic response. Have fun listening to your Toby Keith records.


Date: Sat, September 28, 2013, 23:02:14 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello, Baton Rouge

@ Stevie Dan and for those of you wondering, I believe that Steely Dan still tours with the Meyer sound system provided by Thunder Audio. Here is some info from the 2007 tour, which was the most recent I could find: http://mixonline.com/mixline_live/steely-dan-meyer-070507/. The Thunder Audio web site lists SD as a current client.


Date: Sat, September 28, 2013, 22:33:25 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello, Baton Rouge

@Michael: I haven't forgotten about Modern Girl. I have some other projects that were queued up. I just finished working on Rondo Hatton's new record. They are a local Tex-Mex/Surf band. Imagine Pulp Fiction meets Los Lobos... No vocals.


Date: Sat, September 28, 2013, 22:26:46 ET
Posted by: Mr. sands man, Bethlehem

Stevie, the band carries its own sound system. Apparently this was the worst place they played all tour. The sound ricochets off the back walls, making it difficult for the band to hear and play. Nothing can be done by the FOH sound guy...he's at the mercy of the venue. It's a bad place for a show. Updraught was right.


Date: Sat, September 28, 2013, 21:57:31 ET
Posted by: Michael, very confused right now

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FL2SPo1Kjs


Date: Sat, September 28, 2013, 21:56:25 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Jazzassin, agreed re: Dr. John.

There are others as well. I was mostly targeting "popular" non-jazz music in my post. But you are right on the money, and there are more if you consider artists outside of the "mainstream".

Still there are other non-jazz/classical/folk/bluegrass artists who have a varied and interesting career, seemingly untouched by fame and fortune. Joe Jackson comes to mind. While I'm not crazy about every turn he takes, I do respect his career path.


Date: Sat, September 28, 2013, 21:52:38 ET
Posted by: henrod, NY

I'll be at the Gaucho show this Friday night at the Beacon. I originally swore off this rounf of shows, having gone to 8 of them in the past couple of years, but a buddy sucked me into it. Can't say I'm upset about it. For sushi fans - Fusha West, around the corner from the Beacon - 311 Amsterdam - is fantastic. A couple of years ago I ate dinner with Don's keyboard tech at the sushi bar - can't remember his name, but he hails from Jamaica. The island, not the city.


Date: Sat, September 28, 2013, 20:58:27 ET
Posted by: Hutch,

Jive Miguel - Excellent review. Yes Don's voice is in tip top shape.
Looking at the Manassas show I see Walter playing what looks like a vintage Fender Strat on a few songs. Wonder if it's a '54.


Date: Sat, September 28, 2013, 20:05:14 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, Lower 911

tripstar,

I couldn't agree more about the Satin Doll arr.
I even mentioned here a few years ago. Dr.John's home made intro/outro part is really Dan-esque as it gets, and as D&W's love for The Duke's music & methods is widely known amongst musicians, I don't think it's a long shot at all to assume it was done on purpose.

Jive Miguel: Nice review! Thanks.


Date: Sat, September 28, 2013, 19:42:54 ET
Posted by: tripstar,

Jazzassin: Re Dr. John's relatively recent output: Agreed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4qav9FpmKg

My favourite track off of "Duke Elegant". It always seemed to me that Rebennack was channelling SD when he arranged this cover of "Satin Doll": the infamous "Steely Dan beat", the way the intro modulates into the verses and the verses into the outro, the sparse but tasteful comping, the fine solos... Incidentally, his guitarrist at the time was Bobby Broom, who's opening for SD this summer I believe. And what a nice understated solo he plays here. All in all, one of the more SD-sounding non-SD tunes I've ever heard.


Date: Sat, September 28, 2013, 19:42:02 ET
Posted by: info, q

Haven't seen this event posted yet.

An Evening with Steely Dan's DONALD FAGEN
Swedish American Hall
San Francisco, CA
Nov 06, 2013 7:30 PM

http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/448019


Date: Sat, September 28, 2013, 18:45:16 ET
Posted by: Jive Miguel, Bogata

Some thoughts on last night's Sands Casino show...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7n84YtXTCLk

This vid shows our approximate vantage point. This could well be the guy sitting right next to me. We were 2nd row, right side, directly facing the Brats, about 25 ft from Donald.

This was my 12 SD show (2nd this season), and I can say that, without question, that this is THE most talented, energized iteration of this band I've ever watched. Of course, it starts and ends with Donald. He's having a blast, and the team is feeding off his vibe. I've heard that he worked hard in the "off season" with a voice coach, and the results are obvious and striking. A good friend said recently that as Don's pipes wear down and fade, Steely Dan will move on and replace him with a younger, more agile singer (sort of like what Ian Anderson has recently done). I say no way. This band is a direct extension of Donald's mind, vision, attitude, heart and soul. He's turned the clock back at least a decade, confidently hitting notes with power, ease and precision that I have not heard in a long, long time. The horn section, from Roger, to Walt, to Michael to Jim, were so locked in as an ensemble, and each had plenty of time to demonstrate their formidable solo chops. Jim Beard is elegant and versatile, Freddie is right on time, Keith Carlock is almost inhuman, the Brats are soulful and pitch-perfect, Walter was tasty and concise, and Mr. Herington nailed every searing lick. You've been there, so you know.

The Sands? Mediocre at best. It's a big black box with folding chairs and less than optimal acoustics. The crowd was truly into it, feeding of the band's energy, a refreshing departure from past "casino crowds" I've experienced. The only negatives were the woman sitting 3 seats away to the right, who was "3 sheets to the wind" before the show started, and who screamed and yammered at all the wrong times. The other was the dude in the 3rd row, sitting behind us, about 5 seats to our left, who unfortunately knew every lyric to every song, and somehow believed that we all came to the Steely Dan show and dished out $100+ to listen to his tortured, sometimes flat, sometimes sharp, always annoying version of "Karaoke Night at the Sands".

All in all, a brilliant night with the best freaking band in the land.


Date: Sat, September 28, 2013, 16:38:16 ET
Posted by: Toby, N

Bad reviews on Yelp for the Sands. Glad I didn't go.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/sands-event-center-bethlehem


Date: Sat, September 28, 2013, 16:34:36 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, Old foxes that still jumps

KD,

From the top of my head one name comes to mind at least, namely The Good Doctor John McRebenack (Dr.John). His output in the late 90's, '00s and '10s is of no less quality than his earlier records.
I'm particulary fond of a couple of his tribute records like Duke Elegant (Ellington Tribute) from 1999 and Mercernary (Johnny Mercer tribute) from 2006, but also his original material from recent years is well worth a listen imo. I'm not saying they're better than e.g. what I regard as his masterpiece; "City Lights" (1978), but they're pretty damned fine records all of them anyway.


Date: Sat, September 28, 2013, 16:19:06 ET
Posted by: EQ, o

Makes sense that the sound at Sands would be....grainy.


Date: Sat, September 28, 2013, 15:33:17 ET
Posted by: Updraught, Philly Area

Stevie Dan:

Consensus is that the Sands Casino Event Center has terrible sound, nothing the band could do to improve the sound.


Date: Sat, September 28, 2013, 13:20:41 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

Probably the wrong thing to bring up during heady Steely Dan days, probably something better suited for the slow winter, but this could be a good back and forth regarding recent releases from people some of us know about and enjoy (and have older albums of), but haven't touched into lately. I just realized I kind of paraphrased Van the Man, there.

Going along the Van thread, I'm a huge Nick Lowe/Rockpile/Dave Edmunds fan. And I think Nick's last five albums are the best things he's ever done. Even ahead of the late 1970s brilliance.

I know some Dylan fans may chime in along these lines, but who else is quietly bringing the goods these days, 30 or 40 years after their last Rolling Stone cover?


Date: Sat, September 28, 2013, 13:03:57 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

David I,

Van Morrison and Steely Dan are my two favorite non-jazz artists.

As for "more recent" output, Van's work in this century is just outstanding, IMO. What's Wrong With This Picture and Magic Time rank with the best of his albums, IMO. I understand, of course, if one or two of his ventures doesn't appeal to all fans. That's part of the charm, really. Van does things on his own terms and doesn't give a rat's ass what you think about it. He clearly has no interest in fame or overall popular acceptance. THAT is music to my ears.

I remember my first SD concert--though that memory blurs with the years. It was an enormous thrill of a lifetime. The two-set setlist was varied and inspired. But to be honest, the most recent concert was better in terms of musicianship, overall tightness and sound.


Date: Sat, September 28, 2013, 12:49:22 ET
Posted by: Stevie Dan, Philadelphia, PA

Last night:
The Bethlehem venue - Sands Casino - is brutal. The sound was maybe the worst I've experienced in 35 years of shows. I'm curious whose speakers/sound system were being used. Does the band tour with their own speakers from show to show or do they just use the venues speakers? Anybody know? I think the relatively low ceiling hindered the sound too. Seems surprising that the bands sound engineers couldn't adapt - but I guess if the room is badly designed for sound there's only so much you can do? There's acoustical tiles on the walls, but they don't seem to do squat. The friend I went with is a Steely Dan fan for years but had never seen them live - he was thoroughly impressed with the bands performance, but very disappointed with the sound.

The room is a small, ugly rectangle box with no tasteful design elements. It's the size a high school gym. Capacity of the place is 2250 for a seated show. The only thing good about this place is that no seat is too far from the stage.

The boys and the band were great as always - very tight the whole night. Once I made peace and accepted the horrific sound - I was able to enjoy and appreciate the performance for the greatness that it is. Set list was the standard one of the tour.

The Lehigh Valley crowd was clearly a "greatest hits" type crowd - but at least they didn't talk during the show.


Date: Sat, September 28, 2013, 12:33:12 ET
Posted by: David I, Hartford

Off to see my first SD show tonight at Foxwoods. At age 46 I am rather late to the party but I have been immersed in Steely Dan and Fagen within the last year. I have enjoyed reading the comments here during the course of the tour, and while I may also appreciate deeper set list or solo work, since this is my first show, I know I will be enthralled with whatever I get.

I cannot wait to have the experience in person - see the musicianship, feel the music, share the event with a crowd.

I am a long time Van Morrison fan and am part of his fan sites. Its interesting to compare comments and themes between the 2 sets of fans. There are common issues - setlists that do not meet everyone's tastes, debate about recent output, comparison of touring bands and performances.

There may be differences of opinion on the quality of a SD show, but it seems like they have the consistency that Van lacks - seeing Van you may experience a 75 - 90 min set where he is mailing it in. At least on this tour, it seems like SD are putting in the effort night by night.

So this is my virgin Steely Dan concert experience. Do you remember your first time?


Date: Sat, September 28, 2013, 12:23:23 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Ed, good to hear The Tralf is still kicking. For some reason I thought it closed a few years ago. I see from their website they no longer stick to a jazz-heavy lineup, though it seems they still have the occasional jazzy artist.

I'm old enough to have been a semi-regular at the original Tralf when Spyro Gyra would play for a $1 cover (trust me, they were a damn fine band back in the day). I had some great times in the new location, too. But you are right about the noise and incessant talking during the show, at times. For the David Grisman Quintet, they had little signs on every table explaining it was an acoustic show, and asking the audience to be courteous and keep discussions to a minimum during the performance. What a shame that something like that even has to be posted.


Date: Sat, September 28, 2013, 11:30:55 ET
Posted by: EC, NY

Hi Tripstar, what set me off last night was one poster who berated another with personal insults, which I hate to read here or elsewhere (I've been called a "stupid chink" on another board a few times recently), about not doing something that he then turned right around and did himself.

My comment back in that early summer post, if I recall correctly, was just a smartass remark referencing the discussion at the time about Pharrell and other hip hop/pop artists. I'm not the biggest or most knowledgeable Pharrell fan, but I do like some of his stuff and I thought his reference to DF in the linked interview was a nice touch and strictly respectful.

A few years ago, at The Tralf in Buffalo, I sat at a table with 3 others who talked loudly, non stop, about Al Di Meola ("who do you think is better?", and so on), during an acoustic set by Steve Howe. It wrecked the show for me. The "no hip hop, no frontin" comment you refer to was just an attempt at humor - a friendly warning to anyone who might want to spend the entire Dan show beside me talking my ear off about a Blubook conversation during every song.

I know it can be tough to catch everyone's intentions or sense of humor every time, the printed word on a computer screen etc., especially without body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice as a guide. Sometimes I find I disagree with some of those "star writers" as you facetiously call them, but even when one of those guys comes up with something way over the top, I never feel the urge to try and counter their opinions with schoolyard insults or name calling. I can usually see the entertainment value of a well written post, and on occasion it even looks to me like one or 2 of them might actually enjoy getting under our collective skin.

Cheers,
Ed


Date: Sat, September 28, 2013, 11:17:43 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Regarding the Don and Tom tapes--or at least what I know of them through Don's old site (which I still miss--the Facebook thing is a joke):

If I were Tom and Don, I think I'd prefer people to think we were stoned--as that would be a far better excuse for it being so unfunny than is "being silly".


Date: Sat, September 28, 2013, 10:59:28 ET
Posted by: PGE, nursing a cold

Re: Tom & Don Tapes

Let's not forget the album comes complete with seven short musical interludes ranging from 9 to 21 seconds. Titled Jest 1, Jest 2, Jest 3 and so on with Jest 1 appearing in a "reprise" version.

Jest 5 and 6 both have the Steely Dan/Donald Fagen sound, but I expect all of them being small "tonal scibblings" from DF?

So in order to copmplete your collection... ;)


Date: Sat, September 28, 2013, 10:45:04 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, everybody must get silly

If you say so, Sir. I stand corrected, and will write 50 times on the blackboard:

Silly, not stoned. Silly, not stoned. Silly, not stoned. Silly, not stoned. Silly, not stoned.

Multiply with 10.


Date: Sat, September 28, 2013, 10:20:13 ET
Posted by: D&T,

Dear Jazzassin -

Just for the record Don and Tom were NOT "two very stoned friends" at the time of the tapings. SILLY, very. STONED, no.

I Hope this helps.


Date: Sat, September 28, 2013, 06:20:09 ET
Posted by: trpstar,

EC (from NY): Not to put too fine a point on it, but while I totally agree that one shouldn't dismiss whole genres (ANY genre) with vapid generalizations, I also think one should "walk it like one talks it", so to speak. A while back, you offered an extra ticket for one of the tour's first gigs to someone who had to be "STRICTLY NON-HIP HOP". This was after a short-lived discussion/argument on the merits (or lack thereof) of certain "artists" in certain "genre". Will the real EC (from NY) please stand up? Should we or shouldn't we "piss on something a lot of us love" with "sweeping comments" that "belittle the musical tastes of others"? I, unlike a few Bluebook "star writers" who only seem to get out of their coffins to diss other people's tastes, firmly believe we shouldn�t. What about you? I just hope you're not as "irritating and sanctimonious" as you sounded like a couple months back. Or maybe you've seen the light since then.


Date: Sat, September 28, 2013, 04:51:16 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, Just say no

Re: Tom & Don Tapes

Matt, what seemed like a very funny night of fake interviews by two very stoned friends might sometimes turn out to be mostly a waste of perfectly good DAT tapes the day after.
Allthough some of it still is funny to some of us. But that probably says more about some of us than about the actual tapes.
I won't go as far as to say it's a generous contribution to the "Say no to drugs" campaign, but at least it should be able to teach the kids to say no to microphones.

We first learned this from Don's old webpage (RIP), where excerpts from the fine colombian dialogues were first made available to us.

The webpage in mention can still be found by crawling the web archives inside the way back machine, and this is the safe harbour you should navigate to:

http://web.archive.org/web/20120219040849/http://www.donaldfagen.com/newfeature.php

If you're not familiar with Tom Schiller, take a quick visit to his Wiki entry here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Schiller

No bogarting, Tom!


Date: Fri, September 27, 2013, 23:30:37 ET
Posted by: Matt, London

I may be late to the party here, what is this about? Tom & Dom Tapes V 1

I'd like to say it's funny, but it's, er, mostly not. kinda lame -

http://open.spotify.com/album/0QYYxR3SlR5aTzfjQQvLfd


Date: Fri, September 27, 2013, 21:51:59 ET
Posted by: WhackedBy11Trax, NYC

@SteelyDom
Beacon Loge is generally best if you choose the first few rows. After that you are under the overhang of the balcony and some say the sound is not as good. I have been in row F and it wasn't bad. Orchestra is good AA thru N although the far sides may have some blind spots. At row O, and further back, on the right, you have the soundboard and some people don't like sitting over there due to obstructed view. The sound over there is fine though as is in most of orchestra save for the far back seats rows R through Z where you have an overhang of the loge and people milling about. The last few rows are not a fav of mine for that reason. All that said, there are really no bad seats in the Beacon although the upper balcony is not for those with vertigo, for certain.
Enjoy. Its all good.


Date: Fri, September 27, 2013, 21:27:40 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Digging Helmet of Gnats right now.

Thanks for the tip.


Date: Fri, September 27, 2013, 21:07:41 ET
Posted by: EC, NY

Oh, and a sincere apology to anyone who's sick of reading this kind of stuff especially during tour time. I just had my fill of the personalized attacks and the obvious double standard.


Date: Fri, September 27, 2013, 21:03:42 ET
Posted by: EC, NY

Nice try,"LaPage" - your attempt at recovery sounds like dimwit Brooke Shields after she slipped and fell while trying to be funny on a late nite talk show some years back.

"I meant to do that". Of course.

But if you re-read the noisy & insulting stuff you've posted here in the past day or so, the flaccid explanation doesn't wash, does it?

You also contemptuously dismissed the bulk of today's New Country music with your sweeping comments, again pissing on something a lot of people love (myself included), and again in doing so contradicting your own self-imposed "standards" of not dismissing an entire genre.

You weren't employing irony, dude, you were blustering like a loudmouth internet jackass who thinks his opinion is the only one that counts. And you've been caught red handed. And you're still not even a bit funny.

Here's the deal: Most people come here during a Steely Dan tour for concert info and updates, not to read the ramblings of some clown who's easily impressed by his own severely limited opinions.

I won't clog this board up any further pointing out what an irritating sanctimonious fraud you are. I'm headed to NYC in two days where I hope to meet a bunch of fellow Danfans who don't spend their entire day on the internet belittling the writing of others and musical tastes of strangers.


Date: Fri, September 27, 2013, 20:52:01 ET
Posted by: Hutch,

harmolodic - I want to thank you for posting the link to the Manassas show. It is indeed the ENTIRE show and recorded from about the 2nd or 3rd row with amazing video clarity and sound for an audience recording. If it is you my friend who got this I commend you! Obviously the person getting this had a perfect knowledge of the music, solos, etc.
This was Aja album night too!

I've seen a couple of shows at the Nissan (now Jiffy Lube) pavilion in Manassas. Didn't see the legendary one from '96 but my first live SD show was the night before in Va. Beach. Couldn't swing a ticket this year but this is more than I could possibly ask for as a substitute.
Thanks!


Date: Fri, September 27, 2013, 20:46:37 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu,



Annete Peacock - I actually like her punk jazz delivery with Bruford. Her solo stuff one moment sounds Bitches Brew brilliant...other times like Laura Nyro on acid filtered through Yoko Ono.

AP looked quite photogenic on that Old Grey Whistlestop VHS clip, although other times more like Patti Smith after a rough night.


She and her husband Gary Peacock must have been a pair back in the day. I think they have a daughter in the business.


Date: Fri, September 27, 2013, 19:07:36 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello, Baton Rouge

Re: the Hatfields, I should say Richard Sinclair on Bass and Vocals. The late Pip Pyle was on drums and wrote many fine songs. Their guitar player was Phil Miller, who wrote this gem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QJ6XUDga8s


Date: Fri, September 27, 2013, 18:56:55 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello, Baton Rouge

@Sherman, Quincy MA: "the band that Bill Bruford formed with Holdsworth, Dave Stewart and Jeff Berlin in the late '70's. Excellent Canterbury jazz-rock fusion." What was the name of that band?

I lived in England in the early 70's and was a big fan of Caravan, who I got to see in their original lineup. Got to see Dave Stewart in his band Egg. However, my all-time favorite "Canterbury Sound" band was Hatfield and the North. Never saw them live, but it featured Richard Sinclair on Bass and Dave Stewart on Keys. Very impressive.


Date: Fri, September 27, 2013, 18:03:33 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

EC, I made the Big Hair Cheese Metal comparison that way on purpose. Thanks for catching on. But hey, thanks for the post game wrap up. A little flawed and skewed in accuracy, but oh well.


Date: Fri, September 27, 2013, 16:34:16 ET
Posted by: EC, NY

@ "LaPage": You just went off several times on a poster who wrote some funny stuff about one individual band he dislikes (as an Asia fan right from the first album, I happen to disagree with him strongly on that one, but those posts were pretty funny and had a noticeable tongue in cheek tone I thought). You throw around pointless insults ("horse's arse", "dweeb", "sexual encounter with a guy in a thong", etc.) and then next you start on another regular poster about how fundamentally wrong you think it is for him to dismiss any style of music....and then you completely slam "Big Hair 80s Cheese Metal" as you call it, even going so far as to call it, "a far more vapid and inane and silly genre of music". Quoted in your own words.

Apparently it's fine for YOU to piss all over something that someone else might enjoy. It seems there is no respectful dialog with you, just your noisy opinions backed up with personal insults or accusations aimed at those who dare to state another view. BTW at the Dan show outside of Buffalo back in July I mentioned The Bluebook to a couple of people I met there. They just laughed and said something like, "No thanks, too many loudmouth types picking fights with strangers and too much juvenile name calling".

The truth is, one person's "vapid and inane" might just be another's pure gold. In the end, dude, you just showed yourself to be just as bad as the very worst of internet hypocrite loudmouths. And you're not even a bit funny.


Date: Fri, September 27, 2013, 14:25:09 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, @Mr LaPage

Re: Helmet of Gnats

Now that's something! Thanks. :o)


Date: Fri, September 27, 2013, 14:23:48 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

LaPage, I never said Prog-Rock was as bad in their stereotypes as Metal, Country, Hip-Hop, etc are in theirs. I just offered my thoughts on that genre's particularly vile flaws---IMO as always.

Truth is, some of my favorite albums are early efforts by bands whose later output makes me nauseous. For a number of reasons, it's simply very hard to maintain that excellent creative standard (free of the pressures of the biz, ego, and constraints of innate creative limitation) to continue to produce top notch shit.

And while my collection is necessarily limited by my snobbery, most everyone (with any real music sensibility--and the people I tend to hang with) seems happy when I play music from my collection. It would be a REAL burden if I only like one or two styles of music. But since I like a precious few from just about all genres I am quite content.


Date: Fri, September 27, 2013, 13:35:20 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

So The Dean, what do you have, like 12 CDs in your entire collection?
While I agree there is a lot of crap out there, you pretty much dissed an entire genre of music and way overstated the case. I thought maybe you were related to Jann Wenner or something. And most of your harsh criticisms really would have more accurately described Big Hair 80s Cheese Metal, a far more vapid and inane and silly genre of music that had none of the redeeming qualities of true progressive rock. Or if you really want to slag something as blatantly money grubbing, how bout contemporary country corporate rock, the sales of which renders the whole history of prog rock but a tiny blip on the radar in comparison, with the exception of Pink Floyd


Date: Fri, September 27, 2013, 13:20:10 ET
Posted by: David Byrne, New York

Cure your melophobia here. http://tinyurl.com/mgqnyxx


Date: Fri, September 27, 2013, 11:53:42 ET
Posted by: Michael,

Did you know that some people suffer from something called melophobia, a fear of music? That includes fear of music instruments.


Date: Fri, September 27, 2013, 11:40:20 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Mr LaPage,

If it makes you feel any better I think at least 90%+ of ALL music is crap, irrespective of the genre. Pedestrian, derivative garbage! Some genres have a higher crap ratio than others, IMO--but let's face it, the creme de la creme of any type of music is a very small percentage.

And most genres have their own stereotypes and caricatures that tend to be overused and become a laughable joke. The overbearing, self-important singers just happen to be the curse of the Prog-rock bands, IMO of course. And, just for the record, you don't have to be a soprano to be a "high-singer". Michael McDonald is a high singer, IMO--mostly suited for backup work. I'm not usually a big fan of his lead-vocal style--too much of a "good" thing. At least he has the good sense to not project a ridiculous ROCK STAR vibe while in concert.


Date: Fri, September 27, 2013, 06:39:46 ET
Posted by: Steely Dom, London

Can any seasoned visitors to the Beacon in New York help me? I've not been there before, want to buy a ticket to one of the upcoming Dan shows, but have to choose between side of the loge, back of the loge, or, say, side of row N of the orchestra (for the kind of sub-$200 money I'm willing to spend). Can anyone suggest which would be my best option?Many thanks.


Date: Fri, September 27, 2013, 01:19:09 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, Oops

Whoops, sorry, don't know what happened there.


Date: Fri, September 27, 2013, 01:15:45 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

Doc Mu, what did you think of the eccentric Annette Peacock from Brufords band out of curiosity?

Did you catch any UK 'reunion' shows with Jobson, Wetton in the last few years? I saw them play at the last Nearfest and it was stunning. Gary Husband on drums, Alex Macachik on guitar, who did a fine job. They did Nevermore. The sound was incredible. Wetton sang the KC tunes Starless and Book of Saturday.His bass playing on Starless was jaw dropping.


Date: Fri, September 27, 2013, 01:14:59 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

Doc Mu, what did you think of the eccentric Annette Peacock from Brufords band out of curiosity?

Did you catch any UK 'reunion' shows with Jobson, Wetton in the last few years? I saw them play at the last Nearfest and it was stunning. Gary Husband on drums, Alex Macachik on guitar, who did a fine job. They did Nevermore. The sound was incredible. Wetton sang the KC tunes Starless and Book of Saturday.His bass playing on Starless was jaw dropping.


Date: Fri, September 27, 2013, 01:14:51 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

Doc Mu, what did you think of the eccentric Annette Peacock from Brufords band out of curiosity?

Did you catch any UK 'reunion' shows with Jobson, Wetton in the last few years? I saw them play at the last Nearfest and it was stunning. Gary Husband on drums, Alex Macachik on guitar, who did a fine job. They did Nevermore. The sound was incredible. Wetton sang the KC tunes Starless and Book of Saturday.His bass playing on Starless was jaw dropping.


Date: Fri, September 27, 2013, 00:54:28 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

I always love when people try to slag an entire genre of music in one fell swoop with silly and simplistic generalizations and ridiculous over the top analogies. It's akin to dismissing the entire history of jazz music by dissing Kenny G or something. Last time I checked, Wetton was a baritone not a soprano. Greg Lake, David Gilmour etc as full throated as they come. 80% of what I listen to is progressive rock, both 'old school' and newer and current, and it's the one genre of rock which provides the depth and meaning and complexity which makes it continually rewarding. In its heyday, it pushed the boundaries of composition and creativity like nothing else this side of Ornette Coleman.
And artists like Steven Wilson are still doing it. Slagging an entire genre of music as worthless is the lazy way out of actually having to come up with something substantive to contribute.


Date: Fri, September 27, 2013, 00:23:12 ET
Posted by: Al, B

Forward Girl. Free shoes for you if you come to Chicago!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPrZZUuxXaU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihsfVEFvrxA


Date: Thurs, September 26, 2013, 23:59:40 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu,

UK1 could go fusion, and it's no coincidence that they sound at the best like the Bruford solo albums

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FGTaxtSy_k


Nevermore is as good as it gets.


The tie in to me is Krantz. He infused some good ideas into the 1996 tour and had some of the Holdsworth exploratory spirit. His solo on Brite Nightgown is one of the highlights on Morph.




Date: Thurs, September 26, 2013, 23:42:17 ET
Posted by: Lutz, SF

LaPage, obviously you hit a nerve there, ouch.
Boz Scaggs long ago had on leather pants, white no less.
We all have sinned, in one way or another.
Have fun whoever makes it to the last shows!


Date: Thurs, September 26, 2013, 22:06:13 ET
Posted by: ForwardGirl, Tv land

That would be Anna, Al B. Now get to bed, the shoe store opens mighty early...


Date: Thurs, September 26, 2013, 21:51:10 ET
Posted by: Jives, Glasgow

Well now indeed...fusion can be a great thing and Holdsworth is undoubtedly a fabulous player BUT-as Don and Walt said whilst discussing Aja on the Classic Albums vid:

" You dont want too much of a good thing."

Indeed;and this echoes my feelings on fusion also.

Steely might have occassionlly dabbled into fusion but their arc was far broader than that,far more adventurous-if you will.


Date: Thurs, September 26, 2013, 21:46:25 ET
Posted by: SS, HK

There is a big prog rock moment coming in October.

Steve Wilson has remixed Yes' Close to the Edge for 5.1 surround sound. He will do some other Yes albums in 5.1., but no word specifically on which ones.


Date: Thurs, September 26, 2013, 21:12:09 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Good to see Fellini at the top of Don's list. Mad respect for that. And I know many, whose opinions I respect, who love Withnail and I. But it just seemed too stilted and pretentious for me.

As for this silly prog-rock discussion, here's my worthless 2 cents. While there have been a few interesting (and even very good) prog rock bands (early King Crimson comes to mind immediately), most of the music is defeated by unbearable vocalists and horrible lyrics, IMO. High-singing, faux operatic nancy-boys, prancing on stage (leather pants are only one affectation of this repulsive breed) doing their best to be a ROCK STAR! Truth is, most Steely Dan cover bands seem to be fronted by these same repugnant warblers.

For me, it's tough to enjoy even great music with some dime-store Steve Perry wannabe making me nauseous. That's Steve Perry--the man who destroyed Journey. Oh well, they probably would have self-destructed without him anyway.


Date: Thurs, September 26, 2013, 21:08:50 ET
Posted by: Bikemann17, nj

Al B your hmmmm hmmm hmmmm song may be the crash test dummies???


Date: Thurs, September 26, 2013, 20:35:57 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

Al, I hope you weren't wearing leather pants when you hummed that. Someone here might go postal...


Date: Thurs, September 26, 2013, 19:46:30 ET
Posted by: DeaconBlues16,

http://www.criterion.com/explore/205-donald-fagens-top-10

Has anyone seen this before? I don't recall if it's been posted here before; sorry if it has.

I've only seen a few of these, but The Third Man is one of my favorite movies of all time.


Date: Thurs, September 26, 2013, 19:01:36 ET
Posted by: Al, B

Can someone help me identify a song. It goes like this.

hmm hmm himmmm.


Date: Thurs, September 26, 2013, 15:39:15 ET
Posted by: kzkzkz, 54@7

FYI - The Iridium Jazz Club will be live video streaming their upcoming October 14th concert event with the Les Paul Trio featuring special guest John Wetton.
http://theiridium.com/iridiumlive/


Date: Thurs, September 26, 2013, 15:33:58 ET
Posted by: Aja1, Newtno

here are both Boston set lists. Hopefully someone can provide a better recollection of the order, as this isn't right. They opened, closed with the usual tunes, and the ladies did their thing before the intros.

Boston show #1
Black Cow
Aja
Deacon Blues
Peg
Home At Last
I got the News
Josie
Your Gold Teeth
Rikki
Show Biz Kids
Godwhacker
Hey 19
Black Friday
Time out of Mind
Daddy Don't Live
Bodisatva
My Old School
Reelin'
Kid Charlemagne


Boston show #2

Your Gold Teeth
Aja
Hey 19
Deacon Blues
Peg
Josie
Rikki
Show Biz Kids
Do it Again
Black Friday
Time out of Mind
Daddy Don't Live
Bodisatva
My Old School
Reelin'
Kid Charlemagne


By my count they played 3 fewer songs the second night. No matter, night #2 was the better show in my opinion. Spectacular.


Date: Thurs, September 26, 2013, 14:38:10 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, big tent music lover, In the den

Anyone seriously into liquidy Holdsworth like fusion should check out Helmet of Gnats. Fantastic stuff. Chris Fox has obviously listened to a lot of Holdsworth, UK, Return to Forever, Brand X etc. Great band.


Date: Thurs, September 26, 2013, 14:26:51 ET
Posted by: Bookkeeper's Son, Florida

Since talk has turned to fusion here recently, Billy Cobham is on the road in the US with his "Spectrum 40" tour. I caught his only Florida show last Friday and it was great. Strong band members (guitar, bass & keys), excellent execution of complex material. Not just tunes from the Spectrum album. Highly recommended.

Wish I could afford to go to the Steely Dan Beacon shows! Plan to live vicariously through posts here from attendees.


Date: Thurs, September 26, 2013, 14:22:28 ET
Posted by: Lutz, SF

I don't care if they wear leather pants or a thong, as long as the music is good. It might bring in some chicks even.
Get over yourself - Wetton has made some good music and written some good songs and he can sing.
You don't have to go to the show or listen, a lot of people do so why piss on it.
He can do what he wants, the 70's are over and they're old now, just like Don and Walt and you old grouch.


Date: Thurs, September 26, 2013, 14:21:51 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, never in the same room with MODP

We get it already dweeb. You don't like Asia. And you had some kind of a traumatic sexual encounter with a dude in leather pants. This isn't Oprah. Time to move on.


Date: Thurs, September 26, 2013, 12:19:30 ET
Posted by: CJB, YVR

Doesn't John Wetton sing lead on "The Night Watch"? Not a big prog guy, but that's a great, great song.


Date: Thurs, September 26, 2013, 11:37:12 ET
Posted by: KMITB, Mt. Belzoni

Just heard Power Station's "Go to Zero" on an 80's feed and the little horns that pop up instantly reminded me of those on Fagen's "I'm Not The Same Without You"

Listen at the 15 second mark.

The Power Station- Go to zero

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2INZeO60VA

then at 3:36

Donald Fagen - I'm Not the Same Without You

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0u4ms4mVdcI

Maybe it's just a coinkidink...but it just clicked...


Date: Thurs, September 26, 2013, 10:59:32 ET
Posted by: M/O/D/P, Flogging a near-dead horse in the Presidential Suite, St. Regis Hotel, NYC

With the understanding that this is a Steely Dan board, and that there is an active Dan tour ongoing as we speak, here are a couple of parting random thoughts about the recent Crimes Against Music Trial (People v. Wetton/Asia - 2013) before we can all hopefully get back to the one band we all can agree on. It's either that or, as HouDanFan suggests, some of us get a room. Note: If the "get a room" option does happen, I will NOT share a twin bed with LaPage. It's a queen size or bigger, or yours truly sleeps on the floor...

Look, several of the silly superstars on that Celebrities Who Love Leather Pants list clearly should never be mentioned in a conversation about music. As objects of ridicule, Tyler and Jagger give John Wetton circa 1982 a damn good challenge, and for many of the same reasons. To clarify, middle aged men (or worse, elderly men) should never, and I mean NEVER, wear leather pants. The photographic & video evidence is out there for all to review, and it isn't pretty.

Some of the most intelligent (and hilarious) interviews ever given by any musician anywhere, anytime, have been those featuring Walter Becker and Donald Fagen together. With that in mind, a Becker & Fagen in depth audio-video assessment of the music of arena rock supergroup Asia is just what this conversation needs to end it once and for all, definitively. Not that either one of them is at all likely to be remotely interested in discussing such a valueless, idiotic act at length, but there's no doubt if they ever did the results would be funny as hell.


Date: Thurs, September 26, 2013, 09:44:07 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, Buffalo

Happy birthday, AJA!!!

36 Years Ago: Steely Dan Release �Aja�

�Aja,� Steely Dan�s sixth studio album, which was the artistic pinnacle of the �70s jazz-rock movement, turns 36 years old this week.

After 1976′s �Royal Scam,� a solid, guitar-centric album that nonetheless met a lukewarm critical response, studio mavericks Donald Fagen (keyboards, vocals) and Walter Becker (guitar, bass) set to work on a follow-up in January of the following year. They recorded over a six month period in various state-of-the-art studios across New York and L.A.

The result was �Aja,� their highest-selling album (reaching No. 3 on the American charts), and more importantly, their most fully-realized collection of songs. At this point in the career, Fagen and Becker had transformed Steely Dan from a legitimate recording and touring band into a songwriting partnership. They wrote the material themselves (with production assistance from Gary Katz), aided by a jaw-dropping slew of ace session players. They�d become sonic perfectionists, scrutinizing every overdub until every note was irrevocably in place. But on the pristinely recorded and performed �Aja,� their attention to detail was taken to bold new heights.

The personnel list for �Aja� reads like a �Who�s Who� in �70s jazz/R&B session musicians: drummers like Steve Gadd (on the explosive title track) and Bernard Perdie (whose infamous �Purdie shuffle� perked up the funky �Home at Last�), longtime bassist Chuck Rainey, vocalist Michael McDonald, and sax legend Wayne Shorter (whose effortless solo on �Aja� ranks among the band�s most epic moments). Fagen and Becker�s obsession with getting the absolute best performance transcended perfectionism and landed somewhere in the neighborhood of Stalin-esque. As legend has it, the duo filtered through dozens of failed guitar solos from outside musicians on the infectious �Peg� before eventually settling on Jay Graydon�s Polynesian-influenced take.

Reflecting on his contribution to the track for the 2000 documentary �Classic Albums: Aja,� drummer Rick Marotta said, �That�s one of the best tracks I ever played on. As far as drums were going at that time, if you had a club in your left hand and a club in your right hand and clubs for feet, you could play. I just opened my hi-hat a hair, every couple of beats with what I was playing on my right hand on the hi-hat, and it created this little sound. I had done that but never ever heard it on a record I�d done because (with the) engineers and sounds at the time, it was a nuance, and those things didn�t exist.�

Reflecting on the duo�s relentless quest for the perfect combination of players, Marotta noted, �It wasn�t like they played musical chairs with the guys in the band; they played musical bands! Whole bands would go, and a whole incredible other band would come in!�

�Aja� (which won the 1978 Grammy for Best Engineered Non-Classical Recording) is indeed a triumph of engineering. The surfaces sparkle with sophistication, capturing every performance in full clarity. Listening to �Aja� now, it still sounds like the greatest album ever recorded � as if you�re hearing the music from inside the amps and drum heads. But �Aja� is also a masterpiece of performances, and of the nitty-gritty details (like Rainey�s slap-bass harmonics on �Peg� or the subtle, steady climb of horns and synths on �Black Cow�).

In addition to �Peg,� the album also spawned such classic radio singles as �Deacon Blues� and �Josie.� Reflecting on �Deacon Blues,� which takes its name from the Wake Forest football team, Donald Fagen told Rolling Stone, �Walter and I had been working on that song at a house in Malibu. I played him that line, and he said, �You mean it�s like, �They call these cracker a�holes this grandiose name like the Crimson Tide, and I�m this loser, so they call me this other grandiose name, Deacon Blues?� and I said, �Yeah!� He said, �Cool, let�s finish it.�� �Josie,� meanwhile, continues the pristine goodness of the record. The song about a girl who turns all the guys heads, does the exact same thing musically to the listener every time.

�By the time we did �Aja,� we�d figured out sort of what it was we sort of wanted to do, musically,� Fagen noted in the �Classic Albums� documentary. �I think the �Aja� album has so much great playing in terms of what we were trying to do with combining session players and soloists and so on to produce these little ideal tracks for our songs,� Becker reflected. �That was sort of the best, most consistent, and most successful example of that.�

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/steely-dan-aja-album-released/


Date: Thurs, September 26, 2013, 00:56:26 ET
Posted by: Denise, Bos

Some comments on tonight's show:

Your Gold Teeth played first - was very happy - had not heard it live before. Just a few notes into it and knew it would be a treat.

WB was talkative tonight. During Daddy Don't Live Here he said Beantown instead of New York City and went on to mention some of the things we have here: "lobsters, the Red Sox, chowder (not the Manhattan kind), and even lobsters with 2 colors on them...suck on that!"

Encore was Kid C. At the end, Keith was in the spotlight. Suddenly the spot went out and he was backlit in red with his arms poised in the air. What an epic visual. I hope someone photographed it.

Very quiet crowd in my area up on the mezzanine. The sound seemed a bit different - usually I sit down in down in the orchestra.

More tomorrow...must sleep.


Date: Wed, September 25, 2013, 23:08:18 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

Singers who wore leather pants while performing. Off the top of my head:
Elvis Presley
Mick Jagger
Little Richard
Curtis Mayfield
Virtually every Motown singer at some point
Steven Tyler
Bryan Ferry
Jim Morrison
Etc

No good posers who ruined music!


Date: Wed, September 25, 2013, 23:02:15 ET
Posted by: HouDanFan, Houston

You guys go get a room


Date: Wed, September 25, 2013, 22:56:30 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

Rock Goes to College is one of my favorite DVDs, have had it for years. I guess I am one of those crazy people who can appreciate the various talents of both Wetton and Holdsworth. I also treasure both Gabriel era and Collins era Genesis. I'm wacky like that. I also like both Cant Buy a Thrill and Royal Scam. Go figure.


Date: Wed, September 25, 2013, 22:48:33 ET
Posted by: kuleebaba, Any world

I'm glad that M/O/D/P has toned down his rhetoric and is almost amusing for once. Kudos! (Funny... he can spell the names of bands he likes.)

I enjoyed "Don't Cry" more than "Heat of the Moment", but then again, it was way less overplayed on MTV. Ah, those were the days.




Date: Wed, September 25, 2013, 22:37:36 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu,


Bruford talks quite elegantly about Feels Good to Me, UK, and One of a Kind.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfG6h8YTRj8


Date: Wed, September 25, 2013, 22:13:53 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu ,


That was essentially the disagreement. Wetton and Jobson want cookie cutter product every night. Holdsworth refused.


Here's another good L42 tune with Holdsworth

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8pp1hsHrKs


I've never obviously been in the studio or on the road with AH, but it's clear what a professional artist should do. Bruford knew.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ArfAQxrEVA


Date: Wed, September 25, 2013, 22:03:07 ET
Posted by: Sherman, Quincy MA

The Wetton/Jobson faction really stunk in my opinion. I really loved the band that Bill Bruford formed with Holdsworth, Dave Stewart and Jeff Berlin in the late '70's. Excellent Canterbury jazz-rock fusion.


Date: Wed, September 25, 2013, 21:53:38 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

Bruford is my favorite drummer of all time, but of course he's going to side with Holdsworth. I think he goes into more detail in his book, but the bottom line was that both Holdsworth and Bruford didn't want to play the songs the same way every night. Wetton and Jobson wanted the instrumental breaks to sound the same night to night, and Holdsworth didn't want to play the same solos note for note. I don't blame him, he's a fusion guy. Bruford had the same issues playing live with Genesis acc to his book. But he had no intention of making a second album with UK. So it's semantics at this point. They didn't get along and it wasn't going to work for a second go round.

I didn't say Holdsworth was not a nice guy, like I said, I got the chance to talk to him and have seen him in intimate venues. I just think he's got the rep of being hard to work with from what I have read.


Date: Wed, September 25, 2013, 21:12:30 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu,

Mr. LaPage: that's not correct. Holdsworth was fired and Bruford followed.

Per Bruford's wiki page


"Following his first solo album, he was reunited with King Crimson bassist/vocalist John Wetton in the progressive rock group UK. During his time in the band, from 1977 to 1978, the band released its eponymous debut album and conducted one UK tour and a couple of North American tours. After this he was dismissed from the band, due to his disagreement with Wetton and keyboardist Eddie Jobson's decision to fire guitarist Allan Holdsworth, whom he'd brought into the band. He subsequently turned his focus on his own band, Bruford."



I would agree that Holdworth isn't the kind of guy who would do a long stint with an Asia, although it is important to point out that Holdsworth played on Level 42 in concert and on the album Guaranteed. Gary Husband from Holdworth's IOU band was the drummer and Holdsworth from my understanding enjoyed playing with Level 42. Mark King & Mike Lindup let Allan do his thing...plus the album is quite good.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-I1Nl3OjTQ


I've also seen Holdsworth in small clubs. There was one club in Baton Rouge back in the day where he played a myriad of songs including Fred, a couple of UK numbers (Mental Medication) and the at the time novel synth axe stuff. Afterwards, he invited the audience for a sit down dinner with him and talked philosophy. Gracious, smart, witty, clever - everything a good musician could be...

HF - gotta agree. What could have been.







Date: Wed, September 25, 2013, 21:00:41 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

Re Holdsworth + Steely Dan, while an intriguing idea on its face, just don't see it. Both Fagen and Holdsworth are too acerbic, picky, and controlling of their sound biases to mesh well. Plus I don't think Holdsworth's fusion style of lead guitar playing would fit in fighting for space amongst the funkier and more laid back horns and keys of the Dan. And again, Holdsworth doesn't want to be in bands where the guitar is beholden to a song/vocalist approach.


Date: Wed, September 25, 2013, 20:41:51 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

I don't know why I bother, but Wetton did not kick Holdsworth out of UK. There was obviously a rift between the Holdsworth/Bruford more instrumental side and the more vocal song oriented emphasis of Wetton/Jobson. Holdsworth voluntarily left because he simply didn't want to compromise and wanted the freedom to improvise and not be restricted to a more traditional song oriented approach. Holdsworth has never stayed in any band long where vocals are the primary driving force.

By the way I am a huge Holdsworth fan, have seen him perform live at small clubs several times, and have met and talked with him. It's common knowledge that he's 'difficult' to work with, to put it diplomatically.

I am quite bemused/amused to see all this vitriol directed toward a lead singer/writer because he wanted to--gasp--- write and sing songs. Apparently Wetton is singlehandedly responsible for the collapse of progressive rock, something usually blamed equally amusingly on Phil Collins. Yet people like Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin, Greg Lake, David Pack, Geddy Lee, Steve Walsh, Peter Gabriel, and a slew of others in the late 70s and 80s all had nothing to do with it.

It must be gratifying for critics of certain types of music to have musical tastes so much superior and supremely refined over the rest of us clueless rabble living down here in the slums.


Date: Wed, September 25, 2013, 19:37:49 ET
Posted by: Gnome, Hooligan

Good God! Robert Fripp sure has aged. He looks just like a banker. Take a look: www.progrockmag.com/news/robert-fripp-unveils-the-new-king-crimson-line-up/


Date: Wed, September 25, 2013, 19:03:34 ET
Posted by: Hunter,

I have a good feeling that Donald & Walt will unleash King of the World for the second Boston show tonight.


Date: Wed, September 25, 2013, 18:47:50 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

And I should comment on how weird and wonderful it is that Steely Dan is now into its 20th year as a touring act. Even as a 7th-grader, seeing a picture of those two in skinny ties in the paper, I was aware of how much an oddity this was back in 1993.


Date: Wed, September 25, 2013, 17:54:59 ET
Posted by: Hunter,

So what is the crowd drinking at the shows? Scotch whiskey?


Date: Wed, September 25, 2013, 17:04:31 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

Great review, Chris.

One thing I have noted this summer from both the show I attended and the various reviews ... holy lord, there is a lot of drinking going on at these shows.

I'm a drinker. I drinks a bit. Quite a bit. I had a day off yesterday, and I can't remember how Tuesday night ended. But I look at and think back to some of the older patrons at the shows this summer, and just wonder how in the hell you guys are getting home.


Date: Wed, September 25, 2013, 17:02:42 ET
Posted by: Holdsworth Fan,

John Wetton was a perfect fit for Fripp's finest version(s) of King Crimson. Live, mid '70s Crimson was a monster, and he (Wetton) was a huge part of that. UK version 1 with Allan Holdsworth was progressive rock's last truly great thing. Wetton in effect destroyed a great band in his relentless pursuit of musical obviousness and cold hard cash.

Most of what Wetton has done since UK has indeed been musically embarrassing and his career in music since those days appears to be nothing more than a job for him, a way to pay the rent. You can only imagine what Robert Fripp, with his strident view of music, must have thought of his former star bass player's involvement with a clich� ridden arena rock act like Asia. It's difficult to imagine the two men having a civil conversation about music, even harder to imagine any current day musical collaboration.

Any appearance by Holdsworth on a Steely Dan track would have been magic. While maybe not an obvious fit at first, it's something that very well might have worked beautifully as a session one-off with SD phase 1 (think of something with extended soloing along the lines of Your Gold Teeth), and now is probably just a dream.


Date: Wed, September 25, 2013, 16:36:33 ET
Posted by: Chris, nh

Fantastic show in Boston last night. My 8th time seeing them - I've hit every tour once since 2000. They've absolutely never sounded better.

The sound at the Wang was just perfect. We were seated in the left center balcony. I understand the sound earlier in the tour was hit and miss; there were no issues last night.

No surprises in the set except for Rikki shortly after the album and no Razor Boy. Becker mentioned during the band intros that he was going to cut them short due to curfew, so my guess would be that Razor Boy was cut for time. But I don't think it's fair to complain about that, to be honest -- it didn't feel like the show was missing anything. In fact, it wasn't until I started racking my brain for this post that I realized they didn't play it. The night was just perfectly paced from start to finish.

Fagen has never sounded better live to me than he did last night. Save for the typical number of lyric flubs, his performance was flawless. It seems every review I've read this year mentions Carlock being an absolute fucking monster, but it bears repeating: Carlock is an absolute fucking monster. Becker was not at his musical best, but he did sound better than 2011, and he had much more energy as well. I enjoyed his Hey 19 story; I always do. The horns, especially Wieskopf and Leonhart, are still taking their solos to new places after all these years ... same with Herrington, who, like the music itself, is the perfect combination of precision and feeling. Freddie, Beard, and the Embassy Brats were the unsung heroes of the evening, performing wonderfully, but (since there was no Razor Boy), not getting as many moments to shine as they deserved.

One random thing I noticed that was different this time: Reelin' had the horn lines from '93 in it at times. It sounded cool. Hope they keep doing that.

As for things not related to the music:

The crowd was OK, a little subdued up in the balcony, but I wasn't surrounded by incessant talkers or photo takers either, which was great. As I am wont to do, I found some empty seats on the floor at the end of the show and saw some serious dad dance moves. Some idiot in front of us who thought he was being gregarious in a charming way ended up smacking my girlfriend hard for not dancing during Reelin, which was a bit of a downer at the end of such a great night. If you're an old, fat, drunk idiot trying in vain to recapture your glory days by trying to talk to a woman young enough to be your (grand?)daughter, lacking the self awareness that you're a character in a Steely Dan song at Steely Dan show, I recommend not fucking touching any women you don't know on the off chance that you're so oafish you'll turn a pathetic flirting attempt into a bruise. (Yeah, it was an accident, and there was really no harm done, and it's a concert ... but come on. Keep your hands to yourself, people.)

That's the end of that rant -- it really was a great show, and it's one I'd see a thousand times over if i could afford it. For all the attention I pay to the setlist during every tour, whether or not I hear whatever "deep cut" is in vogue that year just doesn't matter when I'm lucky enough to be in the audience. I'm seeing my favorite band perform flawlessly, and it's never anything less than thrilling.



Date: Wed, September 25, 2013, 16:14:53 ET
Posted by: Sherman, Quincy MA

Yes, I agree. Holdsworth with Steely Dan would never work. Mike Stern or Lee Ritenour would be more compatible with the Steely Dan sound.


Date: Wed, September 25, 2013, 15:44:10 ET
Posted by: Josey, Mass

Doc Mu - I'm assuming when you say Holdsworth with Dan, that you mean Steely Dan? Do you really think that would have been a natural fit? I would have loved to see Vinnie C. with the Dan, but Vinnie would've had to throttle back so much, with the exception of Aja and whatever tune they would've designated his solo in...same with Holdsworth.

Reminds me of Metheny's quote about being part of Joni Mitchell's band on the "Shadows and Light" tour when he was asked what it was like to be in the same band with Jaco, Michael Brecker, Lyle Mays, etc. "It's like having the keys to a Ferarri that you can only drive at 35 mph"...or something like that.


Date: Wed, September 25, 2013, 14:12:03 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu,


Prog rock never recovered after Wetton booted Holdsworth off of UK after the 1979 tour. Bruford followed Allan and they did a nice fusion album together.

Wetton should have given thanks to the gods every single time Holdsworth went off the reservation during a solo...that he was able to witness the genius live, and get paid for it!


Holdsworth with Dan - if that could have only happened.


Downes - Video Killed the Radio Star despite the goofy video (yeah, 1st on MTV) is actually a very good recording from a good album.



That is all.


Date: Wed, September 25, 2013, 12:34:47 ET
Posted by: Denise, Hinktown

Boston Herald review of last night's show.
http://bostonherald.com/entertainment/music/guestlisted/2013/09/last_best_show_steely_dan_at_the_wang

"The title cut was 10 minutes of bliss. With a purple haze lighting the band, Becker and Jon Herington traded guitar licks, Walt Weiskopf replicated Wayne Shorter's sax solo from the record and the horn section rocked the joint. It made you want to drink Scotch whisky all night long.

"Deacon Blues" and "Peg" got the mostly superannuated crowd up out of their seats and bopping about. "Home at Last" found Fagen at his best, hunched behind his keyboards looking like Ebeneezer Scrooge after a Red Bull binge, shifting on his bench while his piano and organ solos electrified. ...

Backing vocals by LaTanya Hall, Carolyn Leonhart-Escoffery and the amazing Catherine Russell sent "Josie" into another funky, groove-laden dimension.


Can't wait 'til tonight...


Date: Wed, September 25, 2013, 12:19:22 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, Loving that I don't live in NYC

Hey MODP or whatever your goofy handle is, you are a real horse's arse. Nowhere that I have seen here has anyone professed their love for the band Asia or their entire output. Your reading comprehension is unfortunately as limited as your music tastes. Hard to respect anyone who boxes their understating and appreciation of musical talent into hard and fast specific dates. Have you actually ventured outside of mommie's basement and seen any live music in the last 30 years? Again, if you had, you might have seen Wetton over the years perform many Crimson tunes very competently, including Starless and several others on the UK tour.

My post was a listing of reasons why Fripp may have considered Wetton to reunite for this incarnation of the band. You weren't able to intelligently address any of those reasons, instead choosing to act like the wise ass 8th grader who thinks he's cool now that he discovered his first pubes. Get a clue man.


Date: Wed, September 25, 2013, 10:27:52 ET
Posted by: kzkzkz, nnnnnnnyyyyyyycccccc

I am so happy that there are some other passionate prog lovers here! Yes, perhaps JW sold his sole survivor to the devils in order to make a few bucks, BUT, as mentioned, he still has some of the best vocal chops in the game. And if you haven't seen Asia recently, really recently, with the new heavy metal guitarist Sam Coulson (let's not get me started on them replacing Steve Howe again) check out some youtube videos, Wetton looks and sounds great. As far as the mighty beast that is King Crimson, their last 2 albums; "The Power To Believe" and "The Construction Of Light" were 2 fine releases. As like Steely Dan, King Crimson in the flesh is brought to another level. It'll be a year before they tour so save your pennies, will be worth it for sure.


Date: Wed, September 25, 2013, 10:26:46 ET
Posted by: kzkzkz, nnnnnnnyyyyyyycccccc

I am so happy that there are some other passionate prog lovers here! Yes, perhaps JW sold his sole survivor to the devils in order to make a few bucks, BUT, as mentioned, he still has some of the best vocal chops in the game. And if you haven't seen Asia recently, really recently, with the new heavy metal guitarist Sam Coulson (let's not get me started on them replacing Steve Howe again) check out some youtube videos, Wetton looks and sounds great. As far as the mighty beast that is King Crimson, there last 2 albums; "The Power To Believe" and "The Construction Of Light" were 2 fine releases. As like Steely Dan, King Crimson in the flesh is brought to another level. It'll be a year before they tour so save your pennies, will be worth it for sure.


Date: Wed, September 25, 2013, 10:04:44 ET
Posted by: M/O/D/P, "Asia" - Bigger than a city, bigger than a state, bigger than a country - it's an entire continent!

Had I suspected, even for a second, that there would be anyone reading here who has a deep and abiding love of a band like Asia, I would have kept my negative thoughts to myself. Since in the past year or so The Blue has featured heartfelt testimonials from folks who are big fans of various hip hop performers, as well as more than a handful of people who admit to having a thing for many of today's current crop of boy bands/pop chicks, I really shouldn't be surprised that there might be an Asia devotee or two here. With that in mind, my comments about John Wetton's career post-1979 must seem terribly insensitive, even downright offensive to some. To those offended readers, my cruel words must have been as hurtful as a stranger who tells you your sister has a face like a smashed-in birdcage, or that your mom smells like Oprah Winfrey. Who wouldn't feel a bit defensive?

So, had I known last night what I now know, I definitely would not have ridiculed a talented guy like Mr. Wetton for putting on a pair of tight black leather pants and then earnestly crooning an emotionally vacant bit of musical pablum about the smile having left his girl's eyes. A middle aged guy holding nothing but a cordless microphone, on stage, live, wearing tight leather pants, in front of a paying audience. I wouldn't have pointed that out.

I'd also like to say that I would not have used insulting words or phrases like "pompous profundity", "bloated corporate creation", "grotesque waste of talent", "greed-driven cookie-cutter product", or "Geoff Downes". Because there's just no need for any of that.

In the end, I guess I should probably apologize for my post last night. By the way, that WAS the apology.


Date: Wed, September 25, 2013, 10:04:33 ET
Posted by: ujsqeoyrwf, France

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Date: Wed, September 25, 2013, 09:57:41 ET
Posted by: Aja1, Newton

To those who saw Boston show #1 last night:

-At the end of Black Cow, did Donald give several "outta here's" after the big one at the end? I love how he ended it in 2011. Also, any subjective comments about the song overall would be appreciated. It is my favorite and do to unavoidable circumstances, I had to miss the first 4 songs.

-Did he end the third verse ("Or so they say") of Aja in the minor key like last time? Or did he stretch the "say" way out like years prior?

-How did Deacon Blues Sound?


I'm bummed that I missed those songs, so any comments would be appreciated.

I won't be missing any songs tonight.

Thanks!


Date: Wed, September 25, 2013, 08:46:06 ET
Posted by: favorite foreign, movie

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/sep/22/ripd-film-review-mark-kermode

Overall, it's a directionless mess: too expensive for a B-movie, too grown-up for a kids' movie (funerals, bereavement and jokes about Steely Dan) and too infantile for everyone else. No wonder it died on its feet in the US.


Date: Wed, September 25, 2013, 01:21:30 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, Red

While not being an unconditional fan of Asia, I agree we should cut Mr.Wetton some slack. The guy who sung "Fallen Angel" will always be a hero in my book.
And frankly, even if I unfortunately agree to M/O/D/P's perception of Asia's output in general, I can't say much of KC's studio recordings after "Three Of A Perfect Pair" is much to write home about either. to me, the magic was over with the three-colored '80s trilogy - which was a vehicle for Belew's musical visions just as much as for Fripp's, if not even more so.
Add that Fripp seems to have become anything but the guy you want to have a glass of biodynamic carrot juice with, and I really don't have very big expectations for any new incarnation of what once was the greatest prog band ever.


Date: Wed, September 25, 2013, 00:09:42 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, Looking at my Asia poster

Oh, and one more thing, here is one diehard Crimson fan (have virtually every KCC live recording) that still digs the shit out of that first Asia album as a nice tasty slice of prog pop played by some great musicians


Date: Wed, September 25, 2013, 00:02:20 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, Looking at my Asia poster

Wow, someone must have had their Cheerios pissed on by the mighty John Wetton.

Fripp might have considered reuniting with Wetton,ooohh, for a few good reasons, such as:

1. He is considered one of the greatest bass players in rock history
2. He was the lead singer and bassist for the greatest and most successful period in Crimson history.
3. He has some of the greatest pipes in prog rock history, and can still deliver the goods even after conquering his drinking issues.

4. His resume reads like a history of prog rock. Family, Roxy Music, Uriah Heep, Crimson, UK, Asia, along with a whole slew of projects with guys like Steve Hackett, Eddie Jobson etc., not to mention a very productive solo career.

5. If you saw him sing and perform Crimson tunes like Starless on the recent UK reunion tours, magically and flawlessly enough to send shivers up the spine of any true Crimsonite, like I did, you would salivate over a possible Wetton-Fripp reunion.

6. There is a reason why this guy is one of the busiest and most requested guest artists on various albums and projects over the last 40 years--he is an incredibly talented bass player and singer.

7. So maybe you can unclench your buttocks and cut the guy some slack


Date: Tues, September 24, 2013, 23:57:23 ET
Posted by: Mighty Crim, USA

Perhaps Fripp "invited" Wetton knowing that Wetton could not accept due to his commitment to Asia(?) The un-invite!


Date: Tues, September 24, 2013, 23:50:56 ET
Posted by: Chris, Nh

Boston tonight was great. No suprises on the setlist. They did play Rikki. Band was fantastic, Fagen sounded incredible. Full review later. A big fuck you to the old drunk idiot who punched my girlfriend during reelin.


Date: Tues, September 24, 2013, 23:29:49 ET
Posted by: Ramen Boy, New York

So how was the first show in Boston? Apart from the Aja album, did they play any rare songs like King of the World?


Date: Tues, September 24, 2013, 22:05:36 ET
Posted by: Lewis, Phoenix AZ

This new King Crimson reformation is very interesting. I'm quite pleased that Adrian Belew is not in the lineup. Never cared much for his singing. Really looking forward when they announce the tour dates.


Date: Tues, September 24, 2013, 21:57:49 ET
Posted by: M/O/D/P, Gearing Up For NYC

kzkzkz - Thanks for the Crimson update. KC was always a great live act, no matter who constituted the line-up. I was a huge fan of the dark, exploratory stuff of the mid '70s, and I loved the '80s/'90s incarnations with Belew & company. I have to admit I was a bit surprised by earlier reports that included John Wetton in this new line-up, though. After Fripp announced his retirement a while back - citing that music had become "a joyless act of futility" - it seemed downright bizarre that a guy like Wetton, who has spent the past three decades embarrassing himself for fun 'n' profit, would be considered by even the most clueless midrange drooling accountant (let alone by Fripp) for inclusion in such a revival.

Maybe poor John screwed the gig up by insisting (through his "management company", don'tcha know) that the new Crimson lineup perform/record both "Heat of the Moment" AND "The Smile Has Left Your Eyes", who knows...

In a related story, I can't recall any major (or even minor) Steely Dan player/participant who has repeatedly humiliated himself/herself in public on the level that the once-mighty (see: 1972-79) John Wetton has. Repeatedly. For decades. If you think I'm being mean-spirited, or overly harsh, I hereby sentence you to listen to every gawdawful "Asia" recording released since 1982. Consecutively.

Careful. There are quite a lot of them.


Date: Tues, September 24, 2013, 20:48:55 ET
Posted by: Hackensack, missouri

Wow. The Goodbye Look sung lounge style. Eeeeek


Date: Tues, September 24, 2013, 14:46:13 ET
Posted by: Jon, Boston

Got 2 orchestra tix for this evening. Face value $125 a pop. Willing to take $200 fer both.


Date: Tues, September 24, 2013, 14:44:59 ET
Posted by: kzkzkz, wow

http://www.dgmlive.com/news.htm?entry=4335
**The 8th incarnation of King Crimson will be Gavin Harrison, Bill Rieflin, Tony Levin, Pat Mastelotto, Mel Collins, Jakko Jakszyk and Robert Fripp.**


Date: Tues, September 24, 2013, 12:55:57 ET
Posted by: harmolodic, Mizar 5

Someone's posted the entire Virginia show from the other night:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5KwaOaZthc&feature=share&list=PLAuc0Py5sxAJ-9MRkXfY2cmbn0TRMDPJK


Date: Tues, September 24, 2013, 10:55:40 ET
Posted by: SS, Hk

That would 'trying for something different'


Date: Tues, September 24, 2013, 10:52:25 ET
Posted by: SS, HK

Dean, I don't know if Mel Torme is different to other jazz singers. Sometimes I think people who sing jazz are trying for something to what blues singers or pop singers are after.


Date: Tues, September 24, 2013, 10:24:35 ET
Posted by: kzkzkz, N.mY.omyC.

From Robert Fripp's latest diary entry-

So, King Crimson is in motion. This is a very different reformation to what has gone before: seven players, four English and three American, with three drummers.The Seven-Headed Beast of Crim is in Go! mode. *Robert Fripp, John Wetton, Mel Collins, Gavin Harrison, Pat Mastelotto, Tony Levin, Bill Rieflin*

This is good. This is very good.

I remember back in the mid '70s swearing to myself that if my 2 favorite bands ever decided to put themselves together again and tour I would see them every chance I could in the NYC tri-state area and well, anywhere I may be able to roam. I thank Donald, Walter and Robert Fripp for holding me true to those words and providing me with a homeless life so I can afford the true luxuries this world has to offer.


Date: Tues, September 24, 2013, 09:44:33 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

SS, yes I should have given the Velvet Fog credit for being a good songwriter. That's a great talent and one he deserves credit for, IMO.

But as a singer--not so much. Again, this is just my opinion as I know he has a "good voice". I just hate what he chooses to do with it. Mel can suck the soul, or any honest/natural feeling, from any song it seems.


Date: Tues, September 24, 2013, 04:03:23 ET
Posted by: SS, HK

Mel Torme wrote The Christmas Song.


Date: Mon, September 23, 2013, 23:48:25 ET
Posted by: tomorrow's girl, on the edge of autumn

Hey, Dean
I don't know Torme's music other than Fagen covers. I'll have to do some research on you tube.
Here's a gorgeous piece of music from Henry Mancini from the 60's...the theme from 'Mr. Lucky' tv show! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5OsLatnCFY


Date: Mon, September 23, 2013, 23:35:50 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

tomorrow's girl, Mel also sings Walk Between the Raindrops:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdyv6YNNjUo

With that said, and with apologies to Harry Anderson, I just don't get the appeal of Mel Torme. The dude has zero soul, IMO. Terrible at scat, yet insists on doing it. I do a little impression of Mel singing Gimme Dat Ding--a terrible by the Pipkins. I'm not saying it's a good impression. I'm just saying it amuses me to do it.


Date: Mon, September 23, 2013, 22:43:54 ET
Posted by: tomorrows girl, where ever

I'm so out of touch, missed them in Houston!!
Here's something you all might like... Mel Torme live singing "The Good
Bye Look" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRFSc0MBz0s


Date: Mon, September 23, 2013, 22:43:31 ET
Posted by: tomorrows girl, where ever

I'm so out of touch, missed them in Houston!!
Here's something you all might like... Mel Torme live singing "The Good
Bye Look" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRFSc0MBz0s


Date: Mon, September 23, 2013, 22:42:51 ET
Posted by: tomorrows girl, where ever

I'm so out of touch, missed them in Houston!!
Here's something you all might like... Mel Torme live singing "The Good
Bye Look" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRFSc0MBz0s


Date: Mon, September 23, 2013, 20:14:51 ET
Posted by: Napoleon, U.K

Just finished playing Grand Theft Auto... stay with me here... Michael Leonhart gets a mention in the music credits

spoiler alert!


Date: Mon, September 23, 2013, 11:40:46 ET
Posted by: Review, F

http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/20130923_Steely_Dan_plays_jazzy_set_at_the_Mann.html



Date: Mon, September 23, 2013, 10:17:46 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, way back machine

I miss Walter's pen too, but will not exclude the possibility that he's still out there writing as we speak, and that we'll stumble upon his recent work in about 60 years, after what could be a massive collective amnesia has been cured. It has happened before:

E.g. internet phenomenons like Facebook, Twitter, Skype and Youtube has really been around since the '50s, along with cell phones and gaming consoles, only we forgot until now.

http://designmodo.com/vintage-ads-modern-technologies/


Date: Mon, September 23, 2013, 10:09:46 ET
Posted by: fagenism, She go (I cry)

Random Walt association:

One of my favorite Becker moments is when he had a little misunderstanding with a Finnish journalist during a press conference back in 2007. This moment, to me, proves that Becker is an absolute gentleman beneath that cynical, sarcastic, wonderful shell.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctcuzM9bVrs

Another favorite Walt moment that comes to mind is when, upon listening back to Deacon Blues during the documentary about the making of Aja, he simply goes "it's beautiful!" It takes quite the tune to stun Mr SnarkyPants himself.


Date: Mon, September 23, 2013, 07:01:25 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

One of the internet's great losses over the last decade is the writing work of Walter Becker.

The man was a HUGE influence on me as a scribe, as someone who was amongst the first wave of people who wrote online for a living (before they called such things "blogs") and I miss his missives dearly.


Date: Sun, September 22, 2013, 23:50:50 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu,


that was a gem of an email, and insightful while picking up heavily into W&D's irony.


OK, Practical Arrangement is a smoky lounge winner also for Sting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEn7KYHEpAk




Date: Sun, September 22, 2013, 23:33:39 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Doc Mu,

Thanks for the link. I missed that story completely. I'm still laughing my ass off.

And, while I might understand someone looking at the setlist and grumbling a bit. I can't understand AT ALL someone who was at the show I was at complaining about the setlist. It was fabulous.


Date: Sun, September 22, 2013, 22:06:48 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu,



OK the rest of it is concept album city about a dying shipbuilding culture. And Yet is worth downloading.


Date: Sun, September 22, 2013, 21:59:09 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu ,



Wow - I had given up Sting for artistically dead from Sacred Love/Cow on. Nice elements or Nothing Like the Sun, Soul Cages, and Ten Summoner's Tale in there.

It's actually quite good and Sting's voice has held up amazingly well.


There's something to be said for the probiotics of tantric yogurt.


Date: Sun, September 22, 2013, 21:24:03 ET
Posted by: Napoleon, U.K

New Sting song channels Donald's solo stuff...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qV7nM83IBQ


Date: Sun, September 22, 2013, 20:44:28 ET
Posted by: HouDanFan, Houston

I thought the "bland" set list was great. Excuse me, I forget to get the cheese out of the fridge to accompany my wine.


Date: Sun, September 22, 2013, 18:39:36 ET
Posted by: For Stevie, l

From the 2008 guest book archives.

Camden = same set list as Borgata except Green Earrings instead of Black Friday.


6/27/2008
Borgata
Atlantic City

Everyone's gone to the movies
The Fez
The Royal Scam
I got the news
Showbiz kids
everything you did
two against nature
hey 19
godwhacker
babylon sisters
new frontier
gaucho
home at last
parkers band
josie
black friday
love is like an itchin in my heart /snippet of thank you fallettin me be mice elf agin
peg
fm

encore
dont take me alive
kid charlemagne
last tango in paris


Date: Sun, September 22, 2013, 14:21:22 ET
Posted by: Stevie Dan, Philadelphia, PA

This is a shot in the dark, but does anyone have the set list from the show at Susquehanna Bank Center, Camden, NJ Sat., 6/28/08 ? I can't seem to find it anywhere online. Thanks.


Date: Sun, September 22, 2013, 14:06:59 ET
Posted by: Stevie Dan, Philadelphia, PA

Thanks for the '93 list of songs Dr. Mu. Wow, it would seem they really were mixing things up from show to show.

Here's the setlist they played in Phila. that tour. I have no recollection if there was an opening act - but by the looks of the relatively shorter set list, it would seem there was an opener. I do remember feeling so excited and fortunate to finally see the band live in concert. All through the 80's and early '90's I figured they would never tour again, and I'd just have to rely on my vinyl and cd's.

Mon. Sept. 20, 1993 The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA

Royal Scam
Bad Sneakers
Babylon Sisters
Aja
Green Earrings
Bodhisattva
I.G.Y.
Josie
Hey Nineteen
Book Of Liars
Chain Lightning
Band Intros > Green Flower Street
Home At Last
Black Friday


Date: Sun, September 22, 2013, 13:25:19 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu,

20 years ago - can you believe it? the Steely Dan reunion tour was finishing up. Here are the songs played on that tour

Aja
Babylon sisters
Bad sneakers
Black friday
Bodhisattva
Book of liars
Chain lightning
Countermoon
Cringemaker
Deacon blues
Fall of '92
FM
Girlfriend
Green earrings
Green flower street
Hey nineteen
Home at last
I.G.Y.
Josie
My old school
Our lawn
Peg
Reelin' in the years
Springtime
Teahouse on the tracks
The royal scam
Third world man
Tomorrow's girls
Trans-island skyway
True companion
Tuzz's shadow


Cool story about the tour:

http://www.steelydan.com/japanletter.html




Date: Sun, September 22, 2013, 10:58:57 ET
Posted by: dave (from acquisitions), Philadelphia

first philly show i haven't been to since '96 and it looks like we made the right choice. the mann is cool but certainly no tower. it poured all night in philly and i've been to mann shows in the rain and it's no fun. the setlist was about as bland as it could possibly be. hopefully they have another tour left in the tank in two years where they play some interesting stuff and go back to the tower. i'm sure for any first time dan show goer they had a good time though.


Date: Sun, September 22, 2013, 09:34:31 ET
Posted by: Billie Rubin,

Wow you guys are pretty ruthless about Walter B! There are no "mistakes" in music, just experimentation, especially when you're playing the same song you've played 9.85 million times before. You're gonna experiment with those songs when you play 'em, take a few detours, they ain't robots up on stage y'know, they've gotta try to stage interested/engaged.


P.S.) We need a Walter Becker Blog. I miss the mans writing. Gotta have some Becker musings here. The dude is hilarious! Get on this please.


Date: Sun, September 22, 2013, 01:27:04 ET
Posted by: Stevie Dan, Philadelphia, PA

Quick review from Philly show tonight - The Dan at the Mann, 9/21/13

Deep Blue was enjoyable. Played about 35 minutes (3 tunes) They came on 20 minutes late at 7:50pm.

The boys came on at 8:45 and concluded at 10:50. I was surprised there were no pockets of empty seats. The Mann Center was completely full - yes, there were still tickets to be had on the grass, but otherwise it looked sold-out. I've been to dozens of shows at this venue over the last 34 yrs and there's usually a fair amount of empty seats toward the back - not tonight. The crowd seemed very into the show, didn't have any talkers near us - thank goodness!

The sound was decent especially for this venue. It rained heavily for a good part of the set - the folks out on the grass and beyond the cover got soaked.

The show itself was awesome. Walter's gear problems from recent shows seemed to be resolved - although the 2nd half of the show there was a little assistance needed from his guitar tech a few times. Maybe the problem's not with Walter like some have suggested - maybe he needs a new Tech? Walter sat and played during a couple of tunes - although most of the time he was up and about.

Donald was very animated and seemed like he was really enjoying himself. He mentioned how it was nice to be at this venue as a change from the Tower Theater, where they played the last 2 tours. (I'll bet - since they probably sold 10,000 or so tickets for tonight, compared to the 2,500 seats at the Tower). I was thrilled that they didn't choose the Susquehanna Bank Center across the Delaware in Camden, NJ - that's where they went every tour before the last Tower Theater shows. This is the first time they ever played The Mann Center - so much nicer than SBC in Camden.

Herrington was great as always and absolutely killed it on Reelin'! Carlock, what can you say - he's a superstar. Jim Beard's piano playing was also noticeably exceptional. The boy's on the horns are simply the some of the best out there.

All in all a great show. Now onward to Bethlehem and then Gaucho and Request Night in NYC. 3 weekends of live Steely Dan - gotta love it.

Blueport Cover
Your Gold Teeth
Aja
Hey Nineteen
Show Biz Kids
Green Earrings
Black Friday
Time Out of Mind
Godwhacker
Daddy Don't Live in That NYC No More
Bodhisattva
Razor Boy
Babylon Sisters
I Want to (Do Everything for You)
Josie
Peg
My Old School
Reelin' in the Years

Encore: Kid Charlemagne
Untouchables Theme


Date: Sat, September 21, 2013, 22:41:04 ET
Posted by: Bob, NYC

Walter wants attention.


Date: Sat, September 21, 2013, 21:10:17 ET
Posted by: Jives, Glasgow

Yah T,P&R,

Sweet review,thank you.

As someone else said;you'd be a pleasure to attend a Steely gig with.;.)

Best regards.


Date: Sat, September 21, 2013, 20:43:02 ET
Posted by: Don Patrol, in the new wagon

TP&R, that's the way to feel after a show.
You would be a good person to see a show with,
lots of positive energy. Have fun in NYC!


Date: Sat, September 21, 2013, 20:09:57 ET
Posted by: Hutch,

T,P&R - Very nicely written review. Sounds like it was a great night.


Date: Sat, September 21, 2013, 19:17:18 ET
Posted by: Otto Rank,

Walter's fussiness is an indication of personal complacency, really. He needs to have something/someone defy/challenge him. He has a propensity for this kind of thing. The irony of it of course is, he only screws himself.

I know, because I kind of share that same proclivity, so I have to be careful of getting in my own way- thus screwing meselfie.


Date: Sat, September 21, 2013, 18:52:06 ET
Posted by: JJ, S

Maybe it's because he's a gear slut?


Date: Sat, September 21, 2013, 17:29:26 ET
Posted by: Sherman, Quincy MA

Maybe it's because Walter might be the only member of the band who doesn't actively tour with the exception of the Steely Dan gigs. He's more prone to make mistakes.


Date: Sat, September 21, 2013, 16:59:03 ET
Posted by: HouDanFan, Houston

This Walter and his equipment problems does seem to be taking on a life of its own. In Houston he actually missed a line in his solo messing with the equipment. Then during a few songs towards the end of the show he was playing in the back corner of the stage.


Date: Sat, September 21, 2013, 16:13:26 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

Terry Kath? Come on, that's lame


Date: Sat, September 21, 2013, 12:08:27 ET
Posted by: T Kath,

RE Walter's trouble w/ gear: To Walter: Stop fucking around w/ the gear and concentrate on your fucking playing. Sorry, I mean really...


Date: Sat, September 21, 2013, 11:56:26 ET
Posted by: tact, poise and reason, WOW, what a show!

I attended the Wash. DC stop on the Mood Swings tour last night, actually Virginia about 30 miles west of DC. Outdoor amphitheater, probably 8000 people. Friday night, perfect weather, the band had Thurs. night off, lots of energy. Conditions were right for an outstanding show and the band delivered big time. Aja Night!

First the bad. Amazingly Walter had trouble with his gear again from the start. I'm not sure he even played on Black Cow. He messed around for a minute, then a tech came out to assist. Not the ideal start. Thats the end of the bad.

Two lithe middle-aged beauties in front of me danced their scantily clad drunken asses off for much of the night. Not a bad thing. Luckily for me this venue has massive video screens on each side of the stage which I watched frequently for close-ups of DF and the various solos. All 4 horn players were killin' it at various times throughout the night, Weiskopf early on Aja and Deacon Blues. Those first 3 songs were so freakin' good, so much energy, I wondered how they could possibly sustain that level of excellence. Much to my delight, they did.

Identical setlist to Atlanta Aja night. Josie is always a crowd-inspiring, energetic song regardless of how many times I've heard it. Gold Teeth rocked, Herington gettin' it done. Rikki was a pleasant surprise. Black Friday was outstanding, Walter killin' through the entire song. Show Biz rocked, Herington put on a display during Bodi. I'm not a big fan of the Hey 19 rap. It was lengthy and I took a bathroom break. Godwhacker rocked. Razor Boy provided a good change of pace. Jim Beard stood out at the beginning and the girls were fantastic on this song and throughout. Finishing with School, Reelin, Kid- always audience pleasers.

In summary: Herington was stellar throughout. As we know Carlock is superhuman. They say he is from Mississippi. I'm not sure he is from Earth. Thirteen tremendous top-shelf musicians.

This was the best performance by Walter Becker I can recall. Wonderful playing all night, high energy, outstanding skill.
Last but certainly not least, Mr. Donald Fagen. Almost 66 years old. The energy and enthusiasm in his performance blew me away. Nuanced vocal delivery on a number of songs was amazing. I do not have enough superlatives to describe him. Simply the best.

Quite possibly the best concert of my life. Going to NYC for Gaucho and Request. Can't wait!


Date: Sat, September 21, 2013, 01:48:24 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu, ankling downtown


Dr. Fagen,

If you have any gambler's blood left at all, play Good Stuff at the next Dan concert.


It's better than most of the setlist anyway. Srsly.

Signed,


Bankroll


Date: Fri, September 20, 2013, 16:14:38 ET
Posted by: Stevie Dan, Phila., Pa

Agent of the law: The neighbors were listening and heard somebody scream somewhere. You took the argument to the limit when you pulled that steely knife. Tell me everything you did.

Woman: I can't tell you why. I'm a victim of love.

To Chet: I can't resist. And wound up with a serious Heartache Tonight.


Date: Fri, September 20, 2013, 15:33:30 ET
Posted by: CJTop, 461 Oceans Blvd.


The best setlist from The Dan's tour swing through the Carolinas had to be in Charlotte.

Rikki replaced Cow, Babylon replaced Home.



Date: Fri, September 20, 2013, 13:20:01 ET
Posted by: Search, k

Notice of the passing of Skip Gildersleeve from the members of Rush.

http://www.rush.com/russell-skip-gildersleeve-dies-at-57/


Date: Fri, September 20, 2013, 09:21:48 ET
Posted by: DYLYNFAN, HARRISBURG PA

Chet B., I think the whole story was a Royal Scam!


Date: Fri, September 20, 2013, 08:38:44 ET
Posted by: Chet, B

Agent of the law: The neighbors were listening and heard somebody scream somewhere. You took the argument to the limit when you pulled that steely knife. Tell me everything you did.

Woman: I can't tell you why. I'm a victim of love.


Date: Fri, September 20, 2013, 02:20:19 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, @ Doc �

Re: Steely knife
I noticed that expression too, but thought it was too good to be true.
I assume in the police questioning the Desperado had to tell them Everything She Did.


Date: Fri, September 20, 2013, 01:38:53 ET
Posted by: ronny, New York

wwycBJ http://www.MHyzKpN7h4ERauvS72jUbdI0HeKxuZom.com


Date: Thurs, September 19, 2013, 23:55:12 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu,


From the Eagles invoked stabbing report:

The roommate and his brother managed to get the knife away from her, but she just went and grabbed another one. This time, she stabbed the roomie ***with the steely knife,*** but she didn�t kill him, leaving him instead with �wounds to his arm, hand and elbow.�



Nice sneaky editorializing!


Date: Thurs, September 19, 2013, 09:11:09 ET
Posted by: Chris, nh

Setlist for Request Night 09/22/11:

Dizzy's Bidness
(Cannonball Adderley cover) (The Miles High Big Band only)
Your Gold Teeth
Aja
Black Friday
Hey Nineteen
(Monologue by Walter Becker)
Time Out of Mind
Show Biz Kids
Bodhisattva
FM (No Static at All)
Godwhacker
Home at Last
Papa Don't Take No Mess
(James Brown cover) (Band Intros by Walter Becker)
Rikki Don't Lose That Number
Dirty Work
(The Embassy Brats sing)
Do It Again
Josie
Peg
My Old School
Reelin' in the Years
Encore:
Kid Charlemagne
Untouchables Theme

7/25/09:

Teenie's Blues
(Oliver Nelson cover)
The Royal Scam
Bodhisattva
Hey Nineteen
Black Friday
Babylon Sisters
Aja
Peg
Dirty Work
FM (No Static at All)
Rikki Don't Lose That Number
Doctor Wu
Any Major Dude Will Tell You
Do It Again
Love Is Like an Itching in My Heart
(The Supremes cover)
Black Cow
Josie
Don't Take Me Alive
Kid Charlemagne
Encore:
Reelin' in the Years
My Old School
Dirty Water
Last Tango in Paris


Date: Thurs, September 19, 2013, 09:01:30 ET
Posted by: Stevie Dan, Philadelphia, PA

Mr. La Page: Thanks for your thoughts. I understand and agree with everything you said, I'm just hoping your wrong. ;-)


Date: Wed, September 18, 2013, 22:37:31 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

The thing about Request Nights is that the majority of casual fans will vote for hits, and those votes will drown out the widely varying dispirate deeper cut requests of the hard core fans who post here. So while people like us are voting for tunes like Dr Wu, Boston Rag, Pearl, and Western World for example, there are 20 times the casual fans voting for Do it Again and Rikki. So I would expect a Request Night to look pretty similar to a Greatest Hits combined with the standard setlist of this tour, with possibly one or two album cuts like King of the World and Don't Take Me Alive that have been played but only sparingly this tour


Date: Wed, September 18, 2013, 22:20:18 ET
Posted by: Mr. Fugazi, Raleigh

9/18 Raleigh

Intro
Gold teeth
Aja
Hey 19 - Walt talked about the moon and cut his story short saying we all heard it before
Show biz
Green earrings - seemed much slower than album version and past 6 tours I've seen
Black Friday
Time out of mind
Godwhacker
Daddy don't live in that NYC
Bodhisattva
-Donald says he likes sweet tea, stops for the train, says "that's fucking great, man," says countdown came out in 1907
Razor boy
Babylon sisters
Do everything to you - Walt says Keith is "the greatest fucking drummer I've heard in 30 years" and used the same library joke as was reported last night
Josie
Peg
Old school
Reelin' - amazing, definitely tightest I've ever heard, and Carlock was unbelievable
ENCORE
Kid Charlemagne
Untouchables theme


Date: Wed, September 18, 2013, 22:05:20 ET
Posted by: geo,

Request night is just a gimmick to sell tickets. They probably pay no attention to what the fans vote on.


Date: Wed, September 18, 2013, 20:52:12 ET
Posted by: Sherman, Quincy MA

That's a good sign. Hopefully, Walter will ditch the Hey 19 "rap" on future tours.


Date: Wed, September 18, 2013, 20:43:30 ET
Posted by: Mr. Fugazi, Raleigh

Walter cut his shtick short on Hey 19! Went out of his way to say we all heard it before


Date: Wed, September 18, 2013, 20:19:30 ET
Posted by: Stevie Dan, Philadelphia, PA

To: Big Fan, Getting Ready for the Beacon show. - Any idea if they will give an update on how the voting is going for the request nights?

I would really be surprised if W & D or their management disclosed the Request Night vote tally prior to the show. What did you request? Me, Barrytown - I know it's a stretch, but that's been my holy grail since they started touring again in '93. I'm hoping for some rarities, but am also prepared to be content with whatever they do. I'm going to the Gaucho show the night before as well, so hopefully I'll get two much different set lists.

How about other Dandom users who bought Request Night tickets directly through Ticketmaster? What did you request? Maybe we can do our own little unscientific dandom request night tally?

cheers


Date: Wed, September 18, 2013, 19:20:19 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

So was the cd quality sound original master tapes quality or second generation tapes ala the initial SD catalog cd release quality?


Date: Wed, September 18, 2013, 19:08:09 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

A little surprised at all the love for the oft played Babylon Sisters over a deeper cut like Home at Last.


Date: Wed, September 18, 2013, 16:58:11 ET
Posted by: RP, NC

Walter's rap in Charlotte was more about the Cuervo Gold running out..


Date: Wed, September 18, 2013, 16:35:14 ET
Posted by: CJTop, 461 Ocean Blvd


Charlotte show question...what was the Becker monologue about after the 'Chiba Chiba' ran out?


Date: Wed, September 18, 2013, 16:21:32 ET
Posted by: Dr. Wu, Asheville NC

Greg:

Here's your solution........put on your black faux leather vinyl pants, then go to the gig. Dan will supply the quality sound.


Date: Wed, September 18, 2013, 16:05:00 ET
Posted by: CJTop, 461 Ocean Blvd.


So jealous y'all got Rikki!

Even more jealous "Babylon" replaced "Home."

I guess they only pull out Rikki for the big markets.


Date: Wed, September 18, 2013, 14:57:42 ET
Posted by: Greg M, white plains

<<<Tight set, cd quality sound>>>

pffft! at a concert I want VINYL quality sound!! ;)


Date: Wed, September 18, 2013, 13:17:41 ET
Posted by: SDV, up on the hill

hey Dr. Wu, i'm in Asheville too... drop me a line!


Date: Wed, September 18, 2013, 13:08:46 ET
Posted by: Dr. Wu, Asheville NC

Charlotte show was best I ever heard of 12 Dan shows. Tight set, cd quality sound, DF vocals strong.....high energy. Rikki......and Babylon, gets no better than this.

WB intro of DF "he holds a a library card from the St. Louis public library and has no late charges on it". Good stuff.


Date: Wed, September 18, 2013, 13:07:34 ET
Posted by: Big Fan, Getting Ready for the Beacon show

Any idea if they will give an update on how the voting is going for the request nights?


Date: Wed, September 18, 2013, 11:45:48 ET
Posted by: Flatbush Chuck, That NYC

A few more from '77:

Lynyrd Skynyrd's last (& best?), "Street Survivors"

Television's first (& best), "Marquee Moon"

The ever-popular "Never Mind the Bollocks..."

And I think this was the year Graham Parker's first LPs ("Howlin' Wind" & "Heat Treatment") attained U.S. airplay.

Also, for those who were Ramones fans (I was a bit meh on them; could be my failing), '77 was pretty much prime time.


Date: Wed, September 18, 2013, 11:20:54 ET
Posted by: M/O/D/P, Not listening to the Eagles...again...

Young Wu - Welcome back, bro/dude, and thanks for the laff!

QUOTE - "Police say all three parties involved in the altercation were intoxicated at the time."

Although the charged woman does appear to be intoxicated in the booking photo, her inner beauty still clearly shines through, don'tcha think? I wonder what set her off, because she actually looks to my eyes like the quintessential Classic Rock Radio Eagles Fan. I'll just bet she really loves The Eagles. Maybe the treble was just too pronounced for her refined sensibilities?


Date: Wed, September 18, 2013, 07:08:20 ET
Posted by: Mr. Fugazi, The Service Elevator

In regards to tonight's Raleigh show at the Red Hat Amphitheatre:

Anyone ever been there before? I'm new to the area and I'm understanding that this venue doesn't have a slope, or good acoustics, so I'm concerned that sitting in one of the back 4 sections is going to stink and at that point I may as well get a lawn seat which isn't that much further back and saves me some green. I've never waited this long to buy a SD ticket any of the other 6 times I saw them but I've been trying to find ones in sections 1-3 on craigslist a little closer to my price range.


Date: Wed, September 18, 2013, 05:26:17 ET
Posted by: fagenism, She go (I cry)

erratum:

Oh, so there's a Jon Legend other than Herington, allthesudden?

What's next? There's a Don Corleone other than Fagen? An Iron Mike other than Leonhart?

Hope you're enjoying your stay at the fantasy land hotel, pal.


Date: Wed, September 18, 2013, 04:06:42 ET
Posted by: SDV, home at last

just in from the Charlotte show. Blue Organ Trio didn't start til nearly 8pm, Steely Dan almost 9.

we got a Rikki tonight which was a nice surprise. i don't think many in the crowd appreciated how rarely it gets played, but it was appreciated nonetheless.

other nice inclusions were Babylon Sisters, Godwhacker, NYC No More and ShowBiz Kids.

everyone in fine form. Mike Leonhart back in the fold. Razor Boy was a major highlight for me.

need sleep now.


Date: Tues, September 17, 2013, 23:13:51 ET
Posted by: Young Wu, I'm back, baby!

"Turn up the Eagles, the neighbors are listening."

"Hey, turn that fucking shit off!!"

Woman Stabs Her Roommate Because He Won�t Shut Off the Eagles

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/woman-stabs-roommate-eagles/


Date: Tues, September 17, 2013, 21:49:41 ET
Posted by: Ned Ikehorn, Charlotte

Terrible news . Skip Gildersleeve passed away earlier today. No details from the crew. RIP


Date: Tues, September 17, 2013, 21:26:10 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

Speaking of 77 and Aja, when I went off to college the following year, more often than not I threw Aja on the turntable as background music to study to. Relaxing, soothing, even on my crappy "all in one turntable/FM reciever/tape deck".


Date: Tues, September 17, 2013, 21:17:55 ET
Posted by: Ned, C

Some great youtube links have been posted here over the years. But what could also useful are links for youtube videos you shouldn't watch. If you ever see the URL http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_-f_ApPRF0 don't click on it. You'll be sorry. Again, that's

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_-f_ApPRF0

Don't watch.


Date: Tues, September 17, 2013, 20:23:52 ET
Posted by: Steve Gennarelli, Tampa FL

"Wet Side Story" was performed by the band on tour in '96, but hasn't been played since.


Date: Tues, September 17, 2013, 20:17:52 ET
Posted by: Jives, Glasgow

Re guitars and tone/fingers etc..

Any decent guitarist will sound,more or less,like themselves whether they're on a Strat,Les Paul,Tele or V or whatever...

Each of those guitars may be tonally different...some pickups are hotter than others but essentially its about the sensibility of the player,the phrasing,note choice,the dynamic control,the taste factor.

Good players wil sound like themselves regardless of axe.And the very best can make a Strat sound,more or less,like a Les Paul or Tele,V,what have you..

Walter,IMO,is one of those very rare players who has his own immediately identifiable sound and style.I could recognise his chops anywhere.

That's rare,truly rare.


Date: Tues, September 17, 2013, 20:11:35 ET
Posted by: ,

Did Steely Dan play Wet Side Story at all after the '90s? Thanks.


Date: Tues, September 17, 2013, 20:04:42 ET
Posted by: erratum,

@Fagenism

Jon CAN"T be a legend. We already have a Grammy winning John Legend.


Date: Tues, September 17, 2013, 18:03:10 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

Just ran out and got my copy of Bleeding Edge. Already 2 LOLs by page 3. And yes, CJB, at first glance it seems that EMG could well be the sound track to the movie!


Date: Tues, September 17, 2013, 17:28:09 ET
Posted by: CJB, Bleeding Edge

Yet another SD riff in Pynchon's latest, this time a Hallowe'en party at an upper West Side building set to "Without the Fez On" [sic].

All of Bleeding Edge reminiscent, some times scarily so, of the EMG lyrics. Same landscape, same timeframe, same gentle losers.


Date: Tues, September 17, 2013, 16:45:37 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, Zappaland

@Lutz:

That's right! I had actually forgotten about the 1977 UK only release of Zappa in New York. However, it was quickly withdrawn, only a very limted number of copies reached the stores in England, and the international/ US release came in march 1978 - with another track order.

I stand corrected. What a year for music lovers indeed!


Date: Tues, September 17, 2013, 16:01:09 ET
Posted by: Lutz, SF

Jazzassin: At least Zappa released Live in NY that year, although recorded 12/76.


Date: Tues, September 17, 2013, 13:56:34 ET
Posted by: Bookkeeper's Son, Basking in the post-concert afterglow!

Jazzassin:

I appreciate your welcome aboard and comments!

Funny you should mention the "sound/tone in the fingers" thing. That exact thought was running through my head at Saturdays show. Different guitars, different amps, different signal paths(cords) and yet Walter Becker sounded like Walter Becker. It really hit home during Josie, when he was playing the humbucker equipped Flying "V", changing out the cord mid-song and was still his sound/tone. Great stuff.

Someone asked earlier about the camera policy on this tour. I can only comment about the Ruth Eckerd Hall show. Wednesday last week I attended the Satriani show there. No real mention of camera use and no bag inspection. Saturday night for SD there were signs on every entry door announcing that there was "no cameras, no recording" allowed. Plus security checked every bag upon entry, specifically for cameras. I know these policies are artist driven. Therefore the signs and inspections were at Walter and Donald's request. Did not see any heavy handed security treatment of fans inside, but truth be told I was focused on the show.


Date: Tues, September 17, 2013, 13:33:45 ET
Posted by: Bookkeeper's Son, Florida

Matt:

The opening act hit the stage in Clearwater right on the time(8:00), great set by the way. Well received by the crowd at Ruth Eckerd. They played 30 minutes. The Dan hit the stage before 9:00. I want to say it might have been around 8:45 or 8:50.

Enjoy the show!


Date: Tues, September 17, 2013, 12:57:27 ET
Posted by: fagenism, She go (I cry)

Susan:

That was the easiest vote I've ever had to cast in my life. Jon is a legend.

Cheers!


Date: Tues, September 17, 2013, 12:51:03 ET
Posted by: Bookkeeper's Son, Florida

Matt:

The opening act hit the stage in Clearwater right on the time(8:00), great set by the way. Well received by the crowd at Ruth Eckerd. They played 30 minutes. The Dan hit the stage before 9:00. I want to say it might have been around 8:45 or 8:50.

Enjoy the show!


Date: Tues, September 17, 2013, 12:00:59 ET
Posted by: Susan Johnson, PA

Jon Herington's CD "Time On My Hands" has been nominated for Album of the Year by Vintage Guitar Magazine. Please log in, vote, and share. Let's give something back to Jon, he deserves it!
http://www.vintageguitar.com/hall-of-fame/


Date: Tues, September 17, 2013, 10:43:34 ET
Posted by: Jimmie, o

Review of Ruth Eckerd

http://cltampa.com/tampa/review-steely-dan-stages-a-set-free-of-deep-cuts-at-ruth-eckerd-hall-clearwater/Content?oid=4247881#.Ujhpq7zA4y4


Date: Tues, September 17, 2013, 10:32:28 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, '77 exception

In a long, long period of extreme productivity, the horn of plenty that was 1977 was the only year Frank Zappa did not record or release anything.


Date: Tues, September 17, 2013, 10:06:56 ET
Posted by: Matt, NC

Quick question for those who have attending shows so far this tour... I'm heading to the Raleigh show tomorrow night and was wondering what time the opener and the main act are typically taking the stage. Thanks!


Date: Tues, September 17, 2013, 09:26:35 ET
Posted by: ccw, dc

1977: Not to mention Fleetwood Mac's and Billy Joel's arguably peak albums ("Rumours" and "The Stranger") and Elvis Costello's debut ("My Aim Is True")!


Date: Tues, September 17, 2013, 02:01:41 ET
Posted by: CJTop, 461 Ocean Blvd.

Is Fagen really a gormet chef?


Date: Tues, September 17, 2013, 01:13:18 ET
Posted by: DonBreithaupt, Los Angeles

Also from '77:
Joni Mitchell / Don Juan�s Reckless Daughter
Little Feat / Time Loves a Hero
James Taylor / JT
Randy Newman / Little Criminals
Earth, Wind & Fire / All 'n All
Jackson Browne / Running on Empty
(no shortage of audio entertainment that year)


Date: Tues, September 17, 2013, 00:03:32 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Bookkeeper's Son, one more thing I can add. Don drops/flubs a lyric or two in nearly every show I have seen (10+). No biggie, IMO.


Date: Mon, September 16, 2013, 23:35:27 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

Oh forgot these for 77:

Renaissance--Novella
Bill Bruford--Feels Good to Me (great progressive jazz fusion)

In 77 I saw Yes, Kansas, Renaissance and Jean Luc Ponty, ELP, Chicago among others in concert. Wish I could have seen 1977 Steely Dan live....sigh


Date: Mon, September 16, 2013, 23:08:36 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

1977 was a great year. I was 17 and deep into music. In addition to Aja, which I played nonstop, how bout these for a high school soundtrack:

Animals--Pink Floyd
Peter Gabriel's first album
Genesis--Wind and Wuthering (late Dec 76)
Even in the Quietest Moments--Supertramp
Moroccan Roll--Brand X (Phil Collins vastly underrated jazz fusion band)
Steve Winwoods first solo album
Going for the One--Yes
Cheap Tricks first album
Talking Heads 77
The Clash's debut album
Twilley Don't Mind--Dwight Twilley
The Stranger--Billy Joel
Songs from the Wood--Jethro Tull
Point of Know Return--Kansas

while the "cool" kids were all listening to Disco, that is what I was buying


Date: Mon, September 16, 2013, 22:26:11 ET
Posted by: Plasma, Ventura, CA

1977 was a glorious year in music. I'll always remember when I brought home Heavy Weather by Weather Report and Steely Dan's Aja. Those two albums really blew my mind back in High School.


Date: Mon, September 16, 2013, 22:07:07 ET
Posted by: George Murphy, Trenton NJ

King of the World will be played again at the Beacon Theatre shows in New York and possibly at the Wang Theatre shows in Boston. Sadly, it was dropped from the regular setlist. Maybe Donald saw too many people running to the toilets or leaving to grab a beer at the few times it was played during this tour.


Date: Mon, September 16, 2013, 21:41:41 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

Looks like Black Cow and Black Friday have settled into those #5 and 6 slots pretty much every night. So much for possible switching up of some lesser played tunes for possible unveiling in NY and Boston.

Anyone ever get any info on why KOTW was dropped from the set?


Date: Mon, September 16, 2013, 19:29:09 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, Correction

Pynchon release day tomorrow ET. I'm 6 hours ahead here. My bad.


Date: Mon, September 16, 2013, 19:14:56 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, Waltero Guitarissimo

Bookkeeper's Son, all hope abandon ye who enter here. Welcome aboard!

Thanks to you and to Flipkid for reviews! Nice to get confirmed both Don & Walt still seems to enjoy the tour as much as the audience. Tech problems not so nice, but let's hope it won't become a habit.

As for Walt's guitar collection, I think he brought a lot of them on the previous tour as well, but didn't use nearly as many as he could've done.
Also, he and his tech visits guitar shops in different cities as often as they can to find even more gems, usually vintage ones, so he probably returns after the tour with even more guitars than he had when they started. Gear slut...
I imagine this is his way of finally living out whatever secret little rock star/ Guitar God clich� that eventually dwells in him. ;o) Probably not an inconsiderable amount of self-irony in that concept, given their music was always about that (music) and not rock star-ism. And one must assume they haven't got an infinite number of tours left in them, so this is the time to do whatever he wants to do in that department, I guess.
Just my two Norwegian Krones, of course.

I find it amusing that he travels with a bunch of guitars and amps and effects, yet always only varies his output sound on an almost subtle level. He's got his signature and sticks to it. And thanks for that. It's a very important part of the Steely Sound. And as an amateur guitar player I can say that a signature sound is really mostly "in the fingers", and less in the rig. But visually, a Flying-V or other glorious axes is always a nice addition to the show! Most important is that they work properly and that he has a lot of fun, of course. I really begrudge him that.

Jon, on the other hand brings only a few guitars and a modest effect board that does it all, but technically, he uses a lot more varied sounds than Walter to deliver what his interpretations of all the different classic solos demand. But when you've learned to really appreciate him as a guitar player, he too has a really easily recognizable sound that's "in the fingers".

Rig rundown Walt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRG3VhUMhIg

Rig rundown Jon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhboYQHDRI4&feature=endscreen&NR=1

Both posted here before, but I guess this is a a good opportunity for a revisit.

CJB, thanks for the heads-up on Pynchon. I read "Against the Day" a couple of years back, and look forward to his new one. I see that the relase date is today, actually.

Finally, thanks to Jimmie for the Tim Woodward article. Great read!


Date: Mon, September 16, 2013, 16:19:45 ET
Posted by: Jimmie, o

http://www.idahostatesman.com/2013/09/15/2761685/steely-dan-revisited-a-silver.html


Date: Mon, September 16, 2013, 14:24:07 ET
Posted by: Bookkeeper's Son , Florida

Roger Sadowsky (guitar builder), not Sadowski. Sorry for the error.

Mark


Date: Mon, September 16, 2013, 13:41:21 ET
Posted by: Bren, London UK

Bought these tickets a few months ago,but unfortunately cannot come across the pond to attend...so,I would like to offer them up to members of this community at face value...two tickets at Wang theatre,Boston 24th Sept,Orchestra Pit,centre,one in Row 6,one in Row 5 $195 each...one ticket 25th sept,orchestra Pit,centre,Row 6,$195...e-mail me if interested...many thanks Bren London UK


Date: Mon, September 16, 2013, 12:48:42 ET
Posted by: Bookkeeper's Son , Florida

Long time reader, first time poster. Have attended numerous Dan concerts over the years including the 1970s tour with Dias, Baxter etc.

I was in attendance at the Clearwater show Saturday night. The set list conformed to most of the recent shows. I personally do not have a problem with the sameness of the song choices by Becker and Fagen. Am simply happy to see them bring whatever songs they choose to life.
Jon Herington was ripping in my opinion. The rest of the band was tight as well. Great energy from the crowd. The band also seemed to be enjoying themselves as well.

A couple of observations that in some respect address posts I have read here.

The "girls" moved offstage several times Saturday night when Jim Beard was being featured. Not sure if that is something new or not, but I do recall someone posting that their position blocked Jim during the show.

Somewhere around Hey 19 Jon Herington was having issues with his rig. He and his guitar tech were talking quite a bit. This went on for a couple of songs. While his solos sat well in the mix almost the entire night, for some reason his second solo in Black Friday more or less disappeared. After his guitar signal was all good....thankfully.

Walter Becker was frequently engaging his guitar tech throughout the night. Several times the tech would unplug one cord from his guitar and plug in a different one. Once was in the middle of Josie, prior to Walter's solo. Not sure how many cords there were, but it was at least two. He had a number of amps on stage so maybe it was planned to switch amps? Not sure what was going on. My question is, why at this point in the tour are either of them having problems? Maybe someone can shed a little more light on this.

Speaking of Walter. On past tours he used to wield Roger Sadowski guitars. This time out he had a very large collection of guitars he played, from various makers. Have not read anything about this change. Does anyone have information about this change?

Donald dropped lyrics in two songs....near the end of the set. Not just a word. He started the wrong verse at one point in My Old School. Fatigue? Distracted? Don't recall this happening on prior tours. Does show that even these great musicians aren't perfect.

Left Ruth Eckerd Hall with a huge smile. I would not hesitate to attend another show or two on this tour if I could, even if it was an identical set list to Saturday night.


Date: Mon, September 16, 2013, 10:21:44 ET
Posted by: Chet, B

Kadleck has been subbing for ML since 2000. He plays on The Last Mall.


Date: Mon, September 16, 2013, 08:48:02 ET
Posted by: Flipkid, Purple State

Amazing show last night in Charleston. Great venue (the North Charleston Performing Arts Center); good sound system and not a bad seat in the house. We got the same set as Saturday's show in Clearwater, but it was great. Both Don and Walt seem to be very ENERGIZED this tour; a lot more banter with the audience-- and Don stepping out from behind the Fender Rhodes-- than I've seen in the past. And no ML on trumpet (they didn't say why): it was a guy named Tony Kadleck, and he was FANTASTIC.


Date: Mon, September 16, 2013, 00:23:10 ET
Posted by: Randy, w

So what exactly did Al Gore say about changing the weather?


Date: Sun, September 15, 2013, 23:56:16 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

BTW, the only reason I looked was because of this strange comment:

"Donald's seeming first use of this song title"

Why in the world would anyone assume this was the first use of Memorabilia as a song title?


Date: Sun, September 15, 2013, 23:49:23 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Seems there are many instances of Memorabilia as a song title (check at allmusic.com) Earliest I could find with a very quick search is:

1977 Bellamy Brothers
http://www.allmusic.com/song/memorabilia-mt0031956377

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OxC2Yjlljg




Date: Sun, September 15, 2013, 23:27:30 ET
Posted by: Brain Strainer,

Tonite's strainer deals with two tunes with the same title, and that Donald's seeming first use of this song title simply is not the case. No points will be awarded for this one.

"Surprisingly, Donald was not the first to make use of a certain song title with release of Sunken Condos. The question is which is your preference? I'm kind of torn between Don's and this earlier namesake:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgmnS8eh5SE


Date: Sun, September 15, 2013, 18:21:07 ET
Posted by: CJTop, 461 Ocean Blvd.

Doors: 6:30
Opener: 7:30
Dan:8:45


Date: Sun, September 15, 2013, 13:06:52 ET
Posted by: CJB, YVR

Obtained, despite its not being released yet, an advance copy of Thomas Pynchon's latest novel, set in 9-11 NYC, BLEEDING EDGE.

Amused to see its heroine performing, as a karaoke number, "Steely Dan's 'Can You Hear Me Dr. Wu' [sic], plus Pynchonesque description of the horn break.


Date: Sun, September 15, 2013, 07:36:52 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

@ Jazzassin: I just got to look back and see where you posted KOTW. Truly outstanding. Thanks so much. I was privileged to see them perform it in Louisville. A great moment!


Date: Sun, September 15, 2013, 05:16:44 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, blitzkrieg bop

Camera policy? Generally: What The Dean said; no cameras.

However, sometimes the deal is you can take pictures during the first 5-10 minutes. Rules will vary a lot, as will the enforcement. Information about the policy at any given venue will usually be found in big letters that leaves little room for misinterpretation. Also, the security procedures will give more than a hint. Some venues will forbid all photgraphing/filming by default, while others will let each band or artist decide how it will be for a given show. Sometimes there's a general prohibition, but with exclusive rights for a number of press accredited photographers.

And while some artists don't mind, or even belong to the more exhibitionistic breed that love to have their picture taken 24/7/365, others are really uncomfortable with it and are unable to focus and get into the desireable mental state for their performance if people are waving visible phones or cameras under their nose.

Blitz or other bright light sources from FOH positions that is not a part of the stage lighting rig is ALWAYS bad, and will make certain artists pissed and actually leave the stage in protest. Besides, using a blitz if the object onstage is more than a few feet away is pointless, as it has no effect on a stage that's already lit by tens or hundreds of thousands of Watts.

So, if you want to take pictures despite the prohibition, please be discreet, don't use blitz, hide the camera and walk like an Injun so Carlo won't suspect something's wrong here.

@Hackensack: Glad you found the Dan after all. It proves your receptiveness to good music is way more important than what decade you were born. I have children born in the 90's who are fans too.

@Mr LaPage: Your balls was never a subject, really. And if I had wanted to insult them, it would have been in a manner that couldn't be misunderstood, trust me. But I'm sure you have'em too, and I usually read your comments with interest. Can we leave this for now, please?


Date: Sun, September 15, 2013, 00:00:11 ET
Posted by: Hackensack, missouri

Jazzasin: I was born in March 1979. Pretty close to the 80s. I always have believed I was born in the wrong musical era. I love 60s and 70s music. I experienced the great musical brilliance of Steely Dan when I was 17. Im ususlly the youngest at most concerts I go to.


Date: Sat, September 14, 2013, 23:47:04 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

For the record, while I was a bit taken aback when Fagenism mentioned Britney and Backstreet Boys, I don't believe they were EQUATED in any way. What was equated was his perception of your possible reaction. Read the post again, I'd advise.

And of course we are all entitled to our guilty pleasures. What gets me is when people call certain Dan songs "guilty pleasures". That I don't get at all. I'd simply call that a "pleasure"--no guilt necessary.

As for the camera policy, I'm guessing "No Cameras" is a fairly standard policy these days for nearly all acts. How that is enforced from venue-to-venue can vary a great deal.


Date: Sat, September 14, 2013, 23:07:59 ET
Posted by: CJTop, 461 Ocean Blvd.

What is the camera policy this tour?

Anybody going to the sold out Charleston, SC show?


Date: Sat, September 14, 2013, 21:53:18 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, Checking my package

Thank you for not insulting my balls in that last post


Date: Sat, September 14, 2013, 21:19:21 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, we're cool

LaPage,

I fully agree to your point about who's music is historically important and who's is not, of course. I also guess you were both a little provoked by eachother's pick of songs used as examples, and maybe even talked a little past eachother. Goes for me as well then, I guess.

If what you wrote in your latest comment is all you ever meant to say on the matter, I have nothing more to say except we should probably stop now.

After all, there's people in Ohio and in Missouri sitting on needles waiting to be allowed to post their juicy reviews of some recent Steely Dan concerts.

If Mr. McDonald & Mr. Hackensack suffers from writer's block, I suggest you guys start with a short comment on how much you loved the full length video of KOTW live 2013 in LA to which I posted a link yesterday and which has harvested zero response so far.

I'm checking out now, it's close to 3:30 AM over here, you know. Really looking forward to a sunday morning filled with interesting tour stuff.


Date: Sat, September 14, 2013, 20:46:49 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

Jazz, it looks like you've missed the point of my posts in this disrupted flow of conversation. I was discussing the historical, revolutionary and undeniable pervasive cultural and musical impact the Beatles had in their mere 7 years of writing songs and making albums. Fagenism then apparently scoffed at a few cherry picked Beatles tunes and in the same breath lauded the great artworks of B Spears and Backboys, demonstrating HE missed the point.

I have many guilty listening pleasures, as we all do, but I would never make the mistake of equating such temporary fleeting gratifications with the recorded legacy of the most popular and influential pop group of all time. Hence, my "yikes". There is a difference between liking what you like and understanding and appreciating music history.


Date: Sat, September 14, 2013, 20:43:30 ET
Posted by: Hackensack, missouri

Exactly McDonald


Date: Sat, September 14, 2013, 20:30:52 ET
Posted by: Fred K., San Diego

Interesting news: Christine McVie will be rejoining Fleetwood Mac on stage for two shows when the tour hits Dublin and London this month. It's just for one song though and that song will be "Don't Stop".


Date: Sat, September 14, 2013, 20:15:25 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, musical snobbery dept.

Mr LaPage,

If a person was born in the '80s and got Britney and Backstreet Boys in with his/her mother's milk, it's no mystery if that person have a soft spot for some of those artists' songs for the rest of their life, even if that person's taste has later developed into more sophisticated music like e.g. Steely Dan.
If one's reaction to hearing those songs from one's childhood again after 30 is goosebumps, so be it. No fucking problem.

I'm sure a lot of older Steely Dan fans have similar chewing gum pop "guilty pleasures" (sic) from their own childhood. Early Beatles could very well be amongst them. The artist's status on this board has nothing to do with this, it could be anything, and it's just very human and perfectly ok.

But it takes grown up balls to admit it here, that's all.

I don't share fagenism's guilty pleasures, but I will always defend his right to have them without being criticized for it.


Date: Sat, September 14, 2013, 19:39:34 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

Oh, so you were criticizing some of the Beatles tunes and praising Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys, whom should never be mentioned in the same breath?
Got it. Yikes.


Date: Sat, September 14, 2013, 18:07:57 ET
Posted by: fagenism, She go (I cry)

Mr LaPage:

Your reply makes no sense to me. Feel free to read my post again.

Let's agree to love a significant part of the Beatles catalogue.

Over and out.


Date: Sat, September 14, 2013, 17:45:34 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

Fagenism, re your reply to me awhile back, I'm scratching my head. I certainly was not criticizing the Beatles, if you read my posts, just the opposite--I said what they accomplished in 7 years was astonishing and unparalleled. Then you injected silly tripe like Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys into the discussion and completely lost me. Are you going to start drawing parallels between One Direction and Steely Dan next?


Date: Sat, September 14, 2013, 16:38:59 ET
Posted by: Greggery Peccary, Zappaland

@M/O/D/P - always among my favorite contributors here, you have just risen to the top of my list with your recent Wild Man Fischer reference! Have no fear, kind sir, Larry's rich musical legacy hasn't been co-opted & sullied by any multinational corporation. Yet. Thanks for the smile, regardless.


Date: Sat, September 14, 2013, 16:10:23 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, Nooooooo!

She/they must be doing this just to mess with our minds, Jim. As if I weren't confused enough already. :D

Give the split personalities twice as many treatment facilities NOW!


Date: Sat, September 14, 2013, 15:49:06 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

BTW, Jazzassin, I just saw a Facebook post by Carolyn Leonhart from Memphis where she spells Audrey Martells with an "s" at the end. So you may have been onto something after all. I can't quite decide if there are 2 different artists, or 1 eclectic artist.


Date: Sat, September 14, 2013, 15:48:24 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, Back to our scheduled programming with McDonald

Why don't you just say something about the tour instead of waiting for others to do it, then? Tour news or opinions about anything regarding the tour are of course always most welcome, and anyone can post at any time. Thanks in advance!


Date: Sat, September 14, 2013, 15:44:27 ET
Posted by: Steve Gennarelli, Tampa, FL

Great post, Lee, on the sad state of mainstream radio.

I have Sirius/XM mainly because of Howard (Stern) but through Sirius I've found out about some new artists and found some old gems that I had never heard of before.

For local radio in Tampa, when I moved here in '98, we had so many nice offerings. We had a smooth jazz station that had an awesome Sunday acoustic brunch with rare tunes that would never, ever get play on any radio station. We had a RB/Soul station that would play cool 70's songs by artists like Stevie Wonder/The Brothers Johnson/Marvin Gaye. At that time, there were a number of Classic Rock stations and a nice mix of everything else you could think of.

Now most of those are gone and I think Sirius/XM, Pandora, and the station Lee mentioned are our only alternatives.

Today's radio really caters to the kids.

Its kind of like how the TV entertainment shows "Entertainment Tonight", "Extra" and "E! News Daily" only focus on stars 21 and under. If Selena Gomez takes a sh*t its big news, but if James Gandolfini dies you might hear about it as the closing credits run. This really happened when Ray Manzerek from "The Doors" died..."Let's learn all about the bleach that Miley Cyrus uses and musician Ray Manzerek is dead. See you tomorrow".

In closing, I have to give a huge Thank You to Lee in Tampa as he busted his hump trying to get me the "Steely" tickets to tonight's show at Ruth Eckerd in Clearwater. I couldn't get them and he was unable to get them, but the way I look at it is this. I've been blessed to have seen "Steely Dan" 4 times in my life and got to see Donald a 5th time last year when "The Dukes" played in Clearwater.

The show is a sellout. Someone is sitting in the seat I would have been in and maybe they've never seen "Steely Dan" before. Maybe tonight will transform their life the same way "Steely Dan" changed my life forever.

Here's to a great show, to a great new friend in Lee and to hoping that someone puts "Razor Boy" up on YouTube before I keel over dead.


Date: Sat, September 14, 2013, 15:35:47 ET
Posted by: McDonald, Cleveland

Please! We've had enough discussions about Steely Dan vs. The Beatles. Can we get back to talking about the tour? Thanks!


Date: Sat, September 14, 2013, 14:26:00 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, It's got a backbeat, you can't lose it

As for The Beatles' appreciation of "black music", that was, like Mu mentions, mostly (my) old school rock & roll ala Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Fats Domino.
In short, the music that became one major root of all popular music to come.
Both The Beatles and The Rolling Stones started with covers of some of those guys on their setlists. See Hamburg period.


Date: Sat, September 14, 2013, 13:56:50 ET
Posted by: CJTop, 461 Ocean Blvd.

What is the Steely Dan camera policy?


Date: Sat, September 14, 2013, 13:31:24 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu,



Right. Donald was listening to Peter Gunn and Art Blakely. Macca was listening to Little Richard.


Date: Sat, September 14, 2013, 12:32:16 ET
Posted by: Flatbush Chuck, That NYC

Doc Mu: Thanks. Of course, the Beatles regarded themselves as second to none in their appreciation of "black music." But the names they'd cite (Smokey Robinson, Jerry Butler, etc) reflect a focus on song-based uptown r&b/soul/Motown/Stax, plus a partial awareness of Chicago and maybe Delta blues. I've never read of any of them talking about Armstrong, Ellington, Parker, Monk or Coltrane. I'd hesitate to write this off to conservative music-structural tastes; after all, along their way the Beatles encountered, dug and glancingly "assimilated" ideas from Stockhausen, Ravi Shankar and even John Cage. They seemed open in principle to complex or "free-form" musical premises. They just didn't seem to ever really engage post-WWII US jazz in particular. (Maybe they sensed that the technical/ theoretical demands of something as complex, yet still tonally-rooted, as bebop might be beyond their capacity to make much use of?)

As for Steely Dan, I'm always intrigued to hear Fagen & Becker talk about the non-jazz influences that went into their brew. Such as the mid-60s songs of Bacharach, or Laura Nyro's structurally imaginative jazz-pop, or Leiber-Stoller's song sensibilities. Or Don's mom (who as a child had been "the Shirley Temple of the Catskills") giving him his first music education by singing 1930-50s pop standards around the house. Or Walter's interest in Stravinsky, Donald's in Debussy, etc. All parts of the puzzle of how we got this fine, fine SD ouvre...


Date: Sat, September 14, 2013, 12:27:25 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu,


Jives - one is in a minor key with accidentals, one is not.


Lee - can't disagree with your first post


As Elvis Costello once exclaimed:

"They say you better listen to the voice of reason
But they don't give you a choice because they think that it's treason
So you better do as you are told.
You better listen to the radio"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOWwN3T2xkc




Both Eleanor Rigby and Buzz have a cello


Date: Sat, September 14, 2013, 12:12:29 ET
Posted by: Lee , Tampa

About possible similarities of music of the Beatles and Steely Dan, I always thought that "Through With Buzz" had an "Eleanor Rigby" feel to it. In fact, I have often wondered if "Through With Buzz" was created to evoke memories of "Eleanor Rigby", or at least to be purposely similar style-wise.


Date: Sat, September 14, 2013, 12:04:26 ET
Posted by: Lee , Tampa

Regarding the discussion about the relevance of those who created great music in the past, and how their latter work is perceived.....it is tough today to find out about the newer offerings of these artists, unless one takes the time to do the research.

The playlists of music stations operated by Clearchannel, CBS, Cox, et al consist of a total of about only 200 songs to be played over a month! Averaged out, given time for talk and commercials, that means that each song is played about once per day, day after day after day!

Interestingly, when I talk about the state of the radio industry, I often ask "How come when Stevie Wonder and other great artists of his generation put out new music, most radio stations never play it?"

Well, the answer is that even when artists of the sixties, seventies, and eighties continue to create quality music, their offerings do not fit into the stale and formulaic 200 song playlists of today's radio stations.

Something else I say when talking about the radio industry is "You cannot tell me that Stevie Wonder, Steely Dan, Boz Skaggs, et al suddenly do not know how to write and produce great music!" Of course many of them continue to create tremendous music, but you never get to hear it.

The radio industry sucks! I wonder if the Beatles, if founded today, would ever get their music on the air. One thing is certain: If their music sucked, but if they were pretty, with blonde hair, and performed on stage shaking their nice asses at the crowd, their music definitely would have better odds of being played!

My favorite radio station is online at:

radioparadise.com

It is a station with a combination of old and new music programmed by a real radio guy who used to do the same thing when the industry did NOT suck. I hope you will go to that site and listen for a while. I am confident that many of you will like it very much! You will definitely find out about a lot of great newer music that you now don't even know exists.


Date: Sat, September 14, 2013, 11:24:06 ET
Posted by: Jives, Glasgow

Doc Mu,

Your right about the Dan being in a different world,musically,from The Beatles..however...

The piano part in Your Gold Teeth after the lyric "tobacco they grow in Peking" is identical to a piano refrain in Obla Di Obla Da...

Well at least to my ears :-)


Date: Sat, September 14, 2013, 08:25:34 ET
Posted by: Michael, @M/O/D/P

Thanks for the response. You said that you're out of touch with the mainstream. Well, you're not missing out on much. Hundreds of channels and 99% of it is junk. I read articles recently about how more and more people are 'cutting the cord' on cable/satellite, over a quarter-million this year alone and that that number keeps increasing. After all, why pay out the wazoo for lackluster content and endless reruns with five minute commercial breaks interspersed when you've got internet and your own back catalog of movies, music and games?


Date: Sat, September 14, 2013, 01:29:30 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu,


Mumford & Sons

Pugwash + Duckworth Lewis Method

Liam Finn

Ben Folds Five - Part Deux


It's been awhile now but Kenny Garrett's Songbook is arguable a top 10 album of all time...featuring the late, great Kenny Kirkland.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89nKf1zCSfc


Sunken Condos


Oh, Paddy McAloon/Prefab Sprout back from nearly deaf, dumb, and blind...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WnATZLcXuA


Daft Punk Get Lucky single w/ Nile Rodgers


Great stuff out there - one just has to look harder...






Date: Fri, September 13, 2013, 23:39:34 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

I think that I begin too many of my posts with "I saw..." But I saw Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye on the same bill in Memphis in 1974. It was epic. I don't know what SW is doing today, because my focus is much more limited as I grow older, and I don't listen to radio or watch TV these days. Therefore I have no idea what is out there. I hear it's crap, but what do I know? I saw the Black Keys this past spring and they were good. But I didn't rush out and buy their latest LP.


Date: Fri, September 13, 2013, 22:23:42 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu,


Flatbush - very interesting and cogent thoughts. While the Dan relied on the Beatles a bit and of course Dylan lyrically...musically, SD exists in a Universe where the Beatles (or arguably white musicians) never existed. Post WWII jazz, blues, R&B, some funk prevail.

Time 2 Love is quite an opus, stuffing a lot of his good ideas over the decades into a sprawling album. It's not Songs in the Key of Life, but what is. It's very well done and chock full of production goodies as well as very fine melodies and harmonies.







Date: Fri, September 13, 2013, 19:59:13 ET
Posted by: The Dean, Manatee Bar. It's Happy Hour!

Not sure I'd call a Shatner release "Big" news. More like "perhaps interesting" news. I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised by Has Been. Nothing I would buy or listen to often, but I was amused by it and thought Ben Folds did a terrific job producing and arranging. I still think of it as a novelty album--but a pretty good one. I suspect the producer will play a key part in the new one as well. He/she will have to find a way to highlight Bill's few strengths and minimize his many weaknesses as a musical performer.

As for Stevie Wonder being "lazy" I'm not sure what to say. I don't know what he is really doing these days as a creator. I read he is working on two major projects: one gospel and one a personal project relating to blindness. But he might be writing, producing---I don't know what and I doubt Michael has the inside scoop on his life, either. I will say I respect an artist who stops creating more than I do one who simply rewrites the same song over than over for strictly commercial purposes.

As an aside, tonight and tomorrow Gentlemen of The Road tour has a big show (called a "Stopover") in St Augustine. Mumford and Sons is the main attraction--I don't need that kind of action. Just kidding I think they are far better than most of what passes for pop music these days. Anyway they expect upwards of 30-40 thousand people entering the city for this concert. Other than Mumford, I am unfamiliar with most of the acts. I've heard of The Walkmen (sponsored by Sony?) but have never heard them. I've heard FUN on TV and they totally sucked. Anyways, the city has been overwhelmed. Traffic sucks. So I am hunkered down for the weekend. I have one call tomorrow (south of the city) and then it's back to the condo. Laying low. Lots of supplies. Keeping the barbarians from the gate!


Date: Fri, September 13, 2013, 19:58:31 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

So are they doing "Sign In Stranger?"


Date: Fri, September 13, 2013, 19:19:26 ET
Posted by: Fred K., San Diego

Big News! William Shatner will be releasing his progressive rock CD called "Ponder The Mystery" on October 8. It features the prog-rock band "Circa" with former Yes members Tony Kaye and Billy Sherwood along with special guests Rick Wakeman, the late George Duke, Al DiMeola, former Doors guitarist Robbie Krieger, etc. Shatner will also be doing a mini-tour in October performing at three California venues: The Coach House, The Canyon Club and Saint Rocke. Mr. Sulu! Warp factor 6!!


Date: Fri, September 13, 2013, 19:15:37 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

Yes, Phound, I agree. I came upon this site during the 2011 SD tour. Most of the people on this site know more about music in general, and Steely Dan specifically, than I could ever hope to know.


Date: Fri, September 13, 2013, 13:50:21 ET
Posted by: Flatbush Chuck, That NYC

The "they" in paragraph (1) refers specifically to the Beatles, not SD. My bad.


Date: Fri, September 13, 2013, 13:36:45 ET
Posted by: Flatbush Chuck, That NYC

A few thoughts on the Beatles (and SD):

(1) In terms of musical tastes, they were omnivores from the start. Anything they heard & liked--not just "rock&roll," but music hall, c&w, Latin ballad, Rudee Vallee, you name it-- they'd give it a shot. Famously, on their records you hear strands of various folk genres, pre-rock pop ideas, baroque, classical, raga, a couple of species of "avant-garde," and plenty more (with the conspicuous exception of postwar US jazz, a point I'll come back to viz. SD).

(2) Most of the other seminal talents that would ignite the 1960s explosion of "rock" invention and formal expansion (Dylan, Stones, Clapton, Garcia-Weir, McGuinn, Manzarek, Sebastian, Hendrix Townshend et. al.) until 1964-65 had been working in various peripheral non-pop "purist" genres (the topical folk movement, bluegrass/jug, hardcore blues/r&b, "chitlin' circuit," UK trad jazz, etc.). Then they heard the brew that the Beatles-- "impurists" that they were-- had wound up concocting in their omniverous eclecticism. And these hitherto genre-purits evidently thought: If THIS be pop music now, it's a worthy arena. And so they splashed into the rock pool, taking their skills, talents and artistic ambitions with them. Viola: The Sixties, Man-- and the prerequisite for two guys like Don and Walt to not become professors, sci-fi writers or jazz arrangers with their lives, but to instead aspire to forge some form of popular music that would be a worthy outlet for them.

(3) Two benefits of "omnivorous eclecticism": (i) You cross-train in a variety of forms; (ii) you don't reject any good ideas that come to you because they're outside the formal boundaries of your purist genre. Maybe Liverpool is the kind of milieu where the snobbery that nurtures purism or art-cults doesn't easily take root; maybe the folks there are too earthy and pretension-resistant for that. They like what they like, which could be anything (there is good and bad/in every form). Perhaps the Beatles imbibed this mindset.

(4) Anyway, for all their eclecticism, it often seems that as far as Beatle music was concerned, post-WWII US jazz might as well not have existed. I know John Lennon was on record as saying a dismissive thing or two about it, but (as is often the case with John) I've run across contraindications of this in the record, too. Anyway, I'm thinking that "Drive My Car" may be as close to a nod to bebop-influenced pop as they recorded(harmonically, in the ninth chords the vocals make, in the angular modulations, etc.) ; I know tracks like "Lady Madonna" and "Savoy Truffle" have sax arrangements, but they seem to come more out of an uptown-r&b tradition.

(5) I regard the Beatles as setting the standard for fecundity in tasteful, accessible song melody, especially for the generations that came of age after 1960. Steely Dan has achieved something at once broader and narrower; they will never have the everyman-appeal of the Beatles, but they've taken certain aspects of music (harmonic breadth and subtlety, literary acuity, sheer instrumental elegance) places the Beatles could never go. Their sense of melody is more diffused-- they don't (usually) write broad "tunes," they're composing arrangements (not unlike Ellington, or even Beethoven), albeit ones that leave space for instrumentalists' co-creatiions (like Ellington-- and on occasion, I understand, Beethoven).

Liking both bands as much as I do, it's always gratifying to hear how McCartney was spotted dancing at an '07 SD concert in London, and that he played "Deacon Blues" on his radio show and called it a favorite....



Date: Fri, September 13, 2013, 13:04:37 ET
Posted by: M/O/D/P, Toronto

Michael, I for one always read your posts here because your often "dissonant" opinions tend to start some interesting debates. Unlike the anonymous folks who clearly seek to gratuitously soil the proceedings, you always come across as sincere. I also fully understand your never-ending search for new music. When it comes to irrelevancy or artistic stagnation, though, there are far more deserving targets than Stevie Wonder.


I am fortunate enough to have never once heard 'Superstition' in a beer commercial, or in any other advertising for that matter. See, in order to protect what's left of my mind from being unnecessarily abused/assailed on a regular basis, I haven't watched broadcast TV or listened to homogenized Classic Rock radio for more than fifteen years. None of the music I have loved for most of my life - including The Beatles and Steely Dan - has ever been damaged or diminished for me by oversaturation or misuse via advertising. It could even be that half a dozen major international brands have used selections from Wild Man Fischer's catalog to promote their wares during the past decade and a half, but I wouldn't know about that. I'm a bit out of touch with the mainstream.


Incidentally, the local Home Depot has played the same PA music selection for years now, and so virtually every time I'm there I get to hear 'Tomorrow's Girls' and 'New Frontier'. Maybe a few hundred Big Box exposures to date, and I still love those songs. Funny how even a powerful force for evil like the Home Depot just can't wreck a great song.


Date: Fri, September 13, 2013, 12:19:11 ET
Posted by: Michael,

SDV, yes, my cousin showed it to me back when it first came out, but it didn't leave a lasting impression on me.

Radio circulates the same material year-in and year-out, but then there's also far less people listening to the radio. I don't know if older artists are necessarily cursed. After all, it pays them handsomely. Deep Purple's 'Smoke on the Water' pays each bandmember about one million dollars a year in royalties.

There are people who listen exclusively to the same stuff they've been listening to for the past several decades and they're perfectly content. That's how it goes. Much as I love Steely Dan and other artists, there's always the desire to hear something new, hence why I compose -- the endless artistic pursuit which cannot be quenched.


Date: Fri, September 13, 2013, 12:10:44 ET
Posted by: Phound, B-coastal

Nice to see this forum. Smart folks posting smart insights.


Date: Fri, September 13, 2013, 12:09:27 ET
Posted by: Phound, Bi-coastal


Date: Fri, September 13, 2013, 11:49:16 ET
Posted by: SDV, workout Stevie, workout

nothing of significance since the 70s? try this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXutqNAX00Y

in a way, classic rock artists are cursed by their own catalogs. no matter what they put out nowadays, the radio is still gonna keep playing their old hits. this goes for countless artists, and apparently it's why our boys are sticking to a predictable setlist night after night. give the people what they want.

i don't think you can blame the artist as much as the audience. of course, some artists really do have nothing left to say and are happy to do the old favorites.

a good example of this conflict is the Beach Boys, who reunited all 5 original surviving members last year for a tour and album. The album contained all new material penned mainly by Brian Wilson, and went to #3 on the Billboard charts. But in the end, lead singer Mike Love decided to drop the reunion lineup and return to his smaller-scale greatest hits tour, playing mainly casinos and fairs. Upsetting to the hardcore fans, but basically unnoticed by the public at large.

as it happens, Stevie Wonder's last album 'A Time To Love' is a gold album released in 2005 that peaked at #5. I think it's quite significant. have you even listened to it?


Date: Fri, September 13, 2013, 11:27:02 ET
Posted by: fagenism, She go (I cry)

Bungalow Bill:

Lovely post, thank you.


Date: Fri, September 13, 2013, 11:04:35 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, with caleidoscope eyes

Bungalow Bill,
I think you just nailed what is probably a shared experience for a lot of people on this board.


Date: Fri, September 13, 2013, 11:02:56 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu,


Rubber Soul = Bubblegum pop? Really?


From RS, one of the more interesting aspects was their production and arrangements. Props to George Martin and Macca for that.


McCartney was a good musician in that he could play virtually anything quite well...but seriously the Beatles weren't GREAT musicians, but brilliant songwriters and arrangers with Martin.


Manzarek was prone to noodling, but like the Police, the Doors could play their instruments and infuse all kinds of cool stuff (jazz, ragtime, blues, rock, Movie/TV music fake jazz) into it. Versatility was their calling card in order to let Morrison do his thing. Most of their ideas worked. Some didn't. They sound actually a little like the original BS&T


Date: Fri, September 13, 2013, 10:43:18 ET
Posted by: Bungalow Bill, UK

I picked up on the Beatles round about 'Revolver' at the end of 1966 as they started to move away from bubblegum pop. I was 14 - post puberty with angst. Their next few drug fuelled albums became a soundtrack for massive unparallelled shifts in western society and resonated with my raging internal hormonal soup and increasing alienation from everything materialistic. I didn't hear it as a musician with a critical ear. I heard it with my 'inner child' - it just sounded the same as the inside of my head and that was gloriously transcendental.

I picked up on Steely Dan in 1976 with 'The Royal Scam' - I was 24. I had learned to play an instrument, I hung out with musicians, I began to explore music at more and more sophisticated levels. Steely Dan resonated with my highest aspirations for musical expression and I became aware of every fine detail of the art form through them - ultimately embracing jazz because of them.

The difference between these two experiences was so vast that I can't grasp the concept of comparing the two bands side by side, and I certainly couldn't attribute more value to one than the other. It is true that I seldom listen to Beatles tunes these days, but that just seems right, it doesn't devalue them. They are actually in my DNA now ! When I compose and play I love to employ harmonies,sound palettes,forms and rhythms that I learned from Steely Dan, but I am always striving to make a track that speaks to someone's inner child like the Beatles did for me.


Date: Fri, September 13, 2013, 09:37:29 ET
Posted by: Michael,

Just because I've personally become disenchanted with much older music shouldn't have any bearing on others' views. Sorry to ruffle so many feathers. When all is said and done I'm but one (dissonant) voice out of many.

Stevie Wonder may've been a pioneer and was/is an influence on many, but hasn't done anything of significance since the 70's. Does fame, fortune and ego kill creative energy? I'd have to say yes. They get so wrapped up in their image (especially anyone brandished a "living legend" by the mainstream) that they totally forget their roots and endlessly regurgitate their past accomplishments like a broken record. That, to me, is laziness.


Date: Fri, September 13, 2013, 06:09:35 ET
Posted by: PETE EVANS, MANCHESTER UK

Realworldism

Steely Dan - great band with aging, very narrow fanbase
Beatles - great band loved all over the world now 3 generations worth.
BTW- number of posters on this bluebook sure has diminished in the last few yrs. doncha think?

Nor really sure of the point you are trying to make ? If greatness was just about record sales then there are plenty of artists who have sold many millions of records who can lay claim to the title, but who most critics, musicians,etc, would not have down in any all time great lists.

Steely Dan may not have sold anywhere near the number of records that the Beatles did, but it does not mean they are not one of the great popular music artists of all time, of course they are ! My own personal view is that the Beatles were one of the all time greats, but they do not stand way ahead of everyone else just because of the sales, image,looks, marketing, etc, impact they had. They were great but they are not beyond criticism. They did mine a seam of pretty trite simplistic stuff early on that appeals to the masses much more than the kind of complex route Steely Dan went down. This combined with all the marketing muscle, looks,image,etc, that they had behind them was clearly going to be mega successful for them. Personally, I don;t think some of their so called glorious run of mega albums after Revolver are beyond criticism, there are some duff tracks on these albums, but it is only my opinion of course. Octopus's Garden, Yellow Submarine, etc. I also hate Oh Darling on Abbey Rd, which to me is four minutes of McCartney screaming and is unlistenable. Yes, they are one of the all time greats, but looking at songwriting and musicianship, as opposed to image, marketing, industry backing,etc, Walter Becker and Donald Fagen are up their with them every step of the way ! We all know that the general public listens to music with half an ear, as Becker once said, and will always favour a basic 'love me do' type tune to a 'king of the world' etc ! On that basis the Dan were always going to be a connoisseurs band rather than music for the masses, though the fact that have sold as many albums as they have is still a remarkable achievement. There is no doubt that Steely Dan took popular music to new places and have a unique talent and achievement in that respect, just like the Beatles.


Date: Fri, September 13, 2013, 05:42:13 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, Good Morning Dandom

King Of The World LIVE from LA 8.24.13

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q69m60pCDog

Great, great version! Great, great Steely Dan! And Don singing like he got paid! Wow!


Date: Fri, September 13, 2013, 04:13:58 ET
Posted by: fagenism, She go (I cry)

Mr LaPage:

If you can listen to an album with songs like Think For Yourself, What Goes On and Run For Your Life and think of it in terms of being "astonishing" or "unparalleled", I guess we simply appreciate (some) music differently, and that's fine. (You probably find it equally mysterious that there are Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears singles that give me goosebumps every time I hear them; maybe it's a generational thing, maybe it's a matter of being clouded by childhood nostalgia - who cares?)

Saw McCartney live twice about a decade ago, and he focused mainly on the Beatles and Wings cuts I truly cherish. Absolutely unforgettable nights!


Date: Fri, September 13, 2013, 01:53:27 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu,


Soft Machine with Holdsworth = Godlike 3:35 -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Sl5FmuaLmY




Date: Fri, September 13, 2013, 01:33:25 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu,


Kreiger had formal jazz training. Manzerek some. Morrison was indeed a blues guy, but they snuck a little jazz chords in there.

Ray Manzerek on Fresh Air (1998) talking about eh creatinn of Light My Fire



So it's time then for some solos. We've done a verse, chorus, verse, chorus. Now what do we do? We've got to play some solos. We've got to stretch out. Here's where John Coltrane comes in. Here's where The Doors' jazz background - John's a jazz drummer. I'm a jazz piano player. Robby's a flamenco guitar player. And we all said, you know, we're in A minor. Let's see. What do we do?

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

MANZAREK: It ends up on an E, so how about...

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

MANZAREK: "My Favorite Things," John Coltrane. It's "My Favorite Things," except Coltrane's doing it in D minor.

MANZAREK: But the left hand is exactly the same thing. It's in three, one, two, three, one, two, three, A minor. The Doors' "Light My Fire" is in four. We're going from A minor to B minor.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

MANZAREK: So it's the same thing as...

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

MANZAREK: And that's how the solo comes about. And then we just go...

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

MANZAREK: So it's John Coltrane's "My Favorite Things." And Coltrane's "Ole Coltrane," and then...

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

MANZAREK: That's the chord structure. Then I would solo over it, Robby would solo over it, and at the end of our two solos, we'd go into a - a three against four.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

MANZAREK: And I'm keeping the left hand going exactly as it goes. That hasn't changed. That's the four. On top of it is three.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

MANZAREK: And into the turnaround.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

MANZAREK: And we're back at verse one and verse two, and we're back into our Latin groove. So it's basically a jazz structure. It's verse chorus, verse chorus, state the theme, take a long solo, come back to stating the theme again. And that's how "Light My Fire" came about. The only thing left to do was to come up with that little turnaround thing. I hadn't had that yet.

And we said, now, how do we start the song? Do we just jump on A minor to an F? Should we - are we going to do that, vamp a little bit? I said no, no, no, we need something more. We can't just vamp a little bit. And I started this, I took my Bach back to work, put my Bach hat on and came up with a circle of fifths. So I started like this...





Date: Fri, September 13, 2013, 00:41:11 ET
Posted by: Jive Miguel, Bogata

Show in Boca tonight at the Mizner Amp, my 11th since 9/1994. A few observations before we hit the hay. No Michael Leonhart tonight. After Don & Walt deliberated off-mic, the official word is that Michael was on a date with Yoko Ono.
Band was locked in and air-tight, and absolutely crackling with swagger and energy. Never ceases to amaze, and satisfy.
Hands down, no ifs ands buts, Don's voice is the best I've heard him in at least a decade.
I could easily go on...


Date: Thurs, September 12, 2013, 23:29:10 ET
Posted by: Chip, San Francisco

I always thought The Doors music was based around the blues and Jim Morrison. I didn't hear any jazz influences when I first listened to their music. I still think Manfred Mann was one of the first rock groups to open the jazz door. They covered a Cannonball Adderley tune (Sack O' Woe) on their first album back in 1964.


Date: Thurs, September 12, 2013, 23:12:11 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

Coming at this from more of a progressive rock angle, which is more from where I come from, groups like Soft Machine were truly doing jazz rock in the late 60s/early 70s in a much more purer and eclectic form. Their videos from that era are fascinating.


Date: Thurs, September 12, 2013, 22:47:55 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Interesting conversation, IMO. I am from the school of thought that nothing is gained by comparing the Beatles to SD. "Introducing the Beatles" may have been the first album I owned as a kid. And it's hard to deny the Beatles influenced and opened the door to many who followed. The Doors were also an innovative band who were among the first popular acts to meld some jazz with rock (though I can't say definitively they were the first.)

Truth is, I currently own no Beatles or Doors albums. But when I hear their songs I'm always very pleased. I listen to SD constantly. Same with Van Morrison, Little Feat and a few other bands from the 60's and 70's. Not because they are better, necessarily, than the great bands from that era no longer on my regular playlist, but because their music fits my moods and tastes these days.

Jazzassin, I got your last email and will give you my thoughts sometime in the next couple of days. Quick take, I think you pretty much nailed it.


Date: Thurs, September 12, 2013, 22:00:35 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

My reference to Dylan and the Beatles was more about lyrical influence and in a broader context. They changed the way "pop" songs were written in a fundamental way. Before them, it was mostly girls, cars.

The Doors jazzy? Hmmm, don't know if I can agree with that. While they did use brass in some of their tunes, you can't really say they were more jazzy than groups like Traffic, Chicago, BS&T who all preceded SD. But hey, maybe some of Morrisons lyrical obtuseness affected Fagen, but since DF was always more beatnik then hippie, I doubt it.


Date: Thurs, September 12, 2013, 20:13:00 ET
Posted by: Hector E., calabasas

Uh, yes the Beatles and Dylan. DF's whiny vocal style he uses on certain songs no doubt is classic Dylan.

But do not forget The Doors. THEY were the first to successfully fuse jazz and rock, five or six years before Steely Dan existed and not inconsequently during the musically formative years of DF and WB.


Date: Thurs, September 12, 2013, 17:48:46 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

I love both the Beatles and Steely Dan for various different reasons, but the idea of trying to compare the two or claim that one is "better" than the other is a silly losing proposition and unfair to both. There will never be another Beatles and the sheer scope and influence the Beatles have had and STILL have on music, pop culture and society is incalculable. Anyone who thinks their music was simplistic or easily done is nuts. The run of albums from Rubber Soul through Abbey Road is simply astonishing and unparalleled. Think of their musical development from 1962 to 1969--simply astonishing what they did in 7 years.

I love the Dan, and listen to SD more than the Beatles now, but lets be honest, lyrically without the Beatles and Dylan, there is no Steely Dan as we know them.

Lets enjoy them both for the incredible music they gave to the world, and thank God we still have the Dan and legends like McCartney still around to enjoy. (I saw Mac last year and he absolutely kicked ass in a 3 hour show)


Date: Thurs, September 12, 2013, 14:14:22 ET
Posted by: realworldism, USA

Steely Dan - great band with aging, very narrow fanbase
Beatles - great band loved all over the world now 3 generations worth.
BTW- number of posters on this bluebook sure has diminished in the last few yrs. doncha think?


Date: Thurs, September 12, 2013, 13:58:00 ET
Posted by: hoops, chicago, as always, really on the quick

So just one of many of us doesn't consider a great artist relevant. Not even worth the bother of discussing.

A year since "I'm Not The Same Without You"? Well, I'm not the same since that album came out...in the best way, of course.

Jim


Date: Thurs, September 12, 2013, 13:38:53 ET
Posted by: Chris, nh

Stevie Wonder isn't relevant? Tell that to Bruno Mars and Daft Punk. (I'm not saying their music comes close to Stevie's, but the influence is undeniable.


Date: Thurs, September 12, 2013, 11:30:09 ET
Posted by: Ned, Q

"Whereas RHE and St Augustine are stadium like, with the rows rising"

I believe that's called raked seating.


Date: Thurs, September 12, 2013, 10:32:46 ET
Posted by: casual fan, orlando

Ok ladies and gents, sorry for the delay in my Orlando review, it was a late night. In no particular order, but somewhat chronological as to events and my thoughts:

1) The Deep Blue Organ Trio is really a great opening act for the band. They are not intrusive or overbearing, they are not trying to prove anything, notwithstanding an occasional remark about their own CDs being on sale (to be expected) and they do the two things you want out of an opener a) let folks know things are gearing up and b) get a few heads bopping as they get everyone in the mood.

2) When the band came on, thunderous applause. I was happy to see that because I think it sets the tone for the rest of the evening. The horns jumped right into it and were outstanding. Carlock's eerily perfect timing was as usual spot on. There's something not quite human about that dude.

3) You could tell from the newbies leaning in to their husbands or companions with more experience with the band as they said "wow" that at least for a couple of hours the band had some new fans.

4) Becker and Fagen came out to a standing O. The usual except that it seemed that Becker's guitar initially was not synched up or something. He looked pissed. Tech came out and he and Becker fiddled with the gear for 2/3 of YGT. But they got it going and the distraction was soon forgotten.

5) Aja was just unbelievable. Ran about 8 minutes. That song just never gets old. While it was not my favorite on the album in 1977, it pretty much defines them as a live band to me now.

6) Fagen's voice was strong from the word go. I've seen a few folks on here comment that he started off in other shows rocky, and got stronger as the night wore on. Here, maybe a little bit the opposite. They had three days in between last night and the prior show, so that might explain it.

7) No changes to the established set list. I was hoping for KOTW or maybe for them to experiment with something as they head to the Beacon, but no biggie.

8) Its a small stage at the Hard Rock in Orlando so the girls were positioned behind Fagen more than to the side. That's a shame.

9) My Old School was really strong I thought. And when they got into the crowd hits like MOS, and Peg, you could tell the crowd wanted to get up and advance and dance, but the security folks put the kibosh on any of that pretty quickly.

10) Part of the problem is -- and this is why I prefer Ruth Eckerd Hall and St Augustine -- the floor seats are on a flat floor here. Whereas RHE and St Augustine are stadium like, with the rows rising. So its no big deal in those venues if a few dozen of the younger, drunker set run up to dance a little. Give it that festive vibe. But here if people go up and dance they are going to block the view of a lot of people, so we just could not quite get that going here last night. S'ok, it was clear people were really enjoying themselves.


Here's the Orlando Sentinel review. Pretty good. And of course a nod to Becker's rap in Hey 19. By the way he did a great job on Daddy. I was pleasantly surprised as his voice usually doesn't do it for me.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/blogs/soundboard/os-steely-dan-orlando-hard-rock-live-hosts-steely-dan-orlando-show-20130911,0,4434101.post


Date: Thurs, September 12, 2013, 09:00:05 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, and besides...

... I guess I COULD stop seeing things that way if I really tried, but hey, some types of mental illness is fun, and you don't WANT to get rid of it. Beatlemania is one of them. Harmless fun.


Date: Thurs, September 12, 2013, 08:54:32 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, still need to see a doc about it

fagenism,
everything you said about the Dan is true in my book.

As for the Beatles ... well, musically much of their stuff IS indeed inferior to the Dan.
But that's not the point. To me, and to millions around the globe of my generation and those a little bit older, Beatles was a phenomenon. We were brainwashed by the hype, maybe. The result is that many of us can't listen to their music as just that; music.
They've had a bigger influence on popular music and culture than any other band. If you weren't around while the Beatles Fever was at it's worst, it's probably not easy to imagine how hard it hit a whole generation, and many of us haven't really recovered from the shock yet, many decades later.

That's why I said I can't just listen to them like any other band. It has less to do with the music, really. Even if the best Beatles stuff is still fantastic in my book, though.


Date: Thurs, September 12, 2013, 08:34:05 ET
Posted by: fagenism, She go (I cry)

Steely Dan is something you play to your grandchild in really good headphones. You ensure the suspended 11:th chord in the bridge is recognized and understood. You want to give the kid a good start in life.

Steely Dan is something you enjoy with a really good friend over wine and/or something illicit, and it inspires a great conversation, maybe even a tear or two.

Steely Dan is a passion a stranger reveals to you at a party, and you suddenly feel the urge to give him/her a hug.

The Beatles? Fun band, occasionally great, but none of the above.


Date: Thurs, September 12, 2013, 03:33:14 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

Jamiroquai, lol.
Anyone a fan of Supreme Beings of Leisure? Very underrated and under the radar studio band who made some tasty eclectic smooth funky pop with a great female voice and interesting arrangements. Very LA sound that reminds me sometimes of Fagan's solo stuff.


Date: Thurs, September 12, 2013, 00:32:19 ET
Posted by: Cosmic Moron,

Jamiroquai had a quick cup of coffee and were gone in a flash. No comparison between them and SD actually.


Date: Thurs, September 12, 2013, 00:31:56 ET
Posted by: CJB, YVR

One more for that "essential non-Dan" list:

Destroyer, KAPUTT (2011).


Date: Wed, September 11, 2013, 23:12:17 ET
Posted by: Cosmic Girl, Travelling without moving

Jamiroquai is a Grammy winning act like Steely Dan. I like them better than Steely Dan at times because they make great dance music and instrumentals and are multi dimensional I would say. Their concerts are way better than Steely Dan's with with much cooler stages and graphics. And unlike Walter Becker or Donald Fagen, bandleader Jay Kay is both very hot and cool at the same time!


Date: Wed, September 11, 2013, 22:22:35 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, irrelevant music to your ears

On another SD forum (Sign in Stranger 2.0), a thread was started a while ago called "Most essential non-Dan albums".

As an apropos to the ongoing discussion here, I copied and pasted my own list from that thread to post here. The list is in random order.

Frank Zappa: Roxy & Elsewhere (1974)
Stevie Wonder: Songs In the Key of Life (1976)
Jean-Luc Ponty: King Kong - Jean-Luc Ponty plays the music of Frank Zappa. (1970)
Count Basie: The Atomic Mr. Basie (or just "Basie", also called "E=mc�") (1958)
Pat Metheny Group: The Road To You (2006)
King Crimson: Red (1974)
Blood, Sweat & Tears: Blood, Sweat & Tears (1968)
Gary Burton: �stor Piazzolla Reunion - A Tango Excursion (1996)
Snarky Puppy: Tell Your Friends (2010)

No Beatles? I just couldn't. They're in a different league, and like the Dan not suitable for comparision and earthly lists. Same goes for The Duke. ;o)


Date: Wed, September 11, 2013, 22:04:25 ET
Posted by: M/O/D/P, Not relevant...because I say so!

Although I have often enjoyed reading many of the deliberately provocative - even inflammatory - comments made here by various folks over the years, especially when these comments have led to some well written responses and interesting discussion, I honestly can't even begin to imagine how bored and jaded a person would have to be to summarily dismiss the entire catalog of a creator/innovator like Stevie Wonder. So, while I'd like to be able to add to the combined wisdom of The Dean and Jazzassin, I just can't, because my brain really hurts right now and my neck is sore from fifteen straight minutes of head-shaking...


Date: Wed, September 11, 2013, 21:33:43 ET
Posted by: HouDanFan, Houston

Very well said Dean


Date: Wed, September 11, 2013, 21:15:23 ET
Posted by: HouDanFan, Houston

I guess according to Michael, 99% of the bands in 70's are irrelevant and pathetic because they haven't continued to make relevant music into their 60's and 70's. Man I have visions of a rock with a human being living under it.


Date: Wed, September 11, 2013, 20:54:03 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Criticising an artist for not continuing to produce quality art is one thing. Growing weary of the early great art, another. Worrying about the relevance (whatever the hell that means with respect to music and art) is yet another thing, and something I simply can't care about. There will always be new artists producing quality work. Sometimes they come in bunches, sometimes there is a bit of a drought. The great classical (and most of the great jazz) artists are long gone, yet art continues to expand. If the Doobie Brothers (used simply because they have been mentioned so many times) never make another great album, so what? I'd love for them to, like Steely Dan and Van Morrison, continue to record and expand their repertoire. But even if they don't their old stuff stands on its own. The old stuff only enriches the new--it doesn't prevent it.

With that said, many artists have a creative peak early in their lives. After that, what happens varies from artist to artist. Some change directions entirely. The worst of them keep doing the same thing over and over simply to make tons of cash. Some run out of ideas and creativity.

Salinger never wrote another novel after Catcher in the Rye. He did write some novellas and short stories---and apparently much more he decided not to have released until 2015. That doesn't diminish what he did early in his life. Vonnegut was creating until he died in this mid 80's. But what he was creating evolved to drawings, essays, speeches, etc. Just because an artist isn't producing commercially available and popularly discussed stuff doesn't mean they aren't doing anything.


Date: Wed, September 11, 2013, 20:07:18 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, should see a doctor about this I guess

Re: Beatles, golden oldies etc.

I feel the need to clarify a bit regarding my previous post mentioning the Beatles and why I don't listen much to them anymore.

For a starter, let me say that I agree to The Dean's comment 100%.
Great music never get's irrelevant. I don't even think in those terms.

The problem with me and The Beatles is of a totally different nature. It's a psychological thing. They've had such a high status in my personal History Of Music book since my childhood that it's difficult to just listen to them like any other great band. It's so much more than a band, and listening triggers so strong emotions and so much brain activity I get a little exhausted just thinking about it.
And since I know their catalog in and out after a zillion listens (intentional and unintentional listens, that is - see Michaels point about oversaturation), I don't need or want to go through all that mental stuff very often. The whole package is hardcoded into my system already. But when I occasionally put on, let's say Revolver, Sgt.Pepper or Abbey Road, I do it because it feels right and I actually have the time to really give it my full attention. And when I do, it's just me and The Beatles in the whole universe for as long as the album lasts.
The Beatles is larger than life, and can't be taken lightly. Even their less fantastic songs are holy grails just because they're Beatles songs.
I know this may sound weird to some, but that's how it is for me.

The only other pop/rock group or artist that I have an equally strong obsession with is Steely Dan, but that works the opposite way; I can never get enough! Not a day without them!

Except for those two names, I think I have a fairly sane relationship with all my other favorites. Old or new, big name or obscure, I can listen to most of it at any given time with great pleasure. Different music for different occasions maybe, but always a pleasure if it's good music in my book. And instrumental jazz/ jazz hybrid favorites is what I choose more often than anything else. Like Michael said, it's kinda pure. Art for art's sake.

A last thought on market oversaturation; while I stand by my words that it can be a serious threat to many a good song - you can get tired of them if they're played too much everywhere for a longer time span - I don't think it's valid for the absolute best ones (whichever songs that is, really. A matter of taste, of course). A really great song is very durable, and also the majority of listeners do not agree completely to my taste, so fortunately not many of my personal favorites have been killed by radio, tv, malls or other peoples parties.


Date: Wed, September 11, 2013, 19:53:24 ET
Posted by: Gilbert, Macon

The Doobie Brothers were never the same after Michael McDonald left. Even when they reformed without Michael, the subsequent albums were always mediocre.


Date: Wed, September 11, 2013, 19:01:51 ET
Posted by: Michael, @The Dean

These artists had their moment decades ago and basically live in their past accomplishments. To my thinking, that's pathetic. Excuse me for this but if you're a musician ...a songwriter, shouldn't you, I dunno, create music? Shouldn't that be your primary goal?

Yeah, quality music is timeless but that still doesn't mean you cannot grow weary of hearing the same songs over and over again. If western culture, musically, is going to remain relevant going forward, it will have to move on beyond the 20th century. That's just all there is to it.


Date: Wed, September 11, 2013, 18:12:40 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

@ the Dean: I saw Michael McDonald's first gig with the Doobie Brothers in Baton Rouge. It was spectacular. And the only reason I was there was because I wanted to see the guy that played the guitar solo on Rikki, LOL. It really changed my opinion of the DB's.

Of course, they didn't do any of the Michael McDonald Doobie's hits, because they had pulled him in on very short notice. Tom Johnson had become ill and they had to postpone the show after the opening act. McDonald flew in and they rehearsed over the weekend at the old Independence Hall down by the river in BR and, if I am not mistaken, played the rescheduled gig on a Monday.

I am not sure whether Skunk Baxter had anything to do with him being in the band. McDonald had just finished working on Katy Lied. I think that KL was released a month before he joined the group in Baton Rouge.

Full disclosure: current DB drummer Ed Toth is a FB friend.


Date: Wed, September 11, 2013, 17:50:24 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

One recurring theme I have noticed is the observation that Jon Herington's guitar has been buried in the mix. It seems to be better now. That was my one real complaint at the Louisville show, that and the EQ of the Brats. It got better in Houston and by the time I saw them in Memphis, it was perfect. I still think that proximity has something to do with it. My seats got better as the summer progressed as well. But I still believe that it would have been better no matter where I sat.


Date: Wed, September 11, 2013, 17:36:41 ET
Posted by: The Dean, Manatee Bar. It's Happy Hour!

I find it absurd, pretentious and a bit distasteful to call any great music "irrelevant". Great music is timeless. When discussing music I typically find the use of the term "relevance" used to prop up pedestrian music that is in the style (or incorporates some of the styles) of the newest/youngest/most-popular trends. It seems the more "relevant" something is considered, the shorter it's shelf-life is likely to be. Styles and trends come an go. Trying to stay relevant to pop culture critics is a surefire way to embrace mediocrity (if that).


Strangely enough, I'm finding myself listening to MORE Doobie Brothers lately (to pick just one group)---and it's the pre-McDonald stuff I prefer.


Date: Wed, September 11, 2013, 17:18:56 ET
Posted by: Gus Winterbottom, El Segundo, CA

Kram,

If you scroll down to August 26 you will find the setlist for the Nokia Greatest Hits night. But (as the financial advisers say), "Past performance is no guarantee of future results".


Date: Wed, September 11, 2013, 15:30:42 ET
Posted by: Kram, VT

Hi everyone!

I have posted and perused here in the past... good stuff!

I am going to the Boston show on the 25th and was a little verklempt to find out I was going to a "greatest hits" night.

Does anyone have an idea if that is nothing but the "hits" (Hey 19-Reelin--Rikki etc) or does someone have a copy of the set list if they have been to one of these --- Thank You!


Date: Wed, September 11, 2013, 13:58:20 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

I still crank up Breakfast with the Beatles every Sunday morning and have a killer time listening to the songs I've been hearing nonstop for the last 25 years. Maybe it's because I'm usually a little drunk from the night before, who knows.


Date: Wed, September 11, 2013, 12:37:13 ET
Posted by: HouDanFan, Houston

Wow all this Doobie B's/Steve W bashing. Stevie's relevancy is gone? Geez do some of you realize what you are saying? My hair stands up still when I hear the opening riff to Superstition. Same with Black Water. It's not these guys fault they get played over and over on the radio. I don't listen to music on the radio anyway.


Date: Wed, September 11, 2013, 12:30:13 ET
Posted by: Michael,

Yeah, that's a good assessment. Jazz music has a timeless quality because of its musical purity, much like classical. By 'pure' I mean just the notes and arrangement -- everything else is window-dressing.


Date: Wed, September 11, 2013, 12:02:26 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, incurable

Michael, I agree market oversaturation is a serious threat to many a good song. And like you, I almost never listen to e.g. The Beatles anymore. Not because I don't love them anymore, but because of that market oversaturation and the fact that their music kind of defines a whole cultural era, an era which for me at least is in the past, and I do not very often feel the urge to take that trip down memory lane these days. But when I do, I'm always overwhelmed by how good much of it really was/is. But once a year or so is enough.

I find that instrumental music/ jazz music appears more timeless to my ears, and I often listen to things in that cathegory that I've heard at least as many times as The Beatles and is several decades older than any Beatles record.

But when it comes to collecting, I live by the (unfortunately rather materialistic) principle: "Better to have and not need, than to need and not have" ;o)

In most other aspects of life I try to minimize my needs as much as possible, but not so with music.


Date: Wed, September 11, 2013, 11:37:51 ET
Posted by: Michael,

I still have most of my albums but simply don't listen to them.

The mainstream is what killed it for me. It's become a broken record, regurgitating the same decades-old material ad nausea. The Beatles, Hendrix, Elvis, Earth, Wind & Fire, Boston, The Eagles, Elvis Costello, The Police, Billy Joel. It's very telling how I don't mind listening to stuff like Bliss Band, Alan Hawkshaw, Jean Luc-Ponty and other artists whose integrity wasn't harmed by market oversaturation.


Date: Wed, September 11, 2013, 11:19:02 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, need more space

I still buy cds and vinyls and will probably never trash a single one of them. The collection is supposed to grow, not lessen. It counts thousands and still counting. On top of that I got stacks of hard drives full of music, and I'd miss even the smallest file if it was unfortunately deleted.
And then there's the online streaming services to check out new stuff to buy or not to buy, and to listen to the stuff that I don't feel I need to own physical or digital copies of.

Old damaged vinyls can be recycled into wallpaper in the listening room or little sideposts beside the comfy Eames chair for beverages.
Unplayable cds make good scarecrows in the apple and cherry trees in the garden. Corrupted files can usually be replaced by good ones, if we're not talking about things that are so rare you'll never be able to get a new copy. God forbid.


Date: Wed, September 11, 2013, 10:45:09 ET
Posted by: Len, R

"Recently I deleted Doobie Brothers, Pilot, George Benson, Jamiroquai, and so forth from my computer."

The modern day equivalent of putting your old LPs, 45s and 8 tracks in the trash. Music is such a commodity now.


Date: Wed, September 11, 2013, 09:47:02 ET
Posted by: Michael,

As time marches forward, I find myself listening much less to pop/rock stuff from yesteryear (not that I like most of the newer stuff, mind you, just saying). The sense of intrigue and wonder has dissipated. In fact much of it just get on my nerves, like how every year you can count on hearing Superstition in a beer commercial. It's that same old tired clavinet riff. I'm sick of it! Stevie Wonder's relevancy is long gone. Recently I deleted Doobie Brothers, Pilot, George Benson, Jamiroquai, and so forth from my computer. How many more times can these labels pimp the same old crap? Wouldn't mind one bit if I never heard another Beatles song for the rest of my life. Would you?

Perhaps I'm jaded. So be it.

It goes without saying that Steely Dan will remain in my collection.


Date: Wed, September 11, 2013, 08:40:27 ET
Posted by: fagenism, She go (I cry)

Quick transcript (nothing to write home about):

Howard: You had an incredible drumming ability?
Chevy: Not that good.
Howard: Didn't you play with Steely Dan?
Chevy: We didn't call ourselves that back then.
Howard: What did you call yourselves?
Chevy: I think it was something like "The very bad jazz band".
Howard: You played with Becker and Fagen?
Chevy: Oh yeah.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9Occ_wz7vM


Date: Wed, September 11, 2013, 08:28:24 ET
Posted by: Ford, l

The Howard Stern - Chase interview is on youtube if someone wants to find the SD part. I can't right now.


Date: Wed, September 11, 2013, 01:00:54 ET
Posted by: fagenism, She go (I cry)

I used to be a casual Howard Stern listener. Some of the staff/guests were funny, especially Artie and Beetlejuice, but Howard and Robin have to be *the* most overrated hosts of all time. Not particularly provocative, smart or funny. Have a feeling Don would be insanely awkward on that show.

Howard: "So, Donald. The Don. Maestro. Talk to me a little bit about the whole jazz scene."
Donald: "Well, you know..."
Howard: "Getting any good pussy doing that?"
Donald: "..."


Date: Tues, September 10, 2013, 22:46:33 ET
Posted by: HouDanFan, Houston

Lee in Tampa? Lol


Date: Tues, September 10, 2013, 22:44:22 ET
Posted by: Carlos, Los Angeles

Howie Stern stinks. Can't stand the man. And Donald ain't gonna go on his show for his book tour.


Date: Tues, September 10, 2013, 22:28:48 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

"Howard has matured and mellowed over the years"

Really? I stopped listening to him quite a while ago. I thought he just stopped being funny. Besides, why would Donald want to show him his tits?

Jazz, replies sent to two of your email addresses from two of mine.


Date: Tues, September 10, 2013, 22:21:48 ET
Posted by: Steve Gennarelli, Tampa FL

Howard has matured and mellowed over the years.

Since has arrival at Sirius radio 7 years ago, he's had
great interviews with the likes of Sir Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, Roger Waters and a who's who of Pop Culture stars, wannabe stars and has beens.

I remember a few years back he even asked Chevy Chase about his time with Becker & Fagen all those years ago.

I'm sure if Mr. Fagen agrees to appear it will be the best stop of the press tour.


Date: Tues, September 10, 2013, 22:14:06 ET
Posted by: Casual Fan, Orlando

Glad you got in touch with him. Not a cruel joke. I expect you to share with us your incredible experience!

Having said that, DF on Stern? Hmmm... I don't know. Awfully adolescent. How many artists do a special for PBS then end up later on Howard Stern? Just can't see it (or more appropo, hear it).


Date: Tues, September 10, 2013, 22:03:25 ET
Posted by: Steve Gennarelli, Tampa, FL

I just wrote to Lee and thanked him for his kind offer. Yes, I am taking him up on it, so my friend in Orlando...you don't have to hunt me down and spite me.
...And if this is a cruel joke..you've got me hook, line and sinker. LOL
As part of the book tour, I'm hoping Donald does "Howard Stern" on Sirius. Howard's staff has lots of huge "SD" fans like Baba Booey himself and Jon Hein.
DF could sure sell a lot of books by being on Howard and we'd learn a lot about "Steely Dan" with Howard's remarkable interviewing style.


Date: Tues, September 10, 2013, 21:27:34 ET
Posted by: Hutch,

Watch this. Or don't. I enjoyed it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Z-WS1x47b4


Date: Tues, September 10, 2013, 21:01:04 ET
Posted by: Casual Fan, Orlando

Lee, that is very kind of you to hook up Steve from Tampa with SD tix at RHE. I only hope he realizes the great favor you are doing for him. If he doesn't take advantage, I shall hunt him down and smite him! Seriously, an SD Saturday night show at RHE has all the hallmarks of one of those legendary shows we all hope to catch. DF and WB truly love that venue.

I'm seeing my 7th SD show tomorrow here in Orlando. Taking my fourth date for a show. This one is a Brazilian woman with a jazz background. "I know she's gonna love it." I'll report in after. Kind of have a fantasy that, with the tour closing in on the Beacon, plus a full three days off since the last show, they might throw in some Jack of Speed or Pixeleen type songs to test the reaction. I'll let you know.


Date: Tues, September 10, 2013, 19:47:04 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, @ The Dean

Dean, this is weird. Absolutely nothing from you in the spam folder. Try to shoot me an email not using the reply button, please, and let's see how that goes, ok?

Apologies to The Greater Dandom for this misuse of our board. It's not going to get habitual.


Date: Tues, September 10, 2013, 19:28:13 ET
Posted by: The Dean, Manatee Bar. Still Drinkin'

Jazz, I replied to your email the other day and then again this morning. Check your Spam folder. Maybe I'm now persona non grata in Norway.. Oh No!


Date: Tues, September 10, 2013, 19:03:15 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, @ The Dean

Dean, you may want to check your inbox, eventually the spam filter. I have a feeling a certain email was never read. ;o)


Date: Tues, September 10, 2013, 17:58:36 ET
Posted by: Lee, Tampa

Steve, I used to work in radio, and I can call a friend at one of the stations. He can talk to the rep who handles Ruth Eckerd Hall's account, and have them save tickets under your name at the will call window. You will still have to pay for the ticket(s), but:

A. You will definitely end up with tickets; and

B. They will be great seats!

Email me at:

elesattampabaydotrrdotcom

Hopefully you can figure this out. In the above email address, the first two letters signify the phonetic sound of a single letter. The next two letters do the same, and the rest of the email address should be easy to figure out.


Date: Tues, September 10, 2013, 17:41:14 ET
Posted by: Lee, Tampa

One more thought for Steve in Tampa:

When I scored great tickets to an SD show the last few days before the concert, here's how i did it:

Beginning about 4 days before the concert I would go on the Ticketmaster site and check for tickets located in the area with the most expensive seats (the promo tickets for the band and venue are only the best seats). I would leave that page open and check it as often as I could, meaning several times per day. When it got down to the last day or two, I would try to check every hour if possible.

One year no new tickets showed up until the last day. That day I truly did check Ticketmaster every hour. Well......at about 1-2 PM on the day of the concert, I found tickets dead center on row 8. The couple sitting next to me on the left did the same thing. These were obviously tickets saved for the band, because the person sitting next to me on the right was Cynthia Calhoun's (background singer for SD that tour) good friend from high school who lived in Orlando.

This concert was in the Tampa Bay Times Forum, which is a much larger venue than Ruth Eckerd, but the same possibilities exist regardless of venue.


Date: Tues, September 10, 2013, 17:32:03 ET
Posted by: The Dean, Manatee Bar. It's Happy Hour!

Love that alternative 2VN artwork (and song list). All pigs fall at same speed!

One more thing from Sunday's St Augustine show. I know many were concerned about Walter's health due to his somewhat lethargic demeanor on the last tour. He sat quite a bit and didn't necessarily seem to be himself during solos--or at least that was my observation. Well you can relax. He looked and sounded great on Sunday. I think he sat during one tune, but otherwise looked very healthy. Played his ass off, too.


Date: Tues, September 10, 2013, 15:56:47 ET
Posted by: Pete, Bellevue WA

Does anybody here like the band Sparks (Ron & Russell Mael)? Well, they played their entire output of 21 albums in chronological order along with rarities for 21 nights in London back in 2008. Must of been a real treat for their fans.


Date: Tues, September 10, 2013, 15:40:04 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

Since someone brought up Holy Grail setlists, here is mine not in any particular order:

Doctor Wu
Razor Boy (full band version with vibes)
Boston Rag
Any Major Dude
Pretzel Logic
Everyone's Gone to the Movies
YGT II
Here at Western World
Royal Scam
DTMA
Aja
Home at Last
Black Cow
Gaucho
Glamour Profession
FM
Rikki
Second Arrangement
Pearl of the Quarter
Jack of Speed

The fact that I got to hear several of these at the Rarities show in 2011 feels pretty satisfying.


Date: Tues, September 10, 2013, 14:37:50 ET
Posted by: More specifically,

http://rogernichols.com/wp-content/themes/striking-2/cache/images/245_SteelySLiderDadsite-960x450.jpg


Date: Tues, September 10, 2013, 14:35:58 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

Which one of us freaks spent $3000 a longbox CD of 'Gaucho' that was made from inferior second-generation source tape?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CD-Long-Box-Steely-Dan-Gaucho-shrink-wrapped-Unopened-NEW-Condition-1984-/121160637383


Date: Tues, September 10, 2013, 14:33:37 ET
Posted by: Go Look, o

rogernichols.com suggests a few song titles that didn't make it onto TvN.


Date: Tues, September 10, 2013, 14:24:20 ET
Posted by: tact, poise and reason, break out the hats and hooters

Finally got confirmation today on DFs book tour stop in Wash. DC on Oct. 29th at Sixth and I Historic Synagogue downtown. For info just google the venues website, its easy to find. Barring an encounter with the fella in the brite nitegown, I plan on being there despite an apparent admission charge. Details include a discussion with the author followed by a book signing. This indicates I may get to meet our man Don. Obviously, I would be thrilled and, if given the opportunity, would be prepared to shamelessly beg him to reconsider putting the DF band together, at least briefly, so we can hear the SC material live. Its worth a shot, huh.

Big thanks to everyone for the concert reviews, setlists etc. This info is fantastic and much appreciated. Looking forward to the DC show on the 20th!


Date: Tues, September 10, 2013, 13:23:10 ET
Posted by: Niles, R

On the subject of covers, I wish Mis'ry and the Blues had been included on the Fagen boxed set bonus CD. Even if it was at the expense of any of the live tracks they did include.


Date: Tues, September 10, 2013, 12:54:03 ET
Posted by: Malcolm, Allentown PA

I really love Here at the Western World. They should have released it as a single. I was looking at www.setlist.fm and it looks like Steely Dan only performed it twice during the 2009 tour.


Date: Tues, September 10, 2013, 11:37:17 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

I've no problem with the covers.

Yes, the band used to open and stretch with a few Dan instrumentals, but it wasn't as if they were playing "True Companion" every night. They were going through "Aja," "Bad Sneakers," "Royal Scam" and "Green Earrings," songs that later became part of the set. I would like to see the latter three in the actual sets more often, but three or four minutes of a jazz tune I've never heard of to warm with is just fine for me. I wouldn't have become such a fan of "Cubano Chant" at age 23 if it weren't for this practice.

The band intros? I much prefer a crankin' oldie then Walter introducing the band over strains of, say, "The Fez." Why diminish a Dan song like that by introducing names over the top of it? And it's certainly better than silence -- watch the PBS DVD for evidence of that.

And the outro is just fine. It's just a few minutes, it's a great, smooth song, and again I'd prefer it to an instrumental Dan song being played following The Two's actual closer.


Date: Tues, September 10, 2013, 08:48:48 ET
Posted by: DYLYNFAN, HARRISBURG PA

Just Curious, I think the word you are looking for is "euphemism". That said, I dont think they meant that. ps: I also realize your were
being funny. Bottom line: It's all good. Ten days and counting to The Mannn show. As Bart Scott (football player) would say "cant wait)


Date: Tues, September 10, 2013, 00:10:24 ET
Posted by: Steve Gennarelli, Tampa, Fl

Thanks for the kind words and encouragement.

I will try to get the tickets on Saturday, if any become available.

OK...to play along, here's my Perfect Set List of Guilty Pleasures.

1. Rikki
2. The Second Arrangement
3. Gaucho
4. Kid C. - See I'm mainstream after all
5. Here at the Western World
6. Dr. Wu
7. Any Major Dude...
8. Blues Beach - Since it may only have been done once or twice
9. Black Cow - Since it sounds better & better with each listen
10. Pearl of the Quarter - The Beacon performance from 2 years ago
was wonderful.


Date: Mon, September 09, 2013, 23:41:44 ET
Posted by: Hackensack, missouri

10. Black Cow
11. Time out of mind
12. The goodbye look (band intro)
13. The Royal Scam
14. Third World man
15. King of the world
16. Downtown Canon (WB)
17. Memorobillia
18. Everything you did (Girls)
19. West of Hollywood
20. My Old School
encore
21. Don't take me alive
22. Reelin in the Years
23. The fez (outro)


Date: Mon, September 09, 2013, 23:37:46 ET
Posted by: Hackensack, missouri

I don't understand all the setlist complaining. Yes it would be nice for a "branching out" of the usual but it's still Don and Wslt and no matter what I still will love them and their music. The KC show was great. Having said that.... if it was my all request night this is what would be played:

1. Everything Must Go
2. Aja
3. The Nightfly
4. Hey 19
5. The Boston Rag
6. Glamour Proffession
7. Gaucho
8. Midnight Cruiser (WB)
9. Dr Wu

10.


Date: Mon, September 09, 2013, 22:13:34 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Hey here's a drunken piece of weirdness. I was looking at my checking account online tonight and saw some random charge for $40 from yesterday. Some bizarre vendor (FEA TOUR CAPE MAY COUR NJ). WTF is that?

Oh, right, I bought a SD tee shirt (the one with the mystery man on the front). $40? Wise purchase. :#)

Well, I gave away all my old SD stuff so I needed this. Yes, that's it, I NEEDED this.

Whatever. Pretty nice, though.


Date: Mon, September 09, 2013, 19:57:00 ET
Posted by: Just Curious,

"Hard working folks". Does that mean the residents of Northeast Florida are rednecks, racists or both?


Date: Mon, September 09, 2013, 18:57:57 ET
Posted by: The Dean, Manatee Bar. Still Drinkin'

Oops. That review from the Jacksonville Times Union was from 2009 (I even commented on it there). Sorry---I'm a bit out of it today. Trying to drink away the hang over.


Date: Mon, September 09, 2013, 18:55:21 ET
Posted by: The Dean, Manatee Bar. It's Happy Hour!

CF, I can not make it to Orlando this year. Hope the show kicks ass. The place I really want to see them is Ruth Eckerd. Alas it won't be this year.

As for last minute tickets, I scored a great Duke's ticket the night of the show. Singles are your best option if you are looking for a great last minute seat, IMO.

CF, I saw SD at Hard Rock and remember Jon's guitar as the biggest sound problem. Actually I saw SD a couple times when he wasn't turned up nearly enough. That seems to be resolved based on the past couple times I have seen them.

Back to last night. Let me start with the negatives (which are few and relatively minor). My biggest knock on the St Aug Amphitheater is the opening acts start before the start time on the ticket/advertisements. That is simply unacceptable, IMO. But since it has happened to me on two or three occasions, I now consider it my fault if I miss some of the opening act. I walked in at a few minutes before 7 and Deep Blue had already started. I heard them from outside on the way in--so I think they started about 6:50. That sucks. WTF is wrong with the management of that place? With that said, the Trio was fabulous I thought. For an opening act, they got a pretty good reception from the crowd I thought.

The one other negative (again, my fault) is I forgot to put my pen/pad in my pocket when I parked---and my phone battery went dead--so no way to make a setlist. Oh, well. Actually I was probably more relaxed and at ease than when I feel obligated to make notes.

The St Augustine music crowds really are unbelievably good. It shocked the shit out of me the first few concerts I attended. I never would have expected it from this area. Also, the crowd last night was one of the least pretentious gatherings I have been to in years. Just people who like good music, there for the sake of the shared experience. The energy last night, crowd and band, was something special.

I know we all complain about Walt's story--and I agree that at times it can suck the life out of Hey 19. But the past few times, Walt has been truly entertaining. It is clear he is doing a bit of ad-libbing as the story seems to change from concert to concert. He was fun and engaging last night and the crowd ate it up. While this sort of thing really isn't my cup-o-tea, as far as crowd pleasing antics go, this is pretty tolerable. Far better than Bruce bringing a girl on stage to dance with every show, or the guys from Chicago high-fiving the people standing in front of the stage several times a concert. It's a minor concession to fans who expect a "show" and aren't completely satisfied with just great music.

Don was also in fine form and seemed genuinely happy to be onstage last night. His voice was much better than I expected on the third straight night of performances. The girls were as good as I have ever heard them. But the biggest surprise last night might have been Don's melodica playing which is sometimes a bit strange. He really crushed it last night. The rearrangements on this tour are fabulous, too. Everything sounded fresh and new. Razor Boy was smashing! Daddy Don't Live really kicked IMO.

I know some complain the band plays a cover or two instead of giving us another Dan tune. But you won't get a complaint from me after hearing the Joe Tex cover. It smoked!

Also, this years' set lighting should be mentioned. This show was a treat to the eyes as well as the ears. Oh and the most unexpected treat of the evening--it was a beautiful night. Not too hot or humid. a real rarity here these days.

I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture. So far I have heard no complaints about the show. No setlist grumbling, no complaints about the show being too short, loud---anything actually

Here are two very short (but positive) reviews:

http://jacksonville.com/entertainment/2009-06-18/story/steely_dan_cool_on_a_hot_st_augustine_night

http://historiccity.com/2013/staugustine/news/florida/steely-dan-mood-swings-tour-2013-40017


Date: Mon, September 09, 2013, 18:28:55 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

Those openings strains of 'The Second Arrangement' have been floating around for a while, I first heard them either at Andy Metzger's old site in 1999 or at this place:

http://www.angelfire.com/il/babel7/sd.html

... around the same time. Gorgeous.

And to whomever was going on about the conference call interview -- every single interview link that has been posted here since spring has culled those same few quotes from that conference call.


Date: Mon, September 09, 2013, 14:50:00 ET
Posted by: Mitch, San Diego CA

Yes, Lee is right. I always hang around the box office venue on the day of show if the concert is sold out. Good seats are always held back then released near or on the day of show.


Date: Mon, September 09, 2013, 12:12:15 ET
Posted by: Lee , Tampa

For Steve in Tampa, regarding the show at Ruth Eckerd in Clearwater, please remember that tickets for great seats are held back for the use of the band, the venue, and for other marketing purposes. They release those that are not used for the aforementioned purposes the last day or two before the show. Several times in the past I have gotten seats dead center, row ten and closer, even as late as the day of the show. Keep looking on Ticketmaster and you should be in luck.

Shows at Ruth Eckerd have been spectacular. The sound and acoustics are about as good as can be.


Date: Mon, September 09, 2013, 12:04:23 ET
Posted by: casual fan, orlando

Ray, the way it works in terms of getting in, if you have not been before, is this:

You have two parking options. The main parking garage or valet. The garage runs you about $5, the valet $25 plus tip. Valet IS considerably closer. (Florida residents parking in the main garage is free after 6 p.m.) Don't know if you are budget conscious or have any desire to park closer for any reason, but there you have it. If you park in the main garage, I strongly suggest making an actual note of your section and row number. Its pretty big and confusing.

The walk in from the parking garage to Hard Rock I'm going to say is on average 15 minutes. From valet, 5 or so.

The FIRST security check is getting in to Universal City Walk area. They hunt through purses and backpacks. Valet has its own security checkpoint at the top of the escalator.

Once you get through that, in either event, you cross over a bridge into Universal Citywalk. Big movie theater on your right. Seriously looks like it came out of the Jetsons cartoon. Just keep walking straight. When you reach the end of the row of buildings on your right, there is a lake in front of you. You can bear to the right, and walk around that way, to the Hard Rock (you'll see it) or you can keep going straight and you are making the walk a lot longer. On the flip side, there are restaurants along the way. An Emeril's and the aforementoned Margaritaville in particular.

Once you get to the Hard Rock, they have security, which again goes through backpacks, plus a metal detector. Its not TSA level, but they are pretty thorough. I wouldn't seek to bring in any of the fine Colombian, or what have you, because there's plenty of eyes on you inside, as well.

There's a bar right as you walk in. Always packed right before the show. A hint -- you can walk around to the other side of the bar, too. And there are some set up in other places and if you take just a few seconds to orient yourself you can probably find quicker service atone of the side bars.

A few years back, I did put together a Danfest at Margaritaville's main bar. Probably met up with around 10 people. I've not organized anything this year, but if folks want to meet for just a quick drink ahead of time, I'm in.

CF




Date: Mon, September 09, 2013, 11:59:01 ET
Posted by: Michael,

Here's an interesting thread discussing SD outtakes, with emphasis on The Second Arrangement.

http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/steely-dan-mystery-version-of-the-second-arrangement.137981/

I've always regarded the short fragment of The Second Arranagement as being taken from the master tape which was accidentally erased, but didn't know that Don & Walt made a back-up copy before the infamous studio incident. Supposedly the recording is of poorer quality than the other outtakes floating about and sits in their possession...

From the early days up to the present, all of the material they've worked on and released officially, whether together or solo, early demos, outtakes, live-exclusive (Cash Only Island, Wet Side Story), unreleased fragments/concepts and songs written specifically for other artists, they've written quite a lot, maybe somewhere around the 150-200 ballpark.


Date: Mon, September 09, 2013, 11:29:58 ET
Posted by: Lurker Ray, Orlando Bound

CF,

Thank you so much for the Hard Rock Orlando info!
What is security like when you go to enter?
Heavy search? Metal detectors?

No real setlist list surprises expected so I will
probably leave my "stuff" at home like I did
last night in St. Augustine, which I am glad I did
because we danced our butts off.

I have notice that numerous shows this year are
"SOLD OUT" especially here in FLA. I really like that.
Makes me smile. Last night was also sold out in St. Augustine
and I know St. Pete is also sold out. Anyone know if Boca is
sold out? Jive?


Date: Mon, September 09, 2013, 11:00:50 ET
Posted by: casual fan, orlando


Dean-- you going to make it over?


Ray-- I've seen SD a half a dozen times and fact is the Hard Rock (I've seen them here among others) is just not all that conducive to the rip roaring nature of the crowds you get either in St. Augustine or at Ruth Eckerd Hall in St.Pete. I think it has to do with the fact that its kind of a hassle to get there. You have to park miles way and make your way through all the tourists and the teenagers into Universal, and then get over to the locale. You certainly can't tailgate for it, other than buy $9 beers at Margaritaville.

I do note that the show is completely sold out. I have friends who expressed interest last minute and I've been watching Ticketmaster for them. Two single tickets,on opposites sides of the universe, came up and were gone quickly. On stubhub, there are seats but all are over face value and it would not surprise me if they stayed that way. So it will be a packed house and so maybe we'll get lucky and folks won't be in such a coma as was my experience there last time.

And speaking of that, my one complaint last time was that Jon's guitar was mixed way too low. With them having a couple of days off in between, I'm hoping that there will be no rush to get set up and that the techs will do a better job this go 'round than last time.



Date: Mon, September 09, 2013, 09:29:13 ET
Posted by: Lurker Ray, Anastasia Dunes

Is It In The Water?

Seriously. These folks in St. Augustine can give
any Boston crowd a run for their money. Up after
EVERY song with hearty standing O's, even during
the band intos. Full on dancing upfront from Josie
on. Security shut down all picture taking and cell
phones which I loved, but they had no problem letting
us dance if we wanted to.

Band was hotso. Smoking. Like Dean said, who could
complain about that setlist? Simply a stellar show.
I have seen 2 shows now in St. Augustine and I will be
back and so will Steely Dan. These hard working folks
who grew up on FM radio LOVE this band. It was a pleasure
to be amongst them last night. You could really see the
band feeding off this crowd just like they did last year
for the Dukes.

Show 1 of a three show trifecta. On to Orlando. I am
betting on the first race. It will be VERY tough for
Orlando or Boca to beat this St. Augie crowd. But we
will see. Sorry I missed you Dean, but it was hard to
beat cheap drinks at the Elks Lodge and seniors singing
Karaoke - Sinatra, Elvis, Peggy Lee & Robert Goulet before
strolling in to see my favorite band and what turned out to
be easily one of my top ten shows last night.

As Don would say, "What a night!"


Date: Mon, September 09, 2013, 09:05:15 ET
Posted by: Di, Orlando

KD, no one is wondering where the quotes came from. If this interview was from before the tour even started (and how do we know that?) where did they (the reporters) get the idea that Pretzel Logic was the focus?
Instead of getting snotty, why don't you post the info you seem to have about when/how this phone session was conducted LIKE I ASKED FOR IN THE FIRST PLACE.


Date: Sun, September 08, 2013, 23:54:57 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Way too drunk, and late, to give any details. Let me just say this was easily one of the best Dan shows I have had the pleasure to see. While I may have heard many of the tunes before, most every song was completely re-worked. You'd have to be a world-class moron to complain about the setlist. As usual, the St Augustine crowd was absolutely outstanding.

Seriously this was one outstanding show.


Date: Sun, September 08, 2013, 23:36:16 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, in the den

I finally tracked down the Big Band Jazz cd with the Woody Herman band doing some Dan tunes taken from the LP Chick, Donald, Walter and Woodrow. Green Earrings, I Got the News, Aja. Good stuff, wish Aja was longer. Cd omits Kid Charlemagne and FM from the LP. Great 19 minute Corea track called Suite for a Hot Band.

Would love to see a tour with SD sharing a bill with Return to Forever, seems like a natural pairing.


Date: Sun, September 08, 2013, 22:24:58 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

@ Steelydirector, great report! The woman I was dancing with most the latter part of the night in Memphis asked me when they would play "Rikki." I sadly told her that she needed to pack a lunch if that's what she was waiting for. Then they play it the next night. LOL! I was really tempted to go to Atlanta, but I'm out of money and luck!


Date: Sun, September 08, 2013, 22:10:44 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

Joel: Steve Gadd never went on tour with SD. But, tangentially, Keith Carlock has toured with James Taylor. And the last time I saw James Taylor, Steve Gadd was the drummer.


Date: Sun, September 08, 2013, 20:43:29 ET
Posted by: Joel, Lawrence MA

Anybody know if Steve Gadd ever went on tour with Steely Dan?


Date: Sun, September 08, 2013, 20:21:12 ET
Posted by: steelydirector, Way down yonder...

Good to see some other Bluebookers were at the show in Atlanta last night. I enjoyed the Deep Blue Organ Trio, although I guess I should have done some research...I expected to see three organs onstage, not organ, guitar and drums!

The Bipolar Allstars were in fine fettle, as usual; gotta agree that they've never sounded tighter. However I thought Donald's voice sounded a little strained at the beginning...not surprising since that was their 4th show in 5 days. My wife provided independent confirmation when she pointed it out (without any prompting from me). Fortunately Don's voice seemed to settle in after the first few songs, then flagged a little at the end. His enthusiasm all night more than made up for any of that, though. I don't recall ever seeing him more animated, or being more willing to play around a bit with the vocal delivery, rather than just singing it "by the book" (i.e. just like the record). He even imitated the crowd behavior as he was departing the stage...raising his hands in the air and opening his mouth like he was screaming.

They opened the show with a funny gimmick: the stage blacked out, then the video screens lit up with a shot of someone inserting an 8-track tape into a player. I was watching the screens, not the stage, so I'm not 100% certain that this was done in real time (and not pre-recorded), but I think it was done live and shot by one of the stage cameras.

I too was very excited to hear "Rikki" live for the first time. Donald said it's not a song they usually play, but, in his words: "Hey, why not?".

Equally exciting was the weather...I expected to be sweating like a pig all night (that's ATL in early September for ya). But both the temperature and humidity were perfect, and made it much easier to enjoy the show. I'm sure the band appreciated it too!

Walter sounded great, with many featured solos throughout the evening. I only recall him sitting down once all night, but why shouldn't he? Even "Ready" Freddie Washing-ton had a stool that he took advantage of occasionally.

Keith Carlock proves night after night that he is indeed the second coming of Buddy Rich! Power AND finesse...quite a combination! Proud to say he's a fellow drummer and a fellow Mississippian.

I wish Jim Beard had better stage position...he was difficult to see, and the stage cameras weren't in a position to get good shots of him either. But it was nice of the Borderline Brats to move out of the way during a couple of Jim's solos, so people could get a better view.
(And yes, Audrey Martell was subbing for Catherine again).

Walter must check out this stuff on the interwebz occasionally. His "Hey 19" rap was much shorter than usual, and he even specifically said he was going to "cut it short". Later, during the "I Want To Do (Everything For You)" band intros, he said he was going to "make it quick", so they could "play as much music as possible".

REELIN IN THE YEARS DEPARTMENT: At one point Donald referred to the "2003" tour, instead of 2013, which was obviously unintentional. What WAS intentional, however, was when he talked about "Bodhisattva" being the first cut on "Countdown to Ecstasy", which as he said "came out in 1912, shortly before the First World War".

CELEBRITY IMPERSONATOR DEPARTMENT: Loved seeing Bruce Willis (Walt Weiskopf) on saxophone last night. And my wife noted a striking resemblance between Jon Herington and David Letterman.

All in all, a very enjoyable night. So many great performances by so many great musicians. Can't thank 'em enough, and I hope in future years they "Do It Again", so to speak.


Date: Sun, September 08, 2013, 18:48:26 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

I'd hesitate on shooting the reporters down if you're a fan that is wondering where the quotes from a month-old interview came from. Ripping on them for not checking the setlist online (in an interview given weeks before the tour even started) vs. not identifying the same quotes that have been used in several features for the last few months? Siding with the columnist, here.


Date: Sun, September 08, 2013, 18:16:55 ET
Posted by: J Clavi, sd

Re The funky version of JOS: JOS meets Stevie W.'s Higher Ground.


Date: Sun, September 08, 2013, 17:53:51 ET
Posted by: Casual fan, Orlando

Steve, good luck on those RHE tix. I saw them there several years ago and it was AMAZING. Best of the six SD shows I've ever seen, and by a wide margin.

Pay whatever you can afford. It'll be worth every cent.


Date: Sun, September 08, 2013, 16:43:38 ET
Posted by: Steve Gennarelli, Tampa

Hi All - Still looking for 2 tickets to the show at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater for this coming weekend. If you have 2 you're trying to get rid of/sell, please let me know.

Thanks, Steve G.


Date: Sun, September 08, 2013, 16:38:05 ET
Posted by: Meadows, Clearwater, FL

Why is that reporter focusing on Pretzel Logic? If he was following the tour, he should be talking about the Countdown album.


Date: Sun, September 08, 2013, 15:59:52 ET
Posted by: Di, Orlando

Found this in Friday's paper. The reporters seem clueless. (Asking about Pretzel Logic when they aren't playing anything from it. They couldn't be bothered to check what songs SD were actually playing?!)

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/music/os-jim-abbott-steely-dan-orlando-20130905,0,7721736.column

Anyone know anything more about this hour-long phone session?


Date: Sun, September 08, 2013, 12:48:59 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

That "fugueoflife" YouTube uploader has been at it for a while, love his contributions. Hearing "Miss Marlene" must have sent him/her through the roof.

I'd completely forgotten that they played an alternate version of JoS at the Beacon shows a few years back. Probably lost in the haze as I frantically refreshed YouTube to see if anyone had uploaded "The Second Arrangement."


Date: Sun, September 08, 2013, 12:36:19 ET
Posted by: Warren, Camden NJ

Glad to hear they played Rikki last night. They may start to juggle up the setlist more as the tour heads towards the Boston and Beacon shows.


Date: Sun, September 08, 2013, 10:05:32 ET
Posted by: DeaconBlues16,

Saw SD in ATL last night. Lovethisgig setlist is correct, so no point in restating it here. This was my 6th SD show, and the first time I saw Rikki live as well.

But for me, despite having heard each song from Aja at least once, and many of them multiple times, it was just truly special to hear it straight through from Black Cow to Josie, uninterrupted. All of the performances were great, but if I had to choose standouts, it would be Black Cow (hearing the opening notes were special as well), Deacon Blues, Home At Last... and if I don't stop myself, I could just list every song from the album.

As for the rest of the set list, hearing Rikki was the only real surprise, and it was a very good surprise for a lot of people. I had heard the version of Razor Boy and had liked what I heard, despite finding the arrangement kind of maudlin. But I really really liked it live in-person. Godwhacker and Black Friday were standouts as well; I still really love the 2008+ "Texas (or Chicago???) style" Black Friday. But the My Old School-Reelin' in the Years-Kid Charlemagne combo to end the show was spectacular. Everything was great though.

Donald's voice was in great shape I thought, especially for being this late in the tour. Musically can't complain at all. Sound was fine, although it seemed like from where I was sitting, guitars were low in the mix early (which I felt was kind of weird because I was close to the guitars). But either way, it got fixed, or at least my perception of them being low changed later on.

I could say more, but the only else that needs to be said is that the show was real, and it was spectacular.


Date: Sun, September 08, 2013, 09:13:36 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

@ The Dean- There is no feeling like the feeling you have when you wake up in the morning knowing that you will see and hear Steely Dan live that night. Have fun!


Date: Sun, September 08, 2013, 08:44:06 ET
Posted by: The Dean, St. Augustine Beach

Nice find, toni! Thanks for sharing,

I search the Tube for the live version from 1996 (Manassas I think) with Walter on vox. It was a terrific quality video of a great early version of that song. Anyway, that video seems to be deleted. I did find this terrific cover, though. Probably been posted here before, but I don't recall hearing it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFuMd7apVGw

Big show tonight. Can't wait.


Date: Sun, September 08, 2013, 05:57:46 ET
Posted by: toni,

Look what I found on good old Youtube
http://youtu.be/c7lYatPnGpE
an alternative version of Jack of Speed. The guy has various other cool and rare Steely Dan stuff on his channel (and lots of bowling videos..) so you might want to check it out. I was to lazy to copy all the interesting links :)


Date: Sun, September 08, 2013, 01:17:21 ET
Posted by: Lovethisgig, Atlanta

My 11th Dan concert and actually the first time I've ever heard Rikki live ...

Atlanta Setlist - Aja Night

Blueport (Intro)
--
Black Cow
Aja
Deacon Blues
Peg
Home at Last
I Got the News
Josie
--
Your Gold Teeth
Rikki Don't Lose That Number
Hey 19
Showbiz Kids
Black Friday
Time Out of Mind
Godwhacker
Daddy Don't Live in that New York City No More (WB vocals)
Bodhisattva
Razor Boy (Girls)
I Wanna Do Everything for You (Girls)/Band Intros (WB)
My Old School
Reelin' in the Years
ENCORE:
Kid Charlemagne
Untouchables Theme (Outro)


Date: Sun, September 08, 2013, 00:55:34 ET
Posted by: Emmo Deepea, YYZ

CJB - I definitely think that staying in Joisey and commuting is a great alternative for those who can't afford the standard midtown hotel rates or who simply refuse to pay that kind of cabbage for a place to sleep. Sadly, I no longer possess the patience required to endure a lengthy daily commute when I'm home, let alone do it when I'm trying to have a good time. But I would never, ever make fun of someone who enjoys sleeping in a tent - it's something I do as often as I can, just not when I'm in NYC. If the savings gained by taking the train in and back again every day/night allows someone to stay in the NYC area for a full week, and take in more Beacon shows than I saw in 2011 (only two for me), then I'd have to agree that it's a great option. I really wish I had been able to see the 21st Century Dan show.

Seth - When I tried to describe the smell of my room at the Hotel Carter (right behind the New York Times Building) from a couple of years ago, I got a vivid sensory memory of the overwhelming acrid stench and then tried to describe it with the foulest, most pungent combination I could think of. You nailed it - we quickly discovered that the bed-sheets weren't exactly fresh and in fact were soaked with day old chunder. Somebody puked the bed, but nobody cleaned it up. Sure, it's a two star, not a five, but...free in-room vomit? Hardly the kind of "extra" most travellers look for. So, yeah, they moved us to a slightly better room, but that Parmesan cheese-like odor stuck in my brain. How people eat that stuff is beyond my comprehension. I have travelled to Manhattan many times, and even lived there for a while, but every time I have tried to save a few bucks by staying at a "budget" hotel I have regretted it. Some times more than others. File under: Sun Bright Hotel, Chinatown, NYC...


Date: Sat, September 07, 2013, 23:40:20 ET
Posted by: Seth S., Winston-Salem

M/O/D/P

What does that acronym stand for?
I will be staying in Northern New Jersey across the river from the city. From there you can take the PATH trains, and then maybe a cab to the Beacon. It will be an investment in time, but chain hotels can be had for $75 to $125 that must meet corporate cleanliness standards and procedures. It will save big bucks. It is like in Toronto, you stay in some place like Etobicoke and get a ride in. Comprende vous?

I think I have an ally in you like the Yankees and Morph were allies on Morph Reprise, remember that? I can't stand stinky cheese, and you have best described it. I don't see how people argue with me that the odour does not resemble foot stank or vomit, in some cases. I will tell you that the nose knows. As a biochemist I will also tell you that biochemically cheese is rotten milk and that it is no different chemically to what you find between your toes after not washing for an extended time.

If you or others did not like parmesan, or other rank cheeses, I think you might think again////


Date: Sat, September 07, 2013, 23:31:45 ET
Posted by: CJB, YVR -> NYC

Anyone livid about Manhattan hotel prices might consider sleeping in New Jersey. PATH, Metro North, etc.

I stayed in New Jersey, 4 blocks from the train station, for a week while I attended 20th-c. Nite and Rarities Nite, in 2011, and commuted to Manhattan every day by train.

$75/night plus train fare, as opposed to $300+ in midtown.

Anyone who wants to make fun, go ahead. Last time I visited NYC for a week to see a big Met show & to look at contemporary art for a week I stayed in a state park campground up the Hudson ($15/night) in my tent & commuted by rail. A bit of a drag when it rained, but I got to stay for 10 days for what it would have cost to stay 3 days in Manhattan. & the ride every morning (& evening) along the river was beautiful.


Date: Sat, September 07, 2013, 22:00:18 ET
Posted by: Allen, Hot A

They just played rikki!


Date: Sat, September 07, 2013, 22:00:18 ET
Posted by: Allen, Hot A

They just played rikki!


Date: Sat, September 07, 2013, 21:20:25 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, bottom of the XO. Good night.

Jim, yeah, you have my full understanding. I always think it's a minor miracule everytime a Youtube clip or an audio bootleg confirms that someone was actually capable of concentrating enough on the recording device to get a decent shot at all. Myself I would've probably just drooled all over the phone or mic before dropping it on the floor or hitting someone's head with it in pure ecstacy if I tried!


Date: Sat, September 07, 2013, 20:56:55 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

Jazzassin: Last night, as I was listening to the show, I thought, "I hope somebody is recording this..." I was really in a perfect position to use my iPhone (row 11 right in front of Donald and the Brats), but I just didn't want to interrupt my SD buzz with screwing around with phones. It was just too good to pay attention to anything else. I kept track of the set list in my Moleskine, and that was it...


Date: Sat, September 07, 2013, 20:39:22 ET
Posted by: Updraught, Philly area

Catherine Russell is scheduled to perform tonight with the Pasadena Pops. A little time off from the SD tour.

http://www.catherinerussell.net/html/itinerary.php


Date: Sat, September 07, 2013, 20:36:41 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, XOXOXOXO

Yup, Jim T. You're probably correct. I admit I was a bit too quick on the trigger this time. Probably because the first clip that you linked too didn't appeal much to me, other than her portrait... The live video and some of the songs on her own page was much more acceptable to my ears.
That said, the important thing is that she did a fine job for our favorite band, and I trust you on that of course.

Youtube clips from Memphis would be very much appreciated...

And yes, most of all we're of course all happy that everything's fine with The Catherine.


Date: Sat, September 07, 2013, 20:12:07 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

Jazzassin: I did the same research that you did before I posted and came to the conclusion that she is eclectic and skips genres. I think the "s" at the end of her name on some listings is just a failure to capture the possessive apostrophe. I think it's the same gal. She was great, and I wish her well. I am just glad that all is okay with Cat. She is a special talent.


Date: Sat, September 07, 2013, 20:11:52 ET
Posted by: M/O/D/P, Hotel Hunting

Although I really have to disagree that there's any reason at all to "avoid" the shows between now and the run at The Beacon, if you are planning to stay in a hotel in Manhattan in early October, you'd better book something soon. I unwisely waited until a few days ago and found my regular sleeping spot on 79th sold out (actually overbooked and hoping for cancellations, they told me) and I had to scramble to find something decent (i.e. safe & clean) for under $300 per night. There's not much left in that category as far as I could see, anyways.

Of course, in lieu of the readily available ritzy places with the $500-$600 per night beds, there's always the bedbug-infested unrenovated hotels (the Hotel Carter, where the city often temporarily boards its vagrants/homeless folks, comes to mind). For around $150 or so per night you might just get a room that has some really cool recent history...especially if you're a True Crime buff. And there are still some cheaper hotels with lots of beds left if you want to sleep in an interestingly-stained room that smells like a used football equipment bag filled with parmesan cheese...or if you are comforted by the sight of a HASMAT suit hanging on the back of the bathroom door, "strongly recommended" for use in the shower...


Date: Sat, September 07, 2013, 20:00:56 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, typo land

*here


Date: Sat, September 07, 2013, 19:43:41 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, Martell XO

@Jim Taylor, you got me a little confused her now.

I did a quick search and found links to pages relating to what appears as two different Audreys, one Martell and one Martells (with an "s" at the end of the name). The one you link to on Youtube is presented as Martells, not Martell.

However, they're both stunningly beautiful colored girls with rastafari hairdo, and they both sing. I'm still not absolutely sure they're not one and the same, but after listening to some audio clips and Youtube videos I get the impression that while Martells (who you linked to) sounds like a modern r'n'b artist of the lighter kind, using sample based, synthethic sounding backtracks, Ms. Martell seems to be more of a soul/ funk/ fusion singer having a real band backing her, and she has a much tougher style all the way.

Are we absolutely sure it wasn't her who replaced Cat? Her style seems more likely to attract the attention of the Steely family than the other Audrey M, if I may say so.

But of course, it could be that we're talking about one artist with her name misspelled on some pages, and who's playing around with different musical styles in different contexts.
If so, her name is probably Martell, not Martells, because her official webpage is called www.audreymartell.com

It has some samples here: http://www.audreymartell.com/songs.htm

And here is a Youtube clip with Ms. Martell live with a band: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqgCfbbevu0

The more I look and listen, the more sure I get that they are two different girls, that Audrey Martells is younger and that it was Audrey Martell that filled in for Cat Russell. And after all, that was what you called her when you mentioned her in your original review of the gig in Memphis, Jim.

Oh, and thanks for the amusing updates from soundchecks and all! :o)


Date: Sat, September 07, 2013, 19:31:34 ET
Posted by: Warbo, Not far from Muswellbrook

M/O/D/P - Thanks so much for your reply. The Amsterdam Ale House looks great. I'll head there before the show and keep my eyes open for potential SD fans. Hope to see you there!


Date: Sat, September 07, 2013, 18:52:39 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Home At Last

Here is Ms. Martell in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOimeNpbvn8.


Date: Sat, September 07, 2013, 18:51:53 ET
Posted by: Seth S., Winston-Salem

Looks like the only decent shows with something new and different will be in NY at the Beacon. What i am going to do, and I will advise YOU, you and U, is to start saving money up NOW or use a credit card to pay to drive or fly to NY the only place to avoid these "standard" shows they have been doing. The other reason is that this might be the last tour. Donald Fagen is almost 70 I think. And everything must go, including these tours must end sometime.


Date: Sat, September 07, 2013, 11:36:21 ET
Posted by: yup,

Miss Russell wasn't sick. She had a guest appearance at a concert in LA


Date: Sat, September 07, 2013, 07:06:31 ET
Posted by: Nic, R

Audrey Martell? Never heard of her. My guess is that Catherine was under the weather and Walter paged her.


Date: Sat, September 07, 2013, 01:05:45 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor , Lalaland

HA = Home at Last, which they did at Sound Check, but not in the show.


Date: Sat, September 07, 2013, 01:02:38 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Memphis in the Meantime

Memphis: 8:47
Blueport
YGT
Aja
Hey 19
Show Biz Kids
Black Cow
Black Friday
TOOM
Godwhacker
Daddy
Bodhisattva
Razor Boy
Babylon Sisters
Band Intros
(There is news here. Catherine Russell was replaced tonight by Audrey Martell. I don't know anything about her, but she did a hell of a job, including picking up Cat's parts in TOOM). Missed Catherine, however.
Josie
Peg
MOS
Reelin'
KC

Sadly, no DTMA or HA. However, this was a killer show. Zero technical issues, great performances ( particularly Walter, who was on fire... Hell, the whole band was on fire tonight and the crowd was very, very enthusiastic! A great way to end my Summer Of Dan!


Date: Fri, September 06, 2013, 23:09:00 ET
Posted by: M/O/D/P, How's My Little Ale House?

Warbo - For what it's worth, a handful of us from Toronto will be at the Amsterdam Ale House for an hour or two before each of the shows on Thursday the 3rd through Saturday the 5th. It's a pretty decent bar/restaurant close to The Beacon, and they have an above average draft selection for those who enjoy beer that isn't made from rice & corn. I've eaten there many times and have yet to have a disappointing meal. The Amsterdam was also the site of NYC's 2011 nightly Danfests. I met lots of fellow SD fanatics (although, curiously, no-one from here on The Blue), including one collector/fan who later generously sent me some nice concert footage that I had never seen before. All that and Pilsner Urquell on tap...


Date: Fri, September 06, 2013, 21:27:09 ET
Posted by: Warbo, Sydney

Hi,

I'm going to be at the Royal Scam show at the Beacon in New York early next month, having travelled a bloody long way to fulfil a long-held dream. I was wondering if there's likely to be a Dan fan get-together before the show � or is NYC too cool for that sort of carry-on? I'd love to meet up with a few fellow tragics if at all possible.

By the way, I cannot believe people complaining about the composiiton of SD set lists. As someone who felt amazingly fortunate to be able to see them when they toured Australia in 2011 (at the Sydney Entertainment Centre, a venue every bit as exciting as its name suggests) and even more privileged to be able to travel to New York to see them in their "home" town next month, can I suggest you just take a moment to thank your lucky stars that you're able to see this extraordinary bunch of musicians so frequently?


Date: Fri, September 06, 2013, 20:34:02 ET
Posted by: M/O/D/P, Broadway & West 74th

Thanks for these soundcheck updates, Jim Taylor. Your reporting efforts are very much appreciated. Interestingly, of that recent group, the only song we actually got to hear near the beginning of the tour in Toronto is Time Out Of Mind (incidentally, a song I could listen to a few thousand more times and never tire of).

I'm looking forward to hearing those five songs and lots more Pure Gold over three nights in NYC early next month - The Royal Scam, Gaucho, and "Request Night". For my request, I internet-voted for Here At The Western World because (a) it's a stunningly beautiful song and (b) one that I thought had at least a semi-realistic chance of being played. At this stage, though, I don't expect to hear it. I'm really not sure what to expect from this NYC "Request Night" in particular....as the Saturday show, will it be a 2013 version of "Rarities" (even a toned down version)? As amazing as that would be, I'm not holding my breath (let's face it, a pretty childish thing to do anyways) because I remember that 2011's most anticipated Saturday night concert - the one aimed squarely at all the mega-fan setlist scrutinizers - didn't even sell out. In New York. On a Saturday night. At a hall that seats only a few thousand people. So much for the fanbase's collective insatiable appetite for rarities.

My guess is that NYC's "Request Night" will be pretty similar (but not identical) to the October 1st and 8th "Greatest Hits Nights". And as much as we'd all love a new take on September 17th 2011, I think it's clear that we're in the minority. With that sentiment in mind, I have already made plans to enjoy the hell out of those three nights no matter what the band decides to offer up.


Date: Fri, September 06, 2013, 19:11:53 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor , Memphis Blues Again

Sound check in Memphis began promptly @ 5PM:
1. Don't Take Me Alive
2. Home At Last
3. Black Cow
4. TOOM
5. Daddy
Over @ 5:37

As an aside, the hotel I am staying at has a bar that features blurs and Jazz called Memphis Sounds, All a 10 minute walk from venue. Even the elevator plays Jazz. It's all good!


Date: Fri, September 06, 2013, 11:58:23 ET
Posted by: Lutz, SF

Jim Beard's new cd is available for pre order and will be released next week.
"The Professor" as Walter introduced him at a concert in 2011.
http://www.abstractlogix.com/xcart/product.php?productid=25905&cat=277&page=1


Date: Fri, September 06, 2013, 00:41:51 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Ha Ha Ha Land

Not gonna happen. But who am I to crush dreams. I will try and get a good listen to sound check and see what they work on.


Date: Fri, September 06, 2013, 00:04:03 ET
Posted by: Hackensack, missouri

How bout some real suprises like oh Id say: Charlie Freak, Dallas, and and Your Gold Teeth 2


Date: Thurs, September 05, 2013, 23:51:46 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

On to Memphis!


Date: Thurs, September 05, 2013, 20:53:58 ET
Posted by: drewslo, San Luis Obispo

I would think that Joni's "Court and Spark" would be the reason for calling Larry Carlton.


Date: Thurs, September 05, 2013, 19:55:18 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

That's a good catch KD! I think it's more likely that he was conflating a conversation from after November of 1975, when they started recording Royal Scam. It's obvious that LC is also a world-class talker. When you talk a lot, you lose track of where you have been, and things get tangled up in blue.. Oh wait..., sorry.


Date: Thurs, September 05, 2013, 18:35:47 ET
Posted by: Doc Mu,

Musicians exaggerating? Shocking

t's true that Feldman on CTE, Omartian on PL, Omartian and Rainey on KL, Carlton on RS, Carlton and Tom Scott on Aja transcribed a lot of the charts and served as liaisons with the musicians. WB couldn't read music. Donald could read simple stuff as a HS baritone player in and piano player, but don't think he wrote even lead sheets much or at all until Gaucho.


Date: Thurs, September 05, 2013, 18:02:32 ET
Posted by: search, f

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/why-i-write/article/58946-why-i-write-donald-fagen-focus-on-music-2013.html


Date: Thurs, September 05, 2013, 17:38:05 ET
Posted by: Hutch,

KD - I saw that a week or so ago and posted a link with no response from anyone here. Some of it's pretty funny. But I think it does reinforce the notion that the chords and arrangements were there and Larry served primarily as a liaison.

I recently revisited Howard Wright's site to pick up his Black Friday charts. My new band may cover that one. What a sublime groove for guitar. Walter must have written this one... it's just so guitar oriented; with the descending chords on the chorus holding the open high E and then the D#m7 A/D A/B to finish the line is just genius.

http://www.hakwright.co.uk/music/tab/black_friday.shtml

Thanks again Howard. Your ear is a piece of gold!


Date: Thurs, September 05, 2013, 12:06:28 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

Not to be a downer, but the funny Joan Baez story in this Larry Carlton clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVTOYywCeUY

... could be a bit of a mish-mash of stories/recollections. Katy Lied stopped recording the month the Joan Baez album started recording, and the Baez album came out a month after KL came out.

So unless Carlton showed up with Baez tapes to the last week of the Dan recording of Katy Lied, the story seems a bit apocryphal. Which is kind of hard to do when you're in the center of it, Larry.


Date: Thurs, September 05, 2013, 11:33:42 ET
Posted by: Doc Kelly, Here at the Dude Ranch

Mr. LaPage, I completely agree with your assessment! Only made it to two shows this time around... Omaha and KC... and almost felt let down after hearing AJA so early in the show. Mr. Carlock is a monster! I believe we will hear Aja each show for as long as Keith is in the band!!



Date: Thurs, September 05, 2013, 11:01:21 ET
Posted by: william kojo, presentily Gambia

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Date: Thurs, September 05, 2013, 10:25:46 ET
Posted by: DYLYNFAN, HARRISBURG, PA

Thx Mr. Lapage, Good Stuff, pun intended. ps: Miss Marleen would bring down the house, is my guess, I may piss mmyself! T.M.I. ????


Date: Thurs, September 05, 2013, 00:25:33 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, In the den

My 2013 Tour Tally:

6 shows (Louisville, Milwaukee, 2nd Chicago, Indianapolis, St Louis, Kansas City)

1 King of the World
1 I Got the News
3 Black Cows
3 Deacon Blues
3 Black Fridays
4 Green Earrings
4 Monkeys/2 Daddies

Best crowds--Louisville, Indy
Worst crowd--Chicago

Best setlists--
Indy (6 of 7 Aja tunes on a non album night)
Louisville (KOTW, 6 Countdown songs)

songs that I wouldn't mind drop from the setlists for awhile--Green Earrings, Babylon Sisters

Most underrepresented album I wanted to hear more from--Royal Scam (despite GE and Kid)

Most enjoyable songs to hear night after night--the opening double salvo of YGT and Aja. Just sublime and spot on, almost hypnotic, every time. Strange that this occurs at the opening of the shows and not the end, but those tunes just can't be topped most nights. I am always amazed at how they pull off the magnificent complexity of Aja night after night. YGT sets the laid back funky mood perfectly every time. Anyone who saw multiple shows so far with me on this?


Date: Wed, September 04, 2013, 22:12:25 ET
Posted by: DF has said earlier, Atlee

There will be "surprises", and intimated that SC tunes could be in that group.
Unfortunately, those surprises will take place in October, about 350 miles north up I95.


Date: Wed, September 04, 2013, 21:49:40 ET
Posted by: Jazzassin, Norwegian Bored

Re: The Norwegian Fords

As a Norwegian myself, I am certainly familiar with TNF. They had a single spinning on national radio over here all summer of 2011, and have released two albums so far. All of it of undisputable quality in terms of playing skills and production.

However, they never really became a huge favorite of mine.
A few really good songs on each album, and unfortunately too many "fillers". The songwriting, in all it's cleverness, lacks the neccessary edge to balance the slick musical style and production, imo. They're just a little bit too nice & clean for me, I guess. And it's like they try just a tiny bit too hard, yet ends up with only surface and smooth, slick cleverness on top of ... nothing.
The Dan influence is obvious, but again, the lyrics lacks a dark side and the depth of those of the Dan.
It doesen't make a lasting impression on me I'm afraid; it's nice when it's on, but then I forget about it like it was nothing, really.
Just one guy's opinion of course. But all is relative, and they still sound better than 95% of contemporary pop music to my ears, I'll have to give them that.

However, Samuel Purdy's "Musically Adrift" that has been mentioned a few times here recently is another Dan influenced album that has really hit me hard. I love that album and it's one that that I come back to again and again these days. Highly recommended.
Thumbs up, Snake Mary! ;o) May you sell shitloads!


Date: Wed, September 04, 2013, 20:55:20 ET
Posted by: Hutch, RVA as well

SteelyDon - If they played Miss Marlene I doubt that people would be leaving for a piss break.

I just think it's a crying shame that they were not able to do another Fagen solo tour. It would have been great to hear those tunes live with the energy that Michael and Donald had going on right after the release.


Date: Wed, September 04, 2013, 20:41:43 ET
Posted by: riva, dfw

I've been going to the shows since 2000 and it really seems the house sound mix has gotten worse as time goes on. This year especially.
At the show last night Donald's mike wasn't even ON when he was speaking.
Are the guys aware of this?


Date: Wed, September 04, 2013, 19:10:31 ET
Posted by: Gus Winterbottom, The Depths of Podunk Hollow

Regarding Sunken Condos tracks making the setlist, my guess is that if we hear any, it will be during the next Dukes tour. Didn't Donald say in some interview that the Dukes would be touring again in 2014? That's my recollection, but I could easily be mistaken. Assuming I read correctly, there might be a greater chance of hearing something if the album picks up one or more Grammys; its release missed the September 30 cutoff date last year, so it should be eligible this year.


Date: Wed, September 04, 2013, 17:53:41 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

They've only played "IGY" and "New Frontier" a handful of times since the Dan 3.0 started up in the 2000 tour, nothing from any other solo album, so I very much doubt it. Sadly.


Date: Wed, September 04, 2013, 16:47:19 ET
Posted by: SteelyDon, RVA

What do you all think are the chances that they bust out a tune from Sunken Condos? Any believers?


Date: Wed, September 04, 2013, 13:57:56 ET
Posted by: stublag, london uk

Do you guys know The Norwegian Fords? Fantastic Steely influenced band from Norway.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeW5IRBBihU


Date: Wed, September 04, 2013, 13:03:24 ET
Posted by: Hackensack, missouri

Yes it was Cosentino's across the steet. He had a couple of guys with him. One of them I know is a guitar tech


Date: Wed, September 04, 2013, 12:16:15 ET
Posted by: KC, Review

http://www.kansascity.com/2013/09/04/4456654/steely-dan-takes-a-sold-out-crowd.html

Includes setlist.


Date: Wed, September 04, 2013, 11:47:19 ET
Posted by: Map, It

Correction, Cosentino's


Date: Wed, September 04, 2013, 11:45:21 ET
Posted by: Map, It

Google Street view shows a store called Casentino's across the street.


Date: Wed, September 04, 2013, 11:36:48 ET
Posted by: pixeleen,

Hackensack:

Okay....so what was the store that you and Walter were shopping in??

Too cool that you met him and shook his hand. Hope that you won't
be washing that hand anytime soon......


Date: Wed, September 04, 2013, 01:56:48 ET
Posted by: ScottKC, KC

Was a great KC show. Great venue, sound was good, crowd could've been better, but band was hot after a two or three day rest. Walter really played out the intro to the Cuervo Gold on Hey 19, went on for like five minutes, which was cool. Crowd was predictably quiet as a church mouse during Show Biz while the few who knew it rocked out. And even at the end with all the crowd favs not a lot of dancing. Maybe people feel more restrained indoors cause at Starlight two years ago the joint was rockin' at the end. And Carolyn looked beautiful as ever. Never gets old.


Date: Tues, September 03, 2013, 22:45:12 ET
Posted by: Howard, San Diego

I don't know who that man is. I can't get a close-up image to identify him. Kind of looks like President Woodrow Wilson.


Date: Tues, September 03, 2013, 21:17:21 ET
Posted by: Stevie Dan, Phila., Pa

Pardon my possible ignorance, but does anyone know who's the man in the t-shirt image on the Steely Dam merchandise page? Thanks.

http://www.steelydan.com/tour13merch.html


Date: Tues, September 03, 2013, 20:47:57 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, KC

Stalker
VVVV


Date: Tues, September 03, 2013, 20:12:13 ET
Posted by: Hackensack, missouri

I have no photographic evidence of this but I just met and shook hands with Walter Becker at a store across the street from the theater in kc. He refused a picture and autograph (no suprise) he did shake my hand say hi and give me a smile. Fuckin awesome


Date: Tues, September 03, 2013, 16:48:49 ET
Posted by: Mr LaPage, Everything's up to date in KC

Anyone meeting up for the KC show?


Date: Tues, September 03, 2013, 15:20:51 ET
Posted by: Ted,

Also looking forward to a few Steely Dan shows in the coming days.

Just had to express my excitement and anticipation!


Date: Tues, September 03, 2013, 12:30:05 ET
Posted by: Denise, Hinktown

Hello one & all,

If no one has already made plans for a Danfest on Sep. 25 in Boston, may I suggest Jacob Wirths? It's close to the Wang. We have gone there before, decent place and it's large enough. Not expensive. Have sent a note out to both Boston and N.E. lists. If anyone would prefer elsewhere, open to suggestions.

Looking forward to seeing my Dan friends!


Date: Tues, September 03, 2013, 08:39:42 ET
Posted by: Hackensack, missouri

Today is my pancake day!! kc tonight. Can't wait


Date: Mon, September 02, 2013, 21:50:09 ET
Posted by: marmer, Houston, TX

Thought the show was great in Grand Prairie, but WTH was going on with the front-of-house mix? It cut out probably fifteen times, about five minutes apart, for about three or four minutes at a time. When that happened all you got was the stage amps and monitors.

I'm guessing the power amps had some kind of thermal protection circuit and were over-temping and cooling down over and over. That's why it got worse as the show went on and why the crew probably couldn't fix it. All the people around me were pretty upset/perplexed. Is this kind of thing a common occurrence? I would like to have been a fly on the wall after the show for the discussion between tour crew and venue crew!


Date: Mon, September 02, 2013, 18:56:19 ET
Posted by: Napoleon, U.K

From the heart:

Deacon Blues
Katy Lied
Almost Gothic
Bad Sneakers
What A Shame About Me

From The Head:

Aja
Gaslighting Abbie
Negative Girl
Two Against Nature
FM
Kid Charlemagne

Not sure where I'm going with this. Maybe just trying to get my own slant on music vs lyrics and where the songs come from. Of course, it's a lot easier to buy in to both Don and Walt's solo material as being autobiographical.


Date: Mon, September 02, 2013, 15:20:30 ET
Posted by: Bobbo, Still Reeling!

Hey All,

T'was quite a night in Grand Prairie, no? Now appropriately stoked, I'm setting my sights on the Beacon in October. Having never witnessed that particular spectacle, I'm wondering: Are the "obstructed view" seats behind the soundboard in Orchestra/Center really that terribly obstructed? Hope one of the Learned Few among us Danners will share an overview. Thanks in advance.


Your Pal,
Bobbo

P.S. Wow. Don Henley is finally aging, eh? Tiger blood isn't a permanent fix after all! "That guy ripped me off," he was heard muttering as he witnessed firsthand the thrilling crescendo of "Aja" performed in its entirety. Eagles should let Joe Walsh write the tunes for the entire next album, methinks--no?


Date: Mon, September 02, 2013, 11:38:01 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

If there are any folks who want to meet up before the Memphis show, I propose the Rendezvous. It's downtown and within walking distance of the venue. In fact, there is a huge parking garage adjacent to the Rendezvous that is very user friendly. And the Dry Rub Ribs are to die for.


Date: Mon, September 02, 2013, 11:33:17 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

@Could B: Could B...


Date: Mon, September 02, 2013, 10:39:48 ET
Posted by: Could B,

And here I thought Razor Boy was about some stud who like to shave his girlfriend's pussy.


Date: Sun, September 01, 2013, 22:44:21 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Home At Last

I have been sitting here listening to Razor Boy, and I have a new take on it. I always thought it was about death, but it's not. It's about the expected, sudden end of everything. There is a difference.


Date: Sun, September 01, 2013, 19:38:35 ET
Posted by: Steve Gennarelli, Tampa FL

Just from hearing "Razor Boy" on YouTube... that should be enough to quell those who are complaining about the Set List. That's a new song and one that never sounded better than done by the Embassy Brats or whatever they call the Ladies this year.


Date: Sun, September 01, 2013, 14:54:06 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Home At Last

KD, no prob, I had a blast. It was the first SC I had been able to hear. I made the mistake of trying to waltz into the Sound Check at The Pearl in 2011 (a stupid thing to do in Vegas). I got a bout 20 feet inside and security was all over me. For a second, I was afraid they were going to bar me from the place. They were not amused. They escorted me out and told me to come back when the doors opened, LOL!


Date: Sun, September 01, 2013, 14:14:59 ET
Posted by: KD, asdf

yo Jim,

thanks for the soundcheck updates, appreciate you posting those.


Date: Sun, September 01, 2013, 13:39:18 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

Let me amend that last age comment by saying I was talking about the guys. The women still look like they did the day they graduated.


Date: Sun, September 01, 2013, 13:28:13 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

I think we all look old these days... I saw The Eagles at the New Orleans Jazz Fest a couple of years ago and Henley looked normal to me. In fact, he looked about as worn out as I am...


Date: Sun, September 01, 2013, 12:54:17 ET
Posted by: Luke, Mesquite TX

Someone pointed out to me that Don Henley was in the audience at last night's show too. I was really shocked at his appearance. He looked really old with that grey beard.


Date: Sun, September 01, 2013, 12:40:39 ET
Posted by: Pen,

Any vid of Chuck R. w/ SD on stage?


Date: Sun, September 01, 2013, 11:24:48 ET
Posted by: Babylon Sister, Dallas

We were at the show at Verizon/Grand Prairie last night. It was very cool when Chuck Rainey came out on the stage, and Don Henley has good taste in his music choices--he was also at the Zombies show at the Kessler in March (he sat right across from us). I thought the band was really awesome and in good spirits last night. This, by the way, was one of the best audiences that I have seen at a show almost ever here in Dallas. Dallas has a bad reputation for her audiences to be a bunch of boozing jerks--I know; I've witnessed many. However, everyone sincerely enjoyed the show and were very respectful. I did sneak one picture at the end of the night.

Here is a link:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10201482609802538&l=806ea06a5c

I will always see the Dan on tour if I am able. It doesn't matter if the songs remain the same on the setlist. For me, they are pure magic.

Cheers!


Date: Sun, September 01, 2013, 11:03:28 ET
Posted by: Could b,

You're a dumb fuck.


Date: Sun, September 01, 2013, 10:44:25 ET
Posted by: Roseland was 2 shows, Hence Roselands...


Date: Sun, September 01, 2013, 10:22:56 ET
Posted by: Could B,

...but if you call it "Roselands" and don't offer comparisons, then you'll have to understand why we might be less than convinced.


Date: Sun, September 01, 2013, 08:18:55 ET
Posted by: Gentleman Loser, DFW Metroplex

Dallas. Best Dan show since Roselands 2003.


Date: Sun, September 01, 2013, 07:25:05 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

Nice to hear that Chuck is doing better. I always liked Walter's comment about playing bass: "I remember sitting in a room playing with Jim Gordon and Michael Omartian and Dean Parks, and I realized that someone else should be sitting in that chair, and his name was Chuck Rainey."


Date: Sun, September 01, 2013, 06:36:25 ET
Posted by: sal trino, dallas

Chuck Rainey came out on stage during band introductions, after an extremely warm, lengthy, and somewhat emotional intro from WB . a few hugs, waves,then off. I was disgusted with my fellow concertgoers--so few knew or cared who Chuck was /is. Mr Rainey looked good. he had an escort from the tour to help him get around but once he hit the stage he was all long strides and steady. Also spotted in one of the God Boxes: Don Henley --almost unrecognizable in his off-season appearance. A security guy said he came from backstage so perhaps there was a real party back there for a while! More on the concert after some shut eye(summary: GREAT!)




Date: Sun, September 01, 2013, 02:32:03 ET
Posted by: Jeannie, near Houston

You're welcome, guys! Yeah, it's always /watch?v= and then the 11-character code for the video. Hoping to see more videos from the show in The Woodlands since I really, really wanted to be there, but wasn't able to. So tia to anyone who can post anything.


Date: Sun, September 01, 2013, 00:31:50 ET
Posted by: CJB, YVR

YouTube channel "CalVid" has some very nice Nokia footage up right now, inc. Do It Again, Rikki, & etc.


Date: Sat, August 31, 2013, 23:11:47 ET
Posted by: Jim Taylor, Hello Baton Rouge

Thanks, Jeannie! I am trying to join the "Pixeleen" generation, but I just can't seem to get my edit > watch thing together... I count on y'all to keep my IT real.



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