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Click for NOVEMBER 2005 BlueBook Entries
OCTOBER 2005 BlueBook Entries
All Times are Eastern (New York City) Time Zone.
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| | While there is no set topic, discussion should be vaguely Steely Dan tangential. |
Date: Mon, October 31, 2005, 22:23:01 ET
Date: Mon, October 31, 2005, 21:10:37 ET
Date: Mon, October 31, 2005, 20:50:33 ET
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Date: Sun, October 09, 2005, 23:26:45 ET
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SEPTEMBER 2005 BlueBook Entries.
Posted by: FACW , Raj: Cruelty and misuse of power know no domain... or uhhh dominatrix...I have seen your iron and your brass...torture is the main attraction, I don't need that kind of action...I've seen your dance before.
Basketball (tlachtli) to One with the Aztecs, anyone?
I Want You to Hurt Like I Do
by Randy Newman
I ran out on my children
And I ran out on my wife
Gonna run out on you too, baby
I done it all my life
Everybody cried the night I left
Well, almost everybody did
My little boy just hung his head
And I put my arm, put my arm around his little shoulder
And this is what I said:
"Sonny I just want you to hurt like I do
I just want you to hurt like I do
I just want you to hurt like I do
Honest I do, honest I do, honest I do";
If I had one wish
One dream I knew would come true
I'd want to speak to all the people of the world
I'd get up there, I'd get up there on that platform
First I'd sing a song or two you know I would
Then I'll tell you what I'd do
I'd talk to the people and I'd say
"It's a rough rough world, it's a tough tough world
Well, you know
And things don't always, things don't always go the way we plan
But there's one thing, one thing we all have in common
And it's something everyone can understand"
All over the world sing along
I just want you to hurt like I do
I just want you to hurt like I do
I just want you to hurt like I do
Honest I do, honest I do, honest I do
Posted by: h w t, perdido
Il Duce Rajrodigo:
Complenti though for the most graphic, horrifying yet eloquent post of the day with "La Sangria del Toro y El Niño."
Posted by: h w t, Haunted Mansion of the Heart
The corruption of Los Catolicos goes way back. It's enough to point out the obvious--Pope Pissass XI or whatever giving a few squirts of Holy H20 to Il Duce Mussolini while Il Duce's henchmen are out killing the paysanos, or many of the German Bishops giving their paternosters to the nazis--but for real fun read about like the Borgias, who supposedly did the Caligula thang with El Papa in attendance at St. Pedro's etc.; or gay Popes, or murderers, or Popes and Cardinals like doing some little ritual with a Puta on the sacred seat and so forth. And if you go off the beaten path in Europa you occasionally find a castle with its dungeon still intact: torture chambers more or less. In DeSade most of the vile things are done by priests and monks.
Viva Godwhacker
Posted by: Ritual Rajah, Hoops, Jesuit priests are still issued a small ceremonial short-handled whip with cloth straps which some of the oldtimers still use when seeking forgiveness for some transgression, pride or disobedience mostly, although it's good to go for sloth, gluttony and lust and they will chant their prayers of expiation whilst giving themselves a lashing by alternating onto each side of the back of their neck in the area of their upper back.
It harkens back to the pagan Romans who had flagellati, whipping boys, who got whacked by lesser priests during certain ritual scarifices, for instance sacrificing an ox on a grate above the person who is perhaps entreating the gods, seeking something like the brutal death of their enemy or to heal their loved ones. While the incense is burning, drums are beating and flagellati get whipped, a highpriest then slits the poor animal's throat while eveyone chants appropriately, the great beast's offal, of course, raining down on the person beneath. Then a real quick bath. Hopefully that got things rolling in the desired direction for the person making the sacrifice. But you had to be rich cause oxen costed a pouch full of denarii even back then.
I couldn't make this stuff up. In the ancient and medieval world, Halloween was every night. So much for Western culture, this was worse than a Black Sabbath, Marilyn Manson or Alice Cooper concert.
St. Augustine was right,
Kulee Baba Rajah
Posted by: h w t,
Godwhacker is not merely a cartoon; he's Serpico, Kojak, or maybe Sam Spade. A Crimefigher set to bust the Almighty, if he can find Him.
Posted by: hoops, Raj--not getting the flogging part of your post -- but somehow it gave me a laff given some other posts from long ago. Anywhoo...Check out Dandom.com for all the discussions from way back when when Maggi McCoy and I purveyed the Steely Dan Lifestyle as a religion. Thanks for bring back happy memories.
Posted by: Brother Rajah, my book of hoursOf course, Your Grace, remind me to give myself a jolly-good ritual flogging later and if I find out who nicked my cat-o-nine tails make no mistake...there will be hell to pay.
Elmer says, "Et cum spiwwy, tu to whoa."
Happy Halloween everyone and don't forget to bring in your pets if you live in the LA area.
Baba No Escape from Scary Monsters Rajah
Posted by: hoops, Steely Dan is the official religion here and, as La Grande Dame de Dandom put it, the Star of Donald is our official icon.
Happy Hello-ween
Posted by: Rajah, Toaster, I begin see you in a whole different light now, just glad the Archbishop didn't catch you or it would have been backs to the wall fer shur but, well, fond memories, what? I mean what good is a Catholic Church that isn't packed with scary stuff? Dark alcoves with spooky statues, depictions of various saints getting tortured to death in any number of hideous fashions, screams from a terrified infant at the baptisimal font behind rusty iron gates, bad lighting, doors that would herniate a Kraken to open. Then there was the Confessional. Waiting patiently for the girl who stayed in there the longest -- then hitting on her. Catholic girls...those little jumpers that came off quicker than, well, come to think of it nothing's quicker -- now THAT my friend was religion. They built a new Cathedral here in downtown L.A. Looks more like a Nordstroms than a church. Has a gift shop and a snack bar. I ask you. Naw, give me that old time religion.
At any rate, back to Steely Dan, here's a nice new piece on Carlock:
http://www.kykernel.com/media/paper305/news/2005/10/27/Features/Renowned.Drummer.Tours.To.Teach.His.Craft-1035826.shtml?norewrite&sourcedomain=www.kykernel.com
Posted by: Doc Mu, I'm still going for Elmer Fudd in the devil suit. Kill the wabbit!! He's out for blood. Real or not.
Posted by: H.W.T. , Der Aachen Dom
Yes, the Catholic Church may be full of irrational creeps, but its power cannot be denied (nor can the fundies here in the US) . I travelled through Germany years ago and saw the Cathedrals, at Cologne, Aachen and Munich. The Cologne "Dom" is a massive, awe-inspiring structure, but also terrifying: kings in the crypts, gargoyles, relics, stained glass from like 1000 AD, built on top of a Roman temple. It was pleasant to hump the ex in there when the bells--one about the size of a Mack truck--were ringing out the 160 decibel blasts of J-H-V-H's Luv over the Altstadt. I may not have reached a marxist perspective yet--i.e. turn Notre Dame into a Grain Silo, comrade!--but it's a thought, especially when we remember that some mega-freak like Schwarzenegger is supposedly Catholic (as were many nazi officers). But I don't really get along with mnay proletarians.
Posted by: Rajah, I'm not for outlawing religion, I think given another few centuries they'll pretty much all peter out on their own, all religions have so far to this point. They do serve a community type purpose however, like when I go to Italy and the church in town is full on Sunday but believing the sometimes far-fetched claims of Catholicism or most religions takes quite a leap of faith or maybe fear or maybe ignorance or possibly wishful thinking. Or, like this most recent brand of radical Islam, you'd have to be just pretty much nutty to swallow what they're serving up at present. How crazy were the Christians in the 11th century? Very. Love those Godwhacker characters, Slinky Redfoot has to be Satan or Lucifer, no? They've been in business for a long ass time, in fact, where would Christianity be without them? Out of business is where they'd be.
Don't wanna start some heavy discussion, it's all beyond me but man, all that energy humans put behind their religions is the truly staggering thing. Ever been to St. Peter's? These folks were INTO it.
Posted by: H.w.t., A Mighty Fortress is Our Log
The GodWhacker, as with many of the Dan's "characters", may be a bit cartoony but not completely wrong or ironic. As with the narrator of Blake's "Tyger," the problem of evil overwhelms the GottWhacker (GW), and with a sort of 70's TV-detective dedication (which the rock-funk music seems to hint at as well), the GW questions not only the supposed benevolence of his putative "God," but His very existence. So is the GW ironic and a fool?--or rather really on the trail of the "Almighty's ass", and if on the trail, but "God" doesn't in fact exist (as I would agree with Comrade Rajah) then what sort of hunt is it? A Hunt akin to a "Hunting of the Snark" perhaps. But other questions remain: who is Slinky Redfoot? I suggest he is a sort of personification of leftist skepticism, and again ironic: Slinky Redfoot is a Red, i.e Pinko, and a bit underhanded or deceptive.
Posted by: Doctor Mu, Raj: Be vewy, vewy quiet... I think of it as G'Whacker as very Warner Bros. cartoonish - Elmer Fudd in a devil suit. Looking for the ultimate to blame in hard times.
USSR, China, Cuba, Cambodia banned religions - and 100 million people were murdered. There's no panacea for the human condition.
Posted by: Lou Cheng (Theron Brady), Greenflower StreetHoops,
Thanks a lot for the SD info update.
Posted by: Clean Willie, Anyone here a fan of progressive rock? i.e. Rush, Dream Theater, King Crimson?
Posted by: I Drove The Chrysler, Claude rules!Hobo:
Howard Levy, formerly of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones also.
Ever hear of jazz chromatic player Mike Turk? First time I heard him, I could swear I was listening to Toots. But that was a dozen or so years ago, have no idea where Turk is or what he's doing now.
Anyone who loves Debussy as much as I do can't be all bad, heh, heh--have you ever listened to the IMAGES OUBLIEES (not to be cofused with the IMAGES)?
Jassiest music Claude ever wrote, shoulda been on the ECM label.
Posted by: Rajah, L.A.I had a very eccentric Romantic Period professor awaaay back there at school who adored Blake and I do recall Songs of Experience pretty well. One of Blake's main tenets in this middle/later period of his writing career, he was first and foremost an engraver BTW, was the rejection of the Old Testament God in favor of the hope and humanity of the New Testament God, whom he found to be a potential positive influence, the whole eye-for-an-eye thing vs. the loving your neighbor as yourself thing.
What Godwhacker espouses is the elimination of the Western Deity, making little distinction between the God of the old book and the God of the new book. It's a bit of a problem to say the least but frankly, and I realize this is about as far afield as I can get on the Blue, and begging the pardon of all you folks of all faiths, getting rid of all religions would be heaven on earth. Having a care for each other should be our only concern. Even you Clas, although I do fart in your general direction, you Swedish Schnook.
Never gonna happen and that is perhaps the most tragic thing about this here world. That, and Mondays of course.
Posted by: YGK, nycSteve: rent a kick drum for a week - at 11:30 each night, start poundin', and then playin' the harp........
a few nights of this should 'allow him to appreciate' the solo harp, dig?
ygk
Posted by: Matt, Chattanooga, TNOn the subject of Blake, I jotted this down in the weeks leading up to the EMG release, and dug it back off of the backup harddrive now that the subject came up. Its things like this that make me really appreciate the intelligence and literary leanings of our stalwart songwriters.
The Lamb
Little Lamb who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?
Gave thee life & bid thee feed,
By the stream & o'er the mead;
Gave thee clothing of delight,
Softest clothing wooly bright;
Gave thee such a tender voice,
Making all the vales rejoice!
Little Lamb who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?
Little Lamb I'll tell thee,
Little Lamb I'll tell thee!
He is called by thy name,
For he calls himself a Lamb:
He is meek & he is mild,
He became a little child:
I a child & thou a lamb,
We are called by his name.
Little Lamb God bless thee.
Little Lamb God bless thee.
from: Songs of Innocence
The Tyger
Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare seize the fire?
And what shoulders, & what art,
Could twist the sinews of thine heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?
What the hammer? what the chain,
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terror clasp?
When the stars threw down their spears
And water'd heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?
Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forest of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
The obvious reference in GodWhacker is the line:
We sniff you big tiger in the forests of the night...
These two poems are collected in Songs of Innocence and Experience, and stand together as both a praise to the beauty of God’s creation and a condemnation (or at least a questioning) of the capacity for fearfulness and vile nature in that creation. The contrasting of the child and lamb with the furnace-forged Tyger belies the author’s own internal struggle to reconcile the cruelty he believed must be inherent in any Creator whose creation displayed such obvious capacity for ferocity and brutality. The difference is not meant to be portrayed as the Creator’s intent, but rather as a reflection of the speaker’s experience (hence the dual titles, Songs of Innocence and Experience). Blake’s belief was that all people were born innocent and were corrupted by the experiences of their life. In The Tyger, that corruption has taken its toll on the speaker’s innocence and trust in the almighty hand of God.
In the years between writing The Lamb in 1789 and The Tyger in 1794, a war sprung up between England and France which shook the foundation of Blake’s belief structure, and his Songs of Experience reflect both his distrust and disillusionment and his anger at the loss of his own innocence. It could be said that in a contemporary setting, the terrorist attacks of September 11th serve to the protagonist of GodWhacker just as the 1794 war served to The Tyger’s narrator. In both cases, the specific cause (either the French-English conflict or 9-11) is not mentioned, but can be assumed to be the main catalyst of change from innocence to experience.
GodWhacker tracks god through the forests of the night by the scent of the Tiger, not by the bleat of the lamb, which would suggest that it is the trail of the “crimes beyond imagining” that GodWhacker, Slinky, Redfoot, and the angel girls are tracking through seven heaven worlds, perhaps by the sulfuric furnace stench of that very tyger that is so representative of those crimes.
Matt
Posted by: C, ---
I had a very strange conversation with a guy (over the phone) on Swedish Warner Music.
He was so secret about which company Fagen will release his solo album so I found quite embarrassing.
This company dude said, after a lot of pressure from my side, that it "probably would be on Warner".
Then he said "...but I don't know, I can't tell... uhum uhum... where are you calling from?".
//C
---
Posted by: Money Talks, ---
Fagen will come out with one more solo, after this one. Walter will find it boring in a year or two, he'll get the hell out of Maui looking for producing projects.
Then it's time to refill the bank accounts and I'll guess the next tour will be somewhere around 2008 - 9. Followed by a "live album".
---
Raj - I find them fart jokes discusting. I am all brains, so please?
---
//C - in a Shape of a Sternum
Posted by: mario, awesome! so much knowledge out there!
Posted by: h.w.t., Monster Mash
Blake references also appear in "Godwhacker":
"in the forests of the night"
From Tyger, Tyger
A lot of the Beat writers were influenced by Blake, so Fagen showing his Beat-hepcat roots.
Posted by: Drums McGee, SD's allusion to William Blake (Rose Darling):
In my AP high school english class we read a poem by William Blake entitled A Sick Rose:
O Rose, thou art sick!
The invisible worm
That flies in the night,
In the howling storm,
Has found out thy bed
of crimson joy,
And his dark secret love
does thy life destroy.
The book I read it out of goes on to say that the rose is a person, not a flower, and the dark secret love/worm symbolizes the loss of innocence, chastity, etc. The worm is a symbol of desire like the serpent in the garden of eden.
Definitely sounds like, knowing B/F were english majors, that their tribute or take off of this poem was Rose Darling, from the viewpoint of Rose's seducer. Cool I thought!
Posted by: Rajah of Erase, Lost AngelesMu - impassioned and on the mark.
Posted by: Doc Mu, That's Right. They'll be in the Eames chairs with the Cobra Gunship and Cousin Dupree
Your Uncle Walter's going on and on
'bout everything he's seen and done
the voice of fifty years experience
he's drunk watching the television
you know he's been around the world
last night he flew to Baghdad
in his magical armchair
with cigarettes and a six pack
yeah, he just got back
the spit's flying everywhere
hey hey hey hey
CHORUS 1
your Uncle Walter's going on and on
(oh you're back so late)
where did you go that you were gone so long?
and how could you leave me here
so long with Uncle Walter?
Your Uncle Walter saw
who fired the shots
he drove his chair in the cavalcade
He's flown from South Africa to
countries where they beat themselves
on the backs with chains
there was a fleet of battleships
and one reclining chair
headed north on the Arabian Sea
Now he's back to tell us what
he and his oldest boy Blair
they're getting rich with
a mail order scheme oh oh
CHORUS 2
your Uncle Walter's going on and on
(we're so glad you're home)
where did you go that you were gone so long?
and how could you leave me here
so long with Uncle Walter?
Your Uncle Walter told me
everything he'd do if he was president
Now what a perfect world
this world would be
if he was president now
but he's not!
And he sees the children smoking pot
he knows that in a moment they'll be
shooting up heroin
teardrops in his armchair
a fifty minute lecture
tobacco juice rolling down his chin
your Uncle Walter's going on and on
(oh you're back so late)
where did you go that you were gone so long?
and how could you leave me here
so long with Uncle Walter?
Posted by: Rajah, ph - I believe Donald when he says they aren't, "done." But the next time we see a Steely Dan album -- and I do believe we will -- it will be an entirely different Steely Dan. A radical paradigm shift. Maybe 2010. Followed by a true box set a couple seasons later and then...the big adios. But Mr. Fagen is a long long way from hanging up his Rhodes. He's a tortured artist and has a love/hate relationship with his gift.
Posted by: ph, This probably sounds pessimistic, but I sincerely doubt there ever being another Steely Dan album. EMG seems to have this aura around listening to it that says "Okay, we're done now". Of course, so did Gaucho, but in essence they were done, for 20 years at least. I wouldn't be suprised if Donald puts out a couple solo albums, or even if Walter did another (actually, that would be pretty suprising), but another complete Steely Dan album? Seems rather unlikely. But I REALLY wish they would tour again. I never got to see the TvN or EMG tours (I wasn't even alive for the pre-74 tours), and I would at this point be perfectly willing to take the 3-1/2 hour drive to chicago to see an SD concert.
Posted by: hwt, the next to last mall"hwt: How about Fagen's midi synth thingy Holdsworth meets Horace Silver on speed bridge + solo on Lunch with Gina?"
Oh yeah that was about my favorite part of the bitch. Damn near jass. Great tone and muy rapido. I also enjoyed the whacked solos with Becker on Green Book.
Posted by: Doc Mu, hwt: How about Fagen's midi synth thingy Holdsworth meets Horace Silver on speed bridge + solo on Lunch with Gina?
Posted by: His Lordship To Be, Worldlywise, I Realize, That Everybodys Crazy...Am I myself Or Just Another Freak?Mu, I'm hoping you're right, although shouldn't there be a new Steely Dan album coming around as well?
Still, vibes are vibes. Just makes sure you don't listen to the ones you from the worse things in life. Especially the ones that promise you pixie dust and gold. What they mean is 'see a doctor'.
Hey aint that funny- Doctor Mu might need a doctor.
Hope not.
Posted by: BwaySteve, Neighbor below banging on ceiling wanting me to stop playingI play a decent crossharp blues but something about the chromatic has eluded me.Stimulated by this weekends discussion I'm going up to 48th St. Monday to purchase a chroamtic. I remember they were not economic on air so I hope I don't give myself a stroke.I don't know if it was the breathing or that you couldn't bend the notes but I sucked.
Good to see Raj, Mu, and HWT, South and all.Let's meet in the Chat tonight and say hello.
Posted by: Doc Mu, Speaking of Toots - here's a prediction.
The new Donald Fagen will have mixing completed soon and will Be Released - early February 2006:
and will be the Best Dan-related album since The Nightfly - includes Kama, 11 ToW, TvN, EMG
I have no evidence or even rumour other than what hoops summarized earlier and potential Jan. release...just a vibe, a feeling.
Anybody know which label? WB/Reprise? Other?
Posted by: Rajah, Toaster - I actually learned something from your excellent post, props to you.
Western World and Major Dude are perfect for the chromatic harp.
Posted by: Rajah, Well then I believe you've FOUND it, C!
Via con Dios my son...FLY LIKE AN ANAL EAGLE!!!
Posted by: C,
---
Ukelele is an incredible instrument: it is the most direct implement I've found with the uncanny ability to bridge the gap between the human soul and audible sound. It can be happy, it can be sad... an asshole, and everything in between.
---
Posted by: hobo wire toaster, Uptown
I play chromatic--have a Hohner CX-12 in F and a 270, C Tenor. It does take practice to play something with a lot of changes: say, Stella by Starlight, Green Dolphin Street, Night in Tunisia .etc. (green dolphin sounds pretty dread on a CX-12). 8th notes/scales/arpeggios are not real difficult; 16th notes with any speed--especially jazz-arpeggios--say a Bb Mi 7 b5--are. It's more suited to medium tempo or jazzy ballads --Summertime--than to fast be-bop. That's why Toots is so amazing --he can play Charlie Parker like 16th note riffs across a complex changes. Larry Alder also could shred jazz -- his playing was more swingy or clarinet-like, sort of Stephan Grappelli of the chromatica. The dude who plays with Metheny (used to be with Charlie Hunter) can play be-bop pretty well; and a free jazz kind of sound as well; he's not Toots yet dat's fer sure. There's a few jazz chromatic players around LA: A guy named Bill Barrett plays sort of blues-jazz. Fagen tries to get that clean chromatic sound sometimes, but I think he uses a melodica or synth.
Posted by: dan, philippinesRajah
Concertina?? I play. Its much easier than you think.
Just kidding. I wouldn't even know a concertina if it hit me in the head. But I also play the chromatic but have focused on the blues harp for years. Have you made a valid fit with the chromatic on Steely Dan and if so, what tune?
Posted by: Rajah, L.A.Dan - I have two harmonicas next to my sound rigg, a "C" Hohner Bravi Alpini I bought in Italy about twenty years ago which has been shmushed and mangled so much from playing it after dinner with my relatives when we're all totally blitzed on vino and lemoncello it's really closer to being in "D" at this point and a little Kay diatonic also in "C" I purchased last year at my local music store on Colorado Blvd. where I always end up dropping major coin buying old sheet music, percussion instruments, drum pads, sticks and I have my eye on a Ukelele for Xmas.
This is an incredible instrument in this regard: it is the most direct implement I've found with the uncanny ability to bridge the gap between the human soul and audible sound. It can be happy, it can be sad...and everything in between. So when the discussion alights upon Toots, please don't think I take his gift for granted.
Now, who out there plays a concertina?
Posted by: dan, philippinesRajah/HWT:
Both of you make valid and seemingly similar points about Stevie and Toots on the chromatic. What your points boil down to is that Toots is the uncontested master of the chromatic harmonica and Stevie is right up there in his song writing and singing abilities, in addition to being a highly competent chromatic harmonica player. Toots can probably replicate most of what Stevie can play on the chromatic but the opposite is not the case. And Toots obviously cannot write and sing like Stevie. The chromatic harmonica is considered by many to be one of the most difficult musical instruments to master. This is one of the reasons why there are relatively few world class players. Strange considering how compact the instrument is. Its relatively cheap compared to other instruments so if it was easy to master, we would not have to narrow the world class field down to just a hand full of players.
Posted by: C, ---
"...this comedy documents the vibrancy that made Mad-chester the place in the world that you would most like to be."
Yeah. Right.
I'd like to be in Norrköping too.
---
Posted by: Corpsy V, Punk Pogo Valleyhttp://www.imdb.com/title/tt0274309/
was very funny the other day, to be reading these pages and Ann commenting, or others, about Manchester... that very evening I saw the above movie on television, about the city of Manchester and they music in the late 70s, 80s and early 90s... About Joy Division, New Order, Happy Mondays and Tony Wilson, the record label owner, a superb role of Steve Coogan/Alan Partridge...
Manchester 1976: Cambridge educated Tony Wilson (Steve Coogan), Granada TV presenter, is at a Sex Pistols gig. Totally inspired by this pivotal moment in music history, he and his friends set up a record label, Factory Records, signing first Joy Division (who go on to become New Order) then James and the Happy Mondays, who all become seminal artists of their time. What ensues is a tale of music, sex, drugs, larger-than-life characters, and the birth of one of the most famous dance clubs in the world, The Hacienda - a mecca for clubbers as famous as the likes of Studio 54. Graphically depicting the music and dance heritage of Manchester from the late 70's to the early 90's, this comedy documents the vibrancy that made Mad-chester the place in the world that you would most like to be.
Posted by: C, ---
Rajah, I just posted that. And besides, it was with a knife.
---
Posted by: Doc Mu, HWT: That's what makes the song so brilliant. A loser pining for second-hand light. The colours imagined. The delusion of countermoon never revealed to the lovestruck. A nocturnal, meandering peregrination for a soulful zombie and ear candy at the doorstep. Each slow step with head rasied entrained with a chemical heart. The dark magic potion envelops the listener. Love so wrong. Song so right. No wonder there's that bass heart skip a beat intro...
Yeah right. Toots had songs like Ribbon in the Sky or Send One Your Love or Tuesday Heartbreak or Ordinary Pain in him...NOT!
I saw a program on PBS where they went over the chord changes in Stevie's songs - incredibly complex and clever. Like Dan he makes the complex sound smooth and effortless.
Posted by: SOH, http://www.nyc-freaks.com/
Posted by: SouthOfHollywood, Right Guy, Wrong TownThree free shows in a row?
Is this for real?
11/18 Ryan Adams
11/19 Rickie Lee Jones
11/20 Aimee Mann
Those of you (Malcolm, Steve, et al) within transit distance of the Tribeca PAC...
RUN for this incredible weekend of gratis musica!
SOH
Posted by: Rajah of Erase, L.A.Toaster, you really don't have the wherewithal to raise my ire.
Posted by: HWT, The Ring
That one is popular or not ultimately doesn't matter, at least in terms of the quality of the music. Claude Debussy wrote some of the most beautiful music ever written though I doubt he ever made much money. You hear Toots play Speak No Evil or Gershwin or his own compositions and compare to Stevie's funk, and there IS no comparison. Wonder penned a few nice tunes--Golden Lady comes to mind--but jazz chromatic player he's not. As far as blowing the "Midnight Cowboy," I suspect Stevie (or maybe you?) knows that tune better than Toots.
Posted by: Rajah, Thielemann is a specialist, a great artist, but not a popular and creative force. Stevie has been speaking to our hearts for decades in the most personal of fashions, at times merely entertaining, yes, but at his best, creating a body of work which will speak and endure long after we have forgotten the great soul who blew Midnight Cowboy and all those other great hits.
Make no compare.
Posted by: HWT, The RingStevie is a minstrel, like you Raj. No surprise you would dig him. You haven't quite grasped the difference between Art and entertainent: Toots Thielemann is art; Stevie Wonder, entertainment.
Posted by: Rajah, Nothing "posey" about Stevie. Wire toasters are more in question.
Posted by: Hobo Wire Toaster, Cafe Atascadero
Moon? Blue? Poesy in action there. Moon. June. Loon. Loony! Lunatic. Actually, the moon, La Luna, is a common enough literary symbol, but not such a great one: a person under the influence of the Moon (you see this Shakespeare) is mad, if not deranged. Not really a positive image.
Would like to hear Lil' Stevie tho run through like "All the Things you Are" on chromatica. Methinks Stevie is a bit of poseur; check out Toots Theilemann for real chromatic harmonica jazz
Posted by: Rajah, Dear Mu-Mu: were you and I separted at birth? Your appreciation is so appreciated, I can't tell you. A song like Moon Blue fills me with hope for the human condition., here's the rest:
Moon Blue...
Your beauty's seen by all,
The yearning of your call,
Travels the world and then makes home my soul.
Moon Blue...
Lift me to starry heights,
I long to live within your light,
Solace of mind, my heart is yours forever.
Cause I’m not afraid of the consequence
Of being in love with you,
And I’d rather be alone some nights,
Awaiting your full hue.
For though the sun makes bright the day -
My world is dark when there’s no you,
You light my skies
and make dark night, bright day,
Moon blue.
Posted by: Doc Mu, Raj: As usual, an elegant and perceptive view...I usually don't take a gander at the lyrics until 3rd or 4th listen, but did catch the way the "flood me with all your glowing heart can give" and
"And I’d rather be alone some nights,
Awaiting your full hue.
For though the sun makes bright the day -
My world is dark when there’s no you,"
- a bit
Stevie starts in a Sting-like modal blues with two pairs of descending minor key chords under the phrase "Moon Blue," but then (except for Nothing like the Sun), Stevie alters the blues early
"bathe me in light sublime"
then later to a major key for the bridge inverting longing melancholy to the type of foolish bravery and rationalization only a true lover has in worshipping from afar.
...the songs eases into an emotionally expressive and vituosic jazzy piano solo by Stevie, while avoid the tempting trite lounge/smooth jazz - more like the beams of moonlight massaging the eyes and soul...
Posted by: Rajah, Moon Blue is like a new arrival to your family, this is a song that will endure for many many years, it's just staggeringly rich in imagery of the moon, feeling blue, all those themes which we've heard so many permutations of throughout the last hundred years of popular music and many centuries of the grand opera.
The moon herself, our 'chaste mistress' as the Bard calls her, is such a rich trove of images poetic. You would have thought all the moon's usefulness in poetry and songwriting to have been used up by now but, shazzam, no, it ain't so.
Moon Blue is just a ballad with piano, bass and little rimshots to keep time, it's nothing really, except that it happens to be sublime.
With your kind permission, here's a partial lyric for those of you who haven't heard Stevie's new classic, A Time to Love, and to my sensibilities, this is stunning wordplay:
Moon blue...
Rivers of love you shine,
Bathe me in light sublime.
Flood me with all your glowing heart can give...
Moon blue...
Memories bind like chains,
When will you come again?
I wait in darkness for your bright to beam...
Cause I’m not afraid of the consequence
Of being in love with you,
And I’d rather be alone some nights,
Awaiting your full hue.
For though the sun makes bright the day -
My world is dark when there’s no you,
You light my skies
and make dark night, bright day,
Moon blue.
Most times a song is just a song, no more. But a tune like this is something special. Stevie hits and holds an, I dunno, like an F note, for like 10 seconds about 4 minutes into the song and the tone of it lifts you right off your feet.
Posted by: Doc Mu, Raj: Nigel Godrich the producer forced Paul to do a build your won album - Paul actually brought his touring band in the first day of recording. His recent live performances with a band are very good. I like the Chaos album, but have there's no comparison with Stevie's... Stevie's album is so NATURAL and PROFESSIONAL sounding. Damn, the harmonica is BACK!!
LOL! It's great to hear Stevei Wonder playing real drums again. Can't say the same for Paul. However, Paul is an underrated guitarist.
A Time 4 Love certainly should have been 12 rather than 15 songs, but there's something to be said for an album when you have to listen for 42 min, before finding any weaker stuff. Then Tell your Heart I Love you is better on 2nd listen...may have to extend that to 50 min...
I've listen to Moon Blue 3 times in a row this am - so good it's scary. I wonder if Stevie has any idea how stellar it is, or whether he'll release it as a single. I like My Love is on Fire as a Single also - GREAT R&B hit in waiting.
Often artists have a different perspective about what's best of most likely a single on an album. Lunch with Gina and Pixeleen were just BEGGING to be released as singles - I think they were both potential smash hits, even in today's pop landscape
Posted by: Rajah, L.A.Jim Gordon suffered from paranoid schizophrenia which appeared only in the late 70s. What a sad story, he actually killed his own mom with a hammer, poor souls, both. It's hard not to be reminded of that during the Layla coda. He was tried and convicted of 2nd degree murder, he's still in Atascadero, Layla royalties keep flowing to him but I guess some things money just can't cure.
"Moon Blue" is an instant classic from the very surprising Stevie Wonder record. Notably, he had help with the lyrics. Too many songs on here, a few should have been 86'ed but overall it makes Sir Paul's most recent seem very, very weak. Why the man insisted on playing all the instruments including like, fluegelhorn and viola, is beyond understanding. His drumming is simply atrocious. Hubris.
Posted by: I Drove The Chrysler, PittNo, "Clapton was God, past tense" was not me, although I did express the same sentiments, oh jeez, what was it, a year or so ago.
Eric and Carlos, just what the hell happened to you guys that you forgot how to play the guitar?
Sad, and oh so dismaying.
Re: Jack Bruce--perhaps the Thelonious Monk of Rock, a true, idiosyncratic original.
SONGS FOR A TAILOR remains his masterpiece, although ALL his solo stuff is well-worth seeking out. Certainly can't gloss over Pete Brown's astonishing lyrics either. And don't forget West, Bruce, and Laing, fergodsake!
Long Live Jack!!!
Posted by: Crash, ---
Layla.
---
Posted by: Claush, Kythnos---
Alkali - neither was he my God. But he's doing some killer solos on the new Bruce Hornsby album "Halcyon Days".
And Leila, the drummer Jim Gordon wrote the outro vamp to that song.
Then his inner voices told him to stab his mother to death.
And so he did.
He's still in jail.
And apropos jail, I never liked Presley either.
//C
Posted by: bwaySteve, Got DVD @ VirginI never thought Clapton was God but I was in awe of those riffs and what he could do with overdriving a Humbucker and a Marshall Stack. When I was a kid everyone tried to get THAT tone. When he went to the Strat it just killed me .It was like he went Country ( not that there's anything wrong with that)
I was a lot more into wanting to control what other people did back then so I took it personally.
Posted by: Doc Mu, hoops: Moon Blue is the song Der Stingle wishes he could write. I find the first 8 songs on a A Time 2 Love absolutely ON FIYAH!
How Will I Know is as luscious as the 70s piano ballads (only) on Talking Book or Innervisions. My Love is on Fire and Passionate Raindrops are outstanding pop.
The second half's fairly weaker. Can't even get close to touching Talking Book or Fulfillingness or Songs in the Key of Life. Tell your Heart I Love you doesn't work the first listen. Can't Imagine Love Without You isn't really strong either.
The strength of the A Time 2 Love album overall is the sophistication on most songs, production, harmonies, open sound, great balance and engineering. I suppose it could be argued that In Square Circle might have stronger songs, but there are still 2 or 3 weak ones out of ten and 4 of 15 on this one. The songs in ISC are less complex, though autumnal and more linear - maybe more catchy and beautiful...however, the obsession with 80s polyrythms except for Overjoyed on ISC is problematic IMHO. Puts a straightjacket on most of the recordings. Stevie premiered a couple of the songs on SNL in 1983 2 years before the release on piano only. In Square Circle should have been the opposite in production - purely acoustic. The new one is just a much better sounding album than ISC. The songs on Jungle Fever are not as consistent as Circle, but it's more enjoyable. Chemical Love was a real grabber.
Posted by: Hobo Wire Toaster, In a Dodge Econoline with Rosie the AA chick
I wouldn't pay shekels to see Clapton and the boys. Jack Bruce can play, true--his playing on Zappa's Apostrophe works, and Baker is quite a jazz player. Maybe I'd a stuck around for White Room.
Clapton does a chitlin's schtick alright; Hendrix he is not; and certainly Larry Carlton or Zappa or Coryell or Gambale or Satriani or Reinhardt he's not either. The various Beefheart guitarists: Zoot Horn Rollo, Gary Lucas--far more creative blues players. Even Jerry Garcia could out-shred that limey methinks.
Posted by: hoops , chi-townThe latest Dandom Digest has been sent, this time covering October 1-28, 2005.
If you are a subscriber, you should see it in your email box within the next 12 hours. If you don't receive it, please email me. Again, the main reason I am in the habit of announcing this here is because some people have been having problems with delivery of the Dandom Digest, usually because of spam filters, firewalls, etc.
The following are the subjects of this particular edition of the Dandom Digest
— Swearing by Every Word? A Review of Steely Dan News Items & Rumors
— "Dan"ish music
— Eagles
— Krantz & Carlock in NYC
— Jewsrock.org on Steely Dan
— Dan entry in wikipedia.com; Whad'ya Know reference
— A DECADE Since Roseland Weekend '95
— October 20-22,1995
—— The First Time Lightning Struck
—— 10/22/95 Roseland show
—— ROSELAND REPORT: Concept #1
—— Letterman, Compuserve, and Alive
—— ROSELAND REPORT: Concept #2
—— Roseland Sighting
—— jack
—— Re: jack
—— Born Again at Roseland, Saturday Night
— London Tribute Band - Stealing Dan (and Don) Tues Nov 1st
If you are not currently a subscriber but would like to receive the free Dandom Digest email newsletter (definitely not to be confused with the glorious Official steelydan.com or Official donaldfagen.com newsletters/mail lists), please email me or see http://www.dandom.com/dandomdigest
jim
Posted by: hoops, I have to agree that the first four songs off "A Time to Love" are as good as "Hotter Than July." I'd say, overall , "A Time To Love" is as good as "Hotter Than July," better than his last album in 1995, "Conversation Peace," but not as good or consistent as "In Square Circle," nor of course his mid-70s stuff. "Moon Blue" is stuck in my head and I'm waiting for Herbie Hancock and some other jazzers to cover it as Jean Luc Ponty and others covered "As" (which of course featured Steveland Morris).
Getting back in the swing of things...
jim
Posted by: Doc Mu, Forget Clapton. If the rest of the songs on A Time to Love are as good as the first 4, then Stevie Wonder has something at least as goo and probably better than Hotter Than July. Harmonies in the vocals and instruments are out of this world. It's a clinic.
Posted by: Paul Carrack, asdfPeople seem to cut Clapton off at 'Fresh Cream,' forgetting that his most explosive work was on "Bluesbreakers."
'Hideaway,' dammit.
And 'Five Live Yardbirds,' trying to make do with a Vox AC30 and a Tele.
Posted by: ph, one of these children who scream and run wildLayla was a nice album, probably 'cause Clapton didn't write most of it. The combination or talents there was a fantastic mix. But Jeez, I cant listen to the album more than like once a year or it makes me too depressed.
In my humbly worthless opinion, asking which version of Your Gold Teeth is better is like asking which half of Steely Dan is the better one, trying to build a comparison where there needn't be one. Each song is its entirely separate entity, and though they deal with the same metaphor, work on different aspects of it. Your Gold Teeth I is the song of the green 20 year old starting his life out and looking forward, Your Gold Teeth II is the song of reflecting on life past.
Have an unreal weekend everybody.
Posted by: Rajah, L.A.What is this heresy bunged up on here on Clapton? Good singer? Far from it. Good song writer? Not especially, no. The Layla record was pretty darn fair. What made the title song was the ill-fated Jim Gordon's elegiac piano coda, I still don't know where that came from but it remains a monumental moment in rock. Clapton was never and will never be better than he was with Cream. Jack and Ginger were the perfect medium for EC. Because the two of them covered so much ground, EC was afforded the opportunity to just blow, he really could do no wrong cradled as he was by that rhythm section.
But the unsung genius of Cream was Peter Brown:
Upon this street where time has died,
The golden treat you never tried.
In times of old, in days gone by,
If I could catch your dancing eye.
It was on the way,
On the road to dreams...
Now my heart’s drowned in no love streams.
Jack's pipes back then were positively menacing, made Peter Brown's lyrics seem fearsome and inevitable.
YGT I is a musical composition in full, YGT II was pretty much a one movement piece, a very fine movement mind you but not the full meal. With YGT I you get soup, antipasto, primo, secondo and dolce. I love YGT II but, c'mon, it's a hot-dog on a stick in comparison.
Baba Platform Ticket, Restless Diesel, Goodbye Windows Rajah
Posted by: Alkali, NYCClapton was never god in my book.
I never liked his style probably because it was/is blues-heavy.
Never was a cream fan either, save for a couple of tunes...maybe.
His guitar tone sounds like a tortured cat scraped against a chalk board.
I am a jack Bruce fan, however.
I’m really not sure that he's lost any of his chops over the decades.
He does a pretty good job of singing too, check out Holdsworth's
"Road Games" record.
This is probably Holdsworth's closest thing to rock that he's done.
(Not my favorite)
LORD: Hmmm... Which Gold teeth....
That may be one of the toughest questions ever posted on the blue.
Both are incredible. Both have that smooth as silk flow to them.
And what about that opening piano walk he does across the keyboard just before he starts singing in the first one..?
Or that little drum solo in the second one..?
It’s audacious. And it’s nothing but attitude.
Peace
A
Posted by: His Lordship To Be, Worldlywise, I Realize, That Everybodys Crazy...Am I myself Or Just Another Freak?Speaking of gold teeth, which version of 'your gold teeth' is better:
Number 1 (on Countdown To Ecstasy) or number 2 (on Katy Lied)????
P.S-this is being typed on a laptop, since my pc blew up when I tried shooting it.
The repair guy says I'm one of a kind-whoo-hoo!
Posted by: Clapton was God, past tenseygk: there is a rumor that EC used to be able to play the guitar.
his gold teeth have been rolled. so it goes.
speaking of vonnegut, there is a person who recognized the arc of creative passion and made an effort to exit before the curve dipped below the axis as he aged and shot his wad [arguably, too late]
then there are the rare rarified raconteurs...
re:jack bruce
the real deal. consummate musician who has never lost an ounce of the deepfunk... but taken it furthur?
if you have never had the pleasure of Harmony Row, go there NOW.
and then keep going through the discography.
last seen at Ringo's
sure.
good clean fun! especially with Gary Brooker on the piano grand [sampled] and Jack Bruce with fretless Warwick. The Devil Came From Kansas was worth the drive to Pine Knob.
Bach was a great bassist [certainly not the first to avoid the tonic and jam off a doubled third]; that is but one facet of the gem that is Jack.
btw-
google on Jack Bruce meets Jaco Pastorius and see if the account of their meeting can be found.
Cream? i saw the "safe" Royal Albert Hall videos.
sorry to say, been there, done that, got the t-shirt and the SG
aside: i can't imagine why Clapton went with his Stratocaster. Well, yes, I can- it's called FENDER.
They make shoes and lunchboxes and stools and clocks and socks and he's got a nice contract.
Posted by: Clas - on Halcion and gone..., Uh!---
Singapore? Oh Lord of Mercy, make me a Singapore Sling!
I'm so tensed!
---
Posted by: His Lordship To Be, Worldlywise, I Realize, That Everybodys Crazy...Am I myself Or Just Another Freak?Ann, its kinda hard to shoot people over the internet.
Still, lets give it a go!
Eat lead computer!
Posted by: Ann, BorneoNo......only in Manchester for a week....it ain't that bad!!! Don't forget all the musical talent that comes out of it!!! And me of course!! (oh, ok, shoot me....!!)
Best wishes to all,
Ann
Singapore Aiport
Posted by: Cousine Debri, Ooo la la---
Malc - they were only three (3) on stage? No backup musicians?
Guitar, bass and drums - can that sound good?
---
Ann, madame, - are you leaving the jungle for good? For Manchester, the factory smoke and the rain? For BBC, football, Svennis and a dying George Best?
Say it isn't true.
//Yours sincerely;
Cerine von Hopfentropfen, Council of the Coronal Plane
---
PS// Hoops, have you inserted some kind of spyware to this site? It takes ages to load this shit and it's only text... wow wow wow... makes me wonder...
Posted by: dyhmvylxmf, dyhmvylxmf<a href=http://zvtnyio.ethltdh.com>http://zvtnyio.ethltdh.com</a>
Posted by: bwaySteve, Times SqThanks a lot for the review of the Cream show.By the time I decided I wanted to go the only seats left were behind the stage (sigh). I couldn't subject myself to THAT.
Very interesting about Clapton's restraint. Sounding more and more like he was in some kind of resistance about the whole thing.Their lives flowed so differently after Cream musically and otherwise.
I'll see Leslie West the next time he's at BB's.He always played those riffs the way I wanted to hear him anyway.He's another great survivor of the period and has retained the chops and the willingness.
Excited about Fagen III , hope it's not too far into the new year.
It'll be nice to immerse myself in some new material.
Posted by: IE, It never crossed my mind that Donald has a hairdresser. He'd look cool with dread locks like Tom Barney.
Posted by: from dandom, -----------------------------------------------------------------
From: hoops@dandom.com
Subject: Swearing by Every Word? A Review of Steely Dan News Items & Rumors
Date: Friday, September 30, 2005
A few times a week, the Dandom Digest receives inquiries from the most loyal of fans asking what is the latest with our hallowed duo. While they have been keeping a relatively low-profile since 2003's EMG tour, there have been some sporadic sightings and rumors. That said, here is a synopsis of Steely Dan news and rumor highlights so far in 2005:
* A FOX News report of a recent benefit show in support of Mike Smith, lead singer of The Dave Clark Five has a brief interview with Donald Fagen. The report says Donald's third solo album is due in January.
The full report can be found at:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,164574,00.html
* "Walter Becker appears as the co-producer and bassist on 'All One,' the new album by chant-master Krishna Das (Artemis Records). The LP features Becker on bass, Def Leppard's Rick Allen on drums and co-producer David Nichtern (composer of Maria Muldaur's 'Midnight at the Oasis') on guitar."
More info about Krishna Das and the album can be found at:
http://www.artemisrecords.com/newsarticle.aspx?id=197
* Rebecca Pidgeon's new CD is "Tough On Crime". The title track (and only the title track, Ma'am) features Walter Becker's awesome guitar. Yes, Rebecca, a musical talent in her own right, is also a well-known actress and the wife of David Mamet.
* Walter Becker contributed a short essay to Rickie Lee Jone's three disc mini-box, "Duchess of Coolville." WB also produced RLJ's 1989 album, "Flying Cowboys," from which several tracks were included on this box.
* Earlier in the year, Erika Lukett commented on a website that she was invited to participate in the recording of Fagen's "new Brazilian album." There also appeared a new composition in the U.S. Copyright office for a work entitled, "Orchids and The Summer Rain," co-credited to Mr. Fagen and Daniel Jobim. Only Donald's hairdresser knows for sure how this album will sound and if that track will be included in the end, but it's nice to have some hints to pique our imagination.
* In late winter, Donald Fagen participated in a charity show in Hawaii organized by Todd and Michelle Rundgren to benefit a local school. Among the DF performances were "Third World Man" and "Black Friday." ( Photos at http://dandom.com/justinthymekula ) Within this context, there were rumors that Donald would tour on a double-bill with Todd Rundgren--the possibility was even mentioned by Todd's wife, Michelle Rundgren; however, this didn't come to pass. More recently, Michelle Rundgren emailed a "Dandom Digest" subscriber that there would be no TR/DF show but DF would likely do a solo tour in support of his new album in 2006. Fans are very excited about this, although the fan buzz is that the massive excitement would double or triple if it turned in to a Steely Dan tour à la the 1993 SD tour that supported "Kamakiriad." Hey! We can dare to dream!
* Steely Dan's 2003 appearance on "Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz" -- recorded in 2002 -- was officially released this past March on Concord Records. Even if you recorded it digitally in 2003, this official release has the top quality sound you need to buy.
* Joni Mitchell was the focus of two CDs sold through Starbuck's coffee shops in the US. One featured Joni Mitchell's choice of songs that mattered most to her; among her choices: Steely Dan's "Third World Man." The other CD, "Joni Mitchell: Songs Chosen by Friends and Fellow Musicians," included tracks selected by Donald and Walter. Donald selected "Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire." Walter selected "God Must Be A Boogie Man."
* For a weekend in July, The Loyal Dandom converged on Cincinnati (and the Johnson Family reunion) to relive past memories and look to making of future Dan memories.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Posted by: Lou Cheng (Theron Brady), Greenflower Streetoops, I mean most people.
Can anyone brief me on what is going on w/ SD? I've been busy as hell. Isn't Fagan suppose to have a solo coming out? What about Becker?
Posted by: Lou Cheng (Theron Brady), Greenflower StreetI think people are jealous of the accordion player. He's playing two instruments, post people play only one.
Posted by: Rajah, L.A....bastards...they ALWAYS fuck over the accordian player..
Posted by: YGK, oh right!Of course, the damn accordian player was mixed WAY low, and off the the side of the stage. So far off, y'know, it was like you couldn't even seen him......
ygk
Posted by: Rajah, L.A. Thanks so very much, YGK, nice detail. So the word was Bruce was stepping to EC, Jesus, has nothing changed in 37 years!!!!!
Please post more as you process what you saw, little snippets sometimes reveal great truths...
If Johan Sebastian Bach came back to earth as a bassist, he would be Jack Bruce... think Sunshine of Your Love if you aren't familiar with the great JSB. He wrote bass lines in great hard rock strokes, help me here Bassic, White Room is also so Bach.
What else Keith, what did the soundboard man do as the show evolved? Did he crank up anyone........???????
Posted by: YGK, nycSome Final Cream comments:
- - - from the Cream2005 Website, backing up my claim re: EC trouble getting started..........." to the old days-lets kick ass, I mean Bruce was actually showing Eric here man, check out my riffs, what do you got? My theory is that Eric decided he didn't want to go down that road, Eric wants to be remembered as Eric, not Cream. His very telling comment before these shows that Cream was Jack and Ginger's band is very true. I'm sure I'll get brickbats but I got to tell you, I've seen better solos out of Eric on his solo shows than I saw him do with Cream on Monday. There were a few exceptions like Stormy Monday and NSU and Tales, but his playing seemed very restrained." - - - -
an Excellent Summary: "Eric ripped it up tonight. Ginger limped off after Toad. I would guess this is the end."
Posted by: YGK, nyc-Cream ShowWell, here's a set list.
I'm So Glad
Spoonful
Outside Woman Blues
Pressed Rat & Warthog
Sleepy Time
Tales of Brave Ulysses
NSU
Badge
Politician
Sweet Wine
Rollin' & Tumblin'
Stormy Monday
Deserted Cities of the Heart
Born Under a Bad Sign
We're Going Wrong
Crossroads
Sittin' on Top of the World
White Room
Toad
Sunshine of Your Love
Impressions were many - I'll post from the yellow, but my state of mind was not excellent.
We got a smoky draft from note one. As if the the wafts of memories melded with the new present. A thorough buzz through the crowd of many high expectations.
Clapton's side of the stage was firmly in view, though we could see everyone clearly, and the show kicked off to much adulation. The tunes were delivered consisely, - there was little expansion, and that left things a bit dry. And this attendee even felt that EC was dialing it in.
However, the first breakout moment was on Stormy Monday, and Eric noticeably leaned in with the little bit extra cujones - well deserving of the applause.
I also enjoyed Desert Cities of the Heart, as I had played it on piano a while back, and Jack delivered a soulful performance which was quite moving.
I will post more, and more positive perceptions......forthcoming.....
ygk
Posted by: Ann, BorneoHow's about "Pearl of the Quarter" and donate all proceeds to the Katrina disaster relief fund.
Well folks, I'm off back to Blighty tomorrow - first time in 6 years - Manchester beckons, and I wonder what I'll find. Only there for the week to check out the old Dad and to see that the Off-Spring is actually doing her studies, between the par-tays. Sorry I've missed dear old Mick Hucknell by 12 hours, but that's life. Something's telling me it's time I got out of Borneo and got a life! I miss live music and free thinkers so much!
I'll update you with the latest on the Manchester music scene when I get back....so much has started there...who knows what's coming out of it now.
Peace to all,
Ann
Posted by: C, The Old Spanish Trail---
Cousin Debris? Absolutely. A hit within its own right.
---
Posted by: Still Sparkin', China
Okay...I'll play.
I couldn't see Razor Boy as a single- too subtle. How about King of the World ?
Why not With a Gun to follow Rikki ??? -- very accessible tune, might even have been called crossover country.
I don't think Katy Lied had a sure-fire A.M. hit, but Bad Sneakers could have caught on...with a Dr Wu follow.
I agree Don't Take Me Alive could have worked well as a single AM or FM. Big intro a natural for AM rock jocks to talk over (and waste).
The right calls on were made on Aja and Gaucho...same for Nightfly.
It's tempting to think Florida Room would have worked from Kama, but right away I want to edit the intro, at least up to the sax. Springtime with a rejigged intro might have worked.
Absolutely agree that Girlfriend would have been a great single - but would do you do with the interlude (hide here, hide here !) ?? You get out the blade and cut it.
Cousin Debris was pretty much built to be a single. Had to have been the thinking from the start. What a Shame ....could have been interesting.
Always thought Pixeleen was a sure thing, though a lot of songs like this take a turn or two that might put programmers off. That's I think why Cuz Dupree worked so well. Nothing to get rid of or work around. Can't figure why Blues Beach missed.
Posted by: Rajah, L.A.YGK - since we haven't heard from you in over 24 hours, I can only conclude one of the following befell you after the Cream concert:
1) still high from shooting dope with Baker and Clapton last night
2) still shooting dope with Baker and Clapton
3) you patched into the board, burned one, got caught and are in jail downtown
...come in Keith...
Posted by: SouthOfHollywood, I remain...PS...
Check out Majorie Fair's "Self-Help Serenade"
SOH
Posted by: SouthOfHollywood, Long time listner, infrequent caller...RE: Ben Folds and "Songs for Silverman"
A somewhat inconsistent effort from the 5-guy BUT...
"Jesusland" is one of the most incredible orchestral-pop things I've heard in like 30 years...Vintage Elton-Bernie stuff...Better even
"Landed" is just flat-out great writing on every level...
Got tickets to see Ben next month at Strathmore in Bethesda with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra...Can't wait
SOH
Posted by: Doc Mu, A;
Oh yeah, RAZOR BOY would be my pick for a first single from CTE. Follow it up with My Old School.
It seems like Night By Night would have been a natural follow-up follow up to Rikki.
Walter or Donald mentioned that in retrospect Bad Sneakers would have been the better initial signle from Katy than Black Friday. follow-up single: Doctor Wu, then Chain Lightning
Royal Scam: Kid C was the single, never charted. Don't Take Me Alive and the Fez were AOR staples - they would have bee ideal signles.
IGY, New Frontier were the Nightfly singles. Walk Between Raindrops would have been a neat single.
Kama: Tomorrow's Girls did chart. TransIsland Skyway got some airplay, but it's too long and dry for American audiences. Snowbound was the 3rd single. That or Florida Room would be a nice 2nd single
11ToW: GIRLFRIEND would be a killer single. I like Hard-up Case as a follow-up.
TvN: It's hard to argue with 4 Grammys, but Cousinn Dupree would not be my choice. Janie Runaway was a fav of Donald as a single - evidently the radio stations thought there was too much Sax!! Almost Gothic, Jack of Speed or an edited West of Hollywood might have faired better.
EMG is backloaded with hits. Last Mall/Blues Beach went over like a lead balloon. The exquisite and snappy party funk of Lunch with Gina and Pixeleen would be irrresistable to even hose with a modicum of discerning taste,
Posted by: Joey,
" Eagles are now playing Maui where Steely Dan was in '03. Turn up the Eagles, the neighbors are listening! "
http://www.mauinews.com/story.aspx?id=13569
THE WHO played there last summer ...........
....the place hasn't been the same since .
Word ......to your Flackys
J. Fly !
Posted by: Alkali, NYCReally Steely Hits
Not that it’s a barometer for quality, but rather for commercial success/appeal
It’s been more than a couple of years since the guys had a bonafide radio hit.
Was it “Hey 19” or “IGY” if you count that as “them?”
I don’t claim to know whether or not a conscious effort is made to single out a song from a record as well, a single. Don’t know if they even care.
It seems to me that they rely solely or at least mostly on their fan base to sell their goods.
There was a time when they took that necessary step to procure a potential/viable single.
I remember reading an interview with Gary Katz in metal leg discussing just that the process, effort and guess work that went into doing that. And often times it was wrong
“Show biz kids” other times it was right on the money contrary to Becker/Fagen’s initial protests against the selection “Do it again”
They even discussed the ‘mistake’ of not having/picking a single off of “Countdown” but got back into gear with “Katy”; interestingly Katz talks about how much he loves “Razor boy” and that it reminds him of the Drifters (God, I would never have made that connection but, he’s right!)
Anyway, I took it upon myself (because I don’t feel like working just now) as a treat, which singles would I choose for the radio consuming masses from each post ‘Gaucho’ and ‘Nightfly’ records.
Here’s my list:
KAMAK.
Tomorrow’s girls
T.I. Sky way (this one might be a bit jazz heavy for the air waves)
11 TOW
Surf/die
Book of liars
My waterloo
Hat too flat
(Imo, Beckers stuff is more contemporarily radio friendly)
EMG
The last mall (I think this one could have charted)
Blues beach
Lunch with Gina
Peace
A
Posted by: ps, ...sorry, it's "beluister de uitzending" next to the little Realplayer icon...
Jake Langley really is a fine guitarist...
Posted by: Gina, Sun Mountainhttp://www.omroepmax.nl/?waxtrapp=wBsHnHQVKL
If you click the above link, you'll get the opportunity to listen to Rosanne Agasee's version of HOME AT LAST... you can also enjoy Jake Langley's superb guitarsolo, Doug Riley's cool Hammond B3 chops and his son Ben Riley on drums, Chriss Mitchell on flute...
Her song is followed by Donald Fagen's Maxine...
Easy Listening is a legendary Dutch radioshow, hosted by Meta de Vries (and Imme Schade van Westrum who selects the songs etc), ever since i was a kid i listened to her in the dead of night and such, learning about the Great American Songbook, well, we all know those things, probably, next to the currents of actuality and stuff you listen to when growing up, there was this easy quiet side getting educated by the simple means of listening to the radio...
Meta only recently returned to the scene with this all-time favorite show... if you want to tune into Rosanne Agasee at once, just scroll the tiny bar in the Real player to 37.30 minutes... Donald Fagen's Maxine is right after that one... Eric Clapton paves the way for this very lush rendition of Home At Last...
if you click the link, look for BELUISTER DEZE UITZENDING (dated 22 oktober)
it's 3 hours worth of real relaxing music, btw..
enjoy!!!
Posted by: Geoff, DallasLou Marini will be playing with Naked Lunch on Monday November 21st at 8 pm at Dan's Silver Leaf in Denton TX. See www.nakedlunch.net for more details. Apparently he's in town for some clinics at UNT.
Posted by: Rajah, Yup, talked to an old bud who knows somebody who knows somebody who went last night..."Tales" has been added from the Royal Albert Hall sets. Here's hoping Jack Bruce still has all those Bach-like bass chops...specially on "Deserted Cities of the Heart."
My mind wants to cry out loud,
Baba So Far Away Rajah
Posted by: YGK, gardenUlysses is on it as well......
(could it be?)
ygk
Posted by: His Lordship To Be, Worldlywise, I Realize, That Everybodys Crazy...Am I myself Or Just Another Freak?Long time no see folks!
Been reading through various entries, the fun never stops at dandom...
Posted by: Rajah, Holy crap, YGK, I was just kidding, Pressed Rat after all these years! I'll have to get my collection of dog legs and feet out. I heard a rumor that they did "Tales of Brave Ulysses" last night which of course shares a strong kinship to Home at Last. Naked ears were torured by the Sirens sweetly singing.
You Go Keith,
May the shadows run from themselves!
Baba Wish I Was There Rajah
Posted by: YGK, soundcheckRaj: my soundboard list says yes, 4th song tonight...........
ygk
Posted by: C, The Approching Storm
Mu - seriously, I think everythings sounds good nowdays, even my lousy computer speakers are a hundred times better than the equipment I had when I sat back 1971 digging Chicago Transit Authority, in mono.
Paul - what is a Swim Truck? Some sort of an amfibievehicle?
Posted by: hobo wire toaster, SlozbadolvakiaYass. The Eagles. But don't ya fergit the Beatles! In fact imagine if the remaining members--Geniuses!--founded a soopergroup from the two earlier groups:
Lay-days and Gentlemen, please welcome,
THE BEAGLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: IE, Eagles are now playing Maui where Steely Dan was in '03. Turn up the Eagles, the neighbors are listening!
http://www.mauinews.com/story.aspx?id=13569
Posted by: Rajah, ygk - You remain our best hope for a detailed review...will they do "Pressed Rat and Warthog," is the burning question.
Posted by: YGK, nycWell, the countdown to Cream is reaching 24 hours.......
holing up in my White Room.....
ygk
Posted by: Doc Mu, C: You don't know what your missing. ONkyo sells a Universal player for under $300 - have your gov't buy you one - 53% of your GDP goes to taxes.
Posted by: Street Team, Paul,
Maybe Peter Q will have more luck selling his swim trunks the he did selling his Dan Fan Novel.
Posted by: Paul Carrack, asdfEveryone head over to the Yellow!!! Peter Q is selling swimming trunks!!
Posted by: C, ---
Does someone here knows how to get rich?
Posted by: C , Yrtivaara---
DVD's? Man, I have just changed my Steely Dan vinyls to CD's. Give me a break...
Posted by: Doc Mu, C: Also, another ear and someone to say "let's call it a day/night" I'm curious to hear the new Fagen album. I like the way 11 ToW is mixed, but there's some teaking needed on the CD versions of TvN and EMG. Eliot S. really did a beautiful job re-mixing the stereo (2 speaker) DVD-A versions of Kamakiriad and TvN.
Posted by: Clas, If a butterfly in China...---
Mu - if Katz allowed W&D to focus on the music, he had some impact on it then, right?
---
Posted by: hoops, It's shame about Shirley Horn. I had read that she wasn't doing too well a few months ago (maybe I posted about it) and that she was at least able to sing, although not play much for an event paying honor to her.
Danfans will no doubt remember her for her contribution to "Music From and Inspired By The Motion Picture 'Glengary Glen Ross'" —IMHO, the most essential, tangentially Dan album out there—well sorta out there since in the USA it's out of print.
She had several other amazing albums in the 90s and on top of that it's so humbling to realize she put her music career on hold so she could stay at home and be there for her kids when they were growing up. What an amazing woman and talent.
"Here's to Life" and here's to Shirley Horn. She will be missed. Thanks for the links to those who posted.
jim
Posted by: hoops, chicagoDear friends;
About 3 this morning (New York time), something happened that filled up the last 300 MB left on our server for Dandom.
As a result, at least two things went heywire:
1) If you emailed me from 3:00 am to 7:00 pm NY time today, there is a good chance I didn't get your email. Please re-email if you can—I know recreating an email can be hard so I can arrange to call you if that is better.
2) The Bluebook got wiped to zero bits; when someone makes one post and their is no room for temp files then the whole file goes "null." The last archive I could restore was from mid-day this past Friday. With some caches on the drive, I was also able to restore many of the posts...however, if somehow you were able to post from 5:55 am to 7:45 pm NY time today, I don't at all have your post in any cache, etc. Also, as I was eeking out these post fragments, a) some lines might be missing and b) there were maybe 3-4 posts from Friday and Saturday that seemed to be some sort of spam or flaming, not sure since it is hard to follow when eeking them out. Anyhow, if I am mistaken, or if your item doesn't appear or whatever, do what you can to repost or let me know how I can help. Please don't take the site being down too personal as frankly, I have been under the weather lately (as mentioned a few days ago) and so I am not that organized to be too personal ! :-)
I mostly inclined to think this had to do with the server getting it's logs filled up with a sudden attack of spam relaying from some anon source and doubt that it had to do with anyone being personally vindictive. Whenever it appears that the BlueBook is a plain white page with nothing, don't hesitate to contact me by email or phone. I appreciate it since if it's caught in time, it costs nothing to restore from my hosting service's tapes that are done every few hours; however, after X-hours, it costs me $100 and the backup is likely missing several days of posts--not ideal at all. In this case it was indeed caught in time—THANKFULLY! And it wasn't like 6-7 months ago where I had to spend hours rebuilding and recreating missing posts. This ime it only took about 90 min.
If you have any other questions, please contact me.
Sincerely,
jim
Posted by: dan, philippinesIn the world of professional sports, so many fine athletes have tarnished their legacy by playing way past their prime. Some like hockey player Wayne Gretsky bowed out before that stage but he's an exception rather than the rule. Same applies to so many reputable song writers. What are the Rolling Stones and Stevie Wonder, amongst so many other big names, thinking as they now release shockingly substandard writing/composing? Shouldn't they be the first to recognize the point at which they no longer have the touch and that their legacy does matter? Are they releasing substandard and sometimes outright lousy material just for the money? Hard to understand how their motivation could be solely money when many of these huge names already have more than cash than they can ever spend.
There still is the odd big name over 40 who's last release has credible material and one of them is Jeff Lynne of E.L.O. (earlier, somebody also mentioned the excellent Ben Folds). E.L.O.'s last release ZOOM is argueably as good as anything ELO released back in their heyday. I believe that Steely Dan's final release of their career, whenever that might be, will not disappoint and will be a continuation of their historically high standards. If not, we should all travel to LA (or wherever else they live) to kick their ass and demand a refund.
Posted by: Direct Link, Here's the direct link to story and Jazz profile on Shirley Horn.
http://www.npr.org/programs/jazzprofiles/archive/horn_s.html
Posted by: D.S., Somewhere in betweenAlso check out Mizar5 for a link to an archived NPR jazz profile...
http://www.writingaffairs.com/mizar5net/index.php?p=240
Posted by: Dimension Skipper, Out there or in hereJazz singer and pianist Shirley Horn dies
http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2005-10-21-shirley-horn_x.htm
Posted by: Doc Mu, mt: The takeout would have been far inferior.
Seriously, Katz was more of an organizer, psychologist, and crack sessionmen recruiter than a knob guy. Allowed W&D to focus on the music.
Posted by: mt, FREMore relevant relevancy issue: how relevant was Gary Katz? Specifically: how would the albums have been different had he been absent? The foreman can read the verdict after a short adjournment.
Posted by: Tony , Passaic of the MindHey youse guys are not bad. Howabout youse come down to the club, Tuesday like, for Talent Night. All the Oly you can drink, but you gotta pay for the pizza, babe.
Hey: Play dat Pretzel thing again, goombas or I breakayrface! The dames seem to like it.
Posted by: Ottar Vendilkraka, 130 A.D.Even up here in Valhalla, we loves our Steely Dan.
Posted by: Rajah, L.A.Scandinavian schmendrick.
Posted by: Clas, Sun Village to you...---
Rajah - I was just wondering! It's good to hear that everything went fine. I mean, really, it's great... the drumfills and all that...
---
Posted by: Rajah, L.A.Whether something is a work of art is not something for the person performing or creating the thing to calculate, cogitate or otherwise consider. It is for other people to come along, regard it, and perhaps call it so.
Last night the Pretzel Logic Band returned to La Ve Lee with a fill-in drummer, our very own Pablito aka Dr. Wu aka Paul Chernin on the trap set. PL's regular drummer, the marvelous Maestro Paul Goldberg, has left for greener pastures and new challenges as they always say and so Stevee's search commences to replace him. Not an easy task, the former player being such a strong and flashy presence behind the band. Besides hang-gliding and bungy jumping, "filling in" for a Steely Dan Tribute drummer is decidedly NOT my idea of an easy task, personally I'd rather shave with a sharp rock, so let me tell you all and then I'll shut up: Chernin was great, he was tight in the pocket and very very restrained and attentive to the song and players. I heard parts of certain instruments I hadn't ever heard before with Pretzel Logic. Intelligent dynamics were on display all evening, the man was thinking, focusing his attention out toward the other players. This is no indictment of Mr. Goldberg who is instinctive, experienced and has a busload of percussive tricks but it's just a very instructive lesson, for me anyway, that you needn't be a great virtuoso as a drummer but what you absolutely must be is solid, steady, leading seamlessly and never ever following. Well, except upon occasion when the bass player nudges you back on track now and again. Mr. Metheny's words ring true, a band can only as good as its drummer. Last night, Pretzel Logic was very very good. Congratulations and thank you Pablito.
Posted by: Jonny Franklin, Village of the Sun---
"...the paint is prentending to be something it is not..."
It's so profound.
---
Posted by: ph, don't want to paint at allI don't know how well this applies to the dicussion, but it's a nice story nonetheless: An art studio owner once pointed out to me a striking difference between realism and abstraction in a way I had never thought of before... he showed me a Jackson Pollock-style painting, and then a very realistic painting of a cardboard box that he had done. Which once is more realistic? he asked. Of course I said the box, but then he said, with the painting of the box, the paint is prentending to be something it is not (a box), with the other, the painting is prentending to be nothing but paint, which is truely more realistic?
Dire Straits' "In The Gallery" is going to be stuck in my head all day, I know it already.
Posted by: Paul Carrack, asdf"The part of the acceptance blurb they gave at Grammy 2001 I loved but can't quite remember verbatim went something like, "...and we thank you for this award, we are persuaded that it is a great honor...""
That was the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame induction.
Posted by: Picasso calling Alkali, Alkali, where did you come up with this chastity belt definition of art?
As an artist, how do you live within such a restricted victorian definition, and why do you need a definition?
Alkali wrote: "As a re-creation of reality, a work of art has to be representational; its freedom of stylization is only limited by the requirement of intelligibility; if it doesn’t present an intelligible subject, it ceases to be art."
Posted by: Daddy G., NJYes, Very nice article by the Rabbi. Thanks for the heads up pointer Templeman!
Posted by: Rajah, L.A.Great article by Rabbi David, very nice, and echoing a thoery sometime posited here by, ah, I forget whom, that a big chunk of Steely Dan is about sadness and loss, two of the enduring themes of our existence here on earth, surely, "a way of being that admitted sadness and fear, but tempered enduring despair." Nice goin Rabbi and I also liked, " ...a life of righteous action provides us with the wisdom and spiritual strength to weather suffering." Certainly like to think so, not quite sure the level of suffering it prepares you for however, or do we have a bottomless potential for persevering. Here's hoping none of us ever has to find out.
As for one of them stating that "Slim Shady" was probably more relevant a record, sounds like Walter to me and yes, if you factor heavily in reckoning a relevant work being a true chronicle of the time, its era, then perhaps, yes, it was more relevant than 2vN. But as enduring? Naw...
The part of the acceptance blurb they gave at Grammy 2001 I loved but can't quite remember verbatim went something like, "...and we thank you for this award, we are persuaded that it is a great honor..."
Posted by: Alkali, NYCI’m almost sorry I brought up Picasso and abstract art.
I don’t want to go too long on this subject because this isn’t the right place for it.
But, as an artist I’m offended by people who call themselves artists just because they have access to a canvas.
I’ll keep it as short and concise as I can:
As a re-creation of reality, a work of art has to be representational; its freedom of stylization is only limited by the requirement of intelligibility; if it doesn’t present an intelligible subject, it ceases to be art.
RAJ, I know what you mean by the Dans style of writing it employs that sort of Burroughesque cut and paste approach sometimes mixed with gaps and stutters however it is always intelligible.
Our interpretation of their words may vary but it’s still realistically representational; and not an arbitrary string of words thrown together.
On a side note, I read that when Don and Walt accepted their Grammy for record of the year that one of them said that Eminems record was more socially relevant.
Has anyone heard this one?
Peace
A
Posted by: YGK, nycI'd would like to see a Cubist rendering of Don & Walt - that would be something........
Love the Braque
ygk
Posted by: templeman,
SD headline story at
http://www.jewsrock.org/
Posted by: Rajah, Here's a definition of Cubism I really like:
"In cubist artworks objects are broken up, analyzed, and reassembled in an abstracted form — instead of rendering objects from a single fixed angle, the artist depicts the subject from multiple angles simultaneously as an attempt to present the subject in the most complete manner. Often the surfaces of the facets, or planes, intersect at angles that show no recognizable depth. The background and object (or figure) planes interpenetrate one another creating the ambiguous shallow space characteristic of cubism."
A case certainly could be made for Don & Walt having a cubist approach to song construction; nobody takes it apart and puts it back together like they do, or did, champion punch-out artists, prior to most of the last album.
Their lyrical narratives too are very cubist in approach, they've told us that they sometimes leave out whole chunks or scenes or passages, the lyrics seem to make sense but they don't really, not in the typical way we understand things anyway. A cubist painting of Picasso's doesn't seem to be recognizable as anything in particular from across a room, you get up close and it still doesn't "make sense" in the traditional, representational kind of depictional way but then your eye catches something, you connect it with maybe something else in it or your experience, the picture starts to make sense but not in a rational, linear way, at times with powerful results.
Posted by: YGK, nycCubist garbage? DUuuuuuuuuuude - way off.........
You got some edumicatin' to be gettin........
ygk
Posted by: Alkali, NYCRelevance in art, including music, hasn’t to do with breaking ground every time you produce a new work. If it did there would be no relevant artists. It’s just impossible to reinvent the wheel. Look at Picasso, he was doing ok until he got into that modern crap and that cubist garbage and all of those morons thought he did something ground breaking!
It does have to do with being consistently good at your particular craft.
Take the Dan for instance; although I’m partial to the older stuff they did, I’m drawn to their later work for its shear boldness of style both lyrically and musically.
The difference between their last two records is at first glance slight but at second listen fairly distinct. Someone on the blue put it perfectly TvN was complex and EMG swings.
It’s this difference that helps to keep their music fresh, interesting and relevant.
Their music through the years shifts about a bit between varying styles but their lyrics are sometimes, at least to me, out of step with the times somehow. And this just adds to their arsenal; it is unpredictable and right on the money.
Even if you go back to CBAT and take for instance “Reelin’ in the years” they’ve managed to stuff a whole bunch of words into each line, I think it’s called scansion metrical patterns, which is reminiscent of African chants. Louis Jordan used to use it and today has evolved into Rap.
Becker uses it in “Surf/Die” I used to tell my nephew that it was ‘White Rap’
He would then say “you mean like Eminem?” I would say “no, Eminem is a white guy trying to be black”
Ben Folds Five was brought up, I don’t mind them. Although, as someone said, their cursing is unnecessary and adolescent. I mean, “Everyone’s gone to the movies” or “Cousin Dupree” is a lot nastier than someone saying the word “Bitch”
Some over 40 relevant musical artists:
Bob Dylan
John McLaughlin
Robert Fripp
Allan Holdsworth
Some over 40 irrelevant musical artists:
Capt. Beef heart
Mick Jagger
Keith Richards
Ozzy Osborne
Peace
A
Posted by: Doc Mu, Dan: I think of EMG as the LIVE album. It's also the VOCALS album - Pixeleen and Slang are some of their best backups ever. The babe choir on the Salng bridge can give you shivers. It does swing. The style is more song + accompaniment - more like the way Countdown to Ecstacy or Katy Lied were recorded. The songs on TvN are a bit more strange - the complexity is in the Multiple Voice production. Multiple melodic lines and vamps on vocals and instruments sometimes together, sometimes trading fours that integrate seamlessly. Outtro to Abbie, intro to WASAM, title track are great examples. Negative Girl is a miraculous live tracked number. On TVN, Donald's vocals are just another instrument. On EMG, they're the focus...follow the bouncing ball.
SS: Last Polka - a great song. Folds on 57th and Neil Finn on 57th provide crystal look at the artists. William Shatner's Has Been album is a freakin' miracle - shockingly good. Ben co-wrote the songs, wrote the musical accompaniment, produced it. In anyone else's hands - the album's another Transformed Man. As varied a production as one will ever hear.. The cover of Common People is a killer. If you think of Ben as a sophmoric musician, try It Hasn't Happened Yet, That's Me Trying, Familliar Love, Has Been, Real. I Can't Get Behind That with Herny Rollins is hilarious performance art.
BB%'s first is a jumble of different takes on every single type of American music, Rock, jazz, grunge, R&B, polka, Gershwin, Ragtime, 19th Century Frontier - sometimes within the same song!. A hyperkinetic montage.
Posted by: TexasRick, TexasJust a reminder to those interested - Keith's clinics start this Monday in Portland, Maine, and run for 2 weeks. Sponsored by Yamaha, Zildjian, Remo, Regal Tip, there will be giveaways at many of the clinics, and I am told that Keith's clinic in Detroit will follow a "World's Fastest Drummer" competition...
Monday, October 24 - The Drum Shop - Portland, ME
Tuesday, October 25 - Peeler Drum Center - Toledo, OH
Wednesday, October 26 - The Music Loft - Greensboro, NC
Thursday, October 27 - Carls Music Center - Lexington, KY
Monday, November 7 - Georges Drum Shop - Cleveland, OH
Tuesday, November 8 - Huber & Breese Music - Fraser, MI (Detroit)
Wednesday, November 9 - Drums2go - Orlando, FL
Thursday, November 10 - Memphis Drum Shop - Memphis, TN
For more info, and some cool videos of Keith soloing - please see www.keithcarlock.com
And if you can't make it to a clinic but would like to ask a question or two, Keith is pretty good about replying to posts on his message board...
Posted by: SteveeDan, ~ PRETZEL LOGIC APPEARS TOMORROW NIGHT IN STUDIO CITY, CALIFORNIA ~
THURSDAY OCTOBER 20TH, 2005 8:00 PM
LA VE LEE
12514 VENTURA BLVD.
(BETWEEN LAUREL CANYON AND COLDWATER CANYON)
(818)980-8158 ~ RESERVATIONS SUGGESTED ~
BRING YOUR FEZ
Posted by: IDTC, PAThanx, Mr. Lapage, for hipping me to Brenda Russell.
Yeah, "In the Thick of It," that's her--just listened to a sample on AMG. From her eponymous debut album, 1978. Gorgeous lady, gorgeous tune. How the HELL did I miss out on her all these decades? Now I have the work of an unfamiliar artist to check out!
Actually, not entirely unfamiliar, I recognize her name from a couple Yellowjackets records that she sang on.
The 70s--there was a great style to some of the soul and R&B of that decade which, I think, disappointingly didn't go on to further development. "In the Thick of It," "Black Cow," for example, have a deeply affecting, poignant beauty to them which I'm not sure you hear anymore.
DF, you da man, I'm expecting a lot, brother ...
Posted by: Little Wild One, DowntownHeyMike...I'll take that bet! Come on down....
Love some of the BFF stuff, not all. The term sophmoric comes to mind.
On the age thing: you just feel more deeply before life throws all its shit at you. Age makes you fearless, but somewhat numb. I think D&W said something to that effect in the 2000 Grammy post-mortem.
Posted by: SS, HKDan, the best I can do, I think, is to encourage you to watch/listen to the Ben Folds Five Sessions on West 54th St. DVD. Dr. Mu makes my arguments pretty well - though I disagree on Song for the Dumped - so I won't cover the same ground other than to say I'm inmpressed by Ben Folds' range on styles, emotions, musical feels, piano playing, initiative (check out what he does with William Shatner !) , chord changes and by the power of the lyrics. Perhaps what he writes just speaks to my juvenile sensibilities - I'm not bothered by the foul language. He seems to cover different ground...or cover the same ground in a way I find more personal.
The reason I mention the DVD is that of the many I own and play for people who come over....this is the one that drops their jaws. And it is the only thing I can play as much as the SD stuff.
If you get this far - one hint: Leave the lyrics on-screen. When I did that I ended up blown away by his phrasing.
The Last Polka....give it a try.
Never thought I'd ever recommend a polka to anyone.
Posted by: Dan Belcher, Louisville, KYDr. Mu, I agree--Ben Folds always has a great sound on his piano in recordings. The acoustic piano in pretty much all of the recent Steely Dan efforts has been a bit thin and weak in my opinion. It doesn't have the same bold midrange and resonance that you hear in a Ben Folds tune or even in a mid-70s Dan tune. As for the engineering on the rest of EMG, I actually rather like it. The Rhodes could be more prominent at times and the bass could use a little more low-end punch, but outside of that it's great. They really nailed that live(in-studio) feel they were going for.
I'll also agree to a point on your EMG/2VN comparison. 2VN's writing is a lot thicker and in a way more complex than EMG's. However, EMG really swings. The whole album has a great atmosphere, everything mixes well together, the songs are catchy, the band is TIGHT, and it's damn solid material. TIMTM, Slang (that bridge!!!), EMG, Pixeleen, and most of all Green Book and Lunch With Gina are brilliant songs and stack up well. The hyper-produced sound of 2VN, particularly the cold almost-mechanical drum sound, wears on me after awhile, though it's not always bad or even present (Negative Girl = stunning in every conceivable way). However, some tracks come off a bit annoying. Cousin Dupree is a great song live, especially in the transposed key, but I loathe the studio recording and its annoying percussion style. I think a lot of people hold 2VN in a special place simply because it was the comeback album. But even then, it's still a great album and I generally have to rate it and EMG approximately as equals. They go for different styles, but they're both just as good as the other.
Posted by: Doc Mu, Beethoven wrote 40 pieces over age 40 while deaf including Symphonies 7, 8, 9. Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote stellar show tuens well into their 40s, 50s until death.
Dan: We'll have to agree to disagree. I don't hear a lot of "sameness" in his work. It's quite varied - a good bit of The Unofficial Biography of Reinhold Meisner (the one with Army) is pretty sophisticated . Song for the Dumped is a piece of crap, while Underground is an extraordinary clever. Each song is unique on Rockin the Suburbs, and is probably his most consistent songwriting. While. I'd argue that Don & Walter did more with the songs on the hyperproduced TvN and the engineering is a lot better, with the exception of West of Hollywood, Folds' tunes and lyrics on that album are at least as satisfying, quirky.
I don't think Silverman songs are nearly as consistently stellar as Rockin', but the engineering, particularly the way the piano is recorded is in fact superior to EMG. I'll probably get flamed for that, but it's true. There seems to be a lot of disagreement, but I find the songs on EMG generally better than TvN, particularly Things I Miss the Most, Greenbook,Pixeleen, and title track. Slang of Ages is underrated.
John Legend is probably a new artist that matters. Canadian indie artist Corak Egan has a really nice album "My Favorite Distraction" that sounds a bit like Joni. Joni's voice is shot. It's sad.
Posted by: If Ya Really Gotta Know, BEPMost relevant group in pop music today is the Black Eyed Peas. www.blackeyedpeas.com
Posted by: hoops, getting back in the swing of thingsRegarding Ben Folds, not familiar with much of his stuff, but "Army" is brilliant. The "Me, Myself and Irene" stuff is a nice homage.
So who is "relevent" in music these days? And why? Just trying to get an idea of what some of you are saying.
Be well.
jim
Posted by: Dan Belcher, Louisville, KYMay I just say I love Real's Rhapsody software. With a $10/month subscription, I can listen to pretty much any album on demand. Makes for a great chance to check stuff out before I decide on whether I want to buy the CD or not.
Mu, with both Rockin' the Suburbs and Songs For Silverman (and all Ben Folds in general), I have the same general problems: songs like Carrying Cathy, Still Fighting It, You've Got To Learn To Live With What You Are, and a couple others are very well written. But other songs come off as just very mediocre. The melodies and chord progressions are a bit awkward (and perhaps too...happy?) for my tastes. The arrangements also are a bit repetitive and lacking subtle nuances. Basically, he's almost there, but just falls short of what it takes to be really listenable over and over again. He's -well- worth the occasional listen, but there's just not a lot of significant replay value for me.
Posted by: Joey, " I don't think anyone took a twenty year break which could also be a contributing factor, like being cryogenically frozen for a generation, thawed out and still putting big heat on skanky things unseen. "
That's what my little friends and myself running around the Plains of Nebraska with knickers on and stick ball bats in our hands used to call "Postin'!"
You're POSTIN' baby!
The Joey - As seen on the reality show "That's Postin'!", 10:00 PM CDT Sundays.
J.
Posted by: Frank Sinatra, I got the world on a stringHe's trying to define 'relevancy' as faras I can gather, somewhat akin to this:
"Tending logically to prove or disprove a fact of consequence or to make the fact more or less probable and thereby aiding the trier of fact in making a decision."
The Trier, hoops, would in this case be the Rajah, so, consider the source.
Posted by: Rajah, meet me by the truck dock punkThose artists' body of work is certainly not irrelevant. Their bearing on what's happenin' right now isn't, no one any appreciably more so than Steely Dan 2005 at any rate. Two prongs to relevancy for me that must be there, contribution and a continuing bearing on pop music, I think that's what we're discussing right now, so I guess they're all relevant in what seems to me to be your usage here.
Hunh?
Posted by: hoops, just buzzin' thru on the quickRegarding Neil Young and others being "relevent." How about a definition of "relevence" and who is and isn't and why. Or maybe it's the music biz as it was in the 20th c. that's irrelevent or... And if it is irrelevent, what has replaced it? Just wondering so I am on the same page.
I disagree that the artists Joey, Rajah and others mention are "irrelevent" or past-their-prime in writing great songs. I think some are making some of their best music in decades but at the same time, I would agree that this music doesn't always redefine these artists. By "redefine" I mean make me notice or appreciate these artists in a new way or in a way that breaks entirely new ground for themselves. For example, Elton John's most recent two studio albums are his best in 30 years, reconnecting and reaffirming what was started on "Elton John," "Tumbleweed Connection" and "Madman Across The Water," but I will agree they don't really redefine him or bring him to a new plateau as say, Paul Simon's "Graceland."
With Steely Dan, it's obvious that CBAT and "Aja" were defining moments...and you could argues some other parts in the SD cannon.
I hope this sorta makes sense.
jim
Posted by: Rajah, It's troo, it's thru. Kaput. Prepare the oak overcoats, it's all over but the tours, the box sets, remasterings in evolving formats, DVD-A with secret internet track and for some, The Tony Danza Show.
Neil and many others too...all great...all old...all irrelevant. No, our best hope for civilization, it seems, has now come down to...the envelope please...
Steely Dan???
Oh Mama Baba Rajah
Posted by: YGK, nycHey Raj!: I've been 39 four times in a row - so it ain't so.......
Posted by: fife, baltimore,ehHey don't forget Neil Young! He's got a very large repetoire that is extremely varied. Grunge, country, electronic, blues, be-bop, you name I'm sure its in there. He's got a new Cd out "Prairie Wind" that's been getting rave reviews, his near death experience I'm sure influenced this one. I've yet to hear it myself, my next purchase for sure though. I love the way he can go from country to rock and roll and he's awesome in concert! Neil will be appearing on the Conan O'Brien show the first week in November for 5 nights, can't wait!
Fife
Posted by: Rajah, death begins at 40Enduring relevancy as a songwriter is dependent, among other things, on the writers' range of proficiency in each school of music. Comes a rocker from the 50s like Carl Perkins and he's kind of a country cross-over and hits on this rackabilly genre and that's it, he's lucky to have found one idiom he can command. Guys like Lennon & McCartney, Don & Walt, Page & Plant, Joni, CSN, Elton, Steve Winwood, Peter Gabriel, Pete Townsend, the Yes guys, Gilmour, Waters, Stevie Wonder, Sting, Van Morrison, Elvis Costello. others, have commanded and displayed to their audiences their varying degrees of musical range. Some of them grew to become sufficiently established as bankable hitmakers that they were afforded the luxury of venturing outside the lines of the genre that brought them acclaim, reach out into new areas and manage to pull their fans along. Sgt. Pepper is, I offer, the sharpest example of this. When the needle hit that one, you just knew you were now in a different world.
Of all those guys I listed, whom would you say had the widest range of musical sensibility? OK, you know my answer but isn't it also quite remarkable that I daresay Don & Walt have the smallest catalogue. Lemme think, yeah, they do, they haven't recorded anywhere near the number of tunes as those other guys or the American songbook giants who came before them, Gershwin, Porter, Rogers & Hart, you know the drill...
So I'm thinkin tunesmiths are given a gift which is developed to varying degrees of musical range depending sheerly on their own willingness and desire for the study and command of different musical forms. They are also driven by themselves and/or their market to crank out a certain number of songs, witness the phenomenon of the Beatles who couldn't write songs fast enough for their fanbase in the 60s. The greater the number of songs written and the narrower their musical range, the shorter in duration will an artist be relevant, there's that word, or compelling, worthy of audit.
That's the theory I'm floating anyway. Which of those people I listed are still relevant? Most are downright petrified. Some have had the good sense to fade gracefully, like Joni; others are still in our face just going through the animatronics. And just think, these were the very best of a generation or so.
I don't think anyone took a twenty year break which could also be a contributing factor, like being cryogenically frozen for a generation, thawed out and still putting big heat on skanky things unseen.
Posted by: ph, It's a glamour professionGood writers after 40, I can only think of a few:
Fagen/Becker (duh)
Pink Floyd (at least the remaining 3)
Mark Knopfler
Don & Walt are still pretty good writers when they aren't being lazy
The Division Bell in 94 wasn't PF's best album ever, but it was still a masterpiece of modern music, and quite atypical.
Mark Knopfler seems to have got better at writing with age
Posted by: Doc Mu, I should add there are a fw goofy songs in the first 2 BBF albums (and that's OK for me), but Boxing (conversation beween Muhammed Ali and Howard Cosell), Philosophy, Selfless, Cold and Composed, and Evaporated are pure genius.
Posted by: Gina, Mizar5 Mountainhttp://www.video-c.co.uk/microshow.asp?vidref=supe003&FileType=ADSLstream
Alkali, Josey... happens so we found this Super Furry Animals stuff some time ago as well and have the link stored in our 2004 archives... you can stream the video...
We also had access to a clip from that Wayne Brady Show in which Robert sings Reelin' In The Years but alas, that fansite nor the videoclip is no more today... maybe still out there, hidden in the maze of it all... But truthfully, the original song sounds way better, the Live In America version sounds way better than what RD jr did to it from what i recall...
Posted by: Doctor Mu, not dead yet Dan: I think you'll find Rockin' the Suburbs (2001), except for the title track parode of rap/rock hybrid pissed white bands, chock full of highly melodic poignant vigniettes - brilliant Southern songwriting. Losing Lisa, Fred Jones Part II, Carrying Cathy, Ascent of Stan, Luckiest are as good as it gets the past 20 years. Songs for Silverman (2005) is nearly as polished and professional as an early Steely Dan recording - a far cry from the upright piano sound of early Ben Folds Five. Landed (as good as 1974 Elton John), Time, Prison Food are especially fine recordings.
The Macca album takes more than a few listens - like Two Against Nature did. Friends to Go, Riding to Vanity Fair, At the Merch have a pretty classic sound.
The new Stevie Wonder album sounds like it could be his best stuff since Hotter than July. Wait 'til that Fagen album!
then the Stones album is same 'ol 'cept Older
I'm Dead (But I Don't Know It)
by Randy Newman
"I have nothing left to say
But I'm gonna say it anyway
Thirty years upon a stage
And I hear the people say
Why won't he go away?
I pass the houses of the dead
They're calling me to join their group
But I stagger on instead
Dear God, sweet God
Protect me from the truth, hey
I'm dead but I don't know it
[He's dead, he's dead]
I'm dead but I don't know
[He's dead, he's dead]
I'm dead but I don't know it
[He's dead, he's dead]
Please don't tell me so
Let me, let me, let me go
I have a family to support
But surely, that is no excuse
I've nothing further to report
Time you spend with me
Is time you lose
I always thought that I would know
When it was time to quit
That when I lost a step or two or three or four or five
I'd notice it
Now that I've arrived here safely
I find my talent has gone
Why do I go on and on and on and on and on
And on and on and on and on and on
[He's dead, he's dead, he's dead]
I don't know it
[He's dead, he's dead, he's dead]
I didn't know
[He's dead, he's dead, he's dead]
I didn't know it
Who would be so cruel to tell me so?
[You're dead!]
When will I end this bitter game?
When will I end this cruel charade?
Everything I write all sounds the same
Each record that I'm making
Is like a record that I've made
Just not as good
I'm dead but I don't know it
[He's dead, he's dead]
I'm dead but I don''t know
[He's dead, he's dead]
I'm dead but I don't know it
[He's dead, he's dead]
Please don't tell me so
Please don't tell me so
[You're dead!]
Posted by: Dan Belcher, Louisville, KYI've always been relatively unimpressed overall with Ben Folds. His writing style comes off as immature quite often (quite a bit of unnecessary swearing in his lyrics doesn't help any), his melodies aren't all that inspiring, and his sense of arrangement is lacking. I love a sense of humor in lyrics, but Ben Folds tries too hard to be funny sometimes and it just ends up coming off as annoying (see Army or Battle Of Who Could Care Less). He has managed to put out a few really good songs (Brick, Alice Childress, Don't Change Your Plans, Smoke). But I just feel the overall mediocrity outweighs the high points. Essentially, he just comes up short far too often.
Posted by: Still Sparkin', Hong Kong
Songwriting....for the young ?
That could well be true. Lots of examples noted here.
So, watch Ben Folds. His stuff is changing from the oft-quoted 'punk rock for sissies' (which is a lot of kick-ass stuff without guitars) to something quieter, but no less melodic, or lyrically meaningful.
He must be about 40 and now married with a kid and has already cranked out a swack of quality stuff.
Who after 40 put out stuff that was as good as their best before they were 40 ? Gotta be a short list.
Posted by: Josey, St. Simons IslandAlkali - Robert Downey Jr. has already added that to his resume with a cd that's actually pretty good - in my worthless opinion. He's got some damn good musicians backing him up and I'm trying to remember the title but it escapes me at the moment. Anyway, he sings and plays piano and he's definitely got a unique sound. I'm sure there's somewhere online you can check it out. My man Vinnie shows up on about half of the tracks and Greg Bissonette handles the rest of the drumming. Good stuff!
Posted by: Alkali, NYCMy cousin Sarah e-mailed me this morning with some Steely Dan tidbits she thought I would enjoy. I e-mailed her back and told her about Dandom. I’m passing them along to the Blue.
If you’re reading this, thanks Sarah, I love you.
Robert Downey Jr. is the latest actor to want to add "singer" to his résumé. He's recording an album reminiscent of Steely Dan, he told FOX News, and plans to perform Steely Dan's "Reelin' in the Years" — with the band — on "The Wayne Brady Show" on October 24. ...
And
Super Furry Animals
"The Man Don't Give a Fuck," which was built on a sample of Steely Dan's "Showbiz Kids," but Donald Fagen refused to give the group permission to use the recording. By November, he relented and "The Man Don't Give a Fuck" was released as a limited-edition single in early December, and it reached number 22 on the U.K.
This last one is translated very poorly from Japanese and is; I believe out takes and demos and/or bootleg copies from Steely Dan CD’s:
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://web.kyoto-inet.or.jp/people/ohkura/BTCD/STEELYDAN.html&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dsteely%2Bdan%2Brarities%26start%3D70%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26sa%3DN
DAN: I think Dylan electrified Folk not to escape or abandon it but to reach a broader audience.
Peace
A
Posted by: Joey, " I've listened to the McCartney record, Chaos and Creation, now 3 or 4 times. Apart from two or three melodies, it's strictly senior citizen's wasteland. No new musical statements left it seems from Sir Paul .... Very tired, very flat ..... Paul is officially Dead on record. It's over. "
Frig Yeah it's over --- It is over for all of these guys ( see : Jagger/ Richards , Pete Townshend , MACCA , Henley/Frey , Elton , etc .... )
Songwriting ..... GOOD Songwriting is a product of youth .
JACKY !!!!!
Posted by: Rajah, careful what you wish forAlice Cooper should be so good:
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=42988
I've listened to the McCartney record, Chaos and Creation, now 3 or 4 times. Apart from two or three melodies, it's strictly senior citizen's wasteland. No new musical statements left it seems from Sir Paul, just a tip of the cap to something of his old style. Very tired, very flat. Makes Flaming Pie look good. Goodnight tonite and maybe a simply having a wonderful Xmas time but Paul is officially Dead on record. It's over.
Posted by: Dan, PhilippinesHi Alkali
Is that because Dylan was getting bored with folk?
Seriously, I recognize that folk was an important springboard for alot of new musical ideas. But folk in itself long ago took a back seat to all the exciting music it helped generate.
Posted by: Dan, Philippines
Posted by: Ann, BorneoJim:
Best wishes and hope you're better soon! Hope it's not the dreaded bird flu!
Ed: ??? I think you mean Gina, not me....But I was thinking of doing one ...www.qualityrockbandsofborneo.com Trouble is, that topic would cover about 3 lines!!!!!!
Peace to all!
Ann
Posted by: ed beatty, @oleandersdotdotAnn,
Regarding the domain and its utilization
Contact Oleander of SD FAME here and elsewhere
She had an excellent site "fever dreams" and maybe ths could be a new home?
Ed
Posted by: hoops, Yo gang!
Been under the weather but hope to back in the swing of things by the end of the week. Hope you all are well. New Stevie Wonder at last tomorrow. Was supposed to be released maybe a year ago, then last spring, then....well, you know, SW reminds me of Donald Fagen and "Kamakiriad." Yesterday's NY Times had an interview with SW, and it was devastating to read how people are keeping their fingers crossed that the album will generate much interest! Stevie Wonder! They are wondering if his album will sell well! Good grief. Hard to believe that in today's music business, Stevie Wonder has to even wonder if his album will sell. How sad.
Fly low and be cool.
jim
Posted by: ph, done collectingGina, I'm very glad you bought the domain. And I think you're right, we need a new sort of SD-oriented site, I don't think we need anymore message boards. But I as of now don't have any ideas...the best idea I had was an internet radio station, but that's been done and done rather well by Hoops. I suppose it should just sit for awhile until somebody comes up with something good. Oh, and I can host if that's a ever problem.
Posted by: Gina, Sun Mountainph, i'd be happy to stuff the domainname in your X-mas stocking :-)
but it's "mine" now yes, and if we're gonna name some hard $$$ or in my case, €€€€€, what better things to buy in an impulse for €6,99 i wonder :-)
would be neat if it got a new fresh steely-linked destination, however... let's just think about it for a while, who knows... (and if anyone should have interesting original creative whatever ideas, feel free to email at above e-dress)
Posted by: ph, would like to see the showi dunno. still for sale on namecheap, maybe it takes a few days to update. anyway, i'm glad somebody picked up the domain or is at least interested, i certainly don't want another site to manage...but its so hard to resist such a great domain name!!
Posted by: ygk, nycI think that G picked it up over in Belgium.......
http://books.dreambook.com/mizar5/escargot.html
ygk
Posted by: ph, would like to see the showCorpsy, according to Namecheap, the domain is still for sale. And I'll be glad to buy it and host a website if people have idea for content. I'm going to buy it if it's still avail by the end of wednesday. I have some other domains that i need to buy/renew then anyway, and 8.88 is a cheap impulse buy.
Posted by: Alkali, NYCHello,
Well I’m back from sin city, we had a great time and are now shamefully $2,500 lighter thanks to Black Jack and do it again.
The weather was in the 80’s and dry. Here in the north east it’s in the 60’s and wet, but it’s good to be back anyway.
One minor Steely Dan moment: walking in front of Caesars palace on Friday night “Jack of speed” was playing through the array of speakers they have lined up along the sidewalk but, with the crowd and traffic noise it was barely audible. Oh well.
I see nothing shiny new has occurred in the blue since I left, I guess everyone’s just waiting for Fagen.
DAN: I know, I know. folk just doesn’t do it for you, I understand. Maybe it’s the simple acoustic strumming or the harmonica or the easy ballads or whatever. But, you can’t put down a whole musical genre just because of its traditional style. I mean, Steely Dan itself has been inspired by folk, just look at CBAT ! Or Barrytown, Any world, Third world man etc. of course it’s embellished with sophisticated chord changes that make it more palatable for some but the guts are still folk.
BTW, Dylan was persecuted by folk purists when he plugged in and went electric.
ANN: I think the song is about, excuse my language, a coke whore. Pure and simple.
A girl who will do anything for cocaine and to be in with that crowd. She doesn’t realize that she’s a slave to it and that it’ll all be over soon, one way or another.
(Just me opinion)
Peace
A
Posted by: Corpsy V, Dot Com Messph, may I hereby inform you that your call for help was picked up and you needn't worry about it no more, because it's safe now? you gotta start thinking what you're gonna contribute for the new www.cafedescargot.com because collecting turkish union dues ain't nearly enough, my friend. lol!
speak of impulse shopping :-)
Posted by: A(n) (ir)regular, ...http://www.diplom.org/openings/j49/escargot.game.html
Pouch anyone.....?
games named after Steely Dan songs...
Posted by: Mr. Lapage, I believe you're looking for Brenda Russell, the tune is called "in the thick of it".
See link here:
http://shop.fye.com/product.aspx?sku=60491499&loc=50244
Posted by: HeyMike, go go white soxAnyone hear "do it again" during the Sox - Angels game last night??
LWO stro's/ Sox series???
Posted by: Chinese Space Landing, as long as you know you're living yoursAnyone a listener to the Drudge Report on Sunday nights?
There's something I gotta know: one of the bumper music songs is by a girl vocal group, it's a soul ballad, lyrics go
"In the thick of it
Gotta get a grip and get it on"
BEAUTIFUL pop/soul tune, great bridge, Fagenesque chords and song-form, very Black Cow-ish, albeit more in an overtly pop vein.
I've tried and tried and tried to find out what it is and who does it, all to no avail.
Anyone know?
Posted by: ph, collecting turkish union duescan you believe it? nobody owns cafedescargot.com!! somebody please buy it before I do, because I have nothing to put on it.
Posted by: Gretchen, Is anyone out there?
G
Posted by: Dan, PhilippinesWhoever...... and Alkali
Folk off.
Alkali, its all in good fun...
Posted by: Ann, BorneoRazor Boy:
Anyone got any theories as to the meaning of the lyrics? I've got mine but would like to hear other's theories first.
Heading for the Big Smoke (Manchester)arriving 29th Oct for my very short mid-term break, as the old Dad is having a few problems. Miss Simply Red by 12 hours - performing on home ground for the first time in years. How's that for bad luck. To make matters even worse, I miss Nils Lofgren and Paul Weller by 5 days, Paul Carrack by 4 days and Echo and the Bunnymen by 2 days. To top all, when I return to Fantasy Island I'll have missed Alice Cooper with Twisted Sister by 4 days (no tears over that one!) and Bob Dylan by 10 days. At least I'll be able to check out the Off-Spring who seems to be enjoying her first few weeks of uni life.....par-taying!!!!!
Hope I have better luck with SD next year!
Posted by: General Zod, I am your new leader and demand the album of one named Fagen now.
You will vote for me to restor order:
http://www.zod2008.com/
Posted by: hobo wire toaster, PerdidoMancini or Mingus:
I would, were I sober and down at Cafe Bukowski, rate Mancini compositions and arrangement skills quite above Merciless Mingus. Hank did some kitchy soundtrack stuff, sure: The Pink Panther is kind of silly (tho surely above hearing some crap like Snatchbox 20 or hiphop screech while the credits role); Peter Gunn sort of dated (tho still sort of rox, and the dissonance sort of Dan-like); but the ability to introduce some humor and irony into jass-changes was not trivial, and his use of the muted brass and reeds which didn't bleat Basie-like but sort of melted was, like, alright. His more obscure soundtrack stuff--Tender is the Night, Days of Wine and Roses--have a certain melancholic complexity --and great melodic sense--quite above the usual tinseltown sap or 52nd street cartoon-bop. Indeed I'll wager Donald F. spun quite a few Mancini tracks back in the day for inspiration: the Dan of like Royal Scam or Katy Lied sounds a bit Mancini-like with some electro-sheen and barrelhouse rhythms added to the mix.
Posted by: SS, HKYou know....I'm willing to entertain it all...but folk ?
For the record....is there a folk SD tune out here ? Really ?
Posted by: Whoever, WhereverSMOOTH SAX TRIBUTE TO STEELY DAN...
http://cgi.ebay.ca/Music-CD-SMOOTH-SAX-TRIBUTE-TO-STEELY-DAN_W0QQitemZ4778682466QQcategoryZ307QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem
_______________________
1. The Fez
2. Do it Again
3. Josie
4. My Old School
5. Reeling in the Years
6. Pretzel Logic
7. Hey Nineteen
8. Deacon Blues
9. Time Out of Mind
10. Black Friday
Steely Dan has been hailed by many as one of the most eclectic and unique rock bands of all time. In 8 years (1972-1980) they released 7 unforgettable albums, has 14 hit singles, and changed rock music as we knew it forever. Their blend on jazz, pop, folk and blues has made them one of the most influential bands ever. Now it is time to pay tribute to these musical gods with this Smooth Sax Tribute to Steely Dan. Listen as smooth sax master Bennett Carl into the soul of their songs and exposes their grooves in a whole new way… the smooth way!
Posted by: Rajah, walkin the floorGet back in your cages immediately, the both of you.
Good Lord: control, gentlemen; composure. Take your example from me.
It's like 3;30 AM, that Pacific Red Snapper, red potato mash and steamed broccoli and cauliflower is repeatin' on me, the horseradish and Margaritas...
An old school chum sent me a 1993 St. Louis CD, whole parts are totally crappy but wow, that Royal Scam-Bad Sneakers-Aja Overture.
Posted by: Ho-Beau, Wired and Toasted, Cafe AngstriddenNow, what was that about the Wax?????????
Waxin' poetic
You got Zee Waxxx, Mizz G., I got Zee Maxxx
"God knows the service could be bet-ter"
Posted by: Clas, dark side of the morningfife - http://www.google.com/custom?sitesearch=davidbyrne.com&q=stockholm+project&sa=Search+davidbyrne.com&cof=GALT%3A%23666666%3BS%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.davidbyrne.com%3BGL%3A0%3BVLC%3A%23996699%3BAH%3Aleft%3BBGC%3AFFFFFF%3BLH%3A94%3BLC%3A%233399CC%3BGFNT%3A%23000000%3BL%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.davidbyrne.com%2Fimages%2Fgoogle%2Fdb_google_banner.gif%3BALC%3A%233399CC%3BBIMG%3Adavidbyrne.com%3BLW%3A768%3BT%3A%23000000%3BGIMP%3A%23990000%3BAWFID%3A272bc31c5ef1dcdf%3B&domains=davidbyrne.com
Posted by: Paul Carrack, asdfI'm willing to bet that it'll be smooth.
The Garden Party disc cracks me up. I haven't put it on for a few years, but for some reason I find smooth jazz hilarious -- even if it is pure evil.
Many a drunken night in downtown Chicago I've spent paying off a cab driver to get him to turn it to 95.5, our local Dave Koz station. It's always fun pissing off your hipster doofus friends at 4am.
Posted by: Mr. Lapage, Fellow Daniacs,
I was perusing FYE's site and did a search for our favorite band just for the hell of it. And a new item appeared that I don't recall seeing in the book. It's "Smooth Sax Tribute to Steely Dan" with no mention of artists, due to be released next month.
http://shop.fye.com/product.aspx?sku=202011283&loc=50244
Anybody know anything about this?
Later
Posted by: fife, baltimore,ehOkay so I'm lying on the couch with my slutty cat Coltrane, channel surfing the midday away when I happen upon a episode of SNL on the E! channel. I have no idea what the sketch is about, do you ever, but there are 3 people sitting behind four carved pumpkins. One of the characters ask what the project is called and another says "these are our Steely Dan O'lanterns" and sure enough when the camera pulls away you can see Don and Walt carved in the pumpkins, the other 2 I wasn't too sure about but I think one of them was Denny Dias, the beard, but the other one I had no clue. It's odd how these things seem to jump out at me! My Steely radar must be on full force,lol.
Now if it would lead me to some news of Donald's new release I would be truly happy!
SS: Yeah adding Hasek and Heatly to the team has really improved the team! Let's make it an all Canadian Stanley Cup. Go Canucks!
Clas: Thank you for the link to David Byrne's project in Stockhom, great Photos, now if I could read Swedish I'd be set!
Fife
Posted by: Philippe, PauHello everybody, just my little contribution to the OMD debate. They had clearly two types of songs: the ones written by Larry Lee, just like "Jakie blue", that sounded very pop, radio friendly, and the others, much more country. If they ever release a Larry Lee songs compilation, I would definitly buy it. Talking about Laryy Lee, he released in 1982 a very nice album called "Marooned", not that much Steely Dan alike but full of nice little songs that stick in your mind. I remember that David Sanborn is playing on it among others. Don't know if it's still avaliable, if it's not I can make a copy for you.
Have a nice day
Philippe
Posted by: Still Sparkin', + 12
Jackie Blue IS disturbed.
The point was made on this board a long time ago that she could feature among the other disturbed women in the SD songbook.
Has anyone actually listened to enough OMD to figure the comparison to SD is lame ? I never got that far.
Hey Fife - go Senators !
Posted by: Rajah, Yikes, Fifey, a monumental compliment to the Ozark Mountain Daredevils and a 2 x 4 kerthwackk to the kneecaps of Steely Dan.
Black Oak Arkansas is green with envy I'm sure.
Country music makes me crazy. What they've done to Irish folk music and traditional Bluegrass is criminal. "With a Gun" is a great bluegrass treatment as was Buffalo Springfield's, "Go and Say Goodbye" if you remember that one.
Posted by: ygk, nycalthought Jackie Blue is a cool little tune in its own right......
I think that was their 'hit'....right?
Posted by: fife, baltimore,ehListening to our local radio station the other day the dj poses this question, "what group is known as a countrified Steely Dan?" Well the answer was Ozark Mountain Daredevils! Now to be honest I only know the one song from them "Jackie Blue" but to compare them to the Dan well I just couldn't hear it. "With a Gun" is considerably more country then Jackie Blue. Anyhow it was so bizarre it still lingers with me!
Fife
Posted by: Daddy G., I.G.Y. in the ShellPopped into one of my favorite used CD stores over in Pennsy today. Didn't have a lot of time to do "non-targeted" browsing, but I basically took one quick glance at a very general bin of used CDs and my eye for some reason went immediately to "The Best Of Howard Jones" (1993). I remembered liking a couple of his tunes back in the 80s, so I picked it up to check what was on it. Track 17---"I.G.Y." I'd never heard about him doing the song, so for $7 I figured "Why not get it?" He does a decent job with it. I've only listened to it once so I wouldn't try to compare and contrast it to Donald's yet, but it's not bad. He pretty much plays it straight.
I imagine many (if not most) folks already know about it, but it was news to me. Then, I don't get out much. Here's what the liner notes have to say about it...
[ Jones has recorded a new song for the compilation. Donald Fagen's "I.G.Y. (What A Beautiful World)" has been a well loved staple in the live set for years, so much so that Jones has grown used to people thinking it's one of his own compositions. He's recorded it now as a tribute to its real author and as a means of completing its adoption. "I.G.Y. to me is one of the best pop songs ever written," he says. "It wasn't a hit and yet everyone seems to know it. Having played it live for years I just wanted to capture the best version I could on record." True to form, Jones combined the best of modern studio technology with a large dose of the human element. "I got Elliot Randall in to play, just as he had on so many Steely Dan records. He did it in about three takes and even used the same guitar he'd played on 'Reeling In The Years'. It was magic!" ]
Posted by: Rajah, Amen.
Posted by: ygk, nycHiLoToB: Yeah, and your l-l-lordship might endeavour to ask meaningful questions.....
Posted by: His Lordship To Be, Worldlywise, I Realize, That Everybodys Crazy...Am I myself Or Just Another Freak?Sorry about the grammer mistake YGK,for a guy who awnsered my quistion with the Bannana awnser, you still know your spelin an puntwuasion.
Posted by: Philippe, Pau, FranceHello there, please do yourself a favour and order that "Monkey house" cd, at least go to www.cdbaby.com and listen to some soundbytes, we probably won't get Donald's cd before the spring so, meanwhile, try Monkey house. I could say the same thing for "Eye to eye".
Amicalement
Le Frenchie
Posted by: THE KOP, THE KOPHoops. when you walk through a storm hold your head up high.
But be very afriad of the dark.
Love from L8
Posted by: Paul Carrack, asdfIs that Times Select worth it? I nearly talked myself into it over the weekend, but didn't do it. Eight bucks doesn't seem like much, but I'm afraid I may use it as an excuse to pay for other crap I'll never use online.
Posted by: , From the blue:
Date: Fri, September 30, 2005, 17:04:11 ET
...just this week, Monk with Coltrane at Carnegie Hall came out. This long, lost recording was just recently discovered, and, if I have my facts straight, is the only recording of the two together.
More details at Blue Note Records site — http://www.bluenote.com/detail.asp?SelectionID=10459
NYTimes had a story on it several months ago when it was first found. If you have that new "TimesSelect" thingy, you can probably still call it up.
( here it is: April 25, 2005)
http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article res=FA0D11F83E550C768EDDAD0894DD404482
Glad to hear an opinion on it. Thanks, PC.
Posted by: Paul Carrack, asdfI didn't know about the disc until last week, when it was pointed out to me by one of the best mp3 blogs on the web:
http://www.quietfm.com/jcblog/
Named, I'm guessing, after the line from "The Nightfly."
Posted by: Paul Carrack, asdfEditorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Every year sees a crop of newly found jazz gems, but rarely are listeners treated to anything as special as this 1957 concert recording of Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane, which was accidentally discovered in an unmarked box by a Library of Congress engineer early in 2005. Until now, fans could only dream of hearing these two immortals play together beyond the three studio tracks they left behind. But here they are, hitting their stride at an all-star benefit concert, basking in the chemistry they had developed in Monk's quartet during the preceding weeks at New York's Five Spot. Coltrane's playing is a revelation. He's both an inspired accompanist and a galvanizing soloist, taking the music to new heights with his bold, brilliantly challenging, and sometimes jaw-dropping phrases, note clusters, and blasts of power. Sharing with Coltrane a newfound sense of freedom following the personal and professional troubles that had plagued them both, Monk is clearly tickled to be in the tenorist's presence, injecting humorous commentaries and otherwise asserting his eccentric genius as a pianist. The material, which was very well recorded by the Voice of America, includes Monk classics like "Epistrophy," "Monk's Moods," and "Evidence," as well as a striking rendition of the standard "Sweet and Lovely." This is music that not only bears repeated listenings, but also demands them--the ultimate definition of a classic. --Lloyd Sachs
1. Monk's Mood
2. Evidence
3. Crepescule With Nellie
4. Nutty
5. Epistrophy (Live)
6. Bye-Ya
7. Sweet And Lovely
8. Blue
http://www.bluenote.com/detail.asp?SelectionID=10459
Posted by: Rajah, Paul, if that old relic they unearthed is half as good as the Coltrane/Parker Live at Carnegie Hall then I gotta have it. What's on it?
Posted by: YGK, .No, it's To Whom is this site dedicated to people?
Mr. Mingus Steely Dan and Whatevah.....
Actually, the ranting 'live' Mr. Prdy One was Mingus' drunken younger son.....Charles....
Posted by: General George S. Patton, America has traditionally looooved an original voice and all those who have the vision - and the courage - to appreciate it.
Sergeant Becker!!!
Bring me that Discerning Musical Taste Medal, First Class.
Posted by: His Lordship To Be, Worldlywise, I Realize, That Everybodys Crazy...Am I myself Or Just Another Freak?So much about the enemy!
Who is this site dedicated to people?
Anybody awnser that with 'Mingus' and they're getting a banana for Christmas.
Posted by: Paul Carrack, asdfPretty mainstream, but the new release of the newly-located Monk/Coltrane live album (from 1957) is fucking brilliant. I feel like I just found a paper bag full of 20-dollar bills.
Posted by: YGK, nycChrys: your defense of Mingus was bold, firm, understated yet secure, and even eloquent. By gum, it's downright American.....like the man himself.....
ygk
Posted by: Chrys, PANo, no, Hoops, I wasn't implying any fascist tyranny on your part, like some departed posters have in the past. I understand it must be a pain, and a necessary thing, to deal with all the anal orifices who stealth their way onto the board.
No, I just thought maybe I was adding fuel to the fire with my admittedly obsessive defense of Mingus and Joni, driving the philistines mad with obscene rage or something.
Anyway ...
Posted by: hoops, breezin' thruChrysler; Althought I have been a bit swamped, I don't quite follow what you might be blamed for or why but know for sure I can't think of anything to blame you for. Hang tight.
To whomever wondered, as Rajah's post mentioned, the only items deleted were a bunch of perverse rantings about one poster's private parts, as well as a couple of items by same ranter for doing so.
It's the same couple of people who hide behind their anons but would be the first to claim, "Who? me?" It's not a case of people being bored between albums or tours as these few keep it up even then--it's not there egos get satiated. It's just that the sheer volume of great posts increases at those times in proportion to the B.S.
Fly low/be cool. Will write more later.
jim
Posted by: Rajah, L.A.Chrysler - the deleted posts were merely more desparate and idiotic tripe and twaddle from the same old usual suspects, undercover or anonymous drips and drones with their maladroit, tedious and impotent ravings. So, whaddya gonna do, they will always be among us it seems and it's why bug spray and the delete button were invented.
How bout that Yankee choke? The collision with Sheffield and Crosby reminded me of Larry and Curly, all we needed was Moe to run out there and smack them with a couple of banana cream pies. Steinbrenner must have been hotter than Donald the day he tossed the "King of the World" synth down the recording studio stairwell.
Go Chisox and thank you, Hoops.
Posted by: Clas, LiljeholmenFife - strange, I live in Stockholm and haven't heard of this Byrne-project. I googled "färgfabriken" and found a better link:
http://www.fargfabriken.se/index.php?tabell=content&id=1&imgnr=1
I feel the power growing where my hair used to grow...
Posted by: Clas, Ujung Pandang
Ann - but I was surprised when I heard he sang the fathers lines in Father and Son, with one of them boy-bands, Backstreet Boys or whatever, and it was good!
Seeing that film we came to think of all those great Cat Stevens songs, and his great voice. Those were the days.
I feel the power growing in my hair...
Posted by: Chrysler, PAHoops, what the hell's going on with this board? Why all the deleted posts? Did HWT/Hassan/Cincy Joe have a schizo fit and say bad words, or what?
That's what I get for not reading the board during the working day, huh?
And why do I feel guilty here, like it was something I instigated?
This is feeling more and more like the 50s Red Scare or something.
Sheesh.
Posted by: moray eel, SteveStrangest cover of Josie I've heard is by Steve Saluto:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0001AW0HA/qid=1129011517/sr=8-3/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i3_xgl15/104-6181982-1602355?v=glance&s=music&n=507846
m.e.
Posted by: Rajah, coochie-coochie-cooHobo, check you email, I am famous for my sense of humor, I have to be to put up with a lot of crapola, we all get our turn in the barrel around here sometimes with all the shit, the pettiness, the cruelty, not to mention the jealously, the ignorance and maybe worst of all, the bad grammar.
However, discussion of my wife's genitals is where I draw the line. Unless it's really funny and in the spirit of fun which I'm choosing to believe yours to be. For now.
So peace and check yourself.
And it's waxed, not shaved, get it right at least?
BTW, did I ever tell you I sometimes shave the fuzz off my ass?
Baba Ride 'Em Bareback Rajah
Posted by: Don Breithaupt, TorontoRARE FAGEN SONG BACK IN PRINT
Hi gang -- Forgive me if I'm re-posting this. The new 17-song Monkey House CD anthology (w/ a remastered version of the band's cover of Donald Fagen's "Lazy Nina") BIG MONEY: SINGLES REMASTERS RARITIES 1992-2005 includes guest shots from David Blamires (Pat Metheny Group), Kevin Breit (Norah Jones), Mark Kelso (Gino Vannelli) and Richie Hayward (Little Feat). Visit http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/monkeyhouse for sound bites, purchase info, etc.
"A long-awaited and much-appreciated greatest hits package"
--WAVE 94.7
"Slick horns and vocals that recall the likes of Steely Dan and Level 42"
--Mississauga News
"Fine jazz-inflected AC numbers"
--The Record
"Well rendered arrangements that merge pop, soul and jazz"
--Probe
"Off-centre lyrics with fully accessible jazz licks...very cool"
--Smooth Jazz Now
Posted by: The Real Hobo Wire Toaster, Semi-aroused
So.....Miss G.......shaven. Nice. Veddy Nice.
Someone has been using my name as well. The imposter!
I am the real Hobo Wire Toaster!
says so in the phone book:
Toaster, Hobo Wire
"kiss the check out girls goodbye..."
Posted by: PQ, NYCLOL! There's a child on this board who thinks I'm Hassan or Hobo Wire Toaster, LOL. As if Jim doesn't know who that person really is. Can't you spineless anons at least get that much right?
Posted by: Gretchen, depilatories r usThanks, Hoops.
By the way, for all of you who are still wondering, I'm an Esthetician, therefore I wax. So much for the mystery.
G
Posted by: Lurk, In otherwords, get lost, PQ.
Posted by: Rajah, downer snobTake it Scarffy...
um, Scarfster...
what...did Westport sink er sumpin?
Hunh, ironic.
ph - that would have been Carolyn Leonhart for the first part
of the tour, then Cynthia Calhoun later on but from putting together rumors and reports it seems the girls actually used to pass the assignment around a lot.
There ya go, found somebody who could do the job for free.
Posted by: ph, Quick Question: who is it that sings Dirty work during the 2K tour?
Posted by: fife, baltimore,ehI found this on line and thought it was interesting, David Byrne has restored an old paint factory in Stockholm into to a giant musical instrument. Here's the website:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051010/en_nm/arts_sweden_byrne_dc;_ylt=ApQXoXC2j_ItYYlV1Lnd7Yh2F78C;_ylu=X3oDMTA3YXYwNDRrBHNlYwM3NjI-
It was a Steely Saturday here in Baltimore, as we were leaving the grocery store they were playing Do It Again and as we entered the Wine shoppe, they were playing IGY. The wine shop is right next door. Thank God, there was a lake in the parking lot!
Gretchen, long time no hear from, e-mail me some time, eh.
Posted by: Rajah, L.A.1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10
Posted by: angel, Gretch: I hear ya sister.
Corpsy V: Speaking of young, check out that very young Royce Jones, behind the percussion, in those shots. :-)
Went searching for the "Garden Party" CD and found out it is now named "No Static at All" and yes, it has Dave Koz on sax doing Josie. While searching for it I saw another CD to be released on November 15th called "Tribute to Steely Dan-Smooth Sax". No idea what this is or who is involved, but I am assuming the usual "wavey" suspects.
Posted by: He Drives A Daimler, high on the Allegheny PlateauGretchen, it's just that we're all climbing the walls waiting for DF's new one.
HWT, it's SWING that is the essential part of jazz, not improvization. Think about it: you could hear a swinging jazz piece with no improvization at all, and it would still unquestionably be jazz; you could hear a piece with linear, tonal improvizing, which, if it doesn't swing, would be very doubtful as jazz. Refer to the great frog musicologist Andre Hodeir, "Jazz: Its Evolution and Essence" on this matter.
Your take on Mingus remains glib, brother--the cat was just WAY deeper than that. And what did you say his music was, joyless, depressing, lugubrious, or words to that effect? Will you PLEASE check out the "Changes" albums (just for starters, mind you), then try to come back with those claims? Yougottabeshittinme ...
I'm too tired right now to even begin tackling your abysmal miscue on The Eternal Caecilia--
"Joni the Yoni," JEEZ-us ...
Posted by: Rajah, Take it away Scarf-Man.............
Go ahead bitch, thrill me.
Posted by: Ann, BorneoCORPSY V, YOU'VE MADE MY DAY!!!!!
Checked out the website you posted, and there it was......Manchester, 17th May 1974!!!!! Just as I remembered it...Palace Theatre! Denny inconspicuous, Walter not even visible (both were hiding somewhere at the back of the stage). Donald and Skunk vying for front position...and I have to say that Skunk emerged that night as the more audience friendly, to Donald's Mr. Super Cool!!! An incredibly young looking Michael McDonald. Wow!! Is it really 31 years ago??.....I don't FEEL any different! Time I drew my pension!!
Clas...glad you enjoyed Harold and Maude...a true classic. Shame that Yusof Islam won't be singing about where the children will play again though!! He's actually been here a few times, money raising for his schools in the UK. Missed the gig...shame.
A lot of rain tonight in the "land below the wind"
Peace to all!
Ann
Posted by: Scarf Man, Westport, CtGretchen- You say "most of the conversation here recently is a real bore". Well, I would say the irony to this statement is that you own husband starts (and is in) 99% of the conversation that's taken place here recently.
SM
Posted by: Tell me, where do the children play?, Three Mile Island
Ann - followed your example and bought the "Harold and Maude" DVD. Watched it with my wife the other night.
Ahhhh... the 70's, and the great sound track from Cat Stevens.
//C
Posted by: Gretchen, laHi Angel, it's good to see someone familiar post here. Where are all the "regulars" that posted here for so many years? I miss that; frankly, most of the conversation here lately has been a huge bore and doesn't inspire me to respond. Too many silly anons, too much Mingus, and aside from that a lot of rudeness. Forgive me for ranting, but I miss the old Blue.
G
Posted by: angel, Ph: Definitely the Plush. That version of Pretzel Logic is absolutely my favorite and closes the Plush. If you don't own it, get it!
My Hubby said he heard an instrumental version of Josie at Walmart today. He said it had lots of sax in it. I told him it was probably the one on Garden Party, though I haven't had time to research it yet and I don't own that CD.
Isn't Victoria Cave married to one of the touring band from 2000?
Thanks Blaise and Corpsy V for the current events over on the Songwriters site. That is indeed some stiff competition.
Posted by: ph, wants some more dts steelyWow did this never happen...
http://www.highfidelityreview.com/news/news.asp?newsnumber=10934317
They had SACD Aja and CBAT scheduled for release LAST YEAR.
Posted by: Corpsy V, Center Fault?http://dwellis.smugmug.com/gallery/562581/1/23438411/Medium
Alrighty, this is for the damsels on this board. Click the link above and let your imagination do the rest....
Posted by: His Lordship To Be, Worldlywise, I Realize, That Everybodys Crazy...Am I myself Or Just Another Freak?I'm with you ph. In all its shapes and sizes, you really can't beat Gaucho.
Perfection-mwah!
Posted by: ph, waiting in the carDan,
I wondered how XM would get away with playing unreleased concert soundboards. And it sounded much too clean and Donald's vocals were much too good for the typical concert. Thanks for the info.
My Gaucho SACD just arrived. Oh god, it's amazing. I just wish there wasn't water running through the pipes above my head, so I could listen to it!! Everything sounds so crisp, the intro sax in "Gaucho" is so much higher quality that the remaster, the chorus that only comes out of the rear speakers of "Glamour Proffesion" made me jump out of my seat and scream "WOW!!", I sat for 40 minutes in bliss. I love surround audio, and Gaucho seems to be the pinnacle DTS album.
Posted by: His Lordship To Be, Worldlywise, I Realize, That Everybodys Crazy...Am I myself Or Just Another Freak?What's all this I hear about Mingus?
Who is this site devoted to?
Does Mingus have a blue book?
NO HE DOESN'T, BECAUSE HE'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH!
I've got nothing whatsoever against Mingus and his fans, but this is a Steely Dan site! Take this stuff about Mingus elsewhere, prefarably to a site devoted to him.
Now I'm gonna go onto a Mingus site, search around for a comment book, and see how many people are talking about Steely Dan on Mingus' site.
Don't forget your allegience!
Posted by: IDTC, PAMingus was one of the very greatest jazz artists. The problem some have with his musical character is that he was always into too many things; he was too ambitious for his own good, too many half-baked presentations of his music, both live and on record, and too many unfinished projects. Nonetheless, his eclectic, volatile genius shines through. Mingus was the Orson Welles of jazz.
Or was Orson Welles the Charles Mingus of cinema?
HWT: Dude, you're a smart guy and a well-listened guy, but more often than not, a glib guy. Mingus was a thug who couldn't read music? Check out "More Than a Fakebook," listen to "Changes" both I and II (for starters), then eat crow.
Jazz harmony is just a second-rate descendant of Debussy? Come off it, man, CONTEXT is what's important here. Jazz took the harmony of Tin Pan Alley and Broadway, enrichened it with Debussy and Ravel to be sure (just as Gershwin had done), but the crucial thing is that it transformed that influx of harmony into a language all its own. Whatever its influences, jazz harmony is jazz harmony, i.e., the CONTEXT is the jazz language: swing, clear-cut forms with lots of transient modulation, and improvization. Forgive me for the short answer here, we can delve into this in more detail if you want.
Don't forget Debussy derived HIS harmony from Chopin, Schumann, Grieg, and Wagner. Derivation does not equal copying; it's what you DO with it that counts.
Posted by: Dan Belcher, Louisville, KYph, sounds like you heard the concert that's on the "Steely Dan's Plush TV Jazz-Rock Party" DVD. If I'm not mistaken, Pretzel Logic was not done during any of the other 2000 tour dates.
Also, the lady who sang the specific line "where did you get those shoes" was the ever-lovely Victoria Cave. Whatever happened to her anyway? She had a pretty face and a damn fine voice to go with it.
Posted by: Dan Belcher, Louisville, KYAfter checking out those great Gaucho outtakes, I was playing around with Google looking up some more info on the tune "I Got The Bear" -- I came across a 1974 album by Ian Matthews called "Some Days You Eat the Bear and Some Days the Bear Eats You." On this album, he covers our boys' own "Dirty Work." (Plus, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter shows up on guitar.) Is there a possible connection here, or just a coincidence?
Posted by: Deano Martino, Sands' Poolside with Trixie du Jour"Mr Martino: phone call form Dr. Benway"
Dr. Benway? Do I know that messhugginah?
Posted by: Doctor Mu, Alkali: I'll bite..how about an album of whimsical, fading love...with a Brazilian beat? Like Goodbye Look meets Big Noise New York meets Can't Write Home About You (Gaucho outtake on Andy's site...well, at least for the next 20 min!! ;-) ). A post- post- modern Cole Porter direction.
...either that or drugs, prostitutes, virtual pornography...and of course drugs... did I mention drugs?
Posted by: I.E., Wow, Corpsy!! Clearly I'm voting for our boys, but damn, a lot of other worthy writers too. Is it possible that everyone nominated can get in?
Posted by: Corpsy V, Wake Up Callhttp://songwritershalloffame.org/nominees/
Reporting to duty! Helloo-o-o... Colonel ß found something very important, so I don't care to be raining on your parades in here, if you're all the mucho Steely fan you claim to be, you're gonna be on top of your blister! Check out the link above. Crossing fingers ain't enough, clean out your bankacccounts and bribe, bribe, bribe wherever you can. If this doesn't work, we'll have to take out all the other nominees. Seduce them, suffocate them, hump their brains out, do whatever it takes, this is not a voluntary mission, it's crucial!
Carry on...
Posted by: Frank Sinatra, in a better placeRajah, you just don't understand.
They don't give a flying f**k about you.
Posted by: Ann, BorneoJosey...can relate to your comments. I saw our boys in 1974 and it's my one wish to see them again live, before I meet my maker!! Let's hope this '06 tour actually comes off and who knows....!
Paul...that's one of those chance occurrences that make our day! Grab life's perks while they're there!!!
Alkalai....p e l e e z e....give us a break!! Stop poking the hornets nest!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Borneo is one hot and rainy place at the moment!!
Peace to all!
Ann
Posted by: Josey, St. Simons Islandph - Oh Yeah! Saw that tour in Atlanta at an amphitheater named Chastain Park. A very cool venue if you have reasonably decent seats. Which we did - right next to the sound engineer. And I mean right beside him. The tunes that stuck with me the most were Dirty Work, Jack Of Speed, and Deacon Blues. It was ALL fantastic, but Deacon Blues sounded better than it ever did before to these ears. At one point, I motioned to who I thought was the sound engineer and told him how great I thought it sounded. He turned out to be the lighting guy but gave me a nod of thanks anyway. A minute later, he gets my attention so that THE actual sound engineer could say thank you back to me. Upon where I replied - "Oh hell no! THANK YOU!!!" A damn fine night if there ever was one.
Seeing them for the first time ever in 93 was still the most memorable for me simply because I was finally getting to see a band I never thought I'd get to see. I've seen about 7 shows and they've all been great. EMG tour in Vegas was also a huge standout.
Posted by: ph, I was getting my oil changed at walmart--which turned out to be a hell of an experience, i stood in line for 20 minutes with my gallon of wiper fluid so they could ask if 10W-30 oil was alright (and thats just the beginning of my complaints against them)--and so messed around with the demo XM radio during the 1-1/2 wait. I turned to XM Cafe (45) at about 5'o'clock CST and guess who was on!? For an entire hour they played a concert from the TvN tour and it was so awesome!!! I could have cried, I was in a really ticked off mood at that point in the day, and hearing Steely Dan (in Walmart!!) simply made everything alright. I turned it up as loud as I could to any degree of reasonableness, and wandered around the automotive dept. Nobody changed the station, except the 4 year old who walked by pressing buttons just for the thrill of pressing buttons. I was so happy. I could have bought every item in the store.
And about the concert itself, OH MY GOD it was amazing. The last song played was Pretzel Logic and they had one of the babe choir (was it Leonhart?) singing the "where did you get those shoes" bridge. BEAUTIFUL. And what other good songs did they play....? I came into the program at Green Earrings, they also did Bad Sneakers, FM, Cousin Dupree, Janie Runaway, Gaslighting Abbie, Black Friday, Josie, and a few others, I don't remember what.
Was anybody here actually at one of the TvN concerts? I'ld love to hear comments.
Posted by: Alkali, NYCWow, those ‘Gaucho’ outtakes disappeared in less than a New York minute, huh?
Glad I got em.
I never made it down to see Mingus big band the other night and with all of this Mingus sparring going on in here my curiosity is peeked, so I’ll make it a point to go; even though it’s not Mingus in the flesh.
Anybody given any thought to whether Fagen’s much anticipated record will be furthering his “concept” approach? It seems all, with the possible exception of ‘CBAT’, of Steely Dan’s records have been concept albums or very close to it, even Fagens solo works. 11 TOW was sort of all over the place (which I liked a lot) it isn’t that same mood perpetuated through out.
Hey, whatever happened to HASSAN anyway? Haven’t seen his posts in a dog’s age.
What did he fall off the earth or something? Maybe moved to Seattle or some place like that living as a hobo, you know, eating cold beans from a can and struggling to recover a few remnants of humanity via the cold rails of a box car? Educating the masses that sit outside of Starbucks about the evils of Bush and his Gestapo.
Sweet Jesus how I miss him, no really.
Have a nice next week Danions, I’m off to Vegas.
“Now you swear and kick and beg us
That you're not a gamblin' man….”
Peace
A
Posted by: Wagner, BerlinSteigen Sie In Den Zug, Schwarzie! mit ihr Goyim Schlampe
Thingus Mingus sux
for thugs
and cheap urban
wannabe mafiosos
like most Dan heads have become
Posted by: Rajah, Precisely.
Posted by: Charles, How's my little girl?Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus
Play me all time yes?
Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus
Play me all time yes?
Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus
Play me all time yes?
Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus
Play me all time yes?
Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus
Play me all time yes?
Posted by: hoBo wiRe toaSTer, Symbolica SwampMingus musick is indelicate, crass, murderous. He's like a butcher trying to do Schoenburg or Stravinsky. It's a free gulag and all, but don't put dat zombie noise on when I'm there with Miss Bejing raht?
Posted by: Bould & Dutyful, ...what hair?
Posted by: Rajah, Those were the cleanest versions of the Gaucho outtakes I'd ever heard, I played my drum pad to them like a teenager all evening but my download attempts to CD failed.
Donald, Walter and your people...that was small and petty.
We are your bedrock fans and you just treated us like the mean old man who punctures your basketball when it goes over his fence.
Forgive me, but what do you imagine those 27 year old tracks are worth to anyone but some dopey old fart like me?
I hope you're proud of yourselves...I wish you could read my mind right now cause I'd like to tear off a string of expletives that would make your hair curl.
Posted by: ph, live from nowhereUm, yah, I wondered how long that files would stay up. The last place one would want to post a link to Steely Dan bootlegs is a Steely Dan forum that is frequented by Steely Dan staff!
Posted by: Pam, FoiledThe site says "These songs are no longer available for download. Good grief, what is the big deal? I see a long list of other artist's material available on that site and wonder how many of them had/will have a hissy and shut it down? Sheesh.
Posted by: Doctor Mu, Raj: the dreaded "404 not found."...Damn, it appears the real Donald Fagen has just shut down access to those hi quality Gaucho outtake downloads
Posted by: bassicinstinct, Nottingham UKRajah:
As always, I couldn't have put it better. Long may you reign my friend.
Posted by: Rajah, Cat piss and incence, see HWT, those two reasons that I came to love Charlie Mingus. It was that book signing talk by Buddy Collette that pushed me over the edge to adoring him. He just wasn't like anybody else. Mingus' whole zeitgeist was that to be good and different is to be enduringly relevant. And time will tell, I predict, that these qualities will enshrine him for this very reason. Like our Boys 2.
Just think about what I said and consider it.
Posted by: HWT, The Far flung shores of TimeWall Mingus was certainly above McKartney and the Candy Co, but I dig not his product. Bad joss and all. Nor Joni the Yoni, early or late, tho it pains me ein bisstchen to say it--she's kind of maudlin and creepy, I mean like Sad Clouds and Sunday Mornin' Wine Cooler with Patricia Krenwinkle on backing vocals..sort of thing....smells like cat piss and incense
That old double LP with Chawlie and his Ray Bans on the cover I have, and I like a few sections but on the whole, its like some downtown nightmare and yr on wasted on cheap vodka and cheaper chronic, and there some crazy whore in your 75 Buick Riviera and she's trying to lift shit out of yr glove compartment or stab you or something..his sort of noir stuff is not bad but forced and heavy...Nelson Riddle did all of that noir stuff much more effectively..tho sometimes schmaltzy true..and what I have heard of like Kenton also preferable to my mind---he's like a wannabe schoenburg goes to watts or something ....
Posted by: Rajah, hobo - you do Mingus a great injustice. He wasn't trained. He was a fierce autodidact. An original voice on bass clef, the mirror image of how we are taught to read music in school. Paul McCartney, Jack Bruce, Chris Squire, and Jaco the Great all have this great gift. I see and hear that same deeper understanding of inverted structure whenever I hear Stevee's bass player, Jake Feldman, play. It's astounding to witness someone on that instrument who is hearing things backwards or really inside out, the negative image of the melody, not just hitting a string every fourth beat like most rock bassists. To listen to Mingus in the context of accepted musicology is to do him and his gift a great diservice. Free your mind when tuning into Charlie, the rest will follow.
That record he did with Joni was done at his bequest when he knew he was coming to the end of the line. He loved her stuff, he picked her, admiring the way she developed from jangly folk singer to jazz diva. Those two have so very much in common.
Posted by: hobo wire toaster, in routeIt's debatable Mingus could even read music. His piano playing was brutal. Yes, he could slam his bass around, maybe after beating the shit out of some dude for cash to get it out of pawn ('fore he became notorious), but he's not even a Ray Brown. He was a primarily a blues club player, and, yeah, a thug. If you dig crazy thugs send his peeps some mo' money. He had some decent players with him, but phuck dat crazy n-ah.
I'd rather listen to Debussy anyways than about any jazz you can name--and most jass harmonies are already found in Claude or in Milhaud....or Wagner if in a bad mood.
Posted by: ph, the bear got meI've had those demos for a while now...were they recorded at that quality, or did somebody clean up the original telephone musac outtakes?
It's too bad the Hi-Q Second Arrangement is the original demo instead of the redone outtake with finished lyrics, I like the end-result better. Both still make me cry.
But from the Hi-Q recordings was the first time I'd heard Kulee Baba, and I agree with everybody else, that song deserved some time on the album.
Posted by: Alkali, NYCThe other don fagen: thanks for whetting my appetite, i need something to tied me over before dinner in January.
"were you blind that day" is nice. real nice. i do believe i like it better than TWM(i never liked that tune a whole lot, not just because it's politically heavy either)
Kulee Baba is great! oh, how i wish they recorded that!
Gaucho's nice too, very tasty; even if they did...lift it?
thanks again
Peace
A
Posted by: Walter Becker, the other white meat, Lordship: Best to take nothing seriously here...ever!
Posted by: the other Donald Fagen, Don't tell the RIAA, but some delectable Hi Quality versions of the Gaucho outakes are here:
http://www.bigomagazine.com/archive/ARrarities/ARsdgaucho.html
Posted by: His Lordship To Be, Worldlywise, I Realize, That Everybodys Crazy...Am I myself Or Just Another Freak?Thanks Rajah. I kind of guessed it wasn't the real Don (seeing as David Palmer and other unlikely names have already been on).
I'll work on that re-mix you reccomended. Here goes...
Posted by: Rajah, Not to worry, Your Lordship, we are here to help make your flight as satisfactory as possible. However, as I'm certain you have surmised, it is very doubtful indeed that the Donald Fagen who signed on here is the Donald Fagen who is, well, THE Donald Fagen, these cyber-identities being the --ahem-- *fluid* personas that they surely are. Nothing is as it seems to be as I think Ashlee Simpson was recently quoted so Koo-Koo Ka Choob and smoke em if ya gottum as my old music theory professor used to say.
Anyway, fly that freak flag my brotha and, listen, if Your Lordship does mash-up Major Dude and Western World...ah...email me for further instructions on how to destroy...I mean disretain the offending mixup.
Here at the Major Baba Rajah Dude Ranch
Posted by: His Lordship To Be, Worldlywise, I Realize, That Everybodys Crazy...Am I myself Or Just Another Freak?What have I done?!?!
Don-I'm sorry!
I seriously underestimated the dangers of talking about a home remix.
Rajah-you're right, I am a uperfreak. Thank you very much.
I think next time I'll just say Hi and leave it at that...
Posted by: Rajah, I've never seen so many dopey haircuts on one baseball team as the BlowSox. Sorry, Boston Rag, but Manny and Damon are ugly enough to appear on the back cover of Countdown to Ecstasy. That band should have been arrested by the 70s fashion police for that look.
Posted by: YGK, nycI'm with you Raj, until the Bloody sox are throw in the washer....I think their experience is enough to not get too cocky....
but then, Go Yankees!
ygk
Posted by: Rajah, PricelessJeez, Don, let's get serious. I mean, I love the air into which you expel but, c'mon now, a home remix of Any Major Dude ain't worth more than the Union scale mechanical royalty rate plus ten percent for your agent what with His Lordship's fanbase. "Me and You and a Dog Named Boo" is probably worth more. Can I show you my Sri Lankan, "Married With Children" residuals from 1988? Pitiful.
In other news: go White Sox.
Posted by: Donald Fagen, Tariq, Gunz, and Butter Lordship: That'll be $120,000 please. My peeps will shout out to your peeps on the cell phone. Just don't get Bootie Crack Corn on me.
- do you throw our your grill? Can you see how they roll? -
Posted by: Rajah, any major freakYour Lordship:
You are NOT just another freak, my regal friend, the returns are in, you a Superfreak.
You're superfreaky. [rimshot] Thank you.
Course, who am I to judge, I used to get dressed up in a Turban and go on dates.
Now if you really saw the world through Dan-colored glasses, you'd do a mash-up of Any Major Dude with Here at the Western World.
Baba Freak-Whacker Welcome Wagon Rajah
Posted by: His Lordship To Be, Worldlywise, I Realize, That Everybodys Crazy...Am I myself Or Just Another Freak?Greetings.
I've just done a re-mix of Any Major Dude.
Urrgh.
I won't be listening to the entire album for a LONG time.
You can have to much of a good thing folks, but don't mind me...
Posted by: Rajah, Pete, you teaseNow if Pete really cared, he's look into his crystal ball and tell us if we're looking at a Steely Dan tour for '06 cause it's never too early to start planning...
However, I have consulted The Oracle of Delphi, I mean, Hi-Fi, and she gave me the track listing for the record putatively entitled, "Orchids and the Summer Rain" and it will be:
1)Orchids and the Summer Rain
2)Prickly Pear Ripped my Kiester
3)Don't Phunck with That Hemiola, Schmendrick
4)Yo Mama Don't Mow Her Lawn
5)Secret Life of Bamboo Shoots
6)Schmutz on My Bulbs and It's Serious
7)Trading Tulips on All Fours and Missin' You
8)Green Cannabis Street
9)Careful With My Garden Weasel
Posted by: Doc Mu, Sal-i-vation!Pete: Based on recent tidbits accumlated here and Gina's site, it will be a shiny toy indeed!
Posted by: Pete, Doc Mu, it will be worth the wait. Believe me.
Posted by: Doc Mu, skating backwards at 88 mphit just SEEMS like 3 years...where the f*&%* is that Fagen album?
Posted by: hoops, happy 5766Mr. Rag's sister reminded me that two years ago today was the Concord Danfest of love hosted by Aray and Holliday and co. and featuring Connie, SueDave, Hb and a fine representation of for-real Danfans. And, of course, it was the Concord Steely Dan show where Cornelius was awarded the Bunsen Prize. Where does the time go!?
Sorry haven't been able to keep up the past few days. Will get to at the end of the week.
Love and good vibes to you all, with a taste of nostalgia for two years ago today.
jim
Posted by: Rajah, Frank, I find it difficult to disagree with your very incisive post, brevity being the very soul of wit. Better I dare say than half the drivel I've ever bunged up here.
By Jove, I think he's got it.
Happy and prosperous New Year, BTW, to all.
Even the Goyim.
Posted by: Frank Johnson,
Posted by: Alkali, NYCWell, I’m gonna try and get down to the Iridium Jazz Club tonight (51st and Broadway) to see Mingus Big Band for the 8:00 show. I’m a bit apprehensive because as I’ve mentioned I’m not the biggest Mingus fan there is. But, tickets aren’t too expensive and I like the acoustics in that place (saw Les Paul there a while back, I think his Trio is there every Monday night; does that guy ever stop to take a breather!?)
At the risk of being redundant I found two very good articles concerning the Dan.
The first one is an interview entitled ‘Everything must groove’ and it also gets into Steely Dan EMG gear, pretty cool.
The second one shines accolades on the duo’s career, so some of it will be boring to we “Dan aficionado’s” but, then it gets into the Mu Major Chord and quotes Denny Dias describing how difficult some of the chords were to play during the ‘Aja’ sessions.
Again, I apologize if these have already been on the Blue.
Enjoy.
http://onstagemag.com/ar/performance_everything_groove/
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=15074
“It's perfection and grace”
Peace
A
Posted by: Marty McFly, Back to the Futurethe 3rd anniversary !!!!
Oh Magoo, you've done it again...
Posted by: Doctor Mu, Damn, the 3rd anniversary of the Dallas EMG show last week just slipped by me...What a night!! replaying the blow by blow report...
Band Uber Alles
…made the 3 hour trip back in 2:40 in a Steely Dan haze through patches of fog and skunk…We left this enclave in the middle of nowhere Texas about 3 pm – turned out just moi and the kiddos…stopped at a Whataburger 30 miles from Dallas for some hearty fare on the way into fair park…I eased the milk truck in the space…as crowd control made collecting the $7 dollar usual parking fee null and void…
DanFest seemed to be disbanded in the North parking lot but the time we got there – sorry I missed whoever…The wait after the gates opened was not bad…made a cell phone call or tow, but couldn’t see my shadow with the cell phone on the ground. I think in Texas that means 6 more weeks of Summer!
…we skipped the long beer and hurricane lines and went for the Hard stuff – sno-cones with self-serve syrup. This proved a challenge as a mini-swarm of killer bees hovered over the syrup dispenser island…
…We found our seats 11 rows deep on the left/Walter’s side of the stage… the Security Nazi (see below) responded to my query of 7”30 show time by handing me a folded piece of security talking point with sure enough a time of 8 pm…By now it was 7 pm and we wiled away is what turned out to be a very pleasant evening (80° down to 70° by show end) by playing name that state/country. My 8 year old son got on a roll a creamed me with Brunei and Swazailand. Other entertainment was finding seat positions and strategies to peer around a guy in front of us with a combined size of Hoops and St Al…very amiable with a nice wife who was happy to see my kids there getting a real musical lesson…He swerved half-drunken half music possessed throughout the show and we had a clear view 87% of the time…we spill purple grape sno cone mush on the floor – now our clothes are tie dyed to fit tonight’s theme… then a much drunker guy and wife constantly apologizing was attempting to find seats 12 down from us. He’d take 2 steps, then would have to ask us 4 times what our seats were to regain his bearing…all this reminds me – it may the beer of a Dallas thing. There were heads bobbing indeed with the songs. But half were side to side!
The place was just teeming with aging boomers, as well there should be in a beer buzz that took them back to the 70s, and the band gladly obliged.
A snazzy jazzy CUBANA CHANT began and the band took over the night air.
A number of things struck me immediately: (1) how tight and in sync the entire band is…absolutely cohesive without a weak link…the swung, they rocked. Truly Amazing…
From left to right: Cornelius Bumpus had his earthy, soulful groove going and took a number of tunes home like the final encore FM
Walt Weiskopf had the right combination of chops, blues, and soul that gave the Steely Dan sound a core we all know and love
Michael Leonhart on unmated and muted trumpet swung from smooth accompaniment to early Maynard Ferguson stratospherics without the excess
Jim Pugh provided an extra dimension – he gets better and better…this was acknowledge by Walter in the intros before he slipped in another trombone joke…
Jon Herrington flat delivered the good tonight. Going from Larry Carlton’s rhythm guitar from Aja to the Dias solos…and ripping it to shreds on Don’t Take Me Alive and KidC…WOW!!! Don’t underestimate this man!
Walter’s playing was outstanding – a lot of confidence in those blues/jazz chops…a no noodling zone tonight
Texan Keith Carlock…what can you say? He’s got jazz and rock chops.. Reminds me a bit of a slightly more jazzy Stewart Copeland…except Copeland had quick jabbed on that high had…almost sounded like 2 drummer…come to think of it Keith sounded like 2 drummers on Parker’s Band.
Tom Barney – on the chair or stool (is that dreadlocks?) is rock bottom solid with a bit of jazzy fuzz in the bass
Dr. Fagen was all over the Rhodes, melodica, keytar…Very animated and good sound. Primarily the vocals were outstanding! Strong…good tone…great phrasing…blending so tightly with the babe choir…never noticed a flubbed line – but who cared??
Ted Baker was solid with some flavorful arpeggios
The Babe choir: Cindy Mizelle, Carolyn Leonhart, Cynthia Calhoun had just the right blend.. Did some semi-choreographed dancing, with lost of individuality thrown in
(2) Walter and especially Donald REALLY seemed to enjoy the show and performing. The Donald was really in the zone whether doing hi Ray Charles on the Rhodes or strutting and bobbing with the melodica or keytar/midi thing
(3) The wanted to give the folks in Dallas what they wanted…and it was a 70s flashback…although far better than I remember the 70s!
(4) arrangements massaged – not a note for note copy of the recordings – which is a very good thing for many reasons
Set List:
Set A
Cubana Chant – very nice, jazzy, summery…horns show their tightness as a unit…Carlock knew when not to overwhelm a band…almost a John Guerin touch here…Jim Push sounds just great
Walter strolls out like a jolly brown-haired Santa with a guitar…maroon or brown shirt – hard to tell with the 70s lighting.
Donald comes out with a blue shirt – not tucked in
Kudos to the guy who mixed the instruments – nice balance – could hear the whole band and each individual, although Baker might have been mixed a little low (however see below)…this is especially true as Smirnoff is a TIN BOX with big speaker sets probably there from the Boston concert in 1976…I new the place and that the acoustics would SUCK…plus someone had turned the AMPS up to 11…Credit the band for being to tight, cohesive, and spot on throughout the concert
Aja – Donald very animated on the Rhodes first, then pulls out the melodica
Vocals are stellar, phrasing and use of space never better…in fact considerably better than TvN…Donald really knows how to SING a conversation! This piece is open enough to hear Ted Baker…dreamy movement…Weiskopf absolutely nails the sax solo and Herington and mentioned is superb…Walter gets in a few good licks…Carlock muscular !I’m ALL tingly!!!
Time Out of Mind – absolutely KILLER version. CarLOCKS the grove right in the pocket
Godwhacker – very solid version …Donald almost apologizes at the end for the subject matter…my son digs this one – I told them it’s a cartoon (which is close to the truth)
Caves of Altamira – One of the shows highlights…Pugh has an amazing solo…Fagen’s vocals are in the zone
Black Cow – Fagen and now Babe Choir in the zone together…Bumpus and Michael Leonhart with very since work
Babylon Sisters – a surprise…the Babe Choir “Shakes it!” Pugh with a monumental trombone solo…Fagen reaches for the Keytar. Ted Baker with very nifty organ work…Walter with a gripping blues outtro…I yell GO WALTER GO!!!! From the 11th row
…thought he looked over to us – nah, it’s that stand with the lamp he keeps looking at…Is it one of those prompters that W or Clinton use when pretending to connect with people, when they’re actually reading the speech?
I’m ready for Slang of Ages – but the chords in the intro don’t sound right…and there’s a good reason! Its’ DADDY Don’t Live In hat NY City No More!! Walter’s vocals are very good – I’ve been singling along for a time and Walter’s right in my range…a number of people leave here for more beer – RUDE BASTARDS!!!
Walter introduces Band - ..I have this wicked dream of Walter hosting the Miss America Pageant!
Peg – Herington slashes masterfully through the Jay Graydon solo…crowd drunker and more pumped…Fagen starts to mention more and more about the 70s…and there’s some lava lamp whit or something on the monitors…my daughter asks me later about what is some negative color images of a canyon flying past…Where’s my pet rock? Tom Barney is givin’ it some REAL THUMB now
Home At Last – feature Walter and a Michael Leonhart on muted horn…can this magnificent song get any better??
What a set!!! Am anticipating more EMG on Set B
Set B…after a drink and bathroom break I’m having some trouble separating the instruments as we start the Steely Dan Show song…realize because I’m half Freakin’ DEAF from the “Boston Acoustics” …nice “groove that never quits” Dr. Fagen has fun with what is a little tribute for us…that we wrote for ourselves…we should feel guilty …but there ya go”
Funny line re: SD t-shirts, hats: “it’s only promo stuff…but hey it’s good enough”
Donald comes out in a White Dinner Jacket…he’s lighting up the entire stage…now wonder he has those shades on!
Janie Runaway – horns cookin’
Into Hey 19…crowd even more animated…drunk girlfriends singing along now…Weiskopf and Herington shine
Walter takes the mike again for Haitian Divorce…Herington nails it on the wah wah
Lunch With Gina – Donald swinging the keytar…really cooks – really peppy sax takes tome of the solo…anticipating EMG or dare I say Pixeleen??? Fagen keeps alluding to the 70s though – a portend of things to come…
Parker’s Band – the Babe Choir, Weiskopf, Bumpus and Fagen on the Rhodes – sounds better live than Pretzel…Carlock all over the kit…
Josie – Walter duels with Herrington…the dreaded 70s drum solo…builds and Carlock shows his chops
And it’s EMG!!!!!….nah from the Jurassic Period, it’s the tour staple Kid C. No real big change in arrangement from 2000…However, Herington’s guitar is sharp. Carlock has his own shuffle, and unlike the great Purdie, he’s NEVER late…
Herrington then take no prisoners on Don’t Take Me Alive…maybe better than Carlton!!!…Crowd drunker and happier than ever…lesse…drunk…happy…stupid…70s…Bush…oh now I get it! …anyway, the audience got it – what they wanted that is..
Encore: You know ‘em you love ‘em
My Old School …really nice intro Rhodes from The Donald
FM – Bumpus with the sax and Walter takes us home! Just a top notch concert despite the acoustics of the venue
The Security Nazis stopped any hint of dancing in the aisles or near the stage near the end of the show...they looked glaringly at my mini Magnalite with the power of a triple sun which subbed for a lighter as the crowd clamored for encores...
My Mood Ring sez…TIME TO GET TO F***in’ SLEEP!!!!!
Posted by: DWB, Eclectica Magazinehttp://www.eclectica.org/v3n2/roblee.html
Better yet, read this hilarious brilliant story with a lot of Steely Dan in it, the inside psyche thing perhaps :-)
I'm sure many will recognize some of it, like how a song can mess with your mind or fully integrate with a moment in time. But none like in this story...
Posted by: lost for words, the songDo any of you gits just play a SD CD and shut the FK up now and then
Posted by: SouthOfHollywood, Zooming on the couchStyle Council = Paul Weller and friends...
http://www.80smusiclyrics.com/artists/stylecouncil.htm
Posted by: SouthOfHollywood, Zooming on the couchStyle Coucil = Paul Weller and friends...
http://www.80smusiclyrics.com/artists/stylecouncil.htm
Posted by: Alkali, NYCYGK:sorry, bout that,this time it'll work.thanks.
A
Posted by: ..., ...pardon me, I act like FACW/Doc Mu now: Costley should be COSTEY. And did I hear someone mention Fiona Apple? Guess who likes to listen to her because he's taken with the way Jon Brion produces her albums...? None other than John Beasley...
Beasty?
Posted by: DWB, ...My pleasure, ph. Imagine, I was googling for info on Donald Fagen and the young producer/mixer Rich Costley (check the Mixonline.dom or Soundonsound.com for studio updates) but because of an initial typo it looked for "Costly". And then that review came up. What struck me the most and had me pause reading, were the lines about mr. Cornelius Bumpus. The first and only time I saw Steely Dan in concert, like 3 years before, I had similar notions when watching mr. Bumpus. There was something weary surrounding him, as if his soul was no longer really belonging to this world but he somehow insisted on willpower and persevered. All the more respect for him, btw.
Posted by: ph, DWB, that review was really awesome. Thanks for posting it.
Posted by: YGK, nycAlkali:
Your cousin doesn't get it.....and even being a jazz snob, his nose is so far up his butt he can't smell anything without a shitty skew.
And yes, you must see Mingus BB......I tried emailing you with info, and it bounced......
wazzup.....?
ygk
Posted by: Alkali, NYCHey, I like Gregorian chants.
Have you ever heard the Scandicus Fexus CD? It kills!
But seriously, I e-mailed my cousin this morning to point out the review I posted earlier on the blue comparing Gentle Giant to Steely Dan. he actually said ‘yea, I can see the similarities’ I couldn’t believe it! He also added that the only Steely Dan song that’s worth more than one listen in “Dr. Wu” (he’s a big Jazz snob and knows absolutely everything about it) And then he mentioned a couple of other Steely Dan like bands; Al Stewart, Alan Parsons and Style Council. I never heard of Style council any of you know this band?
I gotta make it down to see Mingus big band.
Peace
A
Posted by: YGK, nycJim - Saturday, right?
Posted by: Rajah, Check the disingenuity, we do discuss them. And if Donald doesn't give us something new to gnaw on sometime this fall, we'll be discussing medieval rounds and Gregorian chant pretty soon.
Posted by: Even More Obscure Mingus Info, The Fez CafeWhen Gene Jackson played drums in the Mingus Big Band he kicked ass. But drummers that play with Branford and Kevin Eubanks are too obscure to discuss here.
Posted by: More Correctly, .Sue, (Mingus, that is)
and the arranger
Cy Johnson....
I had the unique pleasure of meeting this wonderful woman.....even sat with her......
Posted by: ygk, nycNope.
Sue and Cy Johnson
Posted by: YGK, nycAha! I found it.......
Every Tuesday now......
http://www.iridiumjazzclub.com/mingus.shtml
ygk
Posted by: Rajah, I give up genius, Ok I'll guess: Dolphy.
Posted by: More Obscure Mingus Input, nycOMI: Congrats! The basement of Time Cafe is called the Fez!!!!
I believe they change location - I could be wrong.......but they performed every Thursday.....for god knows how long........
and since you're brilliant - who would show up most nights that was very close to Charles?
Posted by: Rajah, I attended a book signing years ago in Hollywood by the famously obscure clarinetist Buddy Collette who worked with Mingus (oh, and a guy named Frank too)when Mingus was just starting out. He said Mingus was a fiercely original player and thinker. So much so that he had an absolute compulsion to never, ever do what he was expected to do, especially when it came to his musical choices. I remember Collette telling the story that if the musicians were asked to come into a room and sit down on folding chairs, Mingus was adamant about sitting on the window sill The guy marched to the beat of his own drummer or bust. He was a brilliant pain in the ass.
BTW Collette wrote a great bio, a significant portion of which dealt with the integration of the Black musicians' union, Hollywood Local 767 with the regular Local 47 back in the late 40s, early 50s. His account recalls that it wasn't ever the musicians themselves that ever had a problem playing with each other, it was, not surprisingly, the suits running the labels and the fancy club owners.
Now what does this mean, are there any harp players out there that can explain this to me from this article,
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/entertainment/12760968.htm
mentioning Howard Levy playing the Hardly Bluegrass Music festival in SF:
"He is the first player to invent a system on a blues harmonica that allows players to hit every note on the scales required for more complex music, such as jazz."
Am I suppose to believe he invented a method for covering the chromatic scale on blues harp?
Posted by: Obscure Mingus Input, Basement Of The Time Cafe, Where The Mingus Big Band Has Played Every Monday for 20 YearsExcept for possibly Wayne Shorter, Henry Threadgill, and maybe Duke, Mingus is the greatest jazz composer of all time. Period, the end. Check Haitian Fight Song or Free Cellblock H, Tis Nazi USA.
Mingus' last group, with Don Pullen, George Adams and Dannie Richmond, is a greater small combo than maybe only 5 or 6 others in all jazz history. Puh leeeeeze.
Posted by: Alkali, NYCDAN: I respect your opinion of Dylan, he’s not everyone’s cup of meat, but, you really can’t make a strong claim that his words don’t ring as true as they always have and will. Do yourself a favor and go back and read his love songs, you don’t even have to listen to his playing if it bothers you.
YGK: Mingus Big band hmmmm……I’ll check it out. Thanks.
A while back on the blue someone, I think it was Raj, asked us to rate our favorite rock CD’s as each band’s “Sgt. Pepper” effort.
(By the way, IMO, “Royal Scam” is Steely Dans “Sgt. Pepper”)
Another band that was on my list was Gentle Giant, sort of an obscure band from England, and I said their “Three Friends” CD was their “Sgt. Pepper” I love this record, it’s one of those that stays with you and you find yourself humming it’s melodies well after the record has stopped playing.
Simply beautiful pastoral colored musical themes playing off of each other.
I’ve never thought of Gentle giant sounding anything even remotely like Steely Dan.
Anyway, I’m reading through Mizar5’s site and I come across a review that compares and then accuses Steely Dan:
{I don’t know, maybe its me, but when ever I try and think of someone who sounds like Gentle Giant from their mid 70s period, the time they released my favorite recordings, I keep coming back to the one same group, and the comparison is not quite satisfying for me. That is, some, only some, of the music on this, and the previous year's, The Power And The Glory, reminds me of Steely Dan, or vice versa. I just wanted to get that over with. I’ll touch on that again later.
[Reviews “free hand”]
Let’s go back to the comparison with Steely Dan now. Maybe it’s that Minnear had a preference for clavinet and electric piano in their arrangements. He used less B-3 and Moog than most keyboardists I might name, and if one plays a bouncy melodic line with these funkier sounding keyboards, it will sound a bit like the style of Donald Fagen. Maybe. Perhaps it is that the Giant boasted members that played sax and a variety of instruments that were used in the studio by Fagen and Becker. Perhaps it is the back up vocals on "Time To Kill," which sound exactly like the vocals on the early Steely Dan releases. Steely Dan and Gentle Giant were contemporaries, but I would hate to ascribe some poorly researched theory of any motive to either of them. It’s just an innocent observation, really. If I were to advance any foolish theory, it would be that Steely Dan stole much of their stylistic elements from Gentle Giant. But, remember. I’m not saying anything about it. I never even mentioned anything on the topic at all.}
-Tom Karr, March 2004
“Because no men have all their peace of mind
To carry them”
Peace
A
Posted by: DWB, Finders Keepers?Found one very personal story online:
MISTUH STEELY DAN WHATEVUH
We drank deep from the steely well last night, and there was much rejoicing. Of course the venue was gigantic, and we spent much of the show straining through my binoculars, but the sound was pretty good (by cave standards). The crowd was a pasty sea of forty-somethings who had seen the softer side of Sears, sporting summer pastels and even a few sweaters (mind you, it was about 80°F outside). There was more than a handful of married dudes trying to recapture their glory days by shouting a lot, and for no apparent reason. This wasn't a rock show so much as a laid back cocktail jazz hour, and I think by the end many of them had figured it out. A snippet of conversation I overheard in the bathroom after:
Drunk #1: "They didn't play a single one of my top five. Can't Buy A Thrill MADE you guys- I can't fuckin' believe it. 'FM?' --gimme a break."
Drunk #2: "I'm with you 100%"
I couldn't quite agree with the chatty gentlemen at the urinals. Yes, it would've been nice to hear "Do It Again," which I know they played on the first night of the tour, and I was pretty surprised they didn't play "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" (maybe they still fear legal retribution from Horace Silver), but what did these guys want? Here's the setlist:
Latin jazz intro (just the band, no Donald or Walter, playing "Cubano Chant" by Ray Bryant)
Aja
Time Out Of Mind
Godwhacker
Caves of Altamira
Big Black Cow
Babylon Sisters
Slang of Ages
Peg
Home At Last
"Tribute to Steely Dan" (or something- missed it while procuring a beverage)
unknown song from Two Against Nature (Janie Runaway?)
Hey Nineteen
Haitian Divorce
Things I Miss The Most
Parker's Band
Josie
Kid Charlemagne
Don't Take Me Alive
My Old School
FM
Yes, I'm sure 90% of the crowd wanted to hear "Reelin' In The Years," but I'm truly at a loss for what other four songs the angry drunks expected to hear and didn't. They only played three songs from the new album, and just one from the undeservedly Grammy Award-winning Two Against Nature. I could've done without "Home At Last" which was just as long and meandering as "Aja" but not as memorable, but "Kid Charlemagne," "Don't Take Me Alive," "My Old School," "FM" and "Hey Nineteen" were all on my must-hear list, and I was happy they included "Big Black Cow," "Josie," "Peg," and especially "Caves of Altamira," which I did not expect them to do. I even liked "Time Out Of Mind," much to the dismay of my two comrades. I just get a kick out of hearing Fagen say "tonight when I chase the dragon." "Haitian Divorce" was sung by Walter Becker and was pretty hilarious, though eventually tedious as the wah-wah guitar slunk and squawked constantly throughout the song (just like on the album!). Generally they stuck to the mid-tempo jazzy numbers and avoided the heavier stuff (I envisioned a brilliant medley of "Bodhisattva" and "The Fez"). I guess my only real disappointment was that they totally ignored Katy Lied (as they did Can't Buy A Thrill), but I've heard they don't really like that one too much. Fools!
Donald Fagen was a little more entertaining than I was expecting. He threw in some Ray Charles-esque head bobs and switched up the lyrics in "Hey Nineteen," replacing 'Retha Franklin with Otis Redding, and the back-up singers chimed in with "sockittome sockittome sockittome," a nice little pun on the fact that Redding wrote and recorded "Respect" before Aretha had her defining moment with it. Fagen referred to the back-up singers as his "beauteous ladies choir" and called his long-time writing partner Walter Becker "demented." Becker stoically plucked a Strat in his best imitation of Mark Knopfler (the sound was poppy and clean...too clean), and Fagen rotated between Rhodes, melodica, and a keytar that seemed to be decorative more than anything, unless it was triggering samples for the vocal parts he can't manage anymore. I jest, of course, but his voice sounds so thin and reedy on Everything Must Go that I was worried he'd sound terrible live, but the giant sound system did a good job of pumping it up.
While neither Fagen nor Becker seemed to notice, longtime 'Dan associate and former Doobie Brother Cornelius Bumpus looked terribly dejected and lethargic throughout the show, occasionally setting his horn down and taking a seat. His shoulders were hunched over the whole time, and he resembled a cardboard cut-out. Actually, Becker and Fagen could've easily been animatronic characters, as they moved in very short, repetitive bursts, when they were moving at all. Whenever Becker was watching the other guitar player, Jon Herington, I imagined he was mentally cataloging every detail that he disapproved of. I would really hate to work for that guy. The drummer, Keith Carlock, bothered one of my friends, but I thought he was fine for this kind of show. Unfortunately there was a pointless, bombastic drum solo (during "Josie," of all songs) in which we imagined a Tommy Lee-like cage lifting the drum kit into the air and out over the audience.
The merch table was full of overpriced junk, as you might expect, but we were able to score some free Steely Dan travel mugs by filling out bogus applications for GM credit cards. The tickets were around $50, beer cost $5, drinks $5-9. Supposedly we supported some disabled Haitian kids with our $5 for parking, but who knows. All told it was fairly costly, but not as bad as it might've been. I think the evening can best be summed up by the behavior of an annoying guy at the bar next to me:
Loser: "What kinda brandy you got? Christian Brothers? That stuff is awful!"
Bartender: "You don't have to drink it, then."
Loser: "Where's the E&J?...blah blah blah...blahblahblah..."
The guy crabbed for awhile and then ordered a Christian Brothers anyway. I'm sure he really impressed the woman he was with. Such class. Such elegance. We drove home and watched LL Cool J on the Conan O'Brien show, then I poured myself a scotch and soda and switched over to a Black Sabbath video, happy as a clam. A sleepy clam.
Posted by: YGK, nycHobowiretoaster: re: your Mingus comments - you haven't a friggin' clue other than he worked with great musicians.
Alkali: d'you know about the Mingus Big Band? they still perform every week - used to be at the Fez - but have sinced moved.....do a search and I'm sure you'll find them....
and on a Mingus theme - new record is called "Nostalgia in My Square Head" - a reference to the Mingus tune "Nostalgia in Times Square".
ygk
Posted by: Dan, The Pioneer Elite DV-45A is a nice universal player. DVD-Audio seems to sound better than SACD, but Dark Side of the Moon (SACD) is magical. Nice video playback also. This thing will play anything you throw at it (DTS, Mp3's, etc). For around $350, it's hard to beat.
Whichever one you choose, make sure that it will play multichannel DVD-Audio and multichannel SACD. Some higher end models play multi DVD-A, but only stereo SACD.
http://shopper.cnet.com/4014-6473_9-20324871.html?messageSiteID=7&messageID=847625&tag=uolst&cval=847625&ctype=msgid&rvwtp=4864-6473_9-20324871
Posted by: suedave, audio upgradeThanks Mu, a very reasonably priced multi-format player - that's now on a list I've just started. Anyone out there have any combo DVD-A/SACD players that you'd recommend? If so what qualities/features make them special? I think it is just about time to take the shrink wrap off of the EMG DVD-A I've got in my collection.
Posted by: Dan, PhilippinesThat Dylan. In my books, he faded into obscurity a long time ago. Even though Knockin On Heavens Door is a great song, after hearing it over and over, many and maybe most reach a point where they say "enough". Sure, many of us have a copy of The Best Of Bob in their collection but its probably just as dusty as his guitar. Folk is not a good time traveller.
Posted by: hobo wire toaster, Brussels Howie Levy and DF? Wild 'n Whacky. Levy throws a mean tyrone, perhaps, but I would think some cat like Toots Thielemann or the guy who plays chromatica for Metheny as more apropo. Chromatic harmonica jazz is no mean feat: Toots sounds about as good most jazz horn-players to me; Levy plays diatonic doesn't he? That blues diatonic sound seems a bit limited and trite. Toots or someone like Larry Elder--could play through Gershwin or Bird or Ellington---never heard a diatonic blues schmoe do that. Toots did a record of Shorter pieces as well, and well, let's just say that Belgium tenor-sax-in- miniature 'tis not so far from the more ritzy New Yawk variety.
Posted by: pu, Gina--Thanks for the heads up on Howard Levy. I actually saw Mr. Levy play live at Le Bar Bat in NYC years ago. He really is a great player. After that show I went out and bought a bunch of Bela Fleck records. Can't wait to hear him on the new DF!
Posted by: Alkali, NYCJIM: thanks for mentioning Jackson. I’ve always thought he was underrated, his music is cool and always thought he was as good as Costello; "Look Sharp" is a great CD.
Leonard Cohen or as I like to call him 'Dustin's musical twin' is a great writer, "The Future" CD is incredible, he's a consistent genius.
He never seems to disappoint. His "Heather" CD is coming at the end of the month!
DAN: who is Dylan? Bob Dylan is a folk singer primarily. He’s the single most important and influential song writer alive.
“The blizzard, the blizzard of the world
Has crossed the threshold
and it has overturned the order of the soul.”
- Cohen
“Oh tell my baby sister
Not to do what I have done
But shun that house in New Orleans
They call the risin' sun.”
- Dylan
Peace
A
Posted by: curious, the missing-in-action oneRe: http://www.ioforums.net/
Ed - that's what I mean. His photo is there but he hasn't been heard from in a long time.
Look at the top forum listing "Roger has left the building"
Posted by: ph, looking so bereaved and so bereftStill on the SACD thread...
I've noticed with DTS SACDs my subwoofer doesn't start pumping, whereas with Dolby DVD-A's, it does. Must be the dif between 4 channel and 5.1
At the moment I'm listening to Brothers In Arms on SACD. Pretty awesome. The voice is very crisp.
Posted by: Gina, Vanguard Mountainhttp://www.writingaffairs.com/mizar5net/index.php
Howard Levy's been very kind to shed some light on his collaboration with Donald Fagen, you can click the link above to find out more about DF's new album... Parents of teenage girls might be wondering if Cousin Dupree is back... and learn about what they have in common!
On a Dylan note, can't remember who it was, but he mentioned a PBS special about Dylan, happens so the Emglish BBC was airing the exact same Scorsese movie on Monday and Tuesday. And yesterday BBC2 aired Masked and Anonymous, in which Dylan plays a singer named Jack Fate. It was kind of surreal at times, with a stellar cast and fine music. A nod here and there, a Zappa reference even and i dunno, fun to watch.
A few more months and then it's January...
Everyone have a fine Sunday :-)
Posted by: dan, philippinesDylan? Who's that?
Posted by: Obscure Fans Unite, ObscurevilleBelieve me Dan, on this board she will be considered obscure. After all, she's not Joni or Dylan.
Posted by: Dan, PhilippinesRenee Rosnes obscure? She's been active on the international jazz scene for about 20 years. Teamed up with JJ Johnson alot, duet with Wayne Shorter back in the 80's and since has recordings with DeJohnette and many more famous jazz musicians. If she is still obscure, what would get her out? Should she try hanging hellium filled balloons from her piano? Female jazz piano players who do not sing and make it to the very top are a rarified community which in itself removes them from obscurity.
Posted by: edbeatty, @or near the immortal oneHey
You just have to know where to look to find the "immortal one"
http://www.ioforums.net/
Posted by: hobo wire toaster, Sea-attleMingus was overrated. It was his musicians anyways who did most of the work, and his sound is sort of a rip-off of many--Elington, Stan Kenton, other ho-wood soundtack guys. He succeeded because he was rude and thug-like mutha-f-er more than anything. And more than a bit Loco. THere's a few decent tracks (Porkpie, Fables of Faubus) but mostly just blues with a few altered chords. Stan Kenton, Lenny Tristano--even Dave Brubeck--were far better and more polished composer/arrangers (and Mingus, yeah, not a bad bassist, but couldn't play piano for sheet)
Posted by: Curious, Roger Nichols, Gary KatzWhatever happened to Roger Nichols? Seems he was suddenly dropped after a few tracks were recorded for EMG, after being a consistent recording partner for both of our heroes since the beginning. The timing coincides with Roger trying to make a case in the pro-audio press that the original mixing engineers should be compensated somehow when their old releases were surround-mixed. He stopped writing for pro-audio after that too.
Re: Gary Katz - In re-reading the new liner notes for Aja Katz seems to be blamed for losing the missing master tapes, thus preventing new surround mixes. Could that be the falling out?
Posted by: hoops, I went through a Yes phase around the time I went through a Supertramp/ELP/Pink Floyd/Moody Blues/Alan Parsons Project phase in my late teens. Amazing all they put into those—more than music, one could argue they created an experience. But somehow I'm not at that place in a long time.
Thanks, Dan Belcher for bringing up the compatibility issue of the "Gaucho" SACD on CD players. It even plays on my 15 year old Sony Discman. The 2003 stereo mix that comes with the "Gaucho" SACD even tops the 2000 stereo remaster. Sorry to hear SueDave is having problems with some discs. Thanks for the heads up on the Onkyo, Dr. Mµ.
Thanks for the Skunk article, Ann. They are missing a comma and the first time I read it, I thought I read Skunk was the U.S. Ambassador to Hungary. (My father was Hungarian and German--not Scots or Irish, believe it or not.)
The Digest also just received an item about Fiona Apple and SD as well. Hmmmm…
Thanks for the "Aja" review, Alk. I don't know if they have "cullioni"—the reviewer is probably just clueless about Gadd and Shorter. The first time I played "Aja" for my parents they also called it "pleasant."
Phillippe, I'll have to check out Eye to Eye...your post made me ask my perennial question, whatever happened to Gary Katz???
Thanks again for the Mingus stuff, Alk.
Steedy Dan in the UK recently joined the SD Fan Webring.
Is the PBS showing of "No Direction Home" identical to the DVD-V that just came out? I should just get over to bobby.com I have to see Dylan once a year.
Thanks for the tips on tangential Dan music...I'll have to keep my eyes peeled.
I was reading a recent issue of "Rolling Stone" and was saddened to read that there was no 40th Anniversary tour of The Dead because Bobby W and Phil were having some disagreements. (Lest, you not like the Dead, at least remember that this place is an indirect descendent of rec.music.gdead.
In my car CD changer:
- 11TOW
- Katy Lied
- Ten New Songs--Leonard Cohen
- I'm Your Man--Leonard Cohen (as Joni Mitchell comments, as I've gotten older I realize how funny LC is--see my "Cousin Lenny" comments from Dandom a few years ago.)
- Volume 4--Joe Jackson Band
- Music for Autistic People--Amelia Ray
jim
Posted by: Obscure Music Fan, Down Beat Finally someone on this board who's heard of Heavy Shift!!!!!!! Dan is two for two now, HS along with Renee Rosnes.
As I have posted here numerous times, Heavy Shift does the most ass kicking version of Song For My Father, the Rikki lift, in existence. Go Dan from Phill.
Posted by: dan, philippinesThe track "Do That Again" from Fattburger's "All Natural Ingredients" album is a hint that Steely Dan might have more than just a passing influence on this band even though they have their own style. Their "Livin Large" album is a more interesting one as a whole. Another band that many Steely Dan fans would like is Heavy Shift. "Conversations" their last release in 2002 is not as intricate as previous albums "Unchain Your Mind" and "Last Picture Show". For those not familiar with Heavy Shift and Fattburger, its acid jazz but of course this is simple labelling. Mostly instrumental stuff. Not sure if you could consider them, frankly or cynically, obscure. Actually not sure what is the criteria for obscurity, a word sometimes used loosely. Heavy Shift and Fattburger, if I had to guess, are probably not obscure... at least to fans of acid jazz but especially to their relatives and friends. Lots of sax, which for many years, is an instrument which could seem shrill to my ears. Luckily that faded into obscurity.
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