Steely Dan is what you get when you put 2 perfectionists in a studio. They went until they got what they wanted and called in whatever hired gun they needed to get a sound.

@alphaomega6062

Ай бұрын

From the Aja documentary ""perfection is not what they are after [...} they wanted something you can listen to over and over" The speaker suggesting that they went to perfection and then past it to get where they wanted to be.

@marmyafia6307

Ай бұрын

@@alphaomega6062 Yeah, they got to the point of perfection and then dialled it back a bit!

I love in the song The Royal Scam, the way the chorus feels like it's about to go into double time but it never quite gets there before falling back into the half time verses.

That relentless riff in the royal scam is such an ear worm and everyone weaves their individual brilliance around it.

On the song Haitian Divorce the sound of the guitar was fed through what's called a "talk box" which makes the guitar have a vocal quality.

@ianhampton1208

Ай бұрын

Made famous by Peter Frampton on his hit single Show Me The Way, but used to better effect by Joe Walsh on Rocky Mountain Way.

@robertjewell9727

Ай бұрын

@@ianhampton1208 right! 👍

@chandlerbryan1793

Ай бұрын

The box takes the output from the guitar amplifier and sends the sound through a plastic tube into rhe guitarist"s mouth, where he/she shapes it into a microphone.

@mike-jm9rs

Ай бұрын

@@ianhampton1208 Hi Ian, one more I can think of is Sweet emotion by Aerosmith.

@starbursttalent3924

Ай бұрын

@@ianhampton1208 MADE FAMOUS EARLY BY JOE WALSH !!!

The Royal Scam is a masterpiece!!! That sound on Larry Carltons guitar was amazing and the drums were perfect and the Little muffled Trumpet gave it that "New York" sound .

Your relentless smile sums up how good this album really is.

The line in Everything You Did, "Turn up the Eagles, the neighbours are listening" prompted a reply from Don Henley on the Eagles' Hotel California, with the line " They stab him with their Steely knifes, but they still can't kill the beast".

Always loved the way Steely Dan integrated horns with backup singers and other instruments.

Green Earings has some of the best guitar work you'll hear on any Dan album. And btw, that sound on the guitar for Haitian Divorce uses a talk box, a tube that is connected to the microphone that the guitarist puts his mouth around to shape the sound. The solo here is another fine example of more Dan guitar excellence. Fagan and Becker (RIP) were some of the most eclectic, disciplined, musical perfectionists you'll ever find. They often employed studio musicians. If they discovered a band wasn't working out with a certain song, they'd shelve those songs and look for another band that could play them. So they were basically playing musical bands, or groups of musicians, with every album and song. I think that while recording Aja, they ended up using some forty musicians. The Dan is one of those very rare bands in which you'll find almost every song has some merit, some better than others, but you'd rarely find a clunker. Amazing talents.

@briangray00

Ай бұрын

Stellar rhythm section on Green Earrings. kzread.info/dash/bejne/dGemprOOc6vUfaw.html - Extended version, with vocals and lead.

Back in the days of Papa Doc Duvaliers reign in Haiti, one of the tourist business setup was a quickie divorce, thus the name Haitian Divorce. The tale is one of Babs and Willie marrying, fighting, and Babs off for the above mentioned. She gets pregnant by a local, prior to returning to the US, and reconciliation with Willie. As always, wry, fun, off beat SD lyrics, with a reggae beat, and a voice box guitar wah wah away!!! 😉😂

@alphaomega6062

Ай бұрын

The song was inspired I believe by someone (one of the engineers?) telling the war story of his quickie divorce during a break in the studio.

Good reaction Verdy. Steely Dan is a very special band to people that grew up in the 70's. They released an albumn every year. 1972, 1973,1974,1975,1976,1977 and 1980. Also, Donald Fagen who wrote, sang, played keyboards and was really the man (his co-writer was Walter Becker) is a musical genius. I always say congratulations to any young person who listens to The Dan (that's what we called them) because they are special. I hope your next Dan request is Gaucho. It's even smoother than Aja. I know you've for sure heard the song 'Heh Nineteen' before. Enjoy your reactions..

Steely Dan, your favorite bands favorite band 🔥✌🤘🎶

@Thirdwind2

Ай бұрын

No... No ....

I have to say I have a new appreciation for this album. Thank you for reacting to it!

@nedeast6845

Ай бұрын

all good music grows on you

Haitian Divorce the guitar is playing through a "talk - box",,,, the sound bypasses a speaker and goes through a plastic tube and comes to the player's mouth. The sound then goes to a singing microphone. Made famous by Jeff Beck and Peter Frampton

Steely Dan is known as your favorite band's favorite band

The best song on the Royal scam is the royal scam!

@williammckay9229

Ай бұрын

I have 4 best songs on this album. Kid Charlemagne, Don't take Me Alive, Haitian Divorce and Royal Scam. All the others are second best.

@keithjones7390

Ай бұрын

​@@williammckay9229 It's a matter of opinion, nobody can say what's best and worst, personally l love Caves of Altamira

I had a few friends who's older brothers were part of bands. One was even a lead vocalist and those older brothers would introduce music to their younger brothers. In turn my friends would introduce me to that same music. In 1973 one of my friends walked over to the family turntable in the parlor of his home, took a record out of an album cover with what looked like aliens on it ( " Countdown to Ecstasy" was the album, their 2nd my first )and said"listen to this guitar playing". That was my first introduction to "Steely Dan". The song was "My old School". I fell in love with their music and the name because my name was Dan. Then I fell out of love of their name when I found out where they got the name "Steely Dan from.... But stayed in love with their music for 50 years and counting. ✌️

I just love watching you react to music! I know you feel the music as well as hear it. You have to love Steely Dan! They brought a unique style to rock music. I knew you would love them!

The best album of 1976… or any other year.

This album has a lot of upbeat music but the lyrics are really dark especially the title track.

Yes, it is a B side, but a damned good one. Love to see you stick your toe into the jazz rock fusion pond. You might like it.

On the Royal Scam, when you said, there's no way that's a guitar, that's a trumpet.

@roundtownKen

Ай бұрын

Not a trumpet. A guitar with the "wah's" made by the shape of the players mouth near a plastic tube... fed into an amplifier.

Hey Ari....it's a muted trumpet on "The Royal Scam".

@johnnorman7180

Ай бұрын

Trombone also

Can’t wait for Gaucho, Katy Lied, etc., GREAT reaction as always!!! 👏👏👏🤝🤙

They are doing that sound with a talk box, Golden Throat was a popular one in the 70s, they have newer versions of it now. You stick a tube in your mouth, and you make vowel sounds with your mouth and it mixes it with what you play on the guitar, and produces that sound you are hearing. It's sort of a combination of human voice and guitar, sort of.

@sanzoftatooine

Ай бұрын

It basically turns the guitarist's skull into a speaker cabinet. Changing the shape of your mouth, or chewing on the tube, changes the tonal quality. Some folks who've seen talk boxes used live mistakenly assume that the guitarist is singing through it, but that's not the case. There's no air moving over the vocal cords.

I like your full reviews very much! full honest important. I m a 60+ guy from Germany and have faith enough to make two proposals to you: Sweet Smoke - just a poke (progJazzSomething) Nektar Remember the Future (70ies Rock with PF melodies) 4 tracks = 2 Albums

Enjoy the solar eclipse later today, AV!

The strange guitar noise you are hearing is called a talk-box.

This is the day OF THE EXPANDING MAAAAAN!

what a classic i bought the album cassette and cd, great reaction

@nedeast6845

Ай бұрын

me too, I think Donald Fagen owes us a sneaky free download, considering all the times we fans have bought the CD,s vinyls, tapes, going back to Sun Mountain

The voice-box guitar was done by Dean Parks, and modified by Walter Becker. This technique was made famous by Peter Frampton, and also used to great effect by others (most notably Joe Walsh (James Gang, Eagles, and solo), David Gilmour (Pink Floyd).

Good morning Very. Glad you like steely dan

At 19:40 its a trumpet with a mute

Thanks for all your quality reactions

Steely Dan Albums (No Filler at All)

That was indeed a muted trumpet during the royal scam. I believe that he was using a combination of straight mute and toilet plunger. Best. Mike.

We used to do Haitian Divorce. That sound is called, a voice bag. I'm not sure how it works but, the guitarist has a clear plastic tube in his mouth that, I think, has the guitar sound pumped into his mouth and he can change the sound of the guitar by changing the shape of his mouth. Joe Walsh made it famous a few years earlier with his hit, "Rocky Mountain Way". Then Peter Frampton used it on his biggest hit, 'Do You Feel Like We Do" on his live album,. "Frampton Alive!"

From the same era (70s, when I was ~ your age), check out the Dixie Dregs. You will like them!

@mike-jm9rs

Ай бұрын

Steve Morse 👍

@stuartdryer1352

Ай бұрын

@@mike-jm9rs Good starting point: Punk Sandwich on the album Night of the Living Dregs.

Just watched a video titled The #1 Rock Song from Each Year: 1970-2022 perhaps some content for a video. L8

Excellent!

Great reaction I think it was a trumpet with a mute

Great album!!

Listen to Haitian Divorce about 100 more times and realize what the story is really about…makes it even better

Yay Steely Dan! Yay Verdy!

Yes that is a trumpet. But not just any trumpet. Its a muted trumpet. There are 4 kinds of technics used for muted sounds that can be made. 1) is using what is called a straight mute 2) is using a cup mute. Both of these mutes are inserted into the bell of the trumpet. 3) is a cup mute but it is hand-held and opened and closed against the bell of the trumpet.We have all heard this before. It is used for the famous effect in game shows when a player loses to get the wha-wha-wha-whaaaa effect 4) this last muting technic is done with only the hand being inserted into the bell. It is usually done by moving the hand back and forth in a cuping motion in and out of the bell, but can be done by cuping the fingers and the thumb together and inserting them into the bell. The other sound was indeed a trombone. It was a low sound because it was a bass trombone to be exact.

@submandave1125

Ай бұрын

You forgot my personal favorite to use, the Harmon mute, which is basically a metal chamber inserted in the bell. It has a removable stem that can be left in place to provide a small bell that can be used with the off-hand as a plunger or take it completely out and get that classic Miles Davis sound.

@gregorydeckelman4262

Ай бұрын

@@submandave1125 number 3 in my comment is the plunger cup.

@submandave1125

Ай бұрын

@@gregorydeckelman4262 I took that to mean the plunger (like the one used on the sink). I've always heard the stem of the Harmon referred to as the plunger because it's easy to use your hand to cover the small bell on the end of it. I've edited my original comment to be more clear.

Becker & Fagan are composers not songwriters. Lots of writers out there, not many composers. They get what they want using musicians like a sonic tool (they may be tools too).

White boy funk!

VERDY!!

There are trumpet and trombone on royal scam

It's a trumpet with a mute.

The sound you don't recognize is a Talk Box.

Pretty dam wonderful isn't it.

muted trumpet

Do you know who Burton Cummings is? I'm fairly certain you must, he's Canadian. Check out the Guess Who's recordings, 70's.

On Haitian Divorce, they use a talkbox (se link below). What's unusual is that Dean Park didn't use it when he recorded his tracks. Walter Becker used the talk box after the fact in post-production. And all my years of playing and recording, I'd never heard of such a thing. Best. Mike. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk_box

The vocals aren't great but the music is exceptional.

Like Steely Dan but you have never returned to Stevie Ray Vaughan. The Sky is Crying is right up your alley.

I never liked Steely Dan but, "Royal Scam" was probably their best song. My fave SD songs wouldn't even fill a full "best of" album. I doubt there's more than 6 songs.

@mjsmcd

Ай бұрын

Youv'e been snifffing red vinyl So what i'd expect

@keithjones7390

Ай бұрын

Their wonderful songs are wasted on you then! 😅

Hmm .. speed up Everything You Did, and you're in Cousin Dupree territory.

Steely Dan's biggest flaw is fading out while a terrific guitar solo is playing. Frustrating on so many songs.

Definitely one of the greatest albums with one of the worst album covers.

@keithjones7390

Ай бұрын

I've seen a lot worse album covers!

@mondegreen9709

Ай бұрын

@@keithjones7390 So have I, but was the music as good as this?

@keithjones7390

Ай бұрын

@@mondegreen9709 No!

@Robert-xl4mm

6 күн бұрын

Have loved the album cover since it came out - like the hole in his right shoe especially