I'm really really in to Steely Dan these days. I can't really explain it.
Back during the market, Sadie, Mina and I heard some crappy smooth band covering a Steely Dan song, and I decided I wanted to pick some up. I downloaded about 12 songs for the Michigan Road Trip, and that was cool... but since I've been back I've just been so into it. I just want to talk about why.
They debuted in 1972 with Can't Buy a Thrill. The name Steely Dan came from a steam-powered dildo in the William Burroughs novel Naked Lunch. So that tongue-in-cheek humor right there deserves some respect. Anyway, they produced a bunch of Jazz-Fusion, Funk / Pop music in the 70s and early 80s. The music itself is really what matters. It's got a totally unique sound. In some of the best songs, (I recommend FM and Black Friday for this), the beats are totally infectious, in this weird, smooth funk kinda way that gets under your skin.
There's no occasion where Steely Dan can't be played in the background. They experimented with musical styles yet unheard of. They were creators of the Mu Major cord, (which for you music officianados is adding an extra 2nd into a chord, or so is my understanding. The whole mu major thing is kinda over my head. check it out on wikipedia.
Music style aside (assuming you CAN put the style aside) The lyrics are clever, amusing, and insightful. Mhy absolute favorite example of this is in Kid Charlemagne. A song loosly based of the LSD bigshots in San Francisco in the 70's. The songs are sung so quickly, with so many words crammed into some lines, that they slip by you, still in the groove, but without the listener bothering to put the pieces together and interperet the words. But when you bother to, you find your self simultaneously amused and awed at the sophisticated and clever lyrics and lyrical style. Another example of the 'let's cram as many words as possible into this lien but still make it sound lyrical and groovy' is found in Reelin in the Years.
Anyway, it's amazing music, kinda slow and weird for some people, but it's unique groove, funky overtones, and strange, clever lyrics are right up my alley. I grew up with it. It's one of my dad's favs, and I love it.
The Steely Dan song FM Is currently my MySpace profile song. Check it out.
_mith
Back during the market, Sadie, Mina and I heard some crappy smooth band covering a Steely Dan song, and I decided I wanted to pick some up. I downloaded about 12 songs for the Michigan Road Trip, and that was cool... but since I've been back I've just been so into it. I just want to talk about why.
They debuted in 1972 with Can't Buy a Thrill. The name Steely Dan came from a steam-powered dildo in the William Burroughs novel Naked Lunch. So that tongue-in-cheek humor right there deserves some respect. Anyway, they produced a bunch of Jazz-Fusion, Funk / Pop music in the 70s and early 80s. The music itself is really what matters. It's got a totally unique sound. In some of the best songs, (I recommend FM and Black Friday for this), the beats are totally infectious, in this weird, smooth funk kinda way that gets under your skin.
There's no occasion where Steely Dan can't be played in the background. They experimented with musical styles yet unheard of. They were creators of the Mu Major cord, (which for you music officianados is adding an extra 2nd into a chord, or so is my understanding. The whole mu major thing is kinda over my head. check it out on wikipedia.
Music style aside (assuming you CAN put the style aside) The lyrics are clever, amusing, and insightful. Mhy absolute favorite example of this is in Kid Charlemagne. A song loosly based of the LSD bigshots in San Francisco in the 70's. The songs are sung so quickly, with so many words crammed into some lines, that they slip by you, still in the groove, but without the listener bothering to put the pieces together and interperet the words. But when you bother to, you find your self simultaneously amused and awed at the sophisticated and clever lyrics and lyrical style. Another example of the 'let's cram as many words as possible into this lien but still make it sound lyrical and groovy' is found in Reelin in the Years.
Anyway, it's amazing music, kinda slow and weird for some people, but it's unique groove, funky overtones, and strange, clever lyrics are right up my alley. I grew up with it. It's one of my dad's favs, and I love it.
The Steely Dan song FM Is currently my MySpace profile song. Check it out.
_mith
the track on your myspace was good!
I've been obsessing on them all day... and hating myself for not buying the newest release yet, which I hear is killer.
Strange to run into this today.
But I'm with you on that one.