Steel you-know-what
I'm a sucker for '70's music. Don't know, don't ask. Back in the days of my misspent youth, I'd listen to the Bee-Gee's. Stayin' Alive more precisely. Ah, that cheesy disco riff at the beginning. Makes you feel like John Travolta, and wanna strut around in platforms and bell bottoms. Uh-uh-uh Stayin' Alive, Stayin' Alive. If you know what I mean.
This brings me to Steely Dan. Why had I missed out on them? Why had nobody ever told me about them? The last time I heard of them was when they beat out Eminem for the Grammy. Back then, I didn't give a fig, or an olive, believing that Eminem was more deserving, because he was more popular. Well, maybe he was. And maybe the Grammy awards-committee dudes were too p***y to give the award to a mysogynistic homophobe. Whatever. Steely Dan, like, so totally, like, earned it, y'know? 20 years in the waiting, but they won it! So what if their biggest competitor had to kiss and hug Elton John on stage to establish his credentials as a homophile.
Anywho, getting back to Steely Dan. They have a nice etymology, name-wise. To flick from the wikipedia article, Fagen and Becker decided to name the band "Steely Dan" after a steam-powered dildo in the William Burroughs novel "Naked Lunch", a nod to the two being avid readers of 1950's "Beat" literature. Fagen once explained, "We just wanted to give the band a little more thrust than most other bands." Nice. (In case you're wondering, or too lazy to check out the link, Fagen and Becker are the original band members, who're still around).
"Do It Again" from the album, "Can't Buy a Thrill" is so groovy. There is just no other word for it. From the sexed out bongo beats at the start, then the guitars kick in, with the slow jazz swing beat going on in the background. Then comes the best part, after the first two verses, the guitar riff. Theres only one way to put it - "Hell, Yeah!" You can just visualize a cheap, sweaty bar in New Orleans (or for that matter anywhere else), and the smoke of roll-ups wafting through the air. The guitar riff lasts barely a minute, but its just so sly and reeks of sexiness. Wait, I gotta listen to it again......Ah, man. Then theres a touch of the sixties, with a synth after the riff, which just adds to the smoke filled atmosphere. The lyrics speak a truth too, but who cares with all the instrumental mania floating around? But in case you're a vocalist, here's a link to the lyrics (they sound right, too).
Damn, I gotta buy more of their songs. iTunes, here I come.
Update: Check out a clipping here
This brings me to Steely Dan. Why had I missed out on them? Why had nobody ever told me about them? The last time I heard of them was when they beat out Eminem for the Grammy. Back then, I didn't give a fig, or an olive, believing that Eminem was more deserving, because he was more popular. Well, maybe he was. And maybe the Grammy awards-committee dudes were too p***y to give the award to a mysogynistic homophobe. Whatever. Steely Dan, like, so totally, like, earned it, y'know? 20 years in the waiting, but they won it! So what if their biggest competitor had to kiss and hug Elton John on stage to establish his credentials as a homophile.
Anywho, getting back to Steely Dan. They have a nice etymology, name-wise. To flick from the wikipedia article, Fagen and Becker decided to name the band "Steely Dan" after a steam-powered dildo in the William Burroughs novel "Naked Lunch", a nod to the two being avid readers of 1950's "Beat" literature. Fagen once explained, "We just wanted to give the band a little more thrust than most other bands." Nice. (In case you're wondering, or too lazy to check out the link, Fagen and Becker are the original band members, who're still around).
"Do It Again" from the album, "Can't Buy a Thrill" is so groovy. There is just no other word for it. From the sexed out bongo beats at the start, then the guitars kick in, with the slow jazz swing beat going on in the background. Then comes the best part, after the first two verses, the guitar riff. Theres only one way to put it - "Hell, Yeah!" You can just visualize a cheap, sweaty bar in New Orleans (or for that matter anywhere else), and the smoke of roll-ups wafting through the air. The guitar riff lasts barely a minute, but its just so sly and reeks of sexiness. Wait, I gotta listen to it again......Ah, man. Then theres a touch of the sixties, with a synth after the riff, which just adds to the smoke filled atmosphere. The lyrics speak a truth too, but who cares with all the instrumental mania floating around? But in case you're a vocalist, here's a link to the lyrics (they sound right, too).
Damn, I gotta buy more of their songs. iTunes, here I come.
Update: Check out a clipping here