Artist Survey #15: Steely Dan

[Dawn]

Thanks to Dave for suggesting this week’s featured artist!

Steely Dan


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Favorite group member: Donald Fagen

Favorite Steely Dan songs:
1. Rikki Don’t Lose That Number
2. Time Out of Mind
3. Do It Again
4. Josie
5. Pretzel Logic
6. Only A Fool Would Say That
7. Peg
8. Reelin’ in the Years
9. Kid Charlemagne
10. Hey Nineteen
11. The Fez
12. Deacon Blues
13. Black Friday
14. The Caves of Altamira
15. Your Gold Teeth

Most underrated song: Pretzel Logic

Any songs you feel are overrated? None

Best vocals: Josie

Best instrumentation: Do It Again

First Steely Dan song you can remember hearing: Do It Again or Reelin’ in the Years

Favorite album(s): Aja, Royal Scam, Can’t Buy A Thrill, Katy Lied

Favorite album cover: Can’t Buy A Thrill

First 45 you owned: Rikki Don’t Lose That Number
First LP: Greatest Hits 1972-1978
First cassette: none
First CD: Citizen Steely Dan (box set)

[Ken]

Favorite group member: Donald Fagen

Favorite Steely Dan songs:
1. Reeling In The Years
2.Dirty Work
3.Rikki Don't Lose That Number
4.Pretzel Logic
5.Time Out Of Mind
6.My Old School
7.Don't Take Me Alive
8.Peg
9.Hey Nineteen
10.Deacon Blues
11.FM (No Static At All)
12.Cousin Dupree
13.Midnight Cruiser
14.Black Friday
15.Jose
16.Only A Fool
17.Kid Charlemagne
18.Do It Again
19.Bodhisattva
20.Pearl Of The Quarter
21.Change Of The Guard
22.Turn That Heartbeat Over Again

Most underrated song: Don't Take Me Alive

Any songs you feel are overrated? None

Best vocals: FM (No Static At All)

Best instrumentation: Reeling In The Years

First Steely Dan song you can remember hearing: Do It Again or Reelin’ in the Years - same here:)

Favorite album(s): Can’t Buy A Thrill, Aja , Countdown To Ecstasy

Favorite album cover: Can’t Buy A Thrill

First 45 you owned: Rikki Don’t Lose That Number
First LP: Aja
First cassette: none - although I do have alot of the songs on different mix tapes
First CD: Can't Buy a Thrill (Remastered version)

[Pete70s]

Favorite group member: Donald Fagen

Favorite Steely Dan songs:
Home At Last
Black Friday
Jack Of Speed
Deacon Blues
Time Out Of Mind
Aja
Josie
Peg
Kid Charlemagne
Any Major Dude Will Tell You
FM
Boston Rag
Rikki Don't Lose That Number
Reeling In The Years
Black Cow
Your Gold Teeth II
Dirty Work
My Old School
Hey Nineteen

Most underrated song: Home At Last

Any songs you feel are overrated? None

Best vocals:

Best instrumentation: Do It Again

First Steely Dan song you can remember hearing: Black Cow

Favorite album(s): Aja

Favorite album cover: Katy Lied

First 45 you owned: Hey Nineteen
First LP: Aja (on 8-track, then vinyl)
First cassette: none
First CD: Decade

[lora]

Those two pasty old white guys are in this band?? Wow, I've never seen pics before.

LOL. Sorry, that was kind of mean of me.

[djdave]

Like as often happened with my CRAZY list, I'm having terrible server problems--I had this post nearly finished, then it just "went" off to the twilight zone.

Yep, gotta start AGAIN...

Happy to see this survey!

Don's not aging very handsomely, I'll admit...

Favorite group member: Donald Fagen (I like Walter very much as well)

Favorite Steely Dan songs:
#1!-PEG (could vault into my 2005 all-time top 100)
2. Rikki Don't Lose That Number
3. The Fez
4. Hey Nineteen
5. Deacon Blues
6. Do It Again
7. Reelin' In The Years (all top 1000 possibilities in 2005)
8. Josie
9. Change Of The Guard
10. Black Cow
---------------------------
11. Time Out Of Mind (8-11 are top 2000 possibilities)
12. Aja
13. Bodhisattva (live)
14. Babylon Sisters
15. Kid Charlemagne
16. My Old School
17. Bodhisattva
18. Dirty Work
19. FM (No Static At All)
20. Barrytown
21. Haitian Divorce
22. I Got The News
23. Show Biz Kids
24. Pretzel Logic
25. Green Earrings
26. Midnite Cruiser
27. Home At Last
28. The Royal Scam (top 5000 possibilites to here)
29. Charlie Freak
30. Any Major Dude Will Tell You
31. Black Friday
32. Fire In The Hole
33. Chain Lightning
34. Your Gold Teeth
35. Gaucho
36. Things I Miss The Most
37. Only A Fool Would Say That
38. Through With Buzz
39. Don't Take Me Alive
40. Everything You Did
41. Glamour Profession
42. Doctor Wu
43. Bad Sneakers
44. King Of The World
45. East St. Louis Toodle-oo
46. The Caves Of Altamira
47. Razor Boy
48. Any World (That I'm Welcome To)
49. With A Gun
50. Daddy Don't Live In That New York City No More
51. Throw Back The Little Ones
52. Sign In Stranger
53. The Boston Rag
54. Everyone's Gone To The Movies
55. Jack Of Speed
56. Your Gold Teeth II
57. My Rival
58. Monkey In Your Soul
59. Two Against Nature
60. The Last Mall
61. Cousin Dupree
62. Parker's Band
63. Kings
64. Janie Runaway
65. Third World Man
66. Here At The Western World
67. West Of Hollywood
68. Turn That Heartbeat Over Again
69. Pixeleen
70. Negative Girl
71. Gaslighting Abbie
72. Pearl Of The Quarter
73. What A Shame About Me
74. Everything Must Go
75. Almost Gothic
76. Night By Night
77. Lunch With Gina
78. Brooklyn (Owes The Charmer Under Me)
79. Green Book
80. Rose Darling
81. Blues Beach
82. GodWhacker
83. Slang Of Ages (nearly ALL of above will rank at least top 10,000)

Favorite Don solo:
1. I.G.Y.
2. New frontier
3. The nightfly
4. Green Flower Street
5. Ruby baby
6. Century's end
7. Walk between raindrops
8. Tomorrow's girls
9. Maxine
10. Goodbye look

Most underrated song: Change of the Guard

Any songs you feel are overrated? None (Adam may think otherwise)

Best vocals: Do it again

Best instrumentation: Peg

First Steely Dan song you can remember hearing: Do It Again

Favorite albums: (regular studio band releases)
1. Aja
2. Can't buy a thrill
3. Gaucho
4. The royal scam
5. Pretzel logic
6. Countdown to ecstasy
7. Katy lied
8. Two against nature
9. Everything must go

Favorite album cover: Aja

First 45 you owned: Hey 19/Bodhisattva (live, UNedited!--don't have it any longer)
First LP: None, surprisingly
First cassette: Citizen Steely Dan (box set) (Xmas 1995)
First CD:Citizen Steely Dan (box set) (earlier this year)

[55dodger]

Member: Donald Fagan
Songs:
1. Rikki Don't Lose That Number
2. Deacon Blue
3. My Old School
4. Black Friday
5. FM
6. Do It Again
7. Reeling in the Years
8. Kid Charlemagne
9. Hey Nineteen
10. Pretzel Logic
11. Peg
12. Bodhisattva
13. Josie
14. Aja
15. Bad Sneakers
Underrated: Pretzel Logic
Vocals: Deacon Blue
Instrumentation: So many but I'll say FM
First Song: Do It Again
Favorite Album: Can't Buy a Thrill, & Pretzel Logic
Album Cover: Aja
First 45: none
Album: Can't Buy a Thrill
Cassette: A Decade of Steely Dan
CD: A Decade of Steely Dan

[Dawn]

Ken said:

First Steely Dan song you can remember hearing: Do It Again or Reelin’ in the Years - same here:)

Favorite album(s): Can’t Buy A Thrill, Aja , Countdown To Ecstasy

Even today, whenever I hear Reelin' in the Years, it takes me right back to summer '73! I'm thinking I heard Do It Again a bit earlier than that, but I'm not positive. Both great songs!

Can't Buy A Thrill has become even more of a favorite album for me recently. I've been listening to the box set in the past few weeks, and the first disc is very solid overall.

[Dawn]

Pete70s said:

Best instrumentation: Do It Again

First Steely Dan song you can remember hearing: Black Cow

Everything works together so well instrumentally on Do It Again, I agree. I remember reading that they were asked to shorten the length of their songs after the first album or two to better fit the AM top 40 format, but Do It Again is perfect as it is.

Black Cow is very good - it was a close choice between that one and the last few on my list for top 15. I love the jazzy feel of the Aja album.

[Dawn]

Lora said:

Those two pasty old white guys are in this band?? Wow, I've never seen pics before.

LOL. Sorry, that was kind of mean of me.

LOL - Donald does look as though he's seen better days in that photo, I agree. Very talented guy, though.

[Dawn]

DJ said:

Favorite group member: Donald Fagen (I like Walter very much as well)

Favorite Don solo:
6. Century's end

I'm the same way - I like both of them, but gave the edge to Donald mainly because of his vocals and The Nightfly album.

I remember hearing Century's End years ago and searching all over to find a copy. I finally came across the 45 in a used record store and was so happy to get it. Great song!

[Dawn]

55dodger said:

Underrated: Pretzel Logic

Instrumentation: So many but I'll say FM

I can't understand why Pretzel Logic doesn't get more classic rock play than it does. It's excellent!

I agree that there are many - these guys are amazing with instrumental arrangements.

[SAT-I need more room!!]

We got a new dude at work, looks just like Donald Fagen does now!

Fave member-Donald Fagen

25. Time Out of Mind
24. Throw Back the Little Ones
23. Through With Buzz
22. Bad Sneakers
21. Your Gold Teeth II
20. Sign in Stranger
19. Reeling in the Years
18. Kid Charlemagne
17. Night By Night
16. Black Friday
15. Deacon Blues
14. Babylon Sisters
13. Dr. Wu
12. My Old School
11. Any World (That I’m Welcome to)
10. FM (No Static at All)
9. The Royal Scam
8. Don’t Take Me Alive
7. Josie
6. Pretzel Logic
5. Hey 19
4. Green Earrings
3. Everyone’s Gone to the Movies
2. Black Cow
1. Peg

(Those are straight from the INSANE list, they could change.)

Underrated song-Green Earrings & Everyone's Gone to the Movies (BIG TIME!!!)

Overrated-Rikki Don't Lose That Number & Do it Again (BIG TIME!!!)

Vocals-Pretzel Logic, I guess

Instrumentation-Black Cow

First heard-Probably Do it Again

Fave album-Katy Lied, followed closely by Aja & Royal Scam

Fave cover-Royal Scam, followed by Katy Lied

First 45-some hand me downs from my dad
First LP-Can't Buy a Thrill
First cassette-Gold
First CD-Citizen

[Dawn]

SAT-Laney's said:

We got a new dude at work, looks just like Donald Fagen does now!

Underrated song-Green Earrings & Everyone's Gone to the Movies (BIG TIME!!!)

Very cool! It's always really neat to come across people who resemble musicians or actors. That would be a cool idea for a post!

I agree about those songs being underrated as well. I remember we talked about Green Earrings on one of your INSANE list posts not long after I joined YL - great song!