Steely Dan

Steely Dan is an American jazz rock band based around musicians and songwriters Walter Becker and Donald Fagen.

History

Becker and Fagen met at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York (See this lyrical tribute) in 1967 and began playing in local groups; one of these, The Bad Rock Group, included future comedy star Chevy Chase on drums.

Related Topics:
Bard College - Annandale-on-Hudson, New York - 1967 - Chevy Chase

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After Fagen graduated in 1969, the two moved to Brooklyn and in 1970 they joined the pop group Jay and the Americans, where they worked under pseudonyms (Fagen's was 'Gustav Mahler', Becker's was 'Tristan Fabriani'). They remained with The Americans until mid-1971 when they quit to work on the soundtrack of the low-budget film You Gotta Walk It Like You Talk It, which was produced by Kenny Vance of The Americans. Around this time they tried to start a group with guitarist Denny Dias, but this was unsuccessful, so Becker and Fagen moved to Manhattan, hoping to establish themselves as professional songwriters.

Related Topics:
1969 - Brooklyn - Jay and the Americans - Kenny Vance

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A series of demos made (supposedly) between 1968 and 1971 has been floating around Steely Dan fansites for some time. This collection features approximately twenty-five tracks, and is known as "The Proto-Dan" or simply, "The Demos". The reasons why this group of songs is so remarkable are twofold. First, the stripped down production and decidedly lo-fi nature of these tracks (many songs are just Fagan and his Piano) is completely contrary to any other known Steely Dan recording. Second, although some of these songs (Caves of Altamira, Brooklyn, Barrytown, and a few others) eventually were recorded on a mass-produced album, the majority were never released formally. It's clear in these recordings that they're formulating their piano-driven jazz/funk/rock which comes on Can't Buy A Thrill. Additionally, many would argue that Steely Dan never wrote a real love song, but these recordings show Fagan and Becker at their most romantic. For instance, on the track, "This Seat's Been Taken,"

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:This seat's been taken.

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:Don't ask me where she's coming from.

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:You're quite mistaken.

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:You know she's gonna be here. I know she's gonna come.

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Several other songs, such as "Oh, Wow, It's You" and "Come Back Baby," would also fit the bill in this department. Many longtime Dan listeners will be shocked to hear some out-of-tune singing on these recordings (the rendition of "Parker's Band" in particular). This collection is the raw genesis of the surgical and sardonic musical style that Steely Dan would become known for and is considered a must-have for any hard-core Danner.

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Although they had a few notable successes—Barbra Streisand recorded their song I Mean To Shine—they made little significant headway until they met Gary Katz, who had just become a staff producer for ABC Records in Los Angeles. He hired Becker and Fagen as staff songwriters and they flew to Los Angeles. Katz would produce all their 1970s albums and from the first album on they commenced a long and successful collaboration with engineer Roger Nichols, who has since worked on every Steely Dan album, and the duo's solo projects.

Related Topics:
Barbra Streisand - Gary Katz - ABC Records - Los Angeles

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After realizing their songs were too complex for other ABC artists, at Katz's suggestion they formed their own band with guitarists Denny Dias and Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, drummer Jim Hodder and singer-keyboard player David Palmer, and Katz signed the band to ABC as recording artists. The addition of a second lead vocalist (Palmer) was mainly made at the insistence of the label's executives, who felt that Fagen's idiosyncratic voice lacked commercial appeal, but it soon became obvious that it was in fact ideally suited to their material, and Palmer left the group after the first LP.

Related Topics:
Denny Dias - Jeff "Skunk" Baxter - Jim Hodder - David Palmer

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Produced by Katz and recorded by Roger (The Immortal) Nichols at The Village Recorder, they released their debut album, Can't Buy A Thrill, in 1972 and made an immediate impression with the hit singles "Dirty Work" (later covered by Max Merritt), "Do It Again", and "Reelin' In The Years", which soon became a staple of FM radio and features one of rock's all-time great guitar solos (performed by Elliott Randall).

Related Topics:
Roger (The Immortal) Nichols - The Village Recorder - Can't Buy A Thrill - 1972 - Max Merritt

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Their second album, Countdown To Ecstasy, was released in 1973 but the singles lifted from it (including "Bodhisattva") failed to repeat the chart success of their predecessors. After the LP was released they replaced Hodder with drummer Jeff Porcaro (later a member of Toto) and added singer Michael McDonald for back-up vocals.

Related Topics:
Countdown To Ecstasy - Jeff Porcaro - Toto - Michael McDonald

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They returned to prominence with their classic third LP Pretzel Logic in early 1974, a diverse but superbly realised set that produced another huge hit single, "Rikki Don't Lose That Number", a US Top Ten hit which became another enduring FM rock radio staple. It is also notable as the only Steely Dan album to contain a song by another composer—their delightful cover of Duke Ellington's "East St Louis Toodle-Doo".

Related Topics:
Pretzel Logic - Duke Ellington

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After touring to support the album, Becker and Fagen decided to withdraw from the road to concentrate on writing and recording. The other band members, feeling that they had in effect been reduced to the role of session players, gradually left the group, although Dias stayed on for some Aja tracks and McDonald continued to contribute vocals up to the 1980 Gaucho set (where he figured on "Time Out of Mind"). Baxter and McDonald went on to great success as members of The Doobie Brothers.

Related Topics:
Gaucho - The Doobie Brothers

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The 1975 LP Katy Lied saw the duo using a diverse group of session players, including guitarist Elliott Randall, saxophonist Phil Woods, bassist Wilton Felder, percussionist-vibraphonist Victor Feldman, keyboardist (and later producer) Michael Omartian and guitarist Larry Carlton, with only Dias remaining from the original group. The new album was a hit, as was the 1976 follow-up, The Royal Scam.

Related Topics:
Katy Lied - Elliott Randall - Phil Woods - Wilton Felder - Victor Feldman - Michael Omartian - Larry Carlton - The Royal Scam

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Although some doubted that they could last as a studio-only group, Becker and Fagen proved their critics wrong in spectacular fashion with the 1977 release of their sixth LP, the dazzling, jazz-oriented Aja, which saw them using the services of top-notch jazz and jazz-rock and soul musicians including Larry Carlton, Wayne Shorter, Steve Gadd, The Crusaders, Chuck Rainey and legendary session drummer Bernard "Pretty" Purdie.

Related Topics:
Aja - Larry Carlton - Wayne Shorter - Steve Gadd - The Crusaders - Chuck Rainey - Bernard "Pretty" Purdie

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Regarded as one of the best (and best-recorded) albums of the period, it won a slew of awards, had shot into the Top Five in the U.S. charts within three weeks of release, and was one of the first American LPs to be certified 'platinum' for sales of over 1 million albums. It cemented the duo's reputation as songwriters, as well as their legendary reputation for studio perfectionism. The story of the making of the album has been documented in an episode of the popular TV and DVD series Classic Albums.

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After Aja was released, ABC was bought by MCA, and for most of the next three years they were caught in contractual problems that prevented them from recording a follow-up album, although they scored another hit single with the title theme from the movie FM.

Related Topics:
MCA - FM

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By the time of the release of Gaucho in 1980, they realised that the partnership was running out of steam and that they had reached their peak with Aja. Becker was also having personal difficulties including the loss of a girlfriend to a drug overdose. Nevertheless, the album was another major success, and they scored another hit with the single Hey Nineteen.

Related Topics:
Gaucho - 1980

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Becker and Fagen announced the temporary suspension of their partnership in June 1981. Becker subsequently moved to the Hawaiian island of Maui to escape the L.A. scene, beat his addictions and raise a family. The two tried writing together again in the mid-1980s but were unhappy with the results.

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In 1982 Fagen released his groundbreaking solo album The Nightfly, which was favourably compared to his Steely Dan work but failed to match the wide audience appeal of the two previous Dan albums. Interestingly, it included the only other song in the entire Steely Dan oeuvre that was not written by Becker and/or Fagen—a cover of Leiber and Stoller's "Ruby Baby".

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After the release of his album, Fagen began to suffer from writer's block, so he withdrew from writing and recording for several years. He occasionally did production work for other artists, as did Becker; one notable credit was British group China Crisis, who were strongly influenced by Steely Dan.

Related Topics:
Writer's block - China Crisis

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Many fans believe that Fagen and Becker took the first steps toward reconciliation in 1986. That was the year that their best-known producer, Gary Katz, oversaw an album by a new A&M artist, former model Rosie Vela. "Zazu" was strongly influenced by both Joni Mitchell and Steely Dan. Both Becker and Fagen are featured on that album, and it is believed to be the first time they performed together since the breakup.

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Two key events led to Becker and Fagen getting back together as Steely Dan. The first was on October 25, 1991, when Becker attended a concert by Fagen, who was at the time performing as part of the New York Rock and Soul Revue, which Fagen co-founded with his partner, producer and singer Libby Titus (who was for many years the partner of Levon Helm of The Band).

Related Topics:
October 25 - 1991 - New York Rock and Soul Revue - Libby Titus - Levon Helm - The Band

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The second event was Becker's production of Fagen's second solo album Kamakiriad in 1993— an underappreciated work that ranks with any of Steely Dan's best recordings; Fagen later nominated it as the most satisfying recording experience of his career. (It also features Titus and Helm's daughter Amy on backing vocals). Returning the favour, Fagen then produced Becker's first solo album 11 Tracks Of Whack (1994).

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These events finally led to a reformation, and to the surprise and delight of fans, they mounted a U.S. tour to support Fagen's album (which sold poorly, even though the concerts were extremely successful). With Becker now mainly playing lead and rhythm guitar, they put together a strong new backing band that included an additional keyboard player and guitarist, female backing singers and a horn section. They toured to great acclaim in 1995-96, performing mainly songs from the later Steely Dan albums plus a selection of re-arranged Dan classics, and they released a live CD of the tour, Alive In America in 1997.

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Finally in 2000 they released their first studio album in twenty years, Two Against Nature. It was not only a brilliant return to form but proved to be one of the surprise successes of the year, and in February 2001, it earned them four coveted Grammy Awards. In March 2001, the original members reunited on stage for the first time in decades when Steely Dan was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Related Topics:
Two Against Nature - February 2001 - Grammy Award - March 2001 - Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

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In 2003 Steely Dan released another album, Everything Must Go, and toured America thereafter.

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Sadly, long-serving Dan saxophonist Cornelius Bumpus (who previously played with The Doobie Brothers and Moby Grape) died of a heart attack in February 2004.

Related Topics:
Cornelius Bumpus - The Doobie Brothers - Moby Grape

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