You know you love a list.
You know you love Steely Dan.
QED.
(something to argue about, if you get bored watching the rolling 24 hour political news…)
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/oct/20/steely-dans-20-greatest-songs-ranked
Steely Dan’s 20 Greatest Songs – by The Guardian
by 154 Comments
Everyone agree with the number one choice? I don’t…
—————->
Blimey! If HP comes to this thread it will end up making Silly Billy look like a Moose the Mooche thread.
Hey – Stewart Lee’s funny, isn’t he?
Love Peg. Didn’t realize Keith Jarrett had sued (and won) over Gaucho as the Dan’s highly polished sheen is about as far away from his banging and grunting as it’s possible to get
This is the Guardian, they probably meant Keith Harris.
Or Sir Keith Joseph…
…speaking of whom…
…when liz Truss started at Roundhay School in (by my Wikalculation) 1985, guess who was Education Secretary? Yeah, Sir Keith Joseph (Con).
And, up until she left in (by similar conjectural arithmetic) 1992, guess who followed him? Yeah..,
…no no no, not Julie, but rather. ..
– Kenneth Baker (Con)
– John McGregor (Con)
– Kenneth Clarke (Con)
And who was PM during this whole period? Yeaaaaahhh, Thatch!!!
And did you notice anything about the given names of 3 of those Education Secretaries? Yeah, they start with K!
…K…K…K.
Right?
*twitches*
Yes, I *know* that Truss has stood down by now, many hours ago, but the voices in my head compel me to tell you this!!1!
*twitches, spasms, froths, screams, faints*
Keith Joseph’s finest moment was getting mentioned in “Beasley Street” by John Cooper Clarke.
It’s funny to think that for a few years KJ was such a boogeyman for the left, and that Thatcher was regarded as a puppet for his terrifying Year Zero ideology – Orville to his Keith Harris, if you will. I think, at least to start with, he was Bernie to her Elton.
@Jaygee I am thinking you can’t have listened to a lot of KJ. First time I heard Gaucho I said that is a rip off. Plain as day.
Hey JW
Nope, only KJ I have is Koln concert.
Listened to two seconds of KJ’s version and I can see why he sued. Hope he got a lot of dosh and a full credit on future releases as the theft is blatant
Yep got full royalties for the song. Think they were pretty cooperative about it.
Have a listen to his European quartet albums. My Song and Belonging – that song is on the latter.
I did this a while ago, I think in a thread that lovely Carolina of this Parish did.
“Why you couple of baboons…..”
I think Groucho and The Royal Scam are my favourites. I’ve rarely played Katy Lied; not sure why it doesn’t stick. I wouldn’t disagree with thegrauniad’s choice of Peg, though. Wonder what it would have been like without Michael McDonald’s layered backing vocals? Or Jay Graydon’s guitar? The ‘making of’ docu has some of the rejected solos, and the various tracks of McDonald’s backing.
Well yeah, Groucho was key, but the Dan’s version of Duck Soup would be lost without Harpo’s car horn.
And three hard-boiled eggs
Kiddies!! Everything is piping hot…
Cheers, may well do that.
No Haitian Divorce? No Hey Nineteen?
The list is pants.
Everyone’s gone to the movies – Where is that?
Brooklyn owes the charmer?
Barrytown?
Boddhisattva?
Well, quite…
On reflection, I’d replace Reelin’ in the Years (overexposed?) with Brooklyn…
I heard Hey Nineteen in Asda a few months ago. Shocked and stunned.
H’Wickes DIY often played stuff like the Doobies and Steely Dan in ‘our’ stores. Wilkinsons had an Enya track on their playlist. One day, the KwikSave in town played two XTC tracks from Oranges & Lemons. The last one that stood out was in Waterstones a couple of years ago, when they played Tinseltown in the Rain.
You could choose almost any random twenty Steely Dan songs and you’d have a cracking list.
I’m going to complain about the absence of Green Book, Things I Miss The Most, Lunch With Gina, Godwhacker and Everything Must Go.
😃
It was the clickiest of bait from the Graun wasn’t it?
Well, possibly only for The Afterword…
Mm, yeah, good point.
Tiggs we’ve had words about Everything Must Go and the other comeback album on the Dan pod episode. However I will grant you that Godwhacker is rather splendid as is Almost Gothic from 2AN.
See! We agree it’s brilliant. 😆
Things I miss the most is the best latter day Dan song.
This has been proven to be factually correct, by Science.
Show your working.
Sure. I’ve got it right he-
Ah, wouldja look at that…the dog’s eaten it.
SMH my head.
Umm, Pixeleen.
And when Abu rams the clip in the mini-Glock
Up on the catwalk inside the warehouse
You whip a knife from the top of your go-go boot
With just a flash of spectacular thigh
Your pager starts to throb
It’s your as-if boyfriend Randall
Better keep it real, or whatever
… Come on!
And the wonderful Carolyn Leonhart on ‘featured’ vocal.
Apart from the inclusion of Your Gold Teeth II, the list is a pretty solid one. The order is of course wrong or at least debatable. The Original Your Gold Teeth would be preferable to YGTII, IMO.
But anyway, in MY list. In any order you like:
1-11, 14, 15 & 19 on that Guardian list remain, but..
From Countdown To Ecstasy, Bodhisattva would replace Showbiz Kids.
Three tracks from Pretzel Logic is one too many, so I’d reluctantly ditch Any Major Dude.
Same goes with Katy Lied. I’d drop Doctor Wu and as above, Your Gold Teeth II.
Frm Aja I’d drop the title track (too long).
From Gaucho I’d drop the title track and substitute Hey Nineteen.
From Two Against Nature I’d add Jack Of Speed.
From Alive In America I’d add Green Earrings.
FM (No Static At All) would be included.
Drop Doctor Wu, drop DOCTOR WU!!!! Are you on drugs ????
“Aja’s” title track too long? Are you mad????
Both of the above points – has the world QUITE LITERALLY gone mad????
There are SO MANY to choose from. Something(s) had to give.
I’m no longer on (illegal) drugs.
I’ve not had my sanity checked lately.
Of course the world has gone mad. Where have you been not to notice this?
Dr Wu is the finest pop record made by anyone ever.
MEDDDICCCC!!!!
As It happens I visited my Chinese doctor yesterday. Yep. Dr Wu.
Definitely need a place for FM, preferably the version with the long guitar outro – I think it was released on A Decade of Steely Dan?
Josie?
Chain Lightning?
I Got The News?
Time Out of Mind?
None of those are questions.
Exactly. No Josie? Insane.
Fact is there are A LOT of Steely Dan songs and NO bad ones. At least none that I’ve heard, and that’s everything bar a couple of very obscure single B-sides.
Anybody’s list of just 20 of them is bound to omit some of somebody else’s favourites.
As the cookie crumbles, so it is destined to be.
Mmmm…that’s deep, Mike…
BTW, ref. your changes above: I would have replaced Showbiz Kids with Razor Boy. Controversially, I’ve never been fond of Bodhisattva… (ducks; prepares for hate mail).
Good choice ! 🙂
Bodhisattva I find rather slight, like a jolly instrumental (even though it has singing). People get quite excited about the guitar playing I believe. Not me.
No bad ones? Perhaps. Bad is intrinsically objective, of course. I would put half of Pretzel Logic in the “meh, not bothered if I never hear it again” camp.
Ha! Subjective ,of course 🙄
I agree. Not bad but not as good as the others. I prefer them with more oomph, bluesy guitar and/or funk.
Into rarefied territory here for me, only a SD civilian -but which other bands catalogue – min entry 5 albums – contains a higher percentage of total bangers? No need for a pan to find those nuggets as it’s All Gold.
Listening to ABBA for example and there are some very album filler on all their LPs.
I must admit, I half-expected a punch-up to develop after this statement…but, no! I guess even the Abba fans must agree…
The live version of “Bodhisattva” on the “Citizen Steely Dan” box set isn’t too special, but, yeah, apart from that, Steely Dan’s 20th century canon is more or less unimpeachable.
@duco01
CSD is one of the worst CD box sets ever due to its compilers’ inexplicable decision to split albums across discs.
Re non inclusions in the top 20, I’m sure Tony Soprano would have an issue with the absence of Dirty Work
Can’t say its ever bothered me, certainly not to “one of the worst CD box sets ever” levels…no worse than getting up to turn an LP over, really…
Its sound is nowhere near as good as the 1999 remasters of the original albums, which are among the best remasters I’ve ever heard. Katy Lied zings (finally).
Different issue – everyone seems unhappy that the albums are split across discs. I can’t see the problem, if you’re happy to get up to turn an LP over.
Remasters…well, maybe it’s my age or maybe it’s my income. I can’t hear a big enough difference to justify buying all the individual albums again.
I’ll get my coat…
I confess I also bought CSD and was perfectly happy with it, though I did reorganise it back to albums on my iPod. But buying one remaster was a huge mistake – I had to have the others having heard one.
You reckon if I buy one and live with it, do a serious comparison – there’s no going back?
It’ll only cost you less than fifty quid for all seven.
Tiggs & Twang: are we talking real, significant audible improvements in sound quality – or the proverbial gnat’s baw hair (which I’m told is an engineering term for a very small amount indeed)?
The difference is marked. Try the one you struggle with for less than seven quid. Countdown was it? Then, you’ll be hooked.
I’ll do that very thing! I should say that I don’t have a problem with CTE – just that Bodhisattva is not in my top 20 (Razor Boy and My Old School both are…) and this seems to run against the general flow.
That was my experience. 😁
And don’t forget Becker & Fagen’s fabulous liner notes on those remaster CDs. Worth the extra money in itself.
What Fatima said!
Not inexplicable, they wanted to keep the chronological order and also keep it to four discs. Still irritating though.
Why?
His use of inexplicable would seem to refer back to the OP about splitting LPs across discs.
Only like “getting up to change the record over” if the breaks occur at the same point as on the vinyl albums (currently in bed and can’t be bothered to go downstairs and double check)
This issue isn’t mentioned in the OP.
Re: side breaks. You’re right, of course – and everyone’s irritation level will be different – but I still don’t understand why this causes such deep irritation. You haven’t really explained it, just stated a related fact.
@fitterstoke
Certainly mentioned in my OP on the subject of splitting songs across discs-
“CSD is one of the worst CD box sets ever due to its compilers’ inexplicable decision to split albums across discs.”
Reasons for my listening (for) displeasure?
Cost – Can’t remember how much I paid for CSD when it came out but it won’t have been cheap and one might have expected a little bit more sensitivity vis a vis edit points.
It’s tantamount to watching a movie on a commercial channel where the ad break occur in the middle of a scene
Given that Becker/Fagen were notorious perfectionists – number of guitarists needed to nail the solo on Peg, their increasingly sophisticated sounding albums (and increasingly lengthy gaps between them), etc, you would have thought MCA (and indeed DF and WB ) would have been a bit more respectful of what they were putting out – maybe cost was a factor after all.
@Jaygee – apologies – we clearly use a different definition of OP, I thought it meant the Original Post of the whole thread.
“It’s tantamount to watching a movie on a commercial channel where the ad break occur in the middle of a scene” – surely the equivalent of this situation would be putting the break in the middle of a song?
Cost – an increase from four discs to seven, with the associated need to modify the book/container? Yep, I’m guessing cost was a factor when the decision was made. I’m guessing that you would have been happy to pay the extra to avoid the irritation factor?
Sorry, F
Should have made it clearer that it was my post rather than the OP.
Yes, would happily have stumped up for extra discs.
Reminds me of the story I once heard that when MOJO (or was it UNCUT?) planned a feature about »The 50 Best Steely Dan Songs« (as they do when they run out of ideas, or David Bowie stories) some spoilsport pointed out that there were only 58 tracks total released by the original band.
If the article was planned pre- 2000 but post- Gaucho, there were 61 album songs (plus one instrumental cover version) and 4 additional songs (the earliest 2 of which I have never knowingly heard) from singles. After Becker and Fagen revived SD in 2000, a further 18 songs were recorded before they stopped again. 84 songs/tunes in all.
Not easy to pick a 50 Best from their 20th Century songlist.
I haven’t looked at the list yet and I haven’t read the above comments yet, but before I check the list I will say I think Do It Again should be the number one.
Disclaimer – I don’t know much about Steely Dan and only know their more famous songs. (I know, I know… heresy, burn him at the stake, revoke his Afterword membership, etc, etc….)
Ah I was wrong. Ah well. I know that number one one, mainly from De La Soul though.
Blimey…. it’s been nice knowing you Arthur….
Cowslip – collect yer jotters at the end of the day.
Arthur, there’s a lectern ready outside Afterword Towers…
It’s alright, you can come back again in about seven weeks
The opening question remains: do you agree with that Alex Petridis’ choice of number one? I assume Mr Wrongness would choose Dr Wu, based on the exchange above…
Does Peg peg it?
Peg is a compromise choice, isn’t it?
Rikki or Reelin’ would the the man in the street’s choice – he’s heard them on Steve Wright’s afternoon show – but Peg straddles the boundary between civilian and muso nerd. I could play Peg to Mrs F and she wouldn’t leave the room.
I can’t quite believe I’m on a Steely Dan thread. I must be in need of a holiday.
Peg straddles the boundary? How athletic of her.
Reelin’ In The Years, Rikki and Do It Again are the “big hits” that the casual punters seem to all know. None of their songs are particularly danceable. Too many curveballs thrown.
For my Dan-covering pals, a double whammy of Bodhisattva, then Reelin’ In The Years is a verified reliable show-closer. Rikki usually gets played somewhere around the middle of one of the two sets. Last time I saw them they started the first set with Black Cow and started the second set with Don’t Take Me Alive.
You can dance to Haitian Divorce (and Do It Again).
Peg? Pah! Fire In The Hole is where it’s at, man.
“You can dance to Haitian Divorce (and Do It Again).”
Video proof, please.
In those days, there were no mobile phones.
Fair enough.
Sounds like good grounds for a Mingle then?
I’ve been giving it some thought this afternoon, Tiggs, and I agree – Fire in The Hole is also my choice.
Is the correct answer!!! The piano solo, the steel. Exquisite.
Agreed.
I can still remember the first time I heard that, coming out of a radio, and being literally stopped in my tracks and thinking “This…is…perfect”.
Possible thread idea: ‘Stopped In Your Tracks – what song on the radio rooted you to the spot the first time you heard it, and where were you, what were you doing, etc?’
…although this must surely have been done on here before, probably many times?
Go for it, Jeff…
Ah thanks, Lord Fitz-Toke, but I’m not up to it really. Happy for somebody else to take it on though.
Very poor – where’s your spunk?
It’s in that sock over th…
Ah shit, TMI as usual.
Ducking the question, Mike? What’s YOUR choice for the Dan number one?
Currently it’s Jack Of Speed. Because of that snaky brass riff.
Not a forever choice though, I’m sure. It replaced Black Friday, which I liked for the line “Gonna dig myself a hole. Gonna lay down in it ’til I satisfy my soul.”
Nice…
Currently for me it’s “Josie* but allowing for longevity it has to be “Kid Charlemagne”, a lifetime fave.
Another blatant rip off from jazz. Which Dan song is this the intro to?
Which also “inspired” my tall chum for this 1986 b-side. At least, when people told him “you nicked that off Steely Dan” he could say “no I didn’t”.
But Horace “borrowed” it too. It’s a pretty standard old Latin riff.
Becker and Fagen put their hands up and admitted they’d (inadvertently) plagiarised Keith Jarrett, paid up and gave him a ⅓ credit on all subsequent editions of the offending track. They vehemently denied ripping Horace Silver off and Horace never even considered claiming against them.
That’s a rather good B-side, Mr. Fenton BTW
Even more obscure: it wasn’t even the 7″ b-side but was the extra track on a 12″ single.
There were worse tunes on the parent album which it could have replaced, but I think my tall chum bottled it.
Oh, and by the way, one of Nick Hornby’s faves. It’s in that buk wot he roat.
The Silver thing by osmosis maybe, it was one of his most popular songs and they were fans.
The Gaucho plagiarism is staggering. How they thought it would go unnoticed and how no one pulled them up on it eludes me. Belonging was a pretty successful album for KJ.
From wikipedia “Co-writer Donald Fagen later admitted he’d loved the track and was strongly influenced by it.”
Like wot others have said you could pretty much pick out any 20 Dan songs at random and you’d have a list of contenders. There’s nothing on the list I don’t like but I’d like to find room for Caves of Altamira and the always overlooked but really rather lovely Dirty Work.
I can’t think of that song without seeing Tony Soprano singing along with it in his car…
Impossible to hear that song without an image of T driving aling the freeway. It’s one of the few moments in the series where he’s truly happy
Pearl of the Quarter wasn’t on the Guardian’s list.
And no one on this thread has mentioned it either.
So I’ll mention it.
“Pearl of the Quarter” – it’s great!
I agree, always loved that one. I think that and the school song make CTE my favourite Dan album.
Had a very enjoyable Dan binge on headphones whilst cooking last night & particularly enjoyed ‘Pearl’ – a track I sometimes almost overlook.
The guitar work is exquisite & the world weary, wistful mood evoked is *very* SD.
I too love Pearl of the Quarter, and would’ve mentioned it if you hadn’t.
Boz S does a wonderful version of Pearl.
Buggered if I can think of too mny other Dan covers
A quick google tells me there are a lot more than I’d imagined, @Jaygee.
I did know about these two, who’ve done lots:
Superb album altogether. Excellent song choices…
@nigelthebald
Cheers for that, N, will check it out later on.
Pretty sure mentioned XTC as being the English equivalent of the Dan further up the page. Interestingly, aside from the Crash Test Dummies’ Peter Pumpkinseed, there ain’t too many XTC covers floating around either.
While there was a various artists’ “covers” XTC release, not sure if an equivalent exists for the Dan. Anyone here know for sure?
“Anyone here know for sure?”
I do now, @Jaygee:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steely_Dan_discography#Tribute_albums
And Walter apparently compiled a playlist of Dan covers:
Cheers again, N
Woof! That’s today’s listening pleasure sorted – thanks, Nigel!
https://secondhandsongs.com/artist/2733/originals#nav-entity
And, seeing they were compared, not that I see it,
https://secondhandsongs.com/artist/1934/originals#nav-entity
Don’t know about best track, too many contenders, but Countdown To Ecstasy is their best album.
It used to be my favourite too, but now I just can’t decide between Katy Lied, The Royal Scam and Aja.
I recently listened to all their albums up to Gaucho where I lost interest. I loved them all, but could not get on with The Royal Scam. Never did like it.
Can I suggest an algorithm/oblique strategy to get a top 20 of sorts?
Pick yer two faves/best from each of the nine discreet studio albums, with a further two wild cards to make up to twenty tracks…
…or is this a step too far? Has it crossed the line from appreciation to obsession?
“Has it crossed the line from appreciation to obsession?”
With the Dan the two are one and the same, surely?
🙁
It has for me, @fitterstoke, and I’m not ashamed to admit it.
Nige, I seem to be down the rabbit hole myself – what with top 20 algorithms and SQ queries upthread…
Can’t do it @fitterstoke. Every single album has at least three.
I could do a Top 30 on that basis, though.
Do It Again, Dirty Work & Only A Fool Would Say That.
Bodhisattva, Your Gold Teeth & King Of The World.
Rikki Don’t Lose That Number, Night By Night & Pretzel Logic.
Black Friday, Bad Sneakers & Rose Darling.
Kid Charlemagne, Don’t Take Me Alive &Green Earrings.
Black Cow, Deacon Blues & Home At Last.
Babylon Sisters, Hey Nineteen & Time Out Of Mind.
What A Shame About Me, Jack Of Speed & Cousin Dupree.
Things I Miss The Most, Blues Beach & Lunch With Gina.
Plus:
Sail The Waterway, FM (No Static At All) [long guitar outro version preferred] & Here At The Western World.
I’ll put on my thinking boots and try your top 30 idea, Mike – but it’ll be tomorrow, as my brane is shutting down for the night. I’m sure you’re right – two from each album is a bit…underdeveloped…
@Mike_H – after a lot of thought, my attempt at a top 30, using the Modified Mike Method:
Brooklyn, Dirty Work & Fire in the Hole
Razor Boy, My Old School & Pearl of the Quarter
Any Major Dude, Night By Night & Pretzel Logic
Bad Sneakers, Rose Darling & Dr Wu
Kid Charlemagne, Don’t Take Me Alive & Sign in Stranger
Black Cow, Aja & Home At Last
Babylon Sisters, Hey Nineteen & Time Out Of Mind
What A Shame About Me, Jack Of Speed & Cousin Dupree
Things I Miss The Most, Lunch with Gina & Everything Must Go.
So that’s 27 – plus FM (long guitar outro version), Green Earrings from Alive in America….and Interlude from Zazu by Rosie Vela 🙂.
If I can’t have Interlude, I’ll go back to …Scam and choose Haitian Divorce.
Good list.
I’d buy that for a dollar.
Jaygee makes a good point above. Dan covers are few and far between. Despite the fact that their songs are excellent.
Here are the Pointer Sisters,
How many others can you think of?
Gosh!
Jeff Baxter, John Entwhistle, Joe Walsh and Keith Emerson…
Reeling in the years !
And reeling in the yen too on this Japanese tour,
Tom Robinson did Rikki Don’t Lose That Number
That sounds very interesting – got a linkything?
Thanks retro.
That is truly terrible. I had to bail at 49 seconds.
“Exultant chromaticism” if I remember the sleeve notes correctly…
Lovely stuff as always from the Skunk…
…but omg that over-excited singist, whoever dafuq he is… he’s dreadful and needs to have a dry slap administered quick-sharp. Jesus H Chrisp, he’s appalling. Have a word with yourself son.
And no close-ups of Sir Keith on the wonderful piano solo? Sort your life out, VT.
Try these:
https://tidal.com/playlist/d9c124cd-84ae-457e-b30c-966044e71609
Ivy’s Only A Fool Would Say That is my current fave. Plus there are those Swedish ladies who did a whole album of Dan (it’s not on Tidal). Sara Isaksson & Rebecka Törnqvist.
https://youtu.be/DS-9BXdeSaE
Wait. Maybe this one’s my favourite.
A fantasy Steely Dan cover I’d like to hear is Snarky Puppy doing Green Earrings. Pretty sure they’d knock it out of the park.
Joe Jackson makes a decent fist of King Of The World on his live album Summer In The City.
Don and Walt made approving noises about Joe’s voice. You need a bit of snark in there to pull it off.
Good to hear that, Twang. Now that I think of it, he also joins Rickie Lee Jones for a version of Show Biz Kids on her covers album ‘It’s Like This’
Leonid and Friends are always worth seeing
That’s excellent!
The best cover that never was:
Preferred albums are CtE, Royal Scam and Gaucho. Tracks: Do It Again, Midnight Cruiser, Razor Boy, Your Gold Teeth, Boston Rag, Rikki, Everyone’s Gone To The Movies, Kid Charlemagne, Haitian Divorce, Green Earrings, Royal Scam, Deacon Blues, Black Cow, Aja, Hey Nineteen, Time Out Of Mind, Gaucho… I probably play Gaucho most these days. It’s mood suits best. Lush yet amusingly droll in tone. Sweet and sour.