Steve Gadd: The DRUM SOLO That Changed Popular Music
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ก.ย. 2024
- In this episode I discuss how Steve Gadd changed Pop music with his drum solo on Steely Dan's Aja.
#stevegadd #drumsolo #steelydan
THE BEATO CLUB → flatfiv.co/pag...
THE BEATO EAR TRAINING PROGRAM: beatoeartraini...
BUY THE BEATO BOOK HERE → bit.ly/2uTQFlo
MY HELIX PRESETS →flatfiv.co/pro...
KEMPER PROFILES → flatfiv.co/col...
Follow my Instagram - / rickbeato1
*Advanced Harmonic Concepts for Composition and Improvisation Video Course* → www.flatfiv.co
SUBSCRIBE HERE → bit.ly/2eEs9gX
BEATO MUSIC FORUM → forum.rickbeato.com
--------------------------------------
My Links to Follow:
TH-cam - / rickbeato
Personal Facebook - / rick.beato.1
Follow On Twitter - @rickbeato
------------------------------
Special Thanks to My Supporters:
Robert Hickerty
comboy
Alan Nance
Peter DeVault
Bill Grubbs
Phil Mingin
Tal Harber
Rick Taylor
Dennis Lukas
Bill Miller
Gabriel Karaffa
Brett Bottomley
Matthew Porter
Frederick Humphrey
Frederick Humphrey
Paul Noonan
Mansel Ismay
James Jourdan
Terry Van Belle
Stephen Morris
Hans Vilu
Ian Chumakov
Ilya Kravchenko
Nathan Hanna
Thom Theriault
Jason Johnson
David Wilkinson
Chris Scrivo
Kai Ellis
Josh Lawrence
Zack Kirkorian
Ray Rossetti
Evgeny Teilor
Joe Ansaldi
David Fugit
Jonathan Wentworth-Linton
Harry Brocious
Pzz
Marc Alan
Rob Kline
Tim Wilson
Calvin Wells
David Trapani
Abel James
Will Elrics
Hector Medina
Joe Elrod
Chris Defendorf
Debbie Valle
maydad meiri
JP Rosato
Scott Rance
Dave Hawkey
Roger Frankham
Orion Letizi
Mike Voloshen
Ashley Thompson
Matt Pauley
Peter Pillitteri
Jeremy Hickerson
Travis Ahrenholtz
IMHO, the Gadd/Shorter solo is one of the greatest pieces of music ever recorded. It raises the hair on my arms every time I listen to it.
Best thing about this video is seeing how happy Rick is throughout it. ✊🏼
I agree fully. His passion is so contagious. Even when he's analyzing a song I don't care for, I find myself incredibly moved by his excitement.
Well. The BEST thing is bringing awareness to the stunning achievements of Steve Gadd. But Bless Rick Biato for generating this and recognizing the genius.
Same energy that you see in Gadd's performances!
I was just about to say that. Watching his joy as he listens to this is so uplifting!😄👌👍
Well said! Pure bliss! Kinda like the first time I heard the Dixie Dreggs or The Golden Apple with Jeff Beck & Carmine Appice. 😁
Rick is one of the true greats of air drumming
Like Jeff Goldblum playing jazz piano
Ha! No kick drum in air drumming, just sticks.
Ageeed! I think he missed a hit though… sticking was pretty complicated.
Aja is hands down the greatest album of all time. The amount of pure talent and musicianship put into these 7 songs is absolutely phenomenal!
Yes, the greatest! It’s been my favorite album for some 40+ years.
Very much agree ..😊 yes from the phils
I can't even imagine the number of times I've listened to that album over the decades. Put it this way, my wife isn't really a Dan fan at all, and she still knows the words to every track on the album haha!
Being only 18 years old, it’s quite a lot for me to have written this comment, but most of my family is the same way. I grew up to my dad listening to this album, and he did the same. I’ve never fallen for modern music, but stuck to older 70s and 80s music instead.
@@masonaxenty4869 I used to feel much the same way (I'm also 18), but there's a lot of really good music being made these days if you're willing to try listening. As a Steely Dan fan, I found there's a good amount of overlap with today's RnB/pop songs. I pretty quickly got into a couple new artists -- Benny Sings, Anderson .Paak, and Mayer Hawthorne to name a few.
Steely Dan was a genre of music and they were the sole occupants. A brilliant collaboration of rock, jazz and blues.
Um hmm.
I agree!
@@letty5515 hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
@@romo2674 what r you doing? Nin com poop. I don't feel like spell checking. Eat your milk and cookies and go to bed. Night night.
@@letty5515 "Nin com poop"
Rick has the uncanny ability to get me excited about music that I've been listening to since it first came out, and played hundreds of times, and give it a new meaning, a new twist, and show me things I never knew or heard before, and get me all overjoyed again, and it's like I'm hearing for the first time after all these years I feel young again. Not many people on earth can do that for you, my friends.
OÄKTA DOPBOK you said it better than I did yesterday for another review Rick did.
I feel the same way. Rick's analysis rocks.
I started playing music before I heard Steely Dan. I remember hearing on the radio that they were taking forever on the Aja album. When it came out I didn't listen critically. I treated it like candy. It was pure pleasure. So you're right, thousands of plays later I heard it for the first time.
What he said!
OÄKTA DOPBOK - Well said O.D. I had just finished my second year of high school when I first got Aja (on cassette).
Zeppelin, Frampton and Aerosmith were my foundation in music at that time. This masterpiece of an album thrusted me into another dimension! Agreed, this segment with Rick revived all that joy, freshness of discovery and eagerness of our youth!! I’m pumped that Rick started to explain Fagan’s spacey synth work a little bit, but there’s so much that could be said about that subtlety in this song. Especially that other synth that sounds like a sign-wave of tiny bubbles in the background. An insane traffic jam of music genius with an enthusiasm that’s unequalled.
That is the track I use to compare speakers and sound equipment. One of my all-time favorites. RIP Walter!
This is one of them for me too.
Right on🤘. “War Pigs” is another that is worth a listen to test speakers IMHO.
absolutely
Yep - Aja and Roundabout for me....
@AR-FRM That and cuts from Mannheim Steamroller's Fresh Aire I.
Every Steely Dan song & album blew our minds - the playing, musicianship, arrangements, lyrics, imagery, melodies, tones, artwork… untouchable.
Maybe not the artwork... some of them like Can't Buy A Thrill are downright ugly lol
Absolutely right!! Couldn't have said it better!!
I love your videos! You're doing something that schools lack today; teaching music appreciation. Not just "hey listen to this, it's awesome", you show us WHY it's awesome.
Hi John ~ Just wanted to say "Thanx!" for playing on Roby Duke's albums back in the 80's, particularly "Down To Business" (my fave)... We'll see our Brother in glory soon :D
...and PLAYS it too!!👍🏻 🎶
Rick, I've followed you for a long time, this is my first comment. This is why we love you man. Like a kid in a candy shop, your enthusiasm, still after all these years, is contagious. We all know what a genius Steve Gadd is. Listening to it together and sharing your passion for the music, just takes it all to a new level. Cheers man!
Thanks!!!!
What he said 👍👍👍
Well said!!!
Totally agree!
It’s why we live. All those non hits.
Music like this is craftsmanship neither mass produced or even repeatable. This is a gift, Thank you
Bruce Warner Preach .
Well said! It was all about perfection! (And grace) :)
@@lantose It sure puts a smile on my face ...
"...or even repeatable." Well put Sir. I agree.
Greatest complete song ever. BLACK COW was also great!
All these “hearing a song for the first time” videos are fun but seeing the enthusiasm for a song you’ve listened to 100+ times is so more uplifting. I share your joy of this song totally Rick!!
I agree. Love Rick's enthusiasm and eloquence.
Steve Gadd's work on Aja never gets old.... the song itself belongs in the Smithsonian as a national treasure.
Excellent comment. :)
Here here! I second that emotion.
I foolishly thought I should try to replicate that drum solo
I think I'll just listen
@@750count learn to play a perfect samba beat at that tempo first or you won’t get close. Then try adding the ride bell pattern but don’t use a bright obnoxious symbol. something not too thick and more dark/jazzy. Too loud (bright and Clangy) of a ride bell can be really annoying. I never really got the ride pattern down just did a samba pattern. Too much ambidextrous limb polyrhythms would take me a while to get.
@@750count lol know one can do it
I used to immerse myself in albums... listening to you has really gotten me back into REALLY listening to stuff again. Thanks Rick.
True, not just the drum solo, but a whole album which changed everything from production values to songwriting.
Steely Dan's Aja is undoubtedly IMO the greatest Jazz/Pop/R&B record ever made. In fact, I was highly influenced by this album as a musician. It was innovative for it's time. I highly recommend it to anyone with open ears when it comes to musical development. The title track itself is an absolute masterpiece. When I listen to the title track, to this day after all these years, it gives me chills when I hear both steve gadd and wayne shorter's solos....it's so damn good.
Steve Gadd is a true player's player. His work on Al Di Meola's Elegant Gypsy is different, yet it is equally mind blowing.
Al DiMeola is my all-time favorite for songwriting! His stuff is absolutely mind-blowing, as is his guitar playing. Legendary and second to none!
@@soujrnr yea, discovered him when he joined RTF. Saw them in concert and was stunned. His work is underappreciated.
Steve Gadd's drumming on the Chick Corea album My Spanish Heart is also amazing, especially on the track Spanish Fantasy Part 2.
When Rick says, “I want you to listen to this with headphones”, I do what I’m told.
Yep, I did the same
Lol yup
Same 😁
Count me in. But there certainly was an apparent reason for that.
Me too 😂🤣
Rick this song and Gadd’s solos have given me goosebumps for decade’s. Absolutely drop-jaw stunning!
Steve Gadd's drum performance on this song has always been my favorite drum playing to listen to. it is so energetic and if i can say a bit chaotic which adds to its greatness. I fell in love with this song as soon as i bought the record when it came out. i still play it and turn it WAYYYY up and feel it shake my bones.
EVERY.DAMN.SONG.THEY.MADE.IS.A.GEM. PERIOD.
Absolutely. I’m so bored with most other music. Never get bored with SD.
No.....Question.
If you listen to the outtakes, maybe not so much.
Aja was and is one of my if I could only have 10 albums list. Thanks for pointing out one of the remarkable musicians that contributed to just a unique work of art. Steve Gadd is one of those great musicians that use to play with eveyone everywhere back in the day and most people didn't even know who he was. Love your videos.
Steve was incredible on this solo. My Brother was a drummer ; and he absolutely flipped out on this solo.
Independent time drumming with each hand. one of the greatest , tastiest , drum solos ever recorded in the last 50 years !
AJA is 43 years old and still timeless music.; Donald , Walter . & musicians take a bow !!! My God .... Perfection .....
Omar Hakim had the greatest drum solo ever on Burn For You by Sting and his super band.
independent time drumming with each hand? Im guessing you read that phrase in a Modern Drummer article and couldnt wait to use it ... there are no polyrhythms in this solo ... you are a pedantic pompous ass
@@bigbuck3216
Pedantic defined as: referring to someone who is annoying for their attention to minor detail, or snobbish expertise. Oh the irony...
That drum and sax soli is just pure joy, just one of the greatest of all time 😄🙏
The look of joy on Rick's face when he begins playing air drums is worth the price of admission on its own.
that stick click fuckin blew my mind when i first heard it years ago. love this!
Another great video. As a pro drummer I appreciate you posting this...Steve's fills are the well from which we all drink.
@Max BXB Damn I always wanted to be a drummer in a band. These days I would like to get into jazz but not many bands out there. Buddy Rich were me heros
skierpage Keith Moon's fills were often based on the vocal lines of the song
You're a BLAST TO WATCH air drum. Props!! Love LOVE your videos. Do more on Chicago.. Seals n Crofts Great odd times unearthly harmonies.
Robert Sput Searight is a fucking beast probably the greatest drummer of all time
Couldn't agree more!
There’s nothing better than watching someone who loves music… Loving music. The way you feel, listen, interpret & thoroughly enjoy the musicianship of whatever you’re listing to, is pretty awesome!!!
I'm 68, have lived and played through the greatest years of music, and in my collection, Aja sits atop; a masterpiece.
I hear you brother.
Agreed
Music is just as good today
Ya just gotta know where to look
TOAOM123 Fair enough, I’ll bite. Where would you have us look?
@@davidbixler1263
On most music streaming services you can put in preferences and they'll provide tons of suggestions
There are also plenty of youtube channels dedicated to underground music
Tell me what youre into ill be more than happy to provide sources
As many times as I’ve listened to Aja since 1977, I’ve never heard that stick click before. Amazing.
I was always bothered about it. Sounds like a mistake to me, just like the uneven triplets.
I guess my 70s stereo setup was OK... I always heard it. 😎
@@philip6502 Ditto. Did not sound like a mistake; this is Steve Gadd we're talking about! Reminds me a little of the "squeak" on the acoustic guitar at the end of Simon and Garfunkel's Mrs. Robinson; that wasn't intentional, I'm sure, but it's a tiny glitch that'll always be a memorable part of that recording.
Steely Dan, pure genius, like some have said, it still feels fresh and new, to think it has been nearly 45 years since it was recorded, it is transcendent
Steve Gadd was a real game changer for contemporary drumming. He played in drum core growing up where he developed great snare technique. Most of his ideas for beats and soloing are based on the drum rudiments. He nails everything, plays perfectly. Every drummer should listen to Steve..
Yes sir. Steve is an unbelievably creative musician, but the thing that really sets him apart is command of the rudiments. Many well respected drummers in the rock world couldn't play in a high school marching band.
Gadd was part of a life changer for me also. Al DiMeola album Elegant Gypsy.
Did I just write this comment? I could have done! Splendido Hotel was also a fabulous album.
The album that hooked me on fusion. I loved it when it first came out, and I still listen to it fairly regularly today, over 40 years later. Yikes! -Tom
Wow, I love that album. I never knew it was Gadd playing on it.
@@monach_wm Along with Lenny White from DiMeola's 'Return To Forever' days.
I got that record for free when I bought something else from a pawn shop. It's pretty kick ass
It’s so enjoyable to watch Mr. Beato enjoying this phenomenal drums.
Was having a beer with a friend and Aja comes on. He says, "All this Steely Dan sounds the same." He's no longer my friend.
My best friend calls Steely Dan's music 'pastiche'. Urrr, no. It's a fusion of pop, jazz and rock, with latin highlights. He doesn't like Eric Clapton either. We're still best friends, though, and I forgive him - in case he reads this, LOL.
It’s been called “yacht rock” too. Lol
Steely Dan was "adult music" to we youngsters, too sophisticated for us to fully appreciate at the time.
You have a point. Friendship is overrated, at least in this case.
Fragile friendship....but I understand...lol
I’m SO glad I have you to validate my OBSESSION with this song/album/Gadd. Thank you
I hate making claims like the greatest album ever but if I was stranded on a desert island and I could have only one album, Aja would be my choice
@@mikeyb6859 Me, it would be Zeppelin 4 or 5. But I love "Aja" as well.
Man if the music moves you, it moves you.
Rick Beato is a bright ray of sunshine in an otherwise dark web
It might just be the light reflecting off his hair.
When I met Steve Gadd (after sound check outside Wrigley Field for James Taylor & Bonnie Raitt) I started to cry. He came over and consoled me and invited me in to see the concert.
Mark Hebert Get a grip, guy.
@@jumpinjojo stay amatuer where you belong, guy.
@@markhebert5761 *amateur
@@jumpinjojo Yes... You would know how it's spelt.
That's a touching story.
Aja was definitely one of those game-changing, brain-rewiring albums that completely and forever changed my perspective and interests in music. I got to see Steely a few times at Red Rocks over the years. RIP, Walter!
Aja is the most chill yet proggy smooth jazzy album there is. Magic
Amen Rick, That Song was a big part of the soundtrack of my youth.
I’m 68 and those solos brought me back to my days as a young musician. It’s amazing to me how music can bring you to the same emotional state as it did 42 years ago. Such a beautiful video, Rick.
You pay so much reverence to those great musicians and the music they gave us.
it is amazing how sonically we remember, or our 'HEART remember's sonically.
Steve Gadd’s one-bar fill following the bridge in Rickie Lee Jones’ Chuck E’s in love still amazes me every time I hear it...
just went and reminded myself of the tune. really sweet😀
Couldn’t agree more - one of those fills that when you hear it for the first time you remember exactly where you were - 16 years old in a studio, guitarist says “you have to listen to possibly the tastiest fill ever recorded” ! I agreed, an omg moment !
David Lee Exactly right! 👍🏼
That was a nine stroke roll, Steve Gadd style.
Same here Dude. That fill is killer!
I remember this albums debut. I was 16 years old. To this day it still gives me goosebumps. Nothing compares to it.
Great video Rick. Steely Dan have been a major part of my life for over 40 years. Their music never gets old.
I was 2 years old when Aja came out. I was already hooked on Buddy Rich and was drumming along to Time Check on my tiny little drumset for hours at a time. My mother came home from the store with Aja tucked under her arm with all the other shopping. She took Buddy Rich off the turntable. I had a tantrum. That all stopped when the title song started. When it got to the first of Steve's solos I was sat still staring into the speakers. When it got to the end solo, I was playing along and loving it. We played that record so much, the grooves wore out. 42 years later and I am a professional drummer of some 30 years experience. Thanks Steve and Buddy. Thanks to you too, Rick, for bringing back those memories of my childhood. Who needs toys when you can play along to great musicians like that. I didn't!
Whoa, now there's a music story! I was only 4 when it came out. I was lucky my Dad was into Steely Dan, The Crusaders, and anything else that was fusion and/or fat-bottomed. I'm not a drummer, but man the 70s was THE time for fattening up percussion! What a blessing you're living out talent and dreams. Play on!
This guy is great. He brings another level of appreciation to great songs and musicians as a professional but more to the point as a music lover.
Rik, I never comment on any of these sites but this has brought back memories! I remember sitting in music appreciation in junior high school in 1978 and being completely blown away by every song on this record, I think it changed my life. As far as music goes this is it!!!
Rick Beato gets more excited about drums than any other instrument.
His name checks out.
Can't spell Beato without the beat.
spacejack lol
Rick would come back as a drummer in his next life. I would come back as a guitarist.
Rick Beato is not an instrument. :)
The album defies aging. Eight perfect songs (the most perfect album of any in my humble opinion). An ensemble of some of the most talented musicians in the industry. Ingenious song writing and arrangement of both instruments and vocals. For me, one of the greatest bands ever.
nice !
Totally agree!
There's a Brazilian musician called Ed Motta, who has a vinyl collection of over 30 thousand records. The record he has most copies of? "Aja", eight exemplars. Steely Dan, musician's musicians.
Apart from Gaucho?
unbelievable stuff.
YES ! YES!! YES!!! The first 3 tracks on Steely Dan's legendary AJA album are the deepest in their catalog! Black Cow, AJA, and Deacon Blues are epic!! Great analysis Rick! Thank you!!
Gold Standard.
I saw an orchestra do lots of their stuff. Just an ordinary night in a park and they had me feel like I was in a MUSIC FESTIVAL
This song was one that brought my father, a drummer, and I, a guitarist, closer together. He appreciated my taste in music and I appreciated his openness to listen to music I liked.
Aja was the first album I ever purchased for myself.
I was 12.
I still have it.
It's like gold, isn't it? Were you really moved by it when you first listened to your first album?
When i was 12 i like huckleberry hound and his friends
Heck, where do you go from there??!!
I think mine was Showaddywaddy.
Talk about a great first-round draft pick! Excellent taste, my man.
My first was Alan Parsons Project's "I Robot." But AJA was in top 5.
Is there a great session player that hasn't played on a Steely Dan Album?
I watched a documentary where Fagan explained that during recording, they had several Bands of studio musicians on rotation, playing in the studio when called upon. There was almost a competitive atmosphere in the studio, and the results are in the songs.
Mr. Beato's passion for music is infectious and inspiring! Love this channel.
I'd heard that Fagan/Becker kept rehearsing these pros to the point they could play it perfectly - then they rolled tape and told them to just play naturally. Perhaps why Aja never sounded sterile, and has a flow to the the playing - albeit at a ridiculously high level!
Aja is one of my top ten albums of all time! Head phones required. The track Aja is my absolute favorite on the album. Thanks for highlighting this!!
Ah Rick such a beautiful song 🎧. Can’t count how many times I listened to Aja on a real stereo as a teenager in San Francisco. What a year for music! I recall Fleetwood Mac Rumours, The Cars Best Friends Girl and Steely Dan’s Aja all flooding the airwaves .. so much diversity in music by skilled musicians. Thank you
KFRC? Me too.
@@stewartanstead6857 - Dr. Donald D. Rose?
Seeing you so happy listening to this really made my day!!!
I knew what song it was before I clicked! Amazing track.
And I as well.😁👍
420protoman agreed!
I was gonna be MAD if it wasn’t Aja 😂😂
Lol, me too!
Same here!
My favorite band. One of my favorite albums. One of my favorite songs. Incredible seasion players. Wow. Those drums. The samba. The air drums. Thank you Rick!
Funny how the samba crops up in late-70s classic rock like this and "Fool in the Rain". A groovy decade that was.
zenobardot - a very indulgent decade.
Loved this video and your enthusiasm (and air-drumming), Rick. My hometown is also Rochester, NY, and I too, went to Ithaca College. We used to crank "Aja" countless times when it came out in the fall of 1977, and yes, would play air-drums ourselves, when listening to Steve Gadd's 2 solos. Thank you, for all your videos, they are so interesting and informative!
Rick, your over-the-top excitement about this is so obvious, warranted and utterly infectious. Though I did not have the musical knowledge or experience at that time (as a listener), nor the focus on drumming that you are describing here, I remember being utterly taken away by Steve Gadd's drumming on that track when it was first released. It just pulls you deep into the song and doesn't let you go.
"We're on a mission from Gadd."
Exactly!
I wish I'd said that.
I’m stealing that
@@mileyondrumz - Well, since you were honest I'm cool with that. Lol
@@mattpurvis927 I've always been particularly enamored with the intro he/Gadd did on Simon & Garfunkle's 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover. Did he improvise that intro or was it written? I know that's probably a stupid question; I'm not a drummer.
Aja is a great record, quality all the way through.
46 years later, and this track is still outrageously brilliant. It will never sound dated.
Bought the LP in late ‘77 right before getting out of the military and my love for this masterpiece was immediate then, and undiminished now.
It really is an album way up there in the pop thermosphere, orbiting with only a handful of other records like Sgt. Pepper's, Pet Sounds, and a couple of others. Like Pet Sounds, it didn't have the kind of cultural impact that Sgt Pepper's had, reaching every age and demographic, but in 500 years, when analyzed as pure music, it's going to be considered as good as anything written in the 2nd half of the 20th century, maybe as good as anything in the entire 20th century.
I love how animated Rick gets during this SD classic. ✌🏻❤️🇬🇧
The groove that kicks in at 6:59 is freaking RIGHTEOUS, there's no other way to describe it.
And they fade the damn thing out!
Steve Gadd played on Jim Hall's "Concierto" in 1975 along with Ron Carter, Roland Hannah, Paul Desmond and Chet. No drum solos, no show off , it is all serious business, and all time masterpiece.
Home at Last with Bernard Purdie on drums is another great one from the Aja album!
Oh no. Purdie, the fourth, fifth and sixth Beatle. 🙁
Home at Last is the best drum track one on the album IMO. The Gadd track is phenomenal, but nothing matches Bernards Groove.
The entire album has fire drums. Pretty much every SD track has sick drums
@@sonsauvage It was either Purdie, Gadd or Porcaro (among others). Can't be bad !
Rick Marotta did lots with SD; think that's him on Peg.
let's not forget steve was off his rocker when performing this. Fagen played it back to him several months later to which Steve replied "who's the dummer?".
Yup, his coke addiction really beat him up.
@@ianchandley and yet he produced a masterpiece...
Ahhh everyone was doing coke back then.
There is a paragraph in Keith Richard's autobio LIFE that has me think they were using pretty much across the industry in those days to accommodate the brutal conditions they were exposed to (Keith Richards really consciously used because he knew from experience that he'd be able to stay productive for days without sleep, food or any other break in between). I mean, when you listen to the stories, it's like play the gig, get your gear, show up at the recording studio right after and lay down tracks without ever knowing beforehand, if sessions would run for 20 minutes as here or for days... (there is a similar anecdote about the late Jeff Porcaro, who was another of these super musicians on most producers' short dial. When he was too exhausted to stay awake, he's said to have excused himself outside for taking a phone call... and never returned until days later, when he must have MADE an opportunity to catch up on some much needed sleep).
What I'm trying to say is: Let's cut them some slack, shall we? (In my best non-lecturing, non-pontificating tone of voice).
😂😂😂
The Aja album is a masterwork. Steve Gadd’s drum work on the song Aja is my all time favorite drum track. Steve created a phenomenal groove!
AMEN
David Taylor very much agreed! Anytime I get a new audio device be it car stereo, home theatre etc.. this is always the first album I play through them!
AJA is one of the Most Artistic Albums ever recorded in Rock History. The musicianship in this album is out of this world.
Genius moments occured when Steely Dan brought session musicians into their studio!!!:
1) Bernard Purdie's Shuffle on Babylon Sisters and Home at Last
2) Elliott Randall's lead guitar on Reelin' in the Years -- completed in ONE take
3) Steve Gadd here on Aja
Don’t forget Larry Carlton’s solo on Kid Charlemagne :)
@@klinkov6393 And his solos on Don't Take Me Alive!
You have distinctively great knowledge & good taste! Love Jim Keltner's Groove on Josie
@@roscoegarbonzo9966 Keltner was an amazing musician. Thanks man you too
Jeff Skunk Baxter on 'My Old School', 'nuff said.
Rick, your enthusiasm for music and loving it enough to play air drums gets you a fat thumbs up and thanks! Keep it coming!
Thanks a lot Rick! 43 year old song, hasn't lost an ounce of it's WOW factor.
There are always two moments I look for in “Aja:” Wayne Shorter’s all to brief solo and Steve Gadd’s drumming. Much has been made of these drum parts by others, but I always appreciate the intensity of your joy and excitement about this kind of musicianship along with the way you break songs down into these very interesting examinations of their components, like the way in which he propels the song as it fades with the change to the samba rhythm.
Absolute joy
Hard to believe this is 45 years old....where have the years gone...so many memories in this album. Immortal solo.
When you're just 2 years old, a year is half of your life. When you're 50, it's just 2%. It's all relative.
oh damn... now I feel old. it feels like yesterday
I appreciate the analysis. I'd never realized that that was a samba rhythm by Gadd at the end. Amazing. His playing, the entire track, the entire album - incredible.
A drum teacher in the 80's gave me a cassette of Aja and it completely blew my little metalhead mind. It was the transition album that made me the jazz musician that I am today.
Jazz pretty much killed my metalhead mind too hahaha i still like it, but all that arrogance metalheads have about their music was gone, along with some prog rock too, of course.
@@Guilhermeabcd You definitely met the wrong people. Metalheads ---> arrogant about "their" music? That is a poor generalisation!
@@jurgentrockenbau9321 not at all Jurgen. Take these typical Iron Maiden or Metallica fans. They keep trash talking about pop music all the time. Some may like jazz or blues, or even respect those genres, but for the most part they're just too edgy to pay attention to other genres.
@@jurgentrockenbau9321 a little bit of shredding and lack of musical theory is all it get until they start babling about their elitist musical taste. I just hope i'm not biased enough, but there are plenty of vlogs and examples out there.
@@Guilhermeabcd Most of the top notch shredders come from classical and jazz backgrounds. It's easy to tell a great player and musician from a guy who just likes to play notes. A bad shredder learns a scale shape and randomly bangs out what he can.
When I first heard this back in the day I was blown away. All my friends started listening to these exact parts and freaking out. It is insane. Who is this drummer , we didn’t really know,but we found out. I had a very high end system back then and just couldn’t believe how this album was recorded.. so clear and precise..the best music ever.
Totally addicted to this when came out, learned to play the drums with..
Still to this day one of my favorites..
Thank you Rick
Years ago I worked with this Polish fella, one of the nicest persons I've ever known, anyways he was a heavy metal drummer. So one day at work I'm playing this CD and he was blown away by the drumming and asks, "who is this?"
thats great.
Man! There is no one with your enthusiasm, taste and style that nails these classics the way you do! Love your work Rick!
Give me back the 70s any day. We didn't fully appreciate the musical genius we were being bathed in at the time....
@@indetigersscifireview4360 I concur. I soaked up every second of it I could. But have found equally amazing things from this century on u-tube. "Riverside", "Porcupine Tree", "Poets of the Fall", etc,etc,etc...
TRUE THAT!
it's uncanny: i didn't listen to classic music for a decade...and then when I got a radio again and heard 1960s / 1970s pop and rock songs, and DAMN the arrangements and DETAILS. Today, everything is super-lazy! Un fun!
Quite right. There was such a huge creative musical effort that we didn't appreciate it.
I certainly appreciated the music of the 70's. I lived it, breathed it daily, and knew it wouldn't or couldn't last. I consumed it in albums and concerts. Took every chance I could to see these bands live. The albums cost $4 dollars, and the concerts $8.
OMG... This is the Album that made me fall in love with Steely Dan.. Still my favorite album by the group... Great video Rick!!
My favorite Steve Gadd moment. Buddy Rich tribute... Vinnie and Dave playing their asses off and Gadd comes in like a Boss.
Aja... I remember when I got that record...blew my mind! One the best LPS's of all time!
Steve Gadd is one of the best drummers ever!
Rick "who puts out a drum solo(s) like that on a pop song?"
Me "who puts out videos like these on the internet?"
Haha! Me!!!
@@RickBeato you're seriously one in 10 million (Departed reference haha)
Freak man, I'd drive down to Atlanta if I could - well, technically I could, but long drive from Toronto :P
Watch out Rick..lol
Hahaha seriously. This channel is a jewel in a sea of garbage
@@king-manu2758 AMEN Brother!
The bass line and drums are so key to any song or band, their usually under appreciated.
Aja came out right in the middle of my senior year in HS. I listen to Gadd on this and wonder how anyone comes up with that stuff. I just shake my head at the vitality and speed and feel. Aja truly might be the best recorded album of the rock era. Keith Carlock, who plays drums when Steely Dan tours, is also an amazing drummer.
Yup..he is
Great video Rick. I used this tune to introduce my daughter the music fan to Steely Dan, Steve Gadd, and drum solos. I must have done my job right because she has a bunch of Steely Dan songs on her Spotify playlist.
Wow, I never picked up the stick click before. It's so on the money I can't believe it was done live.
Me either, lol.
This song and frankly this album also changed my life. Rick I am 1 day older than you so I can imagine us both having a similar experience simultaneously (on opposite coasts) in this time. This song and drum solo caused me to get serious about drumming… and now I have had a professional career since 1981 because of THIS SONG. Thank you for what you do… IMO you are as amazing (for dissecting these musical gems) as Steely Dan was for creating them.
I can completely and totally relate to how you feel about this Song. This Album changed my life as well . When this album came out It blew me away . I had never heard anything like it and you are correct when you say that you have never heard anything like it since . I never get tired of listening to this Album .. Thanks for making this video .
When I was growing up, Steve Gadd was God. He has influenced more drummers than anyone else. The album “Mainsqueeze” by Chuck Mangione has some of the most musical drumming you will ever hear in your life. I would listen to it 5 or 6 times a day. Gadd’s drumming concept is simply beautiful. Some other phenomenal tracks with Gadd are on “Mecca for Moderns” by The Manhattan Transfer. His works with Chick Corea are priceless. There are too many others to list.
Thanks for the references, I particularly like what SG was doing with Mangione
bob jarmes "one" album 1974
LOVE Mecca for Moderns.
Tappan Zee by Bob James has another great drum track from Gadd. Truly the master of groove.
You're a young guy, Rick. We were always anxiously awaiting the next Steely Dan album back then, and thought it would be hard to top The Royal Scam, but they did in a phenomenal way. It was the case with each new album from them pretty much, getting more and more sophisticated. Glad you got hooked by it. Not sure I'd call that one a pop song, though.
Great job, Rick. My mom bought Aja when it came out. I was nine at the time and geeked out on it for weeks. I still have that vinyl copy, one of very few that survived through the years. Aja is a masterpiece.
That's a real musician for you... well-rounded, all around technique and technical foundation... the pragmatics.... Steely Dan had real musicians....
When I first heard Aja at a college party It moved me the same way.
Total game changer.
Great Analysis of A Great Song.
Thanks For Sharing.
this is one of my top 5 favorite albums. The guitar solo from Peg was an absolute masterpiece too
Isn't the Peg solo like 13 bars? one of a kind
Steely Dan brought in a number of guitarists to play solos. Jay Graydon didn’t realize they’d picked him until he heard the song on the radio. Ha, imagine that.
I considered myself a pretty decent guitarist when I learned how to play "Peg." All those intricate jazz chord progressions...sublime! And, no, I cannot play that lead, even tho there's a tutorial on TH-cam.
Yep. This was an awakening in '77. God bless Rick Biato for bringing this moment forward.
@@chrisbardolph Mark Knopfler didn't make the cut..
Always enjoy Rick Beato, but this one is absolutely dipped in gold! Watching Rick play air drums and saying "Whoo!" and "Oh!" really enriches it for me. Rick, you're the best!