I first discovered Jay Graydon as the Executive Producer of Al Jarreau's "Breaking Away" album. To discover that HE played this solo and HE wrote EWF's "After The Love Is Gone" and George Benson's "Turn Your Love Around" is too much information at once. I literally had to sit down after watching this video. This guy is legendary.
The solo on Peg is perfectly crafted for the song. As an aspiring guitarist, I grew up listening to Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Skynryd, ABB etc. Then I came across Steely Dan and a whole other musical world opened up. I remember wearing out the vinyl learning Don’t Take Me Alive, Reelin, and Josie. Their music I’d timeless.
My all time favorite Dan song and never ever get tired of listening to it. Jay's spectacular 'cliche free' solo is one for the ages. A legendary player and great guy!
@@rythaguy1893 Not too many drum-solos, but Steve Gadd is epic on "Aja". Actually I don't remember any more drum-solos on Dan-records. But a lot of phantastic drum-parts. 🥰
@@funklover24 The trouble is, it's *all* master-level playing, by selection and stratospheric quality demands... ...which means that fewer amazing things "stand out". Ironic really.
I wish I could give this video 20 thumbs up. Thank you SO much for posting this. I've been a bad guitarist for 30 years now, and Steely Dan is my favorite all-time band. I'm still horrible at the guitar, but I LOVE to see things like this because I love knowing all the little intricacies and idiosyncrasies and stories behind some of the greatest songs ever made. Especially on the guitar parts. SO glad I found your channel, today. This video made my day. Thank you once again, Tim. Stuff like this really means a lot to me.
One of the most talented and skillful solos in my opinion. The fact that he winged it is mind boggling. Steely Dan never fucked around when it came to music. And this shows with the love of their work regarding generations afterward. I'm a metal guy yet I'm in love with this song and the quality and heart of this solo is genius to me.
@@funkdragon7659 dude I was literally about to put that about the Beatles too but I didn’t want to get a giant argument thread going, but yeah I totally agree.
I never really noticed that sustain when listening to the album, but I'm not a guitar player, so taken as a whole, it never stood out to me. Time to go back and listen to the album! :-)
40+ years and still floored by that solo: the note choices, the guitar tone, those crazy bends, and that phrasing. And he's in and out before you know it, and you just think - whoa, what the hell was that?!
@@markpeate7366 Imagine telling Larry Carlton, and Robben Ford, "No, sorry, that's not what we're looking for, have a nice day." HaHa! I think Jay Graydon just had a Zen moment, not "thinking" anything, but "doing," and it was a miracle. And yes, still a mystery.
@@markpeate7366He obviously had a techinique repertoire, and he seemed to just run through random fragments of technique without thinking. Try it yourself: If you grab your instrument of choice and just play it, your muscles will just do random things that may sound cool toghether.
In my opinion steely Dan is for every mood. If I am ready to go out the door and one of their songs is playing, I have to listen to the whole song. It’s sacrilege to stop the song before it ends. Peg is one my favorites. Really cool to hear how he did the solo. Just winging it. Massive chops. Thanks for sharing Tim. ❤️
I think a lot of the studio guys were really,the solos weren't hyper-composed. As Grayson says though, there's a very vague roadmap and then it's just creativity in the moment. This is how a lot of bebop guys did their stuff in studio too (vs very improv live stuff), judging by alt. takes... they have ideas but it is still essentially improvised.
Jay's a monster & a half player. When I lived in Cambria I saw him play at the Hamlet a few times, always on & always playing jaw-dropping licks & a really nice guy to boot!
I watched this video over and over because I always loved this song, the solo is brilliant 👏 I can copy but can't dream this up, he's at a whole different level.
Thanks for sharing, Steely Dan has always made beautiful music and Earth Wind and Fire, After The Love Is Gone is an amazing song. Jay is an Icon. Tim you never cease to amaze musicians everywhere, you always come up with something so cool and educational. I hope you have a wonderful day. Thank you.
Absolutely FABULOUS! Never knew it was Jay who played one of the most famous solo’s in music history. Love his style & personality.. shines through in his music. Thankyou Mr Graydon for years of beautiful sounds!
Genius solo. Fagen played a couple of excerpts on a documentary from some of the solos that others had tried up to the point that Jay saved the day, and Donald was totally frustrated cuz they just weren't good. And they were from top session players. It never ceases to amaze me how some of the great solos are so perfect, every note, and you just can't imagine them played any other way.
This video is priceless. It doesn't get any better then this ! Mighty tasteful sounds coming from Jays guitar !! 💫💫👍💫💫 ONE OF THE COOLEST VIDEOS IVE EVER SEEN .
@@PhilUKNet yea I've seen that, it's actually how I learned to play the kid Charlemagne solo. I can't seem to nail the tone on the track, seems to be like a mid / treble boosted type thing.
Jonathan Bolger I guess the hardcore Dan fans watch all the same videos! I can't help with any technical details. There's a lot of talent here. Whenever I watch a few TH-cam music videos it seems I'm the only one who can't pick up a guitar and launch into a Steely Dan guitar solo.
the best 30 second solo I ever heard on a record was Jay Graydons Twilight zone. It jut keeps building. if the song were longer the solo would have vaporized the studio. He and you are wonderful players. I've been playing for 55 years
Absolutely classic lick! I've listened to that song thousands of times since I was a kid and that solo never fails to blow me away. Thank you so much Mr. Graydon...
I was 7 yrs old when I first heard that song and “Solo” back in the mid 70’s. It has always been my absolute favorite till this day. Epic and brilliant! Thank you Jay!!
I once read that a journalist said to a famous physicist, "I hear there are three people on the planet that actually understand general relativity (*)", and the physicist replied, "Who's the third?" * it might have been quantum mechanics
Such a great comment by Jay ... a bit of a teasing tone with hints of truth as in, "Finally, you great players can move onto my table and we can have beers together, finally ..."
Probably the most discussed and analysed guitar solo throughout many years. Thank you Tim for this beautiful contribution to all of us guitar and music lovers. What a treat to see Jay, this icon of guitar mastering playing and enjoying his iconic solo on Peg.
This Peg solo is the most creative guitar solo ever. (Yes, I'm also a fan of Jimmy Page.) This solo is just endlessly surprising and truly devoid of any cliches. It seems impossible, but there it is. It should be credited as composition, like Clare Torry's work on Pink Floyd's Great Gig in the Sky, which was finally credited as composition.
There's some Godlike Humility on display here: 1) Tim and Dean's: Both absolute masters, yet they go to the teacher. 2) Jay's: Patience, kindness and Encouragement of Tim and Dean. 3) All of the above: Letting us see this; no Smaug-like hoarding here :-)
Guitarist love to learn to play their favorite solos or parts, but this is one that makes every guitarist better because even after be able to copy it, one has to ask when he or she will be good enough to *think to play it.* I guess that's what makes it inspirational, like so much of the work in the Steely Dan catalog. Thanks to all these guys for relentlessly adhering to the highest standards.
Some pieces of music are inspired, magic and can’t be duplicated. Those songs like Peg and Deacon blues will always be some of the best music to come out of your speakers.
Pure frickin genius! Thank you for this video interview! I've been playing guitar for 55 years, spent 100's of hours in various studios & after seeing the spontaneous innovation of his licks on peg make me want to go get the meat cleaver & chop my hands off. Truely a testiment to human creative genius-under pressure too. Wow!
"Peg" is a perfect record. Graydon's solo is the perfect icing, on that perfect cake. I have watched this at least a half dozen times, and it's just so much fun. ❤
Outstanding vid Tim! Just watched a documentary on PEG. Based on my reading, Becker and Fagen were very hard on session players. I've lost count as to the number of times I've listened to that Aja album. Still do to this day. Thanks for the upload Tim.
For those of us who have struggled mightily over guitar their entire life and never, ever sound this good on anything......all I can say is wow.....just to have a little of the talent and skill of either of these gentlemen....my God, how unfair life is.....lol. Jay and Tim, I get goosebumps just listening to this kind of "back office" business, artistry talk.....just an incredible, entertaining, informative video.
I watch this periodically for the fun. I’ve been in love with the album Aja since the day it was released. And this solo has always been the high point for me. Thank you Jay, Tim, Walter and Donald!
Wonderful to see / hear the thought process behind playing this mind blowing solo to this now classic Steely Dan song. 2023 and still loving this. Mahalo Tim. 🤙🏼
I just wrote the following in the comments to a video about Dean Parks, but the sentiments apply equally well to Jay: "Hearing these great musicians like Dean Parks talk about their work makes me think of all those master craftsmen who built the gothic cathedrals in Europe that have stood the test of time. We can see the fruits of their labor -- the flying buttresses, ornate bas relief sculptures and chimerical gargoyles but the voices of the artisans who designed and built them have been lost in time. It's somewhat fitting that as some have said: architecture is frozen music. I feel fortunate to be able to hear from musicians like Dean reminisce about music that has similarly stood the test of time and about which they're rightfully proud and for which they're receiving merited recognition and praise. Several songs he has played on have been a source of both joy and solace for me through the years. I now can associate a face and manner when I hear those sounds and they enrich the listening experience. Just want to say thank you to him for the music and thank you for shining a light withs this interview." Thank you Jay for all the great work as player, writer and arranger. Thank you Tim for amplifying the knowledge and gratitude.
“...pretty good, Tim...”😂😂😂 Jay is an Amazing guitar player ( also a songwiter too... ), lead guitar on “ Figli delle Stelle “ by Alan Sorrenti🇮🇹 Cheers from Milan F
A cliche free truly original rock guitar solo by one of the great session players. An amazing memory of Jay - I remember working with him in 1978 on a session I was producing for an English singer named Malcolm Roberts that was financed by Olivia Newton-John's production company. Jay just kind of took over the session and laid down track after track of killer guitar solos (at least eight tracks worth) on a pop tune. I said thanks Jay, I will figure out which one(s) I like best and piece it together. He said "no way, I've got to do it". I just shrugged my shoulders and said OK. I knew I was in for a treat watching an authentic guitar genius at work. He then took over the session and spend the next two hours rigorously analyzing each and every solo, taking meticulous notes about what he liked and didn't like. Then he spend another 90 minutes compositing sections from most of the eight tracks he had recorded. The recording engineer was really sweating from this one. In the end however, it came out brilliantly - much better than if I had used any of the 8 solos he had laid down. I thought Olivia might be a bit upset because I had gone way over time and budget. When she finally heard it she loved it and pronounced me a production genius. I sheepishly smiled but said nothing. The motto - know when to get out of the way of genius.
This stuff makes a guy like me wish I had any kind of talent and discipline to play guitar. So happy there are GREAT musicians like this. All I can say is THANK YOU!
I haven't heard that so I'm not sure but its long been considered one of the top guitar solo's ever. Whenever someone makes a list it always seems to make the top 5 or so.
Wow! (I just picked my jaw up from the floor) That was an amazing breakdown of that fantastic solo. The thought process that went into making it work for the song is incredible. Funny how he did not even know if his part would be chosen for the final cut until he heard it on the radio. Incredible player. Thanks for sharing this.
42 years after the solo was laid down and it is still being discussed. This is why I love music.
🍉🍉🍉🍉
I first discovered Jay Graydon as the Executive Producer of Al Jarreau's "Breaking Away" album. To discover that HE played this solo and HE wrote EWF's "After The Love Is Gone" and George Benson's "Turn Your Love Around" is too much information at once. I literally had to sit down after watching this video. This guy is legendary.
My parents bought that album, but is was me who played it the most. Loved it as a kid! Never realised Jay was involved with that album.
WOW!
Yeah, I caught that (almost)...it was said so fast. Very real deal professional.
This is why he was picked by Becker and fagen, they were incredible at picking the best studio musicians out there to nail their sound
This is gold! Just turned a whole classroom of HS kids onto Steely Dan today! They love it!
One of the best solos on record - ever. Perfect in every way.
True
Among the best most original guitar solos of all time!
Not among....THE best most original guitar solos of all time
Andy Wilkinson Led Zepp holds the position for that
@@sirmcfrank Page is awesome...but....Peg is one of my favorites songs.....(as are most Zep songs)...btw ....I guess we can agree to disagree?
Andy Wilkinson true that then. I like peg a lot too
@@sirmcfrank Page is sloppy on electric. He's a much better acoustic guitar player.
WOW. This solo is even more accomplished than I realized. This guy is a master.
Rick Beato needs him on his show!. C'mon Rick.
Hes not a fan of Rick from what I gathered when we spoke
The solo on Peg is perfectly crafted for the song. As an aspiring guitarist, I grew up listening to Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Skynryd, ABB etc. Then I came across Steely Dan and a whole other musical world opened up. I remember wearing out the vinyl learning Don’t Take Me Alive, Reelin, and Josie. Their music I’d timeless.
My all time favorite Dan song and never ever get tired of listening to it. Jay's spectacular 'cliche free' solo is one for the ages. A legendary player and great guy!
One of Mine to..No Question Bruh :) (y)
Idk Kid Charlemagne is rite up there to.
“Cliche free”. Perfect description 👍🏻
And he got in a Dean Parks plug too!
My Old School -- Skunk Baxter has a similar vibe of staccato abandon
Man I love how we're all still talking about this song and Jay's solo.
Guess I'll go ahead and redundantly say this is one of the greatest rock solos ever.
It is one of the greatest ever
And I will redundantly agree.
Agreed! Jay killed it!
I agree 100%
Steely Dan, guitar solos That are timeless. Light years ahead of their time. All of them..
Some legendary drum and sax solos as well...
@@rythaguy1893 Not too many drum-solos, but Steve Gadd is epic on "Aja". Actually I don't remember any more drum-solos on Dan-records. But a lot of phantastic drum-parts. 🥰
@@funklover24 The trouble is, it's *all* master-level playing, by selection and stratospheric quality demands...
...which means that fewer amazing things "stand out".
Ironic really.
One of the best guitar solo's EVER.
Jay Graydon has such a unique touch. His fingers make that sound even as he recreates the solo here. Such an ingenious solo played by a unique talent.
I wish I could give this video 20 thumbs up. Thank you SO much for posting this. I've been a bad guitarist for 30 years now, and Steely Dan is my favorite all-time band. I'm still horrible at the guitar, but I LOVE to see things like this because I love knowing all the little intricacies and idiosyncrasies and stories behind some of the greatest songs ever made. Especially on the guitar parts. SO glad I found your channel, today. This video made my day. Thank you once again, Tim. Stuff like this really means a lot to me.
I'm right on your heels. 23 years and multiple guitars. I still suck at it.
Jay is a genius as a guitarist as well as a producer. Actually he produced my favorite records of Al Jarreau. 🥰
BREAKIN AWAY!
@John Galt Dough We have something in common, bro. 🙂👍🤝
One of the most talented and skillful solos in my opinion. The fact that he winged it is mind boggling. Steely Dan never fucked around when it came to music. And this shows with the love of their work regarding generations afterward. I'm a metal guy yet I'm in love with this song and the quality and heart of this solo is genius to me.
@@miko1975guitar yup!!
It’s almost mystical how amazing Steely Dan was.
It’s tru! Beatles and Steely Dan are the only bands I’ve genuinely ever thought this of
@@funkdragon7659 dude I was literally about to put that about the Beatles too but I didn’t want to get a giant argument thread going, but yeah I totally agree.
A truly iconic solo. I really love the way it sustains into the next verse. Beautiful!
I never really noticed that sustain when listening to the album, but I'm not a guitar player, so taken as a whole, it never stood out to me. Time to go back and listen to the album! :-)
Probably the Orange Squeezer that's responsible for the sustain!
40+ years and still floored by that solo: the note choices, the guitar tone, those crazy bends, and that phrasing. And he's in and out before you know it, and you just think - whoa, what the hell was that?!
100%. Who thinks that stuff up? Awesome.
@@markpeate7366 Imagine telling Larry Carlton, and Robben Ford, "No, sorry, that's not what we're looking for, have a nice day." HaHa! I think Jay Graydon just had a Zen moment, not "thinking" anything, but "doing," and it was a miracle. And yes, still a mystery.
@@MrCaramelSnow that's the eternal beauty of the guitar bro. Keep playing!
@@markpeate7366He obviously had a techinique repertoire, and he seemed to just run through random fragments of technique without thinking. Try it yourself: If you grab your instrument of choice and just play it, your muscles will just do random things that may sound cool toghether.
whoa, what the hell was that?!
So right! That was my feeling, and is to this day.
I really do like how Tim is always trying to learn something new.
In my opinion steely Dan is for every mood. If I am ready to go out the door and one of their songs is playing, I have to listen to the whole song. It’s sacrilege to stop the song before it ends. Peg is one my favorites. Really cool to hear how he did the solo. Just winging it. Massive chops. Thanks for sharing Tim. ❤️
Fantastic video!!! Jay breezed through this in 1977, and here we are in 2019, still trying to figure this out correctly....Jay is SO the man!
Still my favourite guitar solo, and Steely Dan track. Just brilliant. Timeless Genius.
Jay Graydon is such a pro.
And now there's pro tools.
Cool. For 40+ years I've been believing that this was a Jeff Skunk Baxter solo... Love learning. Thanks a million.
Amazing how a guy can just be winging it and end up with one of the greatest solos.
I think a lot of the studio guys were really,the solos weren't hyper-composed. As Grayson says though, there's a very vague roadmap and then it's just creativity in the moment.
This is how a lot of bebop guys did their stuff in studio too (vs very improv live stuff), judging by alt. takes... they have ideas but it is still essentially improvised.
Wigging it
Billy Hubbard ‘winging’ it - i.e. improvising
Other Becker/Fagen interviews point to a "I'll know it when I hear it" composing bent.
@@cartnhorse He was making a pun referring to the man's "hair"
I almost didn't want to see the magic behind the curtain... that mysterious solo has been in my head for decades! Thanks for the share!
Jay's a monster & a half player. When I lived in Cambria I saw him play at the Hamlet a few times, always on & always playing jaw-dropping licks & a really nice guy to boot!
I watched this video over and over because I always loved this song, the solo is brilliant 👏 I can copy but can't dream this up, he's at a whole different level.
Thanks for sharing, Steely Dan has always made beautiful music and Earth Wind and Fire, After The Love Is Gone is an amazing song. Jay is an Icon. Tim you never cease to amaze musicians everywhere, you always come up with something so cool and educational. I hope you have a wonderful day. Thank you.
One take or not, just the creativity enshrined in this solo is mind-blowing.
Absolutely FABULOUS! Never knew it was Jay who played one of the most famous solo’s in music history. Love his style & personality.. shines through in his music. Thankyou Mr Graydon for years of beautiful sounds!
Wow Tim! So unbelievable! The guy remembered everything about that day. One of the best videos I’ve ever seen. ❤
Genius solo. Fagen played a couple of excerpts on a documentary from some of the solos that others had tried up to the point that Jay saved the day, and Donald was totally frustrated cuz they just weren't good. And they were from top session players. It never ceases to amaze me how some of the great solos are so perfect, every note, and you just can't imagine them played any other way.
Perfect notes, wrong vibe. Fagen wanted a specific kind of feel for Peg, hence the lineup. Even Becker tried and it didn't quite work out.
The greatest steely Dan solo for sure it's also the Hardest to play and perform Jay Grayson my Guitar Hero
This video is priceless. It doesn't get any better then this ! Mighty tasteful sounds coming from Jays guitar !! 💫💫👍💫💫 ONE OF THE COOLEST VIDEOS IVE EVER SEEN .
Awesome video! I love this solo! Get Larry Carleton on to talk about Kid Charlemagne next
David Rothberg or the iconic Don’t take me Alive?
That fkn solo is a masterpiece
Rick Beato does a pretty good job in his 'What Makes This Song Great?' series.
@@PhilUKNet yea I've seen that, it's actually how I learned to play the kid Charlemagne solo. I can't seem to nail the tone on the track, seems to be like a mid / treble boosted type thing.
Jonathan Bolger I guess the hardcore Dan fans watch all the same videos! I can't help with any technical details. There's a lot of talent here. Whenever I watch a few TH-cam music videos it seems I'm the only one who can't pick up a guitar and launch into a Steely Dan guitar solo.
One of the great guitar solos I’ve ever heard. Beast mode! ❤️🎸💥
Thank you Tim Pierce for bringing that to us. Thank you Jay Graydon, for sharing the thought process. Fantastic!
the best 30 second solo I ever heard on a record was Jay Graydons Twilight zone. It jut keeps building. if the song were longer the solo would have vaporized the studio. He and you are wonderful players. I've been playing for 55 years
Absolutely classic lick! I've listened to that song thousands of times since I was a kid and that solo never fails to blow me away. Thank you so much Mr. Graydon...
I was 7 yrs old when I first heard that song and “Solo” back in the mid 70’s. It has always been my absolute favorite till this day. Epic and brilliant! Thank you Jay!!
Cool to see the details of a great solo. "Now you and Dean Parks can both play the solo", lol.
I once read that a journalist said to a famous physicist, "I hear there are three people on the planet that actually understand general relativity (*)", and the physicist replied, "Who's the third?"
* it might have been quantum mechanics
XD
Such a great comment by Jay ... a bit of a teasing tone with hints of truth as in, "Finally, you great players can move onto my table and we can have beers together, finally ..."
Chills. Thank you for this glimpse into Jay’s genius
I mean really... where/how does a solo like that come to ones mind? God? Satan? I dunno :)
“Shoulda been rollin’, that was perfect”😂 awesome!
One of my favorite guitar solos of all time
Tim, that was outstanding ... of course kudos to Jay Graydon ... a solo for the ages ...
Probably the most discussed and analysed guitar solo throughout many years. Thank you Tim for this beautiful contribution to all of us guitar and music lovers. What a treat to see Jay, this icon of guitar mastering playing and enjoying his iconic solo on Peg.
I have honestly thought for years this was one of the most creative solos of all time. Thanks guys!
Always loved this solo so pleasing to the ear yet unbelievably original 🎸
One of the most beautifully unique solos ever. Thank you!
This Peg solo is the most creative guitar solo ever. (Yes, I'm also a fan of Jimmy Page.) This solo is just endlessly surprising and truly devoid of any cliches. It seems impossible, but there it is. It should be credited as composition, like Clare Torry's work on Pink Floyd's Great Gig in the Sky, which was finally credited as composition.
It’s like God explaining what he did and how he did it on day 5.
Nice
There's some Godlike Humility on display here:
1) Tim and Dean's: Both absolute masters, yet they go to the teacher.
2) Jay's: Patience, kindness and Encouragement of Tim and Dean.
3) All of the above: Letting us see this; no Smaug-like hoarding here :-)
Guitarist love to learn to play their favorite solos or parts, but this is one that makes every guitarist better because even after be able to copy it, one has to ask when he or she will be good enough to *think to play it.* I guess that's what makes it inspirational, like so much of the work in the Steely Dan catalog. Thanks to all these guys for relentlessly adhering to the highest standards.
Some pieces of music are inspired, magic and can’t be duplicated. Those songs like Peg and Deacon blues will always be some of the best music to come out of your speakers.
Perhaps the greatest rock guitar solo of all time!
Rumor has it, Mr Jay Graydon did this in one take❤
Best Line: "After about an hour...., Fagan says: 'Think Blues'......" lol
Other best line: "there's no licks!" hahha The whole damn thing is one big original lick.
Fagan is such a shit haha.
I love learning the history of songs and to have the actual musicians telling how they evolved. Fabulous work guys!!
Everything about this post is awesome! Thank you Tim for highlighting an epic guitarist and his contribution to the music lexicon. 👍👍👀
Santana
This is phenomenal.
Also Jay's solo on the Steve Kipner song "the Ending" is mind blowing.
Two crazy good musicians talking shop. Love to be that fly on the wall! Thanks!
What a lovely man. It's like he's stiil a teen in a garage at heart. I love the way he says, 'I've got two of 'em!.'
Always amazes me how you can go back and dissect solos. Awsome
That solo is pure brilliance
That man, that take, that day - genius!
One of the best things on the internet, thank you!
Amazing to see how this iconic solo was put together 💕
Basically by "winging it" Jay is painting in sound. Cool beans!
My favorite solo of all time.
Great Tone and thanks for sharing!! Just listend to this record maybe 8 hour ago. Greats from Germany!
Pure frickin genius! Thank you for this video interview! I've been playing guitar for 55 years, spent 100's of hours in various studios & after seeing the spontaneous innovation of his licks on peg make me want to go get the meat cleaver & chop my hands off. Truely a testiment to human creative genius-under pressure too. Wow!
Great vid - Jay is a great player and that amazing solo will always be one of the best ever!
"Peg" is a perfect record. Graydon's solo is the perfect icing, on that perfect cake. I have watched this at least a half dozen times, and it's just so much fun. ❤
Thanks Tim! This was a great segment with Jay Graydon.
How about a future interview with Dann Huff?
Awesome interview/lesson Jay and Tim. This solo is so epic and etched in time as a classic.
Outstanding vid Tim! Just watched a documentary on PEG. Based on my reading, Becker and Fagen were very hard on session players. I've lost count as to the number of times I've listened to that Aja album. Still do to this day. Thanks for the upload Tim.
northof50now they pushed the faders up on one guitarist’s solo for a few bars. Nah! Next, next, next. Now we’ve got it!
For those of us who have struggled mightily over guitar their entire life and never, ever sound this good on anything......all I can say is wow.....just to have a little of the talent and skill of either of these gentlemen....my God, how unfair life is.....lol. Jay and Tim, I get goosebumps just listening to this kind of "back office" business, artistry talk.....just an incredible, entertaining, informative video.
Steely Dan solos are always great but their chord progressions are magnificent too!
I watch this periodically for the fun. I’ve been in love with the album Aja since the day it was released. And this solo has always been the high point for me. Thank you Jay, Tim, Walter and Donald!
"Really good Tim!" Had me cracking up
Pat on the head by Jay Graydon. Yeah it’s worth it :)
Wonderful to see / hear the thought process behind playing this mind blowing solo to this now classic Steely Dan song. 2023 and still loving this. Mahalo Tim. 🤙🏼
Extremely cool solo! I was thinking the "Painful" bend at the end of the solo could be much easier if you used you 1st and 2nd finger.
Studio legend of the 70's, 80's & 90's.. Dude still got it.
What a cool interview. Thanks.
that is one awesome display of talent. how many tried and failed playing this solo.
I just wrote the following in the comments to a video about Dean Parks, but the sentiments apply equally well to Jay: "Hearing these great musicians like Dean Parks talk about their work makes me think of all those master craftsmen who built the gothic cathedrals in Europe that have stood the test of time. We can see the fruits of their labor -- the flying buttresses, ornate bas relief sculptures and chimerical gargoyles but the voices of the artisans who designed and built them have been lost in time. It's somewhat fitting that as some have said: architecture is frozen music. I feel fortunate to be able to hear from musicians like Dean reminisce about music that has similarly stood the test of time and about which they're rightfully proud and for which they're receiving merited recognition and praise. Several songs he has played on have been a source of both joy and solace for me through the years. I now can associate a face and manner when I hear those sounds and they enrich the listening experience. Just want to say thank you to him for the music and thank you for shining a light withs this interview."
Thank you Jay for all the great work as player, writer and arranger. Thank you Tim for amplifying the knowledge and gratitude.
“...pretty good, Tim...”😂😂😂
Jay is an Amazing guitar player ( also a songwiter too... ), lead guitar on “ Figli delle Stelle “ by Alan Sorrenti🇮🇹
Cheers from Milan
F
I love seeing this guy go back and relearn and teach his own solo. Its so wholesome.
A cliche free truly original rock guitar solo by one of the great session players. An amazing memory of Jay - I remember working with him in 1978 on a session I was producing for an English singer named Malcolm Roberts that was financed by Olivia Newton-John's production company. Jay just kind of took over the session and laid down track after track of killer guitar solos (at least eight tracks worth) on a pop tune. I said thanks Jay, I will figure out which one(s) I like best and piece it together. He said "no way, I've got to do it". I just shrugged my shoulders and said OK. I knew I was in for a treat watching an authentic guitar genius at work. He then took over the session and spend the next two hours rigorously analyzing each and every solo, taking meticulous notes about what he liked and didn't like. Then he spend another 90 minutes compositing sections from most of the eight tracks he had recorded. The recording engineer was really sweating from this one. In the end however, it came out brilliantly - much better than if I had used any of the 8 solos he had laid down. I thought Olivia might be a bit upset because I had gone way over time and budget. When she finally heard it she loved it and pronounced me a production genius. I sheepishly smiled but said nothing. The motto - know when to get out of the way of genius.
Do you remember the name of the track(s) or album?
This stuff makes a guy like me wish I had any kind of talent and discipline to play guitar. So happy there are GREAT musicians like this. All I can say is THANK YOU!
That lick makes this song work. Period!
I have to say, I think this solo is in "Kid Charlemagne" territory. It's that good.
Duane Wilson Carlton won a Grammy on that solo, didn’t he?
I haven't heard that so I'm not sure but its long been considered one of the top guitar solo's ever. Whenever someone makes a list it always seems to make the top 5 or so.
One of the most iconic guitar solos of all time, in an era when Pop music was still good.
Wow! (I just picked my jaw up from the floor) That was an amazing breakdown of that fantastic solo. The thought process that went into making it work for the song is incredible. Funny how he did not even know if his part would be chosen for the final cut until he heard it on the radio. Incredible player. Thanks for sharing this.
I really enjoyed you guys today ....just to have hours upon hours tweaking with two great guitarest....not to mention all that great sound
Far and away the best guitar centric channel on TH-cam.
This is awesome...but now I've been told that I play dumb blues by the sweetest nicest guy.
I'm glad these guys are preserving these details for posterity; guitar players 100+ years from now will appreciate it.
That was an amazing breakdown. I gained musical IQ points watching this.