Which is strange, given that they were no band at all, after the first couple LPs. (I like them though, especially the jazz elements and some of the guitar solos.)
One of my least favourite in their catalog. Especially the hype around it is so strange to me. (I appreciate having Wayne Shorter on the title track though.)
Steely Dan is the apex of Yacht Rock. SD is the favorite band of professional musicians. Elements of jazz, funk, Rock etc are perfectly blended together
Steely Dan reaches everyone. You can claim to be a hip hop fan, metal head, pop, jazz...even country and they will touch you. I was just little kid in the '70s and knew they were good.
@@sallysharp3845 nobody on this thread claimed that. Both of us were just stating that Steely Dan was enjoyed by people who were primarily fans of other types of music.
Oh yes, same here, on desert island discs, they ask you for something you would want to take forever....i would say, box set of Steely dan/Walter/Donald music and poetry
Yacht Rock is a latter day description for something that never was called that when the music was created. A way to lump some music together into a genre that didn't really exist. So defining what it actually is, is not something I'd even attempt
It sure exists, although called different things in different countries. Easy listening feel good jazz-rock with just the right amoung of funk or disco feel (usually including some R&B and gospel elements as well). The posh upper class as well as academics with positions tended to like that in the late 1970s and early 80s. People with new money too.
Hey Nineteen is about a guy who used to be a cool ("dandy") college frat boy who thought he had "game" back in the late 60s (Fagen and Becker went to college at a small liberal arts hippy college called Bard in upstate NY in the late 60s). He was reminiscing about all the sweet young gals they used to meet from Boston (big college town). Then fast forward and he's now somewhere in a club or bar near Scarsdale and he meets this young gal who's college age, but he's now a decade or more older. He's amazed this gal doesn't even know who Aretha is. But he's having a good time, they are drinking Cuervo, and they smoke some weed (the fine Colombian), so the night is wonderful. But.....did he really hook up with this 19 year old, or is he really imagining it sitting at home drinking and smoking a j alone? SD always leaves room for interpretation.......
This is such a awedome smooth song. My 12 yr old self was just singing along when it first came out not realizing what it was truly about. Then a few yrs later I was laughing hysterical when it hit me. Still love it....skate a little lower now 🙂
You guys are the epitome of this song. It's about how little to nothing different generations have nothing in common which makes it hard to relate. lately, I've been checking out all these reaction videos and they all have one thing in common. the music of the 60s began a series of music artists who hated being put into a genre because there was so much crossover. That's why many of these reaction videos try to classify this period's music as somewhat funny. The album's cover art is based upon a low relief sculpture by Argentine artist Israel Hoffmann. Entitled "Guardia Vieja - Tango" (Old Guard - Tango), the original is located in a street museum known as Caminito in La Boca, a neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
I agree Seger is DEF not Yacht Rock. and though he’s incredibly soulful, I’d not put him in the Blue Eyed Soul category as well. The closest he might have ever come to ‘Yacht Rock’ might be ‘Against the Wind.’ You might wanna check that song out if you haven’t already…
Agree he is probably not Yacht Rock. He could be considered blue-eyed soul. I wouldn’t say Country-Soul, but I would say Rock/Country/Soul. Whatever he is classified as, he is GREAT.
The Dan always makes me smile. I was 19 in 1974, for me now, it's like Hey 45! I'm still in the game. Dan, Dan, more Dan, you'll never look at or listen to music the same way again after listening to more Dan, they are the genre, real professional composers.
Hey at least she's legal, she's 19. Other Yacht rock songs Joe Jackson - Steppin' Out Olivia Newton-John - Have You Never Been Mellow Seals & Crofts - Summer Breeze Greg Guidry - Going Down Pablo Cruise - Love Will Find a Way Sade - Smooth Operator England Dan & John Ford Coley - I'd Really Love To See You Tonight
I combed thru these comments yet NO ONE said anything about "Deacon Blues"!! Absolutely the best Steely Dan song...AND because they were perfectionists in every way, this song went thru MULTIPLE studio sessions with various musicians playing all instruments. With that said, the official studio version is a little over 7 minutes...BUT years ago, someone cobbled together all the takes (intro/outtro) into one take! It is exactly 11 minutes and found searching "Deacon Blues Extended" in TH-cam. If need be, hit me up and I'll find the link for you...been published a lot under different channels.
As a teen in the 70’s, soft rock was my go to. Still my fav, but now in my 60”s, I appreciate some of the classic rock that I didn’t listen to back then.
Carly Simon-You’re So Vain Poco-Crazy Love Seals and Crofts- Summer Breeze I’ve got dozens more, but it takes a while trying to see if they have already been reacted to. For example, Tasha has already heard It’s Too Late by Carol King or I would have thrown that in there.
I enjoyed the reaction! This song has gotten "airplay" through the years -- back in radio days and now in Muzak in all kinds of retail. You could hear it so many places. I'm so glad you listened to Steely Dan! Check out a groove "Gaslighting Abbie" that is such a strong, punchy groove and more "recent", from Steely Dan's Album of the Year Grammy winning album (2000) -- "Two Against Nature"
It's always fun to watch people when they finally figure out what a Steely Dan song is all about. Not just one, but several light bulbs pop on! "Black Cow" puzzles people all the time. Tasha! Hit that Aja album! You'll thank us later! BTW, I'm 65 and a lot of my co-workers are a lot younger and and they look at me like "what?" when say things like "no good deed goes un-punished" or I quote a line from a 70's sitcom. Lots of fun!
At that time "The fine Columbian" would have referred to pot, not coke. This is before seedless mutant plants took over the cannibus industry. When he's singing, "The Cuervo Gold, the fine Columbian," he's hoping that plying this girl with pot and tequila will create a leveling wind. Something that'll get him through the door of their differences.
@Joe-Flow - Yes! Just in case the listener wasn't paying attention!!! The Dan certainly knew how to get the listener's attention, and tickle their brain!
This song was Steely Dan's very last Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song stayed at the #10 spot for three weeks during the late fall of 1980. This song is a definitely banger!!!
I have always been a blues/rocker, but back in the day of disco, thats where I went, thats where the chicks were! But funk, yacht rock, look whre it came from , the 70's for the most part...I just found you guys and I like! Like you said, is just simple and relaxing...and most had a decent groove...plus, is a good launching pad if you want to explore further...Steely Dan is a genre unto itself...keep on keepin on!
Part 2 Steely Dan Deeper Cuts These are "must react to" even more than many of the hits/popular often played tunes. Btw, I saw Steely Dan live over 20 times from 1993 to 2019. The original 5-6 man band toured live from 1972>1974. Then Fagen and Becker didn't want to keep touring, and wanted to work primarily at perfecting the studio albums. So the band kind of broke up in 1974 after Pretzel Logic. SD didn't tour again live until 1993. In the 70s, F&B didn't think they could successfully reproduce their perfectionist jazz fusion sound mix live on stage. 1. DOCTOR WU>Katy Lied Simply a masterpiece. Unfortunately only played live 7 times ever. I was very lucky to see 2 of the 7 live performances. A piano driven classic. 2. BLACK COW>Aja First track on the Aja album. Very funky, cool and sets the setting for a journey. 3. AJA>AJA Imo, the ultimate jazz fusion masterpiece. Too long and complex to be a "radio hit", but this song is the epitome of what Fagen and Becker were striving for. Fantastic musical passages and soloing by Steve Gadd on drums and Wayne Shorter on sax. 4. FM (No static at All) Not on a SD album other than a "best of" or Anthology. Song written for the movie FM, so also on FM soundtrack. Recorded shortly after Aja album in 1977 with same musicians, so it easily could have fit on Aja. Very funky and popular tune. 5. RIKKI DON'T LOSE THAT NUMBER>Pretzel Logic Actually a very big hit but still somehow overlooked gem. Another piano driven classic, very catchy melody. 6. BAD SNEAKERS>Katy Lied Another gem from the great Katy Lied album, which to me was the real precursor for what Aja became. A minor hit, a very popular live tune, again with that piano driven melody like Dr Wu. 7. RAZOR BOY/YOUR GOLD TEETH>>Countdown to Ecstasy Countdown is an amazing 2nd album packed with gems. The entire album is great. These 2 songs show how already their songs were not your typical 3 minute pop songs, they started getting jazzier and eclectic. I think they go together well and show how ahead of the game they were by 1973. 8. PRETZEL LOGIC>PRETZEL LOGIC Steely Dan could also play the blues. Minor hit, popular live tune. 9. DON'T TAKE ME ALIVE>Royal Scam Royal Scam was a strange album, its all over the place style wise, but this is a catchy melodic rock tune which just holds up. 10. ROYAL SCAM>Royal Scam This title track is a longer darker epic with great music and solos, again unusual but dramatic. 11. GAUCHO>Gaucho Another title track which is longer and fantastic musically. Hearing it live finally was so cool. 12. HERE AT THE WESTERN WORLD>NON ALBUM TRACK, released on the 2 cd compilation ShowBiz Kids I had to include this gem, maybe a top 5 tune for me. Rarely played live, if ever. A song that is worth listening to after you hear all these others. You'll wonder how it could have been an "out take". Its stylistically similar to Doctor Wu and to Rikki, Bad Sneakers etc. Beautifully piano driven. Hope you two can get to all these. I guarantee you'll love them all. Edit add>>Ok, it looks like you've reacted to my first 3 choices. Oh well, maybe your female friend hasn't though.
Sweet dreams from Boston! You bet! This is the classic song for guys about 30 who know they have no business being with a 19-year-old babe but they just can't help themselves. Beautiful.
For me: Yacht Rock is low-key music you could play in a group of people that NO ONE can OBJECT to - because it's just AWESOME and, even if they DO REALLY listen to it playing in the background - it's INTERESTING and SOUNDS GREAT!!!!!
This is such a great reaction as always! They’re so beautiful, funny & clever. Take a deep dive! I’ve seen them live 9 or 10 times, but one time at the T-shirt stand, they were selling baseball jerseys and the name on the back was HEY and the number was 19. Wish I bought one.
I grew up in the 70's. I am a music fanatic! I love just about every genre. My music collection consists tunes from many generations but I am a bit biased as I truly believe that the music of my generation had such a great and eclectic selection. Even country tunes were played on the pop radio stations in the Chicago area. I have a list of 70's one hit wonders that is about 350 songs and of course all the other successful artists of the day including Classic Rock, Pop, Ol' School R & B, etc...I have so many recommendations for you guys, I wouldn't even know where to start. I will suggest one that comes to mind at this moment that I don't see on any of the current reactions and that is Phoebe Snow "Poetry Man". One of the sweetest voices I've ever had the honor and pleasure of listening to in my 64 years on this planet. It fits right in with your current reaction "Yacht Rock" discovery. May she RIP. Anyways, if and when you both get an opportunity, please give her a listen. Thank You both for these great reactions to a genre that is embedded in my heart and soul.
I was 10 when their last album, Gaucho, dropped…Aja had been played all over am/fm radio, and rightfully so. Even a kid’s ears knew this was special music - a cut above.
After the lyrics about Aretha Franklin and Queen of Soul, he sang about Soul Survivors, which was blue eyed soul. Check out there song Expressway To Your Heart from the late 60's❤
There were drum machines on many pop/rock songs before this song, but this was the first song that had a digital drum machine that you could program your own beats and drum sounds into. Previous drum machines were analog and mostly had preprogrammed beats. As usual, Steely Dan took things several steps beyond.
Tee and Tasha, I don't think there is really a musical genera called yacht rock but I'm older so who knows. I do know that Steely Dan is classified as Jazz/Rock fusion. I know a lot can be said about the deeper meaning of the lyrics of many of their songs but I implore you to please, please, please pay attention to the music. Their mastery of musicianship is beyond compare. This is one of the reasons their Aja album was years in the making. Donald Fagen is such a perfectionist especially where the music is concerned that he would not release it before he felt it was acceptable. Thanks for exploring music that you're not familiar with and introducing it to others. I am so grateful that I grew up in the late 60's and 70's with all this great music as well as that of the 80's, 90's, 2000's and beyond. It makes me sad that so many people younger than say 40 just don't know of much of this great music. It was so important to so many people because of the thoughtful lyrics, singing ability and musicianship. So much of today's music is sung by auto tuned singers because they can't actually sing that well or played by programming a drum or other machine to generate the music that just sounds artificial. Not all of it. Not by a long shot but enough of it to be annoying.
Steely Dan rarely made even a sub par song, so narrowing down a list of "must hears" is tough. I've loved this band for over 50 years. Their music was the soundtrack to my Jr High, HS and especially college years. AJA came out my senior year in HS and it seemed like an album everyone had in college. I remember walking back to my dorm across the quadrangles in the fall or spring, and you'd almost always heard the Aja album blasting out the open windows. I played that album to death, and still do. So you will no doubt get a lot of suggestions for the popular "hits", like >Do it Again--Cant Buy a Thrill (first album, 1st song on album, 1st hit) >Reelin in the Years (CBAT also) (probably most well known song, huge hit, iconic guitar solo, nostalgic as hell) >My Old School--( Countdown to Ecstacy) not a major hit, but an iconic SD concert staple/encore >Show Biz Kids (Countdown) a very funky early tune that showed they were hitting all genres. Unusual. >Black Friday--Katy Lied another radio "hit" that shows a song about a collapse of the economy can still swing. Popular live tune. >Kid Charlemagne--Royal Scam Another popular live tune, probably closest the Dan got to Disco. >Josie--Aja (the Aja album was their peak, its a masterpiece, every song is great. Josie was a huge hit, and is a concert staple. Great tune. Upbeat funky jazzy. >Deacon Blues--Aja A very popular tune, more laid back and smooth. >Babylon Sisters--Gaucho Since you just did Hey 19, you might as well do the also very popular and danceable Babylon Sisters, they kind of go together. Its funky. Glamour Profession--Gaucho This tune epitomizes the SD smooth sheen that people mistake as "Yacht Rock". I think Gaucho is a notch below Aja, but its still a great album. That takes you from 72>80 when they temporarily split apart for about 12 years. So that's their initial 70s run. (Part 1. Part 2 in seperate comment)
Blue eyed soul singer for example is Bobby Caldwell ~ What You Won’t Do For Love, George Michael ~ Careless Whisper, George Rafferty ~ Baker Street. ✌️❤️
If you want some instrumental soft-rock/jazzy songs, check out Spyrogyra. Good starting singles are Catching the Sun and Morning Dance. More than likely you will have heard parts of one or both somewhere at some time.
Released in late 1980. Takes me back to the eighth grade and the skating rink on Friday and Saturday nights and looking forward to the couple's skate when I could take few laps around the rink and hold hands with the girl I was crushing on. Good times...☺
You've probably heard many SD songs over the years, you just didn't know it. I grew up during the 70s and Steely Dan is a part of the soundtrack to my life.
Steeley Dan has made many great records, but have always thought Aja and Gaucho were their best efforts. Must listens: Babylon Sisters/ Hey Nineteen/ Pretzel Logic/ Black Cow/ Reelin In The Years/ Show Biz Kids/ FM/ Hatian Divorce. Have always loved your channel.... you two are an awesome duo!
Love Steely Dan, but not sure they’d be classified as yacht rock or even easy listening. They’re more like a fusion of funky jazz and blues 🎷 Bottom line though- Steely Dan is GREAT!!
"The album's cover art is based upon a low relief sculpture by Argentine artist Israel Hoffmann. Entitled "Guardia Vieja - Tango" (Old Guard - Tango), the original is located in a street museum known as Caminito in La Boca, a neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina." -Wikipedia
I haven't run across any reaction videos of Lovin' Spoonful ... You'd like Summer in the City ... Nashville Cats ... Rain on the Roof ... What a Day for a Daydream ❤
Yacht Rock is not a genre ...its a term made up just a few years ago to describe certain songs from decades ago that are musicaly mellow in sound or have a chill vibe regardless of lyrical subject matter. The truth is its a term meant to describe music for a lazy day...to be put on in the background. Im sure most of these musicians probably wouldn't like that the music they worked so hard on would be referred to with such an inane term. ..but then again if it helps to have more people buy their music and peak interest in these artists...it may be doing more good than anything else! 😎
OK, you asked for requests, so here's my most beloved in the Yacht/Soft Rock niche: Reminiscing by Little River Band Love Will Find A Way by Pablo Cruise I Love You More Than I Can Say by Leo Sayer Arthur's Theme by Christopher Cross The Logical Song by Supertramp Poetry Man by Phoebe Snow Hold Me Tight by Johnny Nash Blue Bayou by Linda Ronstadt Baker Street by Gerry Rafferty Little Jeannie by Elton John Biggest Part of Me by Ambrosia Lotta Love by Nicolette Larson Summer Breeze by Seals and Crofts Magic by Olivia Newton John Being With You by Smokey Robinson Peg by Steely Dan
In my book there’s a line where yacht rock ends and soul (blue-eyed or otherwise) begins, and my line is drawn somewhere around older Hall and Oates or maybe Sail On by the Commodores. I’m still on the fence with Al Jarreau. Once a song reaches a certain level of “soul” it ceases to be yacht rock in my head. I love Stephen Bishop, for example, but he is in no danger whatsoever of leaving his yacht behind, lol.
You can't go wrong with The Dan. My top favorites are "Your Gold Teeth II" (mind the 2) for the Jazz and "Night By Night" for the funkiness and "East St-Louis Toodle-oo" as their tribute to Duke Ellington.
Not sure if it still holds up, but Steely Dan used to be referred to as: "Your favorite band's favorite band."
It definitely holds up
Which is strange, given that they were no band at all, after the first couple LPs.
(I like them though, especially the jazz elements and some of the guitar solos.)
@@herrbonk3635Haha you’re not wrong. But Steely Dan as a symbol was a band, I suppose, and because of that the saying likely still holds up.
Steely Dan "Aja" is an album everyone must own. Masterpiece.
One of my least favourite in their catalog. Especially the hype around it is so strange to me.
(I appreciate having Wayne Shorter on the title track though.)
Yacht rock is easy listening steely Dan is a whole different animal,
you know you're old when you hear April Wine in the supermarket
Steely Dan is the apex of Yacht Rock. SD is the favorite band of professional musicians. Elements of jazz, funk, Rock etc are perfectly blended together
@@007ndc Christopher Cross is the apex...everything else you stated is correct.
@@jacksprat418-ju5qo good call:)
"IGY" by Steely Dan vocalist/cofounder (Donald Fagen) is a VERY cool song.
Steely Dan reaches everyone. You can claim to be a hip hop fan, metal head, pop, jazz...even country and they will touch you. I was just little kid in the '70s and knew they were good.
That's true. I was in high school in the 70s and was a diehard rock fan, however Steely Dan was one of my guilty pleasures that I'd listen to.
Sorry, but I would not consider Steely Dan either Soft Rock or Yacht Rock. They had their own niche beyond either.
@@sallysharp3845 nobody on this thread claimed that. Both of us were just stating that Steely Dan was enjoyed by people who were primarily fans of other types of music.
I had Steely Dan Aja on cassette. A classic album.
That’s what great music does. Touches everyone
FM, by SD is exactly the song you are describing...pre-song chat
No Static at All
Definitely more Steely Dan ❤
You just can't go wrong. They're my "desert island" band for sure!
Oh yes, same here, on desert island discs, they ask you for something you would want to take forever....i would say, box set of Steely dan/Walter/Donald music and poetry
Steely Dan ....FOREVER!!!!
Yacht Rock is a latter day description for something that never was called that when the music was created. A way to lump some music together into a genre that didn't really exist. So defining what it actually is, is not something I'd even attempt
It sure exists, although called different things in different countries. Easy listening feel good jazz-rock with just the right amoung of funk or disco feel (usually including some R&B and gospel elements as well). The posh upper class as well as academics with positions tended to like that in the late 1970s and early 80s. People with new money too.
Hey Nineteen is about a guy who used to be a cool ("dandy") college frat boy who thought he had "game" back in the late 60s (Fagen and Becker went to college at a small liberal arts hippy college called Bard in upstate NY in the late 60s). He was reminiscing about all the sweet young gals they used to meet from Boston (big college town).
Then fast forward and he's now somewhere in a club or bar near Scarsdale and he meets this young gal who's college age, but he's now a decade or more older. He's amazed this gal doesn't even know who Aretha is. But he's having a good time, they are drinking Cuervo, and they smoke some weed (the fine Colombian), so the night is wonderful. But.....did he really hook up with this 19 year old, or is he really imagining it sitting at home drinking and smoking a j alone? SD always leaves room for interpretation.......
I imagined a scene in LA, a thirty-something guy watching a pretty girl rollerskating on Venice Beach.
@johncastle5071
There are absolutely no LA ref erences in the song. It's all NYC area.
OMG. Steely Dan!!!!!! My fav🎉
My favorite Steely Dan song!!
Mine, too.
jazz/R&B/rock fusion = Steely Dan. Dozens and dozens of stellar, deep tracks.
Any Major Dude Will Tell You... to check out Black Cow. LOL, JK. Those are Steely Dan songs.
I was 17 when 'Hey 19' was first being played on the radio. It was a top 40 hit -- probably one of Steely Dan's most recognized songs.
Steely Dan; a band that isn't afraid to let the music breathe.
Completely agree! They used the space between the lyrics to open up those wonderful grooves. :)
I like your interpretation
Vintage wine....
This is such a awedome smooth song. My 12 yr old self was just singing along when it first came out not realizing what it was truly about. Then a few yrs later I was laughing hysterical when it hit me. Still love it....skate a little lower now 🙂
You guys are the epitome of this song. It's about how little to nothing different generations have nothing in common which makes it hard to relate. lately, I've been checking out all these reaction videos and they all have one thing in common. the music of the 60s began a series of music artists who hated being put into a genre because there was so much crossover. That's why many of these reaction videos try to classify this period's music as somewhat funny. The album's cover art is based upon a low relief sculpture by Argentine artist Israel Hoffmann. Entitled "Guardia Vieja - Tango" (Old Guard - Tango), the original is located in a street museum known as Caminito in La Boca, a neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
I agree Seger is DEF not Yacht Rock. and though he’s incredibly soulful, I’d not put him in the Blue Eyed Soul category as well. The closest he might have ever come to ‘Yacht Rock’ might be ‘Against the Wind.’ You might wanna check that song out if you haven’t already…
Yup. Seger's pretty much in his own category. Maybe Country-Soul?
Agree he is probably not Yacht Rock. He could be considered blue-eyed soul. I wouldn’t say Country-Soul, but I would say Rock/Country/Soul. Whatever he is classified as, he is GREAT.
@@group-music Actually there are several reactions on YT to Still the Same by Bob Seger. You can do a search and it will bring them up.
I would call guys like Seger (Detroit), Mellencamp (Indiana), Micheal Stanley (Cleveland), 70s Reo (Illinois) etc Midwest or Heartland Rock.
Blue eyed soul? I think of Hall and Oates and Michael McDonald. Seger is too gruff.
The Dan always makes me smile. I was 19 in 1974, for me now, it's like Hey 45! I'm still in the game.
Dan, Dan, more Dan, you'll never look at or listen to music the same way again after listening to more Dan, they are the genre, real professional composers.
Hey at least she's legal, she's 19. Other Yacht rock songs
Joe Jackson - Steppin' Out
Olivia Newton-John - Have You Never Been Mellow
Seals & Crofts - Summer Breeze
Greg Guidry - Going Down
Pablo Cruise - Love Will Find a Way
Sade - Smooth Operator
England Dan & John Ford Coley - I'd Really Love To See You Tonight
Key Largo- Bertie Higgins. This is the song that pretty much invented the "yacht rock" genre.
Cool Night and Sweet Life- Paul Davis
I combed thru these comments yet NO ONE said anything about "Deacon Blues"!! Absolutely the best Steely Dan song...AND because they were perfectionists in every way, this song went thru MULTIPLE studio sessions with various musicians playing all instruments. With that said, the official studio version is a little over 7 minutes...BUT years ago, someone cobbled together all the takes (intro/outtro) into one take! It is exactly 11 minutes and found searching "Deacon Blues Extended" in TH-cam. If need be, hit me up and I'll find the link for you...been published a lot under different channels.
Not just their best song, but spawned many more great hit songs through the band 'Deacon Blue'
If you ever went skating this is a favorite skating song🎶🎶🎶
As a teen in the 70’s, soft rock was my go to.
Still my fav, but now in my 60”s, I appreciate some of the classic rock that I didn’t listen to back then.
Some Yacht rock songs I'd love to hear you react to:
On and On by Stephen Bishop,
Sentimental Lady by Bob Welch,
Summer Breeze by Seals and Croft.
I think the remaining members of Steely Dan would be completely insulted that they're described as yacht rock.... it's not a compliment.
It's like calling Rap 'Drive By Music.'
I know right? What does it even mean?
It’s not not a compliment. Yacht rock was well produced and well played, almost by definition.
Carly Simon-You’re So Vain
Poco-Crazy Love
Seals and Crofts- Summer Breeze
I’ve got dozens more, but it takes a while trying to see if they have already been reacted to.
For example, Tasha has already heard It’s Too Late by Carol King or I would have thrown that in there.
Yes! Some more Carly Simon-please!
Hey Nineteen is the non-jailbait version of Everyone's Gone to the Movies 🙃
...and then they gave us Janie Runaway.
Submarine rock, objectionable lyrics and subjects under the surface of polished music. They're the best!
@@cletusbeauregard1972 - Then there's "Cousin Dupree".....🫣
@@MissAstorDancer I truly believe they spent that 20-year recording break watching Jerry Springer.
@@cletusbeauregard1972 🤣
"Hard times for the Soul Survivors" a cute play on words.
Listen, guaranteed you heard this in the background mix in a club or restaurant. This song's a classic!
I enjoyed the reaction! This song has gotten "airplay" through the years -- back in radio days and now in Muzak in all kinds of retail. You could hear it so many places. I'm so glad you listened to Steely Dan! Check out a groove "Gaslighting Abbie" that is such a strong, punchy groove and more "recent", from Steely Dan's Album of the Year Grammy winning album (2000) -- "Two Against Nature"
One of their most twisted ones! And one of my faves!!!!
SATIRE OF THE HIGHEST ORDER...AND THOSE BEATS AND VOCALS.AMAZING AND ALWAYS WILL BE,
It's always fun to watch people when they finally figure out what a Steely Dan song is all about. Not just one, but several light bulbs pop on! "Black Cow" puzzles people all the time. Tasha! Hit that Aja album! You'll thank us later! BTW, I'm 65 and a lot of my co-workers are a lot younger and and they look at me like "what?" when say things like "no good deed goes un-punished" or I quote a line from a 70's sitcom. Lots of fun!
19 says it so well
Been a fan since 73. Not a bad song on any of their albums, SD is just pure smooth. That's what talented music sounds like.
Love open minded people. Kudos.
At that time "The fine Columbian" would have referred to pot, not coke. This is before seedless mutant plants took over the cannibus industry.
When he's singing, "The Cuervo Gold, the fine Columbian," he's hoping that plying this girl with pot and tequila will create a leveling wind. Something
that'll get him through the door of their differences.
Maybe, but coke was exploding at this time. And better pot was coming from Panama.
Never thought fine Colombian referred to coke .... Always thought of coke as Peruvian Marching Powder
Love some steely Dan. Wore out my copy of Aja.
Fantastic reaction, thank you! Next to the Aretha Franklin nod, the second best line is "SAY IT AGAIN!"
"Cuevo gold and fine columbian", and "skate a little lower" are my two. The whole song is perfect.
@@Ginny-t7ynobody plays the character of a sleazy creepy guy better than Donald Fagen “sure looks good!”
@@steelyd2 A regular "Cousin Dupree" 😆
@Joe-Flow - Yes! Just in case the listener wasn't paying attention!!! The Dan certainly knew how to get the listener's attention, and tickle their brain!
@@MissAstorDancer "tickle their brain!" First time I heard that. Awesome...😄
This song was Steely Dan's very last Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song stayed at the #10 spot for three weeks during the late fall of 1980. This song is a definitely banger!!!
My husband loves this song. It made me love this song as well.
Steely Dan is a vibe. They don’t make bad music, ever! I have several of their songs on my playlist
The musicians Steely Dan employ for their projects are stellar, facts! 💯🔥
The reaction was spot on. Steely Dan often has amazing jazz rock fusion and adult themed lyrics. Thank you
"Time Out of Mind" from the Gaucho album is my favorite. It's "perfection and grace. It's the smile on my face."
Chris Cross "Ride like the wind" Great Yacht rock!!
I have always been a blues/rocker, but back in the day of disco, thats where I went, thats where the chicks were! But funk, yacht rock, look whre it came from , the 70's for the most part...I just found you guys and I like! Like you said, is just simple and relaxing...and most had a decent groove...plus, is a good launching pad if you want to explore further...Steely Dan is a genre unto itself...keep on keepin on!
Part 2 Steely Dan Deeper Cuts
These are "must react to" even more than many of the hits/popular often played tunes. Btw, I saw Steely Dan live over 20 times from 1993 to 2019.
The original 5-6 man band toured live from 1972>1974. Then Fagen and Becker didn't want to keep touring, and wanted to work primarily at perfecting the studio albums. So the band kind of broke up in 1974 after Pretzel Logic. SD didn't tour again live until 1993.
In the 70s, F&B didn't think they could successfully reproduce their perfectionist jazz fusion sound mix live on stage.
1. DOCTOR WU>Katy Lied
Simply a masterpiece. Unfortunately only played live 7 times ever. I was very lucky to see 2 of the 7 live performances. A piano driven classic.
2. BLACK COW>Aja
First track on the Aja album. Very funky, cool and sets the setting for a journey.
3. AJA>AJA
Imo, the ultimate jazz fusion masterpiece. Too long and complex to be a "radio hit", but this song is the epitome of what Fagen and Becker were striving for. Fantastic musical passages and soloing by Steve Gadd on drums and Wayne Shorter on sax.
4. FM (No static at All)
Not on a SD album other than a "best of" or Anthology. Song written for the movie FM, so also on FM soundtrack. Recorded shortly after Aja album in 1977 with same musicians, so it easily could have fit on Aja. Very funky and popular tune.
5. RIKKI DON'T LOSE THAT NUMBER>Pretzel Logic
Actually a very big hit but still somehow overlooked gem. Another piano driven classic, very catchy melody.
6. BAD SNEAKERS>Katy Lied
Another gem from the great Katy Lied album, which to me was the real precursor for what Aja became. A minor hit, a very popular live tune, again with that piano driven melody like Dr Wu.
7. RAZOR BOY/YOUR GOLD TEETH>>Countdown to Ecstasy
Countdown is an amazing 2nd album packed with gems. The entire album is great. These 2 songs show how already their songs were not your typical 3 minute pop songs, they started getting jazzier and eclectic. I think they go together well and show how ahead of the game they were by 1973.
8. PRETZEL LOGIC>PRETZEL LOGIC
Steely Dan could also play the blues. Minor hit, popular live tune.
9. DON'T TAKE ME ALIVE>Royal Scam
Royal Scam was a strange album, its all over the place style wise, but this is a catchy melodic rock tune which just holds up.
10. ROYAL SCAM>Royal Scam
This title track is a longer darker epic with great music and solos, again unusual but dramatic.
11. GAUCHO>Gaucho
Another title track which is longer and fantastic musically. Hearing it live finally was so cool.
12. HERE AT THE WESTERN WORLD>NON ALBUM TRACK, released on the 2 cd compilation ShowBiz Kids
I had to include this gem, maybe a top 5 tune for me. Rarely played live, if ever. A song that is worth listening to after you hear all these others. You'll wonder how it could have been an "out take". Its stylistically similar to Doctor Wu and to Rikki, Bad Sneakers etc. Beautifully piano driven.
Hope you two can get to all these. I guarantee you'll love them all.
Edit add>>Ok, it looks like you've reacted to my first 3 choices. Oh well, maybe your female friend hasn't though.
I remember this song when i was a kid and i didn't know who sang it either...makes sense it was Steely dan.
I love Steely Dan
Thank you for reacting to this amazing band! Great music playing by phenomenal musicians.
Yacht Rock is literally songs you play on your yacht. It's just mood setting music...
Sweet dreams from Boston! You bet! This is the classic song for guys about 30 who know they have no business being with a 19-year-old babe but they just can't help themselves. Beautiful.
For me: Yacht Rock is low-key music you could play in a group of people that NO ONE can OBJECT to - because it's just AWESOME and, even if they DO REALLY listen to it playing in the background - it's INTERESTING and SOUNDS GREAT!!!!!
My first video with you two, I hit the subscribe button before the song even started.
Love you guys! ❤ 😊
This is such a great reaction as always! They’re so beautiful, funny & clever. Take a deep dive! I’ve seen them live 9 or 10 times, but one time at the T-shirt stand, they were selling baseball jerseys and the name on the back was HEY and the number was 19. Wish I bought one.
We dance, we cant talk, take me when you slide on down. Wow!
No...We Can't Dance. We can't talk at all. PLEASE Take me along when you slide on down...
The Cuervo Gold (Mexican firewater), the fine Colombian (bit of Charlie)
Make tonight a wonderful thing.
Yes please !
What the heck is Yacht Rock? Just something young people came up with. This is just we grew up listening to in the 70’s
Yeah. Nobody called any of that music "yacht rock" till years later.
It was coined in 2005… prior to then it was known as west coast sound.
I grew up in the 70's. I am a music fanatic! I love just about every genre. My music collection consists tunes from many generations but I am a bit biased as I truly believe that the music of my generation had such a great and eclectic selection. Even country tunes were played on the pop radio stations in the Chicago area. I have a list of 70's one hit wonders that is about 350 songs and of course all the other successful artists of the day including Classic Rock, Pop, Ol' School R & B, etc...I have so many recommendations for you guys, I wouldn't even know where to start. I will suggest one that comes to mind at this moment that I don't see on any of the current reactions and that is Phoebe Snow "Poetry Man". One of the sweetest voices I've ever had the honor and pleasure of listening to in my 64 years on this planet. It fits right in with your current reaction "Yacht Rock" discovery. May she RIP. Anyways, if and when you both get an opportunity, please give her a listen. Thank You both for these great reactions to a genre that is embedded in my heart and soul.
Love steely Dan!
I was 10 when their last album, Gaucho, dropped…Aja had been played all over am/fm radio, and rightfully so. Even a kid’s ears knew this was special music - a cut above.
This is not yacht Rock this is more jazz Rock
After the lyrics about Aretha Franklin and Queen of Soul, he sang about Soul Survivors, which was blue eyed soul. Check out there song Expressway To Your Heart from the late 60's❤
We've got tonight as well
There were drum machines on many pop/rock songs before this song, but this was the first song that had a digital drum machine that you could program your own beats and drum sounds into. Previous drum machines were analog and mostly had preprogrammed beats. As usual, Steely Dan took things several steps beyond.
Thanks for the great reaction! I love Steely Dan. ❤️ Please do more! ☮️❤️😎
Tee and Tasha,
I don't think there is really a musical genera called yacht rock but I'm older so who knows. I do know that Steely Dan is classified as Jazz/Rock fusion. I know a lot can be said about the deeper meaning of the lyrics of many of their songs but I implore you to please, please, please pay attention to the music. Their mastery of musicianship is beyond compare. This is one of the reasons their Aja album was years in the making. Donald Fagen is such a perfectionist especially where the music is concerned that he would not release it before he felt it was acceptable.
Thanks for exploring music that you're not familiar with and introducing it to others. I am so grateful that I grew up in the late 60's and 70's with all this great music as well as that of the 80's, 90's, 2000's and beyond. It makes me sad that so many people younger than say 40 just don't know of much of this great music. It was so important to so many people because of the thoughtful lyrics, singing ability and musicianship. So much of today's music is sung by auto tuned singers because they can't actually sing that well or played by programming a drum or other machine to generate the music that just sounds artificial. Not all of it. Not by a long shot but enough of it to be annoying.
Keep doing this yacht rock series🤘🤘
Tasha, great job of dissecting the meaning here. You caught a few things I had never even thought of before. Brilliant !!!
Bob Sefer, a Detroit native, is
ROCK & ROLL!!!!!
Absolutely one of the best groups of the 70's.💯👍
Steely Dan rarely made even a sub par song, so narrowing down a list of "must hears" is tough. I've loved this band for over 50 years. Their music was the soundtrack to my Jr High, HS and especially college years. AJA came out my senior year in HS and it seemed like an album everyone had in college. I remember walking back to my dorm across the quadrangles in the fall or spring, and you'd almost always heard the Aja album blasting out the open windows. I played that album to death, and still do.
So you will no doubt get a lot of suggestions for the popular "hits", like
>Do it Again--Cant Buy a Thrill (first album, 1st song on album, 1st hit)
>Reelin in the Years (CBAT also) (probably most well known song, huge hit, iconic guitar solo, nostalgic as hell)
>My Old School--( Countdown to Ecstacy) not a major hit, but an iconic SD concert staple/encore
>Show Biz Kids (Countdown) a very funky early tune that showed they were hitting all genres. Unusual.
>Black Friday--Katy Lied
another radio "hit" that shows a song about a collapse of the economy can still swing. Popular live tune.
>Kid Charlemagne--Royal Scam
Another popular live tune, probably closest the Dan got to Disco.
>Josie--Aja (the Aja album was their peak, its a masterpiece, every song is great. Josie was a huge hit, and is a concert staple. Great tune. Upbeat funky jazzy.
>Deacon Blues--Aja
A very popular tune, more laid back and smooth.
>Babylon Sisters--Gaucho
Since you just did Hey 19, you might as well do the also very popular and danceable Babylon Sisters, they kind of go together. Its funky.
Glamour Profession--Gaucho
This tune epitomizes the SD smooth sheen that people mistake as "Yacht Rock". I think Gaucho is a notch below Aja, but its still a great album.
That takes you from 72>80 when they temporarily split apart for about 12 years. So that's their initial 70s run.
(Part 1. Part 2 in seperate comment)
Blue eyed soul singer for example is Bobby Caldwell ~ What You Won’t Do For Love, George Michael ~ Careless Whisper, George Rafferty ~ Baker Street. ✌️❤️
If you want some instrumental soft-rock/jazzy songs, check out Spyrogyra. Good starting singles are Catching the Sun and Morning Dance. More than likely you will have heard parts of one or both somewhere at some time.
This whole album is FIRE. Been listening to it since it came out, was still in intermediate school. Great insights into the lyrics BTW.
Gino Vanelli Living Inside Myself, Little River Band Reminiscing, Peter Frampton Baby I Love Your Way are songs I remember playing at the lake 😁💓
I like this song.
Released in late 1980. Takes me back to the eighth grade and the skating rink on Friday and Saturday nights and looking forward to the couple's skate when I could take few laps around the rink and hold hands with the girl I was crushing on. Good times...☺
One of my favorite songs of all time 🎉
You've probably heard many SD songs over the years, you just didn't know it. I grew up during the 70s and Steely Dan is a part of the soundtrack to my life.
Steeley Dan has made many great records, but have always thought Aja and Gaucho were their best efforts. Must listens: Babylon Sisters/ Hey Nineteen/ Pretzel Logic/ Black Cow/ Reelin In The Years/ Show Biz Kids/ FM/ Hatian Divorce. Have always loved your channel.... you two are an awesome duo!
You should try kid charlemagne, by steely dan, many consider the guitar solo in this song as one of the best solos ever
Loved the convo before & after here.
Simply Superb! a hard one to follow. How about the Doobie Brothers "What a Fool Believes"
Love Steely Dan, but not sure they’d be classified as yacht rock or even easy listening.
They’re more like a fusion of funky jazz and blues 🎷
Bottom line though- Steely Dan is GREAT!!
"The album's cover art is based upon a low relief sculpture by Argentine artist Israel Hoffmann. Entitled "Guardia Vieja - Tango" (Old Guard - Tango), the original is located in a street museum known as Caminito in La Boca, a neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina." -Wikipedia
"I Love You" by the Climax Blues Band is definitely one of those soft rock wooing songs to listen to!
This is actual music played by people who know music. Enjoy.
I haven't run across any reaction videos of Lovin' Spoonful ... You'd like Summer in the City ... Nashville Cats ... Rain on the Roof ... What a Day for a Daydream ❤
this is so super-smooth. Lovely!
...and theres a groove....
Yacht Rock is not a genre ...its a term made up just a few years ago to describe certain songs from decades ago that are musicaly mellow in sound or have a chill vibe regardless of lyrical subject matter. The truth is its a term meant to describe music for a lazy day...to be put on in the background. Im sure most of these musicians probably wouldn't like that the music they worked so hard on would be referred to with such an inane term. ..but then again if it helps to have more people buy their music and peak interest in these artists...it may be doing more good than anything else! 😎
Ricky Don’t Lose That Number- S.Dan
She nailed it 🥂
OK, you asked for requests, so here's my most beloved in the Yacht/Soft Rock niche:
Reminiscing by Little River Band
Love Will Find A Way by Pablo Cruise
I Love You More Than I Can Say by Leo Sayer
Arthur's Theme by Christopher Cross
The Logical Song by Supertramp
Poetry Man by Phoebe Snow
Hold Me Tight by Johnny Nash
Blue Bayou by Linda Ronstadt
Baker Street by Gerry Rafferty
Little Jeannie by Elton John
Biggest Part of Me by Ambrosia
Lotta Love by Nicolette Larson
Summer Breeze by Seals and Crofts
Magic by Olivia Newton John
Being With You by Smokey Robinson
Peg by Steely Dan
In my book there’s a line where yacht rock ends and soul (blue-eyed or otherwise) begins, and my line is drawn somewhere around older Hall and Oates or maybe Sail On by the Commodores. I’m still on the fence with Al Jarreau. Once a song reaches a certain level of “soul” it ceases to be yacht rock in my head. I love Stephen Bishop, for example, but he is in no danger whatsoever of leaving his yacht behind, lol.
For blue-eyed soul don’t forget Hall and Oats - Sara Smile , one of the most beautiful long songs.
The cuervo gold, the fine Colombian, Make tonight a wonderful thing
Been there done that !!!
She's going to slide on down from Boston (college) to Scarsdale (a very very wealthy town just north of NYC)
GREATEST BODY OF WORK ON THE PLANET....if you like jazz/blues/ rock/originality
I enjoy your show its GREAT,
You can't go wrong with The Dan. My top favorites are "Your Gold Teeth II" (mind the 2) for the Jazz and "Night By Night" for the funkiness and "East St-Louis Toodle-oo" as their tribute to Duke Ellington.
Steely Dan can't buy a thrill in my humble opinion is one of the top five greatest albums of all time