So true. I'm 64 and have been a Danhead since I was 14. He who is tired of the Dan is tired of life itself. They are the greatest American band ever. x
The sax player is Pete Christlieb. He was the sax player on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in the 1960's and '70's. DF said he was watching the Tonight Show, heard Christlieb, contacted him and asked him to play on the album. DF said he said he had never heard of Steely Dan. He's in his nineties now. P.S. One of the sidemen on an album said Steely Dan pays VERY well.
Every track on Aja (7 songs) was recorded with 7 different line ups, all the greatest session musicians at the time. You can never tire of Steely Dan and for me who has been a fan since I was 7 and heard Do It Again I can still play these songs and find something new. Unsurpassable for me.
Fuck me what a beautiful song .. 49 years I have been listening to the dan they are without a doubt the best session band ever ever ever to put out our records ... 🎉🎉🎉🎉😊
"Drink Scotch Whisky All Night Long And Die Behind The Wheel" and "I Cried When I Wrote This Song. Sue Me If I Play Too Long" are often quoted lyrics from this amazing song.
I’m 57, so I’ve been listening to Steely Dan for a long time. It’s a joy to watch you listen for the first time. These songs are timeless and never get old. I suggest you listen to everything by them. Love watching all your videos. Keep it going man!
Great documentary! It features some of the greatest (mostly unsung) background singers of the rock era - It won an oscar! Well worth watching! (may not feature these particular background singers though IIRC).
@@RandyHall324 You’re right, these three aren’t. I mention the documentary because so often these artists are overlooked. The guitar solo, the drum fills, saxophones etc get attention but the background vocals are just as important to the end product✌🏻🤟🏻🤘🏻
Can't go wrong with The Dan! Try "Black Friday" on for size. Also "My Old School". "Hey 19" is a good one too, "the Cuervo Gold, the fine Colombian. Make tonight a wonderful thing" 😊Becker and Fagin were meticulous about their sound which is why they stopped performing live and became a studio band. They wanted perfection and they got it
Hey Lee, that was probably one of the best reviews I have ever heard from you or any other reaction channel on TH-cam! Congratulations! You were spot on on everything you said. I really enjoy your steely Sundays! May I suggest you do …”don’t take me alive” for your next steely Sunday review. This song has probably the best guitar intro I have ever heard in my life and I think he will enjoy it very much. Keep doing what you’re doing. Such a great review and appreciation for one of the best band ever! Really enjoyed it. 👏✌️🎶
The term 'catchy' often has a negative connotation when it comes to music. It usually means over-produced, sellout, simple, etc... Not THIS song! It IS catchy, but that's because of the insanely good melody, harmony, instrumental, percussion, etc. I LOVE this song! It's one of my favorites from one of my favorite bands ever!
Same here. I visited a record store in 1993 and Kid Charlemagne was played in the background. I had never heard anything quite like it. Bought all of their (and Donald Fagen's) CD's within a year or so.
Excellent Tune. One of their best, which is hard to pick. Easy to understand what this tune is about. A Masterful Gem from the minds that make this wonderful Soft-Rock/Blues/Jazz tune that can be played 1000's times and you still love it.
I've been listening to reactions for a couple of years now and I want to say you have a better ear for music than most. You don't over react and your analysis is really good. A lot of folks don't like reactors who talk during the music but it's understandable because most are overreacting and doing it to bring attention to themselves you don't do that. Being over sixty you should understand that we would gather together put on some vinyl and share our thoughts on the music and I enjoy listening to music with you and your channel thank you.🎸🎶🥁
Steely Dan's stature at this point meant they could get both Larry Carlton AND Lee Rittenour, when most people would have been perfectly happy with either one of those mofo's. I think I saw somewhere this song was about a guy stuck in a suburban rut with dreams of being a bebop sax player, who confronts the sacrifices needed to chase his dreams. And you're right that SD had a sound like no other, because nobody else would put the work into creating something this meticulously smooth. BTW, the nearest band to this at the time were The Dooby Brothers.
Crimson Tide of course refers to the University of Alabama football team, perennial winners. As a joke, Donald and Walter contrast this with the lowly Wake Forest University fighting Deacon Demons.
Victor Feldman doesn't get much noteriety but he was a very famous studio musician in the late 50's through the mid 80's when he died all to young in 1987. He apparently played on the first 7 Steely Dan albums. Donald and Walter knew talent when they "heard" it!
In case nobody else has commented this is a song celebrating the midlife crisis of a fading "60s hipster". The Deacon Blues reference was a nod to the Wake Forest Deacon's college football team which lost like every game in two or three seasons around the time the guys wrote this song.
Maybe their best and most popular song. When I first heard Aja, this was the standout track and as a sax-playing whiskey drinker it had a big appeal. Now, though, the best track on the album (if not of all their albums) for me is Home at last.
Imagine any other song you can think of that had these 3 guitarists: Larry Carlton, Lee Ritenour, and Dean Parks. Also give Pete Christlieb on tenor and Pretty Purdie their flowers as well.
Love your analysis of this great song. These guys had it figured out. Write great songs with fantastic lyrics and get great, fantastic musicians to bring them to life.
Yeah😂😂😂they know they were pissing off a lot of people back then...so we went to their concerts like we did with a lot of bands and got the long version in concert. 😂😂😂 Steely Dan along with Yes, is one of my all-time favorite band. Different styles, but excellent musicianship!!! Steely Dan is very Jazz and R & B with a little funk. Love this band!!!😊😊😊😊
As the last child of 7 in a family growing up in the late 60s early 70s, I heard Steely Dan from an early age and singing along seems to come without effort. It is so refreshing to see a younger generation begin to explore what this band accomplished.
Pete Christlieb sat in “The Tonight Show” orchestra for years along with another powerhouse session player, Ernie Watts who has his own memorable solos in pop songs. The Tonight Show had a stellar band with the great Doc Severinsen as leader. Here’s a clip of Christlieb on fire with Watts. He also played an amazing solo on the Dan’s song “FM” from the movie of the same name. Christlieb laid down some great intricate solos. In the modern era, the incomparable Chris Potter does the same. th-cam.com/video/YGiZSZNYs1s/w-d-xo.htmlsi=9BTUEiTDCeYDWt7h
Love the Dan and especially this album. On a completely unrelated note I stumbled on a video of Gene Krupa playing “Sing, Sing, Sing” on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1960. I’m no drummer but I found it pretty amazing. As a drummer you might already be aware of Krupa, he was an influence on people like Keith Moon and John Bonham.
Happy Sunday L33. What I see is you going back to the roots of today’s music. The Beatles, Steely Dan, the Eagles and other bands that survived over the years gave us great music - much of which was understated by many. Keep enjoying what you’re doing. Good luck with the interview.
The greatest part of all these amazing bands are their individual brilliance!!! The Dead, The Band, Led Zeppelin, Queen, The Beatles and on and on!!!✌✌ My generation was insanely lucky, even people who liked disco! Which I hated, but hate less than most of what is out there today!!! You want a band from today that will blow your mind and you can see live, check out Billy Strings th-cam.com/video/Y6CyQftidOw/w-d-xo.htmlsi=TONsPTd5YpF2H8Nf 🤣🤣😂😂🤣🤣
Great reaction as always. Aja is filled with dark, seductive romance and it's meticulous, elegant aura. But please, find Green Earrings from Royal Scam to complete that brilliant album.
I had an original master disk pressing of this album on vinyl. It was absolutely PHENOMENAL when you put some power behind it on a good set of speakers! The good old days!
This album came out as I was starting university. You could hear it blasting out of every room in ny hall of residence. A lot of people bought it to show off their new stereos. I've heard it thousands of time and it still sounds fresh.
![[ TEASER ] เงาะป่า - วงL.กฮ. | TMG RECORD](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/M4ObdFfcPww/mqdefault.jpg)
I have said it before and at 71years I will say it again: "You never grow out of Steely Dan....you grow into them!"-Jack
That's the perfect way to put it 🙏👍
So true. I'm 64 and have been a Danhead since I was 14. He who is tired of the Dan is tired of life itself. They are the greatest American band ever. x
Anyone who hasn't heard Steely Dan has no idea what they are missing.
Exactly. These guys are pure magic 😊😊
Umm, isn’t that true for any band?😂
@@chrisblack1119 That can be true, but we're talking about Steely Dan. 😉
You're right there . @sirsuse. There is a lot of Steely Dan to miss...
@sirsuse by definition if you haven't heard something you don't know what you haven't heard 😅🤣😂😆
Thanks for commenting while the track is playing instead of stopping it to talk. Appreciated. I never get too much Steely Dan.
The Dan got the Grammy for best engineered album , it’s in the top 1% of best albums of all time!! 😎
Sez who?
Heard this entire album a million times and counting. ❤
1Million x 45 minutes.
That means you are over 2100 years old...!
Me too!
@@alldayadventures5418 I listened to it many times a day. 😀
I've had my album since 77 I believe 😊
@@Kathy-bk6cg Ditto.
I don't think I'm being hyperbolic when I say I'm so thankful we have music like this. The standard is impeccable and they consistently hit it.
you can listen to this a 100 times and still discover new nuances
The sax player is Pete Christlieb. He was the sax player on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in the 1960's and '70's. DF said he was watching the Tonight Show, heard Christlieb, contacted him and asked him to play on the album. DF said he said he had never heard of Steely Dan. He's in his nineties now. P.S. One of the sidemen on an album said Steely Dan pays VERY well.
Steely Dan: Your favorite band's favorite band.
They create such an ambiance... I remember driving in the late 70's listening to this as the summer sunset was happening...windows down loving life
Great times. Perfect song for that.
Us old heads always are welcoming. I hope you are enjoying your journey.
This album does not disappoint.
Every instrument is tight in this song, but the snare and high hat drive the entire thing, its perfect
Every track on Aja (7 songs) was recorded with 7 different line ups, all the greatest session musicians at the time. You can never tire of Steely Dan and for me who has been a fan since I was 7 and heard Do It Again I can still play these songs and find something new. Unsurpassable for me.
Fuck me what a beautiful song .. 49 years I have been listening to the dan they are without a doubt the best session band ever ever ever to put out our records ... 🎉🎉🎉🎉😊
If I had one song played at my funeral, this would be it.
It is so right that you recognize how great Steely Dan is. Your channel is full of the best music of many kinds.
I'm glad you enjoy the variety my friend. I am in debt to all of you wonderful people for showing me all of this beautiful art.
Nobody can touch the Dan/ been a fan since 74😊
"Drink Scotch Whisky All Night Long And Die Behind The Wheel" and "I Cried When I Wrote This Song. Sue Me If I Play Too Long" are often quoted lyrics from this amazing song.
No they aren't
That entire album, AJA, is a smash !!!!! Every song is sooooo good !!!!! IMO. I believe the best album ever produced !!!!!!!
I’m 57, so I’ve been listening to Steely Dan for a long time. It’s a joy to watch you listen for the first time. These songs are timeless and never get old. I suggest you listen to everything by them. Love watching all your videos. Keep it going man!
So glad you enjoyed the video my friend. Steely dan has been a blessing for my ears... and my channel. They are the best. Thank you for watching 😁
The thing about Steely Dan songs, almost every song has its hidden gems that is there just waiting for you to discover.
Steely Dan, wow what a band. So many good songs... Timeless
I played that ALBUM daily on my drive to work! Awesome🥹
Thank you for the shout out to the backing vocalists- “20 Feet from Stardom” is a really good documentary about them.
I'll have to check it out, thank you! Sounds intriguing 🤔
Great documentary! It features some of the greatest (mostly unsung) background singers of the rock era - It won an oscar! Well worth watching! (may not feature these particular background singers though IIRC).
@@RandyHall324 You’re right, these three aren’t. I mention the documentary because so often these artists are overlooked. The guitar solo, the drum fills, saxophones etc get attention but the background vocals are just as important to the end product✌🏻🤟🏻🤘🏻
Purdy, famous for the "Purdy Shuffle," is also possibly the greatest pocket player who ever picked up sticks.
Can't go wrong with The Dan! Try "Black Friday" on for size. Also "My Old School". "Hey 19" is a good one too, "the Cuervo Gold, the fine Colombian. Make tonight a wonderful thing" 😊Becker and Fagin were meticulous about their sound which is why they stopped performing live and became a studio band. They wanted perfection and they got it
Good song to relax too ! Kid Charlemagne is a great one too!
Hey Lee, that was probably one of the best reviews I have ever heard from you or any other reaction channel on TH-cam! Congratulations! You were spot on on everything you said. I really enjoy your steely Sundays! May I suggest you do …”don’t take me alive” for your next steely Sunday review. This song has probably the best guitar intro I have ever heard in my life and I think he will enjoy it very much. Keep doing what you’re doing. Such a great review and appreciation for one of the best band ever! Really enjoyed it. 👏✌️🎶
Check out the archives. Lee reacted to Aja, don’t take me alive and other SD. Join Patreon
"Aja" is the album you use to show off your sound system.
Dude isolate the guitar , incredible.
The term 'catchy' often has a negative connotation when it comes to music. It usually means over-produced, sellout, simple, etc... Not THIS song! It IS catchy, but that's because of the insanely good melody, harmony, instrumental, percussion, etc. I LOVE this song! It's one of my favorites from one of my favorite bands ever!
Deacon Blues is my second favorite SD song. FM is my favorite! All other SD songs are tied for third place. 😀 Thanks for Steely Sundays! ❤️
I personally love Midnight Cruiser bes, Deacon blues second and FM third.
I grew up in the 70s and from the first time I heard them, they have been my favorite band.
Same bro, same
Same here. I visited a record store in 1993 and Kid Charlemagne was played in the background. I had never heard anything quite like it. Bought all of their (and Donald Fagen's) CD's within a year or so.
THIS ONE GOT YA...IT'S ONE OF THE BEST IN MY OPINION.....
This album changed my life when I was 15. I’m 61 now, and this is still one of my favourite songs. Beautifully played and so moving.
Glad you are enjoying it. Get back to Royal Scam and "GREEN EARRINGS" my friend. SO funky... Happy Listening
Many drummers have heard of the fanous "Purdy Shuffle"
the drummer here is the famous Bernard Purdy
The Dan never misses
Excellent Tune. One of their best, which is hard to pick. Easy to understand what this tune is about.
A Masterful Gem from the minds that make this wonderful Soft-Rock/Blues/Jazz tune that can be played 1000's times and you still love it.
Home at last!!!!!
Glad you made it home!
Was glad I got to see them live,before walter passed away a couple years later…One of the best concerts I saw
You forget "Green Earrings"?
Yes! Such an amazing song!...And Sign in Stranger, an underappreciated gem.
@@debbiewalker31 exactly!!
Nice reference to kid charlemagne.
This one is special. One of the best chord progressions ever wrote imo.
Classic Steely Dan!
If you had a dart board with all Steely Dan songs on it and you threw your dart chances are good that your dart will land on a great song.
I've been listening to reactions for a couple of years now and I want to say you have a better ear for music than most. You don't over react and your analysis is really good. A lot of folks don't like reactors who talk during the music but it's understandable because most are overreacting and doing it to bring attention to themselves you don't do that. Being over sixty you should understand that we would gather together put on some vinyl and share our thoughts on the music and I enjoy listening to music with you and your channel thank you.🎸🎶🥁
Lee, you're the best reactor to SD that I've heard! Thanks you!
Steely Dan's stature at this point meant they could get both Larry Carlton AND Lee Rittenour, when most people would have been perfectly happy with either one of those mofo's. I think I saw somewhere this song was about a guy stuck in a suburban rut with dreams of being a bebop sax player, who confronts the sacrifices needed to chase his dreams. And you're right that SD had a sound like no other, because nobody else would put the work into creating something this meticulously smooth. BTW, the nearest band to this at the time were The Dooby Brothers.
Crimson Tide of course refers to the University of Alabama football team, perennial winners. As a joke, Donald and Walter contrast this with the lowly Wake Forest University fighting Deacon Demons.
That's great lol they are quite clever
I can remember SD being dissed like...San Francisco 49er fans have cheese and wine at their tailgate parties while listening to SD.
GO niners 💛❤️🥰
Victor Feldman doesn't get much noteriety but he was a very famous studio musician in the late 50's through the mid 80's when he died all to young in 1987. He apparently played on the first 7 Steely Dan albums. Donald and Walter knew talent when they "heard" it!
As Bernard says, him on a song u got a hit!
R & B isn't my thing but few artists bring something special too it. SD does that
In case nobody else has commented this is a song celebrating the midlife crisis of a fading "60s hipster". The Deacon Blues reference was a nod to the Wake Forest Deacon's college football team which lost like every game in two or three seasons around the time the guys wrote this song.
Top tier for sure! One of my fav SD songs! So many layers of perfection, just gets better the more you listen to it.
Ricky...don't lose that number ❤😂
Hey Lee! SD rocks another Sunday! Great reaction for 66 people in the chat. Nice job!👍🎵🎼🎶😎
Oh man, wait for Lee Ritenour. Artist in his own right (song: is it you?) You'll get to it.
Thanks.
Green Earrings is another don’t miss
Maybe their best and most popular song. When I first heard Aja, this was the standout track and as a sax-playing whiskey drinker it had a big appeal. Now, though, the best track on the album (if not of all their albums) for me is Home at last.
Love home at last
Imagine any other song you can think of that had these 3 guitarists: Larry Carlton, Lee Ritenour, and Dean Parks. Also give Pete Christlieb on tenor and Pretty Purdie their flowers as well.
Love your analysis of this great song. These guys had it figured out. Write great songs with fantastic lyrics and get great, fantastic musicians to bring them to life.
Love this entire album!
Me too so far! Every song has been insane so far
music perfection
Yeah😂😂😂they know they were pissing off a lot of people back then...so we went to their concerts like we did with a lot of bands and got the long version in concert. 😂😂😂 Steely Dan along with Yes, is one of my all-time favorite band. Different styles, but excellent musicianship!!! Steely Dan is very Jazz and R & B with a little funk. Love this band!!!😊😊😊😊
Knocking on the door... a beautiful analogy. You are so erudite and musically aware. Good on you!
I’ve seen them in concert four times on beautiful summer evenings.
I bet that was an amazing experience!! I would have loved to have seen them like that. Sounds relaxing as hell 😌
As the last child of 7 in a family growing up in the late 60s early 70s, I heard Steely Dan from an early age and singing along seems to come without effort. It is so refreshing to see a younger generation begin to explore what this band accomplished.
Great reaction! Thanks so much for your insights and the love you’re showing for Steely Dan and for this amazing song.
Pete Christlieb sat in “The Tonight Show” orchestra for years along with another powerhouse session player, Ernie Watts who has his own memorable solos in pop songs. The Tonight Show had a stellar band with the great Doc Severinsen as leader. Here’s a clip of Christlieb on fire with Watts. He also played an amazing solo on the Dan’s song “FM” from the movie of the same name. Christlieb laid down some great intricate solos. In the modern era, the incomparable Chris Potter does the same.
th-cam.com/video/YGiZSZNYs1s/w-d-xo.htmlsi=9BTUEiTDCeYDWt7h
Truly a remarkable piece of music. A thing of beauty.
Anything like Steely Dan these days? Alabama was big time back them
Excellent review. Babylon sisters from Gaucho is my request. Not as strong as Aja but a stellar Dan number.
🪻🌷🪻 "They got a name for the winners in the world. I wanna name when I lose." 🪻🌷🪻
This is my favorite song on my favorite album! I’m from Maryland too!!
Incredible. Check out the odd lead on Peg. They were very picky who they chose for each song. THX !
Love the Dan and especially this album. On a completely unrelated note I stumbled on a video of Gene Krupa playing “Sing, Sing, Sing” on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1960. I’m no drummer but I found it pretty amazing. As a drummer you might already be aware of Krupa, he was an influence on people like Keith Moon and John Bonham.
I’ve seen them more than a few times. Probably in my top five bands. ❤ #walterbecker
Happy Sunday L33. What I see is you going back to the roots of today’s music. The Beatles, Steely Dan, the Eagles and other bands that survived over the years gave us great music - much of which was understated by many. Keep enjoying what you’re doing. Good luck with the interview.
Steely Dan is the best. Deacon Blues is one of my favorites along with Hey 19
They were great to dance to, as well
The greatest part of all these amazing bands are their individual brilliance!!! The Dead, The Band, Led Zeppelin, Queen, The Beatles and on and on!!!✌✌ My generation was insanely lucky, even people who liked disco! Which I hated, but hate less than most of what is out there today!!! You want a band from today that will blow your mind and you can see live, check out Billy Strings th-cam.com/video/Y6CyQftidOw/w-d-xo.htmlsi=TONsPTd5YpF2H8Nf 🤣🤣😂😂🤣🤣
I have to say this album is pretty much perfect. I can’t think of one thing not good about it. You should check out some Boz Scaggs if you like SD.
I can't wait to hear the rest. They are so good lol
@@L33Reacts yes, they are😊
Great reaction as always. Aja is filled with dark, seductive romance and it's meticulous, elegant aura. But please, find Green Earrings from Royal Scam to complete that brilliant album.
The song is about being a Wake Forest Deacons football fan after they'd had yet another sad season.
Loved the Dan since my teenage years early 70s
Could never choose a favorite
Well possibly whichever one I'm listening to?!!!...
This album, soooo good. Yeah, they are tight yet they make it sound so smooth and easy! Nobody like them.
You got it! Welcome to the SD club.
I’m so happy you like this one…now please do the rest of the album, especially the title track
Check out the archives! Aja was his first reaction to the Dan! ❤
This album could not be made today. Back when this was recorded, they spent over 2 million$ on production.
Most expensive album ever recorded at the time (allegedly)
"Josie" next please.
Show Biz Kids please! Such a great song. Well, all Steely Dan songs are great, but that’s my favorite! ☮️❤️
I had an original master disk pressing of this album on vinyl. It was absolutely PHENOMENAL when you put some power behind it on a good set of speakers! The good old days!
☺️ So good! I love the Dan & Steely Sunday! 🥰🐰
This album came out as I was starting university. You could hear it blasting out of every room in ny hall of residence. A lot of people bought it to show off their new stereos. I've heard it thousands of time and it still sounds fresh.
Smooth as butta!!
Beautiful horns are soooo smooooth.
I never listen to a Steely Dan song and think to myself "it could have been done better". Everything is so on point it's sublime. Musical perfection.
I just saw a TH-cam short of Dean Parks playing his acoustic guitar part for the first time in 45 years! Wonderful!