As a matter of fact, a fan made CD from a Steely Dan Fan page in the early part of the 2000's, Under the Banyan Trees, was called Steely Knives. You can sort of catch the spirit of the CD from this page, with (probably broken links) to mp3 copies of the songs...but I digress.
Here, via screen captures, is part of the story from one of the principals, Glenn Frey. (If you have trouble reading them, click on the photos).
Well, it's still his birthday...barely. I didn't think to post the news over here, because I put it up on my angel blog, as usual.
My Mistake.
Donald Jay Fagen, was born in Passaic New Jersey, 66 years ago today.
As people who read this blog know, he is the frontman to super group, Steely Dan. He also tours with Michael McDonald and Boz Scaggs, as a piece of the Dukes of September Rhythm Revue. He is now also a published author, with Eminent Hipsters.
He is an all around talented performer and he has made it to another Birthday.
We, his fans, are happy he did so and hope he continues to make music, far into the future.
Happy Birthday Donald!
One of the people who were instrumental in the return of Steely Dan in 2000, was a drummer named Ricky Lawson.
He played with the band on the video known as Steely Dan: An In The Spotlight Special and during the tour that same year. Though he was out of the band by the year 2003, he put his mark on some of their songs and is remembered by fans, to this day.
We had heard the news of his falling ill a few weeks ago and shortly thereafter, he was reported as brain dead. So the news wasn't good, in the way of him having a full recovery. In the midst of Christmas week, the news came out that he finally died on Monday December 23rd.
You can read the official obituary HERE.
In his honor, I give you Ricky Lawson playing Pretzel Logic.
RIP Ricky.
I am doing a paper on Internet Identities and I wondered what the percentages were for my Facebook friends in the Steely Dan world.
I happen to go by a handle in this world and I have for 12 years, but when I did this (obviously unscientific) study of my friends, these are the totals I got.
I was actually shocked that handles didn't win this survey, (they lost 16 to 18) because I have so very many friends who I have 2 names in my memory banks. Their handle and then their real name.
What did actually affect the data, were a few musicians who I am friends with, via the Steely Dan universe. They, of course do not go by handles.
Still, an interesting look at a subject that I find of interest.
This song is probably the most "Un-Steely Danish" song in their repetoire, though I am sure "My Old School" comes close.
The live version of "Pearl of the Quarter", (which you can listen to down below) begins with Donald Fagen mentioning that "it is a song about whores". They live in a lovely town called New Orleans, where Red Beans and Rice are a Quarter. :-)
The main difference in this song, is the masterful use of the pedal steel guitar, by Jeff "Skunk" Baxter. It gives the song a Country feel, which is not usually a sound you associate with Steely Dan songs.
This clip of "Pearl Of The Quarter" is from the Beacon performance on Rarities and Unreleased Night in 2011.
Pearl Of The Quarter
On the water down in New Orleans
My baby's the pearl of the quarter
She's a charmer like you never seen
Singing voulez voulez voulez vous
Where the sailor spends his hard earned pay
Red beans and rice for a quarter
You can see her almost any day
Singing voulez voulez voulez vous
[Chorus:]
And if you hear from my Louise
Won't you tell her I love her so
Please make it clear
When her day is done
She got a place to go
I walked alone down the miracle mile
I met my baby by the shrine of the martyr
She stole my heart with her Cajun smile
Singing voulez voulez voulez vous
She loved the million dollar words I say
She loved the candy and the flowers
that I bought her
She said she loved me and was on her way
Singing voulez voulez voulez vous
[Chorus]
There are no songs more legendary then those that never were...
The Second Arrangement is a song that Steely Dan wrote and recorded for the Gaucho Album (which came out in 1980).
Brian Sweet's Reelin' In The Years makes mention of the problems with this song. Here's what he wrote.
"Misfortune struck early when an assistant engineer accidentally deleted "The Second Arrangement", a favorite track of Katz and Nichols". The song was gone, except for a small 19 second clip which has been around the web, for years and you can currently still listen to, HERE.
The duo tried to recreate the song, but it never sounded the same. They finally decided to call a stop to the recreation and consider it gone, since their hearts were not in it. So the bitter reality is, that it was never fully recovered.
They were now one song short. Since they needed a song for the album, they started putting something together. They used a guitar solo of Larry Carlton's from their sessions for an earlier album and reworked a song they wrote called, "Were You Blind That Day". The replacement song, became "Third World Man". In my humble opinion, a great song and I am glad it made it onto Gaucho.
In 2011, Steely Dan toured and they decided to do a rarities and unreleased night, which I wrote about HERE.
One of the songs that they played that night...was their best recreation of "The Second Arrangement". As with all my video, it is a crappy version, but hey, you can get the idea of what it was like that night at the Beacon.
Did I mention that I cried? :-)
Enjoy.
The Second Arrangement
Pour out the wine, little girl
I've got just two friends in this whole wide world
Here's to reckless lovers
We all need somebody
Stashed in the yellow Jag
I've got my life and laundry in a Gladstone bag
You should know the program
Just one red rose and a tender goodbye
[One last goodbye]
And I run to the second arrangement
It's only the natural thing
Who steps out with no regrets
A sparkling conscience
A new address
When I run to the second arrangement
The home of a mutual friend
Now's the time to redefine the first arrangement again
It's a sticky situation
A serious affair
I must explain it to you somehow
Right now I'll just move back one square
Here comes that noise again
Another scrambled message from my last best friend
Something I can dance to
A song with tears in it
Old friends abandon me
It's just the routine politics of jealousy
Someday we'll remember
That one red rose and one last goodbye
[One last goodbye]
Then I run to the second arrangement
It's only the natural thing
Who steps out with no regrets
A sparkling conscience
A new address
When I run to the second arrangement
The home of a mutual friend
Now's the time to redefine the first arrangement again
This is a 3 minute story explaining how I started hanging out on Steely Dan message boards, back in 2001. In the podcast, I speak of watching an "In The Spotlight" show. If interested, you can see that, HERE.
It was a journey that took almost 1 year, from the start, to the first posting on a message board.
The concerts I have seen and the friends I have made along the way, have been priceless. I encourage people to scope out the scene, tread lightly, but don't be afraid to jump in.
Enjoy the podcast.
As I promised (HERE), this is my review of the book, Eminent Hipsters.
This is Donald Fagen's first attempt at writing a book and as he says, a preview of a book about his life. Being that we Steely Dan fans have had nothing to go by, except the Brian Sweet book "Reeling in the Years", this is huge to us.
The first part of the book, he centers his time on some of the influences who shaped him. Radio DJ Mort Fega, Henry Mancini, Jean Shephard, The Boswell Sisters are a few of them. His quirky mixing of jazz changes in his rock songs, is a direct result of the synthesis of all these influences...so I found it of interest.
The vast majority of the 2nd half of the book (it is only 159 pages long) centers on his being "On Tour" in 2012, with the Dukes of September Rhythm Review. The Dukes are: Boz Scaggs, Michael McDonald, Donald Fagen and a Band. 3 old friends on buses, touring the US. He does not tell us anything about his partners on the tour, but he strictly stays with his own story and his own experiences of life on the bus. It is not pretty and at times, quite depressing. I couldn't put it down.
Take that comment as roaring approval of this book and go get it.
If you would like, you can purchase it on Amazon HERE.
Enjoy.
Many in my family and some of my friends think this means that I am a little weird.
Well, yes, I guess it does.
But following the ups and downs of the band Steely Dan has enriched my life so much and I will never regret that long ago day when I first jumped onto a message board and made that leap into cyberspace.
I was 46 years old and my son was past childhood and getting toward his teenage years.
I had a bit of time and following the band via message boards worked so well, for me at that point in time.
Now days things are so different. A different look, a different time and mostly a check in Facebook immediately brings me into that world once again. A good thing, because I don't have time to spend in message boards much anymore.
My Steely Dan friends are the ones who dragged me into Facebook, kicking and screaming in 2009. It was the right move, for that time and I have enjoyed becoming more then just "Friends" with them.
Less trolls, too. I have left them all behind. :-)
"Back to Alabama. The last stop in the South, the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater, couldn't have been more different from St. Augustine.
In the seventies, Walter [Becker] and I wrote a tune, "Deacon Blues," that toyed with the cliché of the jazz musician as antihero. It was kind of a takeoff on that old essay by Norman Mailer, "The White Negro," not to mention our lives up to that point. I'm sure we thought it was hilarious: the alienated white suburban kid thinks that if he learns how to play bebop, he'll throw off the chains of repression and live the authentic life, unleash the wild steeds of art and passion and so on. The chorus sums it up."
I'll learn to work the saxophone
I'll play just what I feel
Drink Scotch whisky all night long
And die behind the wheel
They got a name for the winners in the world
I want a name when I lose
They call Alabama the Crimson Tide
Call me Deacon Blues
Click Deacon Blues, for the complete set of lyrics.
