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Steely Dan: Charles Toll

Steely Dan was formed in 1972 by Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. They started as songwriters for ABC Records before deciding to form their own band. Their first album "Can't Buy a Thrill" was a quiet release but included the hit single "Do It Again". Over the following years they released several critically and commercially successful albums that blended rock and jazz styles. They were known for their complex harmonies and unique sound. After breaking up in the 1980s following the album "Gaucho", Fagen and Becker reunited in the 1990s and continued recording and performing together until Walter Becker's death in 2017.

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Charles Toll
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209 views9 pages

Steely Dan: Charles Toll

Steely Dan was formed in 1972 by Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. They started as songwriters for ABC Records before deciding to form their own band. Their first album "Can't Buy a Thrill" was a quiet release but included the hit single "Do It Again". Over the following years they released several critically and commercially successful albums that blended rock and jazz styles. They were known for their complex harmonies and unique sound. After breaking up in the 1980s following the album "Gaucho", Fagen and Becker reunited in the 1990s and continued recording and performing together until Walter Becker's death in 2017.

Uploaded by

Charles Toll
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Steely Dan

Charles Toll
History
Donald Fagen and Walter Becker Meet at Bard College - 1967

Fagen and Becker Meet Gary Katz, who later gets them jobs as songwriters for
ABC Records

Decide to make their own Band. Fly out Denny Dias, begin practicing, secretly.

Recruit Guitarist Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, and drummer Jim Hodder

With this skeleton they begin recording their first album - “Can’t Buy a Thrill”

Record With Nuclear Engineer Roger “The Immortal” Nichols

Released October 1972 - quiet release... but, “Do it Again” reaches #6 on the charts
History
They came out of nowhere, and now ABC Records wants them to keep putting out
albums

start touring while simultaneously writing their new album

Unfortunately, not very good live.

Release “Countdown to Ecstasy” in 73’

Release “Pretzel Logic” in 74’

All three albums more Rock than jazz, but with each release slowly turning more into
Jazz, technical Band as they begin to figure out what they truly want out of each
album.

After Pretzel Logic is released, they decide to stop touring and only be a studio band
History
The band changes with each album, only Fagen and Becker stay with each album.

Fagen - Keys

Becker - Bass/Guitar

Release “Katy Lied”, “Royal Scam”, “Aja”, and “Gaucho”

Aja is their pinnacle album

Gaucho is over rehearsed, sounds robotic almost

Each album is filled with “Session Men”

Aja and Gaucho use jazz session experts


History
After Gaucho they fall apart

Donald puts out some pretty good solo albums

come back together in 90’s and start touring as Steely Dan Orchestra

all star band of jazzers

don’t suck live anymore

Put out “Two Against Nature”

won Album of the Year, along with 3 other grammy’s

Inducted into Rock and Roll hall of Fame


Sound
Master Harmonizers - very complex harmonies - signature along with

Fagen has a very unique voice - second signature

broad range of music stylings inside each song

every song is different, with different artists playing each part

Duke Ellington LIke in that when they found players they liked, they had them
showcased in the songs - some solos came out awkward

Used 12 bar blues frequently

often in douplemeter

solos, syncopation, all included in songs


Sound

hard to pin a closed set of tone color words

but often, dark sounding, blue, steely,

Fantastic Song Writers - sense of humor, able to capture life in song

In 2 of their albums, “Countdown To Ecstasy”, “Pretzel Logic” recorded while touring

because of this, they didn’t have time to really practice, so the recordings have
the spontaneity and feeling of live performances
Style of Jazz

Has some bop elements - drums

shuffle elements

blues

mainly a mix of all of those, new hybrid jazz rock


IT’S OVER

FIN

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