Steely Dan: Now you CAN buy a thrill!

When you're done with Metallica and Maiden and the mindless headbanging; if you're tired of long hair, cacophonous guitar solos, pretentious lyrics and the tedium that metal brings. Here's just the messiah to deliver you from the pretence of trying to enjoy the same stuff in new noisy packages. A band with brilliant talent, superb innovation and jazz sensibilities......and no frills attached. Check this out.... in their Live concert, Donald Fagen introduces the band saying " We are the all new Steely Dan orchestra and we are going to play some MUSIC for you". Yeah, just MUSIC. No yelling. No abusive language. No animal slaughter.

If you are about to skip this article 'cos it's about 'just another unheard of band, I'd like to clarify that this is not soem vague European band with exactly 2 hits and 12 breakups in 20 years. On the other hand, it is an American band (and dont frown at that!) with 7 critically acclaimed albums of supreme quality. It is the modern image of the only musical culture America has reason to be proud of. Drawing heavily on ragtime, jazz and South American influences, Steely Dan has synthesized these to create the artform that their music has become. Steely Dan's music represents the transition from classical jazz to 'rock', as it were, while still retaining the innocence and the sex appeal, if you will, of the former.

When you listen to a Steely Dan number, the first thing which strikes you is its Bohemian nature. Those novel chords, the teasing bass lines and the passionate, yet controlled drumming.... and all these blended together in blissful harmony. Each piece revolves around one compelling and haunting bar. This tantalising an apparently inaccessible nature of their music might lead you to dismiss it as insipid at first. Much like you would write off Monet's art as patchy and imperfect. It is only with repeated listenings that you can fathom the beauty and the mindboggling detail in each piece.

The guitar solos, have a distinct musical quality and are creatively incorporated into the scheme of things( and not mere finger gymnastics). The sax solos ( played by greats like Wayne Shorter and Walt Weiskopf) take you on a musical roller coaster ride; and though you might feel like you are on a freefall in a bottomless abyss, you are overwhelmed by the flowing melody and a surge of adrenalin, that only Steely Dan can manage to create. However, my favorite feature of Steely Dan music is their unique ability to play that perfect note, or time that perfect beat, which causes a rush of sentiment and instantly helps you relate to the song.

To cap it all, Steely Dan manages to strike the right chords with their lyrics too. ( yeah…. I know that sounds awful). Their songs are a welcome relief from the usual anti war crap, senseless rebellion, ‘head over heels’ love and ‘give the children freedom’ issues; Issues that America really has no business to be talking about. Instead, they are songs which talk about how things have changed and how whimsical it appears to an outside observer. About all those strange people you meet and the strange things they do, about the crazy adventures you’ve had, all those memories from childhood which seem surreal in retrospect. A number of songs have a melancholic undertone, the disappointment of being a forgotten star of the past or the visceral hatred of all those guys who never lose. But this hatred is not communicated as a violent outburst but as a sort of mellow requiem to the dead hopes and aspirations. A sort of epicurean, lackadaisical and whimsical attitude dominates the lyrics.

This is the part of the article when I run out of ideas. So, I thought I’d just put together some of my favourite lines from Steely Dan songs. So here goes.

In Cousin Dupree, this Dupree guy suddenly meets his cousin after a long time and is bowled over. He says with evident effrontery

Honey, how you’ve grown… like a Rose

Well , we used to play when we were three

How about a kiss for your Cousin Dupree

In Midnite Cruiser, there is this characteristic nostalgic line

The world that we used to know

People tell me it don’t turn no more

The places we used to go

Familiar faces that aint smiling like before

The time of our times has come and gone

I fear we’ve been waiting too long.

In Jack of Speed, which is about this guy who becomes a drug addict, there is a line which is as frightening as it is beautiful

Teddy’s rolling almost every night

Skating backwards at the speed of light

And finally in Everything must go, they are talking about giving it all up when they say,

Talk about your major pain and suffering
Now our self-esteem is shattered
Show the world our mighty hidey-ho face
As we go sliding down the ladder
It was sweet up at the top
'Til that ill wind started blowing
Now it's cozy down below
'Cause we're goin' out of business
Everything must go