 Most rock & roll bands are a tightly
wound unit that developed their music through years of
playing in garages and clubs around their hometown.
Steely Dan never subscribed to
that aesthetic. As the vehicle for the songwriting of
Walter Becker and
Donald Fagen,
Steely Dan defied all rock & roll conventions.
Becker and
Fagen never truly enjoyed rock -- with their ironic
humor and cryptic lyrics, their eclectic body of work shows
some debt to
Bob Dylan -- preferring jazz, traditional pop, blues,
and R&B.
Steely Dan created a sophisticated, distinctive sound
with accessible melodic hooks, complex harmonies and time
signatures, and a devotion to the recording studio. With
producer Gary Katz,
Becker and
Fagen gradually changed
Steely Dan from a performing band to a studio project,
hiring professional musicians to record their compositions.
Though the band didn't perform live after 1974,
Steely Dan's popularity continued to grow throughout the
decade, as their albums became critical favorites and their
singles became staples of AOR and pop radio stations. Even
after the group disbanded in the early '80s, their records
retained a cult following, as proven by the massive success
of their unlikely return to the stage in the early '90s.
Walter Becker (bass) and
Donald Fagen (vocals, keyboards) were the core members
of
Steely Dan throughout its variety of incarnations. The
two met at Bard College in New York in 1967 and began
playing in bands together shortly afterward. The duo played
in a number of groups -- including the Bad Rock Group, which
featured future comedic actor
Chevy Chase on drums -- which ranged from jazz to
progressive rock. Eventually,
Becker and
Fagen began composing songs together, hoping to become
professional songwriters in the tradition of the Brill
Building. In 1970, the pair joined
Jay & the Americans' backing band, performing under
pseudonyms;
Becker chose
Gustav Mahler, while
Fagen used Tristan Fabriani. They stayed with
Jay & the Americans until halfway through 1971, when
they recorded the soundtrack for the low-budget film You
Gotta Walk It Like You Talk It, which was produced by
the Americans'
Kenny Vance. Following the recording of the soundtrack,
Becker and
Fagen attempted to start a band with Denny Dias, but the
venture was unsuccessful. The pair then moved to New York
City with hopes of becoming professional songwriters. Though
Barbara Streisand recorded "I Mean to Shine," the duo
was unsuccessful. During their stint in New York, they did
meet producer Gary Katz, who hired them as staff songwriters
for ABC/Dunhill in Los Angeles, where he had just become a
staff producer. Katz suggested that
Becker and
Fagen form a band as a way to record their songs, and
Steely Dan -- who took their name from a dildo in
William Burroughs' Naked Lunch -- was formed shortly
afterward.
Recruiting guitarists Denny Dias and
Skunk Baxter, drummer Jim Hodder, and
keyboardist/vocalist David Palmer,
Becker and
Fagen officially formed
Steely Dan in 1972, releasing their debut, Can't Buy a
Thrill, shortly afterward.
Palmer and
Fagen shared lead vocals on the album, but the record's
two hit singles -- the Top Ten "Do It Again" and "Reeling in
the Years" -- were sung by
Fagen. Can't Buy a Thrill was a critical and commercial
success, but its supporting tour was a disaster, hampered by
an under-rehearsed band and unappreciative audiences.
Palmer left the band following the tour. Countdown to
Ecstasy, released in 1973, was a critical hit, but it failed
to generate a hit single, even though the band supported it
with a tour.
Steely Dan replaced Hodder with
Jeff Pocaro and added keyboardist/backup vocalist
Michael McDonald prior to recording their third album,
Pretzel Logic. Released in the spring of 1974, Pretzel Logic
returned
Steely Dan to the Top Ten on the strength of the single
"Rikki Don't Lose That Number." After completing the
supporting tour for Pretzel Logic,Becker and
Fagen decided to retire from live performances and make
Steely Dan a studio-based band. For their next album,
1975's Katy Lied, the duo hired a variety of studio
musicians -- including Dias,
Pocaro, guitarist
Elliot Randall, saxophonists
Phil Woods, bassist
Wilton Felder, percussionist
Victor Feldman, keyboardist
Michael Omartian, and guitarist
Larry Carlton -- as supporting musicians. Katy Lied was
another hit, as was 1976's The Royal Scam, which continued
in the vein of its predecessor. On 1977's Aja,
Steely Dan's sound became more polished and jazzy, as
they hired jazz fusion artists like
Wayne Shorter,
Lee Ritenour, and
the Crusaders as support. Aja became their biggest hit,
reaching the Top Five within three weeks of release and
becoming one of the first albums to be certified platinum.
Aja also gained the respect of many jazz musicians, as
evidenced by
Woody Herman recording an album of
Becker/Fagen
songs in 1978.
Following the release of Aja, ABC was bought out by MCA
Records, resulting in a contractual dispute with the label
that delayed until 1980 the release of their follow-up
album. During the interim, the group had a hit with the
theme song for the film FM in 1978.
Steely Dan finally released Gaucho, the follow-up to Aja,
in late 1980, and it became another Top Ten hit for the
group. During the summer of 1981,
Becker and
Fagen announced that they were parting ways. The
following year,
Fagen released his solo debut, The Nightfly, which
became a critical and commercial hit.
Fagen didn't record another album until 1993, when he
reunited with
Becker, who produced Kamakiriad. The album was promoted
by the first
Steely Dan tour in nearly 20 years, and while the record
failed to sell, the concerts were very popular. In 1994,
Becker released his solo debut, 11 Tracks of Whack,
which was produced by
Fagen. The following year,
Steely Dan mounted another reunion tour, and in early
2000 the duo issued Two Against Nature, their first new
studio album in two decades. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All
Music Guide
Contact Grabow for more information or to book Steely Dan
for your next corporate or private event.
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