Great news for Steely Dan fans: another big tour is happening this summer (info: http://www.steelydan.com/). By my count, it'll be their eighth of the twenty-first century. Who would have guessed that the studio-centric duo of the seventies would turn into millennial road warriors? Not me, but I'm certainly glad that it's happened. I've seen them a few times over this time, and it's always a treat. I think that the aspect that I enjoy the most is the fact that they haven't compromised their commitment to musicianship and all-around technical excellence in any way just for the sake of getting a show on the road. Their concerts are always on the vanguard of what can be accomplished in popular music. Their records too, come to think of it. In fact, I don't think that they've been given enough credit in this area, by which I mean their contributions in terms of expanding the possibilities of what popular music in recording - and more recently, in performance - can sound like. For that alone, they should be appreciated. On top of that, of course, is the greatness of their song-craft, both lyrically and musically. If you get half a chance, go see them this summer, to say thanks. Here's "Pearl of the Quarter" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jC8_KGHbrOI) one of my favourites from the early days.

In case there are any big Steely Dan fans out there that have never heard the great song called "Dallas" that was left off their brilliant debut album, Can't Buy a Thrill (from 1972), here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFM-xKKb6pw&playnext=1&list=PLF2E659FEDDFC2A23&index=12. Sung by the late Jim Hodder, who also sang "Midnight Cruiser", it brings this big Steely Dan fan back to the sense of astonishment that I felt in hearing them, and the above-mentioned album, for the first time. It takes a heck of a good album to exclude a song like this one, don't you think? Anyway, Poco, the excellent country-rockers originally formed by ex-Buffalo Springfield members, did a very good cover of it on their 1975 Head Over Heels album, but I can't find it on YouTube. But you might also want to check out "Sail the Waterway", if you like this one (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8TAxYE-x-E&feature=related).

Steely Dan's Walter Becker is best known for his compositional skills. He has worked in tandem with Donald Fagen for over forty years in what would have to be considered one of the very greatest of songwriting teams. And just as Fagen has released sparkling solo albums (three, actually), so has Becker (with two). The first of the two albums has not received as much attention as it deserved, in my opinion, so I'll be writing about it today.

11 Tracks of Whack (1994), co-produced with Fagen, is one of my favourite records. The opening track (of twelve, despite the title), "Down in the Bottom", sets the mood and the subject matter for the rest of the record: the attempted suburban escape of drug addicts and others bearing emotional scars from earlier, faster lives. It features a powerful vocal performance by Becker, who is hugely under-rated as a vocalist. The strength of his singing comes from his deep musical experience rather than his timbre, so it requires thoughtful listening to fully appreciate - he's a bit like Wilco's Jeff Tweedy in that respect, in fact - and this song is a good place to do it: the melody is beautifully contoured and he lays it out perfectly. Becker's guitar skills are on display here as well, and they're prodigious; he's equally at home in jazz and blues, and he crosses from one to the other freely, often in the same line. The album is filled with great playing, singing, grooves, melodies and lyrics. You should hear it. Here's an interesting track ("Medical Science") that's available only on the Japanese release: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAhh2IKdd5I

Among his many qualities, Elvis Costello has great taste in music. In fact, this attribute is not talked about enough when discussing musicians - how serious listening and discernment are important in building the other skills. Anyway, he once stated that in his opinion the three greatest American rock bands (I don't remember the order, or if he gave one) were Steely Dan, The Band and Little Feat. I've written about the first two several times, but I don't believe I've mentioned Little Feat yet. I'll correct that tomorrow.

Steely Dan's debut album, Can't Buy a Thrill (1972), begins with a song that has retained its distinctiveness all the way to 2010. "Do it Again" as a musical creation speaks for itself - one listen is all it takes - but as a lyric, it demonstrates the literary backgrounds, skill and flexibility of its composers. It is a song that deals with themes of addictive and/or self-destructive behaviour in a most unusual (and vividly realized) setting: a Western. Also, it is written in the second person ("In the mornin' you go gunnin'/ For the man who stole your water/ And you fire 'til he is done in/ But they catch you at the border...") - another rarity - which provides the listener with the feeling of being at the center of the action. The song also contains examples of literary techniques such as synecdoche ("Then you find you're back in Vegas/ With a handle in your hand...") - something else you don't find in every rock song.
The other nine songs are just as interesting. Many topics and themes are touched on in many different ways. There is political commentary ("Kings", "Change of the Guard"), musings on the passing of time ("Midnight Cruiser"), contemplations on the causes and effects of failed romance ("Reelin' in the Years", "Dirty Work"), discussions of alienation and cynicism ("Fire in the Hole", "Only a Fool Would Say That") and songs that must be considered symbolically in order to glean their meaning ("Brooklyn", "Turn that Heartbeat Over Again"). And it's all done with wit, style and the light touch of art. Of course the music follows suit, as it has all through their astonishing career. But, you tell me, would the growth of their music have been possible without the lyrics?

Steely Dan's story is an amazing one. The band, essentially the songwriting duo of Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, began working together after meeting in 1967 at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. They were English majors. The amazing part is that their musical career, which rivals the most important composers and/or recording artists in popular music history in terms of variety, depth and sophistication (their peers are people like Duke Ellington) was really a creation in large part of their literary backgrounds - or at least would not have been possible without their literary backgrounds.
First, to approach their songs properly, one must recognize that they are essentially short stories (or narrative poems, if you prefer). As a matter of fact, it could be argued that they are as accurate as anything in recent fiction in terms of describing modern sensibilities.
Second, over the course of the nine Steely Dan studio albums, and the five solo albums (three by Fagen, two by Becker), their lyrics have developed at the same rate as their musicianship and recording studio knowledge. In fact, the music may have developed partially as a result of the lyrical growth. (Try to imagine the story told in "Black Cow", for example, without its musical setting.)
Their first album, Can't Buy a Thrill (the title is a line from Dylan's "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry") is the best place to begin, and we'll do that tomorrow. Listening: two tracks that didn't make it onto Can't Buy a Thrill - "Sail the Waterway" and "Dallas" - available on YouTube (cf. "Black Cow").

There are many reasons to listen to Steely Dan, and today I'll be giving you one of them. On June 24, I suggested listening to Jim Hall's guitar comping on the recording of "I've Got You Under My Skin" that he did with Bill Evans. In trying to describe it, I mentioned the concept of chord voicings, which is central to the art of jazz guitarists and pianists. The movement of the accompaniment is a large part of the feeling of openness and freedom in jazz music. It is too seldom heard in rock music, where often the same voicing is played in a monotonous manner (but to be fair, that approach is often necessary to its energy and drive). One rock song where the creative use of voicings can be heard is "Hey Nineteen", from Gaucho (1980). There are two guitar tracks as well as an electric piano, and I'm not sure who plays what (there are at least six guitarists and over forty musicians on the album), but it's a real treat to listen to. As Becker and Fagen always seem to do, they incorporate the best aspects of jazz (and soul and reggae and other genres as well) into their rock and roll. I'll be writing much more about them in the days ahead. In the meantime, if you haven't attentively listened to this song and album, you've got something to look forward to.