NLG Goes Back in Time Vol. II

For those who don’t already know, the two lads in the above photo are Walter Becker and Donald Fagen. We’ve all heard the adage, “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”, well, NLG believes this may have been derived from these guys. Separately, they are Donald and Walter, two pretty whack-looking dudes, but together they are Steely Dan, a musical entity so sensual it borders on being downright rude.

Steely Dan’s blend of jazz-porno fusion oozes with so much passion that it could be bottled and sold as a more potent alternative to Spanish Fly. A volatile yet sensuous horn section, bass lines that could kill an alligator, drum beats that could turn said alligator into some pretty fly boots, Becker’s toe-curling guitar licks, and Fagen’s immortal vocal triumphs are just the tip of the iceberg for a band who’s depth could penetrate the Earth’s core. Who would expect such flavour out of a couple guys named Donald and Walter? Their flavour, however, has not gone unnoticed, seeing as one would have to drop his pants to count how many rap songs have sampled their music.

When discussing Steely Dan’s incomparable style, NLG can’t help but reminisce back to when the barely 18 year-old Serge and Gene ventured to beautiful Auburn, WA for a life-altering weekend of musical doings. We loaded our nubile frames onto the Clipper, braved Seattle’s public transportation system, then dined at the Azteca Mexican restaurant (ring a bell to any radio listeners?), all before clambering aboard the Steely Dan Express headed for the spectacular White River Amphitheatre. The Steely Dan Express was a tour bus full of gregarious 40- and 50-somethings who were elated that a pair of young stallions would be joining them on their musical pilgrimage… this made finishing our case of Budweiser easier, if not necessary. Upon arrival at the venue, we spilled out of the bus feeling moderately violated (on account of an especially gregarious fellow passenger), sufficiently roonied, and more than keen to be pummeled by the musical styling of Steely Dan. Little did we know of the pummeling we were about to endure. Accompanied by Michael McDonald of the Doobie Brothers, and a back up band that could have propelled a jet fighter, Steely Dan rained blow after blow of auditory uppercuts on our unsuspecting heads until we were TKO’d in the most pleasurable way possible. Details of the concert are hazy, perhaps the result our minds being blown, or perhaps it was the Budweiser. Either way, the whole spectacle left us reeling in our bad sneakers and with an inexplicable craving for Cuervo Gold.

Trying to peg their best album would be fruitless. The pure fire that these boys exude is exhibited in nearly all of their works. Aja, Gaucho, and Can’t Buy a Thrill immediately come to mind as their finer collections of aural erotica, but that’s not to say their other stuff won’t blow a hole in your drawers.

Here’s "Black Cow", the opening track from Steely Dan’s 1977 album Aja,
Steely Dan - Black Cow

and "Hey Nineteen", off of Gaucho, their 1980 follow-up to Aja.
Steely Dan - Hey Nineteen