Who Played Solos Guitar Do It Again Steely

Artwork by Thomas Neokleous

Steely Dan is a band that is sometimes categorized as yacht rock or soft rock etc. In fact, for a large portion of their career Steely Dan has not been a ring at all. I'm sure at that place are still some people who remember in that location is a guy named Steely Dan who's been recording pop songs since the 70s. The core members of Steely Dan take always been Donald Fagen and the late Walter Becker who passed away in 2017. The two met at Bard College in Annandale, New York in the 1960s. At college, they were both studying to go literature majors.

Also their literature studies, Fagen and Becker had serious musical interests as well to put it lightly. Donald Fagen played keyboards while Walter Becker played bass and guitar. They headed up several bands in college including one called Bad Rock Group which featured comedian Chevy Hunt of Sat Night Alive fame on drums. Subsequently college, Fagen and Becker would piece of work on various musical projects such every bit film scoring and recording with Jay And The Americans from 1970-1971.

The birth of Steely Dan began in 1970 when guitarist Denny Dias placed an ad in The Village Vox looking for a keyboard and bass actor who had "Serious Jazz Chops!." Fagen and Becker answered the ad and began playing and recording in Dias' basement in Hicksville, Long Isle. Eventually, Becker and Fagen took over the ring and fired them all the original musicians except Diaz. Walter Becker and Donald Fagen recruited some groovy talent to supersede the fired band members. The new members included Jeff (Skunk) Baxter on guitar, Jim Hodder on drums and David Palmer (Dingy Work) on vocals.

In 1972, the group moved to California and recorded their offset album entitled Can't Purchase A Thrill.  They would keep this same basic lineup for their outset iii albums. The recordings likewise featured a host of vivid session musicians. Becker and Fagen seemed to have come to a realization early on that the utilization of professional studio musicians enabled them to capture the sound they were looking to identify on vinyl. It takes a special type of musician to play the parts perfectly when the red lite goes on. Virtually band members neglect miserably in the recording studio. In 1974, with the release of Pretzel Logic, Fagen and Becker would utilise studio musicians exclusively for their albums, with Dias and Baxter returning as hired guns on later records.

The signal of this commodity however is to embrace one particular aspect of Steely Dan'due south work. Steely Dan's recordings have been infused with some of the most iconic and brilliant guitar solos in classic rock history. When it comes to Classic Rock, the guitar has to be the quintessential rock musical instrument. Steely Dan's list of guitar players reads like a who'south who of the music business concern. From Walter Becker, Denny Dias and Skunk Baxter who were permanent fixtures to the likes of Larry Carlton, Elliott Randall, Rick Derringer, Lee Ritinour, Jay Graydon, Dean Parks and Steve Kahn.

This article presents forty of Steely Dan's greatest guitar tracks. Steely Dan's albums are saturated with impeccably recorded songs with astonishing jazz voicings from what seems like some other planet. Their songs are filled with quirky lyrics near sketchy characters and Donald and Walter's babyhood memories and failed relationships. Even so, in the end, this commodity is a tribute to all the great musicians who played on these recordings.

# twoscore – THE LAST MALL

Everything Must Go –  Released: 2003

 Guitar: Walter Becker

Opening up our list is "The Last Mall," from the latest (and maybe last) Steely Dan album Everything Must Go . The tune starts off with Walter Becker's guitar and his trademark sound and groove backed by a bouncy shuffle rhythm  played by Keith Carlock on drums, reminiscent of Donald Fagen's "I.G.Y.:

In the second poesy we hear a footling call and respond between Fagen's vocal and Becker's guitar similar to the i in the tune "Pretzel Logic." Becker takes a solo around the 2:06 marker followed past more telephone call and respond.

"The Concluding Mall," is a great example of Steely Dan presenting us with a nice happy sounding melody containing some deep dark and depressing bailiwick matter. The song seems to be about American consumerism and conformity or the end of civilization as we know it, or both.

Either way, "The Last Mall," is a not bad rails and corking guitar piece of work by Walter Becker. As a side note, Walter Becker played bass on every runway on this record as well as Keith Carlock playing drums on all tracks. This is the starting time and just Steely Dan record to have the aforementioned drummer and bassist on all tracks.

# 39 – WEST OF HOLLYWOOD

Two Against Nature – Released:  2000

Guitar : Walter Becker

Coming in at #39 is "W Of Hollywood," the concluding rails on Steely Dan's 2000 Grammy Award winning release Two Confronting Nature . This is Steely Dan'due south longest runway coming in at 8 minutes and 22 seconds .

Information technology features existent tasty guitar work by Walter Becker in the early stages of the tune. Peradventure the highlight of the song is in the extended outro, with an astonishing solo by Jazz saxophonist Chris Potter taking up most half the track.

The whole affair is backed by a driving two\4 drumbeat played past Earth Current of air & Burn down and session drummer Sonny Emory. The song's lyrics imply a relationship which has failed or ends in death .

Two Against Nature was Steely Dan's first album to be released since Gaucho in 1980 twenty years prior. The album was definitely worth the expect and at that place are more songs on our list to follow.

# 38 – Whatsoever MAJOR DUDE WILL TELL You

Pretzel Logic – Released: 1974

Guitars: Dean Parks, Denny Dias, Jeff (Skunk) Baxter

In the number thirty eight spot is "Any Major Dude Volition Tell You," from Steely Dan's 1974 release Pretzel Logic . The song was the "B" side of the single "Rikki Don't Lose That Number," and is 1 of Steely Dan'due south most uncomplicated and beautiful songs played with great feeling past some of the best in the business. The track opens up with acoustic guitar played by Dean Parks. The electric guitars are played by Denny Dias and Jeff (Skunk) Baxter. Baxter really played the concluding five notes of Dias' guitar parts considering they required vibrato which Baxter's guitar had and Denny's didn't.

The Pretzel Logic anthology features the great 70'south session drummer Jim Gordon on ten of the 11 tracks including this 1. Gordon's drumming along with  Chuck Rainey's bass and electric pianos played by Donald Fagen and David Paich (of Toto) hold the entire song together perfectly.

One line in this song that stands out is Take you ever seen a squonk's tears well look at mine. A squonk is a mythical creature that lives in the Hemlock wood in Pennsylvania. He is a very ugly brute with wrinkled, amorphous, wart covered peel and spends most of his time hiding and crying considering he is aback of his appearance . Hunters attempt to capture squonks  only are eluded by the squonk'southward uncanny ability to weep itself into a puddle of tears when cornered leaving nothing but a pool. Talk about distressing! The following yr Genesis would record a song entitled Squonk on their 1976 release A Trick Of The Tail .

# 37 – COUSIN DUPREE

Two Against Nature – Released:  2000

Guitar: Walter Becker

At #37 is another runway off Two Against Nature . In 2001 "Cousin Dupree," won the Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Vocal Group, chirapsia NSYNC'south "Bye, Bye, Bye". An upbeat tune with creepy lyrics almost a man named Dupree who'southward attracted to his blossoming young cousin.

Bated from the hysterical lyrics, the song features one of Walter Becker's about tasty guitar solos. What makes many of Walter's solos so great is they're not ordinarily real flashy or incredibly dense, but the way he grooves with the bass and drums leaving enough space for everything to "breathe" sort of like jazz guitarist John Scofield's playing. This song is lots of fun and is Vintage Steely Dan.

# 36 – WHAT A SHAME ABOUT ME

Two Against Nature – Released:  2000

Guitar: Walter Becker

Another bang-up track off of Two Against Nature takes the number xxx six Spot. In the song "What A Shame About Me," the main grapheme is a recovering drug addict "writer" who's twenty-four hour period job is working at The Strand (a famous book store in New York City), when he bumps into his ex girlfriend from college, (Franny from NYU who by now has go a major star in Hollywood) in Stark contrast to the pathetic loser he is.

In spite of that, they chat for a bit While he daydreams virtually Goddess like images of her on the fire escape outside her Jane Street apartment. This is followed by Walter's tasty guitar solo. She then offers him a "Mercy Hump" back at her hotel. The line "Why don't nosotros grab a cab to my hotel and make believe we're dorsum at our onetime school" makes reference to the melody "My Old School," from Countdown to Ecstasy which appears at number seventeen on our list.

# 35 – PARKERS Band

Pretzel Logic – Released: 1974

Guitars: Jeff (Skunk) Baxter

A jazz inspired stone tune that pays tribute to Jazz Saxophonist Charlie Parker, the song opens upwardly with a Be-Bop way guitar solo by Baxter(in which he seems to riff on the melody of On Broadway) and is filled with references to Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespe. The trounce is driven by two drummers Jim Gordon and Jeff Porcaro.

There's a jazzy suspension near 1:33 where Fagen sings "we will spend a Dizzy weekend smacked into a trance (Smack (the street proper name for Heroin) the line hints at Charlie Parker'south well documented struggle with habit). Me and you lot will listen to a petty flake of what made the preacher trip the light fantastic toe." And then back to the stone melody which the song opened with. This is the first of four songs from Pretzel Logic on our inaugural.

# 34 – E ST. LOUIS TOODLE-OO

Pretzel Logic – Released: 1974

Guitars: Walter Becker and Jeff (Skunk) Baxter

Standing with our Killer Steely Dan Guitar Tracks article we take a expect at another track from Pretzel Logic . Duke Ellington'due south "Due east St. Louis Toodle-Oo," is the only instrumental to appear on a Steely Dan record. It is also the but comprehend melody to be on a Steely Dan record besides.

"East St. Louis Toodle-Oo," is the starting time Steely Dan track to characteristic Walter Becker on guitar. Becker plays an electrical guitar with a wha wha pedal which mimics the audio of a muted trumpet.

The song also features Baxter playing a beautiful pedal steel solo at around the ane:03 mark followed past a killer ragtime pianoforte solo by Fagen. A great tribute to an Icon of American music.

# 33 – I GOT THE NEWS

Aja – Released: 1977

Guitar: Larry Carlton

Steely Dan's classic song "I Got The News," features i of music's most legendary session guitarists, the great Larry Carlton. This runway has all the ingredients of a classic Steely Dan vocal. It'south got a great story in information technology'south lyrics about a guy who is "friends" with presumably a sketchy "Lady" on the streets whom he obviously has some dirt about.

Its got a funky Disco type beat past Drummer Ed Greene which really kicks into gear during Larry'southward solo effectually ii:20. The incredible Michael McDonald is featured on the vocal section leading upward to the solo. Walter Becker likewise provides some tasty rhythmic guitar plucking underneath information technology all.

Donald Fagen sings pb on this rail also equally some amazing blusterous jazz influenced piano playing. "I Got the News," could arguably be regarded equally the weakest track on the Aja  album but that doesn't diminish it'southward greatness.

# 32 – DADDY DON'T LIVE IN THAT NEW YORK CITY NO MORE

Katy Lied – Released: 1975

Guitar: Larry Carlton

This is another corking song about an absentee male parent "Daddy" who drives effectually drinking in his Cadillac Eldorado and coming together shady characters until he meets his untimely end by either crashing his car or getting whacked. Daddy don't need no lock and key for the slice(gun) he stole down on Avenue "G"(a street in the Alphabet city section of New York City with a big history of crime).

This section is followed by a curt only powerful solo by Larry Carlton.The residual of Larry'southward playing on this tune lends sort of a land meets Keith Richards type flavor to it. A very simple Stone tune with a swell backbeat played past the late session and Toto drummer Jeff Porcaro provides a upbeat feel to an otherwise night story.

# 31 – ROSE DARLING

Katy Lied – Released: 1975

Guitar: Dean Parks

Coming in at number thirty ane is "Rose Darling," too from Katy Lied , a typical Steely Dan dearest song about a belatedly nighttime "Booty Call" Featuring session guitarist Dean Parks. He plays real tasty stuff throughout as well equally a very sugariness sounding solo towards the end of the rail.

Great Drums once again by Jeff Porcaro and perfect backing vocals by Michael McDonald. Another deep album cut that'due south definitely worth a listen.

# 30 – CHAIN LIGHTENING

Katy Lied – Released: 1975

Guitar: Rick Derringer

"Chain Lightening," is another track off Katy Lied . It features legendary Rock guitarist Rick Derringer (Rock and Ringlet Hoochie Coo, Hang On Sloopy). Information technology's a slow swinging blues number in the vein of Pretzel Logic (next on our list), with a laid back just powerful shuffle feel by Jeff Porcaro on drums.

Rick Derringer's guitar work is the star of the testify here especially the killer solo that comes in at about 58 seconds in and goes till i:53. It's a fairly extended solo for a 3 minute song simply and then good he could accept went on for another 20 minutes.

# 29 – PRETZEL LOGIC

Pretzel Logic – Released: 1974

Guitar: Jeff (Skunk) Baxter

The championship track off the 1974 record Pretzel Logic  deals with twisted thinking and delusions of grandeur and possibly a bit of time travel. The song features ane of the bully session drummers of the 1970's Jim Gordon. We can probably practise an entire article on him. Timothy B. Schmidt (Poco, Eagles) performs backing vocals on this one as well.

Walter Becker's guitar playing really shines on this runway from the early telephone call and answer to Fagen's vocals to the 2 solos he plays. The solo that closes the song is one of his best.

# 28 – THROW Back THE Piddling ONES

Katy Lied – Released: 1975

Guitar: Elliot Randell

"Throw Back The Little One,"s seems to use fishing as metaphor for putting upward with all the nonsense in the "Music Biz" and sell out a picayune scrap to eventually get the artistic liberty you want.

Elliott Randall plays guitar on this track (flawless equally usual). Elliott besides played the iconic solo(south) on Reelin' In The Years which may be actualization a little later in our countdown.

# 27 – NIGHT BY Night

Pretzel Logic – Released: 1974

Guitar: Jeff (Skunk) Baxter

"Nighttime By Night," from Pretzel Logic  appears to be most a homeless grifter biding his time till something better comes along or it's about someone trying to kick a habit and rejoin society or both or none. Steely Dan's songs are full of double and triple entendres and ambiguity. Another great track with Jeff(Skunk) Baxter on guitar.

A great solo comes in at two:01 and features a touch of octave playing in the solo at 2:fifteen sounding like Tony Iommi meets Wes Montgomery. Night By Night marks the first studio recording of a then xix year old drummer named Jeff Porcaro. And as they say the residue is history.

# 26 – MIDNIGHT CRUISER

Can't Buy A Thrill – Released: 1972

Guitar: Denny Dias

"Midnight Cruiser," features drummer Jim Hodder on lead vocals and Denny Dias on guitar. The song is either about a person who's life has somehow passed him past earlier he can realize his dreams missing many opportunities along the fashion declining to strike while the "Iron is hot".

However, if the starting time word of the song is Thelonious instead of Felonious, the vocal becomes about jazz peachy Thelonious Monk. The title "Midnight Cruiser" becomes reference to Monk'southward jazz archetype Round Midnight . Either style its a sad vocal about regret and wishing 1 could go back to a better time.

The guitar work on this track compliments the lyrics perfectly. Dias plays a George Harrison sounding lick subsequently each chorus then rounds it out with a cute solo with a double tracked guitar. One of Steely Dan's greatest songs.

# 25 – YOUR Golden TEETH ll

Katy Lied – Released: 1975

Guitar: Denny Dias

Throwing out your Gilded Teeth is a metaphor for gambling away the last little bit you are worth, in the case of this song it could refer to Fagen and Becker's exclusive employ of hired guns to play on their records ("Who are these strangers who laissez passer through the door who cover your action and become you ane more than.")

Aside from the intro, the song is basically a jazz waltz. Denny Dias was a founding member of Steely Dan and by this indicate is not an actual band member anymore just rather a hired gun to play on certain tracks.

Denny is a seasoned jazz guitarist and his solo on this song is one of his finest. Denny would be hired again in 1977 to play on the title track on the Aja anthology.

# 24 – SIGN IN STRANGER

The Royal Scam – Released: 1976

Guitar: Elliott Randall

Sign in Stranger is the start of five tracks on our list from Steely Dan's 1976 masterpiece The Majestic Scam. This is a song virtually someone (Zombie) signing his life away and joining a corrupt underworld organization. Once you "Sign In" there's but one way out, thus the term Zombie.

The line "Pepe has a scar from ear to ear, he tin can make your mugshots disappear" refers to a guy who has been whacked but we'll say it's you (Zombie) instead . In return Zombie has to "Walk around collecting Union Dues" (Gambling debts).

The vocal is sort of a Reggae style vamp with legendary session drummer Bernard Purdie in the driver's seat. The whole thing kinda' opens up in the end with a brilliant guitar solo past Elliott Randall to take us out.

# 23 – 3rd Earth MAN

Gaucho – Released: 1980

Guitar: Larry Carlton

By many accounts, "Third World Man," was a runway which was leftover from 1977'south Aja sessions. The Gaucho album was supposed to include a song entitled "The Second System," which Donald Fagen spent many hours in the studio to obtain the perfect recording. The morning afterwards information technology was completed a studio technician came in and accidentally recorded a tone track over the master (all was lost simply the terminal few seconds of the fade out). Fagen attempted to re-record an entirely new The Second Arrangement but it wasn't to his liking and never made information technology on the album. The primary of it has since "leaked" out and can exist heard online if you lot Google The Lost Gaucho . Third World Man was basically a finished recording needing but a lead guitar track.

3rd World Homo was basically a finished recording needing only a lead guitar track. Larry Carlton was hired to play guitar on what would be the last song on the last side of the concluding Steely Dan anthology of the 20th century. It would exist twenty years earlier Steely Dan would release their comeback anthology Two Against Nature . Third earth Man is a very haunting and night sounding tune every bit equally night in it's lyrics. The song is most likely almost a state of war veteran suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome PTSD.

Continue in mind that Gaucho was released in 1980. The Viet Nam war had concluded only five years prior. In the vocal Johnny has flashbacks when he hears "Fireworks" thinking he's "dreaming" till he hears "the neighbors screaming". Perhaps he'south even homeless and a drug addict such as the case with many vets. His condition has reduced him to a "Third World" lifestyle.

The vocal may besides be using combat as a metaphor for Water Becker'due south boxing with heroin addiction at the time. Walter was largely absent during the Gaucho sessions leaving most of the heavy lifting to Fagen.

Johnny'southward flashback in the tune is accentuated past two booming drum breaks by the legendary Steve Gadd and is followed by what many have referred to equally Larry Carlton's most emotional guitar solo.

# 22 – Modify OF THE GUARD

Can't Buy A Thrill – Released: 1972

Guitar: Jeff (Skunk) Baxter

Taking the number twenty two spot is "Change Of The Guard, from Steely Dan's debut record Tin can't Buy A Thrill . Information technology'south an upbeat Rock tune perhaps announcing or celebrating the ever irresolute music scene and Hippie counter civilization of the 1960s.

Although Tin can't Buy A Thrill was released in 1972, it was but the band'southward first tape so it would exist entirely plausible that this tune could have been written a few years earlier. By the same token, if Donald and Walter had written it in '72 instead it becomes a sarcastic jab at the whole Hippie movement. Many of Steely Dan's tunes seem to serve as individual jokes for the sole purpose of Becker and Fagen'due south personal amusement.

Jeff (Skunk) Baxter plays guitar on this track. The melody has some flavors of My Old School   from the band's adjacent release Countdown To Ecstasy 1973, which Baxter besides plays on. Jeff begins a perfect solo at the 2:05 marking which ends with one of the all-time option slides ever recorded. The tone of Jeff's guitar is amazing and cuts right through like a razor in a way that could remind usa of the great Blues guitarist Albert Collins.

# 21 – KINGS

Can't Buy A Thrill – Released: 1972

Guitar: Jeff (Skunk) Baxter

Kings is another song from Can't Purchase A Thrill  and seems to use the story of King Richard The Lionhearted being succeeded by his blood brother King John equally a metaphor for Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy. Another example of the recurring duality which permiates many of Steely Dan's songs. Fagen'due south dark and driving pianoforte opens the track pounding away like Elton John on his 11-17-lxx album. It continues as the band joins in.

Elliott Randall'south guitar solo comes in at two:09 leading up to the last poesy and chorus. The song closes out with a very optimistic almost ice cream truck sounding melody (a variation of the  one which appears at i:54 leading into the guitar solo) as the vocal fades out.

# xx – GREEN EARRINGS

The Imperial Scam – Released: 1976

Guitar: Elliott Randall and Denny Dias

"Green Earrings," is a song nearly a precious stone thief who personally knows his victims. The song has a really intense groove played by bassist Chuck Rainey and drummer Bernard Purdie. Purdie's drumming on this track plows through the song like an out of control garbage truck making it a wild musical ride to say the very least.

In that location are 2 incredible solos on this tune, the first solo is a wonderful blusterous jazz inspired riff by Denny Dias followed by a solo past Elliott Randall which is played very much in the manner of Frank Zappa with a cool flanger effect on his guitar (which mirrors the event on the keyboard which opens the track) and lots of option hammering on the fretboard (a technique taught to Zappa by drummer Jim Gordon). Elliott'southward solo takes us all the fashion out every bit the vocal fades. Greenish Earrings is always a favorite at Steely Dan's alive shows.

# 19 – THE ROYAL SCAM

The Regal Scam – Released: 1976

Guitar: Larry Carlton

At xix is the title rails from Steely Dan'southward 1976 masterpiece The Royal Scam . Some consider this to exist the band's finest album. The song is a nighttime and foreboding tale about backer society and how immigrants (in this example people from Puerto Rico or the Caribbean area, but the model could apply to any immigrants who have suffered the same fate) come up to America to "Live The Dream."

They are told the streets are paved with gold when the reality is that they are relegated to the bottom of the food concatenation forcing them to compete with the previous "wave" of immigrants who came earlier them. They have been scammed. In spite of that, they send messages home maxim they're doing fine thus encouraging more than "scam" victims to follow.

The age old tale of the haves and the have nots is e'er present in this song and is the ground for the unabridged concept of the album, from the songs to the album embrace which depicts skyscrapers as vicious animals (metaphor for corporate greed that chews yous up and spits you out). On the street below the buildings is a man sleeping on a subway vent. He doesn't appear to be from a third world nation just rather a man of affairs. His apparel are worn and dirty and the soles of his shoes have holes in them. He's plain a casualty of the system and there's a long line of new victims waiting to accept his place.

The championship track we speak of here is as sonically night equally information technology is lyrically. Every song on the record is well-nigh a crime of some sort and the biggest crime is a crime against humanity which is depicted here in the last cut on the anthology.

Larry Carlton plays guitar on this vocal and adds to the overall mood of the piece with a petty riff played on the lower strings of the guitar accompanied by some very scary sounding piano notes played by Fagen which continues with each verse in the vocal.

The drumming in this song is very unusual simply very effective. Bernard Purdie (who plays on seven of the nine songs on this record) plays an well-nigh military style vamp on the snare pulsate backed past these little horn "stabs."  The snare drum is played on the downbeats which are on the 1 and 3, the contrary of traditional Rock songs with the snare on the backbeat (two and 4). This alternates back and along with a traditional Stone section creating a series of starts and stops where the song takes off for a bit merely then gets pulled back downward.

A great contrast in the vocal is where the background singers sing "Come across the glory of the Purple Scam". The voices sing over a more upbeat feel implying an illusion of freedom or promise perhaps to lure more than "victims" into the "Scam".

Guitarist Larry Carlton takes a short solo virtually half way through which brings united states of america back to Purdie's pounding vanquish along with the horns. Another important element of this tune is the muted trumpet played throughout the track past Chuck Findley. In the context of this song, the trumpet could be used to remind us of the cries and suffering of the oppressed immigrants in this story. This is a killer guitar track because of Larry's power to add and so much to a song with very minimum of playing.

# xviii – PEARL OF THE QUARTER

Countdown To Ecstasy – Released: 1973

Guitar: Jeff (Skunk) Baxter

The "Quarter" refers to the French Quarter in New Orleans where perhaps a man has fallen in love with a hooker. He visits her one time in a while and tells his buddies to say hi to her when they get downwardly there. Could this tune is a bit of Fagen and Becker's tongue in cheek approach to songwriting in the fact that information technology's a pretty tune with sketchy bailiwick matter?

The highlight of the vocal is definitely Jeff (Skunk) Baxter's Pedal Steel playing throughout the track with an absolutely beautiful solo at 2:45. The song has a flake of a Country Western experience making it a pretty unusual Steely Dan song.

Countdown To Ecstasy is a wonderful album with great songs and incredible playing but didn't sell very well. Fagen and Becker attributed this to the sound quality of the album non existence upwards to their standard (as information technology was recorded chop-chop while the band was on the road).

# 17 – MY OLD School

Countdown To Ecstasy – Released: 1973

Guitar: Jeff (Skunk) Baxter

Coming in at 17 is My Old School  from Steely Dan's second album Countdown To Ecstasy. It's about a marijuana bust at Bard College in Annandale New York where 50 students went to jail including Fagen and his girlfriend Dorothy White who was visiting him at the time. Dorothy White painted the anthology embrace for Countdown To Ecstasy every bit well.

Fagen was mad at the college because they posted bail for all of the students just non his girlfriend. Fagen later boycotted the school's graduation ceremony saying he'd "Never go Dorsum", hence the title of the song. "My Sometime Schoolhouse,"  is an upbeat Rock tune with a little cowbell Cha-Cha section backed by wonderful horns reminiscent of Bruce Springsteen's Due east Street Band.

Once more we are treated to some really great soloing by Jeff (Skunk) Baxter on this song. Baxter plays a full of three solos(over  the "Cha-Cha") with each one riffing on the 1 earlier information technology merely a bit more intense. Jeff's rhythm playing lays right in the pocket with Fagen's rocking piano playing making "My Onetime Schoolhouse," a staple on Archetype Rock radio likewise equally Steely Dan's live shows.

# 16 – AJA

Aja – Released: 1977

Guitar: Denny Dias

The title track from Steely Dan's 1977 Classic Aja album takes us on an epic eight infinitesimal musical journey with a variety of textures throughout which plays out like a movie in your head. Upwardly to this bespeak, "Aja," is the longest Steely Dan vocal to date.

Donald Fagen had a high school friend who's brother married a Korean adult female named Aja and thought it sounded like a nice name to base the song on. Fagen referred to "Aja," as a peaceful song almost the repose of a human relationship with a beautiful woman. He then adds that he combined that with the imagery of a POW camp on "The Loma" and the possibility of a prison house break. As with many of Steely Dan's songs, information technology'southward probably not that elementary.

Fagen and Becker always kept their cards pretty shut to their breast in this regard allowing the listener to find his own pregnant in the vocal. Some say Donald had a beat on Aja and some argue the vocal could exist about drug utilise and Jazz music.

This would exist the terminal track founding Steely Dan guitarist Denny Dias plays on. Denny takes a solo at 3:09 equally the song builds and leads united states of america into a really intense saxophone and drum solo played past drummer Steve Gadd and legendary Jazz Saxophonist Wayne Shorter. Many drummers consider Gadd's drumming on "Aja," to exist the best in popular music.In so many words, Shorter and Gadd were told to "Only play the "Hell" out of information technology." This section is repeated twice earlier another verse and chorus then again at effectually vi:50 with just Gadd soloing over the outro of the song backed by some powerful piano stabs forth with a synthesizer playing sort of a weird Science Fiction\Horror film effect.

"Aja," is a neat piece of music featuring some of the world's finest musicians at the top of their game. That's why information technology'due south on our listing of killer guitar tracks.

# xv – HAITIAN DIVORCE

The Majestic Scam – Released: 1976

Talkbox Guitar: Dean Parks

Donald Fagen was quoted in Sounds Magazine in 1976 as saying this nigh Haitian Divorce . "Well, the start few verses are plainly plenty. Babs and Make clean Willy get married, right? But things don't work out somehow, and off they go to Haiti to grab themselves a quickie divorce. And then Babs heads off to some sleazy night club to drown her sorrows."

"If you've been paying attending, y'all'll know she's in a drugged shock by now and probably doesn't know anything well-nigh it. She is afterwards… er… impregnated by this exotic gentleman. Later she is reunited with Clean Willy and they have some rather bizarre offspring ("Who'south this kinky so-and-so") And and then the chorus marks a second expedient divorce."

The song is played in a Reggae style and features guitarist Dean Parks on Talkbox guitar. The upshot of the talk box tin can be heard on songs such as Peter Frampton's Do You Feel Similar Nosotros Do? , Aerosmith'south Sweet Emotion and Joe Walsh's Rocky Mount Mode.

# fourteen – BLACK FRIDAY

Katy Lied – Released: 1975

Guitar: Walter Becker

"Black Friday," is Non a song almost shopping for toys the day subsequently Thanksgiving. It is a song about the stock market crash and the economic depression that follows. The "greyness men diving from the 14th flooring" makes reference to the 1955 novel past Sloan Wilson Man In The Grey Flannel Suit . They are businessmen committing suicide as a result of the crash. In reality they are diving from the 13th floor. Most builders avoid naming a floor #xiii out of the superstitious conventionalities that it is "bad luck", adding a touch of irony to the song.

The melody is an up tempo Dejection shuffle with Jeff Porcaro behind the pulsate kit playing a beat similar to ane he played on Boz Scaggs' song Lido Shuffle one year later.

Walter Becker plays two great solos on this tune every bit well as some astonishing rhythm playing throughout. The gritty tone of Becker's guitar over Fagen's mellow sounding electric pianoforte adds perfect balance to this Steely Dan fan favorite.

# xiii – BAD SNEAKERS

Katy Lied – Released: 1975

Guitar: Walter Becker

The second track on Katy Lied is "Bad Sneakers," information technology could be most someone who's institute success in a new metropolis but is homesick and misses the good quondam days when life was more unproblematic. He feels trapped and has essentially dug his ain grave. This is the beginning Steely Dan vocal in which nosotros hear Michael McDonald on backing vocals.

A straight forward stone tune which shifts to a one-half fourth dimension tempo where again Walter Becker plays the perfect solo. Backing him upward brilliantly on this melody is Jeff Porcaro on drums and Michael Omartian on piano. Despite being such a nifty song Bad Sneakers only reached #103 in the U.Due south. charts.

# 12 – GASLIGHTING ABBIE

2 Confronting Nature – Released:  2000

Guitar: Walter Becker

Gaslighting is slang for "playing with someone'south head" making them think they're losing their mind. Co-ordinate to Donald Fagen, the melody is inspired in function by the 1944 movie Gaslight .

The song depicts a Summer romp between the narrator and his much younger mistress at his beach house. He makes her wear apparel he has stolen from his wife as he prefers the way they look on her. He plans to somehow be rid of his married woman by Labor Day.

As the song builds upwardly we here a really cool be-bop style bass solo by Tom Barney doubled with Fagen's electrical piano. This is followed by 1 of the almost elementary yet powerful guitar solos past Walter Becker. The solo is basically 1 note played over and over! There's a little cord bending etc, but it's all about the mental attitude and groove that Walter plays information technology with that makes this a killer guitar rail.

Donald Fagen was a perfectionist and would sometimes accept as many as 270 dissimilar mixes of i song before choosing the one that would go along the tape. "Gaslighting Abbie," (according to engineer Dave Russell) took 26 eight 60 minutes days to complete. Their hard work paid off equally Two Against Nature won four Grammys including Album Of The Year, Best Pop Vocal and Best Engineered  Recording.

# xi – JOSIE

Aja – Released: 1977

Guitar: Walter Becker and Dean Parks

"Josie," is another classic from Aja. Information technology's a song most a neighborhood "Party Girl" who's coming back to town. Everybody'south brimming with excitement in apprehension of all the pandaemonium and mayhem that's near to ensue.

The two guitarists on this track are Walter Becker on lead and Dean Parks playing rhythm. The vocal opens upwardly with ane of the most recognizable and haunting guitar intros in popular music.

There'southward two verses and ii choruses almost  who Josie is and what nosotros're gonna do when she gets here etc. At 2:16 Becker comes in with a Hawaiian sounding double guitar lick followed by a solo that grooves perfectly with Chuck Rainey'southward bass and a tight drumbeat by legendary session drummer Jim Keltner.

Later another chorus the song stops for a 2nd and is kicked up once again by a very short but constructive drum fill by Keltner and the outro which features a funky horn section arranged by saxophonist Tom Scott. Let'southward move on to the top ten.

# 10 – RIKKI DON'T LOSE THAT NUMBER

Pretzel Logic – Released: 1974

Guitar: Jeff (Skunk) Baxter

Equally nosotros become into the top x any one of these cracking songs is worthy of the number 1 spot. Rikki Don't Lose That Number was Steely Dan's highest ranked single ever reaching #iv on the U.s. charts.

The opening piano line and Bossa Nova style drum beat is one that Fagen and Becker "borrowed" from Jazz great's Horace Silvery'south Song For My Father . Stevie Wonder also borrowed from Song For My Begetter in his 1973 hitting Don't Y'all Worry 'Bout A Thing .

Rikki Don't Lose That Number   is a nice little Popular tune about daughter leaving college and a boy who has a beat out on her. She has no involvement in him but he gives her his number anyhow in case she changes her mind. Probably non! At that place are many interpretations of the lyrics in this tune if you Google vocal meanings, so you be the judge.

Jim Gordon is on drums for this tune and he alternates betwixt the Bossa Nova shell , a Soft Stone beat and a traditional Rock beat until 2:56 where Jeff Baxter's guitar solo comes in. This department is pure Classic Stone. After a brusque bridge the song comes back to where information technology started. The tune builds again and and so goes out with the "Song For My Male parent" section to close it out. One of the greatest Classic Rock songs of all fourth dimension.

Ps: On the album version of this song, you'll hear an instrument at the very outset of this runway that sounds like a cantankerous between a marimba and a log drum. It is a rare  instrument called a flapamba played by Victor Feldman although he is credited as having played the marimba on the vocal.

# 9 – Abode AT Final

Aja – Released: 1977

Guitar: Larry Carlton

In the vocal "Home At Final," Fagen and Becker utilise Greek Mythology and the Tale of Ulysses as a metaphor for one finding his fashion "home." Home could mean peace with 1'due south self or a relationship of any kind. Larry Carlton plays guitar on this song and we'll become to that in a second.

Perhaps the most disquisitional chemical element of this song is the pulsate rail. Bernard Purdie is behind the drum kit on this one playing an incredibly swinging one-half fourth dimension shuffle which he has aptly named "The Purdie Shuffle." In keeping with the theme of this song, this beat gives us a squeamish little "pocket" to sit in as it grabs concord of us and rocks u.s. just similar a mother slowly rocking a baby. If Steely Dan had just recorded five and a half minutes of the Purdie Shuffle past itself it would still be an amazing track.

Well-nigh 2 thirds of the way in (three:30), Larry Carlton plays a nice Jazzy solo the way merely Larry Carlton tin practice. At this indicate it'due south only guitar, piano, bass and drums perfectly balanced with each other.

The Chorus comes back with the entire band playing backed by Steely Dan's horn department arranged by Tom Scott. Some other purely magical track from one of the best records an American music.

# 8 – Practice Information technology AGAIN

Can't Purchase A Thrill – Released: 1972

Guitar: Denny Dias

This is the one that started it all. "Do It Again," is the very first vocal on the very first Steely Dan record. The band's debut single would do pretty well every bit it reached #6 on the The states charts. It's a trivial wild west tale of a man who kills someone for stealing his h2o and gets away with it. He doesn't quit while he's ahead but rather continues a life of crime. It's pretty much nigh self destructive behavior in full general and how lying to oneself volition somewhen come dorsum to get yous.

The song is played in a syncopated almost Santana fashion rhythm in a night minor fundamental. Donald Fagen plays a cheap Yamaha YC-xxx philharmonic organ on this rail. The organ was capable of creating a variety of sounds including a portamento effect which is produced by sliding your finger across a pad. The sound was very like to a synthesizer like event used in Science Fiction movies. This can be heard at iii:37 afterward Denny'southward solo on the album version only, as the organ solo forth with the song intro and outro were cut from the 45 rpm unmarried to shorten it from 5:56 to four:14 for radio.

Denny Dias is featured playing an electric sitar giving the song a very centre eastern psychedelic flavour. Electric sitar tin can heard on The Beatles Norwegian Wood , The Rolling Stones Paint It Black and Traffic'southward Paper Sun.

# vii – THE FEZ \ HERE AT THE WESTERN WORLD*

The Majestic Scam – Released: 1976

Guitars: Walter Becker and Dean Parks

"Here At The Western Earth," was recorded during The Majestic Scam sessions but didn't make the terminal cut. It would eventually be released on Steely Dan'south Greatest Hits . We put it at the number vi spot along with "The Fez," as information technology was probably a toss up as to which track would be cut.

They both come in at exactly 4:02 in length and for lack of a better give-and-take, can each be considered the "weakest" tracks on a perfect album. Both tunes seem to accept similarities in subject matter every bit well.

So what in the world is a Fez? A Fez is a chapeau which originated in ancient Greece and was later worn by kings in The Ottoman Empire. The Fez hat is a crimson cylindrical shaped hat with a black tassle hanging from the top. The song is lyrically very simple with the aforementioned verse repeated 3 times. Obviously two people are doing something which requires wearing a "chapeau." One insists on the "hat" being worn and the other i not so much. A classic instance of "no glove, no honey."

Walter Becker plays a actually overnice solo over a string section at the 2:00 mark. Again Bernard Purdie'southward drums hold the whole matter together with a groove very similar to the one he plays on "Kid Charlemagne," with a piddling Disco flavor.

"Here At The Western Globe," could be a vocal nearly gangsters running a brothel and all the "amenities" available to their clientele . As with most of Steely Dan's songs, there's a lot of double entendre here, so it could too be nearly drugs. Freud said that "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar." I approximate in the Steely Dan Universe, "Sometimes a "silver cardinal that opens the blood-red door" is just that". You be the judge. Dean Parks plays beautifully throughout taking a solo at 2:41.

Information technology'due south difficult to imagine this great track beingness left off of The Royal Scam , allow alone being stored in some vault never seeing the lite of day. Here At the Western Earth is definitely one of Steely Dan's Greatest Hits.

# 6 -Bear witness BIZ KIDS / THE BOSTON RAG

Countdown To Ecstasy – Released: 1973

Guitar: Jeff (Skunk) Baxter and Rick Derringer

"Bear witness Biz Kids," is a pretty unusual Steely Dan Song as information technology has no chord changes. A basic Blues\Rock number telling a piddling tale of the haves vs. the have nots. It features stunning slide guitar piece of work by Rick Derringer.

The Boston Rag is a pretty sparse organization as far as Steely Dan songs get, only with good reason. Information technology's about a drug addict and his empty life in which he is caught between his dealer and his girlfriend. He seems to miss the good old days when things were simpler. Steely Dan would open many of their live shows with this number. Jeff (Skunk) Baxter's rhythm  guitar is real gritty and dingy sounding with plenty of attitude.

There is a suspension around 3:30 where this little "Tango" is played on piano and hi-hat. The guitar creeps in slowly and so Jeff tears into a solo. Another chorus repeats and carries out until the vocal fades. The remastered version of The Boston Rag on the Show Biz Kids(The Steely Dan Story) album sounds incredible.

# v – BODHISATTVA

Countdown To Ecstasy – Released: 1973

Guitar: Jeff (Skunk) Baxter and Denny Dias

"Bodhisattva," is an up tempo Swing tune with a little Centre Eastern flavour that actually rocks. The song could exist about giving up i's worldly possessions in the pursuit of being enlightened or maybe someone in search of something darker. Probably the latter. It doesn't matter, this is i wild ride!

The drums pound away starting this wicked fast number. Donald Fagen is playing some scary expert piano chords throughout the tune. Astonishing solos from Dias and Baxter as wells a niggling call and response between keys and guitar. At one point both guitars play together in an almost "Allmanesque'" blazon fashion.

As far every bit killer guitar tracks go, nosotros put Bodhisattva on equal footing with whatsoever of the songs on this list including the four nosotros are about to discuss.

# 4 – DON'T TAKE ME ALIVE

The Purple Scam – Released: 1976

Guitar: Larry Carlton

Who starts a vocal with the guitar solo??? Steely dan does, that'south who. Larry Carlton opens this Steely Dan classic with one large distorted guitar chord. According to Ultimate Guitar dot com information technology's a G7#9 chord and in their instructions said "This may wait like an impossibility, like a barbarous, unusual and unplayable chord merely information technology can be washed." Larry plays a stunning solo that leads us into the vocal.

Don't Accept Me Alive is virtually an outlaw who's taken hostages and is in a standoff with the police. The song reminds us of Dog Mean solar day Afternoon in the form of a Classic Rock song. Rick Marotta's drumming , Fagen's electric piano and Chuck rainey's bass round out this track making it another of our top picks.

# 3 – PEG

Aja – Released: 1977

Guitar: Jay Graydon

"Peg," is possibly ane of Steely Dan's most instantly recognizable songs by far. The lyrics on this song seem pretty straightforward. The championship refers to extra Peg Entwistle who committed suicide at age twenty four in 1932 by jumping from the Hollywood sign. She was a phase extra who transitioned to picture show which did not become well for her as most of her performance in her first (and last) film ended upwards un the cut room flooring.

The melody features an all star lineup including the great session drummer Rick Marotta (who up to this point had never heard any of the lilliputian nuances in his playing captured this faithfully on tape before). The recording quality on Aja is impeccable.

Chuck Rainey is on bass calculation a touch of slap bass to add together some punch to the rail. In an interview Chuck said that Fagen and Becker didn't desire him to practice any of that slap bass stuff viewing it as to "contemporary" as information technology was a technique which was way overused on many Funk and Disco recordings in the mid to late 1970'south. Chuck said he would plough his dorsum from Donald and Walter when he played and so they couldn't see what he was doing.

Peg includes ane of the best backing song tracks ever recorded. Michael  Mc Donald sings an amazing 3 part harmony with himself of iii tracks layered on top of each other making actually good use of basically two or 3 words repeated over and over (Peg ,Dorsum to you lot, Shadow on the wall, all in 3D, Foreign movie etc.)

Two corking guitarists play on Peg. Steve Kahn plays some actually tasty picking underneath everything calculation a squeamish texture. This brings us to one of the most iconic guitar solos in Archetype Rock History.

Fagen and Becker were patently super critical nigh the way their albums sounded and Aja epitomizes that. Like we said earlier, Steely Dan would apply hired guns to come in and play on sure songs to achieve a particular "flavor." They frequently didn't know exactly what they wanted until they heard it. It wasn't unusual for them to bandy out an entire band at times. You lot could accept eight players working on a given track on Monday and then Tuesday have eight other guys having a go at the same tune.

Keeping that in mind, the boys had a hard time finding the perfect guitar solo to fit with this song, they tried 7 unlike guitarists on this runway (including Larry Carlton), but none could deliver the goods. Finally guitarist\tape producer Jay Graydon was asked to take a shot at the solo. It took Jay over 6 hours to come up upward with the solo that Classic Rock fans have come to know and dear over the by 4 decades.

In that location's a video online of The Making of Aja where y'all can see Fagen and Becker at the mixing panel having a express mirth while listening to some of the solos that didn't make it. They describe Jay's solo as having sort of a Hawaiian \ Polynesian sound to it. Peg was a pretty successful single reaching #8 on the Cash Box charts.

# two – Child CHARLEMAGNE

The Purple Scam – Released: 1976

Guitar: Larry Carlton

At number ii is "Kid Charlemagne," which is a song based loosley on the exploits of Grateful Expressionless soundman\financier turned freelance LSD chemist Owsley "Behave" Stanley. Fagen pokes fun at Stanley in this vocal making fun of his Hippie followers and taking delight in his arrest.

Frank Zappa would also poke fun at Owsley and Hippie culture on his 1967 release We're Only In It For The Money on the song Who Needs The Peace Corp s. A lyric in the song reads "I think I'll just drib out. I'll become to Frisco buy a wig and slumber on Owsley's floor." Perhaps music history would exist very different if Owsley hadn't "just by chance crossed the diamond with the pearl" (his special recipe which made everybody "happy".)

Two guitarists play on this tune, Walter Becker on rhythm playing a killer part that goes along with the keyboard track.

The highlight of the song is the legendary solo played by none other than Larry Carlton. The solo comes in at 2:xviii and is a mix of Swing and Rock that grooves extremely well on top of some tricky chord and rhythmic changes. Every bit the solo builds and leads us back into the final verse, Larry does a footling hammer on thing on the guitar neck (a technique which would later exist made famous past Eddie Van Halen).

At two:58 Rainey plays this 70'south "B" movie soundtrack-like bass riff followed by a simple yet very powerful Tom-Tom fill past Purdie. We come dorsum to "Clean this mess upwards else nosotros'll all stop upwardly n jail…..followed by the infamous "is there gas in the car? Yes at that place's gas in the car!! Fagen seems to be mimicking Owsley'due south girlfriend.

Nosotros can besides hear Michael McDonald'due south bankroll vocals on the final chorus. The song only reached #82 in the charts and was voted #lxxx in Rolling Stone Magazine's Top 100 Guitar Songs.

# 1 – REELIN' IN THE YEARS

Can't Buy A Thrill – Released: 1972

Guitar: Elliot Randall

Released in March 1973, "Reelin' In The Years," is Steely Dan'south second unmarried off of Tin can't Buy A Thrill . The song reached #11 on the United states of america Billboard charts . Jimmy Page was quoted in Guitar World saying "Elliott Randall'southward guitar playing this tune is his favorite of all time.

Like "Don't Take me Alive," this tune starts with the guitar solo and never lets up. The song sounds like a story of a man in love with a daughter who takes him for granted but he stays with her anyway…(until she finally dumps him.) He refers to the vocal "My Old School," with "the weekend at the higher didn't turn out like you planned" as it was this girl who got them busted.

It's played in a shuffle rhythm like to Jeff Brook'due south "Freeway Jam," from Blow By Blow . Randall'southward distorted guitar tone cuts through this song like a chainsaw through a cheesecake Randall plays three stunning solos on the track including the opener, one at 2:26 and the outro at 3:53.

One killer iconic riff is played right after "Are you gatherin' upwards the tears….at 1:57 and 3:38, with the last one double tracked. Reelin' In The years stands equally ane of the greatest Classic Rock songs of all time and has been a staple of Rock and Pop radio for almost half a century. That'southward why Reelin' In The Years is our #1 Killer Guitar Rails

Updated Nov 13, 2020

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Source: https://www.classicrockhistory.com/40-steely-dan-killer-guitar-tracks/

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