The Wiseacre Duos: Steely Dan, Part I

If you were to ask me about the musical artists with whom I log the most listening hours, I find that a number of them are comprised of a pair of hyper-literate, often sardonic geniuses who know how to turn, bend, and otherwise metamorphasize a lyric and a chord. Three separate acts of wiseacre duos (one of which has not one but two such pairings) will be profiled in a series of posts over the coming weeks. My first examination, and possibly favorite musical outfit of all time, is of the above pictured gents known as Steely Dan.

Much has been written about these rather complex individuals. Many of us know that Donald Fagen (lead vocals, piano, keyboard, police whistle) and Walter Becker (bass, guitar, occasional vocal) met at Bard College in the late 1960s. They shared an affinity for jazz, science fiction, and a peculiar sense of humor. They were also both exacting musicians who had decided that they would take a crack at exploiting their talents for a career. Initially, they auditioned their tunes around NYC. Their obtuse lyrics and intricate melodies proved unpopular with producers, until the day they hawked their wares to the home office of 60s popmeisters Jay & the Americans in the famous Brill Building. Group member Kenny Vance was impressed with their music, if not their wrinkled, hipster appearance ("they looked like insects").

Vance got Fagen and Becker some after hours studio time, the results of which were a collection of demos that....still did not open any doors for them. This was despite the obvious creativity and ingenuity evidenced in these tunes, odd as they were. Some 15-20 years later, after Fagen and Becker called it quits as Steely Dan, these demos were released (much to the authors' dismay) on a series of low rent record labels. Indeed, some pretty obtuse stuff, songs with titles like "Let George Do It", "Soul Ram", "Yellow Peril", and "Android Warehouse." One of the even more curious pieces was a take on Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland called "Mock Turtle Song", a very catchy number with a rare lead vocal by a teenaged Becker.

Our duo also became backing musicians for JATA in the late 60s/early 70s, and their experiences began to form the foundation of their disdain for the touring life. Playing everything from "mafia toilets in Staten Island" to Madison Square Garden, Fagen and Becker's disgust with "the jock atmosphere" of the road would only grow as their fame did likewise.

At about the same time, Vance hooked up the songwriters with a producer named Gary Kannon. It proved to be a fateful meeting; within a few years (after reverting to his surname of Katz), the producer got Fagen and Becker jobs as staff songwriters at ABC Records in Los Angeles. It was the break they were looking for, or at least the first domino to get things moving. Fagen and Becker's songs were still too bizarre for the roster of pop acts (Three Dog Night, et al.) at ABC, but the writers managed to fashion a few more traditional, pop type arrangements, even if they held their noses while doing so. At the very least, some small measure of success was achieved.

The move to ABC was more prescient, however, as an opportunity for the boys to realize their actual m.o.-to form their own band. After the daily 9-5 of staff songwriting, Fagen and Becker quite covertly would use an empty office to rehearse with their hand picked musicians from back East. Guitarists Denny Dias (a former bandmate from an earlier venture called Demian) and Jeff "Skunk" Baxter joined drummer Jim Hooder to round out the inaugural Steely Dan line-up. Things were progressing quickly. ABC caught on to the plot, and decided to gamble on this new outfit. They bankrolled studio time for an album.

Meanwhile, Fagen was struggling with his role as lead singer. "Nobody wants to hear a Jew sing", he lamented, quite wrongly. Everyone who heard his unique register agreed it was the correct tone to match the wry lyricism. Fagen was not convinced, and concomitant stage fright lead the way for one David Palmer, another acquaintance from New York, to become lead singer.

Can't Buy a Thrill, Steely Dan's first record, on the strength of two smash singles, "Do it Again" and "Reeling in the Years", became a runaway success. It is an unusually confident first album, with a strong sense of rhythm and melody. far beyond the usual 3 chord progressions and predictable harmonies, Steely Dan employed the use of sitars to make "Do it Again" so distinguished. The lyrics throughout the record deal with an assortment of topics not often heard in contemporary rock: overthrown monarchies, the plight of stoop-dwelling Brooklynites, mafioso "promises", reflective jazz icons. Of course, the timeless themes of fate, fidelity, and aging were also there. Thrill's popularity with audiences and critics alike was far beyond what anyone expected in 1972. Naturally, ABC was extremely pleased, and expecting a mega tour to follow. Fagen and Becker, realizing they had little choice, hit the metropolii and backwater alike.

While many who attended these shows cited them as some of the most energetic they had seen, critics were often harsh. After a gig at L.A.'s Whisky A Go Go, one wag described the lack of stage presence, their apparent discomfort with performing. He called Steely Dan "the ugliest band I've ever seen." Additionally, a series of technical snafus would plague several dates. To top it off, drafted lead singer Palmer was not really making the grade with Msrs Fagen and Becker. His sweaty, aggressive posturing and static singing seemed more suited to any number of the rock acts of the day. Fagen decided to swallow his anxiety (or "work around my yellow stripe" as he sang in "Fire in the Hole" from Thrill), and reluctantly assume the lead. Palmer was dismissed after only a few months with the band, the first casualty. Eventually, more were to come.

But for now, the remaining 5 man outfit forged ahead, ready to record their next masterpiece..........


to be continued