In 1977, Ford was one of half a dozen or so session players asked to play the guitar solo for the Steely Dan song “Peg.” In the end, the group went with the version by Jay Graydon instead. In 2006, a tribute album to Steely Dan – The Royal Dan – was released, with Ford covering “Peg” in his own style.
Just so, Was Steely Dan a perfectionist? But when it came time to record the solo, Steely Dan’s insatiable perfectionism took over. According to some accounts, the band had as many as seven or eight skilled guitarists try soloing over the track before recording a take they were satisfied with.
How can I play guitar like Walter Becker?
Furthermore, Who plays the guitar solo on Josie? Becker plays a guitar solo on the song, one of the few on Aja. Steely Dan biographer Brian Sweet particularly praised his solo, calling it “a real stormer.” Fagen sings the lead vocals.
Who played bass on Peg Steely Dan?
“Peg” begins with a hearty descending chord progression with some jazzy roots. Drummer Rick Marotta, bassist Chuck Rainey, and guitarist Steve Khan lock in from beat one of the groove, with some nice clavinet and synth melodies simmering over the top.
Who drummed on Gaucho?
According to Ken Micallef in an article in Modern Drummer, the title song’s drum track was assembled from 46 different takes. The drummer on the session, Jeff Porcaro, is quoted as saying: “From noon till six we’d play the tune over and over and over again, nailing each part.
Did Walter Becker write songs? Original songs
| Title | Written by | Original date |
|---|---|---|
| Everything You Did | Walter Becker, Donald Fagen | May 1976 |
| Fire in the Hole | Walter Becker, Donald Fagen | September 1972 |
| FM (No Static at All) | Walter Becker, Donald Fagen | April 12, 1978 |
| Gaslighting Abbie | Walter Becker, Donald Fagen | February 29, 2000 |
How did Walter Becker Meet Donald Fagen? Becker met future songwriting partner Donald Fagen while they were students at Bard College. After a brief period of activity in New York City, the two moved to Los Angeles in 1971 and formed the nucleus of Steely Dan, which enjoyed a critically and commercially successful ten-year career.
Who plays lead guitar on Kid Charlemagne?
“Kid Charlemagne” features the guitar solo of legendary session player Larry Carlton, who also appeared on Steely Dan’s Gaucho and Aja albums. Carlton’s solo on “Kid Charlemagne” has been called one of the most memorable in rock. “It’s my claim to fame,” Carlton told Guitar World in 1981.
Was the Kid Charlemagne solo improvised? He’s also quite a good blues player. He did the solos on ‘Kid Charlemagne. ‘ The middle solo he did in two takes and we used parts of both. The last solo was straight improvisation.”
What is a battle Apple?
For example, in ‘Josie’, there’s a street gang using a weapon called the ‘battle apple’. It sounded better than any real weapon we could think of.” What exactly a battle apple would look like is left up to the imagination of the listener.
What does Michael McDonald sing in Peg? Steely Dan’s “Aja” turns 40 as Michael McDonald remembers recording “Peg”: “I was terrified” ABC RecordsSteely Dan’s classic album Aja was released 40 years ago Saturday. Before he was a solo star, or even a Doobie Brother, Michael McDonald was one of the musicians who worked with Steely Dan on tour and in the studio.
Who sang background vocals on Peg?
Of course, McDonald was on backing vocals on the original track. When Fagen sang it at the 3Arena, he was ably supported by his Danettes. And Herington pegged the guitar solo that proved so troublesome for his studio predecessors with supreme deftness. Peg came out in 1977, as the opening track on side two of Aja.
Who plays the guitar solo on Glamour profession?
1. Gaucho: Gaucho is a troubled album and Walter Becker was a troubled soul during its making. Still, there are many moments of guitar greatness on the album such as Steve Kahn evocative Gibson 335 solo on “Glamour Profession” and Walter Becker’s solos on the title track.
Is Steely Dan jazz? Jazz is undoubtedly at the core of Walter Becker and Donald Fagan – the creative duo behind the long-running jazz-rock supergroup Steely Dan. And they weren’t merely influenced by jazz (of course, most contemporary music is).
Was Steely Dan a studio band? Steely Dan, American rock band. Essentially a studio-based duo, Steely Dan drew from the gamut of American musical styles to create some of the most intelligent and complex pop music of the 1970s. The band members were guitarist Walter Becker (b. February 20, 1950, New York, New York, U.S.—d.
What makes Steely Dan so good?
The band is no stranger to the whims of cultural fashion: rightly celebrated by the 1970s’ savviest critics for their acerbic lyrics, musical creativity, and impeccable songwriting chops, by 2001 their Grammy win for the (excellent) comeback album Two Against Nature was met in the wider culture with utter bewilderment.
How do you write like Steely Dan?
How did Steely Dan get their name?
Working with ABC producer Gary Katz, they secretly assembled Steely Dan (named after a prosthetic phallus in William S. Burroughs’s novel Naked Lunch) with other young musicians, notably guitarists Jeff (“Skunk”) Baxter and Denny Dias, emerging in 1972 with Can’t Buy a Thrill.
Was Donald Fagen friends with Walter Becker? Fagen Remembers Longtime Friend And Bandmate Becker
To Donald Fagen, Walter wasn’t just a bandmate who helped bring Steely Dan to life: he was a lifelong friend, one whose friendship extended back to a chance meeting at Bard College in 1967 after making the discovery that the two shared near identical taste in music.
Who played the guitar solo on Home at Last?
5. Home at Last (Walter Becker): As the boppin’ master musicians (Rainey, Purdie, Carlton, Feldman) open up some space, Fagen wails on the blues, synth harp and then Becker delivers a siren cry of a guitar solo. It’s smooth retsina in the pocket over the intro chords, as Walter ties the tune in a silver bow.
Who played lead guitar on the song Peg? The guitar solo on “Peg” from Steely Dan’s 1977 album “Aja” was played by Jay Graydon. A bunch of other guitarists, all virtuosos and all studio vets, gave it a shot before Fagen and Becker gave the nod to Graydon’s take. It’s a classic and elusive to get just right. In this video Jay Graydon walks us through it.
