Steely Dan musical memories

A friend of mine had an 11 piece tribute band to Steely Dan in Denver.  It is a really good band and an ambitious undertaking.  4 horns , drums bass, guitar, keys and 3 vocalist.  They work up complete albums and play in order of the songs on the album.  People eat it up and the places are pre sold and full. 

This has caused me to get out the LP records I have (Steely Dan) from back in the day and listen to them.  They sound great on my old Altec 604's.  They sound good on everything.  The mixes are terrific as well as the ambitious songs and arrangements.  I'm not taking anything away from today's music. I'm  just remembering a different time in America. 

Also no wonder we listened to a whole side of an album.  Once you get the needle in the groove,  I'm to lazy to pick it up and jump around to different songs.  I think this might be why I listens to the whole side of albums unlike my mp3's today.

Though there are also bands in CA playing the SD repertoire, I saw the real thing in Paso Robles a few years ago.  They were as good as ever, and the band was as good as you'd expect, though Fagan doesn't quite have the upper vocal range he used to have.
When everybody else in rock was going country in the '70s, these guys were making really good music based on jazz and R&B.
And yes, those mixes are really well done.
Recently heard some live recordings of the band in '74 with Michael McDonald, Jeff Baxter and Jeff Porcaro on drums. Couldn't believe how good the vocals sounded live, and how tight the band was.
Those days are gone forever, over a long time ago...
It's all a pop fashion show now.

fazer said:

.................
Also no wonder we listened to a whole side of an album.  Once you get the needle in the groove,  I'm to lazy to pick it up and jump around to different songs.  I think this might be why I listens to the whole side of albums unlike my mp3's today...............

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No. It was not because of laziness.

Every generation has its own thing but I am glad we had our own.  I remember buying a second hand Creedence Clearwater Revival album (Willy and the Poor Boys) in late '70s, coming home, lying on bed, holding up the sleeve and just looking at it for the whole duration of the play.  That does not exist anymore. At least I don't see it in my own son.

While on the issue of lying on bed and watching the album cover. Round about the same time  I bought a large heatsink for an amp that I was building. My cousin was so fascinated by the shape of it, and he did exactly the same thing, lying on my bunk bed, holding up the heatsink ad watching it. Then he fell a sleep and dropped it on his face.  That does not exist either.  ;D

> Creedence Clearwater Revival album (Willy and the Poor Boys)..., holding up the sleeve and just looking at it for the whole duration of the play.

Hmmmm. I remember staring at this much too long:

King Crimson?

fazer said:

King Crimson?

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First record!