Steely Dan - Least Favourite Song?
Posted by: droodzilla on 12 September 2007
A question inspired by discussion of "Countdown to Ecstasy" on the "What are you Listening to..." thread:
No, this is not an invitation to indulge in negativity, as the Dan's strict quality control ensures that even their worst is better than 90% of the rest.
I'd prefer to restrict the choice of least favourite to songs on the pre-comeback albums, and - to make life extra difficult - to exclude Gaucho, as this is commonly seen as their weakest effort. I'd also exclude cover versions - so no picking on "East St Louis". So, Dan fans - I know you're out there - what's your least favourite original song from the following albums:
Can't Buy a Thrill
Countdown to Ecstasy
Pretzel Logic
Katy Lied
Royal Scam
Aja
A hard question, I think. I'll reveal my answer after a few replies.
Posted on: 12 September 2007 by Guido Fawkes
I have the first 5 of the albums your list - sorry to say I don't really like Katy Lied at all: so I'd nominate all the songs on it - the first three albums still sound good - especially Countdown To Ecstasy, but I don't play them much these days. I'm not sure about Royal Scam - I don't like Haitian Divorce.
Hmmm - I've contributed to a negative thread again - so to save myself I don't think there are any duff tracks on either Countdown To Ecstasy or Pretzel Logic.
Posted on: 12 September 2007 by bishopla
I don't have one. I like them all, each and every one of them. The Dan can do no wrong.
Regards,
LArry
Posted on: 12 September 2007 by _charlie
Royal Scam kinda sucks. Others are great.
Charlie
Posted on: 12 September 2007 by Jack
This question is just as difficult as which is your favourite Dan song! If I have to select one then it would be Pearl of the Quarter and that's only because its not one I particularly remember!
Have to say Larry has it about spot on, absolute quality, love the guitar work on Royal Scam
Jack
Posted on: 12 September 2007 by droodzilla
quote:
don't have one. I like them all, each and every one of them. The Dan can do no wrong.
I agree with your sentiment Larry. Still, if I were forced at gunpoint to choose my least favourite, I would - after much agonising - probably go for "Everything You Did" from Royal Scam. Hardly a bad song though!
As for favourites, there are too many to list, but I'd especially like to "The Boston Rag", which I believe to be an often overlooked gem.
Posted on: 12 September 2007 by manicatel
Oh! I like Gaucho.
Least fave track from those albums?
Hmmm, I'll have to think further.
But if I own up to liking Gaucho, maybe my opinion doesn't count for too much
Matt.
Posted on: 12 September 2007 by droodzilla
quote:
Oh! I like Gaucho.
Me too! In fact I love everything that Steely Dan have done, including 2vN and EMG. I just wanted to make the question as hard as possible, by restricting choice to songs from what most folks would regard as the band's creative peak.
Posted on: 12 September 2007 by naim_nymph
quote:
Originally posted by droodzilla:
[QUOTE]Oh! I like Gaucho.
Gaucho was my first SD album and very good it is too : )
Okay, I'll take a pot at this... my least favourite song is 'Monkey in your soul'.
The reason being it's just far too short for such a splendid funky tune, just as I'm getting down and enjoying the rocks of it by shaking my bum to the beat... it suddenly ends, and that's the end of the Pretzel Logic album too... It all goes quiet and I'm standing there wanting for more : <
Just not enough tail on that monkey.
nymph
Posted on: 13 September 2007 by rupert bear
I thought 'Monkey' was a great ending to that album.
I suppose the weakest tracks are a couple on 'Can't Buy A Thrill', perhaps 'Midnight Cruiser' which I think was sung by their erstwhile drummer Jim Hodder and is a bit clunky with slightly feeble lyrics ('Drive me to Harlem/ or somewhere the same').
'Home At Last' on 'Aja' isn't quite up to the standard of the rest of that album.
Other than that, I never really cared much for 'The Fez', and I think the title track of 'The Royal Scam' is too long, but the rest of that album is brilliant.
'Katy Lied' got less than rave reviews when it came out but I really like it. 'Countdown', 'Pretzel', and 'Gaucho' - all great tracks.
Posted on: 13 September 2007 by Nick Lees
Peg. By a mile.
Oh and chalk up another member of the Gaucho fan club. I prefer it to Royal Scam and Aja.
Posted on: 13 September 2007 by Simon Matthews
Home at last is a fantastic tune cloth ears!
At a push and at gunpoint then maybe just maybe 'change of the guard'. Perhaps because it sounds marginally more generic than the rest.
Having said that and to put it into context, it comes from the greatest collection of albums ever written or recorded in the rock idiom IMO.
Posted on: 13 September 2007 by hungryhalibut
quote:
Royal Scam kinda sucks. Others are great.
Hmm. It's always been my favourite!!
Nigel
Posted on: 13 September 2007 by Jack
Interesting to see how all of us Dan fans have different views on which is the best/worst - I guess that is testament to a great band in the variety of great music.
I was not particularly taken with the Royal Scam when first release but have come to appreciate the great work on it over the years. Katy Lied had a lot to live up to at the time of release but is now one of my most played Dan albums.
Aja whilst critically acclaimed and a fine album can sometimes sound just too polished.
Hard to fault anything really!
Jack
Posted on: 13 September 2007 by oxgangs
just a daft post
mike
Posted on: 13 September 2007 by droodzilla
Interesting reading. I never imagined that "Home at Last" would be mentioned in this thread, but I'm less surprised to see "Monkey in Your Soul" and "Change of the Guard", both of which were on my shortlist.
Wandering slightly OT, here's a nice discussion of some of SD's more (allegedly) obscure lyrics:
SD LyricsSadly, it doesn't shed much light on the meaning of "The Boston Rag", which was the object of my search:
quote:
What’s fascinating about this song is how absolutely specific the lyrics are but how absolutely obtuse they remain. There is no Seventh Avenue in Boston – what city are they in? Does Seventh Avenue end in a highway? Or a cliff?
Posted on: 14 September 2007 by Jack
Have you ever tried to create a "best of" compilation for someone new to Steely Dan, what a nightmare! I managed to get it down to 27 tracks couldn't go any further!
Posted on: 14 September 2007 by Simon Matthews
Posted on: 17 September 2007 by Jet Johnson
Jeez this is going to be difficult - but a very interesting idea ....
Interesting that you left out the 2 comeback albums - otherwise I guess we'd all pick tracks from them! (I don't really understand Gaucho's omission - I think it was only regarded as "weak" compared to the big selling Aja).
So my choices would be .....erm' ..(can I just make it clear I love all these tracks but...)
Midnight Cruiser
Your Gold Teeth
East St Louis Toodle-oo (simply because it's basically a cover version)
Your Gold Teeth II
Fez (the nearest thing to a throwaway tune the Dan ever did?)
I Got the News
This whole exercise has got me thinking about another Dan thread ..but later...
Posted on: 17 September 2007 by ewemon
quote:
Originally posted by Jet Johnson:
Jeez this is going to be difficult - but a very interesting idea ....
Interesting that you left out the 2 comeback albums - otherwise I guess we'd all pick tracks from them! (I don't really understand Gaucho's omission - I think it was only regarded as "weak" compared to the big selling Aja).
So my choices would be .....erm' ..(can I just make it clear I love all these tracks but...)
Midnight Cruiser
Your Gold Teeth
East St Louis Toodle-oo (simply because it's basically a cover version)
Your Gold Teeth II
Fez (the nearest thing to a throwaway tune the Dan ever did?)
I Got the News
This whole exercise has got me thinking about another Dan thread ..but later...
Funny Jet I would have only picked Fez out of your list. Like all the other tracks.
Posted on: 17 September 2007 by droodzilla
quote:
Interesting that you left out the 2 comeback albums - otherwise I guess we'd all pick tracks from them! (I don't really understand Gaucho's omission - I think it was only regarded as "weak" compared to the big selling Aja).
I like both comeback albums, expecially 2vN, but I feared that others would pick on them, if they were in scope. Gaucho, I admit, I may have underestimated - it clearly has plenty of fans on this forum.
As for your choices: "Fez" and "I Got the News" were on my shortlist; "Midnight Cruiser, I can understand, despite having a soft spot for it; but I'm mystified by the inclusion of both "Your Gold Teeth"s!
It is tough though - I'm already regretting my choice, which, after all, contains the great line, "Turn up the Eagles, the neighbours are listening"!
Posted on: 17 September 2007 by Jet Johnson
quote:
Funny Jet I would have only picked Fez out of your list. Like all the other tracks.
...So do I! ...I was simply trying to fufill the requirements of the thread ...so haway man imagine you
have to name one track from each album ....what would you choose?
Posted on: 17 September 2007 by ewemon
Probably the following trax Jet.
Turn That Heartbeat Over Again
Your Gold Teeth
Throw Back the Little Ones
Parkers Band
The Fez
I Got The News
Glamour Profession
Janie Runaway
Slang of Ages
Thats my list taking one track from each disc. But I would have to say that I don't think there is one bad track on the first four discs and Aja.
Posted on: 17 September 2007 by droodzilla
Hmmm, interesting twist - here's my answer:
Kings
Show Biz Kids (impossible to choose really!)
Monkey in your Soul (East St Louis excepted, as not an original)
Throw Back the Little Ones
Everything You Did
Peg (another near impossible choice)
Time Out of Mind
Jack of Speed (too conventional compared with the rest of the album)
Slang of Ages (easy choice, for the obvious reason)
The above list supports my view that the worst of Steely Dan is better than the best of most bands.
Posted on: 17 September 2007 by naim_nymph
quote:
Originally posted by munch:
Make life easy and do the least favourite album.
Oh!, blow the expense! : >
Can't Buy A Thrill.........Most favourite
Pretzel Logic
Katy Lied
Gaucho
Aja
The Royal Scam
Countdown To Ecstasy......Least favourite
I would like to add here that I consider Countdown to Ecstasy to be a very good album.
It's just that I enjoy the others more : )
There may also be an issue involved (with us all) in 'acquiring a taste' with each SD album, so that any list we make now may read different in a year or so from now <?>
nymph
Posted on: 17 September 2007 by ewemon
My least favourite is the live albbum we all have forgotten about. As I don't think anyone has listed a track from it. Since we seem to have forgotten it then that shows how well we all rate it.
