Steely Dan is amazing, what else should I check out?

T-Kern

Active Member
So over this last summer and fall I've absolutely fallen in love with Steely Dan. I don't think there is a single song I've heard so far that I don't enjoy, which is rare even for bands I love. I've already picked up Gaucho, Pretzel Logic, The Royal Scam, Aja, Can't Buy A Thrill and Countdown to Ecstasy. I've "almost" got the full collection I think, at least of the standard albums.
So I'd like to know if you guys could recommend any other artists I might enjoy that are similar to Steely Dan.

Thanks!
 
While there isn't anyone else quite like Steely Dan, there are some recordings that share their same approach in terms of impeccable production skills and top-flight musicianship. I'm sure that other members of this great forum will have some excellent suggestions. I look forward to how this thread develops.
For starters, I'd recommend Donald Fagen's first solo album, "The Nightfly" (he being one half of the Steely Dan duo).
 
Katy Lied came out before The Royal Scam and is a great album also so I would definitely try to find it.

+1 on The Nightfly :thmbsp:

The also did the title song for the movie FM. The only albums that it is on is the soundtrack to FM or Steely Dan's Greatest Hits. Great song and the movie wasn't bad either. I remember going to see it when I was stationed in Long Beach while in the Navy.
 
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i am a new Steely Dan fan myself, over the summer i had got back into records and acquired a couple of their records in a box of albums i picked up but had not listened to them till i saw a post on here talking about the AJA album, i like yourself am now a big fan and on the lookout for some of their other material.
 
A Steely Dan fan myself, I would have to agree with the earlier post that they are quite unique. With that in mind, you might also like Dire Straits.
Another way to find similar artists is through www.slacker.com. If you type in a search for SD, you'll get, and be able to listen to, a list of artisits you may also like. Plus, Slacker is free. I think Pandora does the same thing, but I prefer Slacker. YMMV.
Mike
 
Be sure to pick up "Two Against Nature" & "Everything Must Go"...their two most recent releases. Logical progressions from their earlier works...and pristine recordings as you would expect. Also snag "Kamakiriad" & "Morph The Cat"...Donald Fagen's solos that followed "The Nightfly". Walter Becker has a couple solos as well..."11 Tracks Of Whack" & "Circus Money". Try to find "The New York Rock & Soul Revue Live At The Beacon"...a very enjoyable recording with a lot of Don on it. The Dan's "Alive In America" is a great live disc & available crazy cheap.

Three tangentally Dan-related recordings to look for are "Eye To Eye" (S/T) & Eye To Eye's "Shakespeare Stole My Baby". Both produced by Gary Katz with outstanding production...in fact, "Shakespeare" is one of the finest-sounding LPs I own. And, Donald Fagen plays on one track on each. Getting even more obscure...Rosie Vela's "Zazu"...another Katz production impeccably recorded. And...Don & Walt play on it as well! Have fun!
 
I knew there would be some excellent suggestions from the members of this forum.

Another recommendation:
There was a group that existed for a brief moment in the early '90s called "Toy Matinee" that made one memorable record.

Also, in the mid-1970s, the very first album by "The Pousette-Dart Band" is finely produced and performed.
 
A couple of bands that fuse rock, jazz and rhythm and blues are the Atlanta Rhythm Section and the Average White Band and are worth listening to.

I have most every release of Steely Dan's in three different formats, vinyl, cassette and cds, plus a few old 8 tracks somewhere in the basement. Some great side musicans played with them in the studio and their records reflect this.
 
I love love love Steely Dan. I stumbled onto Steely Dan back in the early 80's when I was spending a lot of my weekends at dealers checking out gear. Back then, a lot of dealers were using Steely Dan albums for demos.

Have you checked out Donald Fagen's solo efforts? If not, you can pick up The Nightfly Trilogy which is a 3-DVD + 4-CD set.

His solo stuff is very similar to Steely Dan music.

Another band that I love, Toto, is another group that was formed by a bunch of studio musicians and not JUST studio musicians but ones that have a credit list 100 miles long and ones that were still at the top of their game when they decided to form Toto. Different style of pop/rock music but with great songs and musicianship. If you listen to "Rosanna", which was one of their biggest hits... the song seems relatively simple enough that you can hum along long after the song has finished. Dig deeper and listen to the drumming. Jeff Porcaro influenced countless many drummers with his drumming on that one song. That shuffle beat is often referred to as either the Jeff Porcaro Shuffle or the Rosanna Shuffle by drummers. Then listen to the 2 amazing guitar solos by Steve Lukather.
 
The Bliss Band's "Dinner With Raoul" has a Dannish kinda sound about it...and a guy named Danny Wilson did a tune called "If Everything You Said Was True" that had me fooled into thinking it was the Dan when I first heard it about 20 years ago.
 
I was a fan in the early 70's, before they started touring I think. The played in Glendale Calif at a place called the Sophwith Camel (Peanuts reference as it was "Snoopy and the Red Baron" previously) Very avante guard for the day. It was different to see a well known player like Jeff Baxter on stage in a local club.

I became totally comitted to fandom with Reelin in the Years and Do it Again, both IMHO masterpieces. Their albums (all of them) are constantly in my playing rotation.

OH... and when I had the store they were constant entrys in the Demo record shelves too.
 
While not really like Steely Dan, try Little Feat. There are a lot of similarities, but the outcome is pretty different.

Also, check out "The World is a Ghetto" by War. Lots of great horns, and some mellow, stony tunes like "Four Cornered Room" that have a similar "mellowness" to Steely.

Again, neither of these guys sound like Steely, perse, but they have some of the same qualities...
 
I knew there would be some excellent suggestions from the members of this forum.

Another recommendation:
There was a group that existed for a brief moment in the early '90s called "Toy Matinee" that made one memorable record.

Also, in the mid-1970s, the very first album by "The Pousette-Dart Band" is finely produced and performed.


+1 on Toy Matinee. I have the DVD-Audio and it's spectacular. The album peaks out of the gate and goes downhill as you listen, but the first 4 tracks are worth the price of admission.

jblnut
 
Almost forgot - the Steely Dan concert DVD "Two Against Nature" is a must own !


If you want to cross over to the Jazz realm using SD as a stepping off point, the Larry Carlton album "Last Nite" is a good place to begin (since he recorded with them a lot). PM me for more recommendations if this was to your liking....

jblnut
 
For what it's worth

When I would listen to Steely Dan I always followed it up with either 10CC or Supertramp. These three bands always went the distance for recording their music in the best possible means at this time. The sound of their recordings never let you down and showcased your system. :thmbsp:
 
Check the liner notes, grab the names of the standout musician's on a track you like, the guitarists on Steely Dan LPs are always outstanding, and then google them, or look them up on your favorite music purchase site.

Chances are if you like what the player did on the Dan LP, you'll like what the player does solo or with other groups.
 
Check the liner notes, grab the names of the standout musician's on a track you like, the guitarists on Steely Dan LPs are always outstanding, and then google them, or look them up on your favorite music purchase site.

Chances are if you like what the player did on the Dan LP, you'll like what the player does solo or with other groups.


Most definitely. The musicians that grace the Steely Dan albums are some of the finest players in the business.
 
Speaking of jazz & Steely Dan...can't forget "Piano Jazz" w/Marian McPartland & Don & Walt. Interesting small-combo approach to some Dan tunes along with a couple others...plus interesting commentary between tracks.
 
Another artists who utilized excellent musicians to maximum effect is Michael Franks. While a bit too "smooth-jazz" for some tastes, his albums are worth a listen just for the production values and musicianship alone.
 
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