Strictly Rock

  • Home
  • Bands
  • Videos
  • Store
  • Events
  • Unsigned Bands
  • Blog
  • Contact

Steely Dan

May 15, 2014 by strictlyrock Leave a Comment

Click on the image to buy band items

Walter Becker and Donald Fagen first met in New York 1967. The guys started playing and writing songs together and came to the conclusion that musically, they had quite a bit in common with one another. After Fagen graduated from college the pair relocated to Brooklyn, where they began touring with a band called “Jay and the Americans.” They were soon hired by ABC Records as songwriters, and moved to California, where they started a band of their own with singer David Palmer, guitarists Denny Dias and Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, and drummer Jim Hodder. They chose the name Steely Dan, which was the name of a scandalous accessory in a novel by William Burroughs. The band recorded its first album, and “Can’t Buy a Thrill” was released in October of 1972. The album would eventually sell more than a million copies in the United States. The record produced the singles “Do It Again,” which went to #6 on the charts and “Reelin’ in the Years,” which placed #11.

Click on the image to buy poster

David Palmer left the group while they were in the process of recording their second album, and Fagen took charge of the singing. “Countdown to Ecstasy,” was released in July of 1973. It didn’t sell as well as its predecessor, but two of its songs “My Old School” and “Bodhisattva,” were later featured in the hugely successful video game “Rock Band.” In March of the following year the band released “Pretzel Logic.” The album sold well and reached the #8 spot on the charts with help from songs such as “Charlie Freak,” the record’s title track “Pretzel Logic,” and what is probably one of their most recognizable songs, “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number.”

Lead guitarist Becker and singer Fagen, decided they wanted to put more time and energy working on their music in the studio than performing live. The band played a final show on July 4th, 1974 and stopped touring. Becker and Fagen returned to the studio using session musicians and recorded “Katy Lied.” The album was released in March of 1975 and took the #13 spot on the charts. The album was eventually be certified Platinum and included the songs “Bad Sneakers,” and “Everyone’s Gone to the Movies.” The next year “The Royal Scam” was released. It eventually sold more than a million copies in the US alone and produced the memorable track “Kid Charlemagne.”

Click on the image to buy this CD

In 1978 the band released the album “Aja.” The record sold very well and was eventually earned double Platinum certification. Not only did “Aja” make it all the way to the #3 spot on the charts, it earned the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Non-Classical Recording in 1978. The guys took a break for the rest of 1978 and things didn’t exactly go smoothly for the next little while. Becker’s girlfriend overdosed and died in their apartment, which resulted in a lawsuit. Becker was also hit by a car while crossing the street in New York City, which resulted in a broken leg. Fagen and Becker were also sued by a jazz musician who claimed the guys had used one of his songs without permission. Despite all of this, they released “Gaucho” in November of 1980. The album charted in the top ten and sold more than a million copies. Becker and Fagen parted ways at this point, and unfortunately “Gaucho” would be Steely Dan’s last album for 20 years.

Click on the image to buy this print

Becker and Fagen continued to work on solo projects as well as with other musicians and began to tour together again in 1993. “Citizen Steely Dan,” which is a box set, was released in 1994, and a compilation of live songs from 93-94 “Alive in America,” was released in 1995. The guys started work on their next studio album but it would not see the light of day until February of 2000. Fortunately, “Two Against Nature,” was worth the wait. The album debuted at #6 on the charts and eventually sold more than 2 million copies in the US alone. By the end of 2000, “Two Against Nature,” had won 4 Grammy Awards, including Album of the year, and the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The band’s last album to date, “Everything Must Go,” was released in 2003. As of 2009 Steely Dan is still touring around the world.

Filed Under: Rock Bands

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Cart

T-shirts

View all Products in this Category
View more T-Shirts

100 Greatest Rock & Roll Bands

  1. The Beatles
  2. The Rolling Stones
  3. Led Zeppelin
  4. Jimi Hendrix
  5. Elvis Presley
  6. The Who
  7. U2
  8. Pink Floyd
  9. The Doors
  10. The Police
  11. Elton John
  12. Metallica
  13. AC/DC
  14. Van Halen
  15. Nirvana
  16. Guns N' Roses
  17. Santana
  18. The Allman Brothers Band
  19. Bon Jovi
  20. David Bowie
  21. Grateful Dead
  22. Rush
  23. Yes
  24. Black Sabbath
  25. Bob Dylan
  26. James Brown
  27. The Beach Boys
  28. Eric Clapton
  29. Fleetwood Mac
  30. The Eagles
  31. Bob Marley
  32. Van Morrison
  33. Bruce Springsteen
  34. The Clash
  35. Queen
  36. Janis Joplin
  37. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
  38. R.E.M.
  39. The Kinks
  40. Steely Dan
  41. Steve Miller Band
  42. Jethro Tull
  43. Tool
  44. The Scorpions
  45. Coldplay
  46. Stone Temple Pilots
  47. Rod Stewart
  48. Marilyn Manson
  49. Creedence Clearwater Revival
  50. KISS
  51. The Pretenders
  52. Green Day
  53. Aerosmith
  54. Tina Turner
  55. Pearl Jam
  56. Ted Nugent
  57. Pantera
  58. Motörhead
  59. Judas Priest
  60. ZZ Top
  61. Megadeth
  62. Motley Crue
  63. Alice Cooper
  64. Def Leppard
  65. Iron Maiden
  66. Billy Idol
  67. Journey
  68. Anthrax
  69. Rage Against the Machine
  70. Blue Oyster Cult
  71. Alice in Chains
  72. Genesis
  73. Red Hot Chili Peppers
  74. Chuck Berry
  75. Buddy Holly
  76. Little Richard
  77. Elvis Costello
  78. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
  79. Sex Pistols
  80. Cream
  81. Frank Zappa
  82. Talking Heads
  83. Stevie Ray Vaughan
  84. Billy Joel
  85. The Band
  86. Ramones
  87. Lynyrd Skynyrd
  88. Jerry Lee Lewis
  89. Doobie Brothers
  90. Foo Fighters
  91. The Cure
  92. Soundgarden
  93. Iggy Pop
  94. Peter Gabriel
  95. The Byrds
  96. Traffic
  97. Deep Purple
  98. Blondie
  99. Velvet Underground
  100. Heart

Home | Bands | Videos | Store | Events | Unsigned Bands | Blog | Contact

Copyright © 2023 · strictlyrock.com

Copyright © 2023 · Website Maintenance Services