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The group's history is divided into three stages. The first incarnation was a rock band that toured and recorded from around 1972 to around 1974; the second phase (1975-80) was as a purely studio-based act still using the name Steely Dan but now based solely around the songwriting team of Becker and Fagen; the third phase was Becker and Fagen's surprise return to recording and performing during the 1990s, with the band reconsituted as a large jazz-rock ensemble that both tours regularly and has released several acclaimed live and studio albums.
The band's heyday was in the 1970s, when they released a half dozen consummate albums, which skilfully blended jazz, rock and roll, funk, rhythm and blues, pop and everything in between. Their music, which at may at first appear 'smooth' and 'easy listening', is characterized by complex jazz-influenced structures and harmonies and unparalleled musicianship, and Steely Dan's albums are found by fans to be satisfying on many levels.
Their enigmatic, sardonically humorous and topical lyrics add enormously to the appeal of the songs. Although the pair might have at first owed a certain lyrical debt to Bob Dylan, they rapidly developed their own distinctive style and have since become one of the most accomplished and respected songwriting teams of their age. Perhaps influenced by their early hardships as songwriters for hire, the duo have never given songs to other performers.
Musically, their sound is full of energy, though not an energy of aggression or speed. This comes partly from the tightness of the musicians and partly from Becker and Fagen's deep grounding in and love for jazz and rhythm & blues. Their major musical focus has always been to create a precise mood or 'feel' that underscores the lyrics.
Long known as perfectionists, they often recorded take after take before selecting the player or performance that made the final cut on their albums. The guitar solo on Peg, for example, was attempted by four fine guitarists before Jay Graydon's chorus became the 'keeper'.
Becker and Fagen also favour a distinctly soul-influenced style of backing vocal, which after the first few albums were almost always performed by a female chorus (although Michael McDonald features prominently on the 1977 song Peg). On several albums they used famous session singers Venetta Fields and Shirley MacDonald , who have appeared on many other famous recordings including albums by The Rolling Stones and Boz Scaggs.
The attraction of their music also comes partly from the structure of each song, which will often contain counter-melodies and solid rhythm to keep the listener interested. It also comes from the sound of each instrument, which is recorded with utmost fidelity and attention to sonic detail, in a style that appeals to the ear and is mixed such a way that all instruments are heard and none are given undue priority. For example, in the song Parker's Band, two drum kits are used. This gives the song an unexpected drive, without overpowering the sound; it is not even immediately apparent. Their albums are also notable for the characteristically 'warm' and 'dry' production sound, and the sparing use of echo and reverberation, effects which were often heavily over-used on other rock recordings of this period.
Lyrically, their songs cover a wide range of topics. The duo have said that in retrospect, most of their albums have a 'feel' of either New York or Los AngelesThis article is about the city in California. For other uses of 'Los Angeles' see Los Angeles (disambiguation The City of Los Angeles widely known by its abbreviation L. is a large coastal metropolis in Southern California in the western United States., the two main bases where Becker and Fagen lived and operated (see below). Characters appear in their songs that evoke these cities. Themes of sex, drugsRecreational drug use is the use of psychoactive drugs for recreational rather than medical or spiritual purposes, although the distinction is not always clear. Regardless of medical supervision, this label does not apply to the use of drugs for utilitari, and rock 'n roll appear, but never in a straightforward manner, neither encouraging or discouraging, and often with an ironic edge.
Some lyrics are notable for their unusual scansion patterns; a prime example of this is their 1972 hit Reelin' In The Years, which crams an unusually large number of words into each line, giving it a highly syncopated quality, not dissimilar to rap:
Another good example of their '70s writing style is Kid Charlemagne from The Royal Scam. Although the lyrics are, at first glance, typically oblique and allusive, Becker and Fagen have hinted that it was partly inspired by the exploits of the infamous 1960s San Francisco-based LSDD-Lysergic Acid Diethylamide commonly called acid LSD or LSD-25 is a powerful semisynthetic hallucinogen and psychedelic entheogen. A typical dose of LSD is only 100 micrograms, a tiny amount equal to one-tenth the weight of a grain of sand. LSD causes of chemist Owsley ( Augustus Owsley Stanley III ) -- although it conflates the core story with numerous other images of the Sixties. This is evident in the following lines:
The first two lines draw on the fact that Owsley's acid was famed for its purity, although the last line is clearly a reference to the famous psychedelic bus named " Furthur", which was used by the Merry Pranksters.
Other intriguing themes are also present, such as prejudice, growing old, failure, poverty and middle-class ennui, as seen from an ironic and detachedly intelligent perspective. Many of their songs concern love, but none can be classed as straightforward love songs, since there is inevitably an ironic or disturbing twist in the lyrics which sets them apart from the typical love song fare.
A fine example of this aspect of their writing can be found in the song Janie Runaway (2000), which at first glance reads like an optimistic love song, with the narrator singing the praises of his new love -- but a closer examination reveals the relationship to be between a teenage (and possibly underage) runaway and a jaded, wealthy, New York rake who, by song's end, is part threatening, part bribing the girl into joining him for an out-of-state 'threesome' weekend with another young woman.
Gaslighting Abbie (2000), also from the Two Against Nature album, also presents itself as a love song, but the lyrics reveal that the narrator is conspiring with his lover on a sadistic plan to drive his wife insane. As the title suggests, the song was inspired by the famous 1944 George Cukor thriller Gaslight, starring Ingrid Bergman, in which the husband of Bergman's character (played by Charles Boyer) attempts to drive her mad.
Steely Dan's lyrics are unusually challenging and interesting, and can attract and hold one's attention alongside the music, inviting repeated listenings to their songs. Many songs contain subtle coded references, word-games, unusual (and sometimes original) slang expressions and intriguing lyrical choices and constructions, all of which enable the songs to be analysed in considerable depth. Jazz is a recurring theme, with references abounding in their songs, and there are numerous other film, television and literary references and allusions, such as Home At Last (from Aja), which was inspired by The Odyssey.
'Namechecking' is another classic Dan lyrical device, and references to real places and people abound in their songs. The Two Against Nature album (2000) contains numerous references to New York, including the district of Gramercy Park and the well-known upmarket food business http://www.deandeluca.com/ .
The song Black Friday (1975) contains one of their most fascinating 'namechecks', a surprising reference to the town of Muswellbrook in northern New South Wales, Australia:
It has startled and amused many Australian fans, but is believed to have been selected from an atlas, primarily because it worked effectively with the next rhyme:
and also because it allowed them to also create the amusing couplets in the next stanza:
It is typical of their wry sense of humour that the reference to kangaroos makes no particular sense unless you know that Muswellbrook is located in Australia.
The "Fever Dreams" website (see External Links) is highly recommended, and contains some fascinating, revealing (and sometimes hilarious) analyses by Dan fans, many based on the rare snippets of information that Becker and Fagen occaasionally reveal about their writing.
The band's name (like a number of others) is derived from the works of William S. Burroughs: Steely Dan is the name of a steam-powered dildo that appeared in Burroughs' book Naked Lunch. Fagen once explained, "We just wanted to give the band a little more thrust than most other bands."
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