7. Gaucho by Steely Dan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBdv_tqVqkw&list=OLAK5uy_nY5vTbyJQBHmubrYmo49x0ZNq8zrIh7CM&index=1
Gaucho was released in November of 1980, and while I enjoyed the songs "Hey Nineteen" and "Time Out of Mind" when I heard them on the radio back then, I really didn't appreciate the awesomeness of Steely Dan, or this entire album, until grad school when Erik started getting into playing jazz piano and we had a lot of jazz music being played in the house all the time. Tom Banyas gave me an appreciation for jazz, and having had the opportunity to play a few jazz solos on my flugelhorn during band tour, I have always fantasized what it would be like to play in a group like Steely Dan. Also, it's got somewhat of a timeless sound, as it's one of the bands that Erik and I can both listen to with equal enjoyment, and he often plays their songs when he's painting.
Why are Steely Dan records so good? Because they don't think that they have to do it all themselves. They are not afraid to use oodles of session musicians to record different parts of different songs. For example, they will invite multiple guitarists to play on different songs on an album, depending on what kind of sound they're going for. Also, Steely Dan has a reputation for excellence that is legendary among musicians. No detail is too small to escape their attention. Their records have won multiple Grammys for engineering, and it is customary for engineers to use Steely Dan records to check the sound on their systems. In fact, St. Vincent once fired a sound engineer on the spot when she found out the guy didn't use Steely Dan to do the sound check before she started recording for one of her albums. Because of this level of perfection in their music, when Gaucho was released, it was the most expensive album ever made up to that point. They had 42 other musicians playing on it, and they'd do 40 or more takes of each song recording. Also, the engineer spent over $150,000 (over $500,000 in today's dollars) just to create a drum machine. So, yeah, this album won a Grammy for sound engineering too.
I like lots of other Steely Dan albums, but this one is just chock-a-block full of great songs that you can listen to over and over, which is a good thing, because it's only 7 songs long, which means if you're in the mood to listen to some Gaucho, you're going to have to listen to the album two or three times before the mood has time to pass. But because the music is so complex, and because the lyrics are so clever (they are masters of irony), it always seems like there's something else to explore in the music each time you listen to it. The chord progressions, the harmonies, the instrumentation--it all makes the earbones go "Ahhhhhh!"
So go ahead and relax, sit back, and chill out to some Steely Dan and imagine what it would be like to play jazz trombone for them.
By the way, "Hondo Joe" would make a great jazz nickname for a trombonist!
Nardo
#7: Steely Dan—Gaucho. When I was living the life of pernicious asceticism for two years in West Virginia, my favorite assigned roommate was A-a-ron. He was also my coolest assigned roommate. He was cool, popular, and athletic, but he also had some nerd tendencies. (A cool guy who likes Star Trek? Who knew that was possible in 1986?) So, I valued his opinion more so than the opinion of most.
ReplyDeleteSo, that’s why I was particularly offended when he inferred that, when it came to my musical tastes, I was a follower. At the time, my “cognitive triad” of musical acts consisted of ELO, Billy Joel, and Phil Collins. (With Queen and Styx in the on-deck circle.) He felt that because all of these groups were quite popular, that I might only like them because of their popularity, or because of the influence of others.
This bothered me at the time. Damnit, I liked who I liked because I liked them! But then…my brother was a big reason why I started liking ELO…and Nardo was quite influential for my fandom of Billy Joel…and Phil Collins was, at the time, more popular than Coke, Pepsi, and New Coke combined. Maybe he was right? Maybe my tastes in music were completely dependent on the influence of others?
And maybe that’s why, when I returned to the west from my temporary exile, I sought to put a stamp of individuality on my personal musical tastes. I sought out such a variety of artists and songs that no one would ever be able to accuse me of just following the trends. They Might Be Giants. Midnight Oil. Harvey Danger. Ed Freakin’ Ames!!! (Go ahead, tell me how my love for “Mingo, the Man With the Bullwhip” was influenced by popular opinion! I dare you!)
So, what does any of this have to do with “Gaucho” by Steely Dan? Not much, really. But, when we started doing these lists of favorite songs and albums I found, unsurprisingly, that there were a lot of similarities in our musical tastes. We do, after all, share most of the same geographic, religious, and socio-economic upbringing. There are, however, some distinct differences in musical tastes. And that’s okay.
When it comes to jazz, I’m more inclined to be referring to Jerry Sloan, Jeff Hornacek, or Jordan Clarkson than Walter Becker, Donald Fagen, or Jeff Porcaro. I’m more Greg Ostertag than Jeff “Skunk” Baxter. I prefer a team whose name is influenced by a city a couple thousand miles away than a group whose name is influenced by a…wait, is that actually correct?
But that’s okay. It’s okay to have differing musical tastes. I’m more power-pop than jazz-fusion, and I always will be.
Having said that, I do find plenty to like in “Gaucho.” The opening notes of “Hey Nineteen” are iconic, and it’s almost criminal that the song (and those notes) don’t lead off the album. It would be a great way to start. (Especially since the song that does lead off the album, “Babylon Sisters,” is my least favorite song from the album.)
I had not given any thought to “Time Out of Mind” for some forty years, but found myself remembering it as it played, and enjoying it the more I listened. And it’s hard to dislike any song that includes lyrics about “bodacious cowboys,” and a “spangled leather poncho!” (None of my ponchos are spangled.) (None of them are leather, either.) (Come to think of it, I don’t think I own ANY ponchos.) (What's wrong with me?)