the making of peg

July 4, 2006 1:33 PM

steely dan fans - the making of peg
posted by vronsky (31 comments total)

It's my favourite foreign movie.
posted by hangashore at 1:40 PM on July 4, 2006

What's that "rich girls are weeping" blog business in the URL?
posted by Gator at 1:41 PM on July 4, 2006

YouTube link to a rip from the DVD Series "Classic Albums", in this case, "Classic Albums - Aja" - review link here, Amazon mefi'd link, here.

Nice to see.

I don't want to get too MeTa, but why does your youtube link carry a referrer to http://therichgirlsareweeping%2eblogspot%2ecom/? I'm guessing you double clicked on their post?
posted by cavalier at 1:44 PM on July 4, 2006

Steely Dan week on MeFi will be right back after these messages.
posted by TedW at 1:44 PM on July 4, 2006

Not wishing to be a snarkmeister, Steely Dan fans probably already have the DVD. Or perhaps (like me) recorded it off the telly.
posted by Grangousier at 1:45 PM on July 4, 2006

The Steely Dan database (legend).
posted by Kwantsar at 1:56 PM on July 4, 2006

Hey, snarkmiester -- I learned this song note for note off the album when I was 15 -- Chuck Rainey is like a GOD to me, and I had no clue this existed as a film until now. That section a couple minutes in where they solo just the bass & drums is like manna for me. Rainey's P bass tone on this & the Royal Scam is the holy grail of bass tones. Love it.

Rock on, YouTubeFilter.
posted by Devils Rancher at 2:07 PM on July 4, 2006

Music porn--I love it.
posted by bardic at 2:15 PM on July 4, 2006

all you gotta do is listen to their albums to know that they were precise, perfectionist taskmasters.
posted by crunchland at 2:18 PM on July 4, 2006

Actually singing and layering the notes of a chord for the furking background--genius.

And you gotta respect the ears on these guys, as crunchland notes--those other guitar solos were pretty weak. Sure there's technique, but that fakie slack key thing completes the song.

God, I wish this existed for every cool tune.
posted by bardic at 2:36 PM on July 4, 2006

Are you with us Dr. Wu?
posted by Ironmouth at 2:49 PM on July 4, 2006

Singing and layering the notes of the chord, while still keeping within the theme of the lyrics. That is genius.
posted by Ironmouth at 2:51 PM on July 4, 2006

It's at least extremely anal-retentive...
posted by stenseng at 3:01 PM on July 4, 2006

Nerdly goodness...thanks for this! (I never would have thought to troll YouTube for Steely Dan documentaries....go figure)
posted by tristeza at 3:50 PM on July 4, 2006

If some of you fans here are under 25, I'm glad to see it. Younger people I've talked to merely relegate Steely Dan to the "easy listening" genre, and that makes me cry.
posted by crunchland at 4:11 PM on July 4, 2006

YouTube would be a great way to contaminate a lot of computers with child porn.
posted by mischief at 4:45 PM on July 4, 2006

is this the right place to say "steely dan sucks, you nerds?"
posted by Hat Maui at 5:08 PM on July 4, 2006

God, I wish this existed for every cool tune.

Maybe not every cool tune, but they exist for a lot of them.
posted by scrump at 5:11 PM on July 4, 2006

U N D E R T H E B A N Y A N T R E E S
posted by growabrain at 5:50 PM on July 4, 2006

Are you with us Dr. Wu?
posted by Ironmouth at 5:49 PM EST on July 4

I am with you! Thanks for thinking of me.
I heartily approve of this post - really interesting stuff.

Metafilter: With only you and what I've found, we'll wear the weary hours down.
posted by Dr. Wu at 7:20 PM on July 4, 2006

Are these guys supposed to be some kind of band?
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 7:39 PM on July 4, 2006

Get along, Kid Charlemagne.
Clean this mess up else we'll all end up in jail
posted by hangashore at 8:24 PM on July 4, 2006

This Steely Dan...it vibrates?
posted by scrump at 8:41 PM on July 4, 2006

I can't believe a whole Steely Dan thread went by without a single mention of Yacht Rock!
posted by svenni at 8:43 PM on July 4, 2006

Svenni,
Thank you so much for linking to Yacht Rock. I'd never heard of it and now I've just seen all 10 episodes. Oh man, that was funny.
posted by Kloryne at 11:19 PM on July 4, 2006

I'm a bit over 25 now, but I've loved Steely Dan for years.

And the video was totally awesome. Both of them.
posted by neckro23 at 12:28 AM on July 5, 2006

Interesting to hear Rick Marotta's comments on how the subtleties of his hi-hat work were often obliterated by ham-handed mixing engineers.

Give the drummer some!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 3:01 AM on July 5, 2006

I've watched the doco on the making of "Aja" over and over, it's fascinating. I love the bit where that journo says lots of people were producing "Jazz-Rock" at the time but the Dan were the only people doing it where the Jazz was really Jazz and the Rock was still Rock, or whatever he says.

And that bit where the musician says they practiced the songs until they were comfortable with every note, then kept on practicing until they were beyond that and the comfort turned into something else...

The "Classic Albums" on Pink Floyd's "Dark Side Of The Moon" is another favourite, music porn fans might like to note.
posted by AmbroseChapel at 3:06 AM on July 5, 2006

A cooler metafilter post might have also made mention of the fact that Michael McDonald (featured in that clip) is on tour with the Dan right now. Which is something I don't think he's done before.

It's a fantastic song, a little overplayed on the classic rock stations, but still just a fantastic song.
posted by inthe80s at 5:54 AM on July 5, 2006

Angels of the law
Luckless pedestrians
I know you're out there
With rage in your eyes and your megaphones

Saying "All is forgiven
Mad dog, surrender"
How can I answer
A man of my mind can do anything
posted by ZenMasterThis at 7:32 AM on July 5, 2006

[Agents of the law, perhaps?]
posted by ZenMasterThis at 7:33 AM on July 5, 2006