Fire In the Hole

October 24, 2006 9:02 AM

An album with two middle-aged women who sit by a piano and sing 30 year old Steely Dan songs is, on paper, a hopelessly uncommercial idea. Swedish Jazz singers Rebecka Törnqvist and Sara Isaksson sing Steely Dan. Here's a taste: Do It Again and Barrytown.
posted by three blind mice (29 comments total)

not getting anything on those two song links...
posted by dreamsign at 9:11 AM on October 24, 2006

Wow, both of those clips gave me goosebumps. Those women are incredible.
posted by arcticwoman at 9:12 AM on October 24, 2006

Hmm, took loads of attempts for some reason, but finally got Barrytown to play. Initially skeptical, but it grew on me fast. I'd listen to a whole album of that.
posted by dreamsign at 9:21 AM on October 24, 2006

I once saw two incredibly hot chicks (one pianist, one guitarist) do covers of Steely Dan tunes in the lobby lounge at the Pan Pacific Hotel in Vancouver, BC.

This is better.
posted by psmealey at 9:26 AM on October 24, 2006

... I liked what I heard. Steely Dan tunes are generally great, and great tunes usually lend themselves very well to re-interpretation.

An artist's age, doing covers, and being "commercial", have very little to do with good music. Else we wouldn't have jazz, would we?
posted by Artful Codger at 9:37 AM on October 24, 2006

Phenomenally excellent, goosebumps here also. Thanks for the post.
posted by Turtles all the way down at 9:43 AM on October 24, 2006

Good find TBM, thanks.
posted by doctor_negative at 9:52 AM on October 24, 2006

If I may state the obvious: Steely Dan is the cat's pajamas.
posted by spock at 10:16 AM on October 24, 2006

We'll know October 16 when Fire In The Hole - Sing Steely Dan is released. ¹

The internet has failed. I can't figure out how to buy this CD. Please hope me.
posted by sequential at 10:16 AM on October 24, 2006

I can thoroughly recommend EVERYTHING by Rebecka Törnqvist. She's brilliant, but almost unknown outside of Sweden.
posted by three blind mice at 10:17 AM on October 24, 2006

Please hope me.

I bought my copy (the first CD I've bought in ages) in the record store here in Stockholm. Don't know if this is much help, but the CD is put out by Moule Recordings.
posted by three blind mice at 10:21 AM on October 24, 2006

Good stuff. I'll bet even Rebecka Törnqvist knows there's one roulade she can't sing.
posted by hal9k at 10:27 AM on October 24, 2006

I don't see why. An album with two middle aged guys singing new Steely Dan songs won the Grammy for best album a couple of years back.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 10:29 AM on October 24, 2006 [2 favorites]

How can I get these clips to work?
posted by emelenjr at 10:52 AM on October 24, 2006

I wasn't expecting to like this, but it was oddly appealing.

Thanks TBM for broadening my horizons.
posted by dios at 10:58 AM on October 24, 2006

Perhaps the 'middle-aged women' comment refers to the album cover, which is NOT a picture of the artists.

Great performances, though...
posted by DandyRandy at 11:40 AM on October 24, 2006

clips wouldn't work for me in firefox, had to fire up IE...curses!

and double curses--I can't find the album anywhere, either. it's not even on GEMM, as far as I can tell.
posted by theoddball at 1:32 PM on October 24, 2006

I really liked it. I wish there was more to listen to on-line. Guess I'll have to buy the CD. In the meanwhile, I'm off to spin Citizen Steely Dan...
posted by spacely_sprocket at 1:34 PM on October 24, 2006

This is officially 1000x better than Smashmouth's attempt to cover "Do It Again" on the "Me, Myself and Irene" soundtrack
posted by The Gooch at 3:05 PM on October 24, 2006

Törnqvist = Thorny branch.

Kickass name, really.
posted by spazzm at 3:36 PM on October 24, 2006

This is cool, I want the CD. That said...those two, totally NOT middle aged.
posted by dejah420 at 8:17 PM on October 24, 2006

I couldn't see the video, but the audio was great.

Why do I like those damn Steely Dan songs so much!?
posted by nonmyopicdave at 9:49 PM on October 24, 2006

I was definitely NOT expecting mefi to like Steely Dan so much, I mean I love them but I'm a total dork.

Heh, wait a minute...
posted by slickvaguely at 11:14 PM on October 24, 2006

I am partial to The Royal Scam and Can't Buy a Thrill albums. Steely Dan songs have always been fun to sing: lovely melodies, killer lyrics. I remember some very old interview in Musician magazine where one of the two, Becker or Fagan, said their fans were nuts. Something like, "That guy who hijacked the bus--I bet he has five copies of the Royal Scam." *

* I actually found the interview online! Gotta love the internets. I remember reading the actual paper magazine ages ago:
BECKER: Right, or just flipped-out. Like that guy who hi-jacked that bus today [a friend of theirs had been hijacked in midtown Manhattan] probably has forty-seven copies of The Royal Scam at home.
posted by eegphalanges at 3:47 AM on October 25, 2006

I emailed Moule website, they say the CD is availabe here:
http://www.skivhugget.com
posted by doctor_negative at 5:44 AM on October 25, 2006

Great find-- and I'd never heard of Radio Dupree, either. Thanks.

Anyone else think "West of Hollywood" might be the Dan's best song?
posted by ibmcginty at 10:57 AM on October 25, 2006

I don't know about claiming one of the songs from the "new" Dan era as their best ever, but that's a good one. The sax solo doesn't hold my attention, though. From that album, I'd say Jack of Speed or Negative Girl are the strongest. From Everything Must Go, I'd say the title track or Things I Miss the Most.
posted by emelenjr at 1:01 PM on October 26, 2006

On Steely Dan covers and related sounding musicthings, I've enjoyed some of Bill Swann's stuff. The band Terramarra also has some obvious SD influence.
posted by cps at 2:29 PM on October 26, 2006

Perhaps the 'middle-aged women' comment refers to the album cover, which is NOT a picture of the artists.

Not that it matters, but the women on the album cover are clearly seniors. I'm going to guess that Rebecka Törnqvist is in her late 30's/early 40's. In which case, if that's middle aged, then so am I.

Ugh.
posted by psmealey at 3:42 PM on October 27, 2006