Bitch wrote on Jul 30^th, 2009 at 9:10am:



I heard the shows were now postponed for NYC!

"  Have yo seen them lately Joey? "


Yes Bitch and they were excellent .

You see Bitch ,  as you well know  , the best Steely Dan has to offer is not apparent to a casual listener, and doesn't reveal itself immediately. Dan tunes are generally complex, and it takes effort, and time, to fully appreciate their true beauty. Most pop tunes are quite the opposite, all flash but little substance. Of course, the boys are such good songwriters they can even capture the attention of the great masses, with their beautiful melodies and pop hooks, from time to time.

But it goes further than that, even. Unlike most popular artists, Don and Walt do not pander to their audience and/or write songs based on what was popular to the masses. They made music for themselves, first and foremost. Very few artists have exercised that kind of artistic integrity and maintained it over such a long period of time. Add to that their great reluctance to do the things most artists are willing to do, to sell records and further their popular stardom. Don and Walt have no interest in being "Rock Stars".

In many ways, I reverse the question  and wonder, "How did so many Steely Dan songs ever become popular with the great unwashed?" They were lucky to be around at the right time, when radio played diverse music, and wasn't as beholden to the consultant-driven playlists and cross-media forces that exist today.

It's clear to me that many who grew to like the Dan during the 70's, were drawn to the pop-side of their music. What might be less clear (but no less true) is a large percentage of those people have some trouble with the newer stuff, which lacks some of the flash of their earlier stuff...but still retains the substance. Just like Dan past, the new stuff grows and glows after repeated listening. The songs are, on the whole, more fully realized. But let's face it, they have fewer shiny things (wailing guitar solos, killer pop hooks) for those who need to have instant gratification in order to facilitate further listening.

I agree that many simply have not been properly exposed to the music of Steely Dan, and they would be better off, musically, if they were. But I also have enjoyed the bond serious Dan fans have with each other, the secret we share, that others are either incapable of knowing or unwilling to learn. It's good to see the boys experience a bit of a revival in public appreciation/adoration, from time to time. I just hope that appreciation never gets too widespread, as it will be a sure indication they are doing something wrong.

'kins .


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/30/arts/music/30steely.html?
_r=1&scp=3&sq=steely%20dan&st=cse

I caught a Steely Dan show last year. It was quite excellent. Mixed up the setlist very nicely. I would love to see them do all of The Royal Scam live. Can't fit it in the budget though. Too much BRUUUCE.

"  Maybe I'll check into this a little bit further with the new music and whats going on with The Beacon run. Guess it's worth $99 for a theatre show."


Amen Bitch !!!!!!

On Don:

"In a band with almost zero stage presence, he’s a wild card, a kind of gothic Muppet: arms moving up and down like monster claws, jaw opening wide on every line. His voice faltered a few times, the normal erosion of age. But he was deep in the music, singing rhythmically and playing astonishingly good keyboards: unprepossessing solos, swinging, nasty and percussive, a cross between Count Basie and Ray Charles."

This is mighty tasty stuff. Full review here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/30/arts/music/30steely.html

Joey's SD musings are courtesy of www.dandom.com

Joey - ripping off other people's material since 1999. ™

" Maybe I'll check into this a little bit further with the new music and whats going on with The Beacon run. Guess it's worth $99 for a theatre show.  "


For My Bitch !!!!! :


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlZmn3gXWzE

" So far I have excellent recordings of them playing Aja, Gaucho and The Royal Scam...for those of you who use bittorrent you can d/l them at www.thetradersden.org. "


Bob .......................................


You have a PM !!!!!!!!!

look for ringo to make an appearance at a few shows.

I think in the next few years we are going to see this more and more from our favorites. I'll definately go see Paul on that tour somewhere.

Bitch wrote on Aug 3^rd, 2009 at 9:40pm:


retirement is just that... but it's good to stop and enjoy your life and take it easy and then die. it's not sad at all, it's very beautiful...

I wouldnt be caught dead at one of his shows.

Ex-Beatle Paul McCartney hasn’t sold out Fenway ... yet

By Thomas Grillo
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Boston Herald.com


Fans may have had enough of Paul McCartney’s silly love songs - and the novelty of seeing a concert at Fenway Park may have worn off.

Unlike Bruce Springsteen, the Police, Dave Matthews and the Rolling Stones, all of whom sold out Fenway Park in minutes, there are still plenty of affordable tickets available for Sir Paul’s shows tonight and tomorrow.

“The economy has taken its toll,” said James Holzman, president of Ace Tickets.


It’s unclear how many tickets are available for the two shows or whether fans can buy seats at the Fenway Park box office.

Heidi Collins at Live Nation, the concert promoter, said the shows were not sold out but refused to disclose any details. She referred calls to McCartney’s New York publicist. But Michelle Barrera, McCartney’s spokeswoman, said in an e-mail, “We do not have that information.”

One thing is clear, however. The concert promoters are scrambling to publicize the show with last-minute commercials on the radio.

The Rolling Stones, who performed at Fenway in 2005, hold the record for the highest average ticket price there at $334, according to StubHub, the online marketplace for ticket buyers and sellers.

A check of Ticketmaster late yesterday found dozens of $69 seats available for McCartney on both nights. An e-mail this week said new tickets had been released “due to production modifications.”

FanSnap.com, a search engine that provides links to tickets from ticket agents, has 1,800 McCartney tickets for the two nights available yesterday starting at $75 and tickets were being offered on the Craigslist Web site for below face value.

Michael Janes, FanSnap’s CEO, said the former Beatle faces tough competition from summer tours. “I’ve never seen so many concerts in one summer,” he said. “There’s lots of musicians competing for the fan’s dollar.”

Gary Bongiovanni, editor-in-chief at Pollstar, a music industry trade magazine, said that selling 80,000 tickets over two nights is a daunting task even in a go-go economy.

“Perhaps people have already seen McCartney before, and if you have to make hard economic choices, maybe you don’t go again,” he said.