Classical Composer Reacts to Do It Again (Steely Dan) | The Daily Doug (Episode 514)

[@metalmark1214]

Steely Dan is when you get your mellow on. The instrument used on the first instrumental break is an electric sitar, which was played by Steely Dan mainstay Denny Dias (who later became a computer programmer). This is followed by an organ solo, which was played by Donald Fagen. This was described in the album liner notes as "an inexpensive, imported plastic organ (an instrument which long ago fell into disuse in most rock circles)." This was later revealed to be a Yamaha YC-30 with something called a portamento ribbon, which could create the slide effect.

[@uncleremus5046]

Steely Dan is anything but mellow if you understand the lyrics. Their the most bleak, diabolical, satirical, apocalyptic band of all time!

[@metalmark1214]

@@uncleremus5046 It's mellow music to me, musically.

[@uncleremus5046]

@@metalmark1214 Yes & that’s the irony. They play the Dan in doctors offices & the lyrics are singing about pedo’s, porn, drug smuggling, murder etc. It’s Fagen & Beckers sick genius!

[@aquatarkus2022]

Keyboard should have been a Farfisa.

[@jml-rj5re]

@@uncleremus5046 Experts in Subversion: Steely Dan The underbelly of America - exposed. Except in their stealthy manner.

[@NickBR57]

One of the greatest and most original bands ever - even though there were lots of guests, Fagan and Becker were unique. Every album a masterpiece. I love them all.

[@marcomanfredini4483]

50 years.. but good music Is just timeless..

[@Lightmane]

Beethoven and Mozart agree : )

[@mournblade1066]

Donald Fagen has one of the coolest voices in rock music.

[@robertcussins2807]

First song I ever heard by the Dan...AM radio. Not this one, but Reelin' In the Years. I was 13 and my mom was in the car and said, "I like this...such a great beat." All my friends couldn't believe my mom dug rock music. She really liked Steppenwolf, Three Dog Night, The Guess Who, and so many more. Miss her so much.

[@cozmicpfunk]

Hey Robert, I also had a very cool mom who dug Rock music. Those are precious memories from our past that also help keep the music alive and flourishing for us. The Dan are giants in music :)

[@lemmy9809]

This is your captain speaking your captain is dead ❤

[@Bryman1970]

SD has been a staple in my life for years. Superior musicianship that just got better as their albums progressed.

[@joebarrera9741]

One of the Giants in music history for me ...I never get tired of listening to STEELY DAN

[@darinhusk366]

I grew up hearing this song and never knew the meaning or lyrics. Fifty plus years later, it now hits home. Having friends and family make bad decisions with money, women, drugs and alcohol, this song has more meaning to me. Thanks for sharing, and cheers!

[@fostercathead]

Mostly women, I assume.

[@robmoffat70]

That exquisite recording is in no small part thanks to the perfectionism of engineer Roger ‘The Immortal’ Nichols. RIP

[@TheNamesJER]

Steely Dan was always one of my dad’s favorites so I knew a fair amount of their songs, and when my dad passed I started going through his CDs and rediscovering music him and I had listened to. Steely Dan stood out even more now and since then their album Aja specifically has become one of my favorite albums of all time. Love seeing you do a reaction to them because there’s just so much interesting things going on in their music.

[@MrBruinman86]

Great band. I truly hope you do more reactions to their songs. Their catalogue is vast and filled with timeless gems. Well worth thew time.

[@MartijnFrazer]

"in the land of milk & honey, you must put them on the table" I love that line so much

[@ethanwork764]

What does it mean?

[@MartijnFrazer]

​@@ethanwork764 "The land of milk & honey" is a reference to "the promised land" from the bible. It's how they imagine Israel to be, a place where everything is available in abundance, a utopian paradise where no person has to go hungry or thirsty. But intertwined in this line is the saying "putting food on the table", which is about having to work just to make enough money not to starve. I like the contrast between these two concepts very much, combined into a single line. It's like a metaphor for America: on the one hand a place where plenty of food & drink is available, but at the same time people have to toil away just to get by.

[@jus10kase]

@@MartijnFrazer there is no "putting food on the table". It`s from the verse about gambling and refers to the previous line; "Your black cards can make you money, so you hide them when you`re able." So I think you can`t hide them in the promised land.

[@steelyd2]

You might be able to cheat (hiding your cards at the table) but god is always watching and you’ll eventually have to own up to it. When you die and go to the land of milk of honey you must put those cards on the table

[@hugegnarlyeyeball]

@@MartijnFrazer this is the way i've always thought of it

[@getexis8685]

Who doesn't feel an impulse to dance to these contagious rhythms?

[@alanfine9825]

Brings me back to my Freshman year in H.S., sitting in the cafeteria listening to this on the jukebox!!!!! Always liked it.

[@svenknutsen8937]

Thanks for the reaction (and for explaining the lyrics to me)! I just love this song!

[@chadsekeras9747]

Anything Steely Dan did was a master piece. One of my favorite bands when I just want to chill to and groove.

[@LynneConnolly]

one of the few bands I've never stopped listening to.

[@rickschaut8366]

I’m still of the opinion that this is one of the best debut albums of all time, and I often think about the synergy between Steely Dan’s music and the rise of FM radio. Without the increased fidelity of FM radio, does nuanced music gain a popular foothold? Without nuanced music, what’s the point of high fidelity radio? Chickens and eggs.

[@jazzpunk]

Man, I am with you...one of the greatest debut albums, any genre. Chicago debut, too. Interesting comment about FM. We lived on AM until the 1972 Buick. 🙂

[@jumblechaos9035]

My all-time favourite guitar solo - or electric sitar solo I suppose. The phrasing is just sublime.

[@truthdweller3454]

Denny Dias

[@russellflagg8519]

Steely Dan made amazing and unique music. I listened to several of their songs, including this one, last night at work.

[@marcomanfredini4483]

Just what i need.. thanks

[@danieltruyts-ke4gi]

"Do it again" was only the beginning... the rest is history.

[@jta1973]

"Jack" is all of us at one time or another 😆 🍻

[@markhoudlette5058]

'Can't Buy A Thrill' was the first album I ever purchased as a 12 year old young man. Actually, I was on the USS America (CVA-66) believe it or not... my dad was coming back from a med cruise and they allowed us to fly down to Florida to meet the ship, then sail back to VA Beach with our dads. Bought the album in the ship store for a whopping $5.99. Such an amazing memory and the album still sounds so crisp and relevant even today. Love THE DAN!

[@jfraser62]

My first album, too!

[@MisterSpigot95]

Steely Dan - Not one single song that isn't a masterpiece. Great quality control.

[@richardprice5843]

Thanks Doug Steely Dan are my go to band love them .love your shows too really entertaining.From checking you out lately there seems to be a common thread that most of the great bands were putting out amazing albums out around 1972,1973 and you have covered loads of them thank you they are great to hear.Not sure if you have heard this band from the UK who were out around the same time Greenslade Album Bedside manners are extra check them out awesome.

[@DaveStubbs-bq6kg]

Thanks to my music-minded Cousins who were several years older , I was introduced to the ‘Dan. This song was one of my first ‘45 records I ever purchased. Btw- some trivia… that organ solo from Donald was played on a smaller kids style organ.

[@sixbladeknife44]

Those flatted fifths in the guitar solo make such a big impact.

[@brucemargolin3986]

Steely Dan doesn't perform this number much in concert. Their current guitarist Jon Heatherington is very good and his solos on Do It Again are quite good (more jazzy), but nothing touches the original.

[@sixbladeknife44]

@@brucemargolin3986 I’ve seen them with Jon in concert (before Walter passed away), really great show but they didn’t play this song then either. The original version is amazing, and I agree it’s pretty untouchable.

[@brucemargolin3986]

@@sixbladeknife44 I find that some of their songs (Do it Again, Showbiz Kids) don't translate as well to live concerts, while songs like Aja and Peg sound great in both venues.

[@trancetheearth]

Yeah Steely Dan is super nice! Thank you for your really nice breakdowns. I ve got maybe a request / suggestion for a reaction: Ozric Tenacles is the name of the band and for a song maybe Jurrasic Shift or Holohedron... its a instrumental psychedelic jam band kinda from the UK started in late 80s and still jamming, really unique sound. Anyway just a suggestion, will check your videos anyway. Big up from Belgium. Cheers

[@sunyata999]

Thanks for a great analysis of a great tune. I could eat that guitar/sitar solo with a knife and fork !

[@adamelliott18]

One of the albums one would play when testing out a new stereo system! You're awesome Doug! :-)

[@willlockler9433]

Thank you.

[@maon7565]

These guys are why I always say "musicianship will never go out of style"

[@spin979]

I've been loving this song for almost 50 years, and I never really understood what it was about. That has only served to heighten its coolness through the roof. Thank you, Doug, for breathing new life into a long time favorite.

[@philblagden]

One of my first full time jobs in a fish and chip fast food restaurant, there was a Steely Dan best of CD that got played a lot. I had never heard of them then but I've like them ever since. This is a great track.

[@briangray00]

Compiling a Greatest Hits of Steely Dan can't be done. You have to get it wrong; you'd have to leave off something that loads of people thought essential. Recommend you listen to the LP that your current favourite is from Phil.

[@philblagden]

@Brian Gray It may have been a 'best of'. It was a compilation.

[@sallybannister6224]

Steely Dan.Perfection . Complex but not cluttered .

[@nikolajkrarup8750]

This channel is by far the best music reaction channel on youtube. Awesome👍

[@sekereterra]

that conga gets me every time no matter how often I hear this song...and I've been enjoying it since the mid- '70s.

[@dannyberry8725]

On your album series you should do the entire Aja album. Best album in music history from the songs, to the players on the album, to the production; just absolute perfection!!!

[@jeffg1524]

Always been a huge Dan fan. Even the fade out in this song is epic. Stellar songwriting and superb musicianship throughout their career (Becker-Fagen). In my mind one of the very rare bands that never made a bad album.

[@ImYourOverlord]

My favorit from the Dan since I was a kid. Whenever I was having dinner at a place that had a juke box, I'd look for this song, and play it if it was there 😁

[@bobthebear1246]

It took a lot of balls for Steely Dan to put a nearly 6-minute song as their leadoff track on their debut album. And it's a great song. But next you should definitely listen to the very next track on the album: "Dirty Work." It's amazing how different of a song it is, especially because it has the beautiful voice of David Palmer on it. Is also one of the greatest songs they ever did.

[@JU5TINPDX]

My parents were born in the late 50’s… so they were 70’s kids. I was born in 81, and my first musical memories were of course influenced by what my parents liked… I loved the vocal harmonies of The Beach Boys… the Beatles… Fleetwood Mac… but my most vivid early memories are sitting in the back of my parents’s Volvo, driving at night in the rain, and listening to Steely Dan cassette tapes. I didn’t have any knowledge of music yet, but I knew that they were different, and way more interesting then most of what I heard…

[@geofflupton1254]

Yes, you could see the theme-line as well as the beginnings pf the soon to be even more sophisticated musical ideas all the way back here.

[@nikolajkrarup8750]

Awesome song. One of my favorite Steely Dan songs. Great band.

[@Kurlybeerd88]

I love this song. Since I was a kid, the sitar-guitar solo has always had a special place in my mind. I decided to study it and try my best to replicate it. Even got a sitar guitar to record it.

[@Plantagenet1956]

Love this song, ever since it was introduced to me by a colleague of mine, in my time in nursing.

[@jaimegarcia6114]

I was a teen in the 70's. Arguably the best decade for music not just in Classic Rock but in R&B, Pop even Country I was fortunate to grow up near Chicago which the music scene was so eclectic. I learned so much about and influenced by music and genres of music that to this day I still search to discover new tunes, nothing like we had in the past for sure. But I will say that I was lucky to be in the middle of that musical explosion in the late 60's and 70's. One of the very first songs I ever heard on a rock/pop station was "Do It Again". I was 12 and became an instant Steely Dan fan. I absolutely love that their music, it's so different. If I were to classify it, it would be Classic Rock or Rock Jazz Fusion I suppose, either way Fagen and Becker were musical geniuses. I have almost all the material they put out. Like so many acts of that time, the music had me mesmerized because it had so much substance and soul, so many artists and songs did not sound the same like the music of today, I'm so glad of that!! Thank You Doug for this one, one of many that are my favorites.

[@sonicart1808]

Awesome thanks Doug.....great band.

[@planckervine2267]

Hearing this coming across the AM top-40 radio airwaves in '72 was a breath of fresh, weird air.

[@23Skeetoo]

The band was infamously named out of William S. Burroughs's novel NAKED LUNCH, and I think this song reflects one of Burroughs's most-noted themes: that drugs are only one of countless destructive addictions out there that keep ya comin' back, Jack, to do it again...

[@danjmcs]

Such a great track off a brilliant album... have this on vinyl and it brings back great memories laying on the floor like i did in college listening to vinyl...

[@cemetarygates2800]

Enjoyed it as always Sir Douglas!

[@anth-ny]

Excellent debut by a most idiosyncratic band of musicians !! While I was watching this I noticed there were 999 thumbs up and thought, lets get this to 1k.

[@joejoesguitarinventions]

and just to leave... one of the best guitar solos.... ever 🎸🎸😊😊

[@pompeomagno5916]

Every SD fan has his list of favourite songs, it's quite impossible come to an agreement on which are the best, and in the end it doesn't even make sense... But regarding a listen for a reaction, I strongly suggest West of Hollywood, from the album Two Against Nature (2000). It's a rather long track fro the SD standards (8:20), and the firat part is kinda sluggish, but slowly the chord progression leads to an incredible ending with a mesmerizing sax solo. I bet you'll love it, Doug!

[@lawsonic]

+1 for your reaction of last year.. still valid this year and next

[@FeralPatrick]

Absolutely love this song. This one and Josie are my all-time SD faves. Thanks for sharing!

[@mournblade1066]

"Josie" is so great--the perfect song to end a perfect album.

[@mauricen9688]

Really deserves a longer jam in the middle.

[@briangray00]

The most economical. succinct chorus ever; and one of the most catchy.

[@jazzpunk]

I first heard "Do It Again" in 1972(?)...at the time, it was Hard/Acid Rock or die. This trance-like vibe sucked me in. "Reeling In The Years", too. This album, IMO, is one of the greatest debuts...any genre.

[@paulehney4581]

Yet another album from my collection Doug, lol. AJA and Royal Scam are a couple of others that sprung to mind as candidates for your consideration. Been a SD fan every since hearing this the first time, and I have been fortunate enough to see them perform live a couple of times.

[@stephenfisch615]

Have you ever done Aja? That is another of the many great songs by Steely Dan that I would love to hear your take on.

[@gwooledge]

You already posted this reaction once. But that's not enough. No! You go back, Doug, do it again.

[@trsidn]

It never really registered before that this was the SD introduction to the world. Hard to top this.

[@nyobunknown6983]

They had 2 song writing books, a pop book and a serious book. This is from their pop book. The pop songs were used to establish themselves so they could do the more sophisticated songs later on.

[@simonjones8111]

In a word, class ❤

[@marzcapone9939]

Coincidentally, today my SACD of Can't Buy a Thrill is shipping from Acoustic Sounds!

[@metalmark1214]

Check out Testament- Return to Serenity. Not to be considered for Metal Monday, it's a ballad.

[@Farkurnell]

The greatest debut album of all time.

[@AlvaroOryan]

Love this song

[@caramanico1]

Nice job (as usual) my good man! A suggestion if I may - to do more videos like these - PLEASE! - how about full analyses of some Elton John and Bernie Taupin collaborations? Not only were they brilliant individually and beyond brilliant when paired together, but they kept up the quality level astonishingly high for half a decade while constantly changing and growing.

[@sungoddiss]

Wow, fantastic!

[@luiz_sickboy]

Yessss more steely dan please

[@trufflehund]

You don't notice the drums and bass, and then you do. The cymbal work is excellent and the bass line is perfect for the song.

[@jamesdignanmusic2765]

The words "Steely Dan" and "great groove" go together like bread and butter. And the musicianship is in a class with very few other bands (maybe Supertramp, maybe Dire Straits...). On the subject of the latter, if you're looking for another band that put their entire mission statement on the first track of their debut album, Dire Straits' "Down to the Waterline" does that brilliantly too.

[@relativetimeworx8459]

Can't Buy definitely belongs on any short list of greatest debut albums!

[@randolphfritz6163]

(In passing and late.) Ah, man, KZbin ate the first version of this comment, so I'll go back and do it again. I always thought this was a kind of reincarnation song, the "wheels turning round and round" line, and the sitar, and a couple of small references to Indian music left me with that impression. So the events of the song happen in different lives of "Jack's" (or perhaps Jack is a generic name for a man.) In that life I blew it, so next life I'll try a different sin, or at least stumble into one… My impression, by the way, is that Fagan and Becker were composers rather than rockers; they'd write (at least a version) of their songs and then go out and find musicians to perform them. Their early and most famous work was recorded in LA, and, LA - you turn over a rock and there's performers.

[@Dan-nj8du]

Would love to see your reaction to Steely Dan's Pretzel Logic from the album of the same name.

[@davshaw5]

That Sitar solo, never a better one since……

[@stevebiddell2839]

Its right in the pocket!

[@SeamusKeleher]

As far as Steely Dan, just listen and enjoy, no judgement.

[@Constantijn09]

Denny Dias is such an underrated guitarist, he and Jeff “Skunk” Baxter set the guitar playing standard with the early Steely Dan records. While Jim Hodder providing a very tasty groove, that is very hard to copy

[@JulieFreyHomeWebBiz]

Two songs to play together with differing future views are: "New Frontier" "International Geophysical Year" song

[@MrCherryJuice]

Sadly, nobody every comments about the faublous cornucopia of rhythmic patterns played by Denny Dias in the electric sitar solo...so I will. I mean, is there any other solo (or sound) like that anywhere else in the pop-rock realm? I think not! Play that solo on a snare drum and the drummer would be deemed incredible. Also, no-one mentions how the vamp at the end of the tune starts to shift from the samba groove to more of a bumped up funky vibe...kind of like what Heart did a few years later at the end of 'Straight On'. It is always great to hear Steely Dan. Theirs is a legacy of tunes where there are three categories of assessment: Great. Greater. Brilliant.

[@robertbeaman5761]

Always wondered if they used a tape loop for the percussions or if they actually played it all the way through.

[@dangarcia9284]

Have you listened to any Loggins & Messina? Listen to "Growin'" from their "Motherlode" album. You will be pleasantly surprised.

[@dangarcia9284]

@Mr_Doug_Helvering What have I won?

[@wfly81]

Hey Doug. You call out the chord changes as they are based on their root, but you don't talk about whether those chords are major or minor...or if they are inside or outside the key. Could you talk about things like modal interchange or even just chord borrowing?

[@evbo_schmev]

Suggestion: (if you haven’t already) introduce yourself and your audience to King Crimson. They have created some of the most beautiful melodies I have ever heard.

[@nikolajkrarup8750]

Larks tongues in aspic

[@evbo_schmev]

@@nikolajkrarup8750 or starless would be great for a reaction

[@nikolajkrarup8750]

@@evbo_schmev Yes. Awesome too

[@grahamhowes6904]

The problem on KZbin is that KC are big on blocking.

[@OriginalLictre]

I think that the word "Jack" in the song was used in the old use, where it's used as a generic form of referring to a man, as a common nickname for a very common male name, "John". I've seen references in fiction where a British sailor is referring to the entire crew when he says "every Jack Tar", or every man-jack. It's also used in the old comment, "Jack of all trades, master of none," to mean somebody who tries to do everything, and as a consequence, can't focus enough on anything to excel at it.

[@FrankPerkins-dd2cb]

This song always gives me the Samtana Black Magic Woman vibes.

[@ledzepgirlnmful]

Great song !!

[@patriciastewart2239]

Rip David Crosby. Love Steely D🎹

[@aquatarkus2022]

Still...one of my faves, Midnight Cruiser is another. Don't forget Don't Take Me Alive.

[@danmage2802]

One of the less well known facts about Steely Dan is that they were a Buddhist band. This song is about the wheel of Samsara.

[@Dalwhat]

When you consider those expert groups that arose in the 70s such as Steely Dan, King Crimson, Yes, Genesis etc, where are the comparable groups these days? With the internet you should be able to unearth those groups today, but they just don't seem to be there.

[@Dalwhat]

Actually I'll just answer my own question.. Polyphia.

[@patriciastewart2239]

We're so similar... You sang G🤠👍✌️🙏

[@gregpusczek4473]

brilliant

[@DavidNWalker]

In the mornin' you go gunnin' for the man who stole your water And you fire 'til he is done in but they catch you at the border And the mourners are all singin' as they drag you by your feet But the hangman isn't hangin' and they put you on the street You go back, Jack, do it again, wheel turnin' 'round and 'round You go back, Jack, do it again When you know she's no high climber then you find your only friend In a room with your two-timer, and you're sure you're near the end Then you love a little wild one and she brings you only sorrow All the time you know she's smilin' you'll be on your knees tomorrow, yeah You go back, Jack, do it again, wheel turnin' 'round and 'round You go back, Jack, do it again Now you swear and kick and beg us that you're not a gamblin' man Then you find you're back in Vegas with a handle in your hand Your black cards can make you money so you hide them when you're able In the land of milk and honey, you must put them on the table You go back, Jack, do it again, wheels turnin' 'round and 'round You go back, Jack, do it again

[@ukgayinpgh]

‘… back in Vegas with a handle in your hand’ For years I thought a ‘handle’ was some kind of poker hand. Then a friend told me, ‘No. A slot machine handle. Idiot’.