First listen to Steely Dan - Black Friday (REACTION)

[@johnriley4320]

That guitar work is as good as it gets. I never knew it was Walter Becker playing those crazy licks. RIP.

[@paul8926]

I haven’t heard this song in so long, but my personal favorite by Steely Dan is “Dirty Work” 👍

[@astrogoodvibes6164]

I live an hour and a half away from Muswellbrook here in New South Wales and when this song came out in '75 open cut coal mining was taking off as a US owned company Costain coal established themselves as the major producer of coal in the Hunter Valley [Muswellbrook is the centre of the Hunter]. Many speculators and investors poured millions of dollars into the area and the Muswellbrook area became the hub of open cut coalmining. By the mid 1980's, Costains sold out to other coal companies including US owned Peabody coal out of Pittsburgh. Ironically and perhaps coincidentally Steely Dan may have been more prophetic than they intended. signed: kangaroos off the starboard bow

[@bartstarr100]

Mr. Peabodys coal train hauled it away?

[@astrogoodvibes6164]

@@bartstarr100 ...yes........yes it did

[@mjsmcd]

black friday is about a stockmarket crash on friday HENCE THE MEN I GREY SUITS JUMPING FRON THE 14TH FLOOR BECUZ OF IT

[@dustynelson1990]

It is so cool too se you you young ppl to see this

[@theblackcat5416]

Haven't heard this song in forever ! Thank you so much for checking this out ! I love how much you enjoy this band ! That great smile on your face just makes my day !✌❤🌻😷🎶

[@Yosef1952]

It has the power and energy of rock and the rhythm and swing of jazz. Not too many have ever pulled that off, but the Dan (Steely) did, as analyzed by the Daniel (DS9). A winning combination in many ways. (The mirror image thing is kinda cool, too.)

[@debbiechang5781]

Steely Dan is always amazing. Would like to hear “Haitian Divorce” or “Dirty Work”

[@neonpark1874]

I hope the others will forgive me for spilling the beans but - we all knew this was not about the day after Turkey Day. We used the idea of a song about "Black Friday" to get you to do the review today. We're very devious like that. 😎

[@crowredeye8066]

😄 🤣 😂 you're right

[@nancyaugustine9000]

ya get old ya get sneaky lol

[@dougnelsin1480]

Back then a little black book is todays equivalent of a contact list.

[@theplanetruth]

Uh, no. My mom isn’t in my LBB.

[@sidecardog5244]

I think I can guess what the phone numbers in Walter/Donald’s “little black book” are. The red ones must be the really good shit.

[@Hartlor_Tayley]

Red ink means debt. When the banks he borrowed from go out of business and he’s down under feeding kangaroos 🦘 he can scratch out those numbers.

[@bartstarr100]

@@Hartlor_Tayley This. It’s an accounting reference. Nothing more.

[@Hartlor_Tayley]

@@bartstarr100 yeah I guess you’re right

[@MissAstorDancer]

One of the cool things about people like you doing reactions to music from the past, is that, so often, you get a REAL history lesson - the kind they don't teach you in "school". Music is almost always a reflection (either direct of indirect) of its time. Loved your reaction to this great SD tune! Great choice for today!!!

[@maryjaneblahnik5767]

Good old Rock and Roll with a bluesy undertone.

[@timwirasnik5878]

Love me some Steely Dan, one of my favorite bands ever!

[@scottcolman9757]

Another great tune by Steely Dan

[@mmay2669]

Steely Dan Pretzel Logic recommended reaction is what brought me to your channel. Glad to see you back to SD. You've pretty much done them all. You mentioned Rick Derringer played with them. You saw him playing with Edgar Winter on the live Frankenstein reaction. You'd love Rick Derringer's Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo. It's a banger.

[@Joe-Flow]

I requested this on another channel but they didn't do it. So happy you came through!

[@ArtofFreeSpeech]

Okay, so let's dive in to the nitty gritty of Black Friday by the Dan: Black Friday was indeed by in the 19th century, but Fagen is referencing a future event similar to that one, and similar to Black Tuesday in 1929. In 1929, many people lost everything and indeed jumped out of high rise buildings on Wall Street, so that's where we get "catch the grey men (men in grey suits) as they dive from the 14th floor." Interestingly enough, the "14th floor" in most high rises is actually the 13th floor, since they skip the numbering over their being a 13th floor (thank you superstition), so here's just a further reference to the bad luck investors will have when the market crashes. Fagen, IMO, is telling the story of a guy who is preparing for the next cataclysmic stock market crash, of course... and the guy that's going to make a fortune from it and run off to Muswellbrook, Australia, and hang with the kangaroos. It's interesting to note the original Ponzi scheme was in 1920, and it lead to a lot of copycats and lots of unsecured investments and that's one of the things that lead to Black Tuesday in 1929, and Fagen refers to erasing the "red words" in his "little black book", a clever way of saying he's going to erase any records of his ponzi scheme, and that's why there's all the references to running away from the states, changing his name, going into a hole where nobody will find him, etc... as criminals of that financial sort are pretty fervently hunted. About the only line I can't seem to find any real solid idea on is the "Archbishop's gonna sanctify me." I've seen some guesses as to it meaning the character will make a large donation to the church in exchange for the church offering immunity and giving him a pardon which sort of makes sense. Others still claim the song is about the rapture, but for the life of me, I don't see it. In any case, as usual, Fagen writes some brilliant lyrics. You still need to do Bad Sneakers, Home at Last, I.G.Y, and a few others. Be well, and hope you and the family had a great TGiving Daniel.

[@richkurl]

I like it! And of course, Donald's gleeful , sneering, dispassionate vocal attitude lends a slightly menacing tone to the narrative.

[@Hartlor_Tayley]

@@richkurl reminds me slightly of the song Career of Evil by BOC.

[@dawnpatrol700]

Steely Dan fans weren't top 40 radio listeners. They were bigger on album oriented rock stations, to this day. If they had a mainstream rock chart back then, steely Dan would have been top 10

[@joelliebler5690]

One of my favorites

[@daveking9393]

Honored at the shirt choice!

[@k_spats]

You did an outstanding job! #GreatChoices *I'm dying for Daniel's reaction to Songs from the Wood!!!

[@neonpark1874]

@@k_spats I'm fairly certain it will become one of his favorite Tull albums but he's got quite a few to review before he gets to it... and I'm fine with that.

[@k_spats]

@@neonpark1874 I hear ya. It's just my favorite so, of course, I want to see him react. 😎😉😊

[@daveking9393]

@@k_spats thank you. Like you and others know he is very deserving. Just giving back a little. Songs is going to be such a treat I hope he goes over that multi page insert within the 40th anniversary album... should be great. Will be a while though. Just listened to Benefit last week getting ready. Many say it is their favorite... I'm still a Brick, Songs, Horses fan with several others ahead of Benefit. Maybe I will get more from it when Daniel gets to it. Lovin these journeys!

[@jazzyboy7784]

@@k_spats ...that was the song I would take to test out new speakers ...many instruments...

[@lla788]

So interesting that u mention the fade out. My grandfather was a musician during the 30s & 40s in NYC.. He played violin & tenor sax & he had some fascinating stories. When I was young teenager, I would kind of force him to listen to some of the music I liked. He always said- Why do these damn songs always fade out? Doesn’t anyone know how to end a song anymore?

[@er5406]

Happy Black Friday (and a belated Thanksgiving).

[@k_spats]

😎 Great tune! Love the new shirts! 🖤 #SteelyDan #GoodVibes #Love #Light #Peace #Music 💜💫✌🏼🎵

[@DavidTateVA]

YES! This was my cellphone ringtone for a couple of years... What a fabulous song. Katy Lied is a great album, but I'd adore to see you do an album reaction to "Pretzel Logic".

[@kingoffire9373]

Was always one of my favorite dan songs

[@lantose]

Thanks for playing this song Daniel and glad you liked it! Over the course of time I have suggested this song along with others.....and it’s about time! Great rock n’ roll with great lead guitar by Becker!

[@timwirasnik5878]

Yup, the stock market crash of 1929 it was on a Friday

[@pablogaeta3815]

the fact that a song like that could chart gives an idea of how different the musical scene was back then!

[@ilariatremolada379]

Ciao Daniel, thanks for more SD! ❤️ I'd love to see you reacting to Bad Sneakers next! Take care :)

[@richkurl]

Great tune, but then again, all Steely Dan songs are great tunes. I have always believed that this track is in part a tribute to Jim Morrison and The Doors. Check out Roadhouse Blues on 1970's Morrison Hotel. Similar tempo and dark attitude. Morrison sings "Let it roll, baby, roll..." while Fagen sings "And if he don't come across I'm gonna let it roll". Never confirmed the link, just my own perception/speculation.

[@recyclerhopkins]

Daniel, you should get back to the Doors, maybe something from Morrison Hotel like Peace Frog and Blue Sunday, listen to them together, back to back.

[@eileendobbs8574]

Great song. So many more SD songs to hear. Glamour Profession; Babylon Sisters and Time Out of Mind from Gaucho and Night by Night and Rikki Don't Lose That Number from Pretzel Logic.

[@johnandrews3151]

Steely Dan/My Old School studio version

[@RandallBott]

This is like the 20th Steely Dan song and no Sparks: This town Ain’t Big Enough For Both of Us

[@garymcghee2249]

Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth.

[@jimled50jl49]

Love Steely Dan. I have all their albums + solo albums....Apart from wonderful compositions they are top notch in the recording studio with the engineering & mixing....so much so they will never need re-mastering.....Just as a point of interest the Duo called "Yello" are also absolute masters in the studio....."Oh Yeah".

[@andyschnell58]

Great tune. Black Friday, a proper financial history lesson for Daniel. As to singles which reach the charts, why not pay tribute this Christmas season to the artist with far and away the most songs to reach the top 40, Bing Crosby. Of course White Christmas is what come to mind first and is likely Daniel may have heard all of Bing's Christmas songs. I suggest the song Happy Holidays.

[@georgewodicka4839]

Bing Crosby's duet with of all people, David Bowie, of "The Little Drummer Boy". All-time Christmas classic. Between the two, their careers spanned from 1930 to 2016.

[@andyschnell58]

@@georgewodicka4839 Great choice!! I had forgotten about that duet.

[@lmkm57]

Fading out allowed the radio stations to fade in the next song. The stations squeezed more songs into less time. The DJ would often read the commercials over the fade-outs, too. Very frustrating to listen to that kind of station. As I remember, they were mostly on AM radio. FM stations were quieter, and they let the songs finish before they began the next one. I would put my little radio on FM and softly sing myself to sleep. Good memories!

[@richkurl]

I've had the privilege of seeing SD several (16 I believe) times in concert, when they don't have the luxury of the fade-out. Their live ending to songs that faded out on studio albums are beautifully creative. Black Cow in particular comes to mind.

[@Fairygrl_TW]

Love their funky, groovy vibes.

[@joemercury100]

Isn't this about the 1929 stock market crash, also called Black Friday? And the grey suits who lost a fortune, were jumping from the skyscrapers in NY.

[@buddystewart2020]

Yeah I think so.

[@theplanetruth]

You mean stock market coup? It wasn’t personal. It was business.

[@sharonm6262]

Yes, though in 1929 it began on Black Thursday (but continued on through Friday and Monday.) I always took this song as that type of fantasy where you know about some catastrophic event before it happens, and plan for it, and so it all works out (in this fantasy world.) But nobody knows when Black Friday comes until it's here.

[@sidecardog5244]

Black Friday originally referred to the Wall Street crash of 1929. The start of The Great Depression. Dr Wu is my favorite song from this album. The title Katy Lied is in Dr Wu. It refers to ...what else...Drugs. More Prog? Spock’s Beard The Light or Steven Wilson’s Luminol are both excellent Soundscapes.

[@danieljodrey751]

Turn that UP! Still doing amazing work Daniel.👍👍✌🔥

[@cesarnarro6013]

Even though they have always been one of my favorite bands as the years go by they they get closer and closer to being my number 1

[@kevinbuchholz3496]

you should react to "daddy don't live in that New York city no more. GREAT TUNE!

[@ralphvillanueva8724]

Rockin shuffle with jazz overtones in the chord changes. Great band, saw them twice in the last 10 years great live show.

[@georgewodicka4839]

Was this shot against a mirror? Can't unnotice the backwards print of your new Jethro Tull t-shirt. Beautiful song and reaction, as per usual. Maybe it's my phone?

[@DiconDissectionalReactions]

It's not your phone, whoops...

[@georgewodicka4839]

@Harper Madison He's secretly testing us to see if we watch the whole video! ☺

[@theblackcat5416]

@Harper Madison Yep, was trying to check out the backward shirt myself, lol !

[@Hartlor_Tayley]

Cameras are like mirrors.

[@Hartlor_Tayley]

@Harper Madison I had hoped so. I’m a little slow on the uptake sometimes. Love your comments.

[@thomasrocker7408]

Most people don't realize that Steely Dan was not a band. Years later they put a band together and performed live. But for the most part Steely Dan was Donald Fagan and Walter Becker. For their albums they used interchangeable studio musicians. Great studio musicians, but studio musicians none the less. Great music.

[@verasileikis17]

I’ve loved Steely Dan since my last year in high school, 1973, so that’s nearly fifty years! I also love INXS and Supertramp, so I’m very much looking forward to your reviews of their music. (You may want to consider more Klaatu and Ambrosia as well).

[@katherinemikkola8316]

There's no other group like steely Dan and I believe they were clearly underated. They were oh so original !!!!✌💓👵

[@katylied24]

After listening to their first five albums, every song at least good and most better than that, I think they're the beat band of all time.

[@dustynelson1990]

Your A Young John Mayer Kiddo

[@sidecardog5244]

I have recommended Why Georgia/ 3 x 5/ My Stupid Mouth...all from Room for Squares.

[@garysunshine9643]

Post a list of all of Steely Dan's songs on the wall, throw a dart, and (assuming you hit the list), you will find a song you will love hearing. Dirty Work's a great one, and it's unusual as it's one of the few not sung by Donald Fagen ( Midnight Cruiser's another). You can't miss whatever you pick though.

[@katylied24]

So true ,I like " assuming you hit the list".

[@katylied24]

Katy Lied was rated the best album of all time by music critic Joe Harrington. It's just superb. Try Everyone's Gone to the Movies, Chain Lightning, Dr. Wu, or really anything on it.

[@garymcghee2249]

Indeed. Bad Sneakers, Any World (that I'm Welcome To.) Your Gold Teeth 2... I think it's the best collection of songs they ever composed and recorded in one place. Flawless mastery of the art of songwriting.

[@katylied24]

@@garymcghee2249 Gary, I think it's their sweetest ,most melodic album and the most piano driven. I still think Countdown is their best, but Katy is my favorite. I don't get how people think Aja is their best, it's too laid back and doesn't swing like their earlier stuff.

[@plantagenant6789]

I was jamming right a long with you! I forgot about this song. Sux to get old, lol. But I've since listened to a bunch of Steely Dan. The "little black book" is a book filled with phone #'s guys or girls? kept for booty calls. This is the usual definition.

[@garymcghee2249]

You have now clearly become a Danhead, Dan. Bravo!

[@tee_d_we_d]

Excellent wordplay.

[@dustynelson1990]

Go Young John Mayer

[@sidecardog5244]

Room for Squares is one of the best debut albums ever! Every song is perfect. This coming from a Prog guy.

[@davidfinnell1660]

The fade out was built in because it worked well with the DJ who usually was starting the next song during the previous songs fade out. Built in segue

[@brianfisher6165]

You bet I’ve heard this!!!🎵🎶👍👌👍😁

[@nancyaugustine9000]

a real heartbreaker but fantastic song is Charlie Freak,,,,,Steely Dan,,it is a story that lives on

[@lla788]

The Katy Lied album is chock full of great songs - Doctor Wu, Daddy Don’t Live in that New York City No More, Chain Lightening Bad Sneakers..... and more . Hope you will get chance to react to some of these songs.

[@jamescox4231]

It’s the shuffle feel that gives it that old time rock and roll feel. Bernard Purdie was behind the kit in many tunes.

[@georgetaxi8179]

On this track the great late Jeff Porcaro was on the skins.

[@tiluriso]

A great song - A Shuffle Blues with some altered chord changes - featuring great Lead Guitar work by Walter Becker. Lyrics alluding to the Stock Market crash of 1929. 'Black Book' is one's accounting ledger.

[@judybagg9197]

Royal Scam is fantastic! Give it a listen. 🙂

[@kidpoker007]

Another great SD song, have you listened to their best song yet Deacon Blues?

[@DiconDissectionalReactions]

Yeah, I did that one awhile ago: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hIuZeXWvqdN7fZY

[@kidpoker007]

@@DiconDissectionalReactions ok thanks

[@crowredeye8066]

It's hard to choose a favorite SD song, but Deacon Blues would be mine, too.

[@timcardona9962]

This is a fantastic record and you should definitely do "Bad Sneakers" at some point - another killer Becker guitar solo! BTW that groove is called a "shuffle" and it is indeed much older than Chuck Berry ;)

[@stevemd6488]

Chuck Berry riff yes. But listen to all the other nuances guitar stabs the electric piano that rolls in and out. Walter Becket guitar solo. Lyrically typical SD end of life/world

[@bobangell1679]

Chuck Berry poured the foundation on which rock and roll was built. I mean, start listening. Most of his songs are less than 2 minutes, the exception of which is the legendary "My Ding-a-ling," 10 minutes of pure filth that was Chuck's only number one record.

[@bartstarr100]

Black Friday is when Wall Street REALLY sells off before the weekend.

[@dixiechatty958]

I've always thought black Friday referred to the October 1929 stock market crash. The song mentions men falling from the 14th floor. There has always been stories of investors jumping out of windows on that day. So I assumed that was what was being referred to here. The music style is rock and roll meets jazz swing. That's one thing Steely Dan did often as I'm sure you know.

[@nealpierson9072]

I'm curious what the one Chuck Berry song you have heard is. He's got quite a few songs that are pretty essential to the development of rock & roll. Then of course, he goes and records a silly novelty song called "My Ding-a-Ling" and THAT song, of all songs, is his only Number 1 Billboard Hot 100 Single. The ones most worth checking out IMO are "Maybellene," "Roll Over Beethoven," "Too Much Monkey Business," "Rock and Roll Music," "Johnny B. Goode," "Around and Around," actually gee whiz I'm looking through his singles discography and man there's just too many great tunes to list. Do some Chuck Berry sometime, and I'll recommend more songs lol. But a good Christmas song to do by him is "Run Rudolph Run." Cheers Daniel!

[@lorstress]

I have been enjoying your reactions to Steely Dan. If you ever feel like something related, but a little different, try Donald Fagan's 1982 album "The Nightfly"

[@markdrechsler5660]

Nice shirt!

[@4tuneagent]

"Bodhisattva" is a similar type rocking tune by Steely Dan which I'm sure you would enjoy.. It is from the Countdown to Ecstasy album, 1973, and it also has one of my favorites, the great "Show Biz Kids"... check it out, and thank you for doing Black Friday.. great tune!

[@DiconDissectionalReactions]

I did that one awhile ago: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e4TZfXyKirWjnKc :)

[@SB-jz1vl]

Fagen and Becker split after Gaucho. Twenty years later they got back together to record Two Against Nature and won three Grammys including Album of the Year. A lot of tribute bands stream the song Jack of Speed it but I haven't found a single reaction to it. I'd say you won't be dissapointed but we are talking about Steely Dan.

[@mikewritz]

Do “Sign In Stranger” next please.

[@tomwoliver]

Some NASTY guitar in this song!

[@stpnwlf9]

Record companies release a song as a single specifically because they think it will chart and sell well. Obviously, they miss sometimes but in the majority of cases, if it is released as a single it will have at least modest chart success. A few bands consistently put songs in the upper reaches - artists like the Beatles and Michael Jackson were uniquely successful at charting singles high on the charts. Other bands had more success with albums than with singles such as Pink Floyd. Dark Side of the Moon was legendary for spending not weeks, but YEARS on the Billboard Hot 100 album chart.

[@scottcolman9757]

The big crash of the stock market that started the Great Depression. It’s refer to as Black Friday. Hence the men in the grey suit taking the swan dive off the 15 th floor 😳

[@MissAstorDancer]

14th floor

[@metaphoria3]

*13th in reality hence their brilliance

[@MissAstorDancer]

@@metaphoria3 True, since superstition rules!

[@charlesinsandiego2537]

Strike all the big red words from my little black book: A red-letter Bible has the words of Jesus printed in red. The protagonist is saying that he will ignore morality and do what he wants.

[@bradgrauer9148]

Black Friday in 1929 stock market crashed the Great Depression

[@metaphoria3]

14th floor aka the 13th

[@クリススクワイヤー]

音がこれだけ洗練されてるのは、ニューヨーカーだからこそね🤔

[@scifimonkey3]

Long before Black Friday was a day of sales after thanksgiving it was the day of a stock market crash. He’s grabbing his gear, he’s collecting his overdue debts ( the red in the black book) and he’s going to lie low remotely maybe in Australia. Must stop commenting before I’ve heard the whole video!

[@BestofItMoviedoc]

Not sure I’m crazy about picking songs for themed purposes; this wouldn’t even make a Steely Dan 40-song playlist.

[@charlesballi1535]

Show Biz Kids

[@DiconDissectionalReactions]

I've actually done that one before:) kzbin.info/www/bejne/bInMf6mliZiBirM

[@johncagnettajr344]

A chorus can be the repeated melody , not necessary to have lyrics repeated.

[@pvthitch]

Those almost sound like place-holder lyrics, meant to fill the spaces in the melody. Like McCartney did with "Yesterday" (scrambled eggs...)

[@dustynelson1990]

I would rather hear you play music serious

[@bobangell1679]

Fade out is the lazy man's way to end a song. A "little black book" is a euphemism for what a man would keep the phone numbers in of all his conquests, if you know what I'm saying.

[@zapa2foreign]

Who tf listens to this kind of song in 2020??? Hahahahahah

[@DiconDissectionalReactions]

What do you listen to?

[@zapa2foreign]

Who tf makes reaction vids on songs like this in 2020?? Shit sound like it’s from the 80’s