Major Dudes play I Got the News (Steely Dan cover)

This is from a live performance on 6/15/24 at the Blue Skies Brewery in Onsted, MI.

[@randyman8]

One of my favorite Steely Dan tunes! You guys did a great job playing it!!!

[@majordudes7398]

Thanks, Randy. One of the lesser lights from Aja, but undeservedly so.

[@The21stcenturypaul]

I hope yez don't take this wrong, but: I love youse guys. ;)

[@jimmididr]

Great job guys!! Not an easy tune to pull off - Very cool!!

[@PaulLaginess]

Thanks, Jim. I know if you pulled this tune apart (if you haven't already), you'd see all the compromises made when trying to cover a Dan tune with 6 guys. There's a ton of stuff going on in that song that we left on the floor. I have a continuing never-ending dream of finding a mythical 7th member who would magically fill in most of the holes in our existing arrangements. It almost happened a year ago but the person got cold feet and bailed. Ah, what could have been. Of course, all that separates us, IMO, from being the best SD tribute on earth is for a Connecticut native we've heard tell of to have a good reason to move to Michigan. All problems solved!

[@PaulLaginess]

Funny story, and I'd like you to check me on it. I know when you work on a project like say Gaslighting Abbie, you figure out every single part before recording it. When we learn a tune like this one for instance, the rhythm section figures out their parts individually, and I look around for horn charts (that always have to be doctored), and usually coach the fellers on harmony parts and figure out who's singing what part. Thing is, I'm forever listening to Steely Dan music and oftentimes I'll hear something, usually in vocal harmonies, that I hadn't heard initially. Case in point, this song. I played the studio version the other day and lo and behold, I find the top harmony in the "Broadway duchess" section is not right. I thought Michael McDonald sang B/G/B/G against those 4 syllables but I'll be damned if I'm not hearing B/G/B/G#. We also had "knew" on an F. Nope, it's E. Are you hearing that?

[@jimmididr]

@@PaulLaginess Definitely B/G/B/G, and yes, an E on 'knew'...those recordings are SO intensely and homogenously mixed, sometimes it can play some tricks on your ear. Funny you should bring up Abbie... those were NOT easy harmony parts to figure out! Plus, the horns? Yikes...