STEELY DAN BAD SNEAKERS (reaction)

[@SightAfterDark]

If you enjoyed this, check out our podcast on Steely Dan! kzbin.info/www/bejne/aKWxkqaud9ekpK8

[@david_is_rad6259]

The backing vocals by Michael McDonald are so magical

[@SightAfterDark]

Agreed!

[@garymcghee2249]

Ain't they though. Pure bliss. x

[@davywhite]

Waiting for a greatest backup vo cals from him

[@david_is_rad6259]

@@davywhite I think there is a ranked video about that

[@badbonzai1]

They utilized McDonald, but his range was so limited. Redundant comes to mine.

[@CuriousGeorge1111]

Great reaction, great song. So much to love, but that pause and then the bounce on "bad" is truly addictive.

[@smp135796872]

...super tasty Walter becker guitar solo...his phrasing still blows me away..

[@robertjewell9727]

Great reaction. Steely Dan's chordal developments and phrasings knock me out sometimes. This song has that way of making the lyrics like "And I'm going insane, Laughing at the frozen rain" and the music match in a perfect way emotionally. You feel it, the place where the protagonist is walking and his thoughts of uncertainty and loss..."Honey, when they gonna send me home?" It ain't easy, but they make it sound Dan easy.

[@SightAfterDark]

Absolutely! The phrasing is always what does it for us. Just when you think you know what they are gonna do, they go a completely different direction. Gotta love it!

[@badbonzai1]

@@SightAfterDark Read Fagen's bio. He's as diverse as you get, the true genius of Steel Dan.

[@teelurizzo8542]

I believe also that they're reminiscing about NYC - the protagonist seems to be in LA, hence he's 'laughing at the frozen rain', since that doesn't occur in Los Angeles. Also note the line :' Do you take me for a fool, do you think that I don't see/That ditch out in the valley that they are digging just for me..' The 'valley' in question is San Fernando Valley, that's where Encino is, and that's where they both lived at the time. Becker had supposedly at the time described living in LA as 'living in a morgue'. At the time, he felt little connection to sunny, visually oriented, Los Angeles culture.

[@SightAfterDark]

Wow. That’s an intense way to describe a City! Everybody knows New York is better than LA anyway ;)

[@smp135796872]

...yup...homesick for NYC...stompin' down the avenue by Radio City..

[@SeaMark782]

Magnolia Blvd. in the Valley. Jeff Porcaro, the drummer, and I grew up 2 mi. from Magnolia. Ironic that he's playing on the song. My old school, Grant High, home of Toto.

[@kingoffire9373]

I played this like 7 times in a row on the way to school on the bus and the same on the way back for like 2 years in highschool on my walkman

[@SightAfterDark]

Gotta love the memories!

[@johncagnettajr344]

This is my 2nd favorite from their album. Micheal McDonald doing backup on the chorus.

[@SightAfterDark]

Gotta love it

[@kenperkins7921]

It was just a never ending FLO OF INCREDIBLE, LEGENDARY MUSIC!

[@kenperkins7921]

With Mr Michael McDonald!

[@kalishakta]

That last 30 seconds is just pure musical Nirvana. 😁

[@tperk]

Part of that hangout soundtrack for '70s college kids at Franklin St. in Chapel Hill, State Street in Madison, Kirkwood in Bloomington, Westwood Blvd. in LA, University Avenues everywhere...

[@teelurizzo8542]

Another great, melodic lead guitar solo by Walter Becker. Being bona fide New Yorkers, Becker and Fagen got their record contract in 1971 at ABC/Dunhill records in Los Angeles, so they had to move to the West Coast. After their 3 initial albums they decided that 1) they weren't cut out to be leaders of a travelling rock n roll band and 2) touring interfered w/ recording and especially songwriting (they simply were unable to write while on the road). So they dismantled the original Steely Dan band in mid 1974 and continued as a studio-only outfit. Katy Lied, released in 1975 is their first effort after qutting live shows. That's also when they started missing NYC and the East Coast. IMO Bad Sneakers offers a little glimpse on that, even if sarcastically disguised in the fictional elements of the lyrics.

[@SightAfterDark]

Gotta love it!

[@CuriousGeorge1111]

Fagen said that first they went out to the West Coast and wrote songs about the East Coast, then they returned to the East Coast, and wrote songs about the West Coast. 😋

[@teelurizzo8542]

@@CuriousGeorge1111 Correct.

[@CuriousGeorge1111]

@@teelurizzo8542 👍

[@ljw5768]

My second favourite SD song.

[@RickWDonovan]

The frozen rain was only half of it ....love you excellent music and personality.

[@SightAfterDark]

Thanks Rick!

[@garymcghee2249]

Just adore this tune. Short, sweet and perfectly (per)formed. Unique excellence.

[@showshowthecloneclown8428]

You two are soooooo New York . I remember 70' s New York 80's New York 90's New York and post 9/11 New York . I ❤New York

[@SightAfterDark]

❤️🌃

[@JobANable]

Donald Fagen's Nightfly is likewise brilliant!

[@SightAfterDark]

We've hear it's great!

[@sterlingarcher9208]

I close my eyes and can see the city during this song -/ summer in midtown

[@SightAfterDark]

100 percent

[@DGardn100]

Michael McDonald, the Velvet Fog of the baby boom generation.

[@SightAfterDark]

Lol pretty much

[@timgilmour8802]

I was in the Marines when this album came out and boy did I sing "Honey when they gonna send me home" with feeling

[@SightAfterDark]

We could only imagine!

[@mikeloomis687]

This song always puts a smile on my face. Great review!

[@SightAfterDark]

Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed!

[@joelliebler5690]

Great song!

[@bnorth999]

Dad used to play this in the summers, classic

[@SightAfterDark]

Certified

[@NorCalPhil]

Like a couple of others have commented you had two guys who were out in LA (the reference to “the valley” where they were living) and very much missing New York City. Besides the ever-present (it seems) voice of Michael McDonald it also featured Jeff Porcaro on drums. Michael has said in several interviews that Steely Dan backing vocals were some of the hardest to do because he was singing very tight multipart harmonies with himself which were very challenging to record. It’s an outstanding classic Steely Dan song. Easily one of my favorites.

[@SightAfterDark]

It’s definitely a great one! Thanks for watching Phil!

[@photo161]

You guy's have grown a lot in your perceptions...Remember SD are poets. Their lyrics are only rarely meant to be taken entirely literally But they are so totally truthful especially when revealing those very personal and never discussed highly personal feelings, we all have .ie.-." that ditch out in the valley that their diggin' just for me..." Well, that's that feeling that there are people out therewho don't mean me any good and who know what they plan to do about it...LOLi

[@SightAfterDark]

We’ve gotten to the point where we’re hesitant to talk about their lyrics at all 😂 thanks for watching!

[@kevincarrigan6348]

Yay,Mikey Mac, in the back.....!

[@SightAfterDark]

!!!

[@ronwilliams6565]

Great guitar solo by Denny Dias who only played on a few songs but what a talent!

[@SightAfterDark]

Killed it!

[@annbeguity5932]

This is Becker in the solo -- in his “melodic” mode (as in Home At Last).

[@damonhines8187]

So good...timelessly, eternally instructional, a how-to kill it every time, a song you wanna learn as well as sing along with the cryptic chorus, a life you might wanna live, depending on what the hell is actually going on in any SD song, but it may be worth the risk.

[@SightAfterDark]

Well said!

[@damonhines8187]

@@SightAfterDark nice of you to say so, and on a four-month old reaction, too! Still playing fill-in-the-gaps with SD and Stevie in particular...Happy Friday, ttys. D

[@ronrobbins2737]

Maybe the choruses modulating a minor third up is at least as important songwriting-wise as the lyrics which of course are just an accessory here.

[@joeyswisher9060]

"Honey when they gonna send me home": This line made me believe the song was about the Vietnam War.

[@SightAfterDark]

Very possible!

[@Ed1956K]

If you guys ever want to really shake it up a bit, may I suggest you give Walter Becker's Solo album a listen to especially the song Junkie Girl. Even if you listen to it on your own. The saddest love song you will ever hear.

[@SightAfterDark]

Will prob get to the solo albums after we finish all the SD albums. Thanks for watching Edward!

[@dennisjohndreher7258]

Jeff porcaro on drums

[@mrysedeers]

Bad Sneakers is actually a town in Cali where i believe Walter and Don worked nearby...just sayin':)

[@SightAfterDark]

for real??? There's actually a place called bad sneakers?

[@mrysedeers]

@@SightAfterDark sorry, i apologize for taking their word of 'story so literally...i guess their explanations for their lyrics are not to be taken truthfully...again i do apologize ...my initial statement was taken out of context from a 'StoryTelling' video i had viewed some years ago...just sayin':(

[@stuarthastie6374]

They sneaked a sitar in ere....

[@SightAfterDark]

Love us some sitar

[@christinerobinson9372]

recognized that backup singer?

[@SightAfterDark]

Michael McDonald?

[@JobANable]

Almost Gothic is brilliant also! You should listen to it!

[@SightAfterDark]

Sounds awesome. Thanks Job!

[@richardrobinson4020]

Are you guys related to SNL?

[@SightAfterDark]

Lol the Show?

[@mikedemike5393]

A simple song..more description would be nice...it's all chorus They may be stinky sneakers

[@pbasswil]

This is what I'd call a good pop song from the era, with top of the line production, instrumentation, and harmonies (would you expect any less, from Steely Dan?). But imho, the song/composition itself is just them barely getting warmed up. Musicians (I am one) later went ape-$#¡† over S.D. because of their sophisticated harmony & chord progressions. That aspect isn't present in this song; this tune and its chords could've been written by any number of acts from the era. Nothing wrong with it, though - a perfectly good, highly polished '70s track.

[@SightAfterDark]

Well said. Thanks for watching!

[@RickWDonovan]

That ditch out in valley Putin ...wake up too many lives lost.

[@WMalven]

Sorry, kids :), but back in the 70s "bad" meant bad--as in not good.

[@eljefe9020]

You in on the joke now ?

[@gj8683]

Steely Dan didn't often write pretty songs, but this one is and it's great.

[@SightAfterDark]

You said it!

[@juaneato]

I guess I need to listen to this a bit more. Not my fav.

[@SightAfterDark]

We respect your opinion!

[@SightAfterDark]

We respect your opinion!

[@juaneato]

@@SightAfterDark Thanks guys. I’ve been listening to them since 1972 when I was just 6 years old. I liked them but I was just a kid and didn’t really get into them until Aja was released. That just rocked my world, man! I remember the day clearer than yesterday. What an amazing band! Thanks for all you do. It’s nice to see younger generations enjoying this great music. It was an amazing time to be alive.