Steely Dan - My Old School (REACTION)

[@joeslish-p1p]

this song is just pure fun.

[@jeffkocik8345]

Finally made it to my favorite Steely Dan song. Thank you.

[@joerosenfield3092]

Skunk Baxter at his best! One of my favorite SD cuts, especially for the saxophone choir's riff after the words "California tumbles into the sea".

[@submandave1125]

Not to mention the sweet, sweet Bari sax basement on the hook into the final verse.

[@tvgator1]

I'm so glad someone mentions this!

[@worldtrav72]

That sax ‘tumble’ was awesome….it’s all so damn awesome…one my favorite songs ever.

[@brokendad2222]

That sax tumble is simply a brilliant hook. Wished I still had my goodbye California poster from 69.

[@gh9111]

Translation; "Tried to warn her about Chino and Daddy G." Chino was slang in New York for Marijuana. Daddy G was G Gordon Liddy who waa the Attorney General in NY.

[@RichardCuller-y4q]

Oh the 70's...17% interest rate but the best music of all time

[@jimakcelik6486]

Song refers to 44 Bard College students arrested for marijuana in 1968, Fagan betrayed by his girlfriend, in jail his long hair cut off by police, vowed never to return to Annandale, NY. Prosecutor G. Gordon Liddy is "Daddy G", who was indicted and sentenced to federal prison for the break-in at Watergate around 1974. (HBO- The Whitehouse Plumbers). From this album "The Boston Rag" another story related to Bard College.

[@kbrewski1]

Not surprising that Nixon hired him to do illegal "surveillance" work. Nixon despised the whole hippie movement and was paranoid about the anti war demonstrations. See Kent St of course.

[@michaelyork4554]

The Guitar, and Horns on this song are insane.

[@davidhunter801]

The baritone sax is killer

[@j.kevvideoproductions.6463]

@@davidhunter801 I love the sax's tumbling as California tumbles into the sea.

[@burlatsdemontaigne6147]

Completely!

[@brandonbackstrom]

keys and bass on point too

[@2869may]

"ANY MAJOR DUDE WILL TELL YOU".....!

[@tjmasson1013]

Skunk Baxter baby tearin it up what a jam.

[@gregfagan199]

This song is about Becker and Fagen's experiences, which included a drug bust, at Bard College in Annandale, NY, where they met and attended school together.

[@rlwetz4317]

Hmm... "My Old School." "Kid Charlemagne." "Glamour Profession." Kinda noticing a theme, maybe? What was that number for, the one Rikki wasn't supposed to lose? 😎

[@wreckingKREW1]

And the "Daddy G" mentioned was local prosecutor G. Gordon Liddy,of later Watergate infamy. They boys sure had that asshole pegged.

[@painless465]

“ Daddy G” Gordon Liddy of the infamous Watergate Scandal was the DA in Annadale on the Hudson New York at the time of the drug bust

[@Umptyscope]

The Wolverine was a bus line (like Greyhound).

[@wreckingKREW1]

@@Umptyscope Yeppers. And the "35 sweet goodbyes"? Well,35 is almost half of 69...cough,cough.

[@dougphelps6917]

These guys just show you how much diverse music we had in the era. Zepplin, Santana, Yes, The Who, The Stones and Steely Dan the list is long... if you couldn't find a new good song to listen to... you weren't trying. We grew up in a great musical era.

[@emilymartinez6961]

I second that, l saw all these bands in concert and some 👍

[@chadheckman2693]

100% Funny, though, I didn't really know it at the time. I just listened to all these good songs/bands and knew I loved the music. Now, reliving all this genius through the eyes and ears of others makes me realize how spoiled I was to have the privilege of growing up with it when is was new and fresh. Airplay Beats do a wonderful job with their reactions, and I can tell they know what they are talking about. Wouldn't it be fun for them to take a time machine back to those days and discover it at the same time we did?

[@coinneachmaclellan3121]

Not to mention the '50s rock 'n' roll, doowop, R&B, surf, Motown, British Invasion, reggae, folk rock, blues, country, etc., music that the '70s music was influenced by and built on...the jukebox was crammed with great music...how could it not lead to more great music?

[@jccook5353]

Agreed. Don't forget Motown and the California rock genre (Eagles, CSNY, etc) and southern rock. Never to be an era like that again.

[@krisdoggett483]

Also David Bowie and Elton John

[@johnlylemusic]

What never ceases to amaze me was their ability to write and squeeze MONSTER HOOKS into otherwise very complex arrangements. It was obvious they never lost sight of the fact that no matter how complex the song was, it still had to be catchy for the listener, and they were the best at always threading that needle…..at least through Fagans Nightfly album. 🎸🎼❤️😎

[@danielconnolly8565]

“California Tumbles in to the sea” Ba-badaba-dabadaba-dabadaba-dap! The brass. It literally tumbles (into the sea) 😂😂👏🏼👏🏼. The Dan were (and remain) light years ahead! 🙌🏼

[@jirimondo]

Sound mimicking the lyrics.- great, albeit subtle, detail.

[@DM-hk4cw]

The notes tumble as does California...I always liked that portion of the song.

[@CorePathway]

Dat baritone sax getting some love! Listening to the song, is there even a bass guitar or just that sax?

[@suesmith7968]

For this old fart, Steely Dan was one of the few bands that I liked every song!! ☮️❤️

[@melvinwomack3717]

And that funky Azz Horn arrangement 😱

[@stevedahlberg8680]

I generally like Steely Dan when I was a kid and this was coming out. But over the years as I have played in bands and matured as a musician. Everytime I go back and revisit the stuff, I am more and more blown away. I mean I definitely was impressed at the time but now it's even more. This was a great reaction guys.

[@DM-hk4cw]

Skunk Baxter: not your typical missile defense expert nor your typical rock guitarist. This is a fun song with memorable guitar solos...wait, that's all Steely Dan songs!

[@realcoyotekings]

The horns on this are astounding. And of course Skunk's solo work... The last one blows my mind.

[@dianel222]

I learn so much just from reading these comments. 💜💜💜

[@tomtompkins7546]

This is my favorite steely Dan song. Which makes it one of my very favorite songs in the whole world. It was through this song that my brother, who has since died, introduced me to steely Dan. Although he died 32 years ago, it is by sheer coincidence that I am wearing his shirt right now. When I saw steely Dan in concert a few years ago, I started crying uncontrollably when they played this song.

[@zoeslovely7096]

I attended more than one Steely concert that ended with this song, and the entire place on our feet singing and dancing loudly! ❤

[@melvinwomack3717]

All I'm going to say is Jeff 🦨 Baxter Solo 😊

[@melvinwomack3717]

@Airplay Beats skunk is One of those guitar wizards hella slept on you should check out some of the deep tracks he does with the Doobie brothers,I got to see him do work live in Konocti Bay Ca shit was HARD!

[@hog7203]

Skunk always plays some tasty licks. He's a helluva pedal steel guitar player too. He's also a nuclear physicist or something like that. Interesting fella.

[@melvinwomack3717]

@@hog7203 yep I left that out I didn't wanna sound like a pure nerd 🤓 @AirPlay Beats

[@mrnobody3161]

​@@hog7203 He's a Vertical Lift Rocket Engineer. He studied advanced rocketry as a hobby and has been consulting the US Military for about 25 years now.

[@metaphoria3]

@@mrnobody3161he’s very smart /talented

[@raycewilliams3300]

The guitar work is, of course, performed by Jeffrey Allen "Skunk" Baxter . He played on the first three Steely Dan albums. He also did a stint with The Doobie Brothers and also performed with a band called "Spirit" back in the day. This song is essentially about a drug bust at Bard College that he and Walter Becker attended. "Daddy G" mentioned in the song was no other than G. Gordon Liddy of Watergate fame. I believe that Liddy was involved in that drug bust.

[@wallyh24]

You forgot about his gig as a consultant for the government...the guy is next level and then some

[@raycewilliams3300]

@@wallyh24 I didn't forget that fact. I believe that he is still consulting for the U.S. Government. Thanks for bringing it up. Take care.

[@kbrewski1]

When G Gordon was auditioning for the lead role in Tricky Dicks illegal "Plumbers Unit", he held the palm of his hand over a flame until it singed his flesh to prove what a tough "I'll do anything" ahole he was.

[@mr.snicker-doodles7081]

SKUNK YES!!! Good stuff, my fave Steely Dan song is coming! KING OF THE WORLD... 🙌👏🙌👏

[@cameronstestingart794]

Love this! Shoutout to the background singers. Best in the business and their songs wouldn’t be what they were without them 🔥✌🏼

[@clifton8929]

A memory of the days at the private liberal arts college where Fagen and Becker met was transformed into the standout R&B-inspired groove with the Iconic Skunk Baxter solo killing it on guitar in My Old School. The toughness and bitter lyrics are because the memory was about a drug bust. Steely Dan's paradox lyrics, characters, women, gangsters, situations, and how they frame stories with illuminated musicality and arrangements are the hallmark of Steely Dan's legacy. Music that is unique unto itself. Thanks, Guys for featuring so much great music.

[@mikehutton3187]

Great song, with great horns.

[@davidwilkins5932]

I listened to this album for the first time while cruising through the Tennessee countryside in a 1971 Plymouth Valiant. The windows were down, I was sipping whiskey, and the memories are indelible.

[@willo8794]

🎶California, tumbles into the sea” Best line ever in a song.

[@roundtownKen]

Yes. Followed by the horns demonstrating what the musical equivalent of "tumbling into the sea" would sound like.

[@Ibanezed210]

Is that where the ex lives?

[@twobeer3316]

@@Ibanezed210 It's a common sarcastic phrase that symbolizes something that's not gonna happen, similar to "when hell freezes over" or "when pigs fly" as he refers returning to Annandale N.Y.

[@willo8794]

@@twobeer3316 Yep

[@annbeguity5932]

You put your finger on one of SD’s sneaky superpowers; tucking dark lyrics/shady characters within soothing, beautiful music and sick grooves. Novelist Wm Gibson wondered; do people really *hear* what they’re singing along with, when ‘Hey 19’ pipes thru the grocery store?! It was this musical smuggling, he said, that qualified SD as perhaps the most *subversive* artists in popular music

[@jimmoore8951]

Sooooo many memorable lines in this song. Those boys got bars… and then there’s the Skunk on guitar. Damn!

[@rickcrane9883]

When other bands go home, this is what they listen to. Steely Dan at their very best.

[@puncht37]

They are masters of "happy darkness'. There`s another one coming up on that album.

[@davidhunter801]

My favorite Dan song. Always brings me back to my old neighborhood, and reminds me why I moved on long ago.

[@briangray00]

They often encore with this. Nice to see you two getting on famously with Steely Dan.

[@dannymoore6886]

The guitarist Jeff Skunk Baxter also played with the Doobie Brothers and Spirit. He later became a missile defense expert/consultant and testified in front of congress on that specialty.

[@Luuuc]

One of my very fav Steely Dan songs. Some of the most wicked guitar work ever, and some of the coolest horns ever, on the same record? That's just unfair.

[@randybaker6042]

Simply one of the best recordings ever made. The freaking composition and arrangement is beyond great. And then the guitar choices and playing sends it into the stratosphere. Leonid and Friends with the ROX brothers do a great cover.

[@rickcooper53]

Jeff "Skunk" Baxter on guitar solo. Really interesting dude. Check out what he's doing now!

[@garyclark9618]

Good morning 🌄 gentlemen! Can't go wrong with Steely Dan.

[@Jack-kh8er]

This just epitomizes the "wow" factor of the 70s bands...this song brings it all home...fantastic sound!!!

[@rayr4320]

Every note, every sound is measured in most of their music. Its all perfection and Fagens lyrics make the work of other artists lyrics look they were done crayon.

[@darrenherbst5572]

another great one

[@DarthVader-km6ku]

You guys are doing a great job. This album came out as I was finishing high school. We got seven Steely Dan albums in eight years and boy what a ride it was. We used to have to wait a year for each record and it was a big deal for us every time the new album was dropped. Then they vanished. 20 years later they reappeared with two more brilliant records (and some more live shows!) By then the music industry was paying attention, and gave them a bunch of Grammys. You have a long way to go but it's worth staying on the train. The title track from Pretzel Logic is brilliant.

[@NotBenCoultry]

This is the one that made me a full time fan

[@Ibanezed210]

Incorporating the Mexican city in the lyrics without missing a beat is sooooo Steely Dan.

[@Neonbob]

With work & my life. When I go without seeing my father. listening to Steely Dan Is my way of getting a hug from my Dad. 🥂

[@kbrewski1]

One of the rare instances where Messrs Fagen and Becker were NOT being snarky or vague when saying something. My Old School is literally about their Old School, Bard College in Annandale NY. The phrase "that's old school man" didn't exist back then. People didnt talk about the 1940s being "Old School" in the 1970s.

[@joemyers2818]

I've seen Steely Dan twice in the last 10 years, once with Walter and more recently, in Philly, on the tour that was part of the "North east Corridor Steely Dan LIVE" release. Both times this was the Encore song and everybody was up singing every word and shouting "I am NEVER going back to My old school!" Absolutely great Experience.

[@darinmetzger9346]

Great observation about dark subject matter and somewhat bright and uplifting music/musicality. Really sets them apart from the dark subject matter dark music or light and light. Steely could take you to all kinds of different places in one tune and yes, damn, the guitar solos in most of their songs are sooooo top notch👍👍🙏

[@rlwetz4317]

Leonid & Friends did a slappin' note-for-note cover of this track, fwiw, lovingly, respectfully, artfully and professionally.

[@TheDivayenta]

Incredible!

[@Ker-mk3bf]

Love L and F. 😊

[@Fuphyter]

I am so happy to have been 13 in 1970! The music was unbelievable. So many incredible bands and sounds. I love all of it. What happened? Not nearly half as many these days and I look!

[@SpencerBBS]

This was my first favorite Steely Dan song

[@anthonybalistreri5226]

Keyboards, guitars, horns, percussion and vocals all amazing in this. One of my all time favorite SD songs. Used to listen to this in Junior High all the time.

[@twisprivergrainmill803]

I grew up near Bard College in upstate NY. Donald, Walter and Chevy Chase all went to college there. When they originally got together they were named Leather Canary. Chevy used to sit in quite a bit as the drummer for Leather Canary. Great Band!!

[@NondescriptMammal]

This whole album is solid, and Skunk Baxter's fine lead guitar work shines in several places

[@danielabatabogdanov8586]

Maaaan i love the guitar solo in this one.. combined with cow bell.

[@sigil5772]

Great arrangement of vocals - listen to how the last 'never going back' is sustained and more emphatic than the first two times. Little details, perfect results.

[@redruffansore964]

Damn, I sure miss the 70's

[@ronparsons8786]

About a drug bust at Bard college. One of my favorite steely Dan songs

[@courtneywallace871]

One of my absolute favorite SD songs!

[@geoffsullivan7902]

The horns….that sax……mmmhmmm….great song! ❤️🎶❤️

[@scottclark7592]

I think anyone who is in any genre of music becomes a better producer by listening to steely dan-you can see it in their faces. The guitar player skunk baxter- the quintessential muppet hippie- built the guitar in the studio parking lot. Later he advised several presidents on missle defense systems- only in america!

[@spawn4582]

Top notch lyrics, top notch guitars, that's Steely Dan

[@antarcticorb9197]

I was waiting for your reaction to this!

[@paulprendergast3184]

Great song. Love the guitar breaks.

[@chrisbarlow2131]

The best pinched note guitar solo ever captured IMHO.

[@garyclark9618]

Horns! I'm still begging for Blood Sweat and tears Spinning Wheel!

[@Ibanezed210]

There's a definite element of early Chicago going on with the horns and distorted guitar.

[@submandave1125]

Or pull in the other JWC contemporary. Would love to see these guys listen to "Introduction" or "Poem 58" off CTA.

[@zylem13]

Steely Dan are masters of musical irony.

[@chitownlee]

The Skunk on guitar.

[@danw2276]

You never know where Jeff Baxter is going next on the next cord. Brilliant work by all. Thanks guys

[@timfrazier7589]

One of my favorite band of the 70s 😂😂

[@charlenewebb5893]

Classic we all remember .Steely Dan Big Very Big Party On ! Seen them many times in Concert

[@DavidTrippi-fp9yg]

Them leads are crazy,crazy, what production 💯❤️‍🔥🔥

[@jodifox2283]

This song is about the pot raid when Donald Fagen, along with his girlfriend, were arrested and had his hair cut off at the college. Awesome riffs, piano, horns, and drumming. Rock's out! Thank you Guys for great reaction.

[@brokendad2222]

35 sweet goodbyes, I have wondered for a long time if the 15 that didn't get their heads shaved were females?

[@willo8794]

Excellent choice!

[@Rockmanxpr]

Probably my favorite Steely Dan song, might be because the horn section :)

[@rosemarypugliese2984]

Daddy G is G Gordon Liddy, prosecutor in the area. There was a drug raid on Bard

[@albertjflores8950]

I second that motion he really skunked it up 😳🤔😆😜😉😀😁

[@jasonjepsen7483]

By far my favorite band. I don’t think there is a song I don’t like.

[@joelliebler5690]

So many fantastic tunes by The Dan and this one tops them all for me especially with Skunk Baxter’s unforgettable lead guitar playing. The storyline is also an incredible mostly true as well!😊

[@thomasmcintosh390]

This song only got to #63 in the Hot 100. Which should tell you how packed the era was for great music.

[@johnathanstruble1064]

Old School Steely....yup!.😂❤. You gentlemen kill it!

[@mikeloomis687]

"King of the World" and "Your Gold Teeth" are great deep cuts on this album.

[@danl.909]

Another one of SD’s "bad girlfriend" songs. Skunk Baxter being brilliant, working with amazing syncopated horns.

[@honestabe1940]

Anandale on the Hudson. Bard College, where I first meant Steely Dan[Before they were Steely Dan]. Drunk and High on the front steps of a converted Mansion at some kind of a Spring party. A good time was had by all!

[@marcos7801]

The solo guitar was singing, it was fire 🔥

[@peterr931]

You are hearing the best session band ever put together.. I have been listening since 73 enjoy 😂

[@metaphoria3]

Reminds me of the double Aja drum solos very special moment oh and u called it bring it back!

[@daviddragavon7555]

Great song, nifty neat Skunk Solo. He often performed sitting in a chair. He was all known for giving the Doobie Brothers a hand in their later albums.

[@davidmaholchic6146]

Love the Steely Dan love you guys

[@brandonboucher7090]

Steely Dan is a sample goldmine

[@geedubb-q1u]

The amazing thing about that song is Baxter used a homemade guitar he put together not long before the taping.

[@dannymoore6886]

I like the idea of the 35 sweet goodbyes!

[@willowvee5844]

Another of my favourites!! Thanks Gents!🙏 Love the groove🤙

[@ML-un1oi]

No Dan sounds alike. As always fellas great reaction. Much appreciated 🙏

[@joebarrera9741]

CLASSIC

[@justkim1]

Skunk Baxter is a legend and still touring! He blazes through his solos on this song. He might sound familiar as he did the guitar solo for Donna Summer's "Hot Stuff". BTW, the song was about getting busted for drugs at their college. He did go back, but not until 1985 for an honorary degree. There's a wiki page if you want to know more about the song: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Old_School_(song)

[@hog7203]

The way y'all were bobbing your heads to the music, is what you'd see the whole audience doing in unison at one of their concerts, for just about the whole show. I've seen several of your Steely Dan reaction videos, but not all of them. Saw you've done 40. That's impressive. I'm gonna have to check em all out. It's great seeing a younger generation really appreciate their music, and some of the other bands from that era.

[@jenniferbabros1985]

Excellent 😊

[@hookstomper7322]

Probably my favorite Dan tune. The great Skunk Baxter burned it the hell up. They had countless unforgettable songs.