The band Ann Wilson called “one of the snarkiest in history”
In the history books of classic musicians, there’s a spectrum that spans across the effortlessly talented and the ludicrously meticulous. Most musicians place themselves somewhere along that line without much explanation, but in the case of Steely Dan, it’s far from simple. Both ends pull at the band like a tug of war, for their talent conflicts with their diligence to ultimately make greatness.
Perhaps no record of theirs typifies that idea more than their 1980 record Gaucho. Walter Becker and Donald Fagen’s previous record Aja had cemented their reputation as studio wizards whose immaculate production qualities were driven by a ruthless pursuit of perfection. So come to their 1980 record, their knives were truly sharpened, and anything that hinted at inadequacy would be quickly banished.
In fact, when Dire Straits guitarist stepped foot in the studio with them, his efforts were often dismissed and he described the experience as “like getting into a swimming pool with lead weights tied to your boot.”
But there was method in the madness, for the record went on to become arguably Steely Dan’s finest collection of songs, earning them some of their last accolades and the best production of 1980. The album would be nominated for ‘Album of The Year’ at the Grammys and walk away with the award for ‘Best Engineered Album’.
While not as official as the Grammys, the seminal 1980 record recently picked up another accolade. When probed on what five albums she would take with her to a desert island, Heart’s Ann Wilson proudly proclaimed Gaucho. This admission was in spite of the fact the group deem themselves to be a cut above the rest in her eyes.
“One of the snarkiest bands in history,” she told AXS TV. “Super high musical, almost jazz fusion musicians but these songs are just so winning and funny and beautiful. There’s not a band song on the record”.
Heart themselves were a band that refused to comply with both the sonic and political norms of music. Influenced by hard rock and heavy metal and led by vocalist Ann and her sister Nancy on guitar, they were a band took heavy riffs and paired them with Ann’s powerful vocal lead to mould the expected sensibilities of heavy rock. To navigate the misogynistic waters of classic rock in the 1970s and ‘80s, they became dynamic studio musicians who fused together sonic forms to flourish in their own lane.
So it was no wonder the work of hyper-experimentalists Becker and Fagan became a source of inspiration to them. In an episode of Celebrity Playlist Podcast Wilson outlined just how crucial Steely Dan’s sense of originality was for the contemporaries they inspired:
“These guys took jazz and stood it in its ear and made their own sound out of jazz and rock, and East Coast that took sarcasm and a wink and a sneer and made it really accessible. I still don’t know how they did that.”
