The Steely Dan masterpiece that “virtually played itself”
The word ‘masterpiece’ does not regularly follow the American jazz-rock fusion outfit Steely Dan. The New York group have a certain Marmite quality to them, adored by a cult following, while most others look upon them with confusion and fear. Nevertheless, the intense musical proficiency of the group is undeniable, and likely contributes to their reputation as being a band beloved by their fellow musicians.
Formed among the illustrious surroundings of early 1970s New York, Steely Dan witnessed a revolving door of musicians within its line-up, but it was always centred around the partnership of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen. Throughout their career, Steely Dan would be victims of their own musical innovation, always seeming to be a little too ahead of their time to witness mainstream or widespread commercial success.
The duo of Becker and Fagen was one of those songwriting partnerships which created perfectly eclectic tracks. Each bringing their own unique influences into the recording studio, their disparate yet coactive styles create the truly original sound of Steely Dan, which earned the group a dedicated following. Yet, when they first started out, they were largely ignored by the New York scene.
In the early 1970s, New York was dominated by two wildly different musical styles: disco and proto-punk. Groups coming from the city’s seedy underbelly, like The Velvet Underground or Patti Smith, had captured the imagination of many, acting as the progenitors of New York’s CBGB punk scene. This left the unique stylings of Steely Dan without much of an audience. However, when the group dropped Can’t Buy a Thrill in 1972, the world finally began to listen.
Undoubtedly, the highlight of the band’s debut record was the incredible single ‘Reelin’ In the Years’, which firmly asserted their manifesto of jazz-rock fusion. Surprisingly, the song reached number 11 in the US singles charts, proving that there was a market for the distinctive sounds of Becker and Fagen. Such was the brilliance of the track that Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page has repeatedly listed the guitar solo from ‘Reelin’ In the Years’ as his favourite of all time.
Somewhat disappointingly, for Becker and Fagen, however, the guitar solo did not come from them. The pair recruited old tour-mate Elliott Randall of Jay and the Americans to construct the solo of the track. Later, Randall revealed to Produce Like A Pro, “I thought they were really special, and they must have thought I was special too.”
With the improvisational solo being recorded in one take, Elliott cemented his place in Steely Dan’s history. After finding out about Page’s appreciation for the solo, Randall shared that he was “very flattered” by the praise, adding, “It was actually very easy…the song virtually played itself.”
