Steve Albini explains why he hates Steely Dan
When it comes to music production, very few can touch the skills of Steely Dan. As much as they have a reputation for existing in the realm of dad rock, no other dad can hold a candle to the pure funk of a song like ‘Kid Charlemagne’. That said, Steely Dan comes from the world of jazz, and that doesn’t sit well with producer Steve Albini.
While Albini has a diverse production discography to his name, he has discussed at length about not understanding Steely Dan’s flavour of yacht rock. Since Albini comes from a punk rock background, he explained his issues with just how meticulous the band could be at times. Albini stated on Twitter: “I will always be the kind of punk that shits on Steely Dan. Christ, the amount of human effort wasted to sound like an SNL band warm up”.
Though the criticism may have been harsh, Albini was not done there. Continuing his social media rant, Albini talked about how ridiculous Steely Dan were for taking weeks at a time to record a guitar solo: “They spent three weeks on the guitar solo,” he said. “Three weeks of watching guitar players give it their all while doing bumps and hitting the talkback, More *Egyptian* but keep it in the pocket…”
Since Albini’s trademark style revolves around things sounding a bit chaotic, and his problem stems from Donald Fagen and Walter Becker being the glorified puppet masters of the band. Although Fagen and Becker write the music, that’s not enough to get them off the hook with Albini: “Two types of perfectionist: One will prepare, revise and rehearse carefully, with intent, honing an idea to a keen edge, ready to cut the cloth of execution,” the producer said. “The other makes other people responsible by saying, ‘do it again,’ until by chance they are satisfied, then take credit.”
Granted, Albini’s style of production is always about capturing music in the moment. From working on Nirvana’s In Utero to being affiliated with the underground punk scene in Big Black, Albini’s approach isn’t that everything sounds right; it’s about the energy that you create while the tape is running.
Then again, Steely Dan’s music still holds in its own way, too, becoming samples in hip hop and holding up as some of the most accomplished playing of the ’70s. Both Albini and Steely Dan might identify as rock-oriented musicians, but both of their styles seem to be happening on separate planets.
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