A Man Could Use A Pint …

And so, as the week draws to a close, the debate rages on. First, thanks to the folks who replied (most notable, Chris & Rob, the Steely Dan fans who took up the discussion and we carried it on, as most good music talks do, uncharted territory). I even discovered a few bands that I never heard of.

Since the original post – this conversation has taken on a life of it’s own and has had some pretty cool left hand turns.

To recap:

One: Was Mr. Becker joking when talking about ripping off his fans? The general consensus seems that he was – and that I missed the joke.

Two: Was Steely Dan’s musical high point “Can’t Buy A Thrill” (1972), “Pretzel Logic” (1974), and “Katy Lied” (1975) – I still believe it was, but there are a few who were championing latter day SD. Which led to …

Three: Why is it that most artists first half of their careers are more interesting than their second half? And boy – this was a good debate. Folks adding all kinds of music (and fave artists to prove or disprove their position.) I’d post some of the replies here – but I don’t want to go down that road again.

Four: Is ‘perfection’ all that it’s cracked up to be? This is a tough one to decide – either way. And, it was kind of split down party lines. Steely Dan fans going more for the “yes”, while others (Clash fans unite!!) going for the “rock and roll is supposed to be little dirtier” standpoint.

Five: My favorite topic that was covered: Does more “difficult” mean “better’? While bands like Steely Dan like to delve into deeper chord progressions than most, using diminished, suspended & augmented chords to keep things interesting. Does that make it “better” then a 1-4-5 progession? What would Chuck Berry say?

And, last; In the quest for perfection; is modern day technology a good or a bad thing? The fact that Pro Tools can give the same result as the Brecker Brothers nailing something live – who’s “better” for the end result?

Funny to think this all came about by a post that included The Singing Mongooses.

Rave On!
Scott