Steely Dan- Any good?
- Thread starter Noopz
- Start date
What does 1973 have to do with it? It's still rubbish however you cut it. Explain to me what you find so innovative about what he does there, because I see nothing. Nothing innovative in the blues thing, or the harmonics, or the staccato notes. Pete H said it best a few pages ago.
kasperhauser
pfm Member
Hmm, where to start.... What does context have to do with it? A helluva a lot, actually. Being the first to do something says a great deal about that which is being done. When I look at the guitarists who were contemporary to this solo being recorded, I don't see anyone doing what he did. When I look at his predecessors - even those history has esteemed - nope, not there.
Did he invent the harmonic effect? Nope. But I haven't seen many others work in an entire line - out of nowhere - where the harmonics almost have the effect of pulling the whole phrase into a different key, but still anchored by the root notes. He's throwing in a gospel-style call-and-response with the horn section, anticipating them, leading them (this is even more evident in the third part that's omitted here); he intersperses staccato notes with three, four, and five-note chords in rapid-fire succession, somewhat reminiscent of Matt Murphy, but faster and edgier; he pulls some Wes Montgomery-style sliding octave licks, bluesy funkabilly walk-downs a la Johnny Guitar Watson, and trumpet-style ascending runs into a single cohesive element, in the space of about 4 seconds. And his timing is as good as it gets outside of maybe Albert Collins. Maybe.
But hey, anyone can do that.
kasperhauser
pfm Member
Who is whom talking about?