A series of observations on albums that had a huge influence on the musos of that time. They weren't necessarily the most popular albums of the time but were hugely influential. They are in no particular order.
Steely Dan - The Royal Scam - 1976
The Royal Scam is Steely Dan's fifth album. A superb piece of production, musicianship and satire.The 9 songs are varied from Rock, Jazz Fusion to Funk Rock. The lyrics, as always with Steely Dan, are ambiguous and mystifying. But the most exciting thing for me were the feels, the complex arrangements and the superb guitar solos.
The guitar solos are shared by Larry Carlton, Elliot Randall, Walter Becker, Denny Dias and Dean Parks. But it is Larry Carlton who really moves me on this album. His solos are edgy and beautifully crafted (especially on "Kid Charlemagne", the first track and "Don't Take Me Alive" track 3). If your not aware of Larry's work you are really missing something. In the seventies he was the guitarist of choice on literally hundreds of albums, many of which became classics.
This album has some absolutely great rhythm section feels, which set the tone for the rest of the decade. So if you like your music a little challenging, but still singalongable, then you should chase this album down and play it to death, like we did in the 70's. It's a real hooter.
Track listing-
Kid Charlemagne - Guitar solo Larry Carlton
The Caves of Altamira - Alto Sax Solo by John Klemmer
Don't Take Me Alive - Guitar solo Larry Carlton
Sign In Stranger - Piano Solo Paul Griffin, Guitar Solo Elliot Randall
The Fez - Guitar Solos by Walter Becker
Green Earrings - Guitar solo 1. Denny Dias 2. Elliot Randall
Haitian Divorce - Talk Box guitar solo by Dean Parks
Everything You Did - Guitar solo Larry Carlton
The Royal Scam - Guitar solo Larry Carlton.
Take a look at the video below, where a Steely Dan enthusiast (to say the least) has videod his Steely Dan collection while listening to "Kid Charlemagne", the first track on the album. If the vision annoys you, just shut your eyes and Enjoy!
You Tube Video - Steely Dan - Kid Charlemagne
