Steely Dan and the Doobies

[martin manning]

Went to see the twin-bill Dan-Doobie show last night, and left a little saddened. The Doobie Brothers are still the Doobie Brothers, with two founding and several other long-time members still rockin' all the old tunes. They seemed happy to be there, as did their fans. Unfortunately, Steely Dan as we knew it is no more. The band was good, top-notch pros as always, but without Becker it just isn't the same, and for the coup de grâce (heh), Fagan really can't sing anymore. He leaned on the back-up singers for the high notes in Dirty Work last time I saw them, but last night he just let them take it (and of course they did a fine job). I listened to the whole catalog today to remember how good they were. To top it off, there is some legal battle going on now between Becker's estate and Fagan for the scraps.

[AtomCap]

Harrington wasn't doing the Becker Parts? John's a very tasty player and has ears, good tone etc...

[martin manning]

No doubt, and there is no shortage of talent in general. Keith Carlock's drumming was fantastic. The sound just seemed more cluttered, and without the noticeable open spaces. The worst thing is that Fagan isn't so much singing as barking or speaking the lyrics.

[tictac]

There was a PBS special a few years ago called, "The Dukes of September" /it was Fagan with Michael McDonald and Boz Scaggs. Talk about a "Super Group"...

Super tight band, John playing lead, only two backup singers... They opened with a smoking version of, "Who's That Lady" one of the best things I've ever seen. And Boz and Michael could still sing! Boz was especially and surprisingly good!

Fagan was good, but his voice was never his strong suit... his writing, another story!

TT

[Reeltarded]

Mortality and popular music as a clock.

I don't want to die, but when I do, I hope it makes a huge mess.

[Phil_S]

Harrington wasn't doing the Becker Parts? John's a very tasty player and has ears, good tone etc...

I had the good fortune to see them a couple of years ago with Becker and Harrington. IMO, Harrington is a fine guitar player about whom I only have good things to report. I'm assuming he had picked up all the parts played by everyone but Becker (Carlton, Baxter, etc.) to great result, though I'm not really clear who played what on the records. It was a very enjoyable show. I suppose Fagen could still bark out his vocals acceptably, as I didn't take notice anything to suggest otherwise. However, when Becker stepped into the spotlight, there was something magical about it. I found myself waiting for Becker to step forward. I can't imagine it's the same without him. This is the intangible aspect of music that makes it what it is.

OTOH, can you fault them for taking the show on the road yet one more time? If it sells, it sells. The audience will tell them when to hang it up. They will vote with their feet.

Heck, look at Dead & Co. They continue to sell tickets at big venues and Bob Weir did something to get his voice back, too, after a year where he could barely whisper. There are now so many players are on borrowed time...see them while you still can.

[tubeswell]

I still love the Doobies. They came here last year and they were fantastic, just like in the 70s, only better. The playing was tight, the singing was great, the sound was huge.

[Winder]

Too bad about Steely Dan. I saw bits of the PBS show too and it seemed pretty good. Disappointing though when singers leave it to the audience or just fill the music in here/there. Look at Van Halen. Eddie still has the chops and the band is tight, but I feel embarrassed for DLR shuffling around and squawking about. Doobies are timeless.

[martin manning]

Now this is more like it (2012): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQXobc4ADTM

And this one from 2000: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZA62ZmZ6mc

[AtomCap]

As much as I love Steely Dan and the Dead- I have to say the Dead just has a bigger following from a "go see live shows perspective"..
Becker allot of the time would just musically ramble imo but it was at least good rambling
Harrington's playing is more disciplined I believe..

all good either way!

[martin manning]

Lots of full-length SD concert videos on Youtube... posted recently. Catch them while they last!