Donald Fagen You” Is a Good Example
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NOVEMBER 2012 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM NOVEMBER 2012 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM MUSICIAN Did you have a concept in mind for It’s a mechanical thing that your brain does. TOOLS OF THE TRADE the new album? They’re not in the groove. Not as much as with Kamakiriad. There, I was truly following a concept. This time I Which is tougher to create, a solo or a Fagen’s right-hand man for Sunken tried to do the opposite. I was trying to write Steely Dan album? Condos was Michael Leonhart, who freestanding songs, and free myself from the About the same. There’s a bit more pressure co-produced and played an array of instruments. autobiographical thing. Even when they all making a Steely Dan record. I think both He filled us in on the gear they used. started having a certain character, I didn’t Walter and I feel there can’t be any songs “For the vocals, the chain was a Neumann try to match them up. But I do like to get 50 that fall below a certain level or below U87 through a Shadow Hills Quad mic preamp, minutes of music that’s a good blend. Once people’s expectations. I don’t feel that same into a Teletronix LA-2A tube compressor and I had 50 minutes of music I felt was worth pressure working on my own, although I then a Metric Halo digital converter,” he says. recording, I said, “Let’s do it.” suppose I do apply the same standards. “Very simple and direct, but the best of the best. “Most of the keyboards came down to Did you want a consistent style? How does the songwriting differ? organ, piano and clavinet,” he continues. “We I wanted everything to have a good groove. There’s more variety in the subject matter had a great clavinet, a Hohner E7 and two Although it isn’t dance music, I wanted the when Walter and I work together. The songs Fender Rhodes, which we got beautifully in songs to have a dance feel. I like albums are more journalistic, in the sense that tune. We also used a tube Wurlitzer—either that have a top-end groove that makes my because there are two people, they aren’t a 120 or a 140—on a bunch of tracks. There body feel good. When I arranged the songs, as personal. When I’m singing Steely Dan was also a mini-Wurlitzer, which is something I I purposely built that in, no matter what the songs, I’m taking on the roles of various had never seen before. It’s like a Wurlitzer 200, subject matter was. Sometimes there’s kinds of characters. When I’m writing by except smaller. We also used a Fazioli Grand. an irony you can achieve by balancing myself, those characters are closer in spirit Plus, we had a Minimoog. And in a couple of the groove and lyric, by creating tension to who I am. places for tuning we used the Arturia vintage between them. “I’m Not the Same Without synths collection. Do you always write on acoustic piano? “Donald brought in a bunch of his old gear Almost always. I rarely work on the road. as well. His Prophet-5 from the late Steely Dan Generally I write at home on a Yamaha period was busted, so we borrowed one from ‘I enjoy playing upright. Right now I don’t have a grand [producer] Mark Ronson. We used a Juno-6 on or even a baby grand. I prefer to work on without worrying uprights, and I’m not sure why. I’m an on- and-off smoker, and I like being able to put linch C whether audiences my cigarette on the piano and get a nice burn mark on it. I think there’s something Danny like every tune.’ romantic about uprights. When do you know you’re onto DONALD FAGEN You” is a good example. That song sounds something promising? festive but the lyrics are pretty dark. Something lights up in my brain. It has The Steely Dan co-captain finds new freedom on his latest solo effort to do with originality. I feel like I’m saying Did you give the players freedom? something that’s maybe been said before, By Russell Hall I generally don’t give the players instruction, but not exactly in the same way. That’s initially. It’s more about casting the right true of both the music and the lyrics. TWO YEARS AGO DONALD FAGEN DECIDED TO WIPE In 1981 Fagen and Becker disbanded and embarked on solo person, like a movie. I try to hire musicians When there’s something fresh about it, the slate clean. His first three solo albums—1982’s The Nightfly, careers, but they reunited in 2000 with Two Against Nature, which who already know what to do. You risk stifling that’s when I know. 1993’s Kamakiriad and 2006’s Morph the Cat—had been tied earned four Grammys. Three years later, Everything Must Go was someone if you give too much direction. together by unified themes, based on stages of Fagen’s life. For his released to less fanfare—but there have been no albums since. They get nervous and start thinking too Which songs are most fun to perform? new record, Sunken Condos, Fagen cast aside such constraints. “Walter and I haven’t been able to come together on a bunch of much. You don’t want to frighten anybody. The later Steely Dan stuff, more so than the “Those first three albums, which appeared at roughly 10-year songs lately,” explains Fagen. “But we still talk about recording.” Problems sometimes arise when people do earlier material. Walter and I had a better intervals, ended up being a trilogy more or less,” he explains. “I’m For Sunken Condos, Fagen recruited a team of ace musicians six or seven takes, where they’ve got most grasp of what we liked by then. We were just done with that now. I felt freed up this time because the new songs that included much of his touring band, including Michael Leonhart, of it but you need a little more. People get kids when we started. We learned how to didn’t have to refer to earlier material.” who co-produced. Superior musicianship, intricate arrangements tired. You have to know when to give them write better, play better and arrange better as Fagen has earned the right to go in any direction he pleases. and insightful wit abound, all tethered to sharp funk grooves. a break, even when they’re saying, “Let me time went on. I like doing “Babylon Sisters,” As co-founder of Steely Dan, his jazz-infused efforts with musical With typical irony, Fagen chose an album title that contrasts do one more.” You say, “No, just stop. Come and “The Caves of Altamira” is fun to sing. partner Walter Becker constitute some of the most sophisticated with the upbeat sound. over here and have some coffee.” Then they’ll And I love doing the 21st century stuff like to scale the pop charts. The duo’s decade-long run in the ’70s and “It’s a play on a Debussy piece called ‘The Sunken Cathedral,’” Danny Clinch go back and nail it. “Godwhacker” and “Gaslighting Abbie.” But I early ’80s includes such hits as “Reelin’ in the Years,” “Rikki Don’t he says. Fagen revealed his thoughts on the new album, his creative can’t do them too much because audiences Lose That Number,” “Hey Nineteen” and “Peg.” process and his least favorite Steely Dan tune. How do you know when to do that? don’t know them as well. a lot of stuff. There was also a Hammond B-3 The biggest tip-off is when they start rushing, and a Hammond L-100 that I have at my studio. when they start getting ahead of the beat. Do you think Steely Dan’s hits have “And Donald came in with a bag of about ‘We slipped in at a special time, when people were That’s what people do when they’re tired, always been the best songs? five Melodicas. The search for a Melodica that nervous or thinking too much. I can hear it I think it’s been arbitrary, the songs that will stay in tune is endless. Donald’s probably willing to play unusual music on pop radio.’ immediately. They’re not laid back anymore. became hits. I like some of them. I’m sort done more to publicize them than anyone else.” 46 47 M mag 23_cs6.indd 46 12/8/12 8:41 PM M mag 23_cs6.indd 47 12/8/12 8:41 PM NOVEMBER 2012 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM NOVEMBER 2012 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM MUSICIAN Denise Truscello/WireImage Inset: Danny Clinch Onstage in Las Vegas, 2008 Donald Fagen, Walter Becker ‘Although it isn’t dance music, SOUL MATES I wanted the songs to have In the early ’90s, Fagen formed an ensemble with some of his session pals, geared toward a dance feel.’ performing classic R&B material in intimate settings. The idea has since morphed into the Dukes of September, a world-touring of fed up with “Reelin’ in the Years.” But programming lists. If something sounded “rhythm revue” featuring Michael McDonald, then again I think that’s because it’s not novel, instead of banning it they’d likely play Boz Scaggs and Fagen. “My wife was very sophisticated. It was kind of an early it.