Guitar Solos in Steely Dan

**rayme330** · 03-20-2011, 08:44 AM

I was just thinking, it seems a lot of jazz guitarists admire Steely Dan and the jazz flavoured music they have put out over the years. And most of us have our favourite album or track.

So what is Your favouite Steely Dan guitar solo?

I'll kick off - mine is Denny Dias' solo in "Bodhisattva" from the 1973 album Countdown To Ecstacy.

**fep** · 03-20-2011, 11:49 AM

It's not a guitar solo, but one of my favorite solos that comes to my mind is:

Wayne Shorter on Aja

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 03-20-2011, 11:55 AM

I can sing the whole solo on "Reelin' in the Years". I can't think of any recent pop songs with great guitar solos.

**pingu** · 03-20-2011, 12:17 PM

ricky dont ............. gorge solo
who played that one anyway

**rayme330** · 03-20-2011, 12:22 PM

Ricky..................Jeff Baxter.

**jazzphan** · 03-20-2011, 12:41 PM

larry carlton on kid charlemagne is a great one, but i'd probably have to take the guitar solo on "peg" as my fav. who does that one anyways?

**rayme330** · 03-20-2011, 12:53 PM

Kid Charlemagne...................Jay Graydon's solo.

The guitar solo on the track was attempted by seven top session guitarists before Jay Graydon's version became the "keeper". He worked on the song for about 6 hours before they were satisfied............Wikipedia

**MarkRhodes** · 03-20-2011, 12:55 PM

Originally Posted by jazzphan

larry carlton on kid charlemagne is a great one, but i'd probably have to take the guitar solo on "peg" as my fav. who does that one anyways?

Originally Posted by jazzphan

larry carlton on kid charlemagne is a great one, but i'd probably have to take the guitar solo on "peg" as my fav. who does that one anyways?

Carlton's solo on "Kid Charlemagne" is great. (Carlton also plays a great thing on "Don't Take Me Alive" from the same album, "The Royal Scam.") As for "Peg," Jay Graydon played that solo. It kills.

I love Elliot Randall's work on "Reelin' In The Years." You know, that was the *second* take because an engineer didn't get the first one down. According to legend, the 'lost' solo was even better. Hard to imagine how. That opening solo is my favorite guitar part on any rock song ever--I was a kid, cleaning used cars at my dad's lot and kept the transistor radio on a pop station. I loved it when that song came on. Still do!

Another fave of mine is Jeff Baxter's solo on "My Old School" (also from "Countdown to Ecstasy", whose "Bodhisattva" has already been mentioned.)

**bass2man** · 03-20-2011, 01:50 PM

All great solos..I also like King of the World...sort of out there but it fits...Denny Dias I believe...

**Bailz** · 03-20-2011, 02:03 PM

i learnt eh kid charlemagne one and boshisattva was my first experience of dan. I really love them dan> there's a covers band who knock about the UK called neerly dan. they're marvelous! I regularly sing the bodhistavva solo in the car!

**Flyin' Brian** · 03-20-2011, 02:15 PM

Carlton recreates a few of his solos here. Not really jazz but better than the usual pentatonic wanking.

**bahama** · 03-21-2011, 06:13 PM

Both Peg & Reelin' are killas!

**kenbennett** · 03-21-2011, 07:22 PM

I play Kid Charlemagne and Josie (you gotta love that intro).

My son learned the Peg solo for a gig he was filling in for somebody. Most of tunes he just listened to about half of each song and moved on. Then he spent about 2 hours on Peg.

**MarkRhodes** · 03-21-2011, 09:14 PM

Originally Posted by kenbennett

I play Kid Charlemagne and Josie (you gotta love that intro).

Yeah, that's a good intro. Fun tune to play. Another good guitar intro from the same record (AJA) is "Deacon Blues." Nice chords, esp for a pop song!

**cosmic gumbo** · 03-22-2011, 04:05 PM

I really love Walter Becker's solo on the outro to FM.

**MarkRhodes** · 03-22-2011, 05:39 PM

Originally Posted by cosmic gumbo

I really love Walter Becker's solo on the outro to FM.

+1. That's good stuff. I also like his playing on "Black Friday."

**Jazzophobe** · 03-22-2011, 07:33 PM

Don't really know where to begin, but I LOVE two Dan tunes...Home Again (from Aja), and Royal Scam (from Royal Scam). Love Steve Gadd's drumming on Aja. As far as guitar solo's Elliot Randall on "Reeling in the Years"...Denny Diaz, Skunk, Larry Carlton...There is not a bad Steely Dan album...

**Jazzophobe** · 03-22-2011, 07:36 PM

Originally Posted by Flyin' Brian

Carlton recreates a few of his solos here. Not really jazz but better than the usual pentatonic wanking.

Wow, great stuff!

**kenbennett** · 03-22-2011, 08:05 PM

Originally Posted by markerhodes

Yeah, that's a good intro. Fun tune to play. Another good guitar intro from the same record (AJA) is "Deacon Blues." Nice chords, esp for a pop song!

Somewhere around here I have a book with all the charts from Aja and Royal Scam.

So much of their music was good and way beyond whatever guitar was going on. It's the changes. I love 'Third World Man'.

**bahama** · 03-22-2011, 08:12 PM

also the harmonized gtr riffs in Reelin are always fun to hear

**Subfeeder** · 03-23-2011, 05:58 AM

Glamour Profession by Steve Khan playing a Gibson ES-Artist (Steve Khan's Equipment) Great sound, great solo on a very unusual chord progression. Would love to see a list of who played what solos on all the Steely Dan albums, transcriptions and equipment.

**DanFan** · 04-28-2011, 02:33 PM

I'll make a more than honorable mention for Skunk Baxter's (I believe?) talk-box guitar work on East St. Louis Toodle-Oo on Pretzel Logic. Possibly the most tasteful use of the talk box ever.

**max chill** · 04-29-2011, 01:44 PM

Brothers, is there any Dan tune with a guitar solo that isn't great? I think Becker and Fagen probably gave us the greatest collection of contemporary guitar solos of all time. I can't imagine what music and guitar would be like without them. Either you love them, or you hate them. There doesn't seem to be much middle ground.

**MarkRhodes** · 04-29-2011, 02:32 PM

Originally Posted by max chill

Brothers, is there any Dan tune with a guitar solo that isn't great? I think Becker and Fagen probably gave us the greatest collection of contemporary guitar solos of all time.

I agree with the second statement, provided we're not counting the more recent records. (I like some of them but the are not on par with the classic albums.)

**tony.quayle** · 08-26-2014, 05:47 AM

These are some of my fave all time Steely Dan guitar licks
I understand Denny Dias took lessons from a be bop guitarist called Billy Bauer
Bauer had palyed with Lenny Tristiano in the 50's
This really comes accross in his solo lines

Bodhisattva = Denny Dias
Your Gold Teeth 2 = Denny Dias
King of the World = Denny Dias

Green earrings Denny Dias
Parkers band Denny Dias

middle section of reelin in the yrs == Denny Dias

Jeff was really influenced by hendrix-- spent many yrs reparing & upgrading guitars
Rikki don't lose that no. Jeff Baxter (based on Hendrix style licks )
Pearl of ther Quarter jeff Baxter
Any major dude Jeff Baxter

Becker also porduced an album in 1989 for a Norweiganband called 'Fra Lippo Lippi'
a track called Stardust Motel features a really tasty solo by Dean Parks

Haitian Divorce Dean Parks /Walter Becker
Home at Last Walter Becker
I got the news Walter Becker

Carlton was influenced by Johnny Smith & Barney Kessel Chalamagne solo is amongst the top 30 solos of all time
Kid Chalamagne Larry Carlton
Don't take me alive Larry Carlton
Gaucho Larry Carlton

Chinese style double stops & Hawaian ring to that solo
Peg Jay Graydon

Mark spent over 8hrs in the studio in Nw York - Steel Dan used only one 30second lick on this track
He speaks about his time with Steely Dan on an interview with Paul Gambacini from Channel 4
'The other side of the tracks' in 1982

Time out of mind Mark Knopfler

Although Becker produced & invited all guitar parts to the Dan songs
Fagan recalls this tune as one of his faves from the back catalogue
Chain Lightnin Rick Derringer

There appears to be more speculation about Stelly Dan than Django Reinhardt
probably cos they don't do many interviews

Kind regards fellow jazzers

Tony