Listen to my top Steely Dan covers including great Steely Dan tracks reworked as guitar instrumentals by Benny Sutton
"Josie," the closing track on Steely Dan's acclaimed 1977 album “Aja”, exemplifies the band's sophisticated blend of rock, jazz, and funk. Written by Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, "Josie" features intricate harmonies, engaging rhythms, and sharp lyrics. Here's an accessible breakdown of its musical elements.
"Deacon Blues," a track from Steely Dan's 1977 album “Aja”, is a quintessential example of the band's sophisticated style, blending jazz, rock, and pop elements.
Room 335 is Larry Carlton's seminal track. It was track 1 on his first solo album. It remains a firm favorite in his live sets and quite a challenge for any guitarist.
This is typical Steely Dan territory, even though it was on Donald Fagen's Nighfly album (which I contend is the best album Steely Dan never released!).
karaoke guitar A Pentatonic Have fun jamming along with this. I always do!
This one's another fave track off the Aja album that I have turned into a guitar instrumental. I didn't try the Jay Gradon guitar solo though!
This track features THAT guitar solo. It is rated by many as one of the top ten guitar solos of all time. The original guitarist on the record, Larry Carlton, pulled a real classic out of the bag and I kept putting off doing this track because I knew I had to recreate it note for note.
If you don't know what a Fez is, it's a Moroccan hat worn popularly by comedic characters; Tommy "just like that" Cooper (UK) and Groucho Marx was apt to wear one in his more sartorial moments!
Michael Herndon (Moody Mo) and I have already done one version of this so we thought why not do an acoustic version too! This time I sing vocals on the verse and Michael does those cool harmonies on the chorus.
The great track off the Pretzel Logic album
This is from Donald Fagen's Nightfly album. It's as close as he gets to classic Steely tracks like Doctor Wu.
"Bad Sneakers" is a song by Steely Dan from their 1975 album "Katy Lied."
Here I've arranged the horns to take the main role on what is ostensibly a 12 bar. The guitar is left to do the improvisation, keeping it slow and buesey. This is yet another Steely Dan track that is timeless.
This track was marked by its distinctive 'voicebox' guitar, quite an innovation at the time when it was initially released Technology has moved on so much since the original track was recorded. The original voice box was a tube attached to your amp the sound from which went up a plastic tube and you mouthed vowels etc with your mouth close to a microphone. I have a pedal with a superb setting that does in digitally! I don't use it often but when I do I love it. So you get a clean guitar solo and a voice box one too for the same money! I always wondered why the almost reggae beat - that would mean it was called Jamaican Divorce! Slick move Donald to not do the obvious).
HAL is a great little groove. Very typical Steely Dan chord progressions. I manage to play a lot of the melody on guitar during this track. Some Steely tracks melodies can be limited to a couple of notes for the vocals (e.g. Black Friday). This one has a beautiful melody, complete with those odd little passing notes and key changes we know and love (Becker/Fagen for).
Not strictly a Steely Dan Track this is from Donald Fagen's Nightfly album. It's as close as he gets to classic Steely tracks. I always thought Fagen wrote it but it is actually a cover they did of a Liber Stoller song. They know a good song when they see one.
At first glance this is a 12 bar blues and on one level it is but on another this is actually modal jazz with three tonal centres. Great to solo over, once you've worked out the key changes! It's a driving piece and I use a dirtier guitar sound to be in character. It's got a bit of a House beat lurking underneath if you can spot it!
Guitar fans... I recreate, rather successfully, the original iconic Larry Carlton guitar solo on the intro note for note. The track wouldn't have been the same!
One of the Steelies most melodic tracks that lends itself well to guitar taking the main parts, as well as a solo. Plenty of horns in the middle eight.
The average Steely Dan Track has forty (very difficult) chord changes in quick succession so Black Friday is the exception that proves the rule! It's basically a blues so I've taken that to its obvious conclusion and done it as a blues guitar version.