Steely Dan

There's got to be something nice to say about Steely Dan. I just have no idea what it is. If you're like me, you probably knew two songs by them — "Reelin' in the Years" and "Do It Again" — until about a year ago, when Rock Band included "Bodhisattva"...

By Brian Bardwell

October 22, 2009

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There's got to be something nice to say about Steely Dan. I just have no idea what it is. If you're like me, you probably knew two songs by them — "Reelin' in the Years" and "Do It Again" — until about a year ago, when Rock Band included "Bodhisattva" and its ridiculously impossible solo in its catalog. Now you and your fake band are stuck in Reykjavik, listening to the perpetual boos of a fake crowd that came out to hear you play a fake guitar and fake drums. It's infuriating, especially when you consider that the real Steely Dan can kill that solo every time, despite being kind of lame. More infuriating: Those guys are continuing to cash in on that solo with every tour, despite cutting two albums in the past 30 years, while you'll probably only get $30 in Rock Band cash even if you ever do master that solo. But what can you expect from jazz-rock? But somehow, these guys keep on raking it in and selling out shows, so they've got to be doing something right.

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