Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
75. Doctor Wu -- Steely Dan (from Katy Lied)
Classification in 1975: Jazz/rock
Classification today: Yacht rock
I was shocked that Tim's AOR-heavy list included nothing from Steely Dan's Katy Lied. One of the standout tracks is Doctor Wu, which perhaps more than any other track on this record signaled their shift from a pop/rock band with intricate arrangements to a jazz/rock collective with top-of-the-line session players and no worries about making the songs playable in concert (they stopped touring in 1974). The smooth groove, distinctive piano parts and, most importantly, the sax solo by jazz great Phil Woods heralded a new way to fuse jazz and rock that would be acceptable to AM pop stations and FM AOR stations. Don't ask me for an analysis of the lyrics; making sense of the Dan's words has always been a fool's errand.
Funny thing is, the Dan did start playing the post-1974 material in concert when they resumed touring in 1993; by that point, there was more money in touring than in session work for jazz/rock musicians. I saw Doctor Wu performed at a 2010 rarities-themed show.
Classification in 1975: Jazz/rock
Classification today: Yacht rock
I was shocked that Tim's AOR-heavy list included nothing from Steely Dan's Katy Lied. One of the standout tracks is Doctor Wu, which perhaps more than any other track on this record signaled their shift from a pop/rock band with intricate arrangements to a jazz/rock collective with top-of-the-line session players and no worries about making the songs playable in concert (they stopped touring in 1974). The smooth groove, distinctive piano parts and, most importantly, the sax solo by jazz great Phil Woods heralded a new way to fuse jazz and rock that would be acceptable to AM pop stations and FM AOR stations. Don't ask me for an analysis of the lyrics; making sense of the Dan's words has always been a fool's errand.
Funny thing is, the Dan did start playing the post-1974 material in concert when they resumed touring in 1993; by that point, there was more money in touring than in session work for jazz/rock musicians. I saw Doctor Wu performed at a 2010 rarities-themed show.
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