Today, I listened to an old favorite record, Steely Dan‘s 1973 release, Countdown To Ecstasy, and I heard it as if for the first time. And I’ve heard it a lot. This record ran through my head during college, when my friend Craig and I would spin it on long weekend nights. Craig loved “Razor [...]
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What makes a guitar solo great? A great guitar solo makes great songs even better. Great solos build tension, heighten musical drama and expand melodic and harmonic ideas. The very best guitar solos are like mini compositions and can stand on their own, outside the song, but we’d never want them to. Think of your [...]
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25 Great Moments in Rock Drumming – Day 5: Bernard Purdie, “Kid Charlemagne,” from The Royal Scam by Steely Dan “Kid Charlegmagne” is full of session wiz Bernard Purdie’s crisp, tight drumming full of sizzle and pizzazz. Like Donald Fagen and Walter Becker’s “Bodhisattva,” Purdie shines like Japan, while his clean hi-hat and snare work [...]
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