While the recently released Yacht Rock documentary is topical, it seems like the right time to give a little love to a Steely Dan track. Yes, Steely Dan is often derided as "pretentious" or as "soft rock for yuppies" and even "dad music."
And, yes, I'm the right age - tail-end boomer white guy dad - and all that, but I'm not alone in my love for these guys. The arguably much cooler than me DJ/Producer Prince Paul sampled the band's track "Peg" on De La Soul's 1989 track "Eye Soul." MF DOOM's 1999 "Gas Drawls" uses Steely Dan's funky "Black Cow" track. And even Kanye West's 2007 track "Champion" samples a bit of their track "Kid Charlemagne." So, maybe Steel Dan is cooler than many might think.
Those are all great tracks, but I'd like to focus on the groove in "Reelin' In The Years" from Steely Dan's 1972 Can't Buy A Thrill album. I can't say when I first heard this one, but I've always loved it. The great feel in this song is mainly derived from the infectious bouncing shuffle beat played by drummer Jim Hodder. It's hard not to get sucked in.
Like all Steely Dan tracks, it's played by a fantastic session band and high-quality production. The guitar solo was apparently recorded in a single take by Elliott Randall. There were two takes, but the engineer apparently neglected to record it on the first pass. I've always thought the solo is great, but don't take my word for it. Supposedly, Jimmy Page (of Led Zeppelin) has said it's his favorite guitar solo of all time (although I can't find the actual quote anywhere).
But let's get back to the groove. It's an example of a great shuffle with that triplet feel that propels the song so nicely. If you're interested in better understanding what a shuffle sounds like, I'll link a few other great examples I love below. You may know these songs, but listen to the drums carefully to get a feel for the shuffle. Once you absorb this, you'll hear it in many other songs. The last three are all variations on the "Purdie shuffle," as it's generally accepted that this half-time shuffle groove was originated by drummer Bernard Purdie (and adapted by John Bonham and Jeff Porcaro in the examples below).
Check them out, and let me know what you think!
Reelin’ In The Years (by Steely Dan, Jim Hodder on drums)
Fool In the Rain (By Led Zeppelin, drums by the legendary John Bonham)
Rosanna (By Toto, with the amazing Jeff Porcaro on drums)
Home At Last (Steely Dan, with Bernard Purdie on drums)
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