General Music Chat

It's perfectly acceptable to dislike--even hate--SD, and I've heard plenty of valid reasons: it's too pretentious, too self-indulgent, etc... To each, his/her own. But to hang it on the alleged use of Maj7 chords at the end of songs? Never heard that one, prob. because it's somewhat inaccurate (not to mention obscure). Fair enough to simply say you think it sucks. There are plenty who will agree.

I like it in part because it speaks to a reality I know well (Fagen and I aren't that far apart in age and have similar life experiences), but more so because of how the tunes are structured. Changing keys and time sigs in the middle of songs--sometimes more than once--is very interesting, likewise the chordal arrangements and what a friend of mine describes as 'everybody doing something different at the same time.' It also prominently features the piano (which is nice for a pianist), great interplay between the piano and guitar, and those marvelous horns. As the band progressed, it got even more sophisticated, musically.

But that's ok--they won't let me play it down here, either. Guess it's an acquired taste, albeit not one that everyone acquires.

Steeleye Dan is in my top 5 'fo sure.. and they used the patented (moo majer) chord which gave them that signature sound.. example a E moo majer chord uses the notes E, B, F#, G# rather than the E major chord which has the notes E, B, G#

AJA

Cmaj7, Bb, Cmaj7, Fmaj7, Cm11, Dbmaj7, Eb9, F7, Abmaj7,Bb(Abbass), Ab, G7,E7,A7,Cm7,Dbmaj7, Gbmaj7,Fm7,D7-5, Dbmaj7(-5), Cmaj9, etc.

lots of major 7ths, and as Richard Carpenter once stated, ("I LOVE MAJOR 7ths")

other noted names for the moo majer chord,
"deus de musica(1st expnsion"); -"major triad avec neoplastic distension"; or "M' Lords Consonance"


I bullshit you not!

Sure, you can find tunes that use Maj7--how can anyone who has written that many tunes avoid it?--but as you note, it's not their signature sound. I doubt Fagen ever met a 9 chord he didn't like. Peg is an excuse to see how many 9 chords you can cram into a song.

"Peg us a plot to inject as much Michael McDonald mugging into pop hits as possible."

Fixed that for ya.

and so it begins, I will be persecuted then because of my admiration of Michael McDonald, just luvs me some "Yah Mo B There" puts chills up my spine....

But the Motown stuff?!

the drum track? what is going on with the drum track schmed ?

another #1 tune from 1986 and not necessarily mo-townish?

i respect mcdonald and prefer his "more sophisticated" lineup and tunes from The Doobs and I think he added a lot to songs he helped out on w SD.

but i'm NOT any kind of fan of that Motown thing he did. i thought it was god-awful.

back to SD. they are so much more than a band that just plays a lot of MAJ7ths! and to my ears....i hear nothing that's even remotely "loungey". for my money their music is very sophisticated while still grooving like a mofo, the lyrics are grown up, and deal w some cool, funny, and interesting themes....there's amazing interplay and space as the instruments play contrapuntally and off one another....and then you have some of THE best musicians playing w them???? for me that's winning formula all around.

Jook...check out the opening of this tune... nah, THAT ain't no M7th chord up front!!!! (nor is it a M7th "cord"!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhYif4ZRqRk

how many people are writing songs about someone going postal?

or how about this one about a Timothy Leary type....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ9Xk-VoGqo

I'm w/ P-guy re: McDonald. Thought the Doobies were just ok before, but when he joined, they went to a different place and were no longer a biker-bar band. I read somewhere some of the other band members weren't all too thrilled about it at first--esp. Tom Johnston--but I'm betting they got over it as the checks rolled in. That was my favorite Doobie period. The stuff he did after that, well... But a guy's gotta eat.

On that VH1 show re: Aja, he talks at length about how Fagen made him do the Peg harmony over and over and over and over and over... These days it takes some special enticement--or a 9mm--to get guys to show up for practice. Sigh...

Actually, I agree w/ P-guy on everything he said.

I am not trying to bes testy here, but could somebody please give me a tune Michael McDonald wrote or performed which is considered in the motown genre? I don't understand? is "I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near) considered Motown-like?

Actually, I agree w/ P-guy on everything he said.

smart man... (the check's in the mail)

yeah, that was a really tough harmony they were trying to get from McDonald on "Peg"....a Maj 2nd if i recall correctly.

I am not trying to bes testy here, but could somebody please give me a tune Michael McDonald wrote or performed which is considered in the motown genre? I don't understand? is "I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near) considered Motown-like?

Dayne...he did a whole album of Motown tunes maybe like 5 yrs ago???