Where is the music like this?

In a time where people listen to iTunes and Spotify to the point that its just mostly background music, albums no longer matter that much. So they don't make them like that anymore. Of course there are still people making good albums. It's never been easier to do so with home studios being this cheap, and it being so easy to release your own music yourself. The flipside is that the market is glutted with music. And when music becomes abundant, and listening to music become more and more backgroundmusic while you do other things, music devalues. God bless the traditional audiophiles with their turntables I guess, if anyone is willing to sit back and actually listen and appreciate a good piece of music its them I suppose.
 
At one point in this video, Fagen and Becker talk about having several of the best LA/NY musicians play the same track (guitarists) and then they went with the one that sounded the best.

In this day of instant gratification and settling for less, few have this kind of "search for excellence"! Reminds me of the Fractal Audio team's diligence and commitment to excellence.
 
I'm 63, back when this album was released, there was only a dozen or so great artist / bands everyone would listen to. I agree with Maud'Zin.
Today, there's literally thousands of artist / bands, each with their own genres. Dozens of labels born on websites.
Back then, it took a lot of talent, knowledge, and industry connections to acquire the resources to publish on the technologies of the day. Once CD recording software became ubiquitous, I feel like the magic was lost, every person with a computer was now a "song writer". The old skool talent just layed out, went home so to speak, let the dogs in the street have it. Drum machines and DAW's became another death nail to such an exclusive industry. When I was 14, I used to put the tone arm down the solo section of a 45 rpm vinyl, to learn the solo. By the time I had it down, the vinyl looked like someone etched it with a pocket knife. Now, just Google the tutorial on YT. Not sayin' all tech is bad, it just changes how we do what we do.
 
No auto tune. No screaming, no embellishing the vocal line to impress how many notes they can sing.
Bloody marvelous.
Thanks
Pauly

One of my favorite albums..one of the most innovative collections of music I've ever heard!

 
I'm 63, back when this album was released, there was only a dozen or so great artist / bands everyone would listen to. I agree with Maud'Zin.
Today, there's literally thousands of artist / bands, each with their own genres. Dozens of labels born on websites.
Back then, it took a lot of talent, knowledge, and industry connections to acquire the resources to publish on the technologies of the day. Once CD recording software became ubiquitous, I feel like the magic was lost, every person with a computer was now a "song writer". The old skool talent just layed out, went home so to speak, let the dogs in the street have it. Drum machines and DAW's became another death nail to such an exclusive industry. When I was 14, I used to put the tone arm down the solo section of a 45 rpm vinyl, to learn the solo. By the time I had it down, the vinyl looked like someone etched it with a pocket knife. Now, just Google the tutorial on YT. Not sayin' all tech is bad, it just changes how we do what we do.
If you want to learn how to play or do things, today is indeed a golden age. Knowledge has been democratized in ways that were inconceivable back then. Still a negatory on the flying cars we thought we would get back then though.
 
It's funny that when Aja first came out, me and most of my friends thought it was too smooth/polished, even for Steely Dan - it didn't seem to have that edge that most of their earlier stuff had, and was a lot mellower overall, especially coming after the Royal Scam. But after hearing it for a while, I really came to appreciate the masterpiece that it is.
 
Don't make music like that anymore. That album and The Nightfly are in my Top 20.
You are correct sir...The Nightfly only becomes more scarily Nostalgic , prescient and treasured with each listen...it has been particularly helpful and significant to me in these recent weeks.........and of course AJA.
......back in 82 I sang Walk Between the Raindrops regularly with a big show band that had my good friend CJ Vanston On keys, who went on to be Spinal Taps (surviving) touring keyboardist and the musical director of all of Chris Guest’s feature films.
 
On the video (above), they break down the tracks on some of the songs. I really like the discussion/tracks on Michael McDonald's the harmonies on "Peg". When you listen to the close harmony he/they created for this track it's amazingly creative and unique...nothing like it in today's music that I've heard, especially in popular music.
 
Just watched that video... So great!

I love when you get to hear how all the raw tracks create something much better when mixed :)
 
I like when singers do that thing where they put one hand in the air, flat and parallel to the ground, and then raise and lower it with the pitch they're singing.

Because that's what the song is about. Them doing that vocal acrobatic thing. Because the more they show off the "better" the music is.
 
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