Steely Dan... Rikki Don't Lose That Number, Reelin' In The Years, Do It Again... You've NEVER Heard of them???

I was talking with a friend of mine the other day when our conversation turned to where it often does; our mutual love and fascination with music. I think we're both frustrated musicians... you know the types. We transferred our inability to become musicians into a love of most types of music. We both have enormous record/CD collections (yes we still have vinyl) and I even took the extraordinary step of working in radio for 25 years so I could be closer to the music I love. (See Mom, if you had just let me learn to play the trumpet in 4th grade when I asked LOL).

We were in a store at the time and Donald Fagen's "I.G.Y." was the "elevator music" playing which caught both our ears as it's not the typical schmaltz you usually hear when in the retail environment. Our reactions however were different... I just said, "Wow, never heard something this cool playing on Muzak before" and he said, "I really like it... who is it?". At first I thought he was kidding. Coming from anyone else I'd understand, but John is like me; he devours music. I understand he's a bit younger than me and wasn't quite 3 years old when the "Nightfly" album was released (1982), but I was still shocked. After telling him it was Donald Fagen and having him still look puzzled I explained that Fagen was the co-founder of Steely Dan. Still a blank stare. Steely Dan, you know... Rikki Don't Lose That Number? I figured since it was their biggest radio hit (reaching #4 on the U.S. charts) he'd HAVE to know that song. Nope. OK, so I rattled off a bunch of other "hits" and rock radio standards. Nothing; no reaction at all. At first I thought he was kidding, but John had never heard of Steely Dan... one of my favorite bands, and not just from the 70s but of all-time! Let's just say that gave us something to talk about for awhile.

This post is here for those of you, like John, who somehow due to your age or just some other misfortune have missed out on the magic that is Steely Dan. Founded by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen (who met at Bard College in New York in 1967), Steely Dan would go on to create some of the most incredible music of the 1970s, fusing rock, pop and jazz. Their sound gave equality to all musical instruments which delivered a rich, satisfying feast for the ears and would provide fuel for the progressive FM radio movement of the time.

If you've never heard Steely Dan, then click on the links below and start a fascinating journey. You can't say you've truly experienced 70s rock until you do. In my personal opinion Steely Dan and ELO alone can probably give you a great feel for the early to mid 70s rock scene. But don't stop with these two songs... and don't just go out and buy a greatest hits compilation. One of the beautiful things about Steely Dan's work is that the albums were ALBUMS... they had a flow and feeling to them that is lost if you don't listen to the work track by track in order. So investigate some of the full albums too... you'd be best to start with their first effort "Can't Buy A Thrill". I'm sure once you've listened to that you'll be hooked and want to keep listening to the artful music that Becker and Fagen produced through the rest of the decade. And if you are a Steely Dan fan like me but haven't listened for awhile these songs will probably start you digging out those old Steely Dan albums for a long overdue treat for your ears!

Steely Dan - Rikki Don't Lose That Number

Steely Dan - Reelin' In The Years

70s Music Lives On Here... on 70s Music Explosion!

Welcome to the first post here on 70s Music Explosion! To quote Jerry Garcia... what a long, strange trip it's been!

I've been telling myself for a long time now that I was going to keep my love of music alive by blogging... but I always find a reason to put it off. Tonight I decided that this blog doesn't have to be on any one's terms but mine. If I can't write every day, or even every week, then I'll write when I can. The important thing is I share my love and knowledge of 70s music with anyone who wants to come along on this "trip".

So where do I start? How about a little about me and why I love 70s music so much! My name is Jim and I was born in 1965, which means I obviously grew up in the 70s. I became fascinated with music as a young child... carrying a small transistor radio around all the time, and yes... even putting it under my pillow and falling asleep at night. Hard to believe you could fall in love with music from a 2-3" speaker from a cheap plastic hand held radio, but it happened. So much that I not only fell in love with the music, but the "DJ's" who played it. I decided at a very young age that I was going to be one of those DJ's when I grew up... and I actually did it. I had a very long and successful career in radio broadcasting; over 25 years including places like Philadelphia, Boston and many others. But recently I decided to "retire" from the business as the companies running radio stations become more and more ridiculous about what they expect from their employees. Overseeing several radio stations while doing a radio show every day and taking pay cuts every year while taking on more responsibility is the norm and I just wasn't finding it fun anymore. But here on this blog is where I'd like that fun to return!

So if you love the 70s too... especially the music... subscribe to this blog and continue on this journey with me! I'll be writing about all kinds of music; Pop, Rock, Country, R&B, almost anything you can think of. I'll also be posting some mp3's (for a limited time of course so as to not violate any copyrights or provide illegal downloads) to help you relive the songs that made the 70s so great!

In fact, here's the first that I think fits the theme of this post and this blog in general... Gary Wright and Love Is Alive! Enjoy and keep checking back here at 70s Music Explosion!!!

Gary Wright - Love Is Alive

Jim