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Major Dudes

A Steely Dan Companion
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( 356 ratings, 50 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Major Dudes delves into the creative partnership of Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, the driving forces behind Steely Dan. Celebrated for their clever songwriting and sophisticated production, the band crafted iconic albums throughout the 1970s and beyond. The book compiles some of their most insightful and witty interviews, alongside expert analysis and reviews of their extraordinary music, offering fans and newcomers a comprehensive portrait of this influential American rock act.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$2799
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book is ideal for avid Steely Dan fans, music scholars, and those interested in the art and culture of 1970s American rock. It appeals particularly to readers who appreciate deep dives into songwriting and music history.

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A Rock's Backpages anthology, edited and introduced by Barney Hoskyns, of Steely Dan, one of the defining and bestselling American rock acts of the last half-century.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

'An indispensable compendium for Steely Dan fans' The Wire

At its core a creative marriage between Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, Steely Dan are one of the defining and bestselling American rock acts of the last half-century, recording several of the cleverest and best-produced albums of the '70s - from the breathlessly catchy Can't Buy a Thrill to the sleekly sinister Gaucho.

In the '90s they returned to remind us of how sorely we had missed their elegance and erudition, subsequently recording Two Against Nature and Everything Must Go during the following decade. They have sold close to forty-five million albums.

'A lot of people think of them as the epitome of boring '70s stuff,' novelist William Gibson said in 1993, when Becker and Fagen toured for the first time in nineteen years. 'They don't realize this is probably the most subversive material pop has ever thrown up.'

Now fully embraced by the 'Yacht Rock' generationβ€”semi-ironic devotees of '70s Southern-California slicknessβ€”Steely Dan no longer polarise lo-fi punks and studio geeks in the way they used to. In 2001 they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Major Dudes collects some of the smartest and wittiest interviews Becker and Fagen have ever given, along with insightful reviews ofβ€”and commentary onβ€”their extraordinary songs. Compiled by Rock's Backpages editor Barney Hoskyns, the book's contributors include Charles Shaar Murray, Robert Palmer, Ian MacDonald, Bud Scoppa, Penny Valentine, Fred Schruers, Sylvie Simmons and Michael Watts.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Wire praises Major Dudes as "an indispensable compendium for Steely Dan fans," highlighting the book's value as a thorough and intelligent exploration compiled by Rock's Backpages editor Barney Hoskyns.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781472127549

Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 06 September 2018

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Constable

Illustration: Integrated b+w images

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 21.0mm

Width: 201.0mm

Height: 131.0mm

Weight: 263g

Pages: 336

About the Author

Barney Hoskyns is the co-founder and editorial director of online rock-journalism library Rock's Backpages (www.rocksbackpages.com), and author of several books including Across the Great Divide: The Band & America (1993), Waiting for the Sun: Strange Days, Weird Scenes, & the Sound of Los Angeles (1996), Hotel California: Singer-Songwriters & Cocaine Cowboys in the LA Canyons (2005) and Lowside of the Road: A Life of Tom Waits (2009). A former US correspondent for MOJO, Hoskyns writes for Uncut and other UK publications, and has contributed to Vogue, Rolling Stone and GQ.

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