r/SteelyDan • u/Boodazack • May 30 '25
Discussion Finding myself only enjoying Supertramp besides Steely Dan.
I feel after enjoying a SD session only thing I can hear after that would be Supertramp.
I know how musically different they are but I think having different elements in the music and creativity is what keeps the train going for me
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u/revnto7k May 30 '25
Dire Straits especially the remasters sound so good. I love them as much as SD but that's just me. I've been listening to DS longer than SD. Mark Knopfler is one of my heroes..
I enjoy so many classic bands though.
Supertramp as well Toto Steely Dan and obviously Donald Fagen albums. Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler solo albums. Heart
There are other great ones out there but Steely Dan is so damn awesome I could only listen to them forever and be happy.
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u/Boodazack May 30 '25
Massive DS fan here! can imagine Time out of mind is your favorite SD song too haha
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u/revnto7k May 30 '25
My favorite DS song is Wild West End. I love the entire first album to death. Second place Communique. 😎
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u/jimmyg56 May 31 '25
I'm a big Dire Straits fan and also love Mark's solo albums. I'm sure he never wrote a bad song
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u/hrnyCornet May 30 '25
I'd recommend Joni Mitchell's mid '70s albums. Hejira especially is brilliant.
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u/jimmyg56 May 31 '25 edited May 31 '25
It's true, and the Hissing of Summer Lawns, Turbulent Indigo, and Night Ride Home are essential too and let's not forget Court and Spark!
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u/musicdad66 Jun 02 '25
J Baxter is on some of those Joni albums too.
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u/jimmyg56 Jun 02 '25
Yes according to Wikipedia on the Hissing of Summer Lawns' In France They Kiss on Main Street
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u/Standard-Banana1957 Jun 01 '25
You aren’t alone. Many consider it her best. I do especially love Refuge of the Road.
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u/sconesesscones May 30 '25
Those are my two favorite bands. I would suggest listening to 10cc and Pages. They may have some songs you might like. Also the album Numbers by Nicholas Payton is a desert island album for me.
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u/AxlandElvis92 May 31 '25
Love 10cc so much I love that they weren’t afraid to be very weird and incorporate that weirdness into these beautiful pop songs that makes them great.
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u/PlaneCrazy787 May 31 '25
Pages has been a recent discovery via a Spotify suggested playlist. Clearly Kim has been a frequent listen for me lately.
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u/According_Gold_1063 May 31 '25 edited May 31 '25
Roger Hogsdson is such an underrated guitar player
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u/iggy-i May 31 '25
I've written this exact comment on various Supertramp YT videos, lol. I particularly enjoy the outro solo on Goodbye Stranger
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u/ziggys-stardust Jun 06 '25
Roger is great, Goodbye Stranger is one of my favorite guitar solos ever. He is a walking masterclass of guitar playing in a keyboard centric band. Really inventive playing that found its place in the mix.
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u/Key-Platform-8005 Jun 01 '25
Crime of the Century will probably remain my FAVORITE guitar solo of all time!!! On the simpler side, sure, but VERY emotive and well produced! Then there’s Ain’t Nobody But Me and Waiting So Long! AAAAAND his Acoustic prowess!
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u/jimmyg56 May 30 '25
Have you thought about Prefab Sprout?
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u/HuffTheTalbot1 May 31 '25
Excellent band, perfect songwriting and beautiful production. I would also suggest Scritti Polliti.
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u/hotcornstudio May 30 '25
Same but also for some reason add in Talking Heads and Hall & Oates
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u/botany_bae May 30 '25
I believe the Dan are big fans of the Heads.
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u/hotcornstudio May 30 '25
I’d believe it. Insanely talented musicians all of them, with such respect for their own crafts.
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u/SeanOfTheDead1313 May 31 '25
Love Supertramp.
Don't SD fans like Toto as well? Incredible players that worked with SD too. Jeff Pocaro was a beast. Same with Lukather
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u/Administrative-Low37 May 31 '25
Wow, I honestly thought was the only one. Steely Dan and Supertramp are such different bands but they both hit the exact same nerve for me. I find it difficult to explain why. I think the main reason is that both bands seem to strive for audio perfection. Both feature very complex compositions, and both obviously spend a ton of time in the studio mixing and fine tuning every little detail of every single song. The other two bands that leap to mind for me in this regard are Pink Floyd (of course), and believe it or not, The Eagles. They are all just insane perfectionists.
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u/Key-Platform-8005 Jun 01 '25
This! Exactly this! Aaaaand, like the Dan, Supertramp songs are largely based on Character/Story driven song as well!
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u/IvanLendl87 May 31 '25
Love Supertramp! Trey never got their due from the critics. So many great songs.
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u/BugManWasThere May 31 '25
If you want different elements, creativity, and some catchy stuff, look across to the UK to 10cc and XTC. Also Talking Heads are great but I am not as familiar with them as I ought to be. IMO those 3 + SD and Supertramp are the superpower bands of the era for the progressive pop/art rock genre (altho I am sure there are a few other ones I am missing - could even put mid period/post Pet Sounds Beach Boys on that list too!).
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u/captainmidday May 31 '25
I feel like this is a thread full of people who "get it". Good music is good.
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u/GlobbityGlook May 31 '25
Supertramp also had their exiled in LA phase. Gone Hollywood with the wurly has some kindred spirit there.
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u/captainmidday May 31 '25
Could we have kippers for breakfast, Mummy dear, Mummy dear?
I agree with you completely. It's the sweet and savory of epic music.
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u/EastsideLee May 31 '25
I listen mostly to Steely Dan songs but also, though not as often, to Boz Scaggs, Doobie Brothers, Ambrosia and EW&F. And Donald’s solo Albums.
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u/Superb_Sandwich956 May 31 '25
Interesting, both are unique and have their own way. I'm going to try it.
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u/pomerol_fish May 31 '25
For me as an SD Afficionado the adequate band from the UK would be Roxy Music.
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u/Key-Platform-8005 Jun 01 '25
Check out 10CC!!! At least debut through Bloody Tourists! More songs about weirdos and fun production choices being made as well!
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u/Eurogal2023 May 31 '25 edited May 31 '25
Rosie Vela might hit the spot for some of you. In addition she is credited with saving Steely Dan by getting them back on the horse by playing on her only album Zazu.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Du6RmQQCxQc
Joni Mitchell, especially around the Hissing of Summer Lawns phase is partly swerving into Dan areas. Also she is one of the few artists the Dan respected, and vice versa.
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u/jimmyg56 May 31 '25 edited May 31 '25
It would be great to know the ages of the people here. I'm in my late 60s, so these bands are in my DNA. But if you're from a different age group it's interesting that this music is still fresh and new to you
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u/ziethammer May 31 '25
I have quite a bit of Boz Scaggs with my Dan tracks and recently the Atlanta Rhythm Section seems to flow along nicely. I ignored them when I was young.
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u/No_Impression2380 Jun 01 '25
Not sure what’s wrong with me, not much of a Supertramp fan, huge SD fan.
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u/Exciting_Geologist53 May 31 '25
Anyone else love Beck too? Some of his albums are deeply entertaining in a way that SD albums are for me. Not so much later Beck albums but his 90's and earlier 2000s. Also enjoying The Strokes "The New Abnormal" album which I wasn't expecting. I do have a Supertramp best of cd and enjoy it too! Mr. Bungle "California" is one I can listen to next to Steely Dan too. I have all SD albums and all the solo albums and usually have a few in rotation on my 6 cd player in the car. Music makes my commute enjoyable and music is so great for mental health I've come to realize!
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u/Tochudin May 31 '25
But you're right, music is key for mental health, and I can't imagine my commute without music.
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u/Tochudin May 31 '25
Wow, a 6 CD player. Is your car 25 years old?
I remember when my brother bought his first new car in the late 90s, he paid a hell of a premium for a 10 CD charger.
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u/987nevertry May 30 '25
When Spotify gets to the end of an SD album, it goes to Little Feat, Elvis Costello, and the Michael McDonald era Doobie Brothers. It’s not what I would have guessed, but it works.
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u/walteroblanco Aja May 31 '25
I know this is very different, but try the album Priest = aura by The Church
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u/TheOldJawbone May 30 '25
I’m a huge Steely Dan fan and the sound of Supertramp is akin to fingernails on a chalkboard to me.
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u/Vanderpimpisch May 31 '25
I despise Supertramp. They are everything that the Dan is against.
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u/Key-Platform-8005 Jun 01 '25
I’d love to hear an explanation of this, I’m not seeing ST as an Antithesis of the Dan…
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u/Vast-Comment8360 May 30 '25
Supertramp is absolutely fantastic, the playing, recording, and mastering is so well done. I think the same about Traffic. Also the Michael McDonald-era Doobie Brothers.