Any Band Can Be Replaced, But Steely Dan Is Truly One of a Kind - Mikiya Kato

Rock music of the 1970s. It was an era when every band made a cool entrance.

Led Zeppelin with their thunderous sound, The Rolling Stones with their insolence, The Who with their destructive impulse. Everyone who took the stage was showing off something.

In that era, there was a band that emerged with a “resigned mood from the very beginning.”

Mikiya Kato — president of Act Two Corporation and a music lover who cherishes FenderUSA guitars — described Steely Dan that way. And he immediately continued: “However, their level of perfection was outstanding, and I still listen to them from time to time.”

Resigned Mood from the Beginning

Resigned mood. Anyone familiar with Steely Dan would surely nod deeply at these words.

Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. The music created by these two men had almost none of the euphoria or rebellious spirit typical of rock. Instead, there was a somewhat detached gaze, irony, and yet a continuous flow of meticulously crafted sound that never stopped playing.

Music that didn't get caught up in the fervor of a fervent era. Yet once you heard it, you couldn't let it go. Kato's phrase "resigned mood but outstanding perfection" brilliantly captures the essence of Steely Dan.

Can’t Buy a Thrill — That Jacket, That Sound

1972, their debut album 'Can’t Buy a Thrill'.

The Latin rhythm of "Do It Again," the razor-sharp guitar of "Reelin' In the Years." Even in their debut work, the sound that could only be Steely Dan was already there. A sound that borrowed rock's format while melting in jazz harmonies and pop melodies — something no one else could imitate.

And that jacket. A photograph of women standing on street corners with vivid colors overlaid. Among 1970s rock albums, it was a visual that stood out with particular distinction.

One of a Kind — An Irreplaceable Band

Kato stated definitively:

“Generally, any band can be replaced, but Steely Dan alone is truly one of a kind.”

These are bold words. After all, he's saying that Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, even The Beatles "can be replaced." But he might be right.

Throughout history, there have been almost no bands that tried to recreate Steely Dan's sound. They have no followers. Countless musicians have been influenced by them, but none have emerged to play like Steely Dan. This is probably because this band's music wasn't a "style" but rather the very personality of the two men, Fagen and Becker.

Kato is well-versed in their studio work too.

“Their album-making process of constantly switching studio musicians is a famous story, right?”

Steely Dan selected the optimal musicians for each song to achieve the sound they sought. They would re-record the same take dozens of times, and if they weren't satisfied, they'd call in different players. Perfectionism — it sounds good when you put it that way, but what was happening in the studio was an uncompromising pursuit of sound.

“I am another gentleman loser”

"Do It Again." The first track on 'Can’t Buy a Thrill' and the song that defined Steely Dan's worldview.

There's a lyric that Kato quoted:

“I am another gentleman loser …”

A genteel loser. Someone who loses at gambling, gets betrayed by women, yet repeats the same mistakes again. What this song depicts is the sadness of humans who never learn. But there's a dry resignation there, as if laughing at oneself.

The true nature of what Kato calls the "resigned mood from the beginning" might be found here. Steely Dan's lyrics don't sing of hope. Nor do they sing of despair. They simply continue to depict human folly with irony, yet somehow affectionately.
 

Kato also expressed it this way:

“I feel that Steely Dan has something akin to the 'hard-boiled' style of Raymond Chandler or Charles Bukowski. Not necessarily cool, but truly hard-boiled.”

Chandler's detective Philip Marlowe knew the city's filth inside and out, yet still maintained his own code. Bukowski continued writing about human absurdity from the depths of alcohol and poverty. — Both stood in places far from glamour, yet grasped truths that could only be found there. Steely Dan's music has the same scent. No flashy staging, no performance to rile up the audience. Just within perfectly constructed sound, human weakness and absurdity lie quietly.
 

Larry Carlton and Jeff Baxter

While Steely Dan constantly "switched" studio musicians, their hiring sense was first-rate.

“Hiring Larry Carlton was brilliant, as expected.”

Kato said this and nodded. Larry Carlton — later known by the moniker "Mr. 335," a fusion/jazz guitar giant. His playing on Steely Dan's 'Royal Scam' and 'Aja' dissolved the boundaries between rock and jazz. Particularly his guitar solo on "Kid Charlemagne" is still talked about today as a legendary performance in rock history.

And another one. Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, who played guitar during Steely Dan's debut period. It was none other than Baxter who played that memorable lead on "Reelin' In the Years" from 'Can't Buy a Thrill.' He later moved to The Doobie Brothers, where he also transformed that band's sound.

Fagen and Becker had a magnetic power that attracted excellent guitarists. They didn't play flashy themselves. But they knew perfectly who to call.

The Third World Man — Eternally Timeless Lead Guitar

An unexpected song title came from Kato's mouth.

“The excellence of the lead guitar in 'The Third World Man' (Gaucho) is eternally timeless!”

"The Third World Man" from 1980's 'Gaucho'. This song, which closes the album, is serene, poignant, and the lead guitar weeps. This solo, said to be played by Larry Carlton, has no flashiness but every note carries weight.

I deeply empathize with Kato's choice of the phrase "eternally timeless." Sound unaffected by trends. Performance that doesn't fade even as times change. This is precisely the greatest virtue of Steely Dan's music.

Kato also said:

“Recent music is centered on rhythm and beat, and beautiful melody lines like in the old days probably won't emerge anymore …”

This isn't nostalgia. These are the quiet observations of someone who holds a FenderUSA and continues to love music today. The precise melodies and harmonies that Steely Dan pursued — I think these words come from knowing the richness that music of that era possessed.

Walter Becker — RIP

September 3, 2017. Walter Becker passed away. He was 67 years old.

“When Walter Becker passed away, I was deeply, truly disappointed. RIP”

Kato's words are brief. But the expression "deeply, truly disappointed" carries a weight that only longtime fans can convey.

Becker tended to be overshadowed by Fagen. During live performances, he would stand at the edge, quietly playing guitar. As Kato says, “There are live videos on YouTube, and he looks completely unmotivated, which is funny.”

However, Steely Dan's music couldn't exist with Fagen alone. Becker's bass lines, guitar phrasing, and the dark humor of the lyrical world he shared with Fagen — only when all these elements came together was that "one of a kind" complete.

Despite appearing unmotivated and reportedly “hating live performance,” Becker continued to take the stage because there was something beyond music between him and Fagen. Their relationship transcended the form of a band; it was a creative partnership.

One half of that partnership is now gone.

Editor's Notes

Kato is the president of the company I (Namio) once worked for. It's been a long relationship.

Act Two — a company beloved by designers and creators since the dawn of the internet. That its president plays FenderUSA and calls Steely Dan "one of a kind" makes sense. I think business and music have always been continuous in Kato's mind.

Since I was a guitar kid, I was particularly drawn to Jeff Baxter's playing in Steely Dan. That phrase from "Reelin' In the Years." Even after he moved to the Doobie Brothers, his guitar remained cool. Kato mentions Larry Carlton, I mention Jeff Baxter — even listening to the same band, we're drawn to different guitarists. That too is part of the breadth of Steely Dan's magnetic field.

And that jacket. The lips on 'Can't Buy a Thrill.' To be honest, I thought they might have been conscious of Mick Jagger at the time. The visual memory of picking up that album remains as strong as the memory of the sound.

To borrow Kato's words — Steely Dan is one of a kind. Irreplaceable. That hasn't changed even after half a century.