Latest Steely Drummer

[BennyAndTheSkins]

How does Keith Carlock sound on the new Steely Dan album? From his credits, he sounds like a monster, but what do you folks think?

[Nikk]

Carlock's playing is excellent. He's truly carried the torch in the tradition of great Steely Dan drummers. However, a few things bother me about the new record. It seems as if Becker and Fagen get more anal concerning fills from album to album. While the grooves are super-consistent on this album, NOTHING CHANGES. The songs are too repetitive. Back in the day their tunes were intelligent while maintaining a true pop sensibility. More variety was evident. I also think there's entirely too much compression on the drums. They are thus stripped of personality. I suppose, though, that such compression is in keeping the tradition of the Steely Dan sound.

[Derek DeFields]

yeah, I hear you on the fills. Steely Dan is not the most soulful band anyway.

Keith is a badass.

[royerin]

Keith sounds great and I really like the album. Fills or not, it's got great tunes and nice playing....Keith is also the first drummer to play on an entire Dan disc. Actually, it's more or less the same band throughout the whole disc, giving it a certain consistency.

[latim]

Fagen is famous for his incredible sense of time. It is as if he swallowed a metronome that calibrates time by points (85 bpm, 85.1,85.2,85.3). During tracking,Fagen pointed out to Rick Marotta where he sped up and slowed down, BAR by BAR!

Now, does this mean that Keith also has a metronome in his stomach that he ate? Or, have Becker and Fagen's discriminating standards been compromised, even in the permission of creative output from their drummer?

If you bought last month's issue of Modern (product-spamming) Drummer, Keith is on the cover. The bags under his eyes appear to tell me that he's not getting much sleep and always locking himself in the practice room and not seeing the light of day like VD. Just my opinion.

;o)

[Derek DeFields]

Keith does look like he needs a nap in the pics! It was probably LATE at a gig though.

It's funny; Keith is one of those guys for me when I first heard him, I didn't really like him all that much. Saw him live with Wayne and still thought it was just OK.

Saw him a 2nd time about a year later and had been listening to Greenwich mean a LOT in that time and now have to say he impresses me the most of all the younger generation.

To me, he doesn't sound like ANYBODY and that is pretty amazing. (to me anyway) When I listen to my own playing I feel like I can pick out where I got everything. When I listen to Keith, other than some Elvin he's totally on his own. Bass drum tuning is so unique (sounds like shit too but he makes it work somehow!) and his ideas are so individual. Also some hip hop influence the way he'll stop in the middle of a groove.

The SD stuff is not very adventurous but that's nothing new for them. I say study Greenwich Mean (keeping in mind much of that is ProTooled together as far as edits of the stereo recording) and treat yourself to some truly unique playing.

[royerin]

I've had the album in my car for a while now and it's time for it to come out, but after digesting it properly I like it even more. Keith does a perfect job by playing what they wanted to hear, and while he morphs himself into the classic Dan drummer very well he still manages to maintain individuality. I do want to hear more from Keith so thanks for the info Derek, I'll be checking that out.

[BennyAndTheSkins]

Got my first real listen to this album. Very hip. I love Keith's playing.. Locked down, and very refined. He almost doesn't need to do alot of fills, 'cause his groove does all the talkin'.

Highlights: Godwhacker, Greenbook.

I think it's a good album - continues in the Steely tradition, but has some tasty jazz bits thrown in, like the dissonant keyboard chords plus the cool unison bass/guitar lines on Greenbook.