MTM Episode #68 - The Steely Dan Multi-Track Meltdown

The Beatles Multi-Track Meltdown features stripped down, deconstructed mixes of classic Beatles songs, live cuts, solo material, demos, and much more. By highlighting different instruments and vocals you will experience these songs in a way that you've never imagined. To celebrate the release of my latest book, The Steely Dan FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About This Elusive Band, I’m going to stretch out a bit with this show focusing on the music of one of my favorite bands, other than the Beatles. While Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, nor other original Dan members Denny Dias, or Jim Hodder, ever worked with any of the Beatles as solo artists, guitarist Jeff “Skunk” Baxter played on Ringo Starr’s 1992 release Time Takes Time on the tracks “All in the Name of Love” and “Runaways,” both produced by Phil Ramone. In 1985 Ramone produced McCartney’s “Spies Like Us,” and worked with him on a number of tracks in ’86 and ’87 that were eventually released as B-sides, as extras on the Japanese 2CD release of Flowers in The Dirt, and on bootlegs. He also produced Julian Lennon’s debut album Valotte as well as the follow up The Secret Value of Daydreaming. There is also another strong connection between the two bands: a number of the most in-demand session musicians contributed to albums by Steely Dan and the former members of the Beatles.