Song of the Day 5/6: Steely Dan, “Don’t Take Me Alive”
Trying to determine the top five rock guitarists is like trying to establish the top five colors. It can only be done subjectively, and it begs the question — what does “best” mean? Do you base it on soloing, or is versatility important? Is speed crucial, or does melodic sense outweigh it?
It’s a problem without a solution. All we can really do is list our favorite guitarists. One we didn’t mention in our recent discussion is a favorite of mine, Larry Carlton.
I have no idea who the best guitarist is, or even the best solo, but I can tell you the best song-opening guitar solo in rock — Carlton’s on “Don’t Take Me Alive” from the Dan’s 1976 “Royal Scam” album. It’s an easy choice, because I don’t know of another rock song that starts with a guitar solo and then never features another one. From that sustained G7#9 — the “Hendrix chord” — and through the opening 45 seconds, Carlton encapsulates the anguished mind of a bookkeeper’s son holed up with a case of dynamite. His subtle work on the rest of the song is impressive, too.
Carlton was one of the top studio guitarists of the ’70s and ’80s, and he’s the star of “The Royal Scam” LP, appearing on four songs (some believe a fifth as well). His work on “Kid Charlemagne” made it one of the band’s best-loved songs.
I could hold out here all night.
He couldn’t go back to Oregon because he crossed his old man there. Returning would apparently mean a fate worse than death. That’s my favorite line.
A man of my mind can do anything.
I like the fact that they give you some information about this guy, but leave it to you to fill in the blanks. A character on a par with Dr. Wu.
This one was the response of two East Coast guys who moved to LA and were bemused by how much time the local news spent covering that sort of thing.
Dr. Wu was the name of the acupuncturist who treated Walter Becker for heroin addiction.
So, when the lyric goes, ‘You walked in, and my life began again, just when I spent the last piaster I could borrow’, that’s Dr. Wu? Then why the uncertainty, as in ‘Are you with me, Dr. Wu?’
And, where did you get all this information about the lyrics? I wanna read it!
Various interviews over the years. It’s not about the real guy, they just used his name for what Becker said was the story of a love triangle. As usual, who knows if they were telling the truth or pulling the interviewer’s leg?