Dirty Work (Steely Dan Song)
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Dirty Work (Steely Dan Song)
"Dirty Work" is a song written by Donald Fagen and Walter Becker of Steely Dan, which appeared on the band's 1972 debut album ''Can't Buy a Thrill''. Theme The song's lyrics describe an affair between a man and a married woman, sung by the man. ''Steely Dan FAQ'' author Anthony Robustelli describes "Dirty Work" as a "song of self-loathing", while ''The Guardian'' describes the narrative as soap operatic. The singer recognizes that the woman is using him, but is too infatuated to end the affair. The second verse features the lyrics: "Like a castle in its corner in a medieval game", referencing the chess-piece the rook, chess being a hobby of Becker's. Style and arrangement The song's music has been described as more commercial-sounding than most of the band's other material. ''The Guardian'' says that it sounds like "a radio-friendly stroll of a song," at least at first. AllMusic critic Stewart Mason attributes this, in part, to the "upward- modulating" refrain and "so ...
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Steely Dan
Steely Dan is an American rock band founded in 1971 in New York by Walter Becker (guitars, bass, backing vocals) and Donald Fagen (keyboards, lead vocals). Initially the band had a stable lineup, but in 1974, Becker and Fagen retired from live performances to become a studio-only band, opting to record with a revolving cast of session musicians. ''Rolling Stone'' has called them "the perfect musical antiheroes for the seventies". Becker and Fagen played together in a variety of bands from their time together studying at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. They later moved to Los Angeles, gathered a band of musicians, and began recording albums. Their first album, ''Can't Buy a Thrill'' (1972), established a template for their career, blending elements of rock, jazz, Latin music, R&B, bluesAllMusic Steely Dan: Biography and sophisticated studio production with cryptic and ironic lyrics. The band enjoyed critical and commercial success through seven studio album ...
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Wurlitzer Electric Piano
The Wurlitzer electronic piano is an electric piano manufactured and marketed by Wurlitzer from the mid-1950s to mid-1980s. Sound is generated by striking a metal reed with a hammer, which induces an electric current in a pickup. It is conceptually similar to the Rhodes piano, though the sound is different. The instrument was invented by Benjamin Miessner, who had worked on various types of electric pianos since the early 1930s. The first Wurlitzer was manufactured in 1954, and production continued until 1983. Originally, the piano was designed to be used in the classroom, and several dedicated teacher and student instruments were manufactured. However, it was adapted for more conventional live performances, including stage models with attachable legs and console models with built-in frames. The stage instrument was used by several popular artists, including Ray Charles, Joe Zawinul and Supertramp. Several electronic keyboards include an emulation of the Wurlitzer. As the Wurli ...
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Compilation Album
A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tracks were not originally intended for release together as a single work, but may be collected together as a greatest hits album or box set. If from several performers, there may be a theme, topic, time period, or genre which links the tracks, or they may have been intended for release as a single work—such as a tribute album. When the tracks are by the same recording artist, the album may be referred to as a retrospective album or an anthology. Content and scope Songs included on a compilation album may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several performers. If by one artist, then generally the tracks were not originally intended for release together as a single work, but may ...
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Tenor
A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is widely defined to be B2, though some roles include an A2 (two As below middle C). At the highest extreme, some tenors can sing up to the second F above middle C (F5). The tenor voice type is generally divided into the ''leggero'' tenor, lyric tenor, spinto tenor, dramatic tenor, heldentenor, and tenor buffo or . History The name "tenor" derives from the Latin word ''wikt:teneo#Latin, tenere'', which means "to hold". As Fallows, Jander, Forbes, Steane, Harris and Waldman note in the "Tenor" article at ''Grove Music Online'': In polyphony between about 1250 and 1500, the [tenor was the] structurally fundamental (or 'holding') voice, vocal or instrumental; by the 15th century it came to signify the male voice that ...
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Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its coverage of rock music and political reporting by Hunter S. Thompson. In the 1990s, the magazine broadened and shifted its focus to a younger readership interested in youth-oriented television shows, film actors, and popular music. It has since returned to its traditional mix of content, including music, entertainment, and politics. The first magazine was released in 1967 and featured John Lennon on the cover and was published every two weeks. It is known for provocative photography and its cover photos, featuring musicians, politicians, athletes, and actors. In addition to its print version in the United States, it publishes content through Rollingstone.com and numerous international editions. Penske Media Corporation is the c ...
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MusicHound
MusicHound (sometimes stylized as musicHound) was a compiler of genre-specific music guides published in the United States by Visible Ink Press between 1996 and 2002. After publishing eleven album guides, the MusicHound series was sold to London-based Music Sales Group, whose company Omnibus Press had originally distributed the books outside America. The series' founding editor was Gary Graff, formerly a music critic with the ''Detroit Free Press''. Subtitled "''The Essential Album Guide''", each publication typically contained entries providing an overview of an artist's career and dividing their work into categories such as "what to buy", "what's next", "what to avoid" and "worth searching for". Among the MusicHound album guides were titles dedicated to rock, blues, classical, jazz, world music, swing, and soundtrack recordings. Further to the canine analogy in the series title, albums were graded according to a "bone" rating system: five bones constituting the highest score, ...
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Pop Music
Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describes all music that is popular and includes many disparate styles. During the 1950s and 1960s, pop music encompassed rock and roll and the youth-oriented styles it influenced. ''Rock'' and ''pop'' music remained roughly synonymous until the late 1960s, after which ''pop'' became associated with music that was more commercial, ephemeral, and accessible. Although much of the music that appears on record charts is considered to be pop music, the genre is distinguished from chart music. Identifying factors usually include repeated choruses and hooks, short to medium-length songs written in a basic format (often the verse-chorus structure), and rhythms or tempos that can be easily danced to. Much pop music also borrows elements from other styles ...
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Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. Erlewine was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and is a nephew of the former musician and AllMusic founder Michael Erlewine. He studied at the University of Michigan, where he majored in English, and was a music editor (1993–94) and then arts editor (1994–1995) of the school's paper ''The Michigan Daily'', and DJ'd at the campus radio station, WCBN. He has contributed to many books, including ''All Music Guide to Rock: The Definitive Guide to Rock, Pop, and Soul'' and ''All Music Guide to Hip-Hop: The Definitive Guide to Rap & Hip-Hop''. References External linksErlewine's pageat Pitchfork.comContributionsto ''Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music ...
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Probe Records
Probe Records was a sub-label of ABC Records. It was started in 1968 as their label for psychedelic rock and progressive rock, but was deactivated in 1970. Between 1970 and 1974, the label was also used for international distribution of material made by ABC and its Dunhill Records subsidiary. US Album Releases Number - Title - Artist elease Date(Chart) * CPLP 4500 - ''The Soft Machine'' - The Soft Machine 968(12-68, #160) * CPLP 4501 - ''The Mystic Number National Bank'' - The Mystic Number National Bank 969* CPLP 4502 - ''The Love Songs Of A. Wilbur Meshel'' - Billy Meshel 969* CPLP 4503 - ''Guy and David'' - Guy & David 969* CPLP 4504 - ''Emerge'' - The Litter 969(8-69, #175) * CPLP 4505 - '' Volume Two'' - The Soft Machine 969* CPLP 4506 - ''Over the Hills/Bastich'' - Saint Steven 969* CPLP 4507 - ''Morgen'' - Morgen 969* CPLP 4508 - ''Reincarnation'' - Fat City 969* CPLP 4509 - ''Rock Slides'' - Scott Bradford 969* CPLP 4510 - ''Zephyr'' - Zephyr 969(12-69, #48) * CPLP 45 ...
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Royce Jones
Royce Jones (born December 15, 1954) is an American musician best known for his work as a touring vocalist with the bands Steely Dan (in 1973 and 1974) and Ambrosia (joined 1978).Steely Dan official site timeline
ScreamingLehman.com official bio
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In the studio, Jones contributed vocals to 's ''Anywhere You Go'', Odyssey's self-titled release, 's ''

The Grass Roots
The Grass Roots are an American rock band that charted frequently between 1965 and 1975. The band was originally the creation of Lou Adler and songwriting duo P. F. Sloan and Steve Barri. In their career, they achieved two gold albums, two gold singles and charted singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 a total of 21 times. Among their charting singles, they achieved Top 10 three times, Top 20 six times and Top 40 fourteen times. They have sold over 20 million records worldwide. Until his death in 2011, early member Rob Grill and a newer lineup of the Grass Roots continued to play many live performances each year. By 2012, the group featured no original band members, with a lineup personally chosen by Grill carrying on the legacy of the group with nationwide live performances. The founding years The name "Grass Roots" (originally spelled as one word "Grassroots") originated in mid-1965 as the name of a band project by the Los Angeles songwriter and producer duo of P.F. Sloan ...
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Three Dog Night
Three Dog Night is an American rock band formed in 1967, with founding members consisting of vocalists Danny Hutton, Cory Wells, and Chuck Negron. This lineup was soon augmented by Jimmy Greenspoon (keyboards), Joe Schermie (bass), Michael Allsup (guitar), and Floyd Sneed (drums). The band had 21 ''Billboard'' Top 40 hits between 1969 and 1975, with three hitting number one. Three Dog Night recorded many songs written by outside songwriters, and they helped to introduce mainstream audiences to writers such as Randy Newman ("Mama Told Me Not to Come"), Paul Williams ("An Old Fashioned Love Song"), and Hoyt Axton ("Joy to the World", "Never Been to Spain"). Name origin The official commentary included in the CD set ''Celebrate: The Three Dog Night Story, 1965–1975'' states that vocalist Danny Hutton's girlfriend, actress June Fairchild (best known as the "Ajax Lady" from the Cheech and Chong movie '' Up In Smoke'') suggested the name after reading a magazine article about Aborigi ...
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