"Gaucho" – Steely Dan

2026-02-16 · 85 min · episode 3 · 10 entities

episode page audio

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→ references Time Out of Mind book

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cho" 43:20 - The Keith Jarrett Lawsuit 48:50 - Gaucho Chorus Deep Dive 54:10 - "Time Out Of Mind" 57:50 - Monument to Perfectionism (Lead Boots) 1:01:35 - Perfectionism and Jaz
→ hosted by Peter Martin person

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Feed author/publisher: Peter Martin
→ hosted by Peter Martin & Adam Maness person

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Feed author/publisher: Peter Martin & Adam Maness
→ discusses Music concept

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Feed category: Music
→ discusses Music Commentary concept

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Feed category: Music Commentary

Entities found in this episode

persons 4

mentioned Peter Martin person

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Feed author/publisher: Peter Martin
mentioned Peter Martin & Adam Maness person

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Feed author/publisher: Peter Martin & Adam Maness
hosted by Peter Martin person

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evidence rules-v5
Feed author/publisher: Peter Martin
hosted by Peter Martin & Adam Maness person

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evidence rules-v5
Feed author/publisher: Peter Martin & Adam Maness

concepts 4

mentioned Music Commentary concept

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Feed category: Music Commentary
mentioned Steely Dan concept

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"Gaucho" – Steely Dan
discusses Music concept

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Feed category: Music
discusses Music Commentary concept

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Feed category: Music Commentary

books 2

mentioned Time Out of Mind book

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evidence rules-v5
cho" 43:20 - The Keith Jarrett Lawsuit 48:50 - Gaucho Chorus Deep Dive 54:10 - "Time Out Of Mind" 57:50 - Monument to Perfectionism (Lead Boots) 1:01:35 - Perfectionism and Jaz
references Time Out of Mind book

0.67 · ×2

evidence rules-v5
cho" 43:20 - The Keith Jarrett Lawsuit 48:50 - Gaucho Chorus Deep Dive 54:10 - "Time Out Of Mind" 57:50 - Monument to Perfectionism (Lead Boots) 1:01:35 - Perfectionism and Jaz

Episode description as stored

Is Steely Dan's Gaucho more perfect than Aja? Maybe even ... too perfect? Two years in the studio. The greatest session musicians alive asked to play take after take after take until it was exactly right. And sometimes that STILL wasn't enough for Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. On today's episode of You'll Hear It, jazz pianists Peter Martin and Adam Maness are breaking down the 1980 album track by track: the jazz harmony hiding inside those smooth grooves, the abstract poetry of the lyrics, and the insane stories behind how this thing got made. Including the $150,000 drum machine invented specifically for this record, the interview quote that cost them a third of a song, and the drum track that took 85 takes and 35 tape edits to piece together. And after all that, we didn't get another Steely Dan record for 20 years. Was it worth it? Read about the simple mistake that would haunt Steely Dan for 44 years in this week's edition of the You'll Read It newsletter: https://youllhearit.com/newsletter Watch our FULL breakdown of Steely Dan's Aja: https://youtu.be/G10mYohR6T4 00:00 - Steely Dan's Gaucho: A Monument to Perfect 01:15 - "Babylon Sisters" 11:00 - What Makes Steely Dan Genius 13:35 - The Precision of Purdie's Drums on Babylon Sisters 16:10 - Abstract Lyrics 19:35 - "Hey Nineteen" 22:25 - Pristine Rhodes 25:25 - Isolated Vocal Stems on "Hey Nineteen" 33:00 - "Glamour Profession" 38:55 - The Mingus Influence 40:10 - "Gaucho" 43:20 - The Keith Jarrett Lawsuit 48:50 - Gaucho Chorus Deep Dive 54:10 - "Time Out Of Mind" 57:50 - Monument to Perfectionism (Lead Boots) 1:01:35 - Perfectionism and Jazz 1:05:05 - Is Gaucho More Perfect Than Aja? 1:06:25 - "My Rival" 1:10:40 - Bowie / Steely Dan Side-By-Side 1:14:00 - Too Fussy? 1:19:05 - Open Studio Plays "Glamour Profession"