Walter Becker once called himself as a “B+” guitarist. He’s certainly underrated there but as a bassist, I’d rate him even higher. Nonetheless, Becker had a history of making way for another bassist to play on a Steely Dan tune if he thought if that person was the better man for the job. “Razor Boy” was the first such track where Becker bowed out. There’s no need to explain why, beyond simply stating the name of the man who took his spot for this song: Ray Brown.
Yes, that Ray Brown, a top three all-time jazz double-bassist, who had played for Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, and for many years, Oscar Peterson, and once married to Ella Fitzgerald. He’s arguably had more session dates than any other jazz musician in recording history, but his appearance on a Steely Dan song is still an eyebrow raiser, since Steely Dan was never truly jazz, and especially so before Aja. But here he is, plucking away right after the rambunctious, rockin’ “Bodhisattva” on Countdown To Ecstasy.
“Razor Boy,” though, is very jazzy, and Victor’s Feldman’s vibraphone has a lot to do with that, even more so than Brown’s acoustic bass. But in the midst of the song is also a very un-jazzy pedal steel, courtesy of who else but Jeff Baxter. This weird amalgamation of instruments within what we call a rock band manages to come together nicely anyway, because these guys are real professionals. It’s been reported that this is Baxter’s favorite Steely Dan song, and the vibes/pedal steel combination makes it one of the more unusual ones despite the composition itself really being more of a folk tune in structure than either jazz or country. But I like it, too.
This wasn’t the first time a jazz legend (or two) was asked to contribute on a Steely Dan recording, as both Becker and Donald Fagan grew up being jazz nerds. Bringing in a guy of Brown’s stature showed us two things: they knew who to call, and by their second album, they already had the cachet to reel in these kind of guys into the studio.
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Razor Boy by Steely Dan is an excellent tune. I like the rock/jazz fusion of this song with just a crazy good touch of country with the pedal steel. I have enjoyed the sounds of Steely Dan since I heard them in 72. Today I hold tickets to see them perform live in Santa Rosa, Ca on April 8th (Rockabye Gollie Angel tour)