Who Sang Steely Dan Do It Again
In 1971, David Palmer was working in a plastics factory in his home state of New Jersey. He'd recently left the rock band he'd sung with, the Myddle Class. For a few years in the mid-1960s, the Myddle Class were one of the most scintillating club groups in greater New York City. They were also on the same label and publishing company as ex-Brill Building songwriting team (Gerry) Goffin and (Carole) King.
Then, out of the blue, Palmer got a phone call. It was from an old friend, a guitarist named Jeff "Skunk" Baxter. Baxter told him that a new band was forming out in Los Angeles. They were looking for a singer. Would he be interested in auditioning?
Palmer flew out to L.A., sang at the audition, and was eventually hired. The group's name wasSteely Dan (Baxter was lead guitarist through the first three albums, then joined the Doobie Brothers). The leaders and songwriters were Walter Becker and Donald Fagen. These two would soon be the sole members of Steely Dan, and they enjoyed enormous success, racking up hit singles and albums through the 1970s, as well as critical adulation and hall of fame induction.
But what about Palmer? After only one album with Steely Dan [Can't Buy a Thrill, on which he sang lead on two songs: "Dirty Work" (click here) and "Brooklyn (Owes the Charmer Under Me),"] he dropped out of sight.
I love good rock 'n' roll and have always been intrigued by footnotes, and Palmer seemed like the perfect rock footnote. So I decided to track him down. I soon located him, running his own digital photography business in California. I was pleasantly surprised when he agreed to a short interview.
In researching, I learned that, in addition to Steely Dan, Palmer crossed paths with some of the greatest names in popular music: Carole King and Gerry Goffin, of course, and also James Taylor, the Blues Project, and even the Velvet Underground.
I figured Palmer was very busy with his work in visual arts, and I assumed he distanced himself from music for a reason. So I kept my questions rudimentary and brief. Although his answers were also brief, I think they're still real informative. So here's my interview with a guy who, like Forrest Gump, seemed to always be at the right place at the right time.
Early publicity photo of Steely Dan. L to R: "Skunk" Baxter, Walter Becker, David Palmer, Denny Dias, Donald Fagen, Jim Hodder
longitudes: You were an original member of Steely Dan, singing lead on "Dirty Work" and "Brooklyn," as well as contributing harmony vocals on several other songs (and singing lead when the band toured). What were Donald Fagen and Walter Becker like to work with? Were they as demanding and perfectionist in the beginning as they supposedly were later on?
Palmer: Donald and Walter were The Dan. The rest of us were fortunate to be there. Brilliant writers both, and yes, demanding, but the result is on the record.
longitudes : Before joining Steely Dan, you were in a popular Jersey-NYC band called the Myddle Class. On December 11, 1965, you headlined an infamous show at Summit (New Jersey) High School, and your opening act was the Velvet Underground. It was their first gig under that name (occurring only a few weeks before the Velvets joined Andy Warhol). Do you have any memories of that show, including meeting Lou Reed or the other Velvets?
The Myddle Class. L to R: Danny Mansolino, Dave Palmer, Rick Philp, Charles Larkey, Myke Rosa (image copyright Brett Aronowitz)
Palmer: No memories, really. I was only 19 and it wasn't really a big deal to us. But that gig has become an urban legend of sorts, and you could probably fill Madison Square Garden with the amount of folks who claim to have been there that night!
longitudes: The Myddle Class did a classic garage-band rave-up, "Don't Let Me Sleep Too Long" (click here), which Al Kooper and the Blues Project included on their album Projections (under the title "Wake Me, Shake Me"). Your version is tremendously more exciting. The song is derived from an old gospel tune. Who originally adapted it, the Myddle Class or the Blues Project, and how close were you to the Project and/or other New York-based bands?
Palmer: We definitely stole it from the Blues Project, who stole it from Public Domain. We actually had a run-in with (Blues Project guitarist) Danny Kalb at Palisades Park when we opened for what was left of the Project. I think what really pissed him off was that (Myddle Class guitarist) Rick Philp played a much better solo on our record than (Kalb) had on theirs!
Someone once sent me a version of that tune that Springsteen recorded with one of his early bands…very cool. We weren't close to the Project at all. We were closer to Kootch (guitarist/songwriter/producer Danny Kortchmar) and The Flying Machine, when James (Taylor) was in the band.
longitudes: Your vocals on the Myddle Class songs "I Happen to Love You" and "Don't Let Me Sleep Too Long" have that archetypical sneering, teen rebel sound so prevalent in mid-60s urban bands. It's hard to reconcile this with the sweet-sounding guy who later sang with the Dan. Was this a difficult vocal transition, or did it come naturally?
Palmer: Actually, I've always had a split personality with vocals. But the sweetness was what I believed was called for on the Dan tunes. However, if you go to my website www.davidpalmerimages.com and click on The Lost Demos section, you'll hear me morph again!
longitudes : The Myddle Class were managed by music critic Al Aronowitz, the man who introduced Bob Dylan to the Beatles. He also wrote a classic article about the hit songwriting team of Goffin-King. You eventually became close friends with Carole King, later co-wrote an entire album with her, Wrap Around Joy, and Carole married Myddle Class bassist Charles Larkey. Are you in touch with Carole these days, or with any surviving members of Myddle Class?
Carole King's 1974 LP Wrap Around Joy, co-written by Palmer
Palmer: Carole is extremely busy with the Clinton campaign, I believe. The last time I spoke to her was to offer condolences on the death of Gerry Goffin. Before that, it was to thank her for the shout-out she gave me at the Gershwin Awards for having co-written "Jazzman."
I was close to Myke Rosa, Myddle Class drummer, for many years until his passing.
longitudes: Speaking of "Jazzman" (click here), the melody for that 1974 hit is real similar to Carole's earlier breakout solo hit "It's Too Late," but it's got some very smooth saxophone by Tom Scott. Do you know if Carole was consciously trying to replicate "It's Too Late"? Also, were you thinking of any particular jazz artist when you penned the words?
Palmer: Since Carole was so prolific, I doubt if she was even aware of sounding like earlier tunes. I mean it's hard not to "resemble" yourself when it's your style. And, yes, (John) Coltrane was the inspiration (for the song).
longitudes: In the late 1970s you joined a soft-rock band called Wha-Koo, which made three albums. Can you please comment on that experience?
Palmer: Danny Douma and I put that band together. I loved the way he wrote, and I wasn't too sure of what it was I was trying to do until much later. But I think some great tunes came out of that band, but things were changing, and we just missed the rising tide.
longitudes: After Wha-Koo broke up, what were your activities before becoming an artist/photographer?
Palmer: I stayed in the music biz far past my expiration date – as a writer, basically. Once again, I refer you to The Lost Demos on my website.
longitudes: You're now a successful digital photographer. Why did you leave music, and how did you get involved with photography?
Palmer: I woke up one day and, literally, couldn't write, and knew it was over. And yet I also knew I needed a way to be creative. I fell in love with the process of creating images – from the initial camera work to the post in Photoshop. There seemed to be no limitation. And I didn't have to ask the band what they thought!
longitudes: Thank you for your time, David.
Palmer: You're welcome.
Source: https://peterkurtz.com/2016/06/26/the-mystery-man-of-steely-dan-an-interview-with-singer-david-palmer/
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