The Royal Scam is the cherry on the top. Don't Take Me Alive is the premier song that gets me singing from the heart. Steve Carlton and his Crusaders bandmates pitch in with great effect. Countdown ...,Katy....,Prezel Logic to the bookend Gaucho are amazing productions.
I started listening to Steely Dan last fall. I've known about them all my life...a child of the 70s hearing all the hits. Now it's time listen to the albums officially. Thanks for this review. Always liked their songwriting style. Memorable stuff indeed!
As an avid Steely Dan fan (they are maybe my favorite “band”) I have come to appreciate Two Against Nature more and more since I started listening to it. I think it deserves to be recognized right along with Aja and Gaucho as the peak of their studio prowess. Also, now that we have some decently close approximations of The Second Arrangement, it really makes you wonder how huge of a hit that song would have been!
That bass that comes in on Monkey In Your Soul - so funky and odd sounding. Pretzel Logic and Katy Lied are my favorites as well. Like you said the chorus on The Caves Of Altamira is so stinking good. The piano that runs alongside that wicked solo on Bad Sneakers is badass. Home At Last and Aja blow my mind. I've gotten so much stick from my punk rock friends for liking Steely Dan. Anyway, top 10 band for me. Rock on, Tom
WLS in Chicago began playing Do it Again in mid-January 1973 followed in April by Reeling in the Years. I was 14 during that time and was just about to graduate to FM radio late that summer and Can't Buy a Thrill was the first album I bought with my own money that August. Needless to say, I was not disappointed. I adore all the first 6 albums, but if you put a gun to my head, I would rank : 1. Can't Buy a Thrill 2. Countdown to Ecstacy 3.Katy Lied 4. The Royal Scam 5. Aja 6. Pretzel Logic.
Damn Tom, fantastic ranking of Steely Dan!,👍🏻 Cool how you explained the Musical Flow of each Album , for example how you mentioned "Royal Scam" is more of a guitar driven album.... You inspire me to pull out my Dan collection and RS will be the first I spin.... My favorite should be " Countdown to Ecstasy, Katie lied, Pretzel Logic, Can't buy a Thrill....
I’m a bit late on this episode, but I had to weigh in on one of my favorite American bands ever. SD was such a uniquely talented act and well adored by so many of us who grew up with them in the ‘70s. Still to this day, their distinguished style is totally unparalleled. I’ve been into Jazz since 1977, when “ Aja “ was released, and without a doubt, SD was the primary reason. But your ranking is well put together, especially considering it’s a rather tall order, with their strong discography. “ Countdown “ is probably my favorite, however both Katie Lied and Royal Scam are constantly growing on me. And definitely, I can see Pretzel Logic as being a #1 for many fans.
Believe me when I say your list is my list, perfect - only swap around for me would be Countdown with Aja. It's rare I see anyone putting Pretzel at the top, but I agree, it's just 'perfect'. It was also my intro into Steely Dan so I was excited to see it at the top of your list. Well done! Sub'd !
I was 14 when "Do It Again" first hit AM radio, so I grew up with Steely Dan. I experienced them as essentially four different bands in sequence: 1) the "Can't Buy a Thrill" version with David Palmer ("Turn That Heartbeat Over Again" is an all-time favorite); 2) the mid-70s pop/rock peak from "Countdown to Ecstasy" to "Royal Scam"; 3) the late-stage "perfectionist" studio creations "Aja" and "Gaucho"; and 4) the two unexpected but enjoyable afterthoughts, seemingly from beyond the musical-career grave, "Two Against Nature" and "Everything Must Go," when they also suddenly morphed into a live band, something they'd abandoned decades before -- as if the Beatles had started touring again 20 years after "Revolver." To rank them, I kinda feel like I'd need to make four distinct lists, even though the first would only have one record on it. I love every album for different reasons. For me, "Pretzel Logic" in 1974 sounded like the greatest (post-"Rubber Soul") album the Beatles had never made, but "Katy Lied" is the probably the record I feel closest to. "Doctor Wu" and "Everyone's Gone to the Movies" always seem to be a fraction of a second away from playing in my head. (Thanks, Victor Feldman -- I bought your wonderful 1958 jazz LP with Scott LaFaro because of Steely Dan!) "Katy Lied" also has one of my all-time favorite album covers -- and features the best liner notes ever, which really capture the essence of the Steely Dan sensibility: "This is a high fidelity recording.... Transfer from master tapes to master lacquers is done on a Neumann VMS computerized lathe equipped with a variable pitch, variable depth helium cooled cutting head. The computer logic circuits of the VMS 70 widen and narrow the grooves on the disc in accordance with its own bizarre electronic mentation for reasons known only to its designers; this accounts for the lovely light and dark patterns that can be seen on the surface of the pressing. Vinylite compound is used. For best results observe the R.I.A.A. curve."
Ricki don't lose that number and Reelin' in the Years both captured a sense of time passin' by The first came out my senior year of high school, reelin' a few years earlier, my sophomore year!
Seeing that +Four record (which I guess for you was an import from the UK) takes me back to my earliest phase of record collecting and I had a number of similar brief compilations in the same series: Mamas and Papas, Traffic, Poco and (I think) the Doors. All excellent introductions.
Like everyone, my bottom two are the two later albums and in the same order. I give Two Against Nature a very slight edge even though I can't stand Gaslighting Abby. I checked them out from the library, gave them a few listens, never bought them. At number seven, no surprise, Gaucho. Time Out of Mind, My Rival and Third World Man, and then some songs I don't care that much about. Pretty good, but pales in comparison to its predecessor that it is clearly trying to imitate. However, it does set the template for the later records. Number six, Katy Lied. I've never entirely warmed up to this record, although I do think there's half of a really great album here. From Dr. Wu onward I think it's mostly pretty terrific. The top five are all great. I have Can't Buy a Thrill at number five. Even when they don't quite sound like Steely Dan, they still have it. Number four, Countdown to Ecstasy. My Old School is one of those highly regarded songs that has never done much for me personally, but the remaining seven tracks are all top of the line. Number three, Pretzel Logic, their most spontaneous-sounding record. Number two, The Royal Scam, their Zep IV, their Sticky Fingers, their Who's Next, their Aqualung, in other words their classic rock album. Number one, Aja. Deacon Blues is a contender for my favorite song of all time, lyrically, musically, I just really connect with it, brings me to tears every time I hear it. Peg is pop perfection, and Josie is one of the great album closers. And on that note...
The Royal Scam for me. In "The Caves of Altamira", "when there wasn't even any Hollywood", that verse like hits me like "how does it feel?" hits people in "Like a Rolling Stone". And then the Royal Scam itself, the song, Fagen's singing sounds like preaching, a debauched street proclaimer, only he's singing an anti-gospel.. "See the glory.. see the glory of.." They were two guys from New York state creating their masterpieces in Los Angeles. Their music lives for my lifetime in my Angeleno warped mind.
Love steely Dan been listening since 1972. There first five albums are classics . Gaucho good. Last two mediocre at best . The first five are hard to rank but here we go . 5. Can’t buy a thrill 4. Aja 3. Katy lied 2. Countdown to ecstasy. 1. Pretzel logic
Bought the first 6 albums on vinyl as they came out. Love them all but "Can't buy a Thrill" is my favourite, perhaps for nostalgic reasons. Would find it impossible to rank next five For what it's worth, my 28 year old son has the first 7 on CD and his favourite is "Countdown to Ecstacy" but his dad knows best! I've never heard the 8th and 9th and have no great desire to hear them.
Fabulous excuse for a 100% Steely Dan office soundtrack day!! I don’t own it but I just listened to Everything Must Go and although not horrible I 100% agree with your #9 ranking. A subscription to your channel is best paired with a subscription to Apple Music and a decent quality bookshelf Bluetooth setup. The Royal Scam is my all-time #1 because it has some great hooks never appreciated by listeners of traditional FM radio and I don’t recall ever hearing a track from it on any sorry excuse for classic rock iHeart station. Haitian Divorce and Caves of Altamira are masterpieces if you ask me.
I agree. I remember getting The Royal Scam for Christmas back in ‘77 and it was such a magical experience hearing a track like The Caves Of Altamira for the first time. Just total magic. One of my all time favorite Steely Dan tracks.
Agree with your ranking except that I’d switch Countdown and Katy lied. Otherwise, spot on. And yes, I do think Pretzel Logic is better than Aja; more Variety and presentation including (I think) near flawless sequencing overall…
I’m sorry, but Gaucho is their best record, with no doubt about it. Aja & Royal Scam are 2 & 3. I personally think that the earlier albums just have the concert songs that fans dig the most, so they have a sense of nostalgia. Katy Lied is amazing too, but Gaucho is a 10/10, perfect record from start to finish.
It's a virtual note-for-note recreation of Duke Ellington's 1927 "East St. Louis Toodle-Oo," with an electric guitar instead of a muted trumpet. Fantastic!
Steely Dan is the gold standard of 70s popular music, musicianship, production, etc. For me the variable is mostly how much I like the songs. Usually very much. [0] 'Everything Must Go.' (can't remember if I've listened to this one.) [8] 'Two Against Nature' [7] 'Gaucho' (I'm lukewarm on this one) [6] 'The Royal Scam' (great songs, good ones, some less so, more or less in equal parts. Never warmed to the album as a whole, sacrilege?) [5] 'Can't Buy a Thrill' [4] 'Pretzel Logic' (It doesn't get better than "Rikki" "Major Dude") [3] 'Countdown to Ecstasy' (I'd heard "Do It Again" on the radio, but 'Countdown' is where the Dan really kicked in for me) [2] 'Katy Lied' (This was my favorite Dan, but when Aja came along I couldn't be sure) [1] 'Aja' (Seemingly carved from marble for a lot of fans. Aja is of-a-piece, it has the best flow of the bunch. Albums 1-2-3 are pretty much neck-and-neck for me)
Dear Syater, listen up close and personal to 'Everything Must Go'... It's their farewell project dedicated to their fans. Walter Becker's song 'Slang of Ages' is very likely the coolest thing I've ever heard, and I connect deeply with this their swan song project. Just do it. Headphones. It'll move ya. The dynamic duo waving farewell.
@@DavidCKendall I like the track, good groove, crazy lyrics, "Damn, she skipped dimensions, was it something I said, or something I was thinking?" Sounds like it might be Walter Becker all the way. Thanks for the tip!
I mostly agree with your ranking except I would have Aja at #1. That album and the songs Peg, Deacon Blues, and Josie remind me of my childhood when I first heard those classics.
Damn dude, can't disagree too much on your ranking. Countdown, Pretzel Logic and Katy Lied all number one depending upon the day. Pretzel Logic Countdown to Extescy Katy Lied Can't Buy a Thrill Royal Scam Aja Gaucho Two Against Nature Everything Must Go
Interesting take. I'm surprised to see Royal Scam and Aja ranked above earlier material, but then again, I'm not -- that's how time and taste work on us as individuals. Besides, I really should re-evaluate Royal Scam. I'm glad I have the boxed set, which has everything before the reformation. Flo and Eddie singing backing vocals on a track! I guess Fagan and Becker managed to really bury that soundtrack record they did before Can't Buy A Thrill, since you don't mention it -- I don't have a copy myself anymore, and I don't remember it as being much good.
Aja is so good that it is off the rathings meter (plus I have heard it just a little too much but fantastic none the less.) My personal favorite is The Royal Scam not only because of the songs but the the gruitars take center stage. It is a pretty dark album ( Even for SD).
Can't argue with your list at all! I might have Can't Buy A Thrill ranked a little higher! Oh ,who am I kidding. 1 through 6 are all equal in my opinion!
For me, it's 1 Aja, 2 Royal Scam and 3 Gaucho 4 Katie Lied 5 Can't Buy A Thrill. At least we agree that the one's recorded after the hiatus are the worst.
It's hard to separate the top three albums, but TRS outweighs KL, and PL, the songs more robust and engaging. I wasn't impressed by Steely Dan's first LP, CBaT, nor by their performance, opening for Stoneground and the Kinks, but CtE won me over, and PL sealed the deal. The second through the fifth LPs show great progress, in songwriting, production, and recording, but #6 is only better than the #1 by a little, and Gaucho left me cold. By 1980's Gaucho, the band had run its course, releasing two albums in the new century, neither of which come close to their far better earlier selections. The band's live album. chock full of great songs, is turgid, at best. Only Becker and Fagen appear, with a cast of thousands, as had been their method, after Logic. True to the nature of that kind of beast, there are too many "stirring" cooks, too few Chefs, and it makes all the difference. I cannot think of another group with as significant a body of work, with such a lackluster live effort! Fagen would release 4 solo LPs, and Becker released two albums, none rising close to the level fans had come to expect. Best of Steely Dan 01 R O Y A L S C A M (5) [1976] 02 K A T Y L I E D (4) [1975] 03 P R E T Z E L L O G I C (3) [1974] 04 C O U N T D O W N T O E C S T A S Y (2) [1973] 05 A J A (6) [1977] 06 C A N ' T B U Y A T H R I L L (1) [1972] 07 G A U C H O (7) [1980] 08 T W O A G A I N S T N A T U R E (9) [2000] 09 E V E R Y T H I N G M U S T G O (10) [2003] 10 A L I V E I N A M E R I C A (8) [1995]
100% agree....post gaucho is not really good. Same groove basically. Ditching of session musicians also was not a good idea. Another issue is the one of "hooks" or the "winning chorus" that Fagen himself said he used to really work for in their tunes. In that same interview he said he moved away from the pressure of looking for those. He shouldn't have.
Best band ever to be named after a dildo! “Charlie Freak” is an miniature masterpiece of storytelling. My favorite album by SD is The Royal Scam, and my favorite song is “The Caves of Alta Mira.”
I'm liking all your videos, but you lost me right away at low balling... 'Everything Must Go' --- turd -- really?!... I'm a lyrics person, and 'The Last Mall' as an opener ('The last album' significance), and WHAT a wrap-up with the title track closer 'Everything Must Go'... (..their last song ever' significance.) ... Dude, listen to it all cover to cover again in that light, that this is their last offering ever. I think that's clearly intended on their part and from that perspective, I think the album shimmers, like a farewell love letter to their fans. Fagan's voice is still in pretty good shape. He hits those highs on The Last Mall like nobodys business, and the way that songs ends incomplete on a drum fill... mastery. On the final song (title track), the chaotic BLAST of power from the whole band jamming HARD UP LOUD announces 'this is it'... our last hoorah... I listen for and find those things all the way through the album. Before I write you a novella, this will explain it best. My top 3 are... #1/ Gaucho.. because Michael MacDonald's parts don't become tedious, and I think they achieved the balanced perfection they sought, #2/ Everything Must Go, even if Blues Beach is a bit weak, everything else is strong, and if you really dive into the lyrics, you might up your ranking. , and #3/ Aja, because PEG. Anyway, I like what you do, and your interior decorating tells me that you take your listening seriously. Long may you wave. Good stuff!
Nope. I love all their LPs. Pretzel Logic is far from the best. Aja sold the most and got the prizes. The Royal Scam gets the most love from self-professed Steely Dan nuts and gave them license to make Aja. The kids (new admirers) love Gaucho. Seriously they do. Glamour Profession could go on till next Thursday.... A lot of folks favourite is a solo LP - The Nightly. I think 76-82 is peak and I could make a case for any of the above 4.
"Oh Michael, Oh Jesus.." from "Turn That Heartbeat Over Again" is a great earworm that you just don't want to shake.
The Royal Scam is the cherry on the top. Don't Take Me Alive is the premier song that gets me singing from the heart. Steve Carlton and his Crusaders bandmates pitch in with great effect. Countdown ...,Katy....,Prezel Logic to the bookend Gaucho are amazing productions.
Absolutely!! Listening to it for the second time today right now.
I started listening to Steely Dan last fall. I've known about them all my life...a child of the 70s hearing all the hits. Now it's time listen to the albums officially. Thanks for this review. Always liked their songwriting style. Memorable stuff indeed!
Form your own opinions. It's all excellent, though.
👍
As an avid Steely Dan fan (they are maybe my favorite “band”) I have come to appreciate Two Against Nature more and more since I started listening to it. I think it deserves to be recognized right along with Aja and Gaucho as the peak of their studio prowess. Also, now that we have some decently close approximations of The Second Arrangement, it really makes you wonder how huge of a hit that song would have been!
That bass that comes in on Monkey In Your Soul - so funky and odd sounding. Pretzel Logic and Katy Lied are my favorites as well. Like you said the chorus on The Caves Of Altamira is so stinking good. The piano that runs alongside that wicked solo on Bad Sneakers is badass. Home At Last and Aja blow my mind. I've gotten so much stick from my punk rock friends for liking Steely Dan. Anyway, top 10 band for me. Rock on, Tom
Rock on!
WLS in Chicago began playing Do it Again in mid-January 1973 followed in April by Reeling in the Years. I was 14 during that time and was just about to graduate to FM radio late that summer and Can't Buy a Thrill was the first album I bought with my own money that August. Needless to say, I was not disappointed. I adore all the first 6 albums, but if you put a gun to my head, I would rank : 1. Can't Buy a Thrill 2. Countdown to Ecstacy 3.Katy Lied 4. The Royal Scam 5. Aja 6. Pretzel Logic.
Damn Tom, fantastic ranking of Steely Dan!,👍🏻 Cool how you explained the Musical Flow of each Album , for example how you mentioned "Royal Scam" is more of a guitar driven album.... You inspire me to pull out my Dan collection and RS will be the first I spin.... My favorite should be " Countdown to Ecstasy, Katie lied, Pretzel Logic, Can't buy a Thrill....
I’m a bit late on this episode, but I had to weigh in on one of my favorite American bands ever. SD was such a uniquely talented act and well adored by so many of us who grew up with them in the ‘70s. Still to this day, their distinguished style is totally unparalleled. I’ve been into Jazz since 1977, when “ Aja “
was released, and without a doubt, SD was the primary reason. But your ranking is well put together, especially considering it’s a rather tall order, with their strong discography. “ Countdown “ is probably my favorite, however both Katie Lied and Royal Scam are constantly growing on me. And definitely, I can see Pretzel Logic as being a #1 for many fans.
Believe me when I say your list is my list, perfect - only swap around for me would be Countdown with Aja. It's rare I see anyone putting Pretzel at the top, but I agree, it's just 'perfect'. It was also my intro into Steely Dan so I was excited to see it at the top of your list. Well done! Sub'd !
Thanks for subbing and yes Pretzel is pure magic. So many top tier tracks.
I’d like to hear your Steely Dan song ranking. That could be a challenge! Also, would like to an album ranking of The Doors.
That would be a challenge to rank those songs. I did do a Doors album ranking about a year ago. Check it out. 😉
I was 14 when "Do It Again" first hit AM radio, so I grew up with Steely Dan. I experienced them as essentially four different bands in sequence: 1) the "Can't Buy a Thrill" version with David Palmer ("Turn That Heartbeat Over Again" is an all-time favorite); 2) the mid-70s pop/rock peak from "Countdown to Ecstasy" to "Royal Scam"; 3) the late-stage "perfectionist" studio creations "Aja" and "Gaucho"; and 4) the two unexpected but enjoyable afterthoughts, seemingly from beyond the musical-career grave, "Two Against Nature" and "Everything Must Go," when they also suddenly morphed into a live band, something they'd abandoned decades before -- as if the Beatles had started touring again 20 years after "Revolver." To rank them, I kinda feel like I'd need to make four distinct lists, even though the first would only have one record on it.
I love every album for different reasons. For me, "Pretzel Logic" in 1974 sounded like the greatest (post-"Rubber Soul") album the Beatles had never made, but "Katy Lied" is the probably the record I feel closest to. "Doctor Wu" and "Everyone's Gone to the Movies" always seem to be a fraction of a second away from playing in my head. (Thanks, Victor Feldman -- I bought your wonderful 1958 jazz LP with Scott LaFaro because of Steely Dan!)
"Katy Lied" also has one of my all-time favorite album covers -- and features the best liner notes ever, which really capture the essence of the Steely Dan sensibility:
"This is a high fidelity recording.... Transfer from master tapes to master lacquers is done on a Neumann VMS computerized lathe equipped with a variable pitch, variable depth helium cooled cutting head. The computer logic circuits of the VMS 70 widen and narrow the grooves on the disc in accordance with its own bizarre electronic mentation for reasons known only to its designers; this accounts for the lovely light and dark patterns that can be seen on the surface of the pressing. Vinylite compound is used. For best results observe the R.I.A.A. curve."
Ricki don't lose that number and Reelin' in the Years both captured a sense of time passin' by The first came out my senior year of high school, reelin' a few years earlier, my sophomore year!
Seeing that +Four record (which I guess for you was an import from the UK) takes me back to my earliest phase of record collecting and I had a number of similar brief compilations in the same series: Mamas and Papas, Traffic, Poco and (I think) the Doors. All excellent introductions.
Completely agreed
Countdown to Ecstasy is my favorite
"Pretzel Logic" is my absolute favorite album too, now exactly 50 years old ... old?! No, timeless! And one of my all-time albums too!
I agree. It’s an all time top fave of mine. Totally timeless.
Like everyone, my bottom two are the two later albums and in the same order. I give Two Against Nature a very slight edge even though I can't stand Gaslighting Abby. I checked them out from the library, gave them a few listens, never bought them. At number seven, no surprise, Gaucho. Time Out of Mind, My Rival and Third World Man, and then some songs I don't care that much about. Pretty good, but pales in comparison to its predecessor that it is clearly trying to imitate. However, it does set the template for the later records. Number six, Katy Lied. I've never entirely warmed up to this record, although I do think there's half of a really great album here. From Dr. Wu onward I think it's mostly pretty terrific. The top five are all great. I have Can't Buy a Thrill at number five. Even when they don't quite sound like Steely Dan, they still have it. Number four, Countdown to Ecstasy. My Old School is one of those highly regarded songs that has never done much for me personally, but the remaining seven tracks are all top of the line. Number three, Pretzel Logic, their most spontaneous-sounding record. Number two, The Royal Scam, their Zep IV, their Sticky Fingers, their Who's Next, their Aqualung, in other words their classic rock album. Number one, Aja. Deacon Blues is a contender for my favorite song of all time, lyrically, musically, I just really connect with it, brings me to tears every time I hear it. Peg is pop perfection, and Josie is one of the great album closers. And on that note...
The Royal Scam for me. In "The Caves of Altamira", "when there wasn't even any Hollywood", that verse like hits me like "how does it feel?" hits people in "Like a Rolling Stone". And then the Royal Scam itself, the song, Fagen's singing sounds like preaching, a debauched street proclaimer, only he's singing an anti-gospel.. "See the glory.. see the glory of.." They were two guys from New York state creating their masterpieces in Los Angeles. Their music lives for my lifetime in my Angeleno warped mind.
The Caves Of Altamira is in my top 5 all time Steely Dan songs. Just phenomenal. The melody, horn arrangements. Perfection.
1.Pretzel Logic
2.Countdown to Ecstasy
3.Katy Lied
4.Royal Scam
5.Aja
6. Can’t Buy a Thrill
7. Gaucho
8. Two Against Nature
Love steely Dan been listening since 1972. There first five albums are classics . Gaucho good. Last two mediocre at best . The first five are hard to rank but here we go . 5. Can’t buy a thrill 4. Aja 3. Katy lied 2. Countdown to ecstasy. 1. Pretzel logic
Bought the first 6 albums on vinyl as they came out. Love them all but "Can't buy a Thrill" is my favourite, perhaps for nostalgic reasons. Would find it impossible to rank next five
For what it's worth, my 28 year old son has the first 7 on CD and his favourite is "Countdown to Ecstacy" but his dad knows best!
I've never heard the 8th and 9th and have no great desire to hear them.
aja 👍
Fabulous excuse for a 100% Steely Dan office soundtrack day!! I don’t own it but I just listened to Everything Must Go and although not horrible I 100% agree with your #9 ranking. A subscription to your channel is best paired with a subscription to Apple Music and a decent quality bookshelf Bluetooth setup. The Royal Scam is my all-time #1 because it has some great hooks never appreciated by listeners of traditional FM radio and I don’t recall ever hearing a track from it on any sorry excuse for classic rock iHeart station. Haitian Divorce and Caves of Altamira are masterpieces if you ask me.
I agree. I remember getting The Royal Scam for Christmas back in ‘77 and it was such a magical experience hearing a track like The Caves Of Altamira for the first time. Just total magic. One of my all time favorite Steely Dan tracks.
Agree with your ranking except that I’d switch Countdown and Katy lied. Otherwise, spot on. And yes, I do think Pretzel Logic is better than Aja; more Variety and presentation including (I think) near flawless sequencing overall…
I’m sorry, but Gaucho is their best record, with no doubt about it. Aja & Royal Scam are 2 & 3. I personally think that the earlier albums just have the concert songs that fans dig the most, so they have a sense of nostalgia. Katy Lied is amazing too, but Gaucho is a 10/10, perfect record from start to finish.
"Odd"? They poured their hearts and souls into E. St. Louis Blues. It is at the exact center of the album.
It's a virtual note-for-note recreation of Duke Ellington's 1927 "East St. Louis Toodle-Oo," with an electric guitar instead of a muted trumpet. Fantastic!
Steely Dan is the gold standard of 70s popular music, musicianship, production, etc. For me the variable is mostly how much I like the songs. Usually very much.
[0] 'Everything Must Go.' (can't remember if I've listened to this one.)
[8] 'Two Against Nature'
[7] 'Gaucho' (I'm lukewarm on this one)
[6] 'The Royal Scam' (great songs, good ones, some less so, more or less in equal parts. Never warmed to the album as a whole, sacrilege?)
[5] 'Can't Buy a Thrill'
[4] 'Pretzel Logic' (It doesn't get better than "Rikki" "Major Dude")
[3] 'Countdown to Ecstasy' (I'd heard "Do It Again" on the radio, but 'Countdown' is where the Dan really kicked in for me)
[2] 'Katy Lied' (This was my favorite Dan, but when Aja came along I couldn't be sure)
[1] 'Aja' (Seemingly carved from marble for a lot of fans. Aja is of-a-piece, it has the best flow of the bunch. Albums 1-2-3 are pretty much neck-and-neck for me)
Dear Syater, listen up close and personal to 'Everything Must Go'... It's their farewell project dedicated to their fans. Walter Becker's song 'Slang of Ages' is very likely the coolest thing I've ever heard, and I connect deeply with this their swan song project. Just do it. Headphones. It'll move ya. The dynamic duo waving farewell.
@@DavidCKendall Thanks, I will.
Steely Dan is the gold standard of 70’s pop. Well put. 😉
@@DavidCKendall I like the track, good groove, crazy lyrics, "Damn, she skipped dimensions, was it something I said, or something I was thinking?" Sounds like it might be Walter Becker all the way. Thanks for the tip!
I mostly agree with your ranking except I would have Aja at #1. That album and the songs Peg, Deacon Blues, and Josie remind me of my childhood when I first heard those classics.
Damn dude, can't disagree too much on your ranking.
Countdown, Pretzel Logic and Katy Lied all number one depending upon the day.
Pretzel Logic
Countdown to Extescy
Katy Lied
Can't Buy a Thrill
Royal Scam
Aja
Gaucho
Two Against Nature
Everything Must Go
Interesting take. I'm surprised to see Royal Scam and Aja ranked above earlier material, but then again, I'm not -- that's how time and taste work on us as individuals. Besides, I really should re-evaluate Royal Scam. I'm glad I have the boxed set, which has everything before the reformation. Flo and Eddie singing backing vocals on a track! I guess Fagan and Becker managed to really bury that soundtrack record they did before Can't Buy A Thrill, since you don't mention it -- I don't have a copy myself anymore, and I don't remember it as being much good.
Not very good indeed..
Aja is so good that it is off the rathings meter (plus I have heard it just a little too much but fantastic none the less.) My personal favorite is The Royal Scam not only because of the songs but the the gruitars take center stage. It is a pretty dark album ( Even for SD).
Royal Scam has some of the greatest, tastiest guitar solos ever created.
I didn’t know you wanted to be a drummer. Pretzel Logic at number one is a good choice. I used to have a tape of it.
Can't argue with your list at all! I might have Can't Buy A Thrill ranked a little higher! Oh ,who am I kidding. 1 through 6 are all equal in my opinion!
Exactly. When I finally have 1-6 (Gaucho is 7 for me) in an order of my liking, I end up switching a couple of them
Top 5 band for me
I as well.
For me, it's 1 Aja, 2 Royal Scam and 3 Gaucho 4 Katie Lied 5 Can't Buy A Thrill. At least we agree that the one's recorded after the hiatus are the worst.
1. Aja (The Perfect Album) 2. Gaucho 3. The Royal Scam 4. The Nightfly (It’s count it as a SD album)
The Nightfly is as good as Gaucho. Great album.
Poco did a great cover of Dallas - and they sounds just like Steely Dan.
I need to check that out. Timothy B Schmidt did some backup vocals on tracks from Aja and Pretzel Logic.
It's hard to separate the top three albums, but TRS outweighs KL, and PL, the songs more robust and engaging. I wasn't impressed by Steely Dan's first LP, CBaT, nor by their performance, opening for Stoneground and the Kinks, but CtE won me over, and PL sealed the deal. The second through the fifth LPs show great progress, in songwriting, production, and recording, but #6 is only better than the #1 by a little, and Gaucho left me cold. By 1980's Gaucho, the band had run its course, releasing two albums in the new century, neither of which come close to their far better earlier selections.
The band's live album. chock full of great songs, is turgid, at best. Only Becker and Fagen appear, with a cast of thousands, as had been their method, after Logic. True to the nature of that kind of beast, there are too many "stirring" cooks, too few Chefs, and it makes all the difference. I cannot think of another group with as significant a body of work, with such a lackluster live effort! Fagen would release 4 solo LPs, and Becker released two albums, none rising close to the level fans had come to expect.
Best of Steely Dan
01 R O Y A L S C A M (5) [1976]
02 K A T Y L I E D (4) [1975]
03 P R E T Z E L L O G I C (3) [1974]
04 C O U N T D O W N T O E C S T A S Y (2) [1973]
05 A J A (6) [1977]
06 C A N ' T B U Y A T H R I L L (1) [1972]
07 G A U C H O (7) [1980]
08 T W O A G A I N S T N A T U R E (9) [2000]
09 E V E R Y T H I N G M U S T G O (10) [2003]
10 A L I V E I N A M E R I C A (8) [1995]
I wish you mentioned Kid Charlemane was loosely based on Owsley Stanley.
Poco did a version of Dallas on there lp head over heels
I need to listen to that album again. It’s been years.
100% agree....post gaucho is not really good. Same groove basically. Ditching of session musicians also was not a good idea. Another issue is the one of "hooks" or the "winning chorus" that Fagen himself said he used to really work for in their tunes. In that same interview he said he moved away from the pressure of looking for those. He shouldn't have.
You’re right 😉
Best band ever to be named after a dildo! “Charlie Freak” is an miniature masterpiece of storytelling. My favorite album by SD is The Royal Scam, and my favorite song is “The Caves of Alta Mira.”
I'm liking all your videos, but you lost me right away at low balling... 'Everything Must Go' --- turd -- really?!... I'm a lyrics person, and 'The Last Mall' as an opener ('The last album' significance), and WHAT a wrap-up with the title track closer 'Everything Must Go'... (..their last song ever' significance.) ... Dude, listen to it all cover to cover again in that light, that this is their last offering ever. I think that's clearly intended on their part and from that perspective, I think the album shimmers, like a farewell love letter to their fans. Fagan's voice is still in pretty good shape. He hits those highs on The Last Mall like nobodys business, and the way that songs ends incomplete on a drum fill... mastery. On the final song (title track), the chaotic BLAST of power from the whole band jamming HARD UP LOUD announces 'this is it'... our last hoorah... I listen for and find those things all the way through the album. Before I write you a novella, this will explain it best. My top 3 are... #1/ Gaucho..
because Michael MacDonald's parts don't become tedious, and I think they achieved the balanced perfection they sought, #2/ Everything Must Go, even if Blues Beach is a bit weak, everything else is strong, and if you really dive into the lyrics, you might up your ranking. , and #3/ Aja, because PEG. Anyway, I like what you do, and your interior decorating tells me
that you take your listening seriously. Long may you wave. Good stuff!
I can’t rank them they’re all just great I’m not including the ones after Gaucho
Shit forgot royal scam 5 can’t buy out
Nope. I love all their LPs. Pretzel Logic is far from the best.
Aja sold the most and got the prizes.
The Royal Scam gets the most love from self-professed Steely Dan nuts and gave them license to make Aja.
The kids (new admirers) love Gaucho. Seriously they do. Glamour Profession could go on till next Thursday....
A lot of folks favourite is a solo LP - The Nightly.
I think 76-82 is peak and I could make a case for any of the above 4.
aja 👍