The Steely Dan Appreciation Thread

Easily one of my favorite bands. The first time I heard the Dan on theCountdown to Ecstasy album, I thought it was ok, but not great. But I gave it some time, and soon enough I was digging out all my parents' other Dan albums: Katy Lied, Pretzel Logic, The Royal Scam, vynil pressings of Aja and Gaucho, and I went on to buy Can't Buy a Thrill for myself. I absolutely love this band. It takes serious genius to make complex jazz into million-selling pop. The music hooks you in, it's catchy and melodic and it can't really be displeasing to anyone's ears (it may not be your kind of music, but it's almost impossible for anyone to outright dislike it), and yet it's so much more substantial and thoughtful that ordinary pop. And the best thing about them? Consistent excellence. Every single album is packed with gems, absolutely no fillers. I can't think of any Steely Dan songs I don't like, and I've heard them all from Can't Buy a Thrill to Gaucho, although I haven't heard the two recent albums. Between 1972 and 1980 they released 7 albums, each just as good as the last, and I've heard good things about the latest 2 albums and Donald Fagen and Walter Becker's solo albums. The more I listen to them, the more I love them, and I've listened to them a lot of times by now. They just never get boring.

Anyone else like this wonderful band?

Biggles, sorry I missed your thread, yes I too absolutely love Steely Dan, and Fagen's solo albums too. Excellent music and one of the few acts with great lyrics too.

Personal favourites - Gaucho, Royal Scam, and fagen's Nightfly. His new album "Morph the cat" is pretty good too.

Yes, they are one of the best commercial bands of the 70s by far with very consistent albums. I don't think I can say anything bad about any of their releases, all quite excellent from what I have heard.

Pretzel Logic is one of my favorite albums, I love the album art too

Bj-1 wrote: Haven't heard so much from them, but I love "Hey Ninteen" and some of their other songs I've heard from them. Im gonna check'em out for sure!!

"Hey Nineteen" is a wonderful song.

I have been into the Dan since, oh, a senior in high school around '75...I think I had Katy Lied and I sorta mentally tied it into this girl I had a crush on (unrequited). At that time, they sounded really mysterious, strange (in a good way), and sometimes like many other bands in spots. Since then, I have heard virtually everything they have done (except the last two, and the last two solo albums), including a rare pre-Dan release, 'You gotta walk it like you talk it or you're gonna lose that beat.'

For me, everything after and including Aja is much less interesting than the previous albums. More keyboards and less guitars just made it less interesting for me. But those first, what, five? Those are classics, every one of them.

My personal favorate would hane to be Countdown to Ecstacy

  AS I posted on a related thread , any SD fan must get the 2 AGAINST NATURE DVD. It has a great mix of their finest tunes magnificently executed in my view. So cool! Please, just get it if you don't have it already.

The wife told me yesterday that Steely Dan is going to tour with Michael McDonald this summer.  I plan to get tickets because I've never seen the Dan live and I know MM puts on a great show.  Anyone else heard this tour news?