Turn Up the Steely, The Neighbors Are Listening

Countdown to Ecstasy (1973)

Countdown would be a remarkable second album for any band but it is particularly so for Steely Dan, considering that Becker and Fagen were just getting their bearings following the blindsided hit factor of Can’t Buy a Thrill. They had to be a “real” band and that meant the solidification of a lead singer, which Fagen seems to grasp here with equal apprehension and relish. The brilliance of “My Old School” is found both in its undeniable groove and the perfect brass parts as well as the storytelling that chapters the fall from upper crust liberal arts college to county jail shame. It’s classic Steely Dan, and whether or not Countdown is their best record is of little consequence because it’s perfectly played parts, jazzy arrangements and derisive wit are the the real template for all Steely Dan record that would follow.

Pretzel Logic (1974)

Their third album was arguably Steely Dan’s pinnacle of pop perfection, from the infective two note bassline of the cautionary “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number” to the Dylanisms of “Barrytown” and the coy message and succinct cool of “Any Major Dude Will Tell You.” Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, Denny Dias and Ben Benay lend their perfected lead guitar grease to make it as much of gritty rock album as the smooth Becker and Fagen would ever allow.

Katy Lied (1975)

A masterful exercise in studio perfection where Messrs. Fagen and Becker get assistance from no less than legendary drummer Hal Blaine, guitarist Steve Miller and Dan regular Michael McDonald. There’s the usual Steely Dan theme of upper-class turmoil, like the stockbrokers looking/hanging off the ledges in “Black Friday” and the druggy love triangles in note perfect “Doctor Wu.” While the duo long rejected the album as a failure due to a malfunction in the still experimental DBX noise reduction system, it remains one of their studio high points.

Aja (1977)

This is an album the duo really fussed over. With only seven songs, Aja is perhaps the Dan taking the jazz fusion of the day and perfectly cementing it to a pop market working to exhibit a radio-ready stream of hits. There’s the expertly plotted “Black Cow,” the downtrodden, downbeat nature and thematics of “Deacon Blues” and the bright, optimistic nature and studio perfect sheen of “Peg.” The only argument against Aja might be that it is almost too sonically perfect.

Two Against Nature (2000)

Whether or not it was among their finest work, it was their first after two decades and it was enough to win Becker and Fagen a stack of Grammys including album of the year. The time showed that Fagen and Becker had lost little along the way. It was, if nothing else, a true return to the band’s thematic and studio honed greatness from the “incest is best” call of “Cousin Dupree” to the deadpan of “West of Hollywood.”

Donald Fagen - Nightfly Trilogy box (2007 - Rhino)

In stores July 10

From the solo years, here are Fagen with 1982’s groundbreaking retro-future themed masterpiece The Nightfly, 1993’s Kamakiriad (produced by Becker) and 2005’s under-appreciated Morph the Cat as one complete set. The forthcoming box also includes enhanced mixes, plus bonus audio and never before seen video.