OPO: Steely Dan studio album

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I say Pretzel Logic in a walk.

Johnny Fever (johnnyfever), Monday, 12 February 2007 08:44 (seventeen years ago) link

Close call between Pretzel Logic and Gaucho.

baaderonixx (baaderonixx), Monday, 12 February 2007 09:45 (seventeen years ago) link

i'd rather play teh pervert and pick that early demos collection.
(yeh. just did it!)

tiit (t**t), Monday, 12 February 2007 09:50 (seventeen years ago) link

tough choice between 'aja' and 'can't buy a thrill'.

pisces (pisces), Monday, 12 February 2007 13:14 (seventeen years ago) link

aja

Frogm@n henry (Frogm@n henry), Monday, 12 February 2007 13:26 (seventeen years ago) link

during recording one of the albums was played and re-played by a variety of different sets of studio session musicians, over and over until they all went mad - which one was that?

i MUST read me a steely dan biog one of these days.

pisces (pisces), Monday, 12 February 2007 13:35 (seventeen years ago) link

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Steely-Dans-Aja-33-3/dp/0826427839/sr=1-1/qid=1171287173/ref=sr_1_1/026-0862943-6981212?ie=UTF8&s=books

WOW!! can't wait for this.

Don Breithaupt? he posts on here doesn't he?

pisces (pisces), Monday, 12 February 2007 13:38 (seventeen years ago) link

I'm gonna say The Royal Scam, although it could just as easily be Countdown To Ecstasy (or Pretzel Logic (or Aja)). has anyone heard this - http://www.amazon.com/Piano-Jazz-McPartland-Steely-Dan/dp/B0007TKH8E/sr=8-17/qid=1171290783/ref=sr_1_17/103-5218563-7319021?ie=UTF8&s=music - and is it worth checking out?

Al (Alex In Baltimore), Monday, 12 February 2007 14:35 (seventeen years ago) link

Countdown to Ecstasy

Mainly because it has my favorite Steely Dan song, The Boston Rag. But Pretzel Logic and Katy Lied are also very worthy choices.

kornrulez6969 (kornrulez6969), Monday, 12 February 2007 15:58 (seventeen years ago) link

i was just talking about this yesterday, hearing PL for the first time. still C2E so far though

69 (pete), Monday, 12 February 2007 16:02 (seventeen years ago) link

it's the only one you own, dude!

a_p (a_p), Monday, 12 February 2007 16:05 (seventeen years ago) link

anyway either Katy Lied or Gaucho for me

a_p (a_p), Monday, 12 February 2007 16:06 (seventeen years ago) link

Apart from Royal Scam, every album has been my fave at some point. Musically, it would probably be Pretzel, but right now Gaucho seems to me the best encapsulation of everything I adore about them.

baaderonixx (baaderonixx), Monday, 12 February 2007 16:22 (seventeen years ago) link

Katy Lied

M@tt He1ges0n (Matt Helgeson), Monday, 12 February 2007 17:00 (seventeen years ago) link

Katy Lied.

frankiemachine (frankiemachine), Monday, 12 February 2007 17:10 (seventeen years ago) link

Either of the 4 from 1973-76 has been my favourite at one time, for different reasons. I've liked the stretched-out jamming aspect of "Ecstasy", and the compact tunes of "Pretzel". But "Royal Scam" is just so sleek and polished that it's my current infatuation.

Incidentally, how come the second song on EVERY one of the first five is my least favourite on that LP?

Myonga Von Bodhisattva (Monty Von Bygone), Monday, 12 February 2007 17:59 (seventeen years ago) link

I don't know why, because "Night By Night" and "The Caves Of Altamira" are great. So is "Dirty Work," actually.

Al (Alex In Baltimore), Monday, 12 February 2007 18:15 (seventeen years ago) link

RAZOR BOY

David RER (Frank Fiore), Monday, 12 February 2007 18:16 (seventeen years ago) link

Katy Lied.

jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 12 February 2007 18:31 (seventeen years ago) link

Countdown to Ecstasy is solid gold.

Richard C (avoid80), Monday, 12 February 2007 19:14 (seventeen years ago) link

iTunes started spazzing out when i was playing Gaucho. It played "My Rival" inbetween all of the other songs. I like Gaucho that way, though.

Rick Gibralter (grady), Monday, 12 February 2007 20:34 (seventeen years ago) link

I predict no consensus.

Jay (jaymacke), Monday, 12 February 2007 21:49 (seventeen years ago) link

Katy Lied.

Marmot (marmotwolof), Monday, 12 February 2007 23:40 (seventeen years ago) link

what are Steely Dan's non-studio albums?

Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 12 February 2007 23:52 (seventeen years ago) link

Alive in America...um...

Marmot (marmotwolof), Monday, 12 February 2007 23:54 (seventeen years ago) link

I'd guess he means no comps either: Gold, Greatest Hits, Showbiz Kids, etc.

Marmot (marmotwolof), Tuesday, 13 February 2007 00:00 (seventeen years ago) link

"Katy Lied."

went to a lame show on fri (Factory Sample Not For Sale), Tuesday, 13 February 2007 11:57 (seventeen years ago) link

royal scam

chaki (chaki), Tuesday, 13 February 2007 12:49 (seventeen years ago) link

I always say "The Royal Scam" but, when all's said and done, it's probably "Countdown to Ecstasy"

Tom D. (Dada), Tuesday, 13 February 2007 12:55 (seventeen years ago) link

there wasn't much of a consensus last time we did this if i recall, although KATY LIED seems to be running away with it.

pisces (pisces), Tuesday, 13 February 2007 12:56 (seventeen years ago) link

... which is what I'd expect from ILM

Tom D. (Dada), Tuesday, 13 February 2007 12:58 (seventeen years ago) link

add me to the list of those who can't fathom why katy lied would be #1 if you've ever heard any other steely dan lps

Frogm@n henry (Frogm@n henry), Tuesday, 13 February 2007 13:01 (seventeen years ago) link

The Royal Scam was the last album of theirs I bought and always seemed like Katy Lied leftovers; other than "Don't Take Me Alive" and "Kid Charlemagne" there wasn't anything they hadn't done better before.

I say Countdown to Ecstasy and Pretzel Logic are their most essential, with Gaucho and the first side of KL close behind.

Alfred Soto (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 13 February 2007 14:09 (seventeen years ago) link

Yeah, Royal Scam is the one SD album that seems a step below.

baaderonixx (baaderonixx), Tuesday, 13 February 2007 14:12 (seventeen years ago) link

no way is it a step below Gaucho, or Can't Buy A Thrill, or Two Against Nature.

Al (Alex In Baltimore), Tuesday, 13 February 2007 14:13 (seventeen years ago) link

it's pretzel logic for me baby

tasteful and tuneful. in small doses

charminator (charminator), Tuesday, 13 February 2007 14:20 (seventeen years ago) link

I don't know why, because "Night By Night" and "The Caves Of Altamira" are great. So is "Dirty Work," actually.

Sure, but not as good as "Midnight Cruiser" or "Charlie Freak" or "Sign In Stranger"! (But then, I've a persistent pattern of always liking the "wrong" songs off the right albums, so I dunno what my problem is...)

Monty Von Bygone (Monty Von Bygone), Tuesday, 13 February 2007 14:28 (seventeen years ago) link

...or even the wrong album by the right band.

MBV (Monty Von Bygone), Tuesday, 13 February 2007 14:31 (seventeen years ago) link

Countdown to Ecstasy and Aja are the ones to beat for me - the former is more exciting, because the vision is pretty new, and some of the lyricism is so cutting and savage. Aja's the more mature work obviously - musically it's just shockingly together - but it's also the languid one, the more resigned one. Countdown for when I'm young, Aja for when I know I'm really not.

Jaufre Rudel (Jaufre Rudel), Tuesday, 13 February 2007 14:53 (seventeen years ago) link

Countdown

o. nate (o. nate), Tuesday, 13 February 2007 15:40 (seventeen years ago) link

...because it's the most enjoyable to listen to straight through. No out-of-place songs or mood-breakers. Quality is consistently high. The lyrics are focused, engaged, and not as inscrutable as the Dan can sometimes be.

o. nate (o. nate), Tuesday, 13 February 2007 15:52 (seventeen years ago) link

add me to the list of those who can't fathom why katy lied would be #1 if you've ever heard any other steely dan lps

It was the first one I heard, and it has "Doctor Wu," which is probably my favorite Steely Dan song. By contrast, Countdown to Ecstasy has "Show Biz Kids," which I really don't like. Gaucho and Aja sometimes get a little TOO smooth. Pretzel Logic and The Royal Scam are both very good, and on some days, I probably do prefer them to Katy Lied. I haven't heard Can't Buy a Thrill often enough, I thought Two Against Nature was subpar, and Everything Must Go is great but not really classic.

jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 13 February 2007 15:54 (seventeen years ago) link

Katy Lied is pretty good - perhaps it would be by second or third choice. It does seem perhaps a bit lacking in memorable melodies and catchy hooks though, at least as compared to the other albums (with a couple of notable exceptions, e.g. "Daddy Don't Live in that New York City No More" and "Bad Sneakers").

o. nate (o. nate), Tuesday, 13 February 2007 16:03 (seventeen years ago) link

...my second or third choice...

o. nate (o. nate), Tuesday, 13 February 2007 16:05 (seventeen years ago) link

I kind of agrre with what Don and Walt wrote about Katy Lied in the notes for The Royal Scam remaster.

Frogm@n henry (Frogm@n henry), Tuesday, 13 February 2007 16:11 (seventeen years ago) link

I would still take Katy Lied over Can't Buy a Thrill (some memorable songs, but they'd not quite perfected their style yet) or Aja (a bit too disengaged).

o. nate (o. nate), Tuesday, 13 February 2007 16:17 (seventeen years ago) link

1. Countdown to Ecstasy
2. Pretzel Logic
3. Katy Lied
4. Can't Buy a Thrill
5. Aja

The others, I haven't listened to enough to judge.

o. nate (o. nate), Tuesday, 13 February 2007 16:20 (seventeen years ago) link

How about a 'Two Against Nature' vs 'Everything Must Go'?

I know that the latter has a better rep, but I never managed to really get into it. 2vsN on the other hand is pretty enjoyable.

baaderonixx (baaderonixx), Tuesday, 13 February 2007 16:21 (seventeen years ago) link

'two against nature' is a good record for mine. love the lyrical themes on it.

didn't purchase 'everything must go', and actually wasn't aware that it had even been released until a few months after it was

charminator (charminator), Tuesday, 13 February 2007 16:38 (seventeen years ago) link

four years pass...

this changes all the time for me but right now it's Can't Buy a Thrill. anyways thought the sandbox could use a steely dan thread in SNA

Carnitas, Friday, 30 December 2011 19:45 (twelve years ago) link

i circulate through favorites pretty regularly. the only ones that i don't listen to incessantly when their time comes around are Countdown, Scam and Pretzel Logic... so i guess those are my three least favorite, even though i love them.

(will), Friday, 30 December 2011 19:51 (twelve years ago) link

(this does not include 2AN or EMG, which i've never really gotten into)

(will), Friday, 30 December 2011 19:52 (twelve years ago) link

i used to wrestle with this question but the answer's been the same since the first time i answered it itt four years ago: Royal Scam

some dude (Mr. Stevenson #2), Friday, 30 December 2011 19:52 (twelve years ago) link

Royal Scam for me too.

EZ Snappin, Friday, 30 December 2011 20:50 (twelve years ago) link

hard to choose, but I'd have to go with Aja

tylerw_sandbox, Friday, 30 December 2011 21:02 (twelve years ago) link

I listened to Can't Buy a Thrill last night and marveled how every song -- every song -- is as exquisitely written as they come.

Lord Sotosyn, Friday, 30 December 2011 21:05 (twelve years ago) link

Five or six of my favourite songs are on either Pretzel Logic or Katy Lied, so one of those two.

clemenza, Friday, 30 December 2011 21:07 (twelve years ago) link

can't buy a thrill

k3vin k., Friday, 30 December 2011 21:10 (twelve years ago) link

The only imperial phase record which makes me impatient is TRS.

Lord Sotosyn, Friday, 30 December 2011 21:54 (twelve years ago) link

I totally love "Sign In Stranger," though.

clemenza, Friday, 30 December 2011 22:03 (twelve years ago) link

Yes. "Kid Charlemagne" too, bien sur. And "Don't Take Me Alive." The rest is clavinets and guitars through bad amps.

Lord Sotosyn, Friday, 30 December 2011 22:20 (twelve years ago) link

and caves and the fez and the title track but yeah

moonbop, Friday, 30 December 2011 23:05 (twelve years ago) link

I listened to Kamikarand or whatever it's called for the first time in years the other day and I totally forgot how great it is.

moonbop, Friday, 30 December 2011 23:07 (twelve years ago) link

my OPO is Aja

moonbop, Friday, 30 December 2011 23:09 (twelve years ago) link

I think TRS has some of the Dan's sweetest keyboard tones

moonbop, Friday, 30 December 2011 23:10 (twelve years ago) link

Pretzel Logic

illegal crew member (C.K. Dexter Holland), Friday, 30 December 2011 23:21 (twelve years ago) link

Fagen/Becker seem to dislike Pretzel Logic and Katy Lied, which are my favorites

Iago Galdston, Saturday, 31 December 2011 00:50 (twelve years ago) link

Katy Lied was an infamously rough recording experience with equipment/sound problems that left them unhappy w/ the final product and i think in general they favor the later stuff after they became a 'studio' band and got more ambitious with the session musician perfectionism, so i think that's not really a reflection on the songs or anything to really dwell on.

some dude (Mr. Stevenson #2), Saturday, 31 December 2011 01:16 (twelve years ago) link

Thanks, some dude--from a cursory look at their set lists a long time ago, it seemed like they didn't play a lot of tracks from those two. But they're definitely the end of SD Phase One

Iago Galdston, Saturday, 31 December 2011 01:47 (twelve years ago) link

Pretzel Logic and Katy Lied also seem like SD at their most depressive and/or vulnerable (if that's possible)

Iago Galdston, Saturday, 31 December 2011 01:49 (twelve years ago) link

I listened to Can't Buy a Thrill last night and marveled how every song -- every song -- is as exquisitely written as they come.

^^^this. the other albums are great, but none of 'em have this 100% hit ratio for me

I am womansplainer hear me roar (Shakey Mo Collier), Saturday, 31 December 2011 04:36 (twelve years ago) link

Katy Lied comes close

I am womansplainer hear me roar (Shakey Mo Collier), Saturday, 31 December 2011 04:37 (twelve years ago) link

Fagen/Becker seem to dislike Pretzel Logic and Katy Lied, which are my favorites

Because they don't play them as often? Could be. I'd guess these, the former at least, are not as in demand by the classic-rock/easy-listening-esque audience.

illegal crew member (C.K. Dexter Holland), Saturday, 31 December 2011 05:53 (twelve years ago) link

funny that this tread came up as i listened to Gaucho last night but my vote has to go with Aja.

Bee, Sunday, 1 January 2012 02:25 (twelve years ago) link

Babylon Sisters has been my singin in the shower jam lately.

Hurting, Sunday, 1 January 2012 05:45 (twelve years ago) link

I would be lying if I didn't say Aja but Gaucho is an amazing album

OH NOES, Sunday, 1 January 2012 06:37 (twelve years ago) link

Forever it was Aja, but I think I now lean towards The Royal Scam.

earlnash, Sunday, 1 January 2012 09:17 (twelve years ago) link

Countdown to Ecstasy followed closely by Aja. Pretzel Logic is probably my least favourite album of the original run because 'With a Gun' and the version of 'East St. Louis Toodle-Oo' are kind of throwaway for me (by SD standards at least).

Gavin, Leeds, Sunday, 1 January 2012 13:25 (twelve years ago) link


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