Steely Dan - The Royal Scam (1976)

For this guy, this album plops right in the middle of the seven albums Steely Dan released during their "classic era" (1972-80), right behind Aja, Gaucho, and Katy Lied. I can't complain about any of the material (especially the white boy funk tunes that include a Clavinet part) and Larry Carlton brings his 'A' game throughout, it just doesn't grab me like the three other SD albums mentioned above. That don't mean it's bad, though. To my ears, there's only one misstep and that's the weak reggae arrangement of an otherwise decent track, Haitian Divorce. Still, that's not enough to make me skip it. And the kink-funk of The Fez is easily worth the price of admission.

Press of the time:

• Rolling Stone: "contains some of their most accomplished and enjoyable music"
• Billboard: "a generally satisfying package."
• CashBox: "A strong release."
• Record World: "The group sound is well-defined by now and the level of consistency is high."
• Stereo Review: "Junk music for a junk culture"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #15
• CashBox: #19

Tracks: ...and while I'm ranking Steely Dan discography:

1. The Fez
2. Kid Charlemagne
3. Green Earrings
4. Sign In Stranger
5. Don't Take Me Alive
6. The Caves of Altamira
7. The Royal Scam
8. Everything You Did
9. Haitian Divorce

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:

Everything Must Go (2003)	Aja (1977)
Two Against Nature (2000)	Katy Lied (1975)
Alive In America (1995)	Pretzel Logic (1974)
A Decade of Steely Dan (1985)	Can't Buy A Thrill (1972)
Gaucho (1980)

Steely Dan - Can't Buy A Thrill (1972)

Debut studio album from Steely Dan, released while they were still in their full band rock phase, before narrowing down to a duo for more sophisticated fare. I prefer the latter, but that doesn't mean I don't like this stuff, too. I wasn't listening to this album when it was released (I was 6 years old and the parents probably would have frowned on an album cover that featured sex workers), but I can't remember a time when Do It Again and Reelin' In The Years weren't on the radio. And after all these years, I'm still not tired of either tune.

Like most Steely Dan releases, this album was out of time/ahead of its time and makes it on strong songwriting, impeccable musical technique, and signature Gary Katz production. It even sounds good when they don't seem to know what they're doing (Fire In The Hole). Kudos all around. This thing will put me in a '70s flashback daze faster than a trip to Putt-Putt.

Your humble blogger at the Odessa (TX) Putt-Putt
May 30, 1974.

Update: In its 2020 list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, Rolling Stone ranked Can't Buy A Thrill at #168.

Press of the time:

• Robert Christgau (A): "How about that--a good album with two hit singles attached." 
• CashBox: "Their future: about as bright as that of any of the year's new groups as this one is both musically refreshing and blatantly original."
• Billboard: "shows good hit possibilities for a group that should be around for some time"
• Rolling Stone: "distinguished by three top-level cuts and scattered moments of inspiration"
• Record World: "could turn out to be one of the most important records of the year."

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #17
• CashBox: #11

Tracks: In addition to the two aforementioned Top 40 singles, I also dig the FM staple Dirty Work, and Midnite Cruiser. The relatively weakest track is Change Of The Guard, but there's really nothing here to skip because they're all in the same groove. 10 songs, 41 minutes - perfect length.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None, but I'm reminded what a great year 1972 was for pop/rock music: this album, No. 1 Record, Superfly, Something/Anything?, Talking Book, Pink Moon, Roxy Music, Ziggy Stardust, Let's Stay Together, Exile On Main St. to name a few.

There's not any CD liner notes to speak of, but I did get a kick out of this MCA ad on the back of the booklet because the whole art design screams 1980s, when I'm guessing this CD was issued:

Previously revisited for the blog:
Everything Must Go (2003)
Two Against Nature (2000)
Alive In America (1995)
A Decade of Steely Dan (1985)
Gaucho (1980)
Aja (1977)
Katy Lied (1975)
Pretzel Logic (1974)

Steely Dan - Pretzel Logic (1974)

My least favorite Steely Dan album. That doesn't necessarily mean that it's bad; this CD just doesn't get much playing time around here. It would have made a fantastic EP if you got rid of the fluff (read: stuff I don't dig as much). In any case, the whole album barely clocks in at a paltry 34 minutes so it's not needed, but here's my EP suggestion:

Side 1:
Rikki Don't Lose That Number (single edit) - 3:58
Barrytown - 3:17
Monkey in Your Soul - 2:31

Side 2:
Any Major Dude Will Tell You - 3:05
Pretzel Logic - 4:28
Through With Buzz - 1:30

You can't really tell by reading the above, but I actually like most of the thing - just not as much as most critics (see below). And, hey, if they had to go through this to get to the greatness of Katy Lied, I'm all for it.

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "the songs here are unfortunately weak lyrically and that cuts the band's artistic ability."
• CashBox: "Knowledgeable fans have waited a long time for this one, and they certainly won't be disappointed."
• Robert Christgau (A+): "This album sums up their chewy perversity as aptly as its title--all I could ask is a lyric sheet."
• Stereo Review: "Though they are treading water, I would rather hear Steely Dan do that than hear most bands at full stroke."
• Record World: "Incandescently catchy cuts"
• Rolling Stone: "accessible and sophisticated"

In its 2003 list of Greatest Albums, Rolling Stone magazine placed Pretzel Logic at #386; it did not rank in the 2023 updated list.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #8

Tracks: see above

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Everything Must Go (2003)
Two Against Nature (2000)
Alive In America (1995)
A Decade of Steely Dan (1985)
Gaucho (1980)
Aja (1977)
Katy Lied (1975)

Steely Dan - Gaucho (1980)

Note: this release was originally purchased as a cassette, later replaced by a CD. In addition to a regular CD, I also own this music on a DTS Surround Sound DVD Audio disc, a format that never really caught on.

Not as consistently good or musically complex as Aja or Katy Lied, this smooth pop has a few good songs sprinkled among the 7 here. The duo (mainly Donald Fagen) almost seems more concerned with how things are produced than what is produced. Spending over a year in the studio and using 42 different musicians, this sterile, microproduced album earned a Grammy award for Best Engineered Recording, Non Classical. Still, when the grooves are right, they're right; I like the lyrics about awkward, misanthropic, aging hipsters (I can relate) and there's some great hooks throughout. Four songs on the album get regular playing time around here. Oddly, a Steely Dan shuffle has recently become my go-to music for evening steak grilling. Go figure.

Press of the time:

• Stereo Review: "it's too smooth a ride to pass up"
• Smash Hits (7 out of 10): "melodic, subtly jazz-flavoured funk."
• Rolling Stone (★★★★½): "wholly satisfying and seemingly spontaneous"
• Downbeat (★★★★): " some of the most elegantly structured, cleanly executed music rock and roll has yet produced."
• CashBox: "the masters of sophisticated jazz/pop fusion have returned in their usual dynamic fashion."
• Robert Christgau (B-): "originally entitled Countdown to Lethargy."
• High Fidelity: "my candidate for best of the year"
  

Now somebody please explain the back cover photo to me.

Album chart peaks:

• U.S. Billboard 200: #9
• Billboard Rock: #12
• Billboard R&B: #19
• CashBox: #8
• Rolling Stone: #5

Tracks:  My favorite track is Time Out Of Mind. Decidedly more popish than your usual SD, I just can't resist the syncopated hook of the chorus. I also like Babylon Sisters, Hey Nineteen, and the title track with solid sax work from Tom Scott. I usually skip My Rival and the plodding Third World Man.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD:  One of my first CDs, probably one of the first 5 discs I ever purchased. Back in 1987, CDs were so cost-prohibitive that I couldn't afford to purchase them to discover new music; I couldn't take that chance. So the (admittedly ill-advised) process of replacing LPs with CDs began almost immediately after the purchase of a CD player.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Everything Must Go (2003)
Two Against Nature (2000)
Alive In America (1995)
A Decade of Steely Dan (1985)
Aja (1977)
Katy Lied (1975)

Steely Dan - Katy Lied (1975)

A generally under-appreciated album in the Steely Dan oeuvre (except by myself and Joe S. Harrington?). By this time, Steely Dan was Walker Becker, Donald Fagen, and whatever session musicians they wanted. At that time, those musicians were (among others) Michael Omartian, Michael McDonald, Larry Carlton, and members of what would become Toto: David Paich and 21-year-old drummer, Jeff Pocaro. Going to session musicians was a stroke of genius (don't like this guy's guitar solo? hire someone else for this one) and allowed them the flexibility to produce this collection of perfectionist jazzy pop songs. It was a formula they would later perfect on 1977's Aja. The playing is impeccable and the melodies and hooks are strong. I can't understand the lyrics, but I doubt the band can, either. To add to the confusion, Fagen & Becker added equally cryptic liner notes to this 1999 remastered version. All that was missing from this album was a big hit song - Black Friday peaked at #37; that's as close to a hit as this album had.

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "an album here that will not disappoint any of their fans"
• CashBox: "Wow! Steely Dan is back with more of that down-home rock sound that really explodes"
• High Fidelity: "as good as pop playing can get"
• Rolling Stone: "exemplarily well-crafted and uncommonly intelligent schlock"
• Stereo Review: "I am disappointed in this album"
• Robert Christgau: A-

Album chart Peaks

• US Billboard 200: #13
• CashBox: #15

Tracks: 3 of the 10 tracks here are included in A Decade of Steely Dan. Of the tracks not included in that compilation, I like Rose Darling, Doctor Wu, Everyone's Gone To The Movies, Your Gold Teeth II, and Any World (That I'm Welcome To) which makes an appearance in episode 8 of the web series, Yacht Rock.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Terribly frustrated after a bad day of being micromanaged at work, I sought solace in a local entertainment store, where I went crazy buying CDs from the "$4.99 and under" bin. I probably bought 8-10 discs that day; this was one of them. The music definitely made me feel better. Preach it, Brother Schroeder:

Previously revisited for the blog:
Everything Must Go (2003)
Two Against Nature (2000)
Alive In America (1995)
A Decade of Steely Dan (1985)
Aja (1977)

Steely Dan - Everything Must Go (2003)

As Walter Becker and Donald Fagen get older and more relaxed, Steely Dan's music turns even more jazzier. There's nothing groundbreaking or innovative here and that's just how I like it. Entertainment Weekly claimed that this album is full of "tunes that are 30 years old at this point." But when you're my age, you can't take those words pejoratively. The group's characteristic lush harmonies, sonic textures, and intricate arrangements are all present which should make old SD fans happy but won't grab any new fans. The band is tight, but I sure wouldn't have minded if the band had brought back some old friends (Steve Gadd, Jay Graydon, Wayne Shorter, etc) for this one. I think I like this album because (for the most part) it sounds more like The Nightfly than any subsequent Fagen solo album. As of this writing, this is Steely Dan's most recent release; Fagen has released two solo albums since 2003.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #9 (June 28, 2003)

Tracks: The better tracks are The Last Mall, Blues Beach, and Lunch With Gina. I'm not wild about Green Book or Becker's vocals on Slang Of Ages.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Two Against Nature (2000)
Alive In America (1995)
A Decade of Steely Dan (1985)
Aja (1977)

Steely Dan - A Decade of Steely Dan (1985)

In "honor" of Black Friday (the song Black Friday from the 1975 album Katy Lied is track 2 on this compilation). This one is dedicated to all the store employees having to work today. I hope you're getting paid at least double time.

A "best of" compilation CD. When I bought this CD in 1988, it and Gaucho were the only Steely Dan CDs I owned. I've since purchased others, duplicating many of the tracks here, but this album is still needed in the collection for the inclusion of the non-LP track FM (No Static at All). If you haven't seen the 1978 movie FM, check it out the next time it's on some obscure cable channel - it's a cheesy time capsule of what the radio industry was like in the late '70s.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #50
• CashBox CD: #6

Tracks: I'm a fan of the group. This is a great compilation. What's not to like? I'm partial to the later stuff from Aja and Gaucho, but the earlier stuff is good, just different. Of the 14 tracks here, the only one I usually skip is the unnecessary cover of Duke Ellington's East St Louis Toodle-oo.

Song	Album	Year	Hot 100	AC
FM	FM Soundtrack	1978	22	-
Black Friday	Katy Lied	1975	37	-
Babylon Sisters	Gaucho	1980	-	-
Deacon Blues	Aja	1978	19	40
Bodhisattva	Countdown To Ecstasy	1973	-	-
Hey Nineteen	Gaucho	1980	10	11
Do It Again	Can't Buy A Thrill	1972	6	34
Peg	Aja	1977	11	30
Rikki Don't Lose That Number	Pretzel Logic	1974	4	15
Reelin In The Years	Countdown To Ecstasy	1973	11	-
East St Louis Toodle-oo	Pretzel Logic	1974	-	-
Kid Charlemagne	The Royal Scam	1976	82	-
My Old School	Countdown To Ecstasy	1973	63	-
Bad Sneakers	Katy Lied	1975	103	-

Hot 100 singles omitted from this compilation: Show Biz Kids (#61, 1973), Pretzel Logic (#57, 1974), The Fez (#59, 1976), Josie (#26, 1978), and Time Out Of Mind (#22, 1981).

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: One of the first CDs I ever purchased; it's easily one of the oldest in the collection. Also one of the first compilations designed for CD, so it was intended to showcase digital sound as much as the music itself. "Digitally remastered from the original first generation masters." Remember when that statement was exciting and new? I still have my first CD player, a Sony D-160, purchased January 1988:

Previously revisited for the blog:
Two Against Nature (2000)
Alive In America (1995)
Aja (1977)

Steely Dan - Aja (1977)

Note: this release was originally purchased as a LP, later replaced by a CD.

This album scores a spot in my all-time top ten album list. Easily. An epic piece of jazz-rock suitable for any occasion. The writing, playing, and production is all impeccable. Fagen and Becker went out and got LA's best session musicians and the results are obvious. Just listen to Steve Gadd and Wayne Shorter tear up the title track. Or Jay Graydon's perfect guitar solo on Peg. Or Michael McDonald's incredibly close overdubbed vocal harmonies on the chorus of that same song. To better appreciate the album, I highly recommend checking out the documentary about the making of Aja in the Classic Albums series. There's also a great book by about the album in the 33⅓ series by Don Breithaupt. The album was recently added to the National Recording Registry, which is an interesting mixed bag of stuff. In any case, I'll be taking this one to the hypothetical desert island with me.

Update: In its 2020 list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, Rolling Stone ranked Aja at #63.

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "unique brand of richly texture melodies."
• CashBox: "high-quality, finely textured stuff"
• Record World: "A major work, certainly."
• Rolling Stone : "calculated mutation of various rock, pop and jazz idioms."
• Stereo Review: "Excellent, but..."
• Musician: "There's intelligence operating here, and much good taste."
• Down Beat (★★★★): "another worthy collection"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #3
• CashBox: #3
• CashBox CD: #8

Tracks: 7 tracks stretching out over 40 minutes. I don't know if I could pick a favorite track even if someone put a gun to my head.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I was totally unfamiliar with this album when I first purchased it when I was in high school. I think it came in a batch from the infamous Columbia Record Club. I was hooked from the get-go.

This music also reminds me of many, many evenings spent on the back deck of my friend Richard's house on 6th St in BC. I often wish I could recapture/relive some of those evenings with the opening measures of Black Cow pouring out of his Advent speakers through the French doors and on to the deck.

Exclusive CD longbox photo courtesy of
Dirk Digglinator of the Hambonian Archives.

Liner notes: I poured over the original liner notes, trying to make sense of it all. Those notes aren't included in my CD copy, but you can read them by clicking on the pic below: