Did Steely Dan Ever Make A Bad Record?

from the 70's and 80's stuff..nope...all the albums were good...even gaucho........well..maybe not that one.....but everything else...

 

"Bad"? No. Each album had something to offer to any fan.
Inconsistent? Yes, especially near the end of their catalogue.
After reading an article in Rolling Stone prior to the release of Gaucho, particularly the fixation by Messrs. Becker and Fagan had over the recording of the end of "Babylon Sisters" (how many takes were there?), my initial thought was "This. will. not. end. well". I was right.
Q: Which version of The Dan was more popular: The "brick-and-morter" six-five-man band of the first three albums or the "come-one-come-all" session musicians approach of albums
beginning with Katy Lied?

 

Bad isn't a word I'd use there. I would say bland.

 

Me: Alexa play Steely Dan.
Alexa: Shuffling songs by Steely Dan.

An hour in and an enjoyable afternoon of music, so to the OP.....No.

 

Yesterday I ordered my first Steely Dan album!

 

Whice one?

 

Can't Buy A Thrill. Heard the song Dirty Work and loved it.

 

"Poor" compared to what?? Aja?? It's all totally relative and subjective. I really enjoy most of the songs on EMG, "Godwhacker" among them.

 

Good place to start.

 

There are no bad songs in EMG but the album is a bit loose and relies more on shiny production than on great songwriting. But again, it is all relative because there is no bad Steely Dan album. These guys are just too talented to create something mediocre.

 

I haven't heard them all, but Royal Scam is the only one I like. I listened to Aja for the first time just last year, and can't believe why it's so hyped as an album. Did nothing for me. And then Pretzel Logic, a solid "eh." No interest in really hearing any more of them.

 

Unsurprisingly, 'The Last Mall' has been an earworm for the last few months.

I'm also disappointed that the excellent Amazon TV series The Last Man on Earth has not used 'King of The World' at least once.

At least you know that when nuclear holocaust happens, you'll be able to have a SD soundtrack for those final moments...

 

royal scam is their most guitar driven release...pretty nice production

 

That's probably why I like it. The guitar is top notch on it.

 

For me that distinction goes to Countdown to Ecstasy. You have a tour-de-force with Diaz and Skunk Baxter, who even plays some instructive pedal steel on Pearl of the Quarter. The speed-riffing on Bodhisattva was certainly awe-inspiring. Boston Rag is a guitar anthem, the fills on My Old School are some of the tastiest licks of the early '70s (saying a lot). Your Gold Teeth is my favorite cut on the album--an amazing guitar solo (as well as keyboard solo). Show Biz Kids (featuring Rick Derringer) KotW and Razor Boy also have brilliant guitar work.

 

Four, but two of them at least had a good single.

 

And let's hope the next one won't be bad either!

 

Up to 1980?
No.

 

+1

 

Everything must go has become my favourite and certainly most-played Steely Dan album , of the "old" ones Royal Scam has always been my favourite, I think Gaucho is their weakest album

 

listening to their live 1974 concert......CD. They sure could get it done....no doubt.

 

Just ordered all the SHM - SACD'S from japan....the 99 releases were very clean...if the SACd's are better....well then, ZOWIE. always looking for better production.

 

SCAM is their most guitar driven release...I like it.

 

"Dirty Work" is not typical of their sound, though. Can't Buy A Thrill is a solid album, but they were sort of experimenting with the direction they wanted to go in. They had rockers, country-ish songs, and songs that would reflect their later jazzy roots.

 

Their last couple or three albums really meandered a lot. Even with Aja, an album that had a few long song running times, the arrangements were tight. Not so recently.