Steely Dan Album: “Greatest Hits”

Description :

This is a Canadian release. <p>The seeds of this much-respected rock group were sewn at New York's Bard College where founder members Donald Fagen and Walter Becker were students. They subsequently forged a songwriting team and with guitarist Denny Dias, formed Steely Dan. The trio was expanded by the arrival of David Palmer (vocals), Jeff 'Skunk' Baxter (guitar) and Jim Hodder (drums). The accomplished Can't Buy A Thrill drew considerable critical praise for its deft melodies and immaculate musicianship Countdown To Ecstacy was another classic of the 70s, and featured such bittersweet celebrations as 'The Boston Rag' and 'My Old School'. By this point Palmer had left the line-up. On Pretzel Logic, Fagen and Becker drew more fully on their love of jazz on songs like 'Rikki Don't Lose That Number'. Newcomers Michael McDonald (keyboards/vocals) and Jeff Porcaro (drums) were recruited for Katy Lied which also featured cameos by guitarist Rick Derringer and saxophonist Phil Woods. The Royal Scam redressed the commercial balance. Becker and Fagen were, by now, the sole arbiters of Steely Dan, McDonald having followed Baxter into the Doobie Brothers and Dias and Porcaro opting for studio employment. Aja continued in a similar vein where an array of quality musicians brought meticulousness to the set. Gaucho was marred by conflict between the group and record label over escalating recording costs, but the album achieved platinum sales and a hit single, 'Hey Nineteen'.

I know, you're still picturing that big groovy 2-record set you had back in the 70's, with the drink rings on it and the slightly pungent smell when the gatefold was opened...

But face it - those days are over. Do you see any records for sale on Amazon? No. Don't live in the past. If you have to use cd's (well, at least if you're stuck shopping here), make sure you're taking advantage of what they have to offer. There's a pretty stellar 2 disc set titled _Show-Biz Kids_ that only costs a few bucks more than this vaguely overpriced relic, and sounds a whole lot better. Not to mention that it covers a lot more of the group's musical achievements. And if you're a casual fan, thinking that might be more than you'd want to own, trust me - the odds are far greater of the purchase leading to further acquisitions than of it feeling like overkill. The music is just that good. Or if you're really ready to take me at my word, you *could* just start buying the albums... _Pretzel Logic_ and _Aja_ are real winners... or start anywhere, really...

I have heard all of these songs on other records, casettes, CD's or whatever. But that one extra song enclosed on this alblum, "Here at the Western World" is worth its price for what is essentially great but redundant material.

I love all these songs but that one extra song adds a necessary shade to my appreciation of the Steely Dan corpus.

As a teenager in the 80's, I was familiar with several Steely Dan songs from the radio, but this LP was the first thing of theirs I bought, and it sold me for life. Objectively, this is a solid collection of their many hits and styles, but subjectively, this made me want to go out and buy every one of their albums, which I now have on CD. Their songs just might hold up better than other band I know (including Rush, my absolute favorite band). All I can say is that I will never get tired of listening to this music, since it was obviously built to last!!!

I picked this over the Definitive Collection, but see the list of songs, maybe that one is for you. Just wanted a one disc collection to keep in the car for the long drives. Familiar songs are OK.

If you want more, then go buy the albums. Some albums I am skipping as the songs I like off of them are already here. I think Aja is worth getting on its own.

I pulled this LP out of my collection the other night and gave it a listen for the first time in awhile. Steely Dan has always been one of my favorite bands. Their music has held up extremely well over the years. Their combination of rock/jazz and distinctive lyrics has helped them forge their place in rock history. If you can't get the Steely Dan albums this is the way to go, a great compilation of their greatest tunes. I've always thought a Steely Dan album is a compilation in itself so any greatest hits collection takes away from the collective listening experience of a Steely Dan album.