Can't Buy a Thrill became an unexpected hit, and as a response, Donald Fagen became the group's full-time lead vocalist, and he and Walter Becker acted like Steely Dan was a ock & roll band for the group's second album, Countdown to Ecstasy. The loud guitars and pronounced backbeat of "Bodhisattva," "Show Biz Kids," and "My Old School" camouflage the fact that Countdown is a riskier album, musically speaking, than its predecessor. Each of its eight songs have sophisticated, jazz-inflected interludes, and apart from the bluesy vamps "Bodhisattva" and "Show Biz Kids," which sound like they were written for the stage, the songs are subtly textured. "Razor Boy," with its murmuring marimbas, and the hard bop tribute "Your Gold Teeth" reveal Becker and Fagen's jazz roots, while the country-flavored "Pearl of the Quarter" and the ominous, skittering "King of the World" are both overlooked gems. Countdown to Ecstasy is the only time Steely Dan played it relatively straight, and its eight songs are rich with either musical or lyrical detail that their album rock or art rock contemporaries couldn't hope to match.
Time to stir the pot a little bit. Mention Steely Dan amongst music fans and you’ll generate emotion. It’s like putting the name “Britney Spears” into a blogger post. The traffic skyrockets and the comments, positive and slanderous, roll in.What is it about Steely Dan that is so polarizing? To some they're geniuses, to others the hatred runs deep. On another site I frequent a regula
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I've been teased for listening to Steely Dan, but that don't confront me none. If it's considered Muzak, then I'll ride the elevator all day long. Say what you want - they were ahead of their time, talkin' about bling in 1973._♪ Do you throw out your gold teethDo you see how they roll ♪_
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Time to stir the pot a little bit. Mention Steely Dan amongst music fans and you’ll generate emotion. It’s like putting the name “Britney Spears” into a blogger post. The traffic skyrockets and the comments, positive and slanderous, roll in.What is it about Steely Dan that is so polarizing? To some they're geniuses, to others the hatred runs deep. On another site I frequent a regula
More >
Perhaps I'm just unaware of them, but I've never really run into anyone outside of my father who is a big Steely Dan fan. I've been told that they were (and are) a band that people either love or hate, and I guess more people fall into the second category than the first. However, their music is pretty spectacular, especially the early stuff. I highly suggest giving the album 'Countdown to Ecsta...
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 "Countdown to Ecstasy")
