7 best steely dans

Steely Dan is an American rock band known for their unique fusion of rock, jazz, and pop elements. The band was formed in 1971 by core members Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. They are considered one of the most critically acclaimed and influential groups in the history of rock music.

Here are some key points about Steely Dan:

  1. Musical Style: Steely Dan is known for their complex and sophisticated musical arrangements. They often incorporated jazz harmonies and intricate chord progressions into their rock songs.This distinctive style earned them a reputation for being one of the pioneers of jazz rock and fusion.

  2. Key Albums:

    • Can't Buy a Thrill (1972) - This was their debut album, featuring hits like "Do It Again" and "Reelin' In the Years."
    • Aja (1977) - Considered by many to be their masterpiece, this album includes tracks like "Peg" and "Josie" and showcases their jazz-influenced sound.
    • Gaucho (1980) - Another critically acclaimed album, known for songs like "Hey Nineteen" and "Babylon Sisters."

  3. Lyricism: Steely Dan's lyrics are often characterized by their cryptic and enigmatic nature. Fagen and Becker were known for their meticulous approach to songwriting, which resulted in thought-provoking and often ambiguous lyrics.

  4. Band Members: While Donald Fagen and Walter Becker were the core members, Steely Dan had a rotating cast of session musicians who contributed to their recordings. This allowed them to access a wide range of instrumental talent and contributed to the complexity of their music.

  5. Hiatus and Comeback: After releasing Gaucho in 1980, Steely Dan went on hiatus for many years. They reunited in the early 1990s and began touring again. They also released new material, including the Grammy-winning album Two Against Nature in 2000.

  6. Legacy: Steely Dan's music continues to be highly regarded by critics and fans alike. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.

  7. Album-Oriented Rock (AOR): Steely Dan's music is often associated with the AOR genre, which refers to a style of rock music that was popular on FM radio stations in the 1970s and 1980s. AOR stations played full albums rather than just individual songs.

  8. Formats: Steely Dan's music has been released on various formats including vinyl records, CDs, and digital formats. Their albums are still sought after by collectors and their music remains popular with audiophiles.

Remember, this information is based on knowledge as of 2023, and there may be new developments or releases related to Steely Dan after that date.

Below you can find our editor's choice of the best steely dans on the market
  

Very Best of

CD

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Product description

2009 two CD compilation. Steely Dan have sold more than 30 million albums worldwide, and helped define the soundtrack of the '70s with hits including 'F.M.,' 'Reelin' in the Years,' 'Rikki Don't Lose That Number,' 'Peg,' and 'Hey Nineteen' (amongst others), culled from their seven platinum albums issued between 1972 and 1980. They reunited in the early '90s and have toured throughout the decade and beyond, releasing multi-Grammy winner Two Against Nature in 2000 and it's acclaimed follow-up Everything Must Go in 2003. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. Features 33 tracks. Universal.

Can't Buy A Thrill

Steely Dan

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Product description

For a band who considered themselves "anti-rock 'n' roll," Steely Dan had a big impact on the rock world from the get-go. This platinum 1972 debut soared to #17 and produced two of their signature hits, Do It Again and Reeling in the Years . This reissue features new liner notes and digital remastering by two highly qualified individuals-Donald Fagen and Walter Becker.

Songwriters Walter Becker and Donald Fagen launched Steely Dan with a seductive, poker-faced 1972 debut as smoothly accessible in its music as it was elusive in its thematic concerns. The opening "Do It Again" snagged swift commercial success as one of the most mysterious pop hits in history, a sultry rock cha-cha that chronicled a series of harrowing catastrophes far removed from the reheated love songs and pro forma countercultural rebellion of the day. Though the core band boasted two formidable guitarists, Jeff Baxter and Denny Dias, it was the bloom of Fagen's keyboards and his reedy, smart-ass vocals that carried Thrill light years beyond modal, blues-based rock. That said, an enduring highlight remains the furious six-string fantasia of "Reelin' in the Years," spiked by Elliot Randall's downright historic solos, at once dour and giddy in its indictment of a poser, while "Dirty Work" (featuring short-lived, nominal lead singer David Palmer) offers a decidedly adult vignette of adultery. There isn't a weak track here, astonishing, considering how much growth future Dan albums would display. --Sam Sutherland

Aja [Vinyl]

Universal Uk

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Product description

LP pressing, includes MP3 download code. Universal.

The Royal Scam

Steely Dan

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This scam went off without a hitch, reaching #15 in 1976 and hitting the charts with Kid Charlemagne and The Fez . The Dan are at their wry, sardonic best here, with gems like Green Earrings and Haitian Divorce -and this reissue has complete lyrics and original artwork for the first time since the album's original release!

Ever the primary conceit of mainstays Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, 1976's The Royal Scam marks the first time the Steely Dan duo actually owned up to the fact. Musically, it's their edgiest, most guitar-driven record (thanks to Becker and a murderer's row of session greats that includes Larry Carlton, Elliot Randall, Dean Parks, and Denny Dias). Lyrically, the songs cut an ever-sardonic, presciently discomforting slice of modern life that was a couple decades ahead of the game (who else was extolling the virtues of condom-couture, à la "The Fez," mid-Me Decade?). Though it didn't garner the radio attention of Aja, its more jazz-suffused, multiplatinum follow-up, Scam boasts a diverse, occasionally muscular musical rhetoric and some of the Dan's most telling portraits (the deranged, yet all-too-familiar killer of "Don't Take Me Alive," "Kid Charlemagne"'s drug-culture celebrity, the tropical convenience of a "Haitian Divorce"). Small wonder many Dan fans consider it their best. --Jerry McCulley

Major Dudes: A Steely Dan Companion

Abrams Press

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Katy Lied

Import

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Product description

Yet another big success for Becker and Fagen. This was their first album recorded with a different studio band tailored for each tune. The album reached #13, Black Friday broke the Top 40 and typically enigmatic tunes like Doctor Wu and Bad Sneakers became instant “Dan fan favorites.” The band remastered this reissue themselves and added new notes to the original liners, lyrics, and graphics!



Track List:

1. Black Friday

2. Bad Sneakers

3. Rose Darling

4. Daddy Don't live In That New York City no more

5. Doctor Wu

6. Everyone's Gone to The Movies

7. Your Gold Teeth II

8. Chain lightning

9. Any world (That I’m Welcome To)

10. Throw Back the Little Ones

Pretzel Logic (Remastered)

Steely Dan

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Product description

Has it really been 25 years since Steely Dan thrust into the Top 10 with Pretzel Logic ? It's true-so now's the perfect time to celebrate their landmark 1974 album. Here are Rikki Don't Lose That Number; Pretzel Logic , and the rest of the original album, with (for the first time on CD) complete lyrics and all original graphics and notes. Plus-new liners by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen!

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