I know that Aja gets all the attention from audiophiles, but musically, the first two Steely Dan albums –Can’t Buy a Thrill and Countdown to Ecstasy—represented something very innovative at the time of their release in the early ‘70s and hold up extremely well more than forty years later.
Thrill presents a band that can play really well- doing pop rock suitable for radio play that didn’t sound contrived; no song was the same- the styles, rhythms, instrumentation, and mood changed, sometimes dramatically, from track to track and each song was delivered with deft touches that were probably unnecessary commercially, but were very satisfying musically. The deft playing and pop hooks effectively disguised a sophisticated mix of jazz and hard rock; those droll lyrics probably weren’t the focus of audiences at the time, but who knows? (The Burroughs reference was pretty well established at the time). Can’t Buy a Thrill is not as post-modern sounding or world-weary in outlook as the later albums, but is rich in constant genre shifts and different styles which makes it my favorite.
From the syncopated Latin rhythms of “Do it Again” to the searing guitar work of “Reelin’ in the Years,” these guys could reach middle of the road audiences and still catch the ear of seasoned musicians with a well-wrought tune, finely played. Elliot Randall’s guitar work on “Kings” is blistering, and Jeff Baxter embarked on a long, successful career working with the “Dan” on the first several albums.
It’s not “audiophile” level sound here, but a decent pressing will deliver the goods. Which one?
The first, on the black label, sounds boxed in; my preference is for the second pressing, with the “concentric rainbow” label.
The Speakers Corner reissue is pretty good, pretty close to the sound of the second pressing, perhaps a bit more analytical; early copies, at least the one I have, are marred by tape slippage on the track “Fire in the Hole” which you can view as annoying mistake for a then freshly minted “audiophile” re-do (and I generally like the Speakers Corner products) or an amusing distraction from an otherwise great song. (I trust this got rectified on later pressings, but be aware of the “glitch” if you are buying the Speakers Corner copy used or as old inventory).
My money is on the second “standard issue” pressing, which should not be hard to find.
Countdown to Ecstasy takes us further along the Fagen-Becker journey of sophisticated pop; it is more angular, post-modern and less radio friendly than Can’t Buy a Thrill. By now, you know you aren’t listening to just another pop/rock band. The standout tracks for me have always been “My Old School” and “Pearl of the Quarter” (which is a beautiful song). Fagen takes over singing duties, and the supporting cast is stellar: how many rock records did Ray Brown record? (Not many I can think of off-hand). Victor Feldman- he’s here too (as he was on so many great records coming out of LA in this era). Some serious jazz horns, along with Dan regulars “Skunk” Baxter and Denny Dias round it out (with Jim Hodder behind the drums).
At this point, the Dan is heading in different directions, and it really is less a band than a vision of Becker-Fagen. My early black label/children’s blocks pressing of Countdown is more than serviceable- it’s a decent sounding record that I’ve never felt the need to replace.
Yes, they made more albums, some of them very good. Some prefer the later albums. I’ll take a fresh look at these at some point.
In the meantime, let’s talk about Aja, which seems to be the audiophile favorite. I find it a bit antiseptic sounding, and the vaunted (now out of print and expensive) Cisco re-master too much of a “good” thing- that clarity and detail that often come with re-masters takes an already “dry” sounding album into arid territory. Far preferable to these ears is the first pressing, denoted by an “AB” code (counterintuitive, since “AA” is a later pressing, but you can find “AA” copies with the “B” scratched out in the deadwax- a sort of interim copy using the metal parts for the first pressing with the packaging for the second). None of these are especially expensive records (except, perhaps, for the Cisco).
These guys always struck me as smart, cynical and incredibly capable- taking pop, rock, some jazz (they kept getting jazzier as time went on) and mixing it together with other influences and rhythms; they could play by the “rules” and still manage to add twists to challenge themselves and their listeners. There is some serious musicianship here; that the band could pull off a good radio tune did not fool anyone listening closely to Can’t Buy a Thrill at the time of its release.