The last song of the “classic” Steely Dan period ends ‘Gaucho’ on a solemn note.

No movie where Steely Dan was commissioned to contribute a song for that movie’s soundtrack ever did well, not You’ve Got to Walk It Like You Talk It or You’ll Lose That Beat, not FM, and not even a movie directed by the great John Huston, Phobia. You May AlsoRead More

They say that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and Steely Dan discovered just how true that was.

Two things became apparent to me when first hearing “Glamour Profession” on Steely Dan’s ‘Gaucho.’

Steely Dan’s “Hey Nineteen” was the first time I can remember anywhere in popular media where Baby Boomers started waxing poetic about the good ol’ days.

Steely Dan albums always start strong, but “Babylon Sisters” might be their strongest intro track of all time. You May Also Like: Walter Becker, “Three Sisters Shakin’” (circa 1992): Steely Dan Sunday Steely Dan, “Hey Nineteen” from ‘Northeast Corridor’ (2021): Steely Dan Sunday Walter Becker, “Love in the 4th [akaRead More

If not for a young man’s goof, Steely Dan’s ‘Gaucho’ might have had a third hit: “The Second Arrangement.”

Back in 1971 when they were struggling to make it as songwriters for hire and before they formed Steely Dan, Becker and Fagen landed some work scoring a soundtrack for a movie that starred Richard Pryor. You May Also Like: Walter Becker, “The Dopest Cut / Down In the Bottom”Read More

There’s really no telling how many great Steely Dan recordings fell to the cutting room floor, as Walter Becker and Donald Fagen were notoriously picky.

Like “Deacon Blues,” another of Steely Dan’s ‘Aja’ hits, “Josie” has a specially written intro revisited later in the song that’s absolutely killer.