Four decades hence, it’s easy to hear the glory of Steely Dan’s diverse and calculating ‘The Royal Scam.’

Enough gushing about guitars, saxes and drums. Here are Steely Dan’s five best miscellaneous performances, as selected by our panel.

As much as I enjoy Steely Dan songs and can listen to most of them over and over (which is a good thing, since I’m writing about them every week), only one of their songs is what I’d call an “earworm” You May Also Like: Steely Dan’s The Royal Scam:Read More

In rock music, there’s been occasions where one act provokes another in a rock song, resulting in a retaliatory song by the provoked. You May Also Like: Steely Dan, “A Man Ain’t Supposed to Cry” from ‘Northeast Corridor’ (2021): Steely Dan Sunday Steely Dan’s Aja at 40: Still the pinnacleRead More

You could call “Haitian Divorce” a love song, but as Steely Dan love songs go, it’s not about the bliss so much as it’s about the ugly side of romance. You May Also Like: Best Jon Herington Steely Dan-related guitar performances: Steely Dan Sunday

“Green Earrings” has such a great, clavinet-laden groove to it, thanks to the Chuck Rainey/Pretty Purdie rhythm machine that keys up nearly every track on The Royal Scam, it doesn’t need any close inspection to appreciate. You May Also Like: Steely Dan Sunday, Best Bass Performances Steely Dan’s The RoyalRead More

Just what the heck is Steely Dan’s “The Fez” about? Let’s just say it works pretty well to prevent parenthood.

Both Walter Becker and Donald Fagen have an affinity for reggae music, one that’s most notably borne out on Becker’s Jamaican-styled Circus Money CD from 2008. You May Also Like: Walter Becker, “Hard Up Case (Live at Slim’s 1995)” (2024): Steely Dan Sunday Best Steely Dan keyboard performances: Steely DanRead More

“Don’t Take Me Alive” is one of last of Steely Dan’s songs that’s truly “rock,” and the narrator’s portrayal as a deranged killer daring the cops to take him out also makes it one of Becker and Fagen’s least ambiguous songs. You May Also Like: Steely Dan, “Kid Charlemagne” fromRead More

Since Donald Fagen and Walter Becker first set out to be a songwriting team and only started a band when it became evident this was was going to be the only way to get their songs recorded in any meaningful way You May Also Like: Walter Becker, “Hard Up CaseRead More