The horns on "The Caves of Altimera" are sublime😍.

My favorite of their hired gun guitar players is definitely Larry Carlton. The solo on Kid Charlemagne is a masterpiece!!!

Been listening to gaucho on repeat all week. All killer no filler. A masterpiece.

"GAUCHO" is a Real MASTERPIECE, a work of outstanding artistry, with the tremendous special guests like Anthony Jackson and Chuck Rainey on BASS, Hiram Bullock, Larry Carlton, Rick Derringer, Steve Khan, Mark Knopfler, Hugh McCracken on GUITARS!!! Steve Gadd, Rick Marotta, Jeff Porcaro (Genius), Bernard Purdie (the really maestro) on DRUMS....Michael Brecker - sax/Randy Brecker - trumpet, flugelhorn/David Sanborn - sax/David Tofani - sax....Victor Feldman, Ralph MacDonald, Patti Austin, Michael McDonald, Valerie Simpson, Joe Sample and Don Grolnick on KEYS And Much Much Much More!!! Just to listen tracks like "Babylon Sisters" with Bernard Purdie and his unique shuffle!! God bless that metronome Man!!!!

"The Royal Scam" is truly a masterpiece!

"Got the Steely Dan T-Shirt"

The Royal Scam is by far their most interesting and powerful, creative album absolutely love it. Truly a masterpiece

Best Steely Dan album: ALL OF THEM

Their BEST album-one of the greatest albums ever produced-is Aja. My FAVORITE album is Katy Lied. Steely Dan never disappoints.

It was listening to Steely Dan that got me into Larry Carlton

The first six albums (in release order) are masterpieces, the rest still are very good albums. There is hardly any bad track or filler on any Steely Dan album. One of the most consistently brilliant discography of any band ever. I bought the first album right in 1972 when I heard Do It Again on the radio and any subsequent album as soon as I became aware of its release and each one was a revelation. Aja and Gaucho both took some time and at first listening did not reveal their full potential. Until I noticed that I could not get some hooks or lines out of my mind for days and slowly began to acquire them. 1. Countdown to Ecstasy (this is on the list of my 25 best albums of all time) 2. Can't Buy a Thrill 3. The Royal Scam 4. Katy Lied 5. Aja 6. Pretzel Logic 7. Gaucho 8. Two Against Nature 9. Everything Must Go

SD had this phenomenal production with excellent sound quality and brilliant mixing on all albums. They're first on the list when testing jazzy pop on hi end audio for sure. Love all their albums. Aja is my fav followed by the Royal Scam. Great channel!

I agree with your ranking but you cannot go wrong with any of the top 7. All stellar records. What an incredible catalog!

I grew up in a college town, and for a while when I was a teenager, they (Southeastern LA university) had a “$2 Concert” series, live shows by up-and-coming but largely-unknown bands for, yes, really, two dollars. I was 14 in the fall of ‘72, and my best friend Chuck had to talk me into going to see a show by these two bands we’d never heard of. I was reluctant because we’d gone to the previous one, a Mac “Baby, Don’t Get Hooked on Me” Davis solo show, and had left, bored, partway through, so I hated the idea of wasting another $2. But they were just starting to play “Listen to the Music” on the radio and I liked it, so I went with him to see The Doobie Brothers with Steely Dan opening. It was mind-blowing, the most unexpectedly brilliant show I’ve ever seen.

I’m kinda like you, I couldn’t get into the band when I was a young man, I was much more into rock and metal. But over the decades I’ve really started to appreciate the brilliance of the band…. And now I’m a super fan. So much great stuff in their discography.

The Royal Scam, Aja and Gaucho are all masterpieces imo. Steely Dan at their finest.

I’m 60 and was into Sabbath/UFO/Judas Priest/ Robin Trower etc. like you said I knew SD but didn’t appreciate them till my 30’s. I would be torture for me to rank them, they are all so incredibly good

I grew up in the seventies. I can remember when pretty much every song on Can't Buy a Thrill got radio play. Has that ever happened for another band's debut, maybe other that the Beatles? I would sit with my music nerd friends and we'd listen to the records on repeat, trying to suss out the lyrics, and being blown away by the sheer musicianship displayed. There will never be another band like Steely Dan. RIP Walter

Great list, and thanks for sharing.

I know this isn't on a Steely Dan album, but I think "FM" is one of their great songs.

"Can't Buy a Thrill" is a desert island disc for me. "Midnight Cruiser," "Brooklyn" - top to bottom phenomenal.

The Dan were very influenced by the New York prodigy, Laura Nyro, particularly her revolutionary 1968 jazz pop masterpiece LP 'Eli and the Thirteenth Confession', recorded with a host of jazz greats such as Zoot Sims, as well as Hugh McCracken and Chuck Rainey. The title track Eli's Comin' is fantastic. See youtube discussions of Nyro and her LP by Todd Rundgren ("it blew everybody's mind"), Elton John ("she influenced more successful songwriters than anyone"), and Alice Cooper. In a Rolling Stone podcast about a year ago, Donald discusses Nyro's influence on the Dan. Nyro is Songwriters Hall of Fame, Rock Hall of Fame.

Love em. Great website too !!!

One of my favorite bands! Excellent job, Pete! Thanks for bringing attention to this fabulous, and sometimes forgotten, band.

Like your ranking. Royal Scam has ALWAYS been my fav SD album.

Still got all the 70s albums on vinyl . Such a great band. Top 5 are: 1. Aja 2. Can't buy a Thrill 3. Royal Scam 4. Pretzel Logic 5. Countdown to Ecstasy

It's always been 'Royal Scam' for me. The stories, the music, the memories. Pete's order on this one would me similar to mine. They sure had a lot of good stuff!

Can't Buy a Thrill, best album of all time for me, I've listened to it a million times, I plan on listening for million more.

A large part of the soundtrack of my teenage years. Very high quality "sophisticated" rock music, in terms of lyrical subjects and musicianship. What a catalog indeed! RIP Walter. 😔

Great video, Pete. I think you shouldn't have to explain yourself that much when it comes to ranking albums. Your opinion is as valid as our and I respect it. Thanks.

I'm an English offshore oil worker, worked with a Taylor diver from New Orleans in our North Sea back in the 70's, he gave me a tape of Steely Dan and wow, brilliant stuff all through, very few Brits i know have been exposed to them believe that ?, Aja for me but like you say.....they're all superb.

"King of the World".... sublime.

1. "Can't Buy a Thrill". I bought this album when I was 15 years old when it was released back in 72. Well, I bought the 8 track. And now I own all the cd's. But this was the one that hooked me, so it's number one. 2. "Aja". Just too good to drop any farther. 3. "Pretzel Logic". "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" is filled with a ton of memories. High school, first love, broken hearts. 4. "Gaucho". "Hey Nineteen" just rocks man. 5. "Katy Lied". Soundtrack from the senior year in high school. "Black Friday". 6. "Two Against Nature". This album was a pleasant surprise. 7. "The Royal Scam". 8. "Countdown to Ecstasy". 9. "Everything Must Go".

Steely Dan, love 'em to death. Love everything they've released. The top three, at different points, each ranked as my #1, so they are almost interchangeable. Here would be my rankings: 9. Everything Must Go 8. Two Against Nature 7. Can't Buy A Thrill 6. Countdown To Ectasy 5. Gaucho 4. Katy Lied 3. Aja 2. Pretzel Logic 1. The Royal Scam I wish Fagen could/would release many of these outtakes, demos, unfinished tracks that are scattered throughout YT, officially on CD. Many of them are quite good (I especially love Stand By The Seawall, a late-night jazz-fusion pop instrumental treat which didn't make the final cut on Aja.) One thing I love about Pete is the fact that he listens to (and still buys) actual CDs. I've never converted to the downloading thing. I just can't do it. Weird as it sounds, I love the sound of the CD cases clapping together, one by one, as he's wrapping up each list near the end of these album ranking videos.

"Third World Man" always leaves me wanting more xD

"Night By Night" = MOST underrated Dan tune - prove me wrong! :P

SD is timeless. Agree Royal Scam and Aja are interchangeable at the top. Would throw in Gaucho at three. “Time Out Of Mind” is one of my favorite songs of all time. Listening to the Dan was unforgettable in the moment.

I love this band, I must admit I haven't heard their complete discography, so I am going to try just a top 5: 1 Gaucho 2 Aja 3 The Royal Scam 4 Pretzel Logic 5 Katty Lied

New subscriber... THIS video sold me on subscribing. I absolutely love your passion. This and the Sabbath ranking video are my favs, so far. Keep up the great work. Cheers. :)

Thanks for the video.. The older classics.. Love these shows

Donald Fagan's solo work is just as good. Steely Dan is one of my top two favorite bands for sure. Aja is #1 for me.

Every album in order of release shows a refinement of the musical, and lyrical elements Becker and Fagen are ultimately known for. The chords and melodies become more complex and the lyrics becomes more multilayered. Steely Dan's whole catalog is a real work of art in the realm of 20th century popular music.

Got it Pete killer steely Dan love it.

Awesome! My favorite band ever! And I agree with your ranking and thoughts. Great job. Thank you for the wonderful appreciation of a fantastic group. Fagen and Becker - Rock gods.

Don't Take me Alive. Close your eyes, and just listen to the guitar work in that song a few times. Spectacular...

Don't profess to be a Steely Dan expert, but up to this point Katy Lied has clicked with me the most.

I grew up with Steely Dan at that certain age when music is the soundtrack of your daily life - from 16 to 25 or so. Can't Buy A Thrill was released close to my 19th birthday and I remember hearing Do It Again and Reeling In the Years all over the radio dial, from Top 10 to FM rock stations. Steely Dan came on the scene at the time other American bands like The Doobie Brothers and The Eagles and I put Steely Dan in the same category of AM friendly rock music. But as they continued to release albums Steely Dan became one of my favorite bands, each album they released being more complex and better than the last. For me their best albums were the ones they released in the middle of their career 1. Katy Lied - The perfect mix of jazz and rock. 2. The Royal Scam - Some of the best guitar solos ever recorded on a Steely Dan album. Take a bow, Larry. 3. Pretzel Logic - Their lyrics had a way of speaking to the listener like no other band I know of, and Any Major Dude is the best example that comes to mind, followed by Rikki, Don't Lose that Number. 4. Aja - A stunning technical achievement, but by this point Steely Dan had forsaken their ability to rock in exchange for filling their songs with jazz chords. Aja is my favorite Steely Dan songs, but I get bored quickly with the smooth jazz style of Peg and Josie. 5. Countdown to Ecstasy - This could easily be my number three pick over Pretzel Logic. It's and essential album to own, if only for the inclusion of two of my favorite Steely Dan songs, Bodhisattva and King of the World, that flat out rock. 6. Can't Buy A Thrill 7. Gaucho 8. Two Against Nature

Some bands or solo artists have a way of both touching your heart and broadening your horizons. The Dan has become part of my DNA since the day in 1973 when I bought my first 2 albums on wonderful HQ 8-track format: Doobie Bros ‘Captain & Me’ and SD’s ‘Can’t Buy a Thrill’. Life-altering Music.

What a band , and you are so right.....NO BAD ALBUMS!!! Just some are slightly less awesome than others!!!

Steely Dan is one of the few bands that really didn't have a stinker album.

I bought my first Steely Dan album in 1977 and it was Royal Scam. I much later got their earlier albums (and later ones). Royal Scam has always been my favorite (I am not even going to try to rank the others). Years ago I read various SD rankings which put Royal Scam low on the list. I never understood that - so many great songs on the album!

The song Aja is my second favorite song of all time. I just love going back to the interlude on that; it just keeps getting better and better as the song progresses. Steve Gadd and Wayne Shorter of some of the best jazz musicians out there and it always tears me up whenever I listen to it, whenever I listen to them on that track. You can tell it's a masterpiece when it strikes you hard like that.

Mostly agree, but for me "Countdown to Ecstasy" should be higher.

My two favorites are "The Royal Scam" (for me it has the strongest jazz-rock vibe, in a Blood Sweat & Tears vein, and features prominently an amazing horn section) and "Pretzel Logic" (for the variety of genres it incorporates). Then "Aja", "Katy Lied" and "Gaucho" (which I really like, with the title track being a masterpiece - and the Jarrett's controversy is just preposterous - but it has a big turndown in its longest track, "Glamour Profession"). Then "Can't Buy A Thrill" and "Countdown To Ecstasy". But, as you said, in each of them there are four/five tracks that are close to perfection. That's it for their classic catalogue. Then there are the two reunion albums. I only have "Two Against Nature": it's good (I especially like "Jack Of Speed" and "West Of Hollywood", with a shimmering Chris Potter) but in a kind of different league.

Je suis d'accord! I agree with your top choice. Wonderful album. But now I need to listen to more Steely Dan.

1. Katy Lied 2. Royal Scam 3. Can't Buy a Thrill 4. Aja 5. Steely Dan's Greatest Hits (1978 version) 6. Pretzel Logic 7. Countdown to Ecstasy 8. Gaucho 9. Two Against Nature 10. Everything Must Go But, as you say, all are so close as to be unrankable. Been listening since 1976 and I'm not tired of them yet.

It’s great to see so much love for the unique Steely Dan. Their albums really are works of art! As I’m not much of a jazz aficionado, I tend to prefer their earlier recordings to the more critically acclaimed releases like Aja. The album that I listen to most regularly is Pretzel Logic, although all of their first 5 albums are brilliant in my view.

Ive liked SD for decades myself, but really was only familiar with the hits, but in recent years have been chilling to much more

Yes! my favorite Too! I thought I was alone. Wonderful album

Since I first heard them in the 70's, Steely Dan has been my favorite.

Least to most favorite: Everything must go Two against nature Pretzel Logic Can't Buy a Thrill The Royal Scam Countdown To Extasy Gaucho Aja Katy Lied

Too bad you couldn't have included "NightFly" Fegan's first single piece of work. one of my favorites.

Love your shirt!

I agree totally with your ranking yey!

Man I love the Dan, if you put a gun to my head and made me choose my favorite I would say “Katy Lied.” Just a sublime record. A great rainy day record. I also love “The Royal Scam” about equally. I look at both albums as companion pieces, a double feature. Great video as usual Pete!

Two Against Nature is SO underrated! What a Shame About Me is maybe the quintessential Dan tune...

I love them all!

Thanks. Enjoyed that. I have all of their album playlists on my channel up until (and including) Gaucho. Aja & Pretzel Logic are neck & neck when it comes to viewers, etc. The Royal Scam comes in next. I'm only offering this up as a point of interest, not to contradict anyone or make any staggering point. Love them all. Steely Dan just took it all into another dimension where others simply cannot gain access!

One of the very few bands that don't have a bad or worst album, they are all great in their own special way. I wholeheartedly agree that The Royal Scam is their masterpiece and it also contains my favourite track of theirs: Don't take me alive. Surely the best intro of any song in the annals of rock history.

It's so tough eh? If push came to shove I think Countdown to Ecstasy is mine favourite. Depends what day you ask me though! Great clip as always Pete!

I played the royal scam relentlessly during senior year 1979...And I never get tired of hearing Kid Charlemagne

What an excellent and interesting review, and you matched my top 3 exactly! This is a must watch for any long time SD fans; brilliant!

Even though these song weren't on any of their albums but FM, True Companion and Big Noise New York are stellar standouts. Again, their entire catalog is phenomenal. 🤛✌💖💯

The royal scam, absolutely the best, great guitar solo's, Every song on the album is great!

I’m psyched just clicked the like button and it went from 1.4 k like to 1.5 likes. Pete you rule.

As a fan for over 40+ years have never heard anyone even mention my favorite Steely Dan album, Royal Scam, on their list. You sir are clearly a genius!!

The Intro to 'The Boston Rag' has been playing in my head for two weeks now; and I'm not sure what to replace it with.

Hey-that was the European Tour T shirt (2007?) -bought one when they played Liverpool.Now being worn by my 18 year old daughter at University-spread the news!

Thank you - it's so good to hear these opinions from fellow Dan lovers. I'coming in there with mine. I think it is tempting to let nostalgia get the better of things and I guess it does also come down to which 'period' you like a little more - earlier or later or later again. For what it's worth though this is my ranking and again - just for the record - all are absolute masterpieces. 1.Gaucho 2. Aja 3. The Royal Scam. 4. Katy Lied 5. Everything Must Go 6. Two Against Nature 7. Countdown To Ecstasy 8. Pretzel logic 9. Can't Buy A Thrill. Love on all

My list was the same as yours, Pete, except the bottom two were flipped. A band called The Ergs have a song with the lyrics. "I met a girl named Aja, she said her Dad loved Steely Dan. I laughed and asked if her sister's name was Katy." Great song. :)

Royal Scam is my favorite Steely Dan album

The quality from Can't Buy A Thrill to Aja is outstanding but for me, Countdown To Ecstasy is the definitive Steely Dan album.

Sophisticated Rock. That’s Steely Dan.

I agree.good list

When I was in high school, I hated Steely Dan. I only wanted to hear Zep, AC/DC, Sabbath, etc. Now they are among my favorite bands.

Some credit to Gary Katz one great producer

Thank you for this review. Finally after 40 years I saw them last summer. Great job. Surprised me with your #1. My #1 Pretzel Logic. Great job

Absolutely LOVE your explanation of the albums and how they're all good. I feel like they are extremely underrated.

"Can't buy a thrill" is a lyric in a Dylan tune from- I think - Blonde on Blonde (I know/ would recognize but forget the name of the song).

…..yeah, agree on all the rest with exception … "Katy Lied" was my favorite

Enjoyed that :) UK Fan seen them 3 times - love all the albums and this rundown is exactly how i would have ranked them too .

Pete, you’re absolutely right about Steely Dan growing on you over the years. I didn’t really give two hoots about them when I was in my teens and early 20s. I’m in my 30s now, and I probably enjoy listening to them more now than ever before. So polished and sophisticated. Earlier I was mostly into rootsy, blues-based rock n roll (Rolling Stones, Hendrix, Zeppelin, Allman Bros, Little Feat, The Band, etc.), but now I can take in just about anything. Jazz is no longer a four-letter word, for example.

The Royal Scam and Countdown To Ecstasy are perfect from start to finish. Other albums are good but not as consistent as those two

Steely Dan’s songs are perfect, imho.

Great review Pete ;)

I agree, great stuff on all of them. Donald Fagens solo work is also a joy listening to. I always come back to Steely Dan.

I lean toward the original band, David Palmer or not- doesn't matter. The keys are Skunk, Denny Diaz & Jim Hodder. Love that early stuff....😎

Deep cut gems (meaning you don't hear 'em on the radio) - Your Gold Teeth I and II. King of The World. Night by Night. Doctor Wu. The Royal Scam is my favorite album. My least favorite is Everything Must Go. Nice chat. And here I go again down the Dan hole.

Steely Dan is so hard to rank they are fantastic your doing a great job 👍👍👍👍👍

Got them all. Great job ranking them. 👍