Steely Dan
They had it all: rich musical arrangements with memorable hooks, pugilistic prose-turned-poetry, stunning studio craftsmanship, great guitar solos and just enough jazz references to make the whole thing seem like a sly in-joke. As popular as they were in the '70s, Steely Dan somehow felt like the commercial underdog, their eyes on a prize beyond mere radio acceptance and record sales. Few musical acts succeeded at making music so perfect, so airtight, as them. Steely Dan began as an actual band, built around bassist/guitarist Walter Becker and singer/keyboardist Donald Fagen. Their proper debut album, Can't Buy A Thrill, yielded the first of many hits: "Do It Again" and "Reelin' in the Years." More singles followed, drawn from meticulously crafted albums produced by Gary Katz like Pretzel Logic, Katy Lied and Aja, by which time Steely Dan had become the band in the bubble, unsustainable outside of the rarefied studio air. Gaucho was a last gasp, and Steely Dan hung up their spurs. Sporadic solo albums followed before the pair reunited in 2000 for Two Against Nature. Everything Must Go followed in 2003.
| Date | ALBUMS / Singles |
|---|---|
| 1971? | YOU GOTTA WALK IT LIKE YOU TALK IT |
| 1972 September | Dallas |
| 1972 November | Do It Again |
| 1972 November | CAN'T BUY A THRILL |
| 1973 March | Reelin' In The Years |
| 1973 July | Showbiz Kids |
| 1973 July | COUNTDOWN TO ECSTASY |
| 1973 October | My Old School |
| 1974 March | PRETZEL LOGIC |
| 1974 May | Rikki Don't Lose That Number |
| 1974 October | Pretzel Logic |
| 1975 April | KATY LIED |
| 1975 May | Black Friday |
| 1975 September | Bad Sneakers |
| 1976 May | THE ROYAL SCAM |
| 1976 May | Kid Charlemagne |
| 1976 September | The Fez |
| 1976 November | Haitian Divorce |
| 1977 | FOUR TRACKS FROM STEELY DAN (EP) |
| 1977 September | AJA |
| 1977 November | Peg |
| 1978 March | Deacon Blues |
| 1978 May | FM (No Static At All) |
| 1978 August | Josie |
| 1978 November | GREATEST HITS |
| 1978 | STEELY DAN |
| 1979 | THE VERY BEST OF STEELY DAN |
| 1980 November 21 | GAUCHO |
| 1980 November | Hey Nineteen |
| 1981 March | Babylon Sisters |
| 1981 March | Time Out Of Mind |
| 1982 June | GOLD |
| 1984 March | THE EARLY YEARS - WALTER BECKER & DONALD FAGEN |
| 1984 | SUN MOUNTAIN |
| 1985 August | A DECADE OF STEELY DAN |
| 1985 October | REELIN' IN THE YEARS - THE VERY BEST OF STEELY DAN |
| 1986 May | BERRY TOWN |
| 1987 May | THE OLD REGIME |
| 1987 October | DO IT AGAIN - THE VERY BEST OF STEELY DAN |
| 1988 April | STONE PIANO |
| 1988 June | BECKER & FAGEN - THE COLLECTION |
| 1993 September | FOUNDERS OF STEELY DAN |
| 1993 November | REMASTERED: THE BEST OF STEELY DAN THEN & NOW |
| 1993 December 14 | CITIZEN STEELY DAN 1972-1980 |
| 1994 February | BECKER & FAGEN FOUNDERS OF STEELY DAN |
| 1994/95? | CATALYST: THE ORIGINAL RECORDINGS 1968-71 |
| 1995 February | PEARLS OF THE PAST |
| 1995 October | ALIVE IN AMERICA |
| 1995 | Reelin' In The Years (Live) |
| 1995 | ROARING OF THE LAMB |
| 1997 November | FORWARD INTO THE PAST: BECKER & FAGEN - THE EARLY YEARS |
| 1998 August | ANDROID WAREHOUSE |
| 1999 | Cousin Dupree |
| 2000 | TWO AGAINST NATURE |
| 2000 | What A Shame About Me |
| 2000 | Jack of Speed |
| 2000 | Janie Runaway |
| 2000 November 14 | SHOWBIZ KIDS: THE STEELY DAN STORY 1972-1980 |
| 2001 February 13 | THE STEELY DAN COLLECTION |
| 2003 June 10 | EVERYTHING MUST GO |
| 2003 | The Last Mall |
| 2003 | Blues Beach |
| 2003 | Things I Miss The Most |
| 2006 August 1 | THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION |
| 2007 June 12 | THE BEST OF STEELY DAN - THE MILLENIUM COLLECTION |
| 2008 February 26 | BECKER & FAGAN BEFORE STEELY DAN |
| 2008 June 24 | IN CONCERT |
SEE ALSO...
DONALD FAGEN discography
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