Countdown To Ecstasy

OK album. Some tracks feel like they have extended solos just to fill in time. Highlight for was finding where Super Furry Animals sampled their most famous track from.

I confess to not fully understanding the full revival of Steely Dan in the minds of the youth these days. But they are a solid band to be sure. Incorporating little bits of jazz, funk and rare groove into their smooth rock, they do a good job of selling a vision of post 60s excess in America, portraying a society that feels straight out of a GTA game. Glitz, glam, slick, sleeze and violence. Still a bit lightweight for my own tastes, and sometimes I think the production choices sound a bit dates (e.g. Show Biz Kids, for example, which has a tinny and rattle quality to its percussion and mixing which grated on me), but overall a very solid record

good, but not my favorite of theirs.

Chill

Mufuggin uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Muy bueno Steely Dan. Sólo se lo había escuchado nombrar a Charly o a Fito. Me gustó.

Maybe I need to revisit Pretzel Logic

When you've listened to a few 80s albums on this app and then listen to this, you hear the difference between "pop" and true musical artistry. Song for song, 'Aja' may still be a better album but 'Countdown to Ecstasy' still rates 5 stars!!

Good stuff

No part of me can say there was even one bad second of this album, but I can't say it was all that great either. I don't know if it's because of the time or something else, but this is just mellow, innocent, very well done rock with enough flavor to not be boring, but not enough edge to be exceptional. Maybe that's what makes this album exceptional, though. It's just good vibes and very nice music. I'll certainly listen to more Steely Dan in the future!

Ah, the Dan. Many people hate your excesses, your pretensions, your emotionless delivery. I, however, am not one of them. And early Dan in particular has tighter and more focused songwriting, simpler song structures, and rocks just a bit harder. Their debut is stronger, but this is a real good jazz/rock/pop record.

Having listened to several SD slbums now, I can confirm they are simultaneously exciting and boring.

I hate how good this is

It was good, not necessarily my style but 100% worth the listen.

They got the steely Dan t shirt!!!!!!!!! Fun and fear of fun in the usual Dan fashion

Second time I got these guys in just over a week. I suppose this is the site’s way of saying, “See what you’ve been missing out on?” Fav song: Your Gold Teeth

It can have a 3 simply because Bodhisattva was one of my favorite tracks in Rock Band 2. (So much so that I spelled it correctly without looking it up.) But otherwise the fusion of a bunch of different styles really doesn’t do much for me. They seem like the kind of band where you really like them, or you’re really indifferent to them.

I loved the instrumentals, but most of the lyrical songs were not my vibe for whatever reason.

Similar to can’t buy a thrill but just not nearly as good

still cool. Just no singles. Plays well as an album but tends to fade into background

Two things I've learned about Steely Dan since they appeared as my very first album in this project: 1) it's not a dude, it's a band, and 2) I liked that album much better. This was okay but maybe I preferred the departed singer better? Or the debut was a better record? Who knows.

I liked it, but again I wouldn't turn it on myself.

Pretty typical Steely Dan, as with the others that have come up here. Very well produced but not a particularly spectacular result that I’d be in a hurry to listen to again

I just don't get it. I've tried and tried but Steely Dan is the most overrated band ever.

A decent enough album but definitely my least favourite from Steely Dan so far. The only track that massively stood out for me was Show Biz Kids solely because The Super Furry Animals sampled it for The Man Don’t Give A Fuck. Banging track. Top Track - Show Biz Kids

Absoluta obra maestra a todos lo niveles. Maravilla que lleva la fusión entre rock americano, puntos jazzeros y rollo progresivo más allá que en Can't Buy a Thrill. Maravilla.

Love it.

I love steely dan

A good album showing off Steely Dan’s jazz rock style. As with the other Steely Dan I’ve heard it’s all pretty listenable and blends together nicely, rather than the jarring sound you can get when blending two disparate genres. But I can’t help but feel that this became a bit samey, I could have done with a bit more differentiation between tracks. And there’s a bit more ‘70s rock excess in song run times than there later work, which is a bit of a pet peeve for me.

I love a bit of Steely Dan, and this album is another good showcase of what they can do. It's a bit rockier than later albums like Aja and Gaucho, although it doesn't quite hit the heights of the former. There's not a bad song on the album though, some strong highlights are - 'Boddhisatva', 'Boston Rag' and my personal highlight 'King of the World'.

Another really strong Steely Dan album, an excellent follow-up to their debut and continuing in a similar jazzy pop-rock vein, but probably just *slightly* below it in quality. There’s plenty of great stuff here, though: the uptempo, bluesy opener, ‘Bodhisattva’, which features some fantastic guitar and synth parts; ‘Your Gold Teeth’, which has a great Latin-influenced sound and keys solo; the very catchy ‘Show Biz Kids’, with great, biting bluesy slide guitar playing; and ‘My Old School’, an extremely catchy piano-based brassy soft rock song, with great guitar solos. There are no weak tracks, though. A very high 4 stars.

EG DIGGE STEELY DAN! men dette albumet va litt kjedelig. Ga d ikkje et heilthjerta forsøk då, men still.

I’ve spent time listening to this album and find it to be one of their most rewarding. The near jazz or improvisation sounding guitars and organ feel loose, even if they’re clearly planned out. “Bodhisattva” and “Razor Boy” have sharp lyrics that match the music. Even the non-hit songs like “Show Biz Kids” and “My Old School” capture moments with the chorus of “go to Lost Wages” from “Show Biz Kids” especially biting. Jeff Baxter’s steel guitar on “Pearl of the Quarter” almost feels more Nashville than New Orleans. “King of the World” finishes it off nicely.

Probably my favorite steely dan album so far. I think this is my fourth. I have not generally been a fan. This album is alright though. Probably a 3.5.

Steely Dan - Countdown to Ecstasy (1973) Not bad - as 70s and proggy and jazzy as expected. First Steely Dan of the list, I see there are three more. I was awoken from my stupor by the line from Super Furry Animals - The Man Don’t Give A Fuck, lifted from Show Biz Kids. 3.5/5 Best track - Show Biz Kids ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Шум в ушах

Överraskande bra. Jag hade låga förväntningar eftersom jag tidigare haft svårt för Steely Dan. Men detta var bra. Catchy låtar och svängigt.

It’s slick and it’s well produced but I listened to it this morning and I can’t remember any of the stand out tunes. It just sort of washed over me. Not annoying, not offensive, but left no lasting impact at all. Maybe I’m still counting down to ecstasy.

The problem with these guys is they are so good you get lost.

Yeah not bad

This is so long and boring. Rubbish

Opener sounds like a prog version of the Top Gear theme, but I'm sure Jeremy Clarkson's generation thinks they're rad.

I've played this a few times over a week, it kind of passed me by a bit first time but giving it more time has helped & its an enjoyable romp

Better than I expected

Not a huge fan of this stylenof misic although they are very very good musicians worht hearing and learning

Marvellous craft and guile, precision engineered with splendidly jaded, insightful lyrics. Not fully reaching the heights of their later work but definitely on the road towards it

Another 70s rock album... "yay". This definitely was in the danger-zone for a while, and passed me by fairly unnoticed the first time around. 2nd sitting I felt like it wasn't too, bad after all. 'My Old School' feels like a hit song, and the rest were alright as well - despite the first track being a major red herring of what was to come. This wasn't particularly revolutionary, but not bad either. Very mid 3 album. That being said, I don't see why this would take a place on the album over something more unique and interesting. Won't come back to it I'm sure.

I keep expecting country music whenever I hear the name Steely Dan, which is obviously not quite right. I enjoyed this album. It made me think of bands like ELO and The Band. At times it’s a bit too smooth and light for me, but there are plenty of fun riffs and tight arrangements that keep things interesting. “Bodhisattva” was fun, and so was “The Boston Rag.” It falls somewhere in weak 4 / strong 3 territory. Listening to it again while writing this review, I’m going with 4 stars.

The saxophones intensify. Heralding in the age of Yacht Rock. They were ahead of their time, I guess. It's a damned shame that time really sucked.

What in the blithering fuck. I finally give a Steely Dan album more than 1 star and my reward is another Steely Dan album?!? Did I commit atrocities in a past life? Ok, the music. I had thought "Bodhisattva" was a Police song, to be honest. I don't hate it. The rest does not redeem it!

Not bad but I greatly preferred Aja and Pretzel Logic to this one

Good

Just another 70s album to me. OK but it didn’t move me

I really thought due to the lack of hits this one would drop a notch from my other SD rankings, but this is solid all the way through. Again, the musicianship is through the roof. Would pick this album up in a second.

Zit erg goed in elkaar, maar Steely Dan is toch nooit helemaal mijn muziek

Really great stuff.

another great steely dan album, probably my favorite so far

Never heard any of the songs from this album. way less pretentious sounding and actually enjoyable. good job

Decent songwriting but ultimately quite forgettable

Solid

Still don’t like SD

I quite liked a lot of the guitar parts here, but this is a bit too breezy sounding for me overall.

Ugh

Great album but not their best in my opinion. My Old School is my favourite guitar song.

I really liked this. Some cool psych rock sorta stuff and some cool jams.

Not bad. I feel like this is one of the lesser-known SD albums, and while it was good, didn't feel like there were as many highlight songs as some of their other albums.

Bodhisattva 3.7 Razor Boy 3.5 The Boston Rag 3.6 Your Gold Teeth 3.4 Show Biz Kids 3.3 My Old School 3 Pearl of the Quarter 3.4 King of the World 3.3 Score: 3.4

Already took a deeper dive in Steely Dan's discography and somehow completely missed this album. Didn't even know it existed. Anyway, Steely Dan seldom misses and this one is a great experience too, but probably the one that could have been skipped.

Solid easy listening.

Very, very mid and forgettable 3/5

i'll be honest and say i'd probably have approached this way more harshly and think way less of it (sometimes a bit of the same music formula previously seen in the list), IF i didn't know about and LOVED the last track. around 02:24 of "king of the world" is when i truly feel pure ECSTASY!! just so fun and cute and whimsical all around, the soundtrack it plays in my head when life feels the possible best. as for the rest, there is not a near similar highlight, but some groovy, danceable rock. some tracks worth mentioning are "the

Disappointed to get another Steely Dan so soon.. at least I have fewer remaining to get through. This is terrible, dull and not worth the electrons it used to get to my ears. Avoid this pish.

I can hear the solid musicianship in this band, but can't seem to connect with any of the songs. The jazz-pop fusion is unique but a bit too fringe for my ear.

Nothing this group recorded has ever appealed to me in the least. This one doesn't QUITE get me to the "I'm gonna break some shit if I have to hear one more goddamn note of this garbage" like some of their other albums, but I'm just not a Steely Dan fan. I know that says more about me than them, and I accept that.

The lyrics seem to be a take on immorality or nihilism. In typical Steely Dan style, they set it to upbeat jazzy rock, mixing in r&b and soul. I’m sure with repeated listens, I’d bump a lot of these songs up. I like the record but I’m not a big enough fan to really want to spin it often. It’s fine.

This was okay. Nowhere near Steely Dan's best work and some of the tracks are far too long. There are a couple of good songs here though. I would probably listen again.

Tää ei ollut mun musaa. Liian kevyttä AIR:ää. Soitto oli ihan hyvää, mutta biisit liian valjuja.

Muy ameno y escuchable, quizá sin la fuerza que tuvieron en su primer disco pero muy amable, te levanta el día escucharlo, como todo disco de la banda americana. Por detrás de Can't buy a Thrill y Gaucho

Pretty enjoyable, reminded me a bit of Creedence, but in the end there was nothing that really grabbed hold of me.

I don't know why, but I just enjoy this stuff.

It was ok. A little weird. The lyrics were strange as hell at times.

Steely Dan is like nails on the chalkboard to me. My old school is the track I disliked the least

Very solid classic blues rock with some jazz influences to spice the music up. The mix works surprisingly well: While the more formulaic blues influences keep the music grounded the jazz parts add enough spice that it's not boring. When the instrumental parts sprinkled throughout are, overall, great. Especially the guitar playing, which has a very contemporary sound to it, presented some interesting ideas that clicked with me. I like the vocal performance on this track: The voice of the lead singer blends really nicely into the sound of the band and the delivery has just enough lunch to be not boring. Of course it helps that the record has some generally catchy hooks.. Favorite track is probably Razor Boy which uses its musical ideas to create a contemplative atmosphere. What's holding the record back are the parts where the band go full "jam mode". At times these parts overstayed their welcome and playing felt too unintentional, almost random to me. Some of the tracks even end with a fade out while the band continues to jam. A bit more focus and this record would be the best thing since sliced bread. As it stands the album is a light to decent 4 out of 5 for me.

Not my cup of tea

Steely Dan can really do no wrong in my book. At the very least, they are always interesting musically. Listening with headphones is usually rewarding as you can hear instruments you may not have heard otherwise. They always put out quality work.

Really nice, cant explain why.

I can handle Steely Dan in very, very small doses. This dose was too large.

Actually the first Steely Dan album I enjoy. Love her jazzy drumming.

Is there any more of a "three-star group" than Steely Dan?

All of their albums sound the same, which begs the question “why do they have 4 albums on this list?”

Nice sound but didn't do anything for me.

great guitar work, excellent vibes, and some dogshit lyrics writing

white people when steely dan plays at the function

Having rolled a Steely Dan album already this month, I was a little "eh" to get them again so soon. I feel like I got the idea well enough from one album. This is pretty much more of the same, and it's pleasant enough, but Show Biz Kids is the sole big banger. The cover art is so hauntingly fugly it makes me miss whatever Can't Buy a Thrill had going on.

Most Steely Dan albums have a couple of tracks that wake me up but the rest just flow over me in a not unpleasant wave. This is one of the least deserving albums to be included though. My Old School is the only song that does it for me although Show Biz Kids gets close. Prompted me to listen to Donald Fagen's solo album "The Nightfly" after this however. The best Steely Dan album that never was.

Steely Dan are just a little too much on the side of bland for me and I did prefer Cant Buy a Thrill. I have also knocked off half a star for being an asshole to SFA.

Diminishing returns with listening to two Steely Dan records so close together, as they kind of just writing the same dull, easy listening yacht rock nonsense over and over again. 'Show Biz Kids' gets a heart for birthing the wonderful Super Furries' song 'The Man Don't Give a Fuck', even if I then rescind a star for their predictably old man yells at cloud reaction to being sampled. Also, after finding out that the debut album's awful cover was made against their wishes I assume the follow up is closer to what they had in mind? wtf??

Better than expected- a varied mix of songs, from pop, to rock, to country. Probably the best Steely Dan I’ve heard. ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I thought I could do without ever hearing Steely Dan again. But this was OK.

Listen again