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

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

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

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

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

Oh so this is Steely Dan. Yeah this is pretty great

Steely Dan never fails

Nice

Not really my rock jam

This was a little too 'prog' for me, although it was mitigated, if not rescued, by the guitar solos

Not a huge fan

It’s no Can’t Buy A Thrill but it’s pretty pretty good

I don’t remember much about Aja when I listened to it on the AM Top 100 other than that I wasn’t too hot on it, but i really quite enjoyed this, will probably give this another spin and I guess Aja a better second chance when that inevitably comes up on here 4

Some great songs and a couple that I dislike very much (Razor Boy and Boston Rag). 3.2

6.1

As a Dan Fan, I’m super-biased. This is one of my all-time favorites and save for the meandering ender “King of the World” and some questionable lyric choices in “Your Gold Teeth”, nothing about this album is a problem for me. The one-two punch of “Show Biz Kids” and “My Old School” still gets me going, especially. (5/5)

Steely Dan have always slipped by my radar and the tracks on this album are probably why. Obviously talented musicians but they all feel flat, one dimensional and samey. However I recently found Aja, which rapidly became one of my favourite albums, which shows spending time to learn your craft can pay dividends.

Enjoyed a couple of tracks

This was fine. Good musicianship. 3.3

Tight instrumentals and a cool album cover.

Mangler revidering

7/10 – Good

Quand même cool Lowkey meilleur que la jaune

Always happy to see some Steely Dan on here. It's not as strong as their 1st or 3rd albums but it's still really solid 2nd album.

Realmente es un 3,5. Volvería a escucharlo!

The story behind this album sounds very interesting hahaha i guess the record execs were upset they weren't getting another cookie cutter album from their cash cow. Immediately the ending for Bodhisattva is awesome! Loved that song! Overall I thought this album was pretty good! :) Enjoyed a lot of the songs and also added one to the playlist

Love the Dan, though this is probably less of a favourite of theirs for me. Nevertheless it’s got all the great hallmarks, dry, satirical lyrics, killer tweedy guitar tones, sophisticated harmony and a genuine perfectionism in the writing and production

I think I sorta get it conceptually but I’m not really connecting with it

Ecstasy arrives 4 minutes and 7 seconds when the final solo of Bodhisattva hits and holy fuck is it good. The guitar playing on Steely Dan albums is insane, fun reading Rick Derringer played on Show Biz Kids. Steely Dan might be the best American "band". So many good records. What a follow up to Can't Buy a Thrill.

The other day I had the thought, man wouldn’t it be great to not have to work so I could just listen to steely dan all day? Then this week I got laid off and i tried it and it wasnt as recuperative of an experience as I was imagining

I put in the time on this one and its become a really sticky album for me. The third and fourth listen pushed me to thinking that this album hangs in line with Catch A Thrill and Aja. Not better, but just as incredible. Bodhisattva, Gold Teeth and My Old School are fantastic. Boston Rag is my old skip. The solos in the back half of My Gold Teeth are super fun to play back. Highly recommend

Have listened to a lot of SD (Steely Dan Radio on Spotify is a staple) but never this one front to back, and a lot of new songs to me. A lot to like here: Bohdisattva obviously, and that crunchy guitar outro of My Old School. Show Biz Kids is now in the running for one of my favorite Dan songs. Really fun groove, and kind of jarring and funny to hear these prolific squares drop an f bomb toward the end. Overall this album feels a little more aggressive and raw than the other SD.

hmmm it was interesting listen ! I dont even know what genre it would be

They do have a characteristic sound, don’t they? When this was released I didn’t care much for Steely Dan. In the decades since their work has grown on me. Is it dad rock as some reviewers dismiss it as? Well if that means lyrics one can ponder, sung at a reasonable volume along with melodies one can recall as we consider what the artists were trying to convey we can hope dad rock is influential.

Proving once again I am NOT a Steely Dan person. It's actually shocking to me that people really like this.

Listen to 1001 albums before you die, they said. It'll be the height of human artistic achievement in contemporary music, they said, your Revolvers, Pet Sounds and Blonde on Blondes, along with innumerable gems no average listener would be likely to uncover by themselves. They didn't tell me there'd also be four albums of Steely Dan's brand of jazz rock. And while I can see why they'd be on the list at all - fusion always demonstrates some innovation, and you can hear the traces of lots of 60s influences, and put the connections together - it all feeds into what's a perfectly serviceable, but fairly bland sound, easygoing and upbeat, but mainstream, and of minimal consequence. Four times over. Yay, white guys. A middle of the road three stars.

The Big Dan, man. Even when you find yourself underwhelmed by a tune of theirs, they still manage to impress you. Countdown To Ecstasy is no Aja, but it still provides something memorable (8/10, 4/5 on this scale)

cheezy 70's yacht rock is not my thing. hard pass.

What a BEAUTIFUL piece of art. This was so finely crafted that it should be up there with Michaelangelo and Rembrandt. Every song was a fantastic piece of craftsmanship, from the bizarre lyrics, to the unique instruments, to the cool as heck singing. I loved the rhythm guitars, loves the guitar solos, loves the keyboard, and the bass/drums r some of the best rhythms the 70s ever heard. Not a bad song. I never found myself losing interest. I didn't even need hit songs to make it feel great.

Enjoyed the alblum. The popular songs were good as expected. The non popular songs that I probably heard for the first time are well above average. Thoroughly enjoyed.