At long last: the classic Steely Dan catalog is back on vinyl. Led by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, Steely Dan released seven albums from 1972 through 1980, an extraordinary run of topline musicianship, clever wordplay, genius arrangements and pop hits that outshone the top 40 of its day, or any day. The Steely Dan vinyl reissue series will kick off with their debut LP, Can’t Buy A Thrill, now in its 50th anniversary year, which featured the band’s breakthrough hits, “Do It Again,” “Reelin’ in the Years” and the recently viral “Dirty Work.” Following that album were releases annually: Countdown to Ecstasy (“Show Biz Kids,” “My Old School”); Pretzel Logic (“Rikki Don’t Lose That Number”); Katy Lied (“Bad Sneakers,” “Everyone’s Gone to the Movies”); The Royal Scam (“Kid Charlemagne,” “The Fez”); and their masterwork, Aja, which included “Black Cow,” “Deacon Blues,” “Peg” and the title cut. After a three-year break, the band concluded their MCA years with the brilliant Gaucho (“Hey Nineteen,” “Time Out Of Mind”).
