Steely Dan's Countdown to Ecstasy poll

shit

razor boy, maybe?

for me its razor boy vs. king of the world

Damn thing needs an "every track" option, but "Your Gold Teeth."

My least favorite record by them, but Razor Boy is one of my favorite songs by them.

My least favorite record by them, but Razor Boy is one of my favorite songs by them

this is hard as hell

ill go for king of the world,another favourite,
to balance the votes

xpost

my old school.

This is my least favourite Steely Dan album, but "My Old School" is still great.

My Old School is so overrated imo.

probably my favorite SD album although not always - "Your Gold Teeth" is the one for me, that instrumental break is unbelievable & the lyrics seal the deal

the gold teeth 2 is also great

the vibes on this album are sick

My favorite too. Voted for "King of the World," the first in their long line of killer album closers.

the guitars in "king of" are the best Dan's guitars ever recorded, and one of the best in general

the guitars in "king of" My Old School are the best Dan's guitars ever recorded, and one of the best in general

Yeah, the vibes plus pedal steel kinda make Razor Boy for me.

i sometime daydream of a Stereolab cover of Razor Boy

or Saint Etienne!

or Gold Teeth (coevred by Stereolab)

in order of preference:

"King of the World"
"My Old School"
"The Boston Rag"
"Pearl of the Quarter"
"Your Gold Teeth"
"Razor Boy"
"Bodhisattva"
"Show Biz Kids"

What's wrong with Show Biz Kids again?

RFI: What exactly are they saying in background vocals on Showbiz Kids?

"King of the World" – 5:04

I don't really have anything against "Show Biz Kids," but I also think it's practically the only non-great single Steely Dan ever released.

i agree. show biz and bodhisatve are my least favourite tracks

Fun fact: This is Donald Fagen's favorite Steely Dan album.

I'm voting Bodhisattva. Incredile musical interplay on that one. I just love those "Doodley-doodley-doodley-doodley" triplets.

"Fun fact: This is Donald Fagen's favorite Steely Dan album."

i heard about this one, but it contradict whats written on the liner notes (which were written by Dan).weird,or maybe not so cause its steely dan

contradicts as in he's expressed dislike for this one, or as in he's called a particular other one his favorite?

see the quote above the poll options.
or read THOUGHT + FEELING = ACTION from the liner notes:
http://www.geocities.com/sd_archive/countdown.htm
THOUGHT + FEELING = ACTION

(i like the comment on "king of the world":
"i think my face is on fire")

The Boston Rag, my favourite Dan song - the piano! The way it unfurls! "Any news was good news / And the feeling was bad at home / I was losing my mind and you were on the phone..."

Show Biz Kids in second place, really need to make a beardo edit of one of these days.

my old school

not my favorite (any more) but I think I have a harder time picking just one off this than any of the others. except maybe Aja.

king of the world > my old school > Bodhisattva = Razor Boy = Your Gold Teeth = Show Biz Kids > the other two.

no wait boston rag is pretty tight

king of the world

showbiz kids is possibly my least favorite 70s steely dan song

My Old School........

Guadalajara won't do now......

What's wrong with Show Biz Kids again?

Everything. Unless you like a repetitive song with "Las Vegas" being repeated all over again all the time. Probably the worst Steely Dan song ever.

haven't read the thread, but went for "The Boston Rag" after some serious hemming and hawing.

King of the World for me

The Boston Rag is Steely Dan's best song. Therefore, it is the best song on Countdown To Ecstasy.

Bring back the Boston Raggett.

That's sweet. Thanks, Geir!

"show business kids they're making movies of themselves" is such quintessential fagen hermeticism, all this contempt & insight and willful myopia packed into half a line.

yeah this album can be my favorite although aja is so goddamn special to me.

"Pearl of The Quarter", cause no one else will.

Voted for "My Old School," though "Bodhisattva" was close. "Show Biz Kids" is one of my least favorite Steely Dan songs, much less singles.

Duh... "My Old School." It's only one of THE greatest songs of all time.

Everything. Unless you like a repetitive song with "Las Vegas" being repeated all over again all the time. Probably the worst Steely Dan song ever.

---

You know they don't give a fuck about anybody else.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Surprised at the love for "King of the World".

it's a shame singles always trump almost everything else in the SD polls, great singles band but the results end up kinda boring as a result.

That might change with the Gaucho poll.

POLL EXCITEMENT!!!!!

which were the singles on Gaucho?

"Time Out of Mind" and "Hey Nineteen." I mean, I expect the latter to get love, but a couple of others might nip at its heels.

Yeah I guess "Babylon Sisters" will win that one

all the talk about razor boy here and only 4 votes?!

"Hey Nineteen" is one of the only four SD songs that I ever actually heard as singles per se, as in AM radio; and appropriately enough, those four represent their highest-charting hits. So deliberately voting for "the single" is kinda academic.

there were still rock songs on AM radio in 1980?

I used to listen to Top 40 on AM radio even up to '85 or so.

I think "Razor Boy" deserved to place much much higher

what did alex in nyc vote for?

Killing Joke's cover of "Razor Boy" didn't make the cut.

Let's hear it for Show Biz Kids! Whoo-hoo! [Dodging rotten tomatoes]

there were still rock songs on AM radio in 1980?

-- Alfred, Lord Sotosyn

In Northern Ontario there were! But "Hey Nineteen" barely qualifies as rock, to my ears.

Just sayin'

california tumbles into the sea

But "Hey Nineteen" barely qualifies as rock, to my ears

soft-rock disco

awwww i suppose the voulez voulez bits of Pearl of the Quarter are annoying...

Maybe super furry animals can do a song using the "and if you hear from my Louise.." bit coz it rules.

my baby's a peaaaaaaaaarl of the kwar-ter

Even Cathy Berberian knows
there's one
roulade
she can't
siiiinnggg

After closing time
at the Guernsey Fair
I detect the El Supremo
from the room at the top of the stairs

Lonnie swept the playroom
And he swallowed up all he found
It was forty-eight hours til
Lonnie came around

Lyrics-wise, it's gotta be Countdown to Ecstasy and Gaucho neck and neck. These songs just keep on givin'.

jesus christ, what a killer run from track 3 right through to the close.

I just had this conversation with a friend of a friend in a pub:

Him - "Do you like Steely Dan?"

Me - "Er, I guess. I don't really think about them very often"

Him - "Oh my god. I think about them all the time"

this record has the power to carry me willingly or unwillingly to a small room where I lived for three years long ago mainly listening to music on a tape deck and recording music on the same deck

tobacco they grow in Peking

in the year of the locust you'll see
a sad thing

Although perfectly good, I think this is my least favorite Dan record. None of the tracks on it would rank in my favorites.

If I stay inside
I might live 'til Saturday

Impression I got from reviews of the reissues in 98/99 was that this was THE SD album (or on par with Aja at least)

imo it is, it kinda has everything and is situated early enough in their career to still have some residual can't buy a thrill flavor

Its a great intro album to a major act...especially as all 7 original albums are of almost equal stature imo

I quite like Steely Dan but I never listen to them. I've been listening to this album recently though. "The Boston Rag" wins this hands down.

Show Biz Kids making movies of themselves

woke up this morning with "Pearl of the Quarter" stuck in my head, it deserved much more love in this poll

It really is a great track. This was the first album I bought from them that wasn't a compilation, and it was obvious right away that they weren't just a singles band. A great album top to bottom.

Surprised at the love for "King of the World".

― o. nate, Tuesday, June 24, 2008 11:53 AM (thirteen years ago) bookmarkflaglink

I'm surprised by this post! "King of the World" is probably my favorite song of all time. I guess post-apocalyptic desert jazz-pop w/synths isn't everyone's jam, but to my ears they really pulled it off.

Also as a kid I used to think Fagen was singing "any man laughed on the Rio Grande" in the chorus. Sometimes I still choose to hear it that way lol

Yeah, that's a great track too - the best album closer they ever recorded.

I like Aja and to a lesser extent Gaucho too, but when I revisit what they accomplished here, those later albums can feel kind of bland in comparison.

Yeah I see what you mean. I wouldn't call Aja or Gaucho bland, but they lack the tight-knit working rock band energy of the early Dan

I am most partial to Pretzel Logic.

the work day is done, time to kick off the Countdown

it's this one or Aja for greatest album ever and I'll never be able to decide

generally i respect their decision to not tour when they were making records but i feel like there are 500 killer live versions of "my old school" in a parallel universe somewhere and i'm sad i won't hear them

xxxp I might agree with that - it's really between Pretzel Logic and Countdown. A tough call because the approaches are so different. Regardless, albums #2 through 4 are the ones I enjoy most, and Steely Dan's grown on me to the point where I enjoy everything up to and including Gaucho.