Decade of Steely Dan

Steely Dan | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 27, 1989)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Universal Music & VI
• ASIN: B000002O1Y
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #89,847 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. FM

2. Black Friday

3. Babylon Sisters

4. Deacon Blues

5. Bodhisattva

6. Hey Nineteen

7. Do It Again

8. Peg

9. Rikki Don't Lose That Number

10. Reeling in the Years

11. East St. Louis Toodle-Oo

12. Kid Charlemagne

13. My Old School

14. Bad Sneakers

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 1 of many SD comps, but one oddity helps this disc stand out, February 17, 2005

By 

Dave "missing person" (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Decade of Steely Dan (Audio CD)

Steely Dan, a definitive soft rock/ jazz rock group, have had a lot of greatest hits/ best of compilations released over the years with a lot of recycling of the same tracks. "A Decade of Steely Dan" was originally released in 1985, & it manages to somewhat stand apart from other Dan compilations such as "Gold" and the 1978 "Greatest Hits". With Steely Dan's 1972-1980 output being, in general, so astonishingly consistent and filled with brilliant songs, plus the fact that their biggest hits do tend to rank among their best work, it's pretty hard to screw things up when assembling a Steely Dan greatest hits/ best of. The tracks on "Decade" are not presented in chronological order, however there is at least one track from each of their '72-'80 albums, & with the track selection being as as strong as it is, this is a great listen and an effective overview of their career. The only inclusion that's particularly questionable is the Duke Ellington/ Bubber Miley-penned instrumental "East St. Louis Toodle-Oo"--yes, I like it, & it's certainly clever, but it's a questionable choice when such total Dan classics as "Any Major Dude Will Tell You", "Any World (That I'm Welcome To)", and "Haitian Divorce", among many others, are missing in action. Still, like I said, this is an effective overview of a band who had boundless creativity when it came to sophisticated, arresting compositions. The thing that really sets this compilation apart is something the previous reviewer has also pointed out--it contains a version of the soundtrack tune "FM" that has a haunting, extended song-ending guitar solo passage from Walter Becker; this is the only Steely Dan CD I know of that contains this superior version of this classic song--the "Citizen" box set, the 2 CD "Show Biz Kids" set, and the aforementioned "Gold" CD all contain the inferior version that ends with an extended sax solo instead. Also, the musician/ performance credits for each individual track are a solid bonus. With a band like Steely Dan, obviously there's a lot more you need than just what's on this disc, but still, it's filled with great songs and is an effective compilation.

(P.S. Somewhere along the line the "A Decade of Steely Dan" CD was indeed re-released ("original recording remastered" as they say), but the packaging remained extremely similar. The sound quality on the older version certainly isn't BAD, so it's a solid bargain if you see it around for a couple bucks somewhere. I wouldn't recommend spending a LOT more for the newer version.)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Real Solid Introduction for the New Steely fan, August 31, 2002

By 

A customer "mistermaxxx" (usa) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Decade of Steely Dan (Audio CD)

this Set has quite a bit on it&if you are just getting into Steely Dan than this set just might work for you.this disc captures many of there moments from there 70's Albums.this Band hasn't gotten there full Props to me overall but the Music here speaks for itself.Enjoy.they are one of my All-Time Favorite Bands.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent compilation, August 2, 2000

By 

Glenn "Glenn98" (Bergenfield, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Decade of Steely Dan (Audio CD)

An excellent selection of 14 of SD's songs from "Can't Buy a Thrill", "Pretzel Logic", "Katy Lied", "Countdown to Ecstacy", "Royal Scam", "Aja" and "Gaucho". While a lot of good material was obviously omitted, let's face it, you can only fit 74 minutes of music on a CD. Another plus is that "FM" is on this CD but isn't on any of their original CD's, most of which I already have. But all things considered, about the best justice that can be done to Becker and Fagen's clever lyrics and jazzy rock style on a 74 minute CD.

Verdict: Best choice if you are buying your first Dan CD. But if you are a real Dan fan, buy all the original albums instead--but you'll have to buy this one anyway if you really want the song "FM".