COUNTDOWN TO ECSTASY

I've known about STEELY DAN since the seventies and have enjoyed their many hits which I heard on the radio back then. I never took the plunge though as far as actually buying one of their albums until now. I honestly thought (like with a lot of records) that the albums would have a few good tunes and the rest would be throwaways. Well "Countdown To Ecstacy" is one of the most consistant albums i've ever heard. No weak links and every track sounds really good.This is all about well crafted melodic music that makes me feel good.

"Bodhisattva" opens with a beat as piano then guitar joins in. Catchy stuff.Vocals a minute in. Such a feel good tune.The guitar solo before 4 1/2 minutes to the end is cool. "Razor Boy" is more laid back and still very melodic. Some slide guitar after 2 minutes followed by vibes. "The Boston Rag" is like the soundtrack for a sunny day. And how good is that chorus. Some fairly aggressive guitar 4 minutes in and I like the drum work too.

"Your Gold Teeth" is fairly uptempo and intricate. I like the drums and vocals especially. Don't forget the piano solo as well. "Show Biz Kids" is a toe tapper. Gotta love the vocals and backing vocals on this one.The guitar sounds great too. "My Old School" opens with piano as vocals and a beat join in.This got a lot of radio play didn't it. Lots of horns and I like the intricate guitar late to end it. "Pearl Of The Quarter" is where they slow it down and the guitar gives it a Country flavour. "King Of The World" is a great way to end the album. Cymbals and intricate sounds to start as vocals join in. Love the synths after 2 minutes and later around 4 minutes.

4 stars for this one.