Review Summary: It may still have remnants of the debut, but Countdown to Ecstasy is an incredibly important stepping stone for Steely Dan's stylistic evolution.
Part II: More Jazz and More Snark
Countdown to Ecstasy was an incredibly important record for Steely Dan in terms of laying the groundwork for the rest of their discography going forward. Not only were the jazz elements of their sound given much more attention than before, but this was the first instance in which the production quality was at the forefront of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen’s concerns. In fact, it’s pretty crazy to fathom that the exact same core lineup (minus David Palmer) recorded both this and
Can’t Buy a Thrill, given how different they are. But yes, Steely Dan were still a full-fledged group at this point; they wouldn’t officially become a duo until 1975’s
Katy Lied. And since David Palmer was officially sacked, this is also the first album in which Fagen handled all lead vocals, which would be the norm for every Steely Dan record from here on out.
So how exactly is
Countdown to Ecstasy so different from
Can’t Buy a Thrill, when both records share the same jazz rock base? It’s largely due to how deep the jazz influences are on the former compared to the latter; these songs are much more sophisticated, even verging on progressive rock from time to time. And because of the improved production work, you can really hear the attention to detail that went into the instrumentals. “Bodhisattva”, for instance, already comes out of the gate swinging with its upbeat blues-rock motif; but then, Denny Dias and Jeff Baxter manage to top that by adding some fantastic triple-stacked guitar harmonies to seal the deal. And this is all before Fagen even sings a note! Even more impressive is the extremely jazzy “Your Gold Teeth”, as the guitar and keyboard solos glide effortlessly over the smooth latin groove. Fagen himself is especially good here, showcasing some of the best keyboard chops he’s recorded with Steely Dan while demonstrating just how far he and the band can go with the jazz rock sound.
There’s an aesthetic evolution here that needs to be brought up as well: the lyrics. While the Dan’s trademark snarky cynicism was already partially established on
Can’t Buy a Thrill, it becomes the main lyrical dish from
Countdown to Ecstasy onward. Songs like “Razor Boy” and “Show Biz Kids” are enjoyable parodies of the materialism and excess Fagen and Becker encountered in Los Angeles, while the closer “King of the World” veers into much darker territory as it discusses life in a post-apocalyptic version of the United States. The duo’s knack for parodic and sharp storytelling has grown stronger on this record, and luckily the music matches the words very well. “King of the World” happens to be one of the best songs Steely Dan have ever released, a stunningly intricate piece of progressive jazz rock that melds its electric piano and lead guitar parts together perfectly; the beautiful harmonies in the chorus are just icing on the cake. Then there’s also “My Old School”, which tells the story of an old drug bust at Fagen and Becker’s old college; the bombastic horns and bluesy piano parts are just as integral to telling the tale as the lyrics themselves. In fact, on a stylistic level, it’s basically the best song that Billy Joel never wrote.
The biggest flaw of
Countdown to Ecstasy is that our main songwriting duo hasn’t quite committed to this new sound yet. A few remnants of the
Can’t Buy a Thrill sound remain, and they’re just kinda out of place; this is especially true of “Show Biz Kids” and “Pearl of the Quarter”. While I did praise the former for its lyrics, the strikingly simplistic music leaves a lot to be desired; in fact, I’d argue that it’s one of the blandest songs in the group’s catalogue. The latter, while mildly pretty, just sounds like a second-rate version of “Brooklyn” from the first album. But it’s really not surprising that
Countdown to Ecstasy is a transitional record, as
Can’t Buy a Thrill saw the band covering so much ground over the course of one album. Of all the routes they could have taken, I’m glad they settled with strengthening the jazz elements. Many bands were experimenting with jazz rock back then, but no one seemed to bridge the gap between the jazz and the rock quite as compellingly and smoothly as Steely Dan.
Countdown to Ecstasy, while not very commercially successful by the band’s standards, was probably the most important album in the artistic evolution of Fagen and Becker as one of rock’s best songwriting duos.
