What is the best Steely Dan album?

Nine albums across three decades from a band that treated the studio like a laboratory. Fans split between the polished jazz-rock peak and the scrappier early records.

1. 1
   Aja

   The 1977 jazz-rock landmark with Deacon Blues and Peg, a multi-platinum classic.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Can't Buy a Thrill

   Steely Dan's 1972 debut, home to Do It Again and Reelin' in the Years.
   571pts
3. 3
   The Royal Scam

   A darker, guitar-driven 1976 album with Kid Charlemagne and Haitian Divorce.
   444pts
4. 4
   Pretzel Logic

   The 1974 album of tight three-minute songs including Rikki Don't Lose That Number.
   444pts
5. 5
   Gaucho

   The meticulous 1980 album with Hey Nineteen and Babylon Sisters, their last for twenty years.
   363pts
6. 6
   Countdown to Ecstasy

   The 1973 follow-up, a guitar-heavy set with Bodhisattva and My Old School.
   266pts
7. 7
   Katy Lied

   A polished 1975 record featuring Black Friday and Doctor Wu.
   0pts
8. 8
   Two Against Nature

   The 2000 comeback that won the Grammy for Album of the Year.
   0pts
9. 9
   Everything Must Go

   Their 2003 studio finale, a loose and wry set of late-career songs.
   0pts

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