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Track List
01) Bodhisattva
02) Razor Boy
03) The Boston Rag
04) Your Gold Teeth
05) Show Biz Kids
06) My Old School
07) Pearl of the Quarter
08) King of the World
01) Bodhisattva
02) Razor Boy
03) The Boston Rag
04) Your Gold Teeth
05) Show Biz Kids
06) My Old School
07) Pearl of the Quarter
08) King of the World
5:18
3:11
5:40
6:59
5:26
5:46
3:51
5:00
Data Complete
60%
Total Rating
60%Total Rating
(2 users)
Back Cover
CD Art
3D Case
3D Thumb
3D Flat
3D Face
3D Spine
First Released
1973
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Good Natured
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Album
0 copies
Album Description
Available in:
Countdown to Ecstasy is the second album by rock group Steely Dan, released in July 1973. The album was written and recorded in rushed sessions between live concerts and produced two Billboard Hot 100 hits, "Show Biz Kids" and "My Old School".
By the time the sessions for the album were in full swing, David Palmer had left the group, leaving Donald Fagen to assume full lead vocalist duties.
The album was originally released in two-channel stereo and also in a special four-channel quadrophonic mix. There are some significant musical differences between the two mixes.
A live version of the song "Bodhisattva" was used as the B-side for both "Hey Nineteen" and "Babylon Sisters", released as singles in the 1980s.
"Bodhisattva" is a playable track in the video game Rock Band 2, while "My Old School" is featured as downloadable content.
The cover art to the album originally included only the three pink figures seated up front, but because there were five members of Steely Dan, the two ghostly figures to the left were added by the record company to "balance" it out.
User Album Review
Now renowned more as studio-based boffins, following the release of their first album, Can't Buy A Thrill, in 1973 the newly-minted Steely Dan found themselves forced to tour. This forced them to create the follow-up on the hoof. While the band expressed a certain disappointment with the results (and certainly the commercial gains fell way short of the predecessor), Countdown To Ecstasy remains a jewel in their very large artistic crown. A more jazzy affair than Can't Buy A Thrill, the album built on the duo of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen's ability to combine cynicism with wit, intelligence and some great hooks, all bolstered by the best players around. Still composed of a core of Jim Hodder (drums), Jeff 'Skunk' Baxter (lead guitar) and Denny Dias (rhythm guitar), the duo demoted David Palmer to backing vocals and handed the mic to Donald for perpetuity. It was a wise move.
These tales of drug abuse ("Boston Rag"), class envy ("Your Gold Teeth"), and post-nuclear devastation ("King Of The World") needed the distinctive, weary tones of Fagen to propel them. While opener, "Bodhisattva" may have been a live staple designed for soloing, the band's chops were now fearsome enough to elevate it beyond mere jamming. What's more in "Pearl Of The Quarter" the pair showed that with little more than nuance they could paint a rich picture indeed (it's the tale of a midddle class boy chasing forbidden fruit).
Add to this the usual array of talent drafted in to fill any gaps ie; Rick Derringer's fearsome slide on "Showbiz Kids". With the latter the Dan also forged their fearsome reputation as social commentators as they finally turned their gaze towards the excesses of the West Coast, while reserving no mercy for even themselves ('they got the Steely Dan t-shirts').
Post-modern before the term was coined, erudite, musically literate and still unbelievably cool; Steely Dan by this point were setting a benchmark that few have ever matched.
Chris Jones 2008-01-04
External Album Reviews
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User Comments
Available in:
Countdown to Ecstasy is the second album by rock group Steely Dan, released in July 1973. The album was written and recorded in rushed sessions between live concerts and produced two Billboard Hot 100 hits, "Show Biz Kids" and "My Old School".
By the time the sessions for the album were in full swing, David Palmer had left the group, leaving Donald Fagen to assume full lead vocalist duties.
The album was originally released in two-channel stereo and also in a special four-channel quadrophonic mix. There are some significant musical differences between the two mixes.
A live version of the song "Bodhisattva" was used as the B-side for both "Hey Nineteen" and "Babylon Sisters", released as singles in the 1980s.
"Bodhisattva" is a playable track in the video game Rock Band 2, while "My Old School" is featured as downloadable content.
The cover art to the album originally included only the three pink figures seated up front, but because there were five members of Steely Dan, the two ghostly figures to the left were added by the record company to "balance" it out.
User Album Review
Now renowned more as studio-based boffins, following the release of their first album, Can't Buy A Thrill, in 1973 the newly-minted Steely Dan found themselves forced to tour. This forced them to create the follow-up on the hoof. While the band expressed a certain disappointment with the results (and certainly the commercial gains fell way short of the predecessor), Countdown To Ecstasy remains a jewel in their very large artistic crown. A more jazzy affair than Can't Buy A Thrill, the album built on the duo of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen's ability to combine cynicism with wit, intelligence and some great hooks, all bolstered by the best players around. Still composed of a core of Jim Hodder (drums), Jeff 'Skunk' Baxter (lead guitar) and Denny Dias (rhythm guitar), the duo demoted David Palmer to backing vocals and handed the mic to Donald for perpetuity. It was a wise move.
These tales of drug abuse ("Boston Rag"), class envy ("Your Gold Teeth"), and post-nuclear devastation ("King Of The World") needed the distinctive, weary tones of Fagen to propel them. While opener, "Bodhisattva" may have been a live staple designed for soloing, the band's chops were now fearsome enough to elevate it beyond mere jamming. What's more in "Pearl Of The Quarter" the pair showed that with little more than nuance they could paint a rich picture indeed (it's the tale of a midddle class boy chasing forbidden fruit).
Add to this the usual array of talent drafted in to fill any gaps ie; Rick Derringer's fearsome slide on "Showbiz Kids". With the latter the Dan also forged their fearsome reputation as social commentators as they finally turned their gaze towards the excesses of the West Coast, while reserving no mercy for even themselves ('they got the Steely Dan t-shirts').
Post-modern before the term was coined, erudite, musically literate and still unbelievably cool; Steely Dan by this point were setting a benchmark that few have ever matched.
Chris Jones 2008-01-04
External Album Reviews
None...
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