10 Biggest Sophomore Slumps In Music History
3. Countdown to Ecstasy - Steely Dan
For the most part, Steely Dan have had one of the more impressive track records for being labelled as the epitome of yacht rock cheese. Though these guys have been the favorite band of many a dad in their time, the production value and song expertise on nearly every single album of theirs feels like they're part of one ongoing narrative. Then again, Countdown to Ecstasy is probably the least necessary part of that legendary run.
Always one for experimentation, this album isn't unlike the kind of albums they originally made, only with a few songs that don't go over nearly as well. While songs like My Old School and Bodhisattva sound immaculate for what they are, they feel more like well polished singles rather than parts of a cohesive whole. You don't have to take this author's word for it though...just ask the band themselves.
Over time, Donald Fagen has tended to sour on the original version of this record as well, feeling that it was a bit too rushed for his taste and regretting that he couldn't have given more to the project than what they ended up getting. Even with all of the polish on here, this feels more like a companion piece to their debut record rather than a fully fleshed out album of its own.