Steely Dan - Gaucho (1980)

The disappointing Gaucho was Steely Dan's followup to Aja, their superlative 1977 album that still ranks as one of my all time favorite records decades after its release. 

Gaucho had two tracks that received heavy radio airplay when it was released, and both "Hey Nineteen" and "Babylon Sisters" are still heard on classic rock radio stations today. When I initially heard them I immediately noticed that they sounded like nothing more than outtakes from its highly regarded predeccesor.

Steely Dan was not a band known for writing beautiful melodies. Instead, they always offered an abudance of hooks and jazzy solos that kept listeners interested. Listen to the unique, instrumental midsection on Aja's title track. Compare it to anything on Gaucho and you'll find the newer album just doesn't hold up, even with the help of the great Mark Knopfler who added a guitar solo to "Time Out of Mind."

The record's mechanical stiffness has stolen anything engaging from the songs. The composers' storytelling is as good as ever, but musically there is hardly anything interesting taking place. It's where Walter Becker and Donald Fagan's perfectionism finally defeated them instead of using it to their advantage. A little more of the looseness and freespririted nonconformity they exhibited on another Steely Dan favorite, Katy Lied, would help.

Don't get me wrong, this isn't an awful album, it's just not close to Steely Dan's best work. It's a sure bet that many Dan fans will disagree with what I believe is my singular opinion about this final album from Becker and Fagan's original collaboration.

Unfortunately, after this it would be twenty long years before the duo would issue Two Against Nature, their fine comeback album in 2000.