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While Deacon Blues is probably my favorite Steely tune among many great songs and it is not on this one as far as an album goes this one is nearly flawless despite occasionally showing some of its 1980 vintage it is never the less timeless. This like most Steely Albums is a masterpiece. In my humble opinion it represents the band at their most technical best the songs are well written and brilliantly executed. If you like Steely buy this one with confidence. If you are a casual listener that wants a great general collection of Steely buy Decade of Steely Dan.
I have to quote another reviewer who summed up my feelings best."Gaucho is filled with songs surrounding the seamy underside of society's high rollers. Why should this album need another great review. But this is the most perfect summation of this brilliant album. I am a Steely Dan geek, a fanatic.
It goes without saying that, being a Steely Dan album, the playing and production are perfect; beyond that, this album exudes an aura of desperate, cool, and sublime peace. This is why I can't understand how anyone who is even remotely familiar with this superb band can give this album anything less than the coveted 5-star amazon review. This is not only Steely Dan at their absolute pinnacle, it is one of the greatest works of art of all time. I feel almost silly and kind of lame-o for writing a review for this album. Again, being a Steely Dan album, the quality of the songs is taken for granted. If you haven't heard this album, you haven't experienced the full potential of music and the human imagination." Damn, I wish I had written that.
The main thing I would draw attention to is the absolute beauty and tranquility that this album evokes. It's a desperate and romantic tranquility, that seeps in while you are listening and won't let go.
You see, this is why I didn't want to write a review. But somehow, I feel compelled to add my two cents.
Comparing this album to Aja, or to any other Steely Dan album is so silly, and futile. It reveals a world seen through the haze of drugs and despair.
It's a cathartic aural experience. I won't get into the whole "song structure" BS.
This review sucks because I can't write a review that will adequately do justice to this superb, mind blowing cd.
This is without a doubt one of the best produced albums ever. If you have DVD Audio, get it. It is sonically perfect. And of course the music is about as good as it gets. This version is two channel and sounds great, but in 5 channel surround sound of the dvd-audio version. it's probably the best produced album ever made in that medium.
And strangely, it's those qualities and others that make this group and their work, dare I say, endearing. Decadent.
Their impeccable, absurdly complex style sums up an era like few bands have ever been able to accomplish. I was way too young, and sadly oblivious, to appreciate the vast musical wealth of the 70s, but put on a Steely Dan album, and I'm instantly transported to the Hollywood Hills with a cocktail (or something much stronger) in hand, looking down on the Chateau Marmont and the hazy, seedy under-belly of Sunset Boulevard.
When it comes to Steely Dan -- from their first album to the last -- there are no disappointments. yes.
With a coy wink and an subtle smurk, their music always hints of an insider's perspective that only those who have lived and partied too hard can appreciate. Case in point, in their own words, in 'The Caves of Altamira (not on the Gaucho album, but The Royal Scam):"Before the fall when they wrote it on the wall When there wasn't even any Hollywood They heard the call And they wrote it on the wall For you and me we understood."Jaded.
yes. So whatever term can be pinned to them, one thing is certain: Long may Steely Dan reign.
The re-mastering has rendered the good music perfect. Viva Gaucho.
Strangely, I never felt compelled to buy any. Twenty-five years later I decided to change that, and purchased the one that surfaced in my consciousness - Gaucho.
During the 70s & 80s, friends who were as crazy about music as I was kept me abreast of the Steely Dan albums. I could not believe that I had done without it for so long, but then realised that the intervening c25 years of avid music listening would surely have refined my palate too - so the wait was truly worth the while.
I could not believe what I heard: music and lyrics so devastatingly sophisticated, complex, disturbing, uplifting, soothing, rewarding. When the album ends, I keep re-playing it and eventually pack it away only to prevent myself from ever running the risk of tiring of it.
Every track rates 5 stars in my estimation, and the sum is greater than the total of the parts. Get this album now.
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