STEELY DAN - GAUCHO Vinyl LP

The recording of 'Gaucho' was long & laborious, and one particularly treasured song, 'The Second Arrangement,' was tragically lost, having been accidentally erased by a careless engineer. That Becker & Fagen finally finished the album despite all of the behind-the-scenes problems must be considered a great miracle. Just seven tracks long, 'Gaucho' is easily the lightest, most laid-back album in Steely Dan's catalog, but that certainly doesn't make it bad. It's a wonderful, handsome disc, filled with the fine quality jazz/pop & production skills that the Dan are famous for. 'Babylon Sisters' is a fine, slow & steady shuffler. 'Hey Nineteen,' the big hit from the album, is a bouncy, sparkly tune, and 'Glamour Profession' is very groovy.

The title song is more laid-back, but has marvelous melody to it. 'Time Out Of Mind,' the closest Steely Dan get to 'rocking out' on this album, is a terrific toe-tapper, and arguably the best tune from the album. 'My Rival' is a cool smooth-groover, and the finale, 'Third World Man,' with it's feeling of calm, is a tranquil, peaceful gem for Walt & Don to exit with. Thankfully, 'Gaucho' was NOT the last we'd ever see from Steely Dan.

Tracks:

1. Babylon Sisters
2. Hey Nineteen
3. Glamour Profession
4. Gaucho
5. Time out of Mind
6. My Rival - (Spanish)
7. Third World Man

Label: Geffen Records