Steely Dan became unlikely hitmakers with their debut album, Can't Buy a Thrill, but they refused to retread familiar ground on their sophomore LP, Countdown to Ecstasy, released in July 1973.

This is FRESH AIR. Rock critic Ken Tucker has noticed that there are a number of significant albums that are celebrating their 50th anniversary. And he's decided to devote a summer series to ...

In pop music, Steely Dan’s hybrid of pop, jazz and R&B represents an artistic standard few can match. Steely Dan — the musical enterprise of songwriting team Walter Becker and Donald Fagen — hit its ...