Countdown to Ecstasy
| Countdown to Ecstasy | ||||
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| Studio album by Steely Dan | ||||
| Released | July 1973 | |||
| Studio | Caribou Ranch in Nederland and The Village Recorder in West Los Angeles | |||
| Genre | Rock, rock and roll,jazz, country,pop | |||
| Length | 41:04 | |||
| Label | ABC | |||
| Producer | Gary Katz | |||
| Steely Dan chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Countdown to Ecstasy | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  |
| Christgau's Record Guide | A |
| Creem | A– |
| Rolling Stone | |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
Countdown to Ecstasy is the second studio album by the American rock band Steely Dan, released in July 1973 by ABC Records. It was recorded at Caribou Ranch in Nederland, Colorado and at The Village Recorder in West Los Angeles, California. After the departure of vocalist David Palmer, the group recorded the album with Donald Fagen singing lead on all the songs.
Although it was a critical success, the album failed to generate a hit single, and consequently charted at only number 35 on the Billboard 200. It was eventually certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), having shipped 500,000 copies in the United States. Well-received upon its release, Countdown to Ecstasy received perfect scores from music critics in retrospective reviews.
Like their 1972 debut album Can't Buy a Thrill, Countdown to Ecstasy has a rock sound that exhibits a strong influence from jazz. It comprises uptempo, four-to-five-minute rock songs, which, apart from the bluesy vamps of "Bodhisattva" and "Show Biz Kids", are subtly textured and feature jazz-inspired interludes.Countdown to Ecstasy was the only album written by Steely Dan for a live band. "My Old School", a song about a drug bust involving Walter Becker and Donald Fagen at Bard College, features reverent horns and aggressive piano riffs and guitar solos. "The Boston Rag" develops from a jazzy song to unrefined playing by the band, including a distorted guitar solo by Jeff "Skunk" Baxter.Jim Hodder's drumming eschews rock music for pop and jazz grooves.Bop-style jazz soloing is set in the context of a pop song on "Bodhisattva".
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