Interesting article nicotico, nevertheless ‘Katy Lied’ is one of Steely Dans best records. Listen to the most recent remaster that Donald and Walter did, it crushes any vinyl release.
As far as ‘Gaucho’, it’s a good sounding recording, much like ‘Aja’ but the material doesn’t live up to their first five albums. My favorite is ‘Countdown to Ecstacy’ but ‘Katy Lied’ is a close contender.
As for recording quality, ‘Two Against Nature’ and ‘Everything Must Go’ are easily better sounding than their previous recordings. I’d also argue that their isn’t one weak song on either of those records.
I’ve been loving Steely Dan since the early 1970’s and still do, to the point where my friends say I’m living in the Steely Dan past. They were one of the few rock bands that made me feel grounded. Unfortunately, I’ve never seen them live but I’m hoping to catch Donald with Steve Winwood.