Steely Dan: Gaucho

"Gaucho" was released in 1980 as the seventh studio album by the jazz-rock band Steely Dan. It marked the peak of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen's perfectionism: they used no fewer than 42 musicians in the studio during the two years of recording. It goes without saying that the financial advance of their record label was mercilessly exhausted. The album is more minimalist than its predecessors, songs develop from and around a single rhythm or mood and are primarily about extensive drug consumption. "Gaucho" wants to be conquered; "Babylon Sisters" and "Hey Nineteen" are real Steely Dan gems.