Steely Dan sound like a million dollars not only next to at least 26 of their coresidents of the Boss 30 when they're in it, but also in comparison to three-quarters of the stuff with which they share FM needletime….

The words, while frequently not easy to get the definite drift of, are almost always intriguing and often witty….

Why, then, do I—without the slightest intention of undermining anyone else's enthusiasm for it—find myself not caring if I ever again hear any of Steely Dan's music up to and including Katy Lied?

It has to do primarily with the fact that, however immaculately tasteful and intelligent it all may be, I personally am able to detect not the slightest suggestion of real passion in any of it….

When it comes to the words …, I feel all too frequently as though I must choose between concluding that I'm a...