User Score
8.5

Universal acclaim- based on 32 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 32
  2. Negative: 2 out of 32

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  1. Jun 30, 2013
    10
    Hidden treasure! I just got google stream, and started by roaming my known quantities just to get used to the service. So, there it was, "Every Thing Must Go", a rather new album by SD. I liked 2N ok, so... let's see.
    First song that really hit me was "What I miss the most", and from thereon, track after track with blue yacht rock, sometimes veering to the bluesy, sometimes to the jazzy,
    Hidden treasure! I just got google stream, and started by roaming my known quantities just to get used to the service. So, there it was, "Every Thing Must Go", a rather new album by SD. I liked 2N ok, so... let's see.
    First song that really hit me was "What I miss the most", and from thereon, track after track with blue yacht rock, sometimes veering to the bluesy, sometimes to the jazzy, often with a driving beat. Melodies and instruments weaving in and out, over and under, creating beautiful, moody, inscrutable pictures. Ok Steely Dan, please, ONE album per year. You can do it. What is up?
    Expand
  2. andrewf
    Jul 6, 2003
    10
    this album is another classic dan album.. out f 9 songs on this cd i must say that 7 can easily be a hit on any radio station.. once i bought this cd i could not stop playing it and when i wasnt playibg it i was singing it in my head.. its actually too addictive .....is that a bad thing??
  3. Shamus
    Mar 9, 2004
    8
    Fagan and Becker "Do It Again". Nothing earth-shaking. If you were never a fan this won't draw you in, but it's as addictive and seductive and groove filled as a Dan lover would expect.
  4. JohnL
    Jul 24, 2006
    7
    This should be a 6, but what I like here I love...it's just there there is more filler than ever before for these guys. It's rare that they've sounded so pedestrian...never as a duo before in fact (the comeback, Two Against Nature was great), but Fagen's 2nd solo was like this, and though it was suprisingly good, so was Becker's only solo effort for the most This should be a 6, but what I like here I love...it's just there there is more filler than ever before for these guys. It's rare that they've sounded so pedestrian...never as a duo before in fact (the comeback, Two Against Nature was great), but Fagen's 2nd solo was like this, and though it was suprisingly good, so was Becker's only solo effort for the most part...all fine, this is fine too, but measured against their past and peaks...a 7 at best. Expand
  5. JulianC.
    Feb 3, 2010
    9
    Some tracks lack a bit of 5th gear and play things too safe but the overall professionalism of the musicianship, songwriting, witty lyrics and classic Steely harmonies make it an enjoyable listen, with some tracks like Things I Miss The Most and Lunch With Gina portraying beautifully simple but effective musical story-telling. Becker and Fagen have still got what it takes.
  6. AKohls
    Jun 13, 2003
    10
    As with any Dan album, multiple run throughs are required before finally admitting that "this is damn good". It's always about the story and weeding out the meaning. Fagen and Becker are so very talented in painting word pictures. You just have to stare at the canvas for a while to take in the whole view. The great melodies and Jazz and Rock chops are just an added bonus. There is As with any Dan album, multiple run throughs are required before finally admitting that "this is damn good". It's always about the story and weeding out the meaning. Fagen and Becker are so very talented in painting word pictures. You just have to stare at the canvas for a while to take in the whole view. The great melodies and Jazz and Rock chops are just an added bonus. There is room for intellegence in popular music. Expand
  7. LarsF
    Jun 14, 2003
    9
    I love it. My favourit album is The Gaucho album ,and this is sounding more like that one than all their released albums since then. 2 against nature became a commercial hit and that was good Their luck and ours.Otherwise ,who knows what would have happened. In 2 against nature I personally think something profound was missing This new one on the other hand has "got the news". It tells me I love it. My favourit album is The Gaucho album ,and this is sounding more like that one than all their released albums since then. 2 against nature became a commercial hit and that was good Their luck and ours.Otherwise ,who knows what would have happened. In 2 against nature I personally think something profound was missing This new one on the other hand has "got the news". It tells me it aint over until the fat lady sings. Some of the melodies I recognice from elsewhere,like the verse in Godwhacker...Prince´s "Sign `O the times".. and the saxophone sounds like Liza Simpsons,but I can buy that Expand
  8. JOBlix
    Jun 24, 2003
    9
    Not a single weak track. The groovy tracks comming from a great colaboration between Beckers base and and Carlocks drumming. Favoutite tracks at this point are Godwacker, Slang of ages and EMG. Too bad they are not touring Europe this time.
  9. Muzzaretti
    Jun 25, 2003
    10
    Top class act with a top class album. Clever, clear, and back to their brillance re AJA. Get it.
  10. Felonius
    Jul 14, 2003
    10
    A typical Dan masterpiece. Still the best American composers of the last 30+ years.
  11. JulieMiller
    Aug 28, 2003
    10
    The Dan has done it again!
  12. doctorwu51doctorwu51
    Aug 30, 2003
    10
    Thisis the one that should have won the grammy...
  13. mikeG
    Aug 5, 2003
    10
    These guys just keep getting better! There's now a weak track on this newest release. Great jazzy riffs amidst solid rock and roll tunes. Lyrics are exquisite,as usual, and you will find yourself playing this over and over again, much like Two Against Nature and most of their LP's from years past!
  14. ChristosK
    Apr 14, 2004
    9
    This really should have got the Grammy!
  15. TimJ
    May 21, 2004
    10
    Bought the DVD-Audio and love it. I listen to EMG a lot and it has helped me with my addiction to the 2VN plush/jazz rock video. Steely Dan at their best.
  16. LarryC
    Mar 5, 2007
    10
    Was difficult for me to get used to, after having their older stuff so imbedded in me. This is not the same as their old stuff. Yet . . . . as I began listening, sure enough, one by one the songs started growing on me. "Green Book" is incredibly complex. "Everything Must Go", the title track, is my favorite. Great humor!
  17. BillB
    Dec 10, 2003
    8
    At first this can seem lightweight instead of just 'light,' but its pleasures slowly and surely reveal themselves after several listenings. This is Donald and Walter's summer album, and in tone and feeling it recalls Fagen's " The Nightfly" more than anything else. Play this on your boat with a gin-and-tonic in hand and it will all click.
  18. DNeigler
    Jun 19, 2003
    8
    A legitimate SD offering, EMG reflects a simpler blues based approach similar to that found in 2vN. While the release has its lulls (one could argue that it starts with one in the somewhat uneventful "The Last Mall"), it has more than enough of the strong Steely Dan sensibility to stand up to / flourish with repeated listenings. Any fan of the Dan would be remiss to pass it by.
  19. RT.
    Jun 29, 2007
    9
    Really grew on me. I've been a big fan in the past and the last couple albums seemed repetitious. This album is full of tasty licks and melodies. Give it time and it will grow on you.
  20. Gord
    Oct 31, 2008
    10
    Brilliant album. How something so rich and textured can also sound so effortless is what makes these guys geniuses.
  21. Jun 20, 2018
    6
    Like "Two Against Nature", "Everything Must Go" is decent if your talking about music technicians but in terms of quality songwriting, this is a million miles away from their 70's peak. Not much to remember from 40 minutes plus of music. Opening track "The Last Mall" and "Slang of Ages" are standout tracks.
Metascore
71

Generally favorable reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 13
  2. Negative: 1 out of 13
  1. Blender
    80
    Though their restraint can be alienating, Steely Dan sound hungry, relevant and full of ideas. [#17, p.147]
  2. Entertainment Weekly
    83
    Offering lyrical nervousness and musical Novocain in equal shots, it's another installment of Chicken Soup for the Materialistic, Mildly Perverse, Apocalypse-Dreading Soul. [13 Jun 2003, p.92]
  3. What this is is a collection of subversively jazzy tunes which delights in its own cleverness (lyrical and otherwise), and which probably finds its closest companion -- among previous Steely Dan albums -- in Pretzel Logic.