Gaucho
by Steely Dan

Gaucho by Steely Dan
Year: 1980
Release date: 1980-11-21
Overall rank: 898th   Overall chart history
Average Rating: 
78/100 (from 381 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history
Accolades:
Award Top 20 albums of 1980 (18th)
Award Top albums of the 1980s (136th)
Award Top 1,000 albums of all time (898th)

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Product Details
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Steely Dan - Gaucho [New SACD]
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Steely Dan - Gaucho [45 RPM 200 Gram Clarity Vinyl] Analogue Productions NEW
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$158.99


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Steely Dan "Gaucho" LP Vinyl Record (1980)
Condition: Used


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Steely Dan bestography

Gaucho is ranked 5th best out of 21 albums by Steely Dan on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by Steely Dan is Aja which is ranked number 150 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 9,262.

Steely Dan album bestography « Higher ranked (887th)
Pretzel Logic
This album (898th)
Gaucho
Lower ranked (1,003rd) »
The Royal Scam

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

Upcoming concerts

Mar
06
Fri
12 Against Nature " A Steely Dan Experience "
3rd and Lindsley, Nashville, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
Mar
12
Thu
BAD SNEAKERS ORCHESTRA: A Steely Dan Tribute
FITZGERALDS NIGHTCLUB, Berwyn, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
Mar
22
Sun
Steely Dan Tribute with Dirty Work
The Studio at Mizner Park, Boca Raton, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 

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Gaucho track list

  Track ratings The tracks on this album have an average rating of 83 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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Track pick (1000 - 100 votes) Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.

Gaucho rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 898th | 1980s rank: 136th | 1980 rank: 18th
Filter Filter
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YearSourceChartRankRank Score
2026 spigelwiiTop 60 Music Albums of the 1980s15/6015
2026 RockyRaccoonTop 60 Music Albums of 198015/604
2026stangetzawayTop 37 Music Albums of 198030/371
2026stevengnzTop 88 Music Albums of 198014/884
2026henrygreen0203Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s81/1004
2026JohnnyoMost listened to albums in March 2021 (To delete)20/95 -
2026joathomeTop 45 Music Albums of 198035/451
2026BLOTop 100 Greatest Music Albums67/10034
2026 AAL2014Top 63 Music Albums of 198011/634
2026adbrack1988Top 23 Music Albums of 198019/231
2026javicho07Top 19 Music Albums of 19804/194
2026spewventuriTop 91 Music Albums of the 1980s58/917
2026bjorndedrijTop 100 Greatest Music Albums50/10050
2026saltysurpriseTop 49 Music Albums of 19804/495
2026JohnnyoTop 93 Music Albums of 198011/934
2026javicho07Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s29/10014
2026matterhornriderTop 66 Music Albums of 198011/664
2026UntitledTop 25 Music Albums of 19805/254
2026 TamthebamTop 100 Music Albums of 198026/1004
2026sweetnessTop 82 Music Albums of the 1980s59/826
Total Charts: Help The total number of charts that this album has appeared in. 288
Total Rank Score: Help The total rank score. 1,935
You can include this album in your own chart from the My Charts page!

Gaucho collection

Gaucho ratings

Average Rating: 
78/100 (from 381 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 381 ratings for this album.

Sort Sort by
RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
85/100
 
02/23/2026 19:00 alexandermause  Ratings distribution  1,55586/100
 
55/100
 
02/03/2026 17:24 Philly28  Ratings distribution  90269/100
 
75/100
 
02/01/2026 20:15 sweetness  Ratings distribution  1,07279/100
 
95/100
 
01/29/2026 23:36 mjsb  Ratings distribution  2783/100
 
85/100
 
01/23/2026 17:29 PK  Ratings distribution  4392/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 3% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 77.6/100, a mean average of 76.4/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 77.7/100. The standard deviation for this album is 15.5.

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Gaucho comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 16 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)

Rating:  
85/100
From 01/23/2026 17:31 | #312764
Hey Nineteen is one of their best songs and the rest of the album is excellent but behind Countdown/Can't buy a thrill/Aja...
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 09/15/2025 16:54 | #310926
Not the best steely Dan album but a very solid addition to their body of work. An essential for any Dan fan
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 03/16/2025 10:37 | #308065
Shortlisted for album of the year at the Grammys in 1982. The Winner Was Double Fantasy by John Lennon & Yoko Ono whereas, this is the album that should have won
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 08/02/2022 15:04 | #288079
This is nice Steely Dan album, similar to Aja.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 08/26/2021 20:32 | #272875
One of the best Steely Dan albums. Probably their most laid back and breathable.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 03/09/2021 20:40 | #267134
These guys can't do no wrong and certainly not on this album which contains a few of their best tracks: Babylon Sisters and Hey Nineteen: completely laidback and very good at the same time.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 01/17/2021 19:35 | #264564
There is a lot of merit in Steely Dan's seventh studio album, their follow-up to their brilliant "Aja" album, and their last until their reunion album in 2000.

While Aja was loose and lavish, Gaucho is uptight and glossy. Even though the production doesn't mesh with the material as well as it did on Aja, it is still top notch production.

All the songs here are lovely, as good as anything Steely Dan has ever released, even if it is often overlooked. The title track is probably the most beautiful and heartfelt song the band ever recorded.

Apparently the final track was lifted from The Royal Scam sessions.

For a bonus, look up the lost track "The Second Arrangement," which was accidentally erased in the Gaucho recording session.

For best results, accompany album with Cuervo Gold and a fine "Columbian."

Track Pick: Hey Nineteen
Gems: Gaucho, Babylon Sisters, Glamour Procession
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 11/28/2020 02:18 | #261524
I couldn't get enough of this album growing up. Steely Dan has their own thing going on
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
60/100
From 01/03/2019 03:45 | #228659
Not a bad album, but well below what we'd come to expect from the Dan up to this point. A lot less unique brilliance and a lot more going through the motions.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 09/16/2016 04:32 | #175084
This is the SD album that gets played the most and I have most there albums.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
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Best Albums of 1980
1. Remain In Light by Talking Heads
2. Closer by Joy Division
3. Back In Black by AC/DC
4. Scary Monsters by David Bowie
5. Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables by Dead Kennedys
6. Peter Gabriel (1980) by Peter Gabriel
7. The River by Bruce Springsteen
8. Permanent Waves by Rush
9. Pretenders by Pretenders
10. Seventeen Seconds by The Cure
11. Making Movies by Dire Straits
12. Crazy Rhythms by The Feelies
13. Sandinista! by The Clash
14. Ace Of Spades by Motörhead
15. Boy by U2
16. Heaven And Hell by Black Sabbath
17. Dirty Mind by Prince
18. Gaucho by Steely Dan
19. Sound Affects by The Jam
20. Get Happy!! by Elvis Costello And The Attractions
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