Editing Steely Dan (section)

===Studio evolution (1974–1977)===
By the mid-1970s, Becker and Fagen had grown weary of touring and resolved to operate exclusively as a studio entity. Beginning with ''[[Pretzel Logic]]'' (1974), they began assembling pools of elite session musicians for each recording rather than maintaining a fixed band—a practice that became their trademark.<ref>Fagen, Donald. "The Steely Dan Story." ''Musician'', 1985.</ref> ''Pretzel Logic'' contained the duo's only US #1 single, "[[Rikki Don't Lose That Number]]," which interpolated the melody from [[Horace Silver]]'s "Song for My Father."

''[[Katy Lied]]'' (1975) and ''[[The Royal Scam]]'' (1976) deepened the group's jazz and funk influences, with ''The Royal Scam'' featuring prominent guitar work from [[Larry Carlton]]. The albums cemented Steely Dan's reputation for dense, intricate arrangements and mordant lyrics exploring themes of decadence, failed idealism, and the American dream.<ref>Wild, David. ''Steely Dan: Reelin' in the Years''. Omnibus Press, 1996.</ref>

The group's commercial and artistic peak arrived with ''[[Aja (album)|Aja]]'' (1977), widely considered one of the finest albums in popular music history. Recorded over two years with more than 40 session musicians, ''Aja'' reached #3 on the Billboard 200 and won the [[Grammy Award for Best Engineered Recording, Non-Classical]] and the [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year]].<ref>Grammy Archive, 1978 ceremony.</ref> The album's sophisticated production, featuring musicians such as [[Wayne Shorter]], [[Joe Sample]], and [[Steve Gadd]], set a new standard for studio pop.