Steely Dan: 'Black Cow' (Aja)
There is a theme to the choices I've offered: they all serve as overtures for the rest of the album they lead. They set the stage, tone and stylistic aesthetic for the entire project.
Thinking more about this, you're probably right about "Black Cow". Gaucho is not one of Steely Dan's best albums. "Babylon Sisters" is one of my favorite songs from them (along with "Third World Man" at the end of the album). But the album (Gaucho) gets uneven after that imo. "Black Cow" sets the tone as an opening song for a much better, consistent album - Aja.
