I'm with your friend here - I have always had a love/hate relationship with Steely Dan. I admire the superb production of their recordings, but couldn't 'get' what they were about. To that end, I would buy their next LP, hoping to find out why everybody raved about the Dan. I now have all their LPs and am still no closer to finding out!
Apropos Dnald Fagen's solo career - I do like 'The Nightfly'.

