Aja

What is a Black Cow? Is he telling her to drink her milkshake and get outta here? Love a good yacht rock album

Gosh idk it was fine

Decent album I hadn’t been aware if

Blues smooth , not sure

Not my cup of tea, and a lot like tea, I drink these songs once in a while for change of pace and to see if my taste has changed. My opinion of these songs have not changed: good musicians playing some catchy hooks, lyrics that are banal, and not especially moving. I enjoy Peg and and couple other songs. But not gonna cry or fuck to the album. Ever.

01) Black Cow - 7,0 02) Aja - 6,5 03) Deacon Blues - 7,0 04) Peg - 7,0 05) Home at Last - 6,0 06) I Got the News - 5,0 07) Josie - 6,5 TOTAL: 6,43 (64/100)

3.2 Decent background music kind of album (as most of Steely is for me). Fave songs: Peg, Aja

Second Steely Dan album to show up on the list; this one I've listened to sometime in winter 2021 prompted by a reason I can't remember. As with their debut, everything kinda blends together for me to a point where I don't dislike the music, but there aren't a lot of moments where I notice myself enjoying what is happening. Two years ago I liked Black Cow, Peg, and Home At Last the most, and the same songs remain my favorites with Josie joining them. This would be a boring record to listen to in most contexts in my life, but maybe around a cozy campfire at the end of a night it could be nice. 5.5/10

Ooo yes. Super smooth, hella enjoyable.

Siendo más o menos del mismo estilo, me ha gustado más que Yes. Lo volvería a escuchar

The Orla Kiely of music - so popular but nothing I ever bought into it. It’s easy to have in in the background but ultimately I just don’t care.

I'm pretty ambivalent about Steely Dan. The musicianship is top-notch (I especially dug the drums on this one), and the songs are catchy and the lyrics are interesting, but the overall feel I get is cold and sterile. And also kind of rapey.

Smooth as a baby’s butt-ass white boy jazz. Not bad.

mmm bien ahi maestro

On the fence I think it's more of a two and a half and there's definitely better steely Dan albums

3.5/5

Enjoyable jazz-pop-rock album. It's the Kmart Radio Network nightmare all over again.

Technically sound, but it's so unexciting to listen to.

Jazz rock. Bastante agradables.

I consider myself a Steely Dan guy but this isn’t their best album, high 3 but not a 4.

Enjoyed it, at least.

Probably would have liked this much more a few years back

Don't know much about this band. This album art would trick a teenager into not getting what they think they paid for. Sounds like rock with foam taped to all the sharp corners. It's fine. I picture them smiling to each other having fun performing for 12 people at a bar on a Thursday afternoon and 4 of those people work at the bar. Is edging rock a genre? Comes as close to rocking as possible, but never does it. Good music to sample and make better. Solid production. 3.5

AJ: Peg!

3/5

Love the jazziness of this bitch. I’m a slut for horns so you already know the state of my tip during this listen. However I did forget most of this album by the end of the weekend regardless of love me some slutty steely Dan but love my friends more. -B

Highlights: Josie, Deacon Blues This would have been a bitch to record and mix, sounds like there are so many components to organise (props to Katz and the music engineers there). Much respect to the session musicians and singers who made an appearance (including Doobie Brothers frontman Michael McDonald, he actually has range!?!), they are on fire. There's something about Aja that feels off that I can't put my finger on. 'Black Cow', 'Aja' and 'Home At Last' would benefit from pruning. The title track is cringe by today's standards. I dunno? It's not my favourite of the four in the book. Overall: 5/10

Suuuuper cheesy seventies glam rock. It's nearly all ballads minus "Peg". Certainly not as good as Can't Buy A Thrill, bit the harmonies are nice and the mix is really solid.

I know is regarded as their best, it's a bit too sterile sounding for me, especially the tone of the bass. I prefer early Dan like Can't Buy a Thrill or Count Down to Ecstasy. I do like Big Black Cow and Peg, Michael McDonald's falsetto on the latter is transcendent!

The track Black Cow is pretty good.

Steely Dan is a very specific guy for a very specific mood. This one is groovy and fun!

So yeah, this is a classic rock album. Very crisp performance, but for a millennial like me, these songs are boring.

actually really liked it, giving it a 3 bc it's not totally deserving of a 4 imo, but I could see myself relistening and rating it higher

It’s probably not fair that I’m giving this the same rating as yesterday’s album— k.d. Lang’s Ingenue— but that’s the problem with the five star system. Lang would’ve gotten a 2.5 if we were giving out half stars, and Steely Dan would’ve gotten 3.5. But I rounded the former up and I’m rounding the latter down. I like Steely Dan, but I’m more partial to the earlier stuff.

Heralded as one of their best - I still can't get into aja as a whole but upon my like 3rd listen, it is better than I remembered it. Black Cow, Aja, Peg and Josie are sleek and great balanced production. I will put this album on if I want to get work done but I dont see myself returning to it all the time. I get why its loved and I do like it - its just not an everyday album for me.

Just OK

I came into this with no clue how to pronounce the name of the album, assuming it was maybe "aha", later learning it's supposed to be "asia". For the life of me I cannot tell if this album is taking itself seriously. Long-winded instrumentals abound, but there's some solid musicianship and interesting instrumentation to back them up. Overall this feels more like a collection of songs than a cohesive album. Definitely more fun in the back half -- it feels to me like the two sides should be directly swapped, to open with the upbeat classic "Peg" and close on the extended fade-out of "Deacon Blues".

Heard it before?: No Enjoy it?: it was good Favourite song: Track 7 - Josie

Pretty good, an easy listen. Would I listen to it again? No.

Sounds like background music for a lounge bar, but the coolest and most well-produced one that you can listen. It would probably change my evening for the better, so I approve it. (I don't like numeric ratings, I just give 3 to anyone)

Ok tier

блюз джаз немного поп и немного бардовской песни в начале в духе Билли Джоела. Не моя музыка на постоянку, но один трек себе добавила под настроение

Lekkere ochtendmuziek. Eerder funky dan jazzrock m.i. Tikkeltje muzak-ig en daardoor geen hogere score.

It was decent, like other people have said, its background music that you don't really need to pay attention to. Production is really good, but music is dated and some of the songs are bloated into 7 minutes plus.

MEH

Pretty good. Funky, catchy.

you know I love steely dan! Not sure I will listen again, but enjoyed the tracks I heard

Listened to it in the car and it made for a great driving soundtrack, but I don’t know that it would have held my attention otherwise. Production objectively very impressive, but aside from a few riffs and runs the writing was a bit uninteresting. Maybe just not for me! Appreciate that it clocked in at 40 minutes tho and not around 2 hours. If you’re going to write 7-minute songs at least be selective. Favourite track: Black Cow

Good jazzy background music. Never been a huge Steely Dan fan.

These are some long songs. They don't sound bad but I think I find them more distracting then enjoyable. 2 songs I would give a 4/5 the rest are a 2/5 3/5 for the album

Listened Before? N Super funky and jammy stuff. I really grooved with this 70's stuff, baby. I feel like I'm not cool enough for it. Jam on, boys. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Peg

Not really my flavor but the band is tight, sounds good, there are a couple goofy/odd synth things that didn't add to the songs in any way

Beautiful songs but not really my style of music. A lot more instrumentals than I usually like. I really liked Aja.

Over-produced, under song'd, imo.

Okay. But not spectacular.

Another Steely Dan. It's totally fine.

Lounginis rockelis. Nežinau ar man tai visiškai prie širdies, tačiau klausant ryte tikrai maloniai susiklausė ir neprailgo. 3/5

Cool sound, at times very funky while incorporating many unique chord progressions with a slightly jazzy sound. At times a bit boring, due to the drum beat sitting far behind the instruments in the mix and being a steady beat.

Ok, disco

I wasn't a fan of this sort of jazz-rock-funk then, and I'm still not a fan today. The album is not unpleasant, but it just doesn't grab my attention.

This was groovy! Peg was my favorite, instant serotonin. Opened strong with Black Cow (loved that Tatyana Ali sampled it in Daydreamin'!). Second fav was Deacon Blues.

This felt like easy listening music, but it was well-done because it was easy to listen to. Very chill, if a bit uninteresting.

Fine, just not my thing

Well done, but it felt like it lacked any real emotion.

Ja fantastisch. Eerste twee nummers een 5. Daarna werd het wat minder. Zit tussen de 3 en 4. Maar ga toch voor 3

I heard that Steely Dan's Aja is a must listen before even starting the 1001 album challenge. So I listened to it but didn't understand the fuss. This is the second time I've listened to Aja and I still don't get it. It's alright I guess but not the mind-blowing experience I keep reading about.

This was slower and more mellow than I anticipated. Pretty good background music.

Black Cow- 3.6/5 Aja- 3.3/5 Deacon Blues- 3.5/5 Peg- 3.7/5 Home at Last- 3.9/5 I Got the News- 3.9/5 Josie- 3.7/5 Total- 3.7/5

This is so Steely

Just ok. A few catchy songs with enjoyable guitar

Eh. It's ok.

very groovy but was just lacking anything that really blew me away. i enjoyed it.

a little funky for me -- not my taste..!

Not my cup of tea

***3 Nary an edge to be found here. Maybe in the lyrics? Even the moments of angularity go down smooth. Peg is a good song, don't really need much else.

Dadrock.

Goeie muziek voor in het menu van Gran Turismo. Best lekker, maar er staan geen nummers op die er voor mij uitspringen, zoals Dirty Work. 3 a 4

I hear good musicians playing good music. It also has a certain cleanliness to it that makes it a bit too clinical. Not sure why this bothers me because it doesn't in some other artists music, still good.

Some of these songs are solid but in some weird way the album feels a little pretentious

Honestly didn’t know what to expect. but that was pretty pog. songs were a little long tho yuh

This album stands soley on the opening measure. A production work of pure brilliance. After that, there a lot of meh cheesy yacht jazz. These guys are corny as fuck and not that charming.

Meio entediante em geral para meu gosto, rockao demais

Deacon Blues is one of my favorite songs, that said, a lot of the rest of this album is good but not particularly stand-out to me. Steely Dan songs tend to be either catchy or very background in my eyes, and only Deacon Blues and Aja felt like real attention grabbers.

Always thought he was saying "Hey" instead of "Peg". But now I know. I also know all the songs sound like each other.

It is pretty unique sounding, and when they hit their groove, it is unquestionably catchy. Deacon Blues and Peg as great. However, the rest of the album struggles to hold my interest... Josie & Black Cow are okay, but the rest feel like filler that kind of drone on.

Up til now the only way I knew of Steely Dan was through an old Harry Hill joke. Not a bad album, was nice to listen to on the way home from work. Probably won't listen to it ever again though.

Good album, very known

It's good, but not my thing. I am not the best person to rate this genre :/

this is jazz jazz, which is not my favorite to listen to but always impresses me. Aja is like Asia??? that made me do a double take actually when i heard that. it’s cute it’s fun it’s upbeat i feel like i’m on a yacht.

está bien

It's sleek and funky, but can also be a bit too cold and mechanical, like a robots idea of groove.

Old school background listening

2nd listen. This album has definitely grown on me. Still just 3 stars though.

Fällt gegenüber den anderen Alben in dieser Liste ein wenig ab und läuft so durch.

Пара песен очень понравились, остальные скучновато

It’s exactly what I thought a Steely Dan album would sound like. Jazz music meant to bang to.

A good, solid, album that lacks the tracks that really set me on fire.

I have so much cognitive dissonance when it comes to steely Dan. On the one hand the harmony/arrangement/musicianship/production is all top tier, but it’s just devoid of anything emotional or raw. There’s nothing soulful or dark about it and so I just really feel nothing when I listen to it.

I've only really listened to much earlier Steely Dan before and I enjoyed that much more than this. I found the songs to be rather forgettable with none of them really jumping out at me as something i'd actively listen to again.

This shit is smooth, squeaky clean, impeccable production. The tracks themselves are hits and misses, albeit with a strong start. Aja and Black Cow at least are must listens!

Humm not what I thought it would be

Fun n funky music, great musicians. Music a lil bit too 70s but enjoyed it

You're not making jazz better, you're making rock worse Great album to show off your sound system, though ok im turning around on this, it's classic rock but jazzier, there's a place for that ok seriously, the audio production on this is amazing, it's making my headphones SING Overall: If you're ever at the type of party where this is background music, stuff your purse with hors d'oeuvres, then immediately leave.

funky, dated. guessing 3 unless it surprises me. It's chill but boring. Like wallpaper paint music.

This jazz-rock album was often described as cleaner and more accessible than previous albums. To me it sounds quite poppy and I'm not sure I like that. I think jazz-rock and fusion don't need to go this way. It certainly stands out in this approach but when you have something like Soft Machine and the entire Canterbury scene - why not chose these guys?

This reminds me of a lot of different music all at once. I like other Steely Dan songs more than the ones on this album.

Are you squeezing on my cheeeeeeks Are you grabbin on my buunnnnns

Look, if I just admit that I don't get Steely Dan and probably never will, will you guys stop making me listen to their albums? None of their albums have been bad, and I think this was the best one that I've heard so far, but two songs into the album they all just become muzak playing in the elevator of my mind 3/5 Again, it's not bad, I've just never owned a pair of New Balance sneakers, so I think I'm entirely the wrong demographic for this album

A jazzy sorta rock. Some of it to my taste, some of it not so much Saved tracks: Aja, Peg, I Got The News

Why is the second song on this album 8 minutes long? It's actually not that bad and it makes me kind of angry. I hate it when long songs are really good.

Yet another album with only a few songs but mostly overly long ones. Wasn't a massive fan, it played okay as background music but just nothing remarkable. Fairly tired of the era too which probably doesn't help. Not one to revisit.

Not bad but boring

Don't know a big lot about Steely Dan, was pleasantly surprised with this album, it seems a mix of blues and soft rock, many elements of Nile Rodgers style. It's all a well composed album with good lyrics sung well, arrangements and supported by well played instruments. Has a quality feel to the sound, they've obviously had a good mixing studio when mastering the album. Peg is the best track on the album. Not quite a 4 for me, but it's a heavily weighted 3.

Really easy listening. Nice for a summers day in the garden. Particularly liked Peg, didn't realise they did the original of the De La Soul 'Eye Know' sample.

Not really my taste

It was Ok not my favorite

Das klassische Problem bei Classic Rock: Ist mir über weite Strecken zu Dad-haft. 3/5

Muscially, this is very good. Incredible composition. Everything has it's place and even the vocals are as much an "instrument" as the guitars, horns, keyboards. But, it's just too dated for me. These guys were trying to be cool at the time...maybe they were, I dunno. But they're certainly not now. A bit tough to reconcile that when I listen. Really respect what they did here, but it's not my thing. 1 - bad 2 - average 3 - good 4 - great 5 - outstanding

Not totally my type of music but some of the later songs are good.

I mean, I guess I can respect it for the execution? Maybe I'm still too young to "get" Steely Dan

Gonna confess to being conflicted. This is one the the albums that I think I ought to like; I would have probably given it a milquetoast 3 stars if not for the fact that I went into the 1001albums review archive first. Lots of grudging acknowledgment of the production values, offsetting a general loathing of the product itself. Can you polish a turd? I think not. Aja isn't a bad album, just somewhat inoffensive and unmemorable – superior elevator music, perhaps? Maybe if De La Soul hadn't taken samples from Aja on Three Feet High... (source material was just a bit over a decade old then), it would have died the social death experienced by (say) Christopher Cross, rather than taken on its current legendary status. Perhaps/

Very peaceful listen with funky bass lines. The album cover doesn't match the music at all, but I still enjoyed it nonetheless. Maybe not something I would come back to, because all songs sounded at least a bit similar. Fave track(s): Black Cow, Peg

Yacht rock! Smooth, sounds real clear though good cans. Musically complex and beautifully played... But just soft. Soft. Soft and bland. Like Tofu. Yes, this is musical tofu.

Too smooth. The sort of thing to put on at a dinner that isn't romantic, but where you don't want the music to get in the way. Very precise production though, as others have noted. I did enjoy its crispness.

Fijne muziek, vooral lekker saxofoontje en blues vibe in een paar nummers. Heel dicht tegen 4 sterren, maar net niet.

It was fine

13th January 2023 Listened during the day on Friday before a very last weekend. Played poker on Friday night. Funny that steely Dan were raised on the blues kitchen pod recently. Not as country as I would have thought.

Iconic but very easy listening lift music!

I guess it's kinda good

Curiós que es reivindiqui habitualment aquest disc com estendard de Steely Dan quan és el més dur de sentir, el més complicat, i no el millor. Sí potser el més ambiciós, amb un jazz rock d'alta volada i uns temes tan ben construïts que un no pot fer res més que treure's el barret. 'Deacon Blues' és un dels seus grans temes

Solid Steely Dan album with lots of the hits. I found myself bopping along to it.

The production on this album is absolutely amazing. AMAZING; nevertheless the overall vibe reminds me too much of what elevator music wishes to be. Ultimately, with such good musicians the album should be more interesting than it ends up being but it's very clean lounge music. Best song: Home At Last. Most helpful song: Aja – I would've pronounced it Adshcha and sounded like a fool so thanks I guess.

Ze schieten lekker uit de startblokken met een warme, vrolijke jaren zeventig-sound. Zo worden ze tegenwoordig niet meer gemaakt, denk je dan. Maar gaandeweg krijgt een soort jengelmuziek de overhand, die ook nog eens gigantisch in herhaling valt. Zo komen we ergens in het midden uit.

Very soft rock. It’s fine to have on.

This was a nice little rock album, always a fan of the longer songs on shorter albums. Steely is an up and comer on my like list and glad to have another album of theirs on here.

I didn't love this, wouldn't listen to it again. Not my cup of tea musically.

While not particularly exciting, it was enjoyable easy listening

Pretty middle of the road but I do enjoy the laid-back feel of Steely Dan. Great for a nice sunny day with a cocktail on the patio

Steely Dan isn’t the most exciting band ever but I generally like their light rock sound. This album is not their best, personally. It’s a bit drab.

3.5 Melodiøst og cool. Gennemført chill

Still great grooves but not as good as can't buy a thrill or pretzel logic. Not enough bangers

Good

Elevator music. Good elevator music, mind you, but still elevator music.

Felt like one step above elevator music, but at least I know more about Steely Dan now.

This kind of music doesn't really do it for me. But I've never really listened to steely Dan despite their reputation, so glad to have finally checked out an album of theirs

Nothing special.

Cool and catchy, but maybe a bit to jazzy/over my head at times

Good album with good instrumentation. I just didn't like it as much as Pretzel Logic or Fagen's solo album The Nightfly. I liked the album, but I do not see myself returning to it later.

Always pleasant, but not often exciting. 3/5

I’m so proud of myself for spotting Michael McDonald on backing vocals on some of these tracks! Nothing more to say.

I vibe with this record. First Listen?: Y Fav. Track(s): Black Cow, Home At Last Rating: 3.5/5

Favorite song: Josie Groovy.

A little too lax for me. Can definitely see that Dan Bejar listened to his fair share of Steely Dan, at least when recording Kaputt. They're good musicians, but there isn't enough going on to keep me interested. Standouts: Peg, I Got The News, Josie

I see why people find steely Dan insufferable, but I dug it.

bit repetitive but cool !

- Sehr Seventees - gute 3 würde ich sagen

C'était bon, mais je m'attendais à plus

I'd heard this before and I know some people love it. I didn't, but I didn't hate it either. My wife did, however. I thought it was decent, but nothing special. 3/5

Achei legal, ok, nada muito marcante, Melhor música: Josie

Pretty good. Sounds like a regular bowie

Overall a great album. Depending on my mood, attention to the lyrics, music or personal taste, this might affect an album over others. I am a Steely Dan fan, and the album met expectations of that.

The music sounds great but I had a hard time paying attention to any of the songs. There just wasn’t any feeling there. It’s almost like it’s a bunch of incredibly talented musicians that don’t know each other but have each played these songs a million times and are just punching the clock to get their paycheck.

Never sat and listened to jazz before but this is pretty fire ngl. Reminds me of something I would hear in Cowboy Bebop or smth.

Extremely okay

Prefs: Aja, Deacon Blues, Peg Moins pref: Black Cow

bueno

Meh

Its okej.

leicht funky mit harmonien. produktion ist fucking clean. nicht so meine musik. eher easy listening...

Nice and chill album

Taustamusakamaa ilman erikoisempia huippuja tai pohjia

Positiivisesti yllätti ku edellinen Steely listalta jätti vähän kylmäks. Hauskaa, mukanajammailtavaa

2.5/5 pleasant jazz rock, but boring and repetitive sounding

I do appreciate the talent here and the production sounds great, I just don't feel any significant connection with the music overall. Perhaps it will grow on me over time. I definitely liked it, though.

SOUNDS GREAT! Thats it. 3.5/5

It wasn’t bad. Maybe a little slow for my mood at the time. I could see it being good live.

I’m going to have to call them “Steely Dan chord changes” - these interesting chord progressions that then morph into some smooth jazz-y and wholly unsatisfying. Audio quality can’t be beat, though, save by other Steely Dan records.

From a production and engineering standpoint, Aja is very solid. The sound quality throughout gives the songs a bit of an extra edge. It also doesn't feel like there's nearly 40 musicians on here and instead like a cohesive unit. Have to say I didn't find the singles as great as Can't Buy A Thrill, or even the batch of songs strong or even interesting as Countdown to Ecstasy. It's a solid album with good songs like the title track, Deacon Blues and Peg, but it does swift in the background of the mind where it could be playing something more captivating.

My second time listening to 'aja' by Steely Dan. The first time I wasn't very impressed, especially after having had it hyped up for me. In the end, I think the hype did more damage that good. I still don't think I completely get it, but I can appreciate the technical stuff more. It's generally a good listen. Not the most amazing thing you'll ever hear, but solid enough that it didn't feel like a slog to me. Maybe I should be giving it two stars, but it's a solid three for me. The lyrics make no fucking sense though.

A perfectly ok album that straddles the bridge between jazz and more of a pop rock focus, I believe the term is yacht rock (whatever that is). It is quite a smooth and chilled out album, which is an ok listen for a background music playlist IMO. Best: Peg Worst: I Got The News

Okay

Never been into Steely Dan, but this is their best work.

There are quite a few Steely Dan songs I enjoy, but many I find just a bit too soft-rock-jazz - which was the majority of this album for me.

Very chill; wouldn't mind if it was playing in the background somewhere

It’s Steely Dan, you know what to expect- ultra slick production, smooth instrumentation and those cool Dad vocals. Some tracks are cool- Peg is an obvious classic thanks to De La Soul- other tracks just pass you by, like you’re on the freeway with the top down… and maybe that’s the point.

For a band that named itself after a fictional steam powered dildo, this is some pretty inoffensive music. I can't fault the playing of the songs, I just don't find them that interesting

Ihan ok biisejä, mutta ei kyllä painunut juuri mikään mieleen. 3/5 kuitenkin kun oli sen verran kuuntelukelpoinen.

Nimikkoraita todella tiukka! Muutenkin varsin letkeää jazz-rockailua, mutta muuten ei ihan niin paljoa säväyttänyt. 3/5

Another weirdo high-five from Steely Dan.

Egentlig helt ok. Men bare litt kjedelig?

Best Song: Aja. It almost doesn't feel like a song, more like a showcase of each band member's soloing abilities, but they're damn talented. Worst Song: Deacon Blues. This just felt a bit dull. Ho-hum, without the blistering musical prowess from the previous track. Overall: This was my first (that I know of) foray into Steely Dan. For some reason, maybe based on the name, I assumed they were boring dad rock. Turns out I was half right, because this is actually some pretty compelling dad rock. The musicality is top-notch here, but like many bands of this era, there is a sense of bloat as each song takes far longer than it needs. Still, a relaxed and groovy album that was fun to listen to.

Feels like rock elevator music. Doesn’t really stand out to me.

Yea this was pretty nice actually

Amiable audio wallpaper.

it's the mocktail hour again

Música racial melódica. No es nada nuevo, pero es interesante

1 note into the song and I'm recognize the song. Not from Steely Dan, but from a sample from the late 90s rap song "Deja Vu" by Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz. A few songs later, I hear "Peg" which was sampled by De La Soul on 3 Feet High and Rising I listen to this and I'm constantly reminded that older music seems way more musical than most modern music. Overall, pretty good album

A pleasure to discover more from the "ricky don't lose that number" people

Apart from 'Reelin' in the Years' Steely Dan were never on my radar. I didn't mind listening to this album, and like another person, enjoyed hearing some De La Soul samples etc.

nice bit of jazz rock

Bem gostosinho, nunca tinha ouvido. Músicas prediletas: Josie Black cow

Lots of wank. Peg will be an all-time fave however. A few other good tracks, but pretty self-indulgent on the whole

I understand why some people thinks this album is a masterpiece but it just doesn't work for me. It sounds a bit dated and there are other records by Steely Dan that I enjoy more.

not their best, but still good

Mysigt!

Bra göbb rock

alveg ok

A worthy effort by the Dan, and one I'm assured opens up into realms of audiophile delight under a close listen. But however well-arranged it is, the jazz influence is of a pretty lifeless variety. At least in the beginning: Thankfully, the sound loosens up as the record progresses. But the second half is not enough to convince me that Aja deserves acclaim within the band's discography.

it was fine, just that yacht rock sound to me

6/10 - not bad, easy listening

Smooth and jazzy

Enjoyed Peg. Didn’t like Aja.

Pretty good, I do really like Steely Dan but sometimes feels a bit samey

Kolko sam uspio čut solidno

I fucked a 73 year old great grandfather for Christmas. That's a true white Christmas. Steely Dan was the name I used to go by when I was starring in low budget porn in the 90s. I gave gonorrhoea to so many people. So many.

Not really my cup of tea. We tried to listen to it on the way back from clamming with Harry and Leigh Anne, and there was just nothing there for us.

This is the second album by Steely Dan suggested to me from this list, and the second album from the band that I've listened to as a whole. I liked this album more than the previous. It was good to listen to the album and hear a full set of songs rather than individual tracks, which has been most of my experience with the band. Even though I enjoyed listening to the album, I just don't see myself coming back. I'm not sure why Steely Dan doesn't resonate with me. "Josie" is a potential track to replay, followed by "Aja" and "Peg".

Jazz rock. Bastante agradables.

Estremamente jazzy. Sofisticato, un po' faticoso, ma interessante. Peg mi piace (anche se non ho ancora notato sto assolo che dice wikipedia).

Cool album classic 70s sound. Nothing too exciting but solid album

Great sounds

starts off strong then slowly loses steam. dentist's office jazz funk rock, but in a good way

Not usually my thing but was pretty enjoyable

Ni buenísimo ni malísimo sino todo lo contrario

Bueno pues al final si me latió

I’m a big fan of yacht rock and quite a lot of steely dans material but this album was one I struggled to get into, and I really wanted to like it as well. I love the production quality, considering it was ‘77, the clarity of the instruments and vocals is very impressive even by todays standards

Loved Deacon Blues and Home At Last, but quite hit or miss overall for me

I like it a bit more than the other album 3.5

Jazz is not my thing i guess

Not going to lie, I fuck with Steely Dan lol

Listened twice now, wasn't what I was expecting. Some of it sounds like smokey lounge bar music - a bit dated, and some of the songs are longer than they need to be. Really enjoyed "Peg" never knew that was where the sample was taken from.

Скучный альбом. Понимаю, что тут присутствуют вполне яркие и запоминающиеся мелодии. Выдержана единая расслабляющая атмосфера, особая эстетика. Подбор инструментов приятен, сами партии построены грамотно. Но всё это очень скучно, не находит внутри отклика, слышится лишь отзвуком прошлого. Вероятно, субъективный негатив в довольно приятные композиции для меня тут вносят фанковые нотки. В жанровом позиционировании альбома более весом скорее джаз, супротив которого в целом я ничего не имею. Но тут это не тот притягательный яркий, искренний джаз для народа, вроде свинга, а скорее претенциозный блеклый джаз для снобов. Вопросов нет разве что к вокальным партиям. По итогу вышел неплохой фоновый альбом, который лично мне даже фоном слушать не хочется.

I liked the first Steely Dan album we had better but this wasn’t bad

3.5

2.9

Some great songs.

Hard to imagine this came out in 1977, dated in parts obviously but not what I was expecting when I saw Steely Dan. "So outrageous" Track 2 is a journey. The rest is good but not my cup of tea but good to listen to but i don't have much to say on it. Probably a 3.5 but based on rating @enjoyed it, will listen again" it is a solid 3.

When I saw Steely Dan I got a little excited. Admittedly, my knowledge of their back catalogue is vicarious via Shorty and Vulfpeck but I know enough of their bangers to have anticipated a decent album here. Unfortunately, the bangers I know are spread across their discography and there is no great concentration of them on this record. Out of 7 tracks here, if I had 3 of the bangers this would have got 4 stars and possibly a 5 if the balance of tracks impressed me. “Peg” is the only one so I’ll have to give this album a 3. Credit where credit is due, Walter Becker and Donald Fagan have a hugely distinctive sound and are ground breaking artists in many many ways. There are some savage harmonies and musical rhythms here but nothing is luring me in like some of their bigger hits. “Reelin in the years” “hey nineteen” “do it again” “Rikki don’t lose that number” and “dirty work”. Definitely can see their influence on Vulfpeck and particularly on the Katzman heavy tracks. I anticipate another Steely Dan album on this 1001 so hoping I can start dropping some 4’s and 5’s.

Meh

nice

Still can’t get into steely dan

This was an alright album. Can't Buy A Thrill was better

kinda funky. too many sax solos. not for me.

Bueno, pero olvidable

h

Was good. Chilled with great instrumental pieces and guitars.

meh

Nice background chill music.

Not the genre I was expecting from the album cover. I really enjoyed a couple of songs, the rest weren’t bad, just not my cup of tea.

Aja is a shining example of jazz-rock at its finest.

never hit my radar and not an immediate win wither. the sounds is fine but not quite sure where it fits in

Very technically gifted, jammy yacht rock. Not sure that it's all hitting very strong but there are some fun feel good tracks here.

Really enjoyed this. Can’t decide if it’s 3* or 4 ? ***

Nothing really stood out. Decent background.

Quite liked most of it without ever really loving any of it.

"When all my dime dancin' is through I run to you" (Aja) "They got a name for the winners in the world I want a name when I lose" (Deacon Blues) Entiendo que es por el género pero qué cuesta arriba escuchar canciones tan largas. Me gustan mucho a ratos pero en seguida pierdo el hilo.

Mezcla de spandau ballet con música de ascensor sin tanta música. Sin más. Como vacaciones en el mar, pero menos alegre.

Jazz rock. Interesante.

Classic yacht rock.

i was not expecting this to be so funky and energetic, so i was pleasantly surprised, but they didn't seem to diversify the funk

All very similar. Enjoyable for a first listen. Good to play in a group as it serves as good background music.

Somewhat forgetful but funky without a doubt.

A new one for me

Nothing mind blowing, pleasant, enjoyed it, but ok

It took me back to the 70’s, that cruise, that piano bar, a pina colada! I kinda liked it.

good sound but maybe a little too chill, feels like I'm in a Panera

Funky and jazzy. Definitely enjoyable.

rock with yacht vibes 3/5

It was something!

Not a huge fan of the music, but max points for musicianship and production values. Immaculately produced record. 3+

Gefällt mir super gut und ich will sie in meine Library aufnehmen, aber gleichzeitig weiß ich nicht, wann ich sie hören würde. Ich glaub, dass war beim letzten Album schon ähnlich...

Nice.

Spotify. Fave song "Deacon Blues”. 3.5

Melodisk 70’er pop/rock, kor, instrumentalt, behageligt

I have no idea what to expect here, I've only heard their one big hit and it's not on this... It's a bit more disco/funky then expected, but still just rock. Like softer but similar to early Toto maybe? Gets pretty jazzy here and there but without actually being jazz, which is a good thing. 3/5 - 1 for not being a genre I've been beaten over the head with already in this list, 1 for being good musos and 1 for apparently being a couple of real weirdos haha

SAAI!!!!

There’s a lot of music that I have grown to appreciate as I have put more years on my clock. Things that would have made me sick when I was a teenager and beyond. I have welcomed some prog, a fair bit of jazz and fusion, some more extreme metal that just wasn’t for me at a younger age. Certain things though remain on the blacklist; most country (I am trying), classical (I’m happily resigned to not being bothered), Pink Floyd (yes, sorry everyone in the world) and motherfucking Steely Dan (not in the least bit sorry to anyone anywhere). My initial issues as a kid were largely instinctual having not really heard them, but eventually it became obvious they were a band I “should” be listening to. I didn’t sit down one day to make it happen, I just occasionally heard bits and pieces which without fail would confirm my instincts. I guess it would be fair to explain my big problem. Well, I have many but I’ll keep it brief. I think my biggest beef is their constant need to show off how clever they are. Every song sounds like the result of a semester long project at the Smart-Arse Musical Academy. I can listen to album after album of Zappa being overtly clear about how smart he is musically, but Steely Dan somehow just relentlessly rub our noses in it. Also, the aesthetic of their recordings are so macro produced to buggery, that no matter how much they try to incorporate funky rhythms or jazz chord structures, they always end up sounding like the whitest people on earth. No soul. I can tell how sampling them works: a snippet might have a retro vibe and maybe just a few chords. The sample saves the listener the requirement to process the two switches in time signature and three key transpositions that were about to happen before the “chorus”. OMG I just checked; I’ve got 3 more and a Donald Fagen solo to go. I will diligently listen to them all of course, and then I will, in good faith, be able to close the book on them for ever".

Feels like music you hear at a whimsy theme park

i do not enjoy the music of steely dan

mario kart musig für boomers

Bien

And a half

You nerds will never get me to like Steely Dan.

The production is amazing, but the music itself is so dull.

The first 10 seconds are the best part of the album.

I hate this band, so much. Their sound, their music, just about everything about them makes me recoil every time. Is this a fair assessment of their talent, or the quality of this album? Probably not, but, fuck Steely Dan. Couldn't wait for this one to end and be relegated to the "never again" pile.

I don’t get them. Musicians seem to love Steely Dan and especially this album, but I don’t get it. I hear the crisp sound and I understand that the engineering is good. The musicians are good. But I don’t like the music. No hooks, no soul, very over-sanitized for my taste

This stuff after Slayer? Who makes this damn list? That is a cosmic-joke or pun. But okay...I prefer Slayer and I don't much like Slayer. But both are better than Kanye's fantasies, definitely. (ABBA/ELO sre still the kings/queens of dismal vinyl listening. So, there's that.) Once upon a time, I had the honor to listen to Levon Helm and guests at one of his jam sessions in the barn. It happened that Fagan played along with Levon and his family. That was a high-point of anything Steely Dan-adjacent that I can say I enjoyed. I like the hits, but then the rest of the album has to be listened to. Is this yacht-rock? Yeah, I hate yacht-rock (but not as much as I despise Swedish pop-banal). I put up with this for about 40 minutes (which is donated to this cause). But never again. Still, better than ABBA/ELO. 2 "because the hits are at least good memories" stars.

Whether you want to call it dad-rock or yacht-rock, Steely Dan is actually a jazz band disguised as a rock band. And listening to it, thinking in terms of jazz, the album is more palatable. With that said, on this album I find a lot of songs outlast their welcome. And at some point in every song, it starts to sound like the opening for a sitcom from the 80s or 90s. I applaud the experimentation in style and production, but the lyrics are the mood-killer for every song. I just find them ranging from cheesy, to trite, and on to the realm of nonsensical. I would've been just fine with this as an instrumental album.

Sounds the same from start to finish.

04/10

The technical production on this is so clean. Maybe too clean. Talented musicians cycled on and off tracks to perfect a sound that just isn't captivating. I know that Steely Dan hate belonging in the classification of yacht rock, and I understand why, Yacht Rock is supposed to be fun! Peg

Nope. Boring as shit.

I don't like yacht rock, and unfortunately, Aja wasn't able to change my mind.

4/10

I rlly wanna like steely dan but alas, I’m not a white dad

Aja is the german passive aggressive way to tell someone that what the person just said didn't interest you at all how fitting

at least it's short

Steely Dan never sounds like I think they're going to. I always immediately forget what type of music they play as soon as I stop listening to them. It's all perfectly fine music, but bland. I want them to be more interesting than they actually are. This was only 40 minutes long, but it felt interminable.

I can appreciate the musicianship, but it's way to soft for me.