Aja

Exceeded expectations

An absolute perfect album from top to bottom. The attention to detail is unparalleled. The cadence of the songs is perfect. The overall length of the album is exactly correct.

There are not many albums that have contributed more to rap music while being excellent in their own right, and none of the others have the greatest athlete in a sport named after them. Really impressive influence on this one.

The greatest artistic achievement ever made by cocaine.

goat

Going to just hang this one up on the Peg and leave it be.

Pfft. One of the greatest ever recorded. 50 stars out of 5. Don't even play.

3 Hadn't listened to Steely Dan before this and was pleasantly surprised about the album. Definitely an older sound but I really liked how it was put together and found the experience really enjoyable!

Did I just listen to a hotel’s lobby music?

There are some nice ideas on this record, but overall it comes across as a bit drab and boring to me.

I didn’t really understand any of the songs, but god damn the production is SILKY

I liked it

Mjög solid plata. Mikið pródúsuð en grúvið og þéttleikinn náði mér.

Of stílhreint og snyrtilegt fyrir minn smekk. 40 sessjón spilarar, þar af 6 mismunandi trommarar. Svakalega flottur hljóðfæraleikur samt auðvitað og fínt í kokteilpartý. Never mind the bollocks kemur út mánuði síðar, sem betur fer.

An amazing album from one of my favorite bands. It's probably their best overall, although I personally prefer The Royal Scam. The hits were great, but I've always loved "Home At Last" the most. Between the solid bassline and, well, Bernard Purdie, it's probably my favorite Steely Dan track in general. The production is top notch, the composition's perfectly smooth, and the instrumentation is eternally interesting, with each new listen offering a view from a different angle... so good. Also Michael McDonald's there

Yacht rock through and through

A great album, each track has merit, but Deacon Blues is my favourite.

The perfect yacht rock album that blends smooth jazz and a hint of rock. Throw this on while exploring the various islands of the Bahamas and you'll be in heaven.

Zu viel Jazz, zu wenig Rock! Soundtechnisch spitze! 3/5

Fun classic album, fun and funky beats

I understand completely why someone might not like this album. That being said, I love it. It isn’t my personal favorite, but it would be my pick for their best work. They’ve never been as on it as they are on this project. The writing is stellar, the instrumentation is perfect, and the production is even better. Better than perfect. How about that? The range is here, the structure is here, the vocals are here. It’s a party. Steely Dan has a unique sound that makes them stand out and it is most iconic, in my opinion, on this project. Aja. 5/5

Love Steely Dan! Standouts: Josie, Peg, Deacon Blues, 4/5

Really good and extremely bland at the same time. If it was a normal band, I would say it was an ok album. But it's steely dan, so this is disappointing.

Where Can't Buy A Thrill bored me, Aja with it's jazzy influences is pretty good.

The sound is amazingly clear.

Steely Dan's most consistent album.

What can you say about Aja that hasn't been said about the Mona Lisa?

I don't think they ever released a bad album. However two or three albums really stand out, Aja is a great record. Worth owning on vinyl just for this beautiful cover,

hmmm.. at least it’s only 40mins

Pleasant and well produced but honestly a bit bland. Feels like late night supermarket muzak….kinda nice muzak just not that interesting

Not for me but I can appreciate that it would have been a huge sound at the time of it's release

I was curious why people go so insane for this album when to me, it sounds like boring elevator music. Apparently they strived for musical and recording perfection and it took a shit ton of effort to make and is thus hailed as the holy graal of sound engineering. But i'm not a musician, I dont have a musical ear and I listened to it on a shitty speaker so all i'm earing is boring elevator music... 2/5

pretty cool

5/10

Great album start to finish. 4.25

Appreciate steely Dan, don’t really listen to them

Peg!

I was already familiar with the singles from this album, and the whole album is fine. Steely Dan always sounds so polished and highly produced that it is almost off-putting for me somehow. It's hard to explain. The album is good, but I just have to be in the mood to listen to it.

Banger after banger

Shows that they're incredibly talented but like 40 minutes of very little difference

"Aja" by Steely Dan is a masterpiece of jazz-rock fusion, showcasing the band's exceptional musicianship and sophisticated songwriting. Released in 1977, the album is a seamless blend of jazz, rock, and pop elements, featuring intricate arrangements and stellar performances from all musicians involved. Tracks like "Peg," "Josie," and the title track "Aja" are standout examples of the band's ability to craft sophisticated yet accessible music. The production, overseen by Gary Katz, is pristine, highlighting the intricate instrumentation and impeccable vocal harmonies. While some listeners may find the album's meticulousness a bit sterile, it's hard to deny the sheer craftsmanship and artistry on display. "Aja" remains a classic of the jazz-rock genre, showcasing Steely Dan at the peak of their creative powers.

Kino

Not a fan of jazz, but when you infuse it with rock things change. This is as smooth as a good cocktail while watching the sunset onboard a yacht. It is absolutely the definition of Sunday easy listening, but it's never boring thanks to the jazzy melodies and instrumentals giving the music a ton of flavor. Delicious stuff! Standouts are Black Cow, Deacon Blues, Home at Last, and Peg.

Fun listen! Didn’t realize how much funk-leaning Steely Dan was until I listened to this.

Blandest bland that ever blanded.

Mjög notalegt og skemmtilegt.

仍然對爵士不是太感冒、

It was unpleasant, but not necessarily my cup of tea. I didn't realize that Steely Dan sang Peg. I recognized that song and none of the others.

Same review as Pretzel Logic. I don't understand what emotion this music is trying to caption or evoke. The songwriting is creative, but the performance and production are about as boring as it gets. Very listenable, though. Very inoffensive. Favorite song: Peg.

Loving the Wurlitzer solos on this record. They're fun and add a lot to each song. I love the jazzy elements of this album as well. The instruments are also mixed super well. It sounds very good. I don't love Deacon Blues, the story is a little silly in my opinion. I'm starting to like this less and less the deeper I get into this album. I feel like it had a lot of potential from the first couple of songs.

It was good! Not my favorite Steely Dan record, but I liked that they went full on jazz for this record. The extended songs lengths and different instruments was fun. I enjoyed it!

Classic. Layers and layers of sound. Old school cool.

The only good thing about listening to this is that I now know where the sample on Eye Know by De La Soul came from.

The only thing that I know about Steely Dan is that they were named after a steam powered dildo from William Burroughs’ drug classic The Naked Lunch. This album feels very polished and technically accomplished but like several other classic albums on this list, it didn’t grab me. According to Wikipedia this is classed as Yacht Rock, so maybe I need to own a yacht before I can appreciate it properly?

I like prog rock. I can appreciate funk. I love jazz. And yet, while mixing these genres, Steely Dan succeeded to make this album deeply blunt and boring.

I don't think that I ever before listened to a Steely Dan album, but I liked this release from the first bar. I love the the horns section. The sound is fantastic considering the year of the recording.

I should probably mark this as 'did not listen' because I couldn't stand more than a couple songs.

This is the 2nd Steel Dan album I've had on this list. I loved the first one, so I had high hopes for this. I just don't get it. Nothing about this feels inspired or interesting. Fine as background music, but that's about it. Even Bernard Purdie sounds uninteresting on the 2 tracks he got - that's almost impressive.

Pretty chill throughout. Standout Songs: Deacon Blues Peg

It's not bad. I would listen again. But it's, honestly, kinda boring.

Ehhhh. It's ok music, but the vocals just get under my skin.

9/10

Black Cow // Deacon Blues // Peg //

I think this is my second Steely Dan album so far in this journey, and this album was not what I expected nor what I remembered the first album to be like. This one had smooth, soft, sexy vibes. Overall it was fine.

This a 5 holy fuck they cooking

It’s a nice-sounding, well-produced record indeed, but its sparkling yacht cleanliness comes with a sacrifice of the authentic grit that other albums of its generation were able to capture. Josie and Deacon Blue are decent tunes. Not a bad album by any means but Pretzel Logic and Can’t Buy A Thrill are both superior to Aja.

It's ok. Liked Can't buy... more

At first I thought this album was too jazzy for me (in an annoying satinated way) but I think I'm starting to get it (still, not even close to my love for Can't Buy a Thrill)

opens with very 70s lounge vibe. more easy listening than I was expecting; not rock.

Incredible musicianship on display. Very chill, funky vibes. My only knock against it is that it is a bit TOO chill. There’s really only one mood that this goes with.

Best elevator music ever

Funky and fun. I was definitely surprised by this one. Will need to listen more and more to get a sense of what they are doing.

sounds like Steely Dan... ? They used to play that De La Soul song that samples Peg during timeouts at Sonics games in the 90s.

One helluva talented band. The track Aja gets absolutely top marks. Same for Deacon Blues. Love the track Josie There's only one possible rating for an album that showcases how absurdly talented Steely Dan are... It's a 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐😎

I'll learn to work the saxophone, and I play just what I feel, drink scotch whiskey all night long....

Just a basic 70s album. Not really anything worth listening to.

Put me to sleep. 1/5

I have never listened to Steely Dan before... This was an incredible experience I NEED MORE

This sounds all perfect and very tasteful, the musicians are obviously the cream of the crop. Even the songs themselves seem very well-written. And yet the only way this makes me feel is bored and underwhelmed. There is just no passion, no human element and (to me) most important: No real dynamics in terms of speed, loudness and yes, emotion. I never thought that 40 minutes could feel this long... I couldn't help but think of Steven Wilson, who definitely learned from Fagen and Becker's production perfection, but luckily he also learned from Pink Floyd and others how wo write interesting songs and those are mostly missing here.

Much more fun than I expected

im a steely fan

Greinilega ekkert sem ég veit um Steely Dan .... ágætt stuff svona smooth listening groove .. . alls ekki rokk, allavega ekki Aja

That's not my taste in musik. But ok - relaxing

I fell over while running last night while listening to Deacon Blues so I have some mixed opinions on this album

I know the band’s name and I know some of these songs but it was good to get a refresher and be able to put the band name to their sound. I recognized Peg immediately from being sampled on Three Feet High and Rising.

I liked this more as an adult than I did as a college student. I wasn't over the moon for it or anything, though. Individual songs really popped for me on this listen, but by the time you get to the end of the album each next song feels a bit too similar to the rest of them.

Wow okay, this has amazing songwriting, best of their career and it's even jazzier than the last album, it even has Wayne Shorter on it. A+

Listening to this in the background of my day it was good enough for a couple of play throughs. The kind of album my boomer parents would have loved.

I quite enjoyed this album. Pretty vanilla sounding 70s jazz rock. Just funny to think that the band was named after a "revolutionary" steam-powered dildo mentioned in the William S. Burroughs novel Naked Lunch. Steam powered!

I've never got into Steely Dan - talented musicians, tight music - but I get zero emotional response listening to them. Feels cheesy.

Another catch up album for me and the 2nd SD in a week. Pretty much the same as pretzel logic to me, I never sought them out in my younger years but was not too bothered by the “hits” in the background. The caveat to that is, I may have been under the influence of some Indicas at the time. 1.5/5

Masterpiece! If rock and smooth jazz had a baby it would be Aja. This is the type of album that makes me happy and calms me down after a hard day. Musically and technically perfect

Black cow was the only song I reqlly enjoyed, mainly due to the title

Not feeling it

Good but feel like spyro gyra is a more classic fit for displaying the ultimate example of this style of music.

I hated all of this. Most of all why is "Asia" spelt "Aja", you cynically ironic blue-eyed white yacht jazz-rocker motherfuckers?

Commercial jazz/rock. These guys are great players, the recording is crisp and clean but the songs bore the hell out of me

Didnt hit as hard as the first one but its a nice groovy one.

It's not my favorite, but this showcases some of Steely Dan's best. The incessant perfectionism and use of scores of musicians is most apparent on an album like this. They did what they set out to do, and did it well

Top notch

Good

My second Steely Dan album in this project and I can now say with absolute confidence they are the most overrated band of all time. I will say the production is great. But the music maybe be the blandest I’ve ever heard. It’s menu music for Gran Turismo. 3.7/10

If you like light jazz, but I don’t like light jazz

4/10

Muzak/easy listening is fine, and this is certainly better than standard yacht-rock. The jazzy feel definitely helps it stand out. Top tracks: Deacon Blues, Josie

Perfection.

It’s fitting that Steely Dan named themselves after a dildo; their music comes across as a mechanical facsimile and is bereft of any humanity due to their obsession with manufactured perfection.

Huge Steely Dan fan and I always found it odd that this is their "go to" album for many people, as I find the songwriting to be inconsistent and this is probably my least favorite of their various albums. Deacon Blues, Black Cow and Peg are great tunes, but some of the others are completely forgettable (I Got The News, Home At Last) and the title track sounds like a long and boring mistake.

I'm guessing this is likely to be our only Steely Dan album, which is great, although I do wish we'd gotten whatever album has Boddhisatva on it (but I appreciated the few radio songs that were on this album too). I've always enjoyed listening to Steely Dan, but I also feel like one album is more than enough to give us a sense of the style and flavor; his music is largely interchangeable, so getting another selection later on would be a bit disappointing. I'm glad we got this though!

I'm not a Steely Dan fan yet somehow I recognized nearly every song on this album, so I've got to give them credit for sneaking their way into the vernacular.

I don't care how crafty they are. Steely Dan sucks.

Just perfection from front to back - this is steely dans masterpiece (and I love all their records)

This is shit

I hated Steely Dan then and I can’t stand them now. I would yell from the back seat of our Ford Grand Torino wagon to change the radio push button as soon as these songs reared their head, and as an adult I still never got past the first measure without turning the dial. Known for taking forever to record their records while in pursuit of sonic perfection, SD ironically produced pieces of work like Aja that are simply boring as hell. I would expect my rock n roll friends to punch me in the face if they ever heard me listening to this yacht rock drivel. In 1977 there were so many more exciting bands happening from Cheap Trick to The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, Elvis Costello, The Jam, The Police. Hell…too many to name. The single one positive on this album is the bass being provided by Chuck Rainey whose list of albums and artists is also too long to name.

I used to frequent a bar that had bands play on the weekends, often cover bands. When we’d walk in and see it was the Steely Dan cover band that night, we were so disheartened. We hated the songs and thought the band sucked… but in hindsight? They were nailing it.

Steely Dan’s smooth, meticulously crafted songs often find their way into environments where unobtrusive background music is preferred. For example: - A doctors office waiting room - The DMV - An elevator - Super market aisle - Call center hold music - A dentist chair during a root canal - My parents Subaru in the early 90s listening to Memphis’s top smooth rock station FM 100. Truly the sound of purgatory. I wanted to round up because I guess it sounds okay…but if I have to listen to any more of this I might inflict pain on myself.

Steely Dan is the answer to the question: what if we combined jazz and rock and made both worse? And then what if we took that and made it bland AF? And Steely Dan was like, "hold my low calorie beer." Not like this is a BAD album... it simply evokes zero emotion other than feeling like a douche bag while listening. I think of all the albums we've had thus far I would be most embarrassed for my wife to walk in on me listening to this one. Not because it is the worst album of the bunch. But it would be the same as her coming home to me literally watching paint dry or grass grow. Snoooooze. 1.5/5

Great soft rock album, very calming to listen to. Everything feels so polished.

Josie is a great song

Another late 70's classic. And with the addition of Steve Gadd on the drums, this is really about as good as it gets for what we now classify as Yacht rock.

Sounds like elevator rock music

Amazing

Probably my favorite album of all time. The arrangements, production, and engineering, and quality are simply the best!!

It's competent but really boring. 2.5 rounded down.

No

Better jazz album than other ones. Solid 3***.

I've avoided Steely Dan as a I see it as a sign of an aging white male. Listening to Aja for the first time was educational. Several great tracks, some extraordinarily famous samples from hip hop. Honestly, I wonder why I've avoided it so long.... I'm getting old aren't I?

Was okay, good background classical music

So this album is a great example of how my current emotional state impacts my musical ratings. First played when what I really needed was an energy boost - said 'fuck no' after 2 songs and reverted to Green Day; would have rated a 2 or maybe even a 1. But then this afternoon, cooking and chilling, listened again and felt the right groove. Would rate a 4. I'll dollar cost average to a 3.

Should come with a warning to not operate any heavy machinery while listening to this album.

I think I thought I used to like them but frankly this album is as musak-ally stale as a 1 wk old loaf of bread. Bored out of my mind. Can’t really find anything redeeming here.

Wow - enjoyed this album immensely. What a great groove — Planning to listen again in the summer whilst cruising in my rag top with my K9)

After almost 2 years in the studio, and with the help of 40 studio musicians, Fagan and Becker did it. They created the ultimate music to celebrate a really terrific pair of slacks.

Peg makes me want to listen to De La Soul. Can't really imagine rocking out to this. Steely Dan is an acquired taste I'm sure. It's got some good saxophone and harmonies. They got Wayne Shorter on the title track. I think I just crave some more volume and edge and maybe leaning into grooves a little more instead of the impressive transitions through song component parts.

I’m smiling as I’m reading the bad reviews of this album that all the sweet summer children are leaving. There is some time travel movie or book I saw or read once and forgot where the main character is a passionate believer in one thing at one point in his life and a zealot for the other side captures and tortures him and then later it’s revealed that the zealot is him from the future who has been converted to the other side and goes back and tortures his younger self. You then learn that it’s half hatred inspiring the torture of his younger self, but it’s half love. That is how I feel about people who don’t yet love this album. And I say “love” not “like” because one day you will love this album. It is inevitable. The day your goatee becomes predominantly white, this album will arrive in the mail on vinyl, no postmark or return address. You will look at it disdainfully but put it on - because why not? - and it will sound to you like the best thing you have ever heard. You will goggle at the way its seven songs burst with sophisticated changes, exquisitely played by such jazz luminaries as saxophonist Wayne Shorter and keyboardist-vibraphonist Victor Feldman (both graduates of Miles Davis’ ‘60s bands) and session pros like bassist Chuck Rainey, drummers Steve Gadd, Jim Keltner and Bernard Purdie, saxophonists Jim Horn and Plas Johnson, pianist Paul Griffin and guitarists Larry Carlton and Lee Ritenour. The hypnotic suavity of the musical concepts and Fagen and Becker’s propensity for writing brainy, elliptical lyrics will thrill a part of your soul that has always been there waiting to emerge. You will fall down on your knees like Saul on the road to Damascus and when you rise you will be Paul. And you will love this album with the type of fervor that only the convert can have. I smile as I read your one-and-two-star reviews calling this album boring elevator music because I was you once, and it seems like it wasn’t that long ago. But two things are undefeated in this life: Father Time and The Dan. And both of them are coming for you. One day soon we may sit together and discuss how “Black Cow”’s silken, soul-derived groove (propelled by Rainey’s fat bass lines), Feldman’s pristine electric piano solo and Tom Scott’s tenor sax outburst all cloak the tale of a man at odds with his drug-addicted, promiscuous girlfriend, whom he may or may not be clandestinely stalking. We will hear that unmistakable gravelly voice singing “Peg” in the background, and I’ll say, “Steely Dan sought out the absolute master of every single instrument that was played on this album to contribute, and the voice is an instrument, which is why they hired Michael McDonald as their back-up singer” and you’ll smile and nod. Steely Dan’s unique blend of smooth sophisticated music and complex and dark lyricism will unite us as brothers and we will commune together enjoying this album with no hint of cynicism or irony because we will have moved past those concepts and be far too enlightened to engage in such trivialities in what we will know is the entirely too short amount of time remaining to us in this life. And on that day, both of our backs will hurt.

I like this album. Some people don't, but that's okay. Not every type of music is going to appeal to everyone. Fortunately, Aja by Steely Dan is an album that appeals to me. I enjoy the sound of this album. It's got a nice blend of rock, jazz, and blues to it. The instrument work is quite nice, and the production is very high quality. The songs are good. There's only 7 of them, and they're all pretty decent. The writing is solid. There's some thought put into it. Would I call it one of the greatest albums ever made? Probably not. I get why others would, but I don't. The album is somewhat repetitive, but with the album only being 40 minutes, it's not that big of a deal. Overall, this is a good album that I don't get the hate behind. 4/5.

Impeccably produced. Wonderful melodies. 5 stars

Technically this is amazing, from both a musicianship and recording standpoint. But it lacks any edge. There was nothing here that extracted any emotional response from me at all. As such it sounds like top quality lounge music. Just not my cup of tea I guess.

Rating: 6/10 Best songs: Peg

jazz inflected rock/pop. Who knows? This has been one of my top ten albums for listening to for years as it is just so well put together. Steely Dan definitely created their own place in the world of sound and again show what amazing craftmanship can do. Lyrics can be obscure but have some excellent lines and wry humor as well.

Yacht rock vibes at it's finest

fire drums. steve gadd. Bernard Purdie.

Sonic confidence Instrumental perfection So smooth sing-alongs

Very 70s, quite fun and smooth.

nisam ga dozivila bas :/

Ok al jazzy mi cesto bude malo dosadnjikavo.

It’s fine Asia thinks Aja is fine, I think if I were someones uncle I’d like it more

Perfect. Perfectly sterile

This shit sounds like the MASH theme song played at a dentist's office. Pure garbage.

Second Steely Dan in a row! Good for me bonus. This is not one of my favorites, but still good - 4 stars

Funky jams and great composers. This is an album to listen to multiple times. 5/5

Smooth and funky

Not my favorite. Reminds me of the adult contemporary station the cool dads listened to in the 80s. A little jazzy and some good musicians but just not my sound.

Wow this album blew me away. Loved it. My favorite songs here are probably Aja and I Got the News, but really the whole album is so good. Will definitely listen to this again.

Pretty groovy album over all. I like steely dans top songs so it was cool to see what other stuff he had. Might listen again. 3/5

JazzRock, 1977 -> 3

Steely Daniel coming through with an extremely solid album. Thank you Steely Daniel, very cool! Best Song: Home at last Worst Song: N/A

Took me a while to get through the album because I had the first track on repeat.

Good production and musicianship

I inherited this record from my mom so I do always associate it with a nice vinyl soud/classic 70's yacht rock vibe. It's short enough where all the tracks are good but my stand outs are black cow, deacon blues, peg, and josie. Good hypnagogic sound.

Enjoyable

Are you kidding?? One of the greatest musical recordings ever. Still, not my favorite Steely Dan album, it's undeniably an incredible recording (from a technical standpoint) with some top-rate musicians. "Home At Last" is probably my favorite track from the album, if I had to pick one.

Without question, Aja is a desert island album that hits all the right buttons. Funny enough, I don't know if I would say this is my favorite from Steely Dan, but this would be their most consistant and immaculate record with some incredible playing and songwriting which perfectly encapsulates what Walter and Fagen were up to. And like any good Dan album, underneath the buff and polish, there hides an alluring dark underworld that showcases a cast of freaks and weirdos behind a backdrop of music that has some serious grit baked in. I may not understand the lyrics, but dear God do I ever feel it.

3/5. Didn’t think much of the album until I got to “Home At Last” which I really liked, but this style of music just isn’t for me. A hair too mellow.

A timeless example of premier jazz fusion. Aja is some of the best and proficient instrumentation and song construction known to man. The longevity of these tracks in the new found "dad rock/yahct rock" lore in memes is proof of how much testamanent will come of these few songs. I been a real big fan for steelyn since a young age and will continue to so.

Impresionante. Gracias por recordármelo.

Really nice discovery, added on the buying list

Classic, yet ever fresh, new sound.

Geggjuð klassík, þó það væri ekki nema bara fyrir Peg sem er algjör demantur.

An all time classic. I can't count how many times I have listened to this. I've listened to most of their albums and enjoy them a lot. 5 stars all day.

Great easy listening.

Nice sound but nothing spectacular about the music

There's no reason why anyone should love Steely Dan but there's also no reason on earth to hate them. This is as smooth as music gets. A great British rock critic once told me that there was never a bad time to listen to Steely Dan and that sort of sold me on them. This isn't the highest of their peaks, but it's a piece of work. Deacon Blue is a beautiful example of the texture, and lyrical agility of Becker and Fagen. Peg is an absolute pick up for any moment - though I think I have to thank De La Soul for that.

Quite torn between 4 and 5

Masterpiece

would make great karaoke music

High 4. Solid.

Not my taste

Quite boring...

I like Steely Dan. Good band. Some real classics. The band made its mark at a time where music was astonishingly "good" and a tremendous amount of great music was produced. I always considered Steely Dan as "somewhere in that mix," neither at the top nor the bottom of that very talented and prolific pile. So... does this album stand out, above and beyond? It is well made, professional music and I must shout out to a few gems in the mix. Aside from those, it must have to be someones "thing" to really get into past "yeah, it is pretty good."

A fantastic funky listen, short and sweet. 4/5

3.5/4 So much fun...funky you might say

Steely Dan's most concise and well constructed album. From a technical standpoint, it's hard to top this album. Every song is meticulously crafted, from the composition down to the final mastering and mixing. Every single instrument stands out, yet blends together simultaneously. This album may not have produced their most listened to songs, but every song on Aja is great. No fillers on this one. The drumming and sax solo on the title track is superb.

I hadn't realized how many Steely Dan songs I had heard throughout the course of my life. That was quite enjoyable

Love Steely Dan!

Easy listening, I really enjoyed this!

so bland. not bad musically but i could never listen to this for fun there’s nothing interesting about it

genius

Alors, c'est bon mais c'est plaaaaate.

Enjoyed something I hadn’t really listened to much before!

Superb arrangements but overall boring

I love this album. This album makes me so happy, even at its saddest moments. These are the 3 things I like the most about this album: First, the lyrics. Becker and Fagen had already shown their lyrical talents on previous Dan albums, but the ones on here are some of their best. They create the atmosphere of a night out in New York City, where we are being given detailed descriptions if the people we meet Next, the session musicians. This album has some of the most notable musical collaborators in the Dan canon. These include Bernard “Pretty” Purdie on drums (Deacon Blues, Home at Last), Larry Carlton on guitar (every track except Peg), Denny Dias on guitar (Aja), Chuck Rainey on bass (all tracks except Deacon Blues) and Steve Gadd on drums (Aja), just to name a few. Every collaborator adds something wonderful to this album in their own way, whether that’s Dias’ guitar solo on the title track or Purdie’s trademark Purdie shuffle being brought out for Deacon Blues. Finally, the production. There’s a reason most people who have heard this album call it one of the best produced album of all time. It’s mainly thanks to producer Gary Katz and engineer Roger Nichols, who both made sure this album sounded as crisp as possible. And they did it! Every individual instrument sounds so clear that I could focus my attention on one of them and hear it perfectly for the whole track. In a word: MASTERPIECE

Was boring but reminded me of Jordan

Whack

Steely Dan is a top 5 band in my life. Loved Aja when it came out and a lot of great memories then and now.

A bit too musak-y for me, Peg was a solid track, but the rest quite forgettable

definitely not my thing.

It’s an okay album. I’ve never been a huge steely Dan fan and this doesn’t really change my mind. When you listen to the album, it has a jazzier feel than I remember from them….but its just okay.

Surprisingly liked it. Chill songs and nice to listen to in the background.

score hasnt changed from when it was released.

Dude this not…great

An absolute classic. I always forget this album is only about 40 minutes, because it is so epic and monumental. However, the length just goes to show how lean and strong it is all the way through.

How many Steely Dan’s albums do we need on this list? It’s perfectly fine but it lacks a bit more substance and excitement overall. [0125/1001]

Actually really enjoyable!

I love the Dan

cumple buen sonido no lo habia escuchado vale la pena darle una escuchada

my god the reviews for this album on here are abysmal… y’all have obviously never drank scotch whiskey all night long and died behind the wheel 🙄

front to back, this one is a stone cold classic. every song on this slaps and is just a wild jazz rock ride. love it!

Very chill album.

PICA

Was great!

Black Cow is solid. The rest is a little boring but not terrible

Solid album containing several of their hits.

1+ Stars (3/15)

Sounds so good

I've never been the biggest Steely Dan fan, but they are really good at what they do, and they never disappoint.

The lyrics feel very bland and dull. Nonetheless, the production is fun and great. I love jazz-rock but I'm not sure about this one, it might not be my cup of tea. The songs feel to long. Won't go back to it. 6/10

Funky album

My first time actually listening to Steely Dan and it was quite enjoyable! I’ll be checking out more of their work.

Pretty good

I think that the bass was stale and the rhythms were very elementary and not in a genius way

big old floppy one right here

4.5 three masterpieces alongside 4 good songs

Brilliant album. Must listen with quality headphones. There are so many tiny details that add to the quality of the production.

Ugh not a fan of this - jazzy, 70s elevator music.

The smooth background vocals of Michael McDonald!

I'm not even going to dignify this with listening to it.

Enjoyed that more than expected to.

all time favorite

It's got the vibe

these geezers didn't miss with this one, makes me wanna attempt dance moves i can't pull off. fav tracks: aja, peg

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Another great one from these guys. Often regarded as their magnum opus, Aja (pronounced "Asia") shows a confidence and maturity in the studio. Both in performance and production value. 4/5

Good stuff Still new to steely Dan, feels like I need to listen more to get more into it 1st 3,5

The players are clearly very good. I like the drummer. I have a lot of friends who are way into Dan. Although I liked this, I kind of just wanted to listen to Earth Wind amd Fire instead.

Es del 77 pero a mí me suena muy ochentero, seguramente porque sería cuando esas cosas llegaban aquí. Creía haber escuchado a Steely Dan pero seguramente me confundo con alguien porque no lo asociaba a este estilo. Como se dice ahora, "muy chill".

Game show/sitcom intro sounding music. A bit of jazz fusion thrown in the mix. Feels like it would be fun live but this just isn't the kinda stuff I can listen to a whole album of. Which is strange, since on paper, this is my kind of 70s music. The end of the title track was a definite highlight.

I enjoyed this album! I have heard of Steely Dan, but never heard before!

Fantastic!

Absolutely terrible

Black Cow is good. The rest? Not that great. Does it deserve a spot on the wall? Probably not 4/10

Kinda smoooth jazzish. Lots of horns. Would sound good in an elevator or waiting room.

It grew on me as I listened, super groovy

* Very light, smooth, music to go to sleep to. * Definitely not my kind of music generally but maybe if I was in the right mood. I always wanted to get into jazz but maybe it's just not for me if this is one of the greatest albums ever. * The longer I listen the more I think I could be into this. Maybe I'm getting old * OK that's where that De La Soul sample comes from Every song I'm thinking "OK this is not for me" and then 2 minutes in I change to "This solo is banging" and the song gets an extra star or two but overall it's only going to hit my infrequent rotation list.

Classic Steely Dan with lots of hits. I'm not a big fan, but this is a worthy album to be in the top 1001 all time good albums.

This is the album to point to. The masterpiece. I like Royal Scam a bit more, but Aja is just good, front to back. The production is amazing.

Not my favorite Steely Dan album but Deacon Blues is one of my favorite Steely Dan songs

my type of jam, almost 5 stars

Not a big fan of the saxophone (I guess is a saxophone) in many tracks. I don't get the mix.

Untouchable.

Such soothing lyrics and music. I forgot how mellow and happy music from the 70’s was.

Not what I expected, in a good way!

Feels like peak dad rock - couldn't really get through it! Feels like a mix of jazz, a little funk and some pop rock; sounds like department store music

Very familiar with this album. One of those classic recordings that will live forever...

It was alright

Bored me a little bit, but I would not dare to say it is a bad one. Expected Marc rating: 3

M'ha agradat bastant, és un altre cop un jazz molt fàcil d'escoltar i molt agradable. Expected Lorenzo rating: 3

Great jazz rock album, but can’t seem to get the sterotype out of my head that Steely Dan is Rich People Music

I knew I didn’t like Steely Dan…

My first introduction to Steely Dan. The album was enjoyable as a whole but only "Peg" stood out to me as something I'd want to revisit frequently. I see this isn't generally considered the peak Steely Dan album, so I'm looking forward to getting more because this was on the cusp of being something I'd really like but not quite there. 3.5

very nice

I believe I enjoyed this

This was my first full listen of Aja. I had previously only been familiar with a few Steely Dan singles. Home At Last was a stand out track for me- excellent jazzy guitar solo and fills. The bluesy solos midway through I Got The News and Josie were really smooth too. I love the bass groove and vocal melody of Josie, but I'm not big on the actual lyrics. I didn't care much for Deacon Blues- the Crimson Tide reference was pretty cringey. Black Cow, Aja, and Peg were mid for me- technically proficient and I can appreciate the craftsmanship, but they just didn't resonate with me much. Overall I enjoyed the music throughout the album a lot, but the vocals and lyrics were VERY hit and miss for me.

Loved this a lot more than I thought I would. Fun jams

Very good album. Struck nice balance between arrangements and jam segments. Sound: there are a lot of great similarities to Japanese city pop and jazz. Would consider buying this.

Couldn't make it through the whole album. Background music for a 70's porn shoot.

Boring songs

With apologies to the people I follow on Twitter, this is just jazzy nothing music.

amazing!!! new fave!! funky and wildly instrumental and catchy

pretty good, really only liked the songs i already knew. short and sweet

So chill

I liked this! Short sweet upbeat oldie vibes

Easy listenig as far as eye can see

This album is filled with a bunch of AMAZING production, to the point where you start to wonder how an artist was making their music sound this good in 1970. Personally, I think that all the songs in here are not only repeatable but they all have really catchy choruses, synths that draw the listener back in, and it was such a pleasant experience listening to this album.

Steely Dan went elevator jazz and I’m not mad

Atmospheric

not sure about this, never really felt the love for Steely Dan. sounds just like every other jazz tinged band from the 70s.

This is one of the best albums I've heard. The wildly interesting composition and just the variation among the songs is truly something beautiful. I think that Steely Dan is a criminally overlooked band that needs more recognition for their BEAUTIFUL music. If I could give a 4.5 rating I would

Bloody brilliant. Enjoyable, catchy, cohesive. I love this album a lot it’s great, the instrumentals are amazing and just the musicianship is excellent.

Not a huge Steely Dan guy but this album slays. So chill and yet funky at the same time, and just insanely gorgeous production.

Not bad but not really my style. Very lounge-music type of listening, a little too soft/easy for my tastes.

Sounds like it was made by like... a cool frog? v funky Black Cow - great bassline feels somewhat dated; jazz influenced, very seventies (harmonies on Aja)

Pleasant, but I don't get why it is on this list. It's nice to hear and that's it.

I like that album. It sounds very smooth, it is pleasant to listen, its lenght is perfect. In my opinion it is one of those albums in which end is better than beginning. I almost gave it 5

Sounds just like you’d expect songs by a band called Steely Dan would.

A little jazzier (re: too much sax) than I'm usually up for, but I was baking cookies in my kitchen on a rainy Saturday and it was nice to listen to. If I was doing embarrassing mom-dances while mixing up batter, no one needs to know.

There was nothing wrong with anything on this album I just wouldn’t ever choose to listen to it again and “would listen again” is my bar for 3 stars so…

My mom loves Steely Dan so this album permeates my childhood memories. I like it a lot more now than I did then, is it just the nostalgia?

I don’t know that I loved the songs themselves, but this was just so satisfying to listen to. It was so well-produced and pieced together so perfectly. I enjoyed it!

i def listened to this one ans forgot to rate it. giving it a 2 bc it does not stand out in my mind even a little

uhhh yeah it's steely dan. I've never really found a way to hook into steely dan and I still haven't! they're fine!

My dad must have turned on the Weather Channel and then walked away again, leaving me to listen to the Doppler radar music.

One for the ages! Fantastic!!

Not sure if it's me starting to get burned out to listening to new music every day, but this didn't really move me that much even though I felt like it should. Can't put my finger on why. 'Peg' is a cool song though!

Smooth but kind of boring. "Peg" was a good track but i think I could leave the rest. Maybe it just needs a few more listens, I just didn't feel like I got it. A strong 2 or a weak 3.

I love Steely Dan! Great album!

I heared it long ago, back in beginning eighties. It was not so impressif.

Funky riffs and alot of charm

Great

I hate Steely Dan, this is the worst kind of dad rock and don't get me started on their fans!