Aja

Gear: Focal Clear (ZMFed) Artwork: 🔳⛩️🩸 Produktion: 🎧😘🤌 Musik: 🎷🍷😏 Wertung: 🍷🍷(🍷)/5

we will not be doing any more steely dan

Not sure why, just not a big fan of their vibe

A lot of talent and craft went into this album, and it just did absolutely nothing for me

Didn't love it

Has not aged well at all.

- Quite disappointing, especially after being surprised by Steely Dan's \"Countdown to Ecstasy.\" Probably why I am being as harsh as I am. - I was not raised with Steely Dan, so my point of comparison is Chicago; this sounds like Chicago with much less brass and much less heart, which just makes it sound like dated easy listening. - No stand out songs. I almost got into \"Deacon Blues\" and \"Peg.\" The title track grated on me (and when on for over 7 minutes).

These guys are talented musicians, but I just have a hard time getting through the songs. Not my favorite musical era.

Feels like this album was AI-generated. Technically sound but boring and lifeless.

Really not my bag. MOR listless 70s rock. Couldn't even make it to the end 2/5

Trop mou pour moi

Not my style. I can understand why it's popular, but I think it's quite mainstream and a lot of other bands have done similar work a lot better.

Trying to get into this music feels like trying to pick up an extremely smooth, slippery ball. It keeps sliding out of my grasp. Who is this for??

I feel like I’m waiting on hold to play the game where I tell my internet provider that I want to cancel so that they lower the monthly cost back to what it used to be and act like they’re doing me a huge favor.

I was today years old when I found out that Steely Dan is just glorified elevator music. If the rest of the album had been more similar to “Josie”, it would have been so much better.

They clearly have a very talented group of musicians. Somehow all the songs sounded the same? I didn't know Steely Dan was a jazz group basically. The repetitive nature of the ridiculously long songs had a lullaby effect on me. Sort of like elevator music.

I'll never understand this music.

In a dinner scene from the film Knocked Up (2007), Paul Rudd's character complains that the music industry has changed and that Steely Dan wouldn't have a chance today. Seth Rogen replies "maybe that's because Steely Dan gargles my balls," and that line alone has steered me away from listening to them for over 15 years. Aja was an interesting listen, swinging wildly between gargling balls and kicking ass. The final tally favors the balls unfortunately(?) but there were decent runs of jammy, inspiring instrumentation. Not bad, but I wouldn't be upset to go another 15 years Dan-less.

Please, no more Steely Dan, I can't take it...

I don't think I really like Steely Dan. Similar to The Doobie Brothers with Michael McDonald, I just don't like the vocals. It all just feels kind of...lifeless? I'm not sure why or when I would be listening to music like this. 4.5/10 (2.25/5)

Apart from one brighter spot (Peg), this puts the difficult grind into easy listening, and the offensiveness into its inoffensiveness.

Not for me.

Is this the soundtrack for Dary’s Super Soft birthday party? Steely Dan is so boring. I don’t get it.

impeccable production on garbage-ass songs.

I don't get the hype around this at all. It's like the worst parts of rock and jazz combined. No question flawless musicianship but this is dull at best

Not my cup of tea, but probably gets rated highly by others.

I hesitated before even pressing play on this one. It was everything I expected - a full dose of 70's yacht rock. The sort of thing that would have played in a restaurant when I was a kid, or in an elevator. You don't notice it enough to dislike it. A star for musicianship, nothing else of note

People keep telling me I need to like Steely Dan, but Aja only reinforces why I don’t. It’s a bland mix of elements that should work but somehow don’t. Polished to the point of boredom, and occasionally so cheesy it’s hard to stomach.

This was okay. A bit too scattered and jazzy for my liking.

I really enjoyed Countdown To Ecstasy so was excited to dig into Aja, but left feeling pretty nonplussed. It feels a bit elevator-y, very easy-listening and lacking in any real edge. Musically, it's solid and the songs are well written and constructed; It's fine and inoffensive but just can't think of any reason to keep it in my rotation.

More like Steely Yawn amirite

Sure, it's slick, beautifully produced and it's executed with brilliant technical precision. But, it bores the shit out of me so...

Do I have to?

Only really liked Peg. Groovy but not something I can listen to straight through.

Gets an extra star because my mom likes it.

Steely Dan reminds me of music you’d hear from a lounge act in an outdated hotel. It’s fine as background music, but there’s much better, more engaging “yacht rock” out there.

Two stars for being the source of that De La Soul sample.

Hmm. Never really been a Steely Dan fan. Album was jazzy, but in an elevator music kind of way. Maybe it was technically clean, but without much feeling. I guess I liked it better than I thought I would but not enough to come back to it for another listen.

Okay, so here is the problem with this album, as well as Steely Dan in general. While there may be an occasional catchy hook or funky baseline or sweet jazzy solo (which are in abundance on this album because of the longer song structures), every track is placed alongside possibly the most mediocre vocalist and songwriter in rock history. There is absolutely no character to Fagen’s voice, making all of their songs, with some exceptions of course, being some of the dullest you could find from a generally critically successful band. To break these points down, I love the groovy guitar that kicks off the intro track, and I’m a pretty big fan of the penultimate “I Got The News“, as well. However, everything in between varies from alright to boring, and while I said the, jazz solos are some of the highlights of this record, the extra long structures that allow those to happen are largely a negative for me. The title track drags on terribly, even if that beachy vibe that the album gives off generally feels the most at home here. Then there’s the equally long “Deacon Blues“ which bored me to tears. I’m also a big album closer guy. A lot of weight is placed on the finale to do its job, and what does “Josie“ do? Absolutely nothing. It’s arguably the most lifeless song on here, and aside from nice guitar work, the song does not follow the penultimate track’ unique energy, leaving the album off in the most uninteresting way possible. Look, I’m not a straight up Steely Dan hater, but it’s difficult to justify a band with a leader that is just so stripped of personality because that very much bleeds into the music. I don’t hate Aja, but in no way shape or form do I think it deserves the classic status that it has.

Meh

Intricate instrumentation that seems to be not just free of a distinct emotion but at times disconnected from the song itself. The modern sounding sonic elements in Peg seem like the could be used to create a better song in someone else's hands. Much ado about what I'm not sure.

There are some aspects that I appreciate how they come together/how they’re composed. However, I’m not sure if it’s a couple instruments that take me out of enjoying it or if it’s just the production but I didn’t like it enough to return to it as whole. Aja, Home at Last, Peg were my standouts and I wonder if a current cover would make me like them more. Some songs are a bit too long. 2.5

I don't get it. I love jazz - always have, but admittedly have never enjoyed rock jazz. It always comes across as cheesy. Maybe it hasn't aged well with time, or maybe it's a generational thing, but man, oh man, this album just screams "I'm rich and i love to do cocaine. Come to my key party in the hills." I dunno.... it's jazz rock. I think Steely Dan has done other more interesting works. This one... yea, incredible engineering and production quality - astounding. But the song writing just... it's boring, cheesy, and sounds really.... white. Like, this is what they would play in a Trump Tower elevator.

Damn this is bland. It’s very well performed and produced, but it has to be a collection of some of the most boring songs ever written. I have a pretty high tolerance for yacht rock, but this is as edgy as a marble. Peg is nice, I guess.

Not terrible

Steely Dan will always make me think of my Dad, which is nice. But I have to question his musical taste with this one. I think they probably have better albums than this? Musically it was okay but I just wasn’t really taken by it

This is just what I was expecting. Clearly the musicianship is good but there is nothing likeable about this

Es ist die perfekte Musik zum Socken sortieren. 70er Jahre Schum-Schum mit leichter Jazz und Rocknote. Da klappts mit dem sortierten, kaum Highlights mit einem Hang zum langatmigen Verweilen.

Didn't like this. Bland, easy-listening. Maybe a 1, but not quite that painful.

This is like the third or fourth SD album that I've gotten and I still don't get what I'm supposed to like about them. There's bot even a standout track here. Hard pass.

Wasn't for me. Felt like elevator or hotel music.

“Hey yeah we’re perfectionists how dare you rap artists sample us we are gonna sue you. Also we stole from jazz artists note for note but have we mentioned we are perfectionists?” Dinner-cruise-ass music.

I guess that this is surprising for being perhaps the most 80s soft rock from the 70s. Can't say I enjoyed it much.

Un po' noioso e monotono

I can listen to it but I don’t have to. The songs where too long for me to fully concentrate on them.

Gør ikke nogen fortræd. God produktion - alting står krystalklart!

listened 1x. 1.7/5 not my thing

This album SOUNDS like it's out of my price range. 2 yacht club membership rejections out of 5 ⛵⛵

Jazz vibe to this one, quite a lot of saxophone which was enjoyable but not something I would listen to regularly. Another semi abduction album as I would put it, maybe some background music whilst you’ve come back home from a date and trying to get those romantic scenes going. A fine album, some songs feel like they dragged on a while too long

The make out classic, it's just so skeezie smooth sounding to me. Like everyone involved had jello shots and the sounds all smoothly blend into a disco-eezy blur. I also condemn this as being overplayed on FM radio. Barely worth 2 stars.

"Drink scotch whiskey all night long, and die behind the wheel"? WTF?o didn't know steely Dan went that hard. But seriously, get me off this elevator.

I gave this a 2 because I love my wife. could i write poetry to this? n

I don't care for the music or the vocals from Steely Dan. Other than that, they're OK.

Funkig jazz är faktiskt lika tråkig som jazz visar det sig. Det är inte dåligt men inte heller bra. Det bara är. Och det blir ju sällan kul.

Andra Steely Dan-albumet. Obegripligt att de får flera skivor på listan. Detta känns verkligen menlöst. Lite som bakgrundsmusiken i ett byggarstrategispel från 90-talet. Finns inga hits eller krusiduller.

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

Yacht rock through and through

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.

hmmm.. at least it’s only 40mins

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

5/10

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

Blandest bland that ever blanded.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

No

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

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.

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.

Quite boring...

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

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

Superb arrangements but overall boring

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

big old floppy one right here

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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…

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

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.

Mediocre

It only gets a second star cause people liked it I guess

I can see how TECHNICALLY this is great, but I found it dragged on and on

La première et la dernière not bad, sinon j'ai préféré l'autre album d'eux.

Very passive, felt like background music :/

2.5

Eentonige hippe jazz, muziek is aardig maar tekst is kut 1.75

Like being lightly sprayed with magnolia paint while eating a bowl of vanilla ice cream.

Non mi ha particolarmente colpito. Quando sarà uscito sarà stato sicuramente un album innovativo. Non mi ha suggestionato particolarmente né interessato. Del resto è comunque un buon album.

Kinda boring

Aja is hailed for its production value which is undeniable but the album as a whole is quite boring.

middy dan

Really enjoyed it at first, but it got old fast. I would rather just listen to an actual jazz album.

Was decent but not really an artist I love. Bit down the middle of the road for me.

A bit too slow for me, feels like 1 continuous long song.

There is only 2 songs on this album that is under 5 mins long. I just read that this was the first yacht rock album. Like Yacht rock seems like it should be barred.

5/10

Easy n boring

Plääh, ei oikein lähtenyt käyntiin. Innostuin lenkillä, mutta levy oli jo ehtinyt loppua ja artisti vaihtua. Ei aiheuta minkäänlaisia tunteita.

Fine background listening

I liked the first song okay but my open mind started closing pretty quickly. The second song, Aja, reminded me that I don't like jazz any more now than I ever did. That feeling remained for the rest of the album. I'm glad that Peg got put to better use being sampled by De La Soul. I can appreciate that the musicians' skills and the production are really good, but the music itself just isn't for me. So it deserves to be on this list, and I can understand how people like it, but I won't listen to it again.

the songs are quite lengthy; i don't mean to be disrespectful, but it's just not my taste at the moment, and i'm not very familiar with the genre srry omg

I'm sure there is a market for this. Could workin a hotel bar.

Country Bee Gees. Appreciate the bass mix - hate the bass sound. Surprisingly chiller than I expected as background music. But still pretty bleak.

It’s fine. Boring background music. 1970’s definition of “good production” means nothing to me.

Very jazzy, ihop vibes

Sehr langweilig

Music to write 70s porn to.

The vocals really put me off. It almost felt like the singer had a voice that would fit a different genre of music better, but I'm not sure what that genre is.

Nothing special really Didn’t captivate me

White man's jazz funk. A lot of old people complain that musicians these days don't play their own instruments, but they forget about Steely Dan -- technically proficient, yet overall shit. 2.8

Didn't enjoy any of the songs prior to I got the news, Josie is also good. Black Cow starts strong but fails to keep my interest. Pretzel Logic is just a better album, but Aja finishes strong.

Bad

This album starts out with an excellent song but from there it just gets more boring. I enjoyed the sound of the electronic jazz, but all the songs just started sounding the same and they lasted way too long. The music sounds nice and is well done, but there's just no backbone to it. Stand out songs: Black Cow

Try as I might I've never been able to get into this album. I like their others but this is just so bland. No hooks, that's the issue.

Not for me.

Kedeligt

Echt moker saai dit. Goede productie maar vind het echt heel saai, ik ga streng zijn en geef twee sterretjes

Mix rock jazz Blues. 70s

on the second track. like the chill vibe so far. overall i think i dont vibe with it that much tho. i like home at last. (especially the beginning) overall chill and sometimes its musically interesting to me and i like the style. not that crazy tho. since this is my first album in this thing its hard to give it a rating. i dont really know where it stands compared to other albums in the list. (i like the cover design and title font) i didn't really listen to the lyrics maybe they are itneresting but didn't catch my attention most of the time.

Meh

Meh, enough fire, did not grab me

2. Yawn.

ey nunca vip io

It's a no from me. One of the most 'session musician does a recording' album we've had. Lots of musicality but where does it go? Round and round and round.

Huske kje, sikkert terningkast 2 som vanlig

Well produced but boring af.

Dan, steely

cheesy, boring music you hear at a sandals resort. enjoy your nostalgia. There were 22 seconds of Josie I enjoyed.

jam band? jam band! jam jam jam jam jam balaya jam jam jam? band? jam!

It is what it is. I didn't expect anything else. Really not my thing.

Steely Dan is the band people talk about when they want to sound intelligent. I fucking hate Steely Dan and their dentist office smooth jazz castoff. 2/5.

I don't get it

I saw a lof of rather negative reviews and I get where they are coming from. It's not for everyone, which is fine. It worked forme on an early morning on a sunny day, but I probably wont listen to it again.

Dull

Wasn't terrible, but also kinda meh.

Funk-tatsic

I don’t understand why people call this a perfect album. The music is slow and overwrought

Liked peg, 1st half of album too long

First time listening to a Steely Dan album - time to see what all the fuss is about. The groove out the gate certainly caught my attention, but things never really carried my excitement from there - except maybe the occasional moment of recognizing a sample or two I've known forever but heard in its original context. I would definitely enjoy this album more if it were strictly instrumental - the vocals really do nothing for me. And even as an instrumental album I wouldn't love it, I would simply enjoy it more than I enjoyed this as is. The music is very obviously well-played but it's far too cream-of-wheat for me.

Ok. Interesting finding the song De la soul sampled for eye no. Some sounded like musicians joined the session later not knowing what the tune was.

booped along during work

Our second Steely Dan album in less than a week, eh? Okay then... Right off the bat, I had to check and make sure I had the correct song queued up, and yep, I sure did. And now I know that Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz sampled the opening snippet of "Black Cow" for their song "Deja Vu (Uptown Baby)". I prefer the latter track (that opening bit is as funky as "Black Cow" gets, so kudos on separating the wheat from the chaff on that one, guys). I also prefer the De La Soul song "Eye Know (The Know It All Mix)" over "Peg," which it sampled. Two quality hip-hop samples from one Steely Dan album. Who'da thunk it? Unfortunately, the familiar sampled bits were the highlights of the album for me. The rest of it was too soft rock for my taste. Or perhaps I should say "yacht rock," a brilliantly descriptive term I was just reminded of. This definitely feels like rich wypipo on a boat music.

Aside from Peg, this album fell flat & was boring.

Two Steely Dan albums in a week is a bit too much for me to take.

2 not a steely fan

2.5/5 This album reminded me how much I really dislike saxophone/most brass and pretentious jazzy sounding music. Every song sounded the same, and didnt have anything catchy about it. I'm sure the artists are/were talented but it just came off like every person in the back thought they were the star. Will not relisten to this.

Wack

With a straight up feeling of a 90's late night show "The Late show with David Letterman with Paul Shafer and the CBS orchestra", not rock enough even soft rock, not even al dente. Not jazz enough, not funk enough. If this is what yacht rock is, I think it came pre capsized. "You're neither cold nor hot. So because you are lukewarm, I will spew you out of my mouth." - Bill The Butcher

I was Steely bored!

It's a bit like having toast without any butter, it's acceptable but meh. At least I now know where Deacon Blue got their name from.

No es que sea un disco malo, que no lo es, pero bastante olvidable y un tanto repetitivo en algunas canciones

Funky but very samey

This one doesn't do much for me. Definitely prefer Can't Buy a Thrill

Steely din

Actually suffers from being too well produced... makes it sound very cheesy, but generally a solid listen. A slightly harsh 2*

I just can't get into this. They're great musicians, though.

Not my cup of tea.

creepy old man in a van tunes

I wanted to like this because I feel like as an aging middle-aged white woman, I'm nearly obligated to love stuff in this realm, and yet, here we are and I am bored to tears. There's nothing wrong with it, per se, but I don't find anything particularly right with it, either.

I thought there were a lot of songs I enjoyed by Steely Dan. Maybe it's the Velvet Underground effect.....I was blown away by Velvet, dived into all their music for several days, then ripped on most albums afterward, because they didn't compare to Velvet. Well, as Prince would say, "Nothing Compare 2 U" and Steely had the unfortunate circumstances of following Prince's 1999 and several days of binging on nothing but Prince. I do like Josie and even Peg. I don't like Deacon Blues because of the line, They call Alabama the Crimson Tide. Fuck Alabama, the OG of cheating in college football. Most of their team can't spell football, let alone speak coherently. And their inbred fans are some of the worst, but not as bad as all the Michigan arrogant assholes who don't realize their last consensus championship happen during WWII. But when your mom and dad are brother and sister, I suppose your life should revolve around football. Back to the album. Nothing got me excited or made me want to download any of the songs. Still though it was OK, but nothing to get excited about. I have a feeling it's going to take a while for the Prince buzz to wear off. 2

Technically good with good production and interesting harmonies but the songwriting is uninteresting and feels soulless

Boring. Really boring.

No thanks

So jazzy. Great musicianship but I couldn’t sit through this one.

Please no. Boring, dated and just not good.

Pfff....saai....Muzikaal zal het best prima zijn. Maar ik krijg mijn aandacht hier niet op gevestigd.

This was the one Steely Dan album that I had heard years ago. Back then, I didn't understand the hype at all. It's just mildly groovy, adult contemporary dad rock with little that grabs my attention. I think I liked one song. Hearing it again now, a new man with thousands of listening hours and an expanded palette since then, I've reached the same conclusion. The one song I like changed, but it's still mostly nothing for me. I've liked the other Steely Dan projects so far, but this one for me is a dud. Favorite tracks: Black Cow (used to be I Got the News). Album art: The cover is actually really cool (red white and black at it again). Some weird shape of color, and then suddenly you notice a woman's painted face. Far, far more interesting than the music it denotes. That's why I listened all those years ago and was so disappointed. 2/5

2.5/5

This album exists in my head as "the" album that guys born in the 50-60s use to test high end stereo equipment. Obviously a very high level of production, but I do not get excited to listen to the album.

2/5. It’s a technically good album but it feels like a group of people who just found out that jazz was a genre and made a whole album to try it out. I don’t feel the passion in it.

slickly nihilistic

Easy to listen to…perhaps too easy.

My lord

Incredible how some people get albums produced.

A good album but I have my issues. Vocals are an issue for me - no sense of command or facilitation. They hit the middle spot of being a bit wishy-washy. Musically, it is highly intricate - the mixing is insanely good (something I never appreciate unless it's an extreme, an example of bad is enter the 36 chambers, but obviously there are reasons). However, this in some ways can be detrimental to my enjoyment. "Smoothness" is something I enjoy in small doses - a guitar lick, a saxophone solo, a cymbal crash. When every track is smooth it lacks the power to grab me. Good music not great music, would play at a dinner party when I am 50. Fav song - Peg

Well, after three Steely Dan albums so far, I think I can say with some level of confidence that it’s just not my taste. I did like “Peg,” though!

Its really good Not really my style though 2

Meh. I know that’s sacrilege to the diehard Danimals, but I just don’t care. Peg is a bop, but the rest of it is pretty bland.

I had heard of Steely Dan, but I didn't realize it was soft rock. Or as I found out: Historically, Steely Dan has been most often and best described as jazz fusion. This is distinct from progressive rock (another common descriptor of Steely Dan) in that jazz fusion incorporates other musical elements like funk and reggae.

I just don’t like it

The first Steely Dan album I've listened to in full. Sounds like a collection of '70s TV themes. Peg is fun but better when sampled by De La Soul. Seems a bit directionless

Blazing out of the seventies and into your open plan sunken lounge comes Steely Dan. Like car keys in a bowl it sounds good in your mind, but in real life I'd be the one who cycles to the party. Felt this way about the album, a bit of a let down

Ultra easy listening

Okej, men inte mycket mer.

Not a Steely Dan fan.

Short, but concise album by Steely Dan, a jazz/rock ensemble with a core of two musicians: Walter Becker and Donald Fagen. The record itself is a very broad mix of of many jazz and rock subgenres, giving it a rather unique sound. The album is a quintessential leisure music - what I mean by that, it's a perfect music to relax and enjoy during a quiet evening, with a lamp of wine. The songs are really well written and produced, it feels like every track has its purpose, every instrument and every note is meticulously pre-planned and arranged. Steely Dan knew what they want and they achieved that in 100%. Songs are, from a more distant perspective, very similar to each other, it's easy to miss a transition from on to another, which feels like it's a one continous 40-minutes track, stretching for whole album. As a fan of different type of music, I had a rather hard time enjoying it after first few minutes - I felt like it's very repeatitive and unoriginal. In a context, album like that released in 70s must have been a great occurrence - not only it's something new, but also played and produced to perfection. But right now, it just gets lost in the sea of plenty of similar, or quirkier bands.

Não soou para mim nem como rock, nem como jazz.

I don't really get the point of this kind of music.

Very meh album…nothing stood out to me at all but never heard a band like this before.

I guess if I'm evaluating an album on the technical marvel of its production and the elaborate nature of the performances, then I would be lauding the genius of this album. If I am being honest though, it's just feels too full of itself to be enjoyable.

I enjoyed the instrumentals on this one

Nah. I mean this sounds like an album someone with a very expensive audiophile stereo would appreciate. It has great musicianship and instrumentation - but rather soulless and forgettable. It’s not devoid of humor but not enough to absolve it.

Could not get into this at all

More Steely Dan, but still no Do It Again :( Honestly I got very little enjoyment out of this. Had a lot of jazz-rock lately and it continues to bore me more than it impresses me. The sound may be good, but it doesn't *sound* good, y'know? Little snippets of lyrics I caught interested me more than the music. That, and the fact a couple tracks (Josie and Home at Last, I think) had decent choruses, just about earns it two stars.

Nojaa nojaa… on aika faijamusaa kyllä. Olis voinu olla vähä jotenki enemmän proge tai sit mennä enemmän sinne simon&garfunkeliin 2/5

Aja is relatively inoffensive but uninspiring groove rock stylings with some jazz, 2/5, move on.

Just a bit dull, really. Inoffensive, and a bit one-paced. No stand out tracks (unlike the last Steely Dan album we had), but it's well put together. 2/5.

Hmm neesten 1/5

minne om sånn pappa høyre på

Om ja sku ha levt på 70 talet sku ja antagligen ha kunna lyssna på dehär... Men int just nu

Wasn’t really feeling it

They’re good at playing what I’d consider, crap.

No sabía que existía el género dw Yacht Rock (anda, ve a buscarlo), pero me hace sentido. Eso sí, no es de mi gusto. No lo volvería a escuchar.

Another reason why punk rock had to happen. What was the idea setting to listen to this when it came out? A sunken living room with shag carpet and smoking skunk weed? People rave about the production but sure, if you like sterility.

This feels like a dentist office in 1983. Steely Dan is so weird to me---like, this was nominated for album of the year? Really? /shrug

Not a standout

Hmm no

technical but not soulful

Steely Dan was a term of abuse and now I see why, technically good but soulless. One star bonus for being sampled by De La Soul

Not my taste

Steely Dan is an ok artist with about 3 decent songs. His album with reeling in the years on it was acceptable. This is just pushing it. It’s alright but there is nothing that says to me ‘this is in the top 1001 albums ever written’

You either want killer songs or to be taken on some kind of journey. Don't really feel I got either with this. It just felt like an exercise in studio production

I actually love how cheesy this album is. I just wish each song wasn't so long. I keep zoning out before I can get to grips with the vibe and the story then I zone back in and Steely Dan is singing about China and I really want to know why but I do not want to listen again from the beginning. So that's not ideal to me. Just make each song shorter Steely!! I do like the vocals and the music is very tight. I'm low level pissed off at three songs taking about half an hour though haha, finding it hard to get past that. Maybe I would get on better with another of his albums.

A ovo ono mi je glazba, lagani gay jazz. ali ova stvar "Peg" znam od prije, i super mi je stvar, i iznennadio sam se kad sam skuzio da je to on, ali to je jedna stvar, pa dvojka

Smooth. Too smooth. So smooth there's actually nothing there.

So so, middle of the road...yawn

There's better Steely Dan albums for you dad's out there... fight me

Idk, with cover art like this, I would expect to listen to something interesting

Too bland to escape beyond muzak-level recognition - some interesting melodic ideas, but nothing punchy enough to draw attention.

This feels like endless elevator music with words. The recording quality does feel very high but not enough to compensate for the monotony.

Like a mix of Fleetwood Mac, Hall and Oates, and Barry Manilow. I prefer the first two, but the title track swings a little too Manilow for me. Peg is a feel-good classic. Generally, the album feels like it's missing soul and is too rehearsed or produced to get at my rock or jazz tendencies. It ain't natural.

not one i would really revisit. i like the lil jazzy bits tho

I’ve forgotten what I was going to say about this album and that in itself says it all

Real rating 2.5

I only recognized "Peg" from this record. The rest was pretty groovy in a kind of 70s booty music way. It kind of ran together for me and nothing else really stuck out. Maybe it requires another listen to appreciate but I will probably not do that.

While the musicianship is good the songs are dull and all sound very similar. Although that may be due to the production that is, to me, too clean.

It didn't offend me, and as background lounge music it worked ok. Very forgettable though, couldn't tell you the name of a song after.

Rockin lounge jazz, not great music

Ik had er meer van verwacht, werd snel saai

Beetje suf, weinig boeiends aan.

Anders dan de bandnaam doet vermoeden (Fagen and Becker named the band after a "revolutionary" steam-powered dildo mentioned in the William S. Burroughs novel Naked Lunch.) is dit wel echt enorm braaf zeg. Prima om aan te horen maar het wordt nergens ook maar enigszins spannend. Zoutloos.

Arjan kan jullie vertellen wat een Steely Dan is. Laten we het erop houden dat de muziek een stuk braver is dan de naam doet vermoeden.

It was quite nice but did nothing to grab me.

Da sprech ich Tags zuvor von Funk (ugh!) und schon kommt da was seitwärts angefunktes und die Ecke. Anfangs wollte es mir gar gut gefallen, bis mir schwerfiel zwischen den einzelnen Songs zu unterscheiden und alles zu einem langen Stück wurde. Wochenenden kann man die jedenfalls gut im Hintergrund haben, war bei Miriam Makeba auch so also gibt es: 2.0

Kjedelig

Meh

Eh. Enjoyable but not for me.

I do not like Steely Dan. Their music sounds atonal and uncanny in an unpleasant way. This album is technically proficient, and I'm sure fans would enjoy it, but it is not my jam.

I have never been a huge fan of Steely Dan. There's a certain "cheese factor" that gets in the way of me truly enjoying the music. And the vocals are not that pleasant for me. As far as supermarket jazz goes, they do it pretty well I guess. I have always felt that I "should" like them more since they are so well respected by people who's music taste I admire. But it's just not for me. This album is fine, not my favorite by them though.

Too much instrumental for my liking, couldn't stay focused for too long. Best song on the album in my opinion was Josie. It had a groovey beat, and some smooth lyrics.

Not my thing, kinda boring

not my thing its so boring

This does absolutely zero for me. Highly polished nothing. 1/5 - very weak

Nice groove. Not interested.

Saccharine

Second Steely Dan album in the same week. I am having a shitty day and I am hating this album. I am finding the singer's voice super annoying. This could be background music in a fancy and pricey coffee shop.

Pop plus piano bar jazz but not pop enough for any real hooks and not piano bar jazz enough for anything to grab you. Almost like it was designed to be background music of no consequence. But other Steely Dan can be good, so I am not at all sure why anyone considers this to be the pinnacle of Steely Dan. Deacon Blues is almost good.

Exceptionally dull

I don’t like this at all. Genuinely unlistenable.

"Critics and audiophiles applauded the album's high production standards", says Wikipedia. "Smooth jazz-rock from the 1970s..." Oh, good grief, I'm going to hate this. After listening: Yep! Genuinely a contender for the worst album I have ever heard. If I ever get kidnapped by nefarious actors who wish to torture me, just play Aja and I'll give you whatever you want before the first bar is even over! Excruciating!

Yacht rock.. Vill säga vanilla, men det är en kränkning mot vanilj. Detta är som om man gjorde glass på vatten

I don't get it. 39 mins but feels like it goes on forever. 1/5.

Too produced and smooth jazz like for me

I like Steely Dan. I did not like this album at all.

Absolute bollocks! Just another american drivel rock album. Putting a load of talented musicians together does not necessarily make a good band. That’s another 40 minutes of my life I’ll never get back

Perfectly produced dreck.

I hate this

This could be the worst of the seemingly neverending collection of Steely Dan albums on this list. Easy listening to the point of banality, can't remember any part that caught my attention. Definitely no prog or jazz that sometimes appeared in the other stuff. Nothing else to comment on really, very much not essential.

Chevy Chase was Steely Dan's original drummer. And that's the beat thing I can say about them.

Still sounds like elevator music to me. I feel like I’m not on the correct sedatives to enjoy it.

I couldn't get past Track 2. This is everything I hate about 70s music.

Yacht rock vibe

Why?

Nicht so meins

un disco peor que el otro lpm

Please no more bland psychopath dross.

yeah baby, let's sing along, yeah, baby, being your whole neighborhood too, yeah, let's be smooth and sensual, baby, let's consume only weed, no alcohol, no hard drugs, let's sleep enough, let's eat enough, let's maintain a good relationship with our parents, oh come on, baby, don't brood, take some weed

I always KNEW there was something off about Steely Dan. Their profile says they "never truly enjoyed rock." Imagine making music you don't like! How can you possible expect anyone else to like it?!. This is bland. I couldn't tell the difference between the popular songs and the obscure ones. We are going through a very bleak patch on 1001 albums!

Kind of boring

There was one song that led to a de la soul song and that was nice

Gähn

Musically proficient but completely devoid of feeling. Great cure for insomnia.

zero soul negative aura theres only one reason why this album is so highly rated, ethnic nepotism.