Aja

Beautiful, clean, doesn’t quite hit me like the best of the best on this list but definitely grew my appreciation for them and their legacy

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

I went looking through some of the negative reviews of this album. It was interesting to see what naysayers had to say. "They took no risks." - First off, the band was polished, and playing a great blend of smooth jazz and rock. I don't see many other bands doing this type of music. Not sure what KIND of risk you are hoping for. "The songs went on forever." - Punk songs go on for only a few minutes. One thing I found interesting is I always think of "Aja" being this epic song. But "Deacon Blues" (which I love) is about the same length. So I can see people being a little squirmy for songs at 8 minutes long. (Although I do not have a problem with it.) So it really comes down to not liking the style of the songs. And really, the pieces here are great. Even the ones that did not get traction on the radio. The secret weapon here is Michael McDonald. God, "Peg" is just such an astounding song. And MM's background vocals... just SLAY me every time. "Black Cow" was one of the tracks on a best of I heard and was like... "WOW!" Josie I think I heard here, first, but it grew on me really. The two songs left are not as great, but they still are really good. If you haven't watched the Classic Albums series about this one, find it up on youtube or somewhere. It's really insightful to this album. And like they said, it IS a classic album.

Oh, there you are again Steely Dan. Had a flurry of 3 albums in about a month and now it's been almost a year (and over 220 albums) since the last entry. I continue to put them in my list of classic rock artists I respect (more than I did when I was younger) but still don't completely get. Probably not surprising since this album is jazz-infused rock and I also don't get jazz. I find it funny because I always loved soft rock Chicago but never got into soft rock Steely Dan. The multitude of jazz players on this album are quite impressive and I really came to appreciate the complexity and grandness of the sound and the whole production on multiple listens. Lyrics too - they seem strange at first but when you listen and start to figure out the meaning (e.g., Aja, Deacon Blues, Josie) it's pretty sly and interesting. Definitely an album that grows on you (Black Cow and Peg being good song examples of that) but I may still be underappreciating it.

27/08/2022 Steely Dan – Aja 4/5 Looking around reviews of the album on the website, most of the complaints talked about how generic and how much like “elevator”, “shopping mall” or background music this album sounded like. I consider myself a fan of this type of music, and I think that to make something perfect enough to conceal itself on the environment is not as easy as it seems. Apart from that, the tracks in the album sound fantastic, full of good vibes and catchy melodies. The jazz influences make it not very repetitive and good enough to listen to it on its own. And it is also a great album for sampling. A couple of bad notes: the songs end being a bit too much similar between each other, and those vibes could be too much after a while and makes you nauseous. The voice of the singer is nothing out of the ordinary, but is compensated by the great instrumentals. Black Cow – 3/5 Good vibes, but maybe too flat and stable during its 5 minutes. I would need an interesting and more energetic solo somewhere, or a good enough bridge. Aja – 4.5/5 This one could have fallen in the same mistakes as Black Cow, but it makes good use of its 8 minutes with more variability and a fantastic guitar and sax solo/interlude and a great ending drums solo. Deacon Blues – 3.5/5 A slower good sounding song that maybe would have needed a little bit more of creativity and variety. But it is great at what it does. Peg – 4/5 Very groovy. Its stability is compensated by its short duration compared to the others. Home at Last – 3.5/5 Not bad, nothing out of the ordinary. Again, a bit too flat. Good solos. I Got the News – 4.5/5 Love the instrumentation of this song, maybe one of the jazziest of the album. Josie – 3.5/5 Good, but nothing different from the previous tracks.

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

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

Good album to work, relax, background music. Would listen again.

Nice and chill album

The production on Aja is incredible: the sound is crisp and resonant, with each voice and instrument given warmth and depth. The songs themselves are a little more of a mixed bag: some may find the arrangements too noodly or the lyrics too obtuse, but the musicianship is generally impressive.

Wow this album gets some bad reviews. SD are my massive comfort blanket. In some ways this album was their apex. Their lyrics, as always, are brilliant; full of sleaze and opulent grime. Production and muso wise it is immaculate (Go on, yawn) It may break no musical boundaries and may be the antithesis of 'Never Mind the Bollocks' (Same release year) but it's not lounge music. I love you SD. 4

Always so perfect

Taustamusakamaa ilman erikoisempia huippuja tai pohjia

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

I’m just not a fan of Steely Dan. I find them incredibly boring.

This isnt yacht rock, its dad rock. This album made me want to put on my cargo shorts and NBs, crack open a bud, and grill for the gods.

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

This seems like someone found a reel-to-reel tape of cheesy background instrumentals for grocery stores and decided to lay down some vocal tracks on it. Terrible.

Peg is a de la soul sample, wow!! Much better album than I expected

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

Love the Michael McDonald backing vocals on Peg, I got the News. Every song 5/5. Steely Dan at their best.

I have heard this many many times. It is phenomenal.

Steely Dan. Nice.

I was expecting, from previous experience with this album to hate it. I thought of it as a beautiful sounding album of boring basically elevator music. I still don't like Black Cow but the rest of the album is better than I remembered (maybe Black Cow colored my overall impression), and Peg especially is a great song. And then there's the sound, even my old scratched vinyl couldn't obscure the impressive sound engineering and perfectly balanced production. Very impressive. 3.75 🌟

Klasyczna plyta, a dzisiejsze pojawienie sie jej na liscie wreszcie pozwolilo mi rozwiazac zagadke tajemniczej okladki tego albumu, bo przed dzisiejszym odsluchem widzialem wstege, a teraz dostrzegam tam pania azjatke gustownie wymalowana, rodowod modelki nie jest tutaj bez znaczenia, bo nawiazuje on do samego tytulu Aja, czytanego jako asia, krazek z 77 bedacy szostym punktem w dyskografii duetu, a jednoczesnie ich peakiem tworczym, w ktorym synteza jazzu rocka z popowoscia jest w idealnych proporcjach, wiec zarowno mozna cieszych ucho unikalnymi gitarkowymi rifami, dac sie poniesc chwytliwym beatom klawiszowo drumowym, czy uraczyc sie harmonijnymi wokalami z liryka z podwojnym dnem i interesujaca zarowno sluchacza radiowego, jak i kogos kto szuka czegos wiecej niz doslownych znaczen, bo duet swietnie wlada zartem i sardonicznym humorkiem, tyle razy juz sluchalem tej plyty, a to 40 minut podzielone na siedem trakow nigdy nie przestaje cieszyc i brzmiec swiezo za kazdym razem, plyta z ktorej nie ma co dodawac wiecej na plejke, bo najlepiej konsumowac w calosci, ale hajlajtowymi utworami z dzisiejszego odsluchu beda dla mnie deacon blues, czyli jeden z bardziej trafiajacych w czlowieka kawalkow bandy, zwlaszcza gdy ktos jest typem przegranego, wiec latwo utozsamic mi samego siebie do postaci deacona, a kolejnym bedzie home at last, moze to kwestia pewnej tesknoty za swoim katem, ale tez ze wzgledu na nawiazania do jednej z najbardziej epickich opowiesci awanturniczej jaka zrodzila kultura hellenistyczna, wiec chodzi o odyseje

Love

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

One of my all time favorites! Legendary album by a Legendary band

Yummmm

Really solid Steely Dan, really sounds like what I think of when I hear their name. Not sure that there's anything here that helps this climb above other albums of theirs, but a great listen, will take it anytime. Love hearing Michael McDonald on "Peg", it always surprises me in a good way.

An audiophile's wet dream. The classic album to test stereo systems and whatnot. Meticulously detailed but has a seemingly effortless flow to it. Perhaps the greatest confluence of jazz and rock music outside of Miles Davis. Smooth as the baby powder that cut the cocaine they used while making this album.

Pretty damn good. I am not well-versed in any Steely Dan and it's not something I'd always wanna listen to, but there's a lot to like here. Smoooooth.

Light listening. Crisp production. First time listening to the album.

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.

From me, this would get 3 stars just for being Steely Dan. Add a star for Josie and another for the overall album.

I enjoyed the instrumentals on this one

After the second listen, I’m starting to enjoy it.

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.

I get why NL likes Steely Dan. Album feels very nostalgic. Happy on the outside, but depressing on the inside. Very well exemplified by Peg. Top songs: Peg, Home At Last Worst Songs: I Got The News

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.

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.

Love it

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.

Smooth production, not all tracks land but I really dig several of them. Favorites: "Black Cow", "Aja", "Peg"

this is SO on the boat. i didn't even realize how on the boat this whole album was until i was swaying to every single song on this album. it's so smooth and makes for great easy listening. i could instantly recognize the amount of work that went into the composition of this album, particularly with their variety of instruments! the piano and sax stood out the most, but all instruments had their time to shine and were expertly performed. i was shocked when i read on wikipedia that steely dan called in a-list session players because the music was so technically demanding--but when i pay attention to the depth of each song, it makes a lot of sense. regardless, their hard work creating this album paid off. the yacht and jazz aspects allow for a pleasant ride. it's such a cohesive album. a delightful listen. looking forward to listening to it more.

This album was soooo smooooth, all throughout. The laid back yacht rock vibes are just right on this album. The overall "feel" of this album is well composed and executed, with each song still being its own thing. I was not familiar with anything from this album, so it was a pleasure to check it out!

Could not get into this at all

This is where the buck stops here. This is it. The crystallization of the aura that Steely Dan were hoping to possess is on here. Aja would make most bands careers but for Steely Dan, not only was it a Tuesday but yet another stop on their road to glory. Phenomenal album, best listened to with either quality headphones or a quality sound system. As probably best intentioned.

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

Classic old white dude shit and I’m here for it

Great album. Love almost every song outside of the title track. Aja is just too long for me.

I am pretty ignorant about Steely Dan. I think I listened to "Gaucho" once a few years ago. The pop-punk band The Ergs have a catchy song called "Aja" which mentions this album - but for some reason I never followed it up. In my head, Steely Dan were a middle-of-the-road soft rock band, which is kinda accurate. But I really wasn't expecting the amount of funk/disco on this! I love the sound. I love the songs. I love the structure of the songs, which often opens out the conventional pop/rock song into a sprawling jam. Some elements are schmaltzy. They seem to be deliberately, knowingly schmaltzy, as an aesthetic choice - but that doesn't make it better. Overall, this is great. It's 40 mins, but every time I listen I've thought "that can't be over already??". Sure sign of a good album. 0% drag. I also want to add: the hook from "Peg" must be the absolute best sample Prince Paul used for early De La Soul. 4.5*

Okay

I don't understand how dehumidifiers work. I don't understand the space/time continuum and I don't understand the popularity of Steely Dan

One of the most underrated highly critically claimed albums. As in, everyone loves this album, past and present, but a lot of people listen to it and "so what?" Based on the user reviews on the Internet, especially on this site, people can acknowledge it tries to be something grand but that it falls flat. I argue that it succeeds in what it tries to do and deserves all the praise, but I won't spend time detailing the music theory so I hope other 5 stars get the upvotes. I think for a lot of people, this album is just too unfamiliar. It's jazz rock, but it's not like anything you listen to. Closest thing is Chicago. I will say this is my favorite Steely Dan album. I might play Can't Buy a Thrill more just cause it's more fun to vibe too and has the hits, but this album has the intricacies that I enjoying picking out. It's 7 tracks in 40 minutes, which each minute perfected. There aren't any drawn out moments, no unnecessary repetition or formulas being rehashed. Each track innovates constantly to feel fresh. Instruments pop in and out of nowhere, getting their highlight. Production is magnificient, no one sounds buried, it's never busy. They're fantastic songwriters, and there are so many moments in the album where they have these ideas in their heads they have to bring studio musicians in to replicate. Soul influence in Black Cow, disco influence in I Got The News, and all sorts of artsy jazz all over. My favorites tracks are in the middle.

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.

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.

10/10. One of the best ones out there

Probably my favorite album ever. The high water mark of what all popular music should aspire to be. You just have to listen to it. 10/10

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

Couldnt relate to this at all

Wonderful and still sounds great.

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

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

Onhan tää on niin ylituotettua, että voi tuntua sieluttomalta. Mut meikä digaa ja kuulostaa vinskalta ärsyttävän hyvältä. Deacon Blues, Peg ja Home at Last on kans ihan aidosti huikeita biisejä.

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

Steely Dan released a run of great albums during the 70's and I regard a couple of them as essential (Can't Buy A Thrill, Pretzel Logic), that are a good starting point to discover Steely Dan. Aja, the band's 6th album was moving towards more of a rock-jazz oriented sound, a bit smoother, but just as interesting. The previous records leading up to Aja (Katie Lied, Royal Scam), were a bit of a letdown and less consistent, but Aja was improved and produced an accessible sound that led to it being probably their most commercially successful record. I would place Aja in my top three favourite Dan albums and it brings back much nostalgia from my teenage years when I listen to it. A solid record, but not their best.

Steely Dan’s masterpiece is a complex album of accessible jazz rock that features prominent bass lines, jazz chord changes, funk rhythms, and virtuosic playing. This album is incredible tight, yet features some fantastic exploration. The guitar work alone would place this album at a 5, but it’s the combination with the bass, keys, drums, and brass that makes this one of the greatest albums of all time. It may sound self-indulgent to some, but this album manages to push popular forward in a more musically literate direction while maintaining its commercial viability

Wank

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.

I mean, what can you say about a classic like this that hasn't already been said. There are so many hits on here. I think I had a best of album when I was younger because I do recall listening to these occasionally. The only track that got a little manic was I Got The News. It was a little too experimental for me. Not the normal smoothness of Dan.

TEAMO

Another weirdo high-five from Steely Dan.

Egentlig helt ok. Men bare litt kjedelig?

Hmm neesten 1/5

minne om sånn pappa høyre på

Boring. You can see why punk happened.

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.

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

Verkligen ett bra album!!!!

This is like Revenge of the Nerds but instead of sexual assault they made one of the best (produced) albums of all time

Man! Shoutout till denna skiva prpr. All kritik om överprocessering tycker jag att är dum, det vanliga felet med album som förädlas för mycket i studoon är att de låter tråkiga. De låter sterila, inget unikt eller intressant. Överprocesserad musik tappar all swag. Det här albumet är inte en gnutta överprocesserat trots att det låter helt perfekt... för INGET låter så här, liksom på riktigt. Alla instrument låter härliga och fylliga, lager kommer in och ut, saker kommer in och ut ur låtarna på ett så absurt perfekt sätt.... och musiken har swag, den greppar en, vilket är det viktigaste. Donald Fagen äger också, hans nasala scumbag ass sångröst ger de elaka nedlåtande lyricsen liv, men visar ändå nån sorts iakttagande empati för de patetiska karaktärerna som fyller ut låtarna på albumet. Önskar det fanns mer sånhänt pr, det rör mig på ett sätt få saker kan, ofta är musik om empati lite väl... ointressant? Deacon Blues är en av mina favoritlåtar nånsin, och resten ligger inte långt bakom. Peg, var jag svär att backup vocalsen byter ut Fagens "Foreign movie" till "Porno Movie", något som får karaktären som sjunger sången (som ja feelar e om att få en skådespelerska av en sort eller annan att fortsätta sin karriär fast hon int alls vill) till henne att kännad så vidrig att jag spyr medan Peg då indirekt får lite empati från låtskrivarens håll. Och en hel massa från lyssnaren... (Teorin e kanske ba bs fö ja ha int läst lyricsen) Black Cow karaktären låter så småsint att de bara äger, Aja förutspådde patetiska anime-nördar 1977, Josie får jag mer sliskvibbar av... helt enkelt en lätt 5 stjärna....

Wasn’t really feeling it

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

Steely Dan was way better than I thought.

Technically brilliant but a bit forgetful, loved it when it started as can tell a lot of modern music has taken samples from this, but overall just didn't stand out. Suspect it's a get stoned and listen with headphones on album.

Good not great. Great production with a few classics.

A really good album filled with yacht rock classics.

4.75

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

How could you not like steely Dan?

Another proof that complexity and flawlessness doesn't guarantee an enjoyable listen. I mean, it's great; jazz rock fusion, incredible production, nice instrumentals... it's an easy listen. But I don't think I will come back to it. I can see why it's considered awesome, but ultimately, it felt bland as a listen.

The legendary stories about the production and musicianship of this album are true. It sounds amazing, the quirky narration pulls you into the stories about these characters, and it's just an overall enjoyable listen. I liked every song except two: Aja and I Got the News.

Yea this was pretty nice actually

Goddamn Steely Dan, you dildo-name-thieving fucks. You make lackluster songs, bathe them in sanitizing liquid until the recording is so clean it could be eaten off of, and then you get the fucking best musicians in the world to actually make them sound good. How do you expect me to cope with Gadd and Purdie on the same album? Fuck you. Four Stars.

I thought that this album had a beautiful finish on it, and only had a few dull moments for me.

Amiable audio wallpaper.

it's the mocktail hour again

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.

Damn, lekker muziekje. Normaal vind ik dit soort muziek al snel saai, maar hier blijven de melodietjes leuk. Doet me soms een beetje aan Paul Simon of Billy Joel denken. Leuke verrassing. ****

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

Sooooo much porn sax and boredom, then.....PEG. 4 stars for that alone

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

Steeley Dan is underrated. Its like the background music of our lives. This is a really great album!

Bookended by a slightly too smooth version of the Dan for me but with a delicious centre. They've done several better albums, though.

Amazing album. Current favorite song: Black Cow, Josie.

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.

One of the greatest albums of all time.. This one easy.

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

This used to be one of my less favorite Steely Dan albums (aside from Deacon Blues), in spite of being generally a fan. It has grown on me over time though, as repeated listening revealed the care and intricacy of its production. I’ve never really got the charges of their being cold or soulless. I find delivery of grown-up melancholy very poignant.

Not a standout

This album was absolutely awful. Matter of fact, it may have completely ruined the saxophone sound for me.

Hmm no

technical but not soulful

It’s amazing how on paper this band sounds like the most uncool thing, but in practice they’re cool as all fuck.

Great smooth album

The epitome of boomer dad rock. It's fine but safe and never takes risks.

I looove this record. Lyrics, vocals, instrumentation, pristine recording. If you want to test your audio setup crank Peg at high volume.

Now I understand why they’re so respected for their sound. Good passive listening, but the production takes it to a 4.

Great and unusual combination of jazz and rock/pop. Couldn't stop myself from feeling relaxed and happy by the music

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

Awesome!

Gli anni '70, quando la vita era tranquilla e i mutui al 20%. Un cocktail, una capigliatura sbarazzina e si va al mare perché fa molto caldo. Rilassante, mi piace.

Chill groovy

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.

Great album.

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

nice bit of jazz rock

Classic easy listening edition

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

This is one of those records you can toss on, do whatever, and come back mid song and pick up on the lyrics right away. One of SD’s best, and deservedly belongs on this list.

Not my taste

At one point during the title track, I thought to myself, "This one has to be over soon, right?" and when I looked at the elapsed time, it wasn't even halfway done. What a slog. Give me their earlier stuff, but not this. This is yacht rock with extra steps. Best track: Josie

This one is making 1001 feel really long. Not sure I get the entitlement of bands like this to have multiple entries on the list. Released in 1977 I'd suggest this helped inspire punk.

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’

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.

So nice

One of the best-sounding records ever made. Even if lush 70s jazz-rock is not your thing you can marvel at the playing and production. Wayne Shorter's solo, the chorus to Deacon Blues...it's pleasures are endless.

Tight ass bunch of studio musicians

Great Band of white people that sounds like black ones. Good mix of different type of music of that times ('70s)

not their best, but still good

Amazing album, would almost say its a no skip album. Amazing fusion of funky and jazzy styles with a consistent upbeat rhythm. Favourite songs are Black cow and Deadon blues. A suprisingly short album considering the amount of great songs in it!

Glimmering, uber produced jazz pop. Starts off very strongly, with Aja and Deacon Blue both being amazing, but I found myself losing interest as the album played out.

Snygg gubbrock, kluven på 3/4. Men det är så tight och groovy. Har ingen av mina riktiga steely dan favoriter dock!

Otroligt svängigt, välproducerad gubbrockrunk. ÄLSKAR

Mysigt!

Bra göbb rock

alveg ok

Muito gostosinho!

Love steely Dan. Good tunes

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.

Now that's what I'm talking about! I thoroughly enjoyed this album. Steely Dan combines jazz and soft rock so well. Highlights: Black Cow, Peg, Home At Last, I Got The News, Josie

Normally i wouldn’t like music like this however i loved it. The music is just so funky and incredibly fun to listen to. the one critique is the song length but it was kept interesting so it doesn’t even matter - i really enjoyed this album. 9/10.

I get that some people just do not like Steely Dan. Heck as a kid when they would come on the radio - and they did, often - I pretty much hated them. Smooth but weird...songs that didn't necessarily have the standard structure I was accustomed to. Then again I was a stupid kid. It's different and I guess that was what i didn't like at the time or freaked me out or whatever, but this is ridiculously-complex and good music. Is/was it pop? rock? fusion? jazz? who knows, probably all of the above and who cares. Can't even pick out a favourite song - literally good from beginning to end but if forced I might pick "Aja" as the unique standout. Also of importance: you just cannot listen to this album through a phone speaker, you've got to put on either earbuds/headphones, or play it through a decent stereo. Without succumbing to boredom about how amazing the studio techniques and worldly session musicians were... if you're listening to this for the first time just make sure you at least give it a chance in this way. It's one of the most celebrated *recordings* of all time for a reason - the clarity and fidelity are pretty much perfect. Jazz rock may not be my favourite subgenre but I'm not sure an album gets much better than this. 9/10 5 stars

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

it was fine, just that yacht rock sound to me

Likte albumet svært godt! Home at last bra sang

wow, great album. An unexpected gem!

Jades a neatly cut album, very enjoyable!

6/10 - not bad, easy listening

Love this album!

Buen pop-rock sencillo de los años 70, que se puede escuchar muy bien y que puede llegar a gustar bastante. Grupo que desconocía y al que le podría dar alguna otra oportunidad

Smooth and jazzy

Dull

Enjoyed Peg. Didn’t like Aja.

a funky groove to fuck to

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.

I already liked a bit of Steely Dan and enjoyed this too! I like the funky rockness of it. Good driving music

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

Wel een aangenaam album om uit te luisteren

Meni je ovo bilo savršeno. Ovaj lagani jazz/rock je melem za uši. Čak sam dva puta poslušala. Evo jedna petica.

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

Aaaaaaaa, pa viđam ovaj cover dost puta, al nikad nisam skužio žensku na njoj. Evo još jedan album iz 77'. Nisam očekivao ovakvu glazbu, više sam očekivao izdrkavanje po gitari, neki Rush tip benda, tako nešta jer gledajući koliko pjesama ima i koliko traju pjesme... Međutim, nije tak, drago mi je, zanimljiv album, gospodski, reklo bi se. Hvale ga očito s razlogom, i imaju zašto! Iznenadio me je jer stvarno nisam očekivao ovako pristojan album. Danceable, groovie, like it a lot! Pjesma Peg ima jedan sample koji se koristio u jednoj rap pjesmi (Eye Know od De La Soul) i to nisam znao, volim naučit ovakve stvari! Jedva čekam da i oni dođu na streaming platforme kad smo već kod toga. Aja (ko da ju volim još i saaaaaad) je jebena stvar! Top 5 albuma iz 77' na prvo slušanje, onda znaš. Love me some jazzy rock.

Kolko sam uspio čut solidno

Easy listening, love the drum solo on Aja. Good tight music.

Musical beige.

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.

It's technically perfect....Just not that thrilling.

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

This is my favorite Steely Dan album and one I’ve listened to many times in my life. My Dad used to play it a lot, and it holds up. It’s not my typical type of music, but I really love it.

Difficult to look at this impartially, being one of my favourite and frequently played albums, so I’ll just gush. I kind of understand some people’s “bland/Muzak” perception. I don’t often “get” much punk, early Country or a lot of hip-hop, but... ... This album has amazing musicianship - albeit very calculated and brilliantly produced. The antithesis of punk. Love the funky pop of Black Cow, I got the news, Peg, the mature jazz crossover of Aja, the sophistication of Deacon Blues and the rock of Home at last and Josie. A perfect timeless album.

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.

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

This album was quite good. Very chill and relaxing songs with really good instrumentation to keep them interesting. 7/10

Heard before.

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

Supposed to be a classic, and I suppose it is if you like this sort of thing. Personally, I think jazz and rock should always be kept separate.

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 animado.

Jazz rock. Bastante agradables.

Great album

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

Deacon blues is the song I recognize from this album. More good listening, but I think I prefer the countdown to ecstasy album over this one.

Getting some Billy Joel vibes with this one in some songs, but man what a good listening, well produced album. Thoroughly enjoyed

Great Jazz-Pop-Rock fusion album. Very well produced with no filler. So many dynamics and rhythm changes and syncopation throughout, really fun listen. Favourite Tracks: Peg, Deacon Blues, Home at Last

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

great album. jazz rock. lots of weirdly cool stuff

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

One word, Classic.

never listened to entirely, adding to iPod

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

Solid, solid album. not overproduced. Not too complex. good band. Good album.

absolutely fabulous soulful jazz album!

A jazz-rock album which fuses cool jazz, blues, and pop into a masterpiece of an album. The production and mixing are amazing; filling soft melodies with jazzy solos and rich background instrumentals which flow seamlessly with each track. Favorite tracks: Aja, Deacon Blues, Home At Last

Great sounds

3.1 - I can appreciate its musical complexity and technical prowess but I just don't enjoy this record. I gave it two spins. By most accounts it's a triumph - I've read critical reviews that say this sound is as \"ageless as intelligence.\" Then consider me part of the unwashed masses - I'm not a fan. That jazz-rock combo sounds sterile and smarmy as muzak.

I never got the fuss over this album, or indeed Steely Dan in general. I don’t know what this is or who it’s for. The whole thing feels like after dinner entertainment at an all-inclusive holiday resort - it’s not the worst evening you’ve ever had, but if you’re being totally honest with yourself you’d rather be somewhere else.

Warm, fun and smooth. The excellent drumming makes this a winner for me. Definitely interested in hearing more of their stuff.

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

Eindelijk Steely Dan! Zeer coole groep, ook als je er meer van weet. Ik kende dit album niet maar vond het wel zeer leuk !

oooh was leuk

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

Yeah this was great

Why

Not usually my thing but was pretty enjoyable

Okay okay... Ya veo co.o va a ser.

Ni buenísimo ni malísimo sino todo lo contrario

Bueno pues al final si me latió

Get the yacht sailing… we’re heading to key west for some sunshine and cocktails!

Great Album! Have this in my collection, I Got The News my favourite track from this album. I do prefer "The Royal Scam" as an album, but this is a good one, with Backing Vocals from Michael McDonald. Also like Peg and Deacon Blues (which the eponymous Scottish band took its name from.) are also good tracks.

Love it

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.

A masterpiece.

Look, I'm willing to admit the possibility that I'm listening to this album from too modern of a perspective. But it's not good is it? The songwriting is bland, the arrangements are mediocre, and the performances are lackluster. The ONLY reason this album is saved from a one-star review is that the engineering and production are out-of-this-world good. I don't know when the last time was that I heard such crispy drums and such a perfectly balanced stereo mix. This production is so good. It's just a shame it's wasted on such a turd of an album.

Somehow overrated and overlooked at the same time. It’s an exceptional album, one of the best of that decade. But let’s talk about Led Zep IV or Dark Side of the Moon some more please.

No. Just no.

I'd avoided Steely Dan for so long because, I dunno, hipsters mocked them in the 90s? But this album is good. It has a very rich, complex sound, something that is evidence of how far audio production technology came in that part of the 20th century. The songs are just as complex, with dreamy worlds. But above all was my moment when I realised that "Peg" was the sampled basis of De Le Soul's "Eye Know".

5 stars. I think this album is as close to perfect as Steely Dan gets. It has everything I want when I’m looking for something chipper and interesting

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

Great production and super slick performances.

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

The drums! The composition! So much good....but a lot of "this isn't jeff"

The title track is worth the price of admission. Add "Deacon Blues" and "Peg" to the mix? Amazing. Fantastic album. The players are just fantastic. The drumming on the title track has been so talked about that any comment feels redundant. It's just beautiful.

Steely Dan has a strange sound. I mean, on one hand, it's a funk, soul mix like Doobie Brothers or even Hall and Oates. But there's a Disco sense in it too that turns me off. The lyrics are a little more substantial than I expected, which is cool. The horns remind me of Chicago. Black Cow is quite a production. Aja is also pretty layered. Not sure if it's about a girl or just some other cultural observation The album cover seems to lean towards the former. This band always gives me a sense of a dark room with red lights, not a club or and not really comfortable. I just don't see them as "open air, and free. They seem confined I guess. Deacon Blues is a song I always kind of liked. It just sounds good. Definitely a story to Deacon Blues - which I admire as well. Peg is an uncharacteristically brief song for this album. Another log song but not ordinary. Home at Last is more of a return to Aja after Peg. This time its an ode to life at sea it seems, but with another solid groove that propels the song. I got the News - the title makes me think of A Day in the Life by the Beatles, but this appears to have nothing to do with that. Some great guitar work, really quirky jazz beats and is that Michael McDonald singing back up? Josie - Solid jam again. This was better than expected. I think I'd listen to this again for sure.

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

Very nice, I like the mix of instruments across the album. Quite the jam.

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.

Love Steely Dan! Superb, laid-back easy listening music

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.

Вот что меня удивляет - насколько все говорят о влиянии битлов, и насколько оно мало чувствовалось на самом деле (по крайней мере в то время). Казалось бы - не так уж давно они распались, оставив после себя практически идеальную поп-формулу, до сих пор актуальную формулу экспериментальной музыки и тд, но в 70х люди почему-то куда больше тяготели к дженерик рокенролу, который юзался жуками в основном в начале пути. Ну типа песни вроде Strawberry Fields Forever, Eleanore Rigby, Happiness is a Warm Gun, Tomorrow Never Knows - это же другой уровень развития, пусть психодел тоже не всегда бывал удачным, но его же куда интереснее было пробовать, чем серый антивоенный роцкешник. Но это ладно, мысли на полях, Стили Дэн не совсем про это. Тут скорее джаз-рок такой, без лишнего огонька, но с довольно приятными трубами и прикольной атмосферой. Впрочем интереса это всё равно не особо добавляет. Раздражения не вызывает, но в очередной раз толкает в голову вопрос: "а оно мне всё нужно вообще?" Что бы изменилось в моём восприятии музыки (как у слушателя и как у исполнителя), не послушай я этот альбом. Да скорее всего нихуя. Это не какая-то предъява к пластинке, просто интересно порой, откуда берётся легендарный статус и вот это всё. Легендарный статус группы creedence clearwater revival, например, оправдать легко - у них действительно был хит на века, который выстоял проверку временем и до сих пор попадает в нерв. Плюс пацифистская позиция, которая также актуальна в любое время. Ну и даже вот предыдущих тирексов мне не составит труда отнести к классике - хотя бы за прорывное (по моему мнению) звучание. А Steely Dan видится продуктом своего времени, качественно скрафченным, занимательным, скилловым, но неактуальным и эстетически пустым на данный момент. Thus said, лепить тройбан альбому всё-таки считаю неправильным, поскольку совсем уж дженериком назвать рука не поднимается, и наверное под пресловутое настроение он может показаться хорошим выбором. Но честно, сомневаюсь, что ещё когда-то вспомню о нём. 7/10

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.

бляять какой же кайф включать и в первом же треке угадывать семпл одного из любимых треков мф дума. ну и альбик сам ниче так

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

The sound is just immaculate and the songs are fantastic. Can’t ask for more

Classic jams on here. It's yacht rock, but it's solid

Freaking fantastic

3.5

It's a fine album with great sound, flawless production and expert musicianship. Just not the type of music that draws me in. Sometimes sounds like elevator music. 3.5 🌟

2.9

Some great songs.

I have yet to hear a bad Steely Dan album, and this one is no exception. Their musicianship is always commendable, and the unique fusion/funk vibe they have going in a lot of these songs definitely makes this worth a few listens.

Ultimate dad rock

Clean yacht rock. Peg is sweet. Michael McDonald backing vocals

Initial thought after one song: It's "jazz" in the worst sense. Generic, soft, cheesy, and likely something played in the background. I feel a bit icky listening to it. In fairness, it's possible my brain has been programmed by worse albums and media that came after this to categorize this style of music as bad/corny/etc... or it was always that way. Also, most of my favorite music was probably recorded in a dingy basement on the cheapest equipment possible. Could this record be 'too clean' for me? It could be entirely subconscious.

Don't like

You kind of have to be in the right mood to listen to Steely Dan, but luckily I'm in that mood most of the time. "Deacon Blues" is the highlight of this album but the whole thing is great.

Pretty neat

Релакс! Приятный софт-рок!

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.

Just about made the 4 stars

some good stuff

Meh

Wasn't a fan.

nice

Still can’t get into steely dan

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

Even trying to have an open mind, I spent the majority of the album hoping it would end soon. Each song was followed by another somehow even less interesting.

The more I listened, the more I enjoyed. Easy music to just fade away and relax.

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

Not their best album. That belongs to Pretzle Logic. Still a solid album though.

Is it a brag or flex to say I listened to my CD copy of this one? Pretty sure I have a vinyl copy tucked away too. I know this one and like it. Solid argument that it's Steely Dan's best album, though there is obviously room for debate and it's not my hill to die on. As far as I can tell, I can't rate in half stars but I'd probably go 4.5 on this if I could.

Bueno, pero olvidable

h

Was good. Chilled with great instrumental pieces and guitars.

great jazz album

Not bad at all! I like the jazzy feeling!

;-)

Ugh.

meh

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.

Cool and funky album. Good, chill listen.

Nice background chill music.

If I could give more than 5 I would!

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.

Ненавязчивая хорошая музыка для фона

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