Aja

Amazing sound and record

I love some Steely Dan and the production here is just great

Really enjoyed this one, I Got The News was probably the least interesting track on here but it was still pretty good. 4.5/5

Gorgeous production and lush instrumentation. Smooth as you'll get.

Nothing much to note. Very pleasant to listen actively and passively.

Very smooth and easy listening, liked the souly elements in the latter half as well.

Great sounding record but feels less ambitious sonically than their other work

Brilliant album!

Jazz-Rock/Yacht Rock Favorite Songs: *All of them* Least Favorite Song: *None of them* I'm honestly kinda a little bit shocked about the reviews that were posted on here, but then again, given that this site hosts users that are more critical than within the music nerd fandom, I can't say I'm not surprised anymore. So, this is the second album that I've listened to from the band that appeared on this website, the first being Pretzel Logic. After listening to this album, I think I know why I ended up giving it a 7 out of 10, because I felt like it was playing way too safe for a pop rock record. However, while some may say that it's very easy listening, I'd argue that it also doesn't play it safe at all. I think this might be one of the best produced albums that I've listened to so far. While the sound seemed more minimalist, you can pretty much hear every single elements that was presented on this album, and the jazz elements are very present within the album. I think people should give this a second or third listen if you haven't already. 10/10

It's honestly weird because I do feel like I wouldn't like these songs on the surface but they're so damn interesting and fun to listen because of how well they're produced. Just so many layers to it and tons of talent on display, and yeah I'd hope so considering they got 40 people together to make this. 4/5

Steely Dan suck. The Darcys cover of Aja is the only version of these songs I ever want to hear. Two stars for being listenable.

Never listened to Steely Dan before, so I think this was the perfect introduction. Really enjoyed their style. Aja was my fav song and first listen of the album. Black Cow and Home At Last were my other highlights

Ughhhh... not a Steely Dan fan... at all.

Very clean sound. The bass and drums are great. Really nice playing.

Steely Dan reminds me too much of my dad

Solid!

They’re pretty cool but I think I liked their other one better

Some good ol yacht rock - not bad!

- Another artist engaging in DV. - So, this is not doing it for me... I'm clearly not a Steely Dan fan. I'm on track 2 and looked to see how much longer the album is. Not a good sign. Now I'm on track 5, and this feels loooong (even though it's not a long album). - I'm not into the bland, nasal vocals, melodies, or busy instrumentation... I just get uncomfortable elevator or lounge jazz vibes. - I liked that one sample in Peg and some of the piano in I Got the News. They're definitely all proficient instrumentalists on here. - Cool album cover. - Still 2 more Steely Dan albums to go :(

Nice album for the background

Ganz okay, aber auch nichts besonderes

ja, ganz angenehm zu hören.

ok

3.5

easy listing

Well...what can one say about this album. These guys are keen jazz practices who founds ways to inject their cool into top 40. I love this seminal album.

Yacht Rock Jazz is not for me. I really try to listen to all the music on this list but I just couldn't take this one.

An album that’s creative, coherent, and full of masterstrokes

### Steely Dan – Aja (1977) I wouldn’t call myself a Steely Dan fan. I own pretty much all their albums — or rather, I own all the albums up to and including 1980, after which the band took a twenty-year break before releasing two more albums. Which I don’t own. Calling them a band is a bit dubious anyway, as we all know: Steely Dan was essentially the duo of Donald Fagen (keyboards and vocals) and Walter Becker (guitar and bass). They supplemented themselves with a whole battery of session musicians, often some of the very best in the business, as we’ll see in a moment. Somewhere along the way, a myth developed that their music was so complicated that they could no longer play on their own records themselves, relying entirely on top-notch studio cats. And look at this album: it’s true that the two gentlemen don’t play their own instruments on every track. But whether that’s actually because they weren’t capable of doing so is debatable. That said, if you’re Walter Becker and you let jazz guitar god Larry Carlton take your place, well... Anyway, I started by saying I’m not a Steely Dan fan, but I am a great admirer. The true Steely Dan fans — and the music press — start drooling at the sight of this album cover, get an erection (or the female equivalent) when they hear the title, and reach orgasm before the opening track, Black Cow, is even ten seconds old. Or when the title track Aja follows, which I’ll get to in a moment. This is precisely the album where I completely lose interest. Don’t get me wrong: of course it’s a good album, of course it’s good music. But every last bit of life has been squeezed out of it. All the blood has drained away, and the transfusion they’ve administered with top-class jazz (rock) session musicians has produced a lifeless whole. Listen to their debut, 'Can't buy a thrill', and you can’t help being pleasantly surprised, in comparison with this, by how much more oomph it has. Just listen to Elliott Randall’s guitar solo on Reelin’ in the Years — remarkably enough, he was a classmate of Laura Nyro— which regularly features high on lists of the greatest guitar solos ever. There’s more life in that one solo than in everything on this album. Randall was a session musician too, incidentally, but the debut was largely played by something resembling an actual touring band. And it’s far less slick than this lubricant. In fact, if this album were marketed as a lubricant, it would probably be banned on the grounds of unproven risks to public health. It’s as smooth as silk, to repeat myself. Although the chronology doesn’t quite fit, this strikes me as the kind of music punk was reacting against, and that reaction was bound to happen. Everything is so polished, so smoothie jazz mixed with pop and let’s not play a single wrong note, that it stops working. And there’s something else. I’ve often discussed the importance of track sequencing on an album. Well, this one opens with by far its worst song, the aforementioned Black Cow. My God. It’s already dreadful, and then this horrendous, syrupy female backing choir comes along and sings the whole thing to pieces. Not a great choice. The album continues with the title track, which is by far its best song. Here, the pop-jazz crossover actually works, thanks in part to the quality of the musicians. Wayne Shorter’s saxophone solo — following the death of John Coltrane, presumably the undisputed god of the tenor sax — is pretty impressive, but Steve Gadd’s drumming is phenomenal. He plays only on this track, which is also beautifully constructed and doesn’t bore you for a single second during the nearly eight minutes the gentlemen take to get through it. Then we’re back to Deacon Blues, sweeter than cotton candy dusted with icing sugar, complete with another dreadful backing choir, followed by the equally slick Peg. Home at Last is much better, and yes, that excellent guitar work is Walter Becker’s own. The album finishes on a much stronger note than it starts, because the final two tracks, I Got the News and Josie, also lift the overall average quite noticeably. And as I write this, I realise that this may explain why I’ve become somewhat more favourably disposed towards the album over the course of quite a few listens. The relatively strong finish leaves you with a reasonable feeling as you reach the end, whereas the appallingly bad opening has you climbing the walls almost immediately. Perhaps the sequencing isn’t so crazy after all... Finally, a word about the backing vocals. One of the voices we hear on this album belongs to Michael McDonald. Some thirty years after all this music was made, the genre label yacht rock emerged in the US. The idea is that it’s the kind of music a software millionaire plays while sailing his yacht, bare-chested and feeling like a tough guy (beer belly or not, probably more often than not) as he listens to his favourite rock from the 1975–82 period. Something like that. As a joke, I once put it this way: all albums featuring Michael McDonald. This one — check. Several Doobie Brothers albums (including ones where he’s the lead singer) — check. Christopher Cross, naturally — check. The fact is that the man has a fantastic voice, one you can recognise among millions. The moment he sings even half a line on Peg, you think: hey, there’s Michael! Yacht rock, then. But a very jazzy variety — and, for the last time, an incredibly smooth one. Let’s be honest: this rating is too low for the quality of the music and for the enjoyment I get out of listening to it. But honestly, guys, you could have left a little life in the music. That’ll teach you!

First listen to Steely Dan. I thought I'd find something to enjoy but I was a bit disappointed. Just a dull mixture of smooth jazz and soft rock.

Some people have everything going so perfect in life this is all they need. Smooth jazz rock done well. Don't you hate those sort of people? I do, but also wish that class of people included me. Can't hate it but can see why people might. I wish I could give it 2.5. My main point is it isn't interesting to me and never will be even if I can see it''s point.

This is a masterpiece. In my opinion their second best album and a clear 5/5. The songs stand the test of time, with incredible musicians leaving instrumental parts that inspired thousands of musicians. I love this album!

One of my Mount Rushmore albums. Very few albums will ever come close

First exposure to steely Dan and it was pretty good I really like all these instrumentation throughout the album This album was also very consistent throughout Favorites: black cow, deacon blues 3/5

I've never listened to the kings of yacht rock before, and it was a very enjoyable experience. Would listen to another album of theirs. At times, the long guitar solos did drift into customer-service, "please hold for 10 minutes" territory.

Couple of strong ones on their, particularly enjoyed Peg with Josie a good second.

‘Getting into Steely Dan’ is a middle ages pursuit I won’t be joining in with

I must confess I only knew two songs by Steely Dan and I was intruiged to see if an album would hold up to the high standards of the singles. I would say, it almost does. Peg was brilliant but this album would be easy to forget.

I knew someone named after this album. She hated her name, because she hated this album after hearing it incessantly growing up. I get it. I hated this album too.

This will prob be adjusted to a 5 later. So much to love, arrangements are insane, but drums inspire me not only to be a better drummer but better person

Immaculately produced album. The musicianship is insane. I don’t listen to this really but it’s an objective 5.

Really not my thing

Aja is one of those albums where the word “masterpiece” is completely understandable. But I don’t think it’s flawless. It’s too controlled. Too polished. Too emotionally detached. It’s not merely an album that sounds perfect. It’s an album about imperfect people, performed almost perfectly.

Short and sweet. Easy 5

Ahhh. The Dan. I didn’t appreciate them when I was younger. Now this is a go to album.

The line between professionalism and playfulness is fully blurred on Aja. For every whimsical guitar lick or keyboard riff, there is an equally weighted and thoughtful chord progression. The lyrics are both cheeky and heavy. Fagen's vocals shine on tracks like Peg and Deacon Blues. Why the Eagles had such a beef with Steely Dan, I'll never know.

Muy buen álbum, este es un buen uso de jazz en el rock, lo complementa y potencia.

Ta bueeeno. Jazz, muy disfrutable, con algunas voces, buenas guitarras, etc. qué toquen más así.

If you're in the mood for soft rock jazz this album has you covered. Things I would do while listening to this album; mow the lawn; work in the woodshop staining a rocking chair; assemble a piece of Ikea furniture; lounge on the deck of a boat; repair an old fishing net. Things I would not do while listening to this album; operate heavy machinery; open heart surgery; climb El Capitan; lift something overhead; attempt a four-minute mile. Fortunately I have no intention of doing any of those things on the second list. Will I listen to this again, maybe. Are there three other Steely Dan albums on this list, yes. Will that be enough Steely in my Dan for a while, probably.

Peak Steely Dan - crisply composed jazz-pop, carefully pieced together from countless performances by the very best studio musicians in the world. This isn't a band and isn't a single session, it's a laborious construction project. Some might consider it cheating - or alternatively, a harbinger of music production to come. But DAMN, are these tight performances and fantastic solos - peaking with Steve Gadd and Wayne Shorter on the title track - and some of the finest studio production ever put to vinyl. Call it yacht rock if you want - I call it a masterpiece.

Album #269 Steely Dan: Aja There isn’t really anything insightful that I can add to the discourse surrounding Aja; the production is masterful, the instruments are tediously played to Kubrick levels of perfection, and the lyrics are sophisticated yet charismatic. I’m of the belief that deep down we all secretly love some good yacht rock; we just don’t want to be associated with the kind of guy that only likes soft rock and yacht rock, you know, the middle-aged divorce dad with a beer gut that sits on his docked boat drinking a Bud Light whilst listening to Michael McDonald and cat-calling the high school girls that pass by; I mean, that is the image someone paints of you when you tell them you like Christopher Cross, so you keep that one to yourself. But for whatever reason, Steely Dan are the exception; in fact, it is actually seen as being kind of a cool and hip band to listen to these days. I can only assume the reasons for that are that young people were only exposed to that type of music from their dads and don’t hold the negative connotations that the yacht rock term holds, and of all the bands their dad would play, Steely Dan was likely the best. Well, as a young person myself, and someone who unashamedly listens to soft rock, AOR, and any form of pop-rock that’s pleasant to my ears, even I can tell that Steely Dan do deserve to be held in a league of their own. Aja is the album in which the band finally perfected the blend of soft rock and jazz. In my opinion, their debut album is the best album they ever released, but it simultaneously was also their most traditional sound; after that, the albums were diminishing returns up until The Royal Scam and Aja, in which they finally recaptured the magic of the debut whilst introducing a new jazzier sound. At this point, I think Aja has surpassed even their debut as being the album that people mention first when Steely Dan is brought up, and it’s easy to see why; it is the perfect introduction album to jazz-rock, and it belongs on the Mount Rushmore of album productions; even if this isn’t your thing, I think it would be incredibly hard to think of a valid criticism for this album, which is why I’m struggling to think of a reason not to give it the perfect score. Best Songs: Deacon Blues, Black Cow, Peg Worst Song: I Got The News Score out of 10: 10

ya it was alright. nothing to write home about

Great album

Just a great album

This wasn’t anything to write home about. Onward and upward I suppose.

Masterful. Had this album in my collection. Maybe one of the best ever??

Love Steely Dan! Fun rock-jazz style, interesting harmonies, use of brass, and more.

Jings, a fourth Steely Dan album. Being complicated and showing off your chops just isn't enough for me. Some of the instrumental sections are almost approachable but gawd the vocals are just so insipid. Maybe they should have got a session singer along with all the session musicians. At least they provided De La Soul with a great sample.

"I like your pin shot / I keep it with your letter / Done up in blueprint blue / It sure looks good on you" I enjoy Steely Dan as much as the next guy, but Aja left much of the groovy yet catchy 70's bangers that 'Can't Buy a Thrill' offers. One key exception to this was the song "Peg" which had some very groovy lines and catchy rhythms. I unfortunately found myself quite bored by this album as a whole, and despite its technical precision, I couldn't really get into it. If someone said this was their favorite album, I wouldn't be able to fault them. Not my cup of tea. 🧄🧄🧄

#1 Josie

Joyita.

Yeah dude

Do not like Steely Dan. Sound like every movie soundtrack from early 80s

So now I know where the sample from Mr Wendel comes from! This was the only interesting thing about listening to this album Jazz-infused Easy Listening is not a genre that appeals to me Pass

It’s Steely Dan, it gets a…4…it’s getting a 4

I like it, though it washed over me a little bit.

One of the best albums ever made. Great songs, played by great musicians, given great production. Flawless.

Sometimes too much, but the groove in general is smoking

not at all what I was expecting, lots of saxophone, not dad rock at all, made me feel good

I kind of like this - not what I was expecting. I thought Steely Dan were more blues-rock whereas this is a bit funky and jazzy. A bit sleazy/soft rock in places, but probably just a 4* for me.

Smooth

Sneaky solid album with some hits on it for sure.

"I cried when I wrote this song // Sue me if I play too long." Somehow that lind got through my kndifferent cynicism and made me relisten to this a couple of times. It did increase my appreciation somewhat, but not quite to the other extreme. Maybe in the future, with more exposure to some possible subtleties; as it stands though, it seems to be a bit lacking (in the sense of not being that evocative) on its different fronts: as a Steely Dan album, an experimental project, a jazzy record.

I bought this album the day it was released back in 1977, and first listened to it on a friend's fantastic quadrophonic audio system. It was a beautiful Vancouver afternoon and the view from the 15th floor overlooking the water was amazing. But what came over those speakers when the needle hit the vinyl was even better than that. That day is burned in my memory, and I have listened to this in its entirety at least once evrey couple of weeks over the almost 50 years since that September afternoon. If I could rate this with an 11, I would. It is, without a doubt, my absolute favorite album by any artist, and I hope i get to listen a thousand more times before I die.

soy una fanatica loca de steely dan, el estilo aca se ve mucho mas madurado, relajado y fluido, manteniendo el sello que tienen. siempre voy a ser una chica can't buy a thrill tho 9/10

Excellent! Highlights: All of it! 4.8

Another Steely Dan album? There are 4 in this list! That’s at least 3 too many. This one as full as the others.

Yeah this was a nope for me, way too cheesy

Jag blev stressad

I really don't get Steely Dan. They are so tame and sterile

Maybe it is a really well produced album, but it's still lounge music. That said, Josie was ok.

Better than it at first appeared. Farty, but nice to hear proper professionals play

I mean, there's a reason this album is so highly regarded by just about everyone: it's really good! It's tight, it's focused, every song is good to great, and it's such an easy and pleasant listen. This is one of those albums that I can listen to over and over and not get tired of it, and for that Steely Dan will ascend to the peak and be my twenty-sixth 5/5

Well known. I like the jazz & rock combination. Good album.

Насколько я понимаю, это вершина их творчества. Неплохо. Однозначно лучше предыдущих двух, которые давали тут. Это уже можно и послушать вновь.

This album is 5 carat diamond as they expand their jamming and moving away from a rock aspect and into the jazz world. Very smooth delivery. Great sound lyrics and musicianship.

is a kind of ok.. but i just don't care

it was quite good. i can go back to listening time to time

This album is perfect in many ways because Donald and Walter were perfectionists.

Weak 70s sounding stuff.

Great background music.

nice! 10/10

Tbh not my fav Dan record but I still love

Prefer can't buy a thrill but I do really like their funky side too

These guys really are the best of yacht rock. I teetered between a four and a five, but couldn't quite get all the way there. If you combined the best of Aja with the best of Can't Buy A Thrill, it'd be one of my favorite albums.

One of the best albums from an amazing group. So many ear worms. Yes it may be yacht rock. But dang, it's best of breed yacht rock.

Yuppie realness

This has always been a favorite of mine and I’m always surprised to see poor reviews for it.

It’s funky and groovy but after the first couple of songs got very boring. Black Cow was probably my favourite or they saved the best till last with Josie. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough to make up for the bore mid way through

If we're talking Steely Dan albums, I still prefer Can't Buy a Thrill to this, but Aja is probably a close second. Good, mellow music to relax to.

I love the Dan! Favorite tracks are Deacon Blues and Peg. I felt like Aja was an underwhelming title track, which brought it from 5 starts down to 4.

R&b. Rockcito. Jazz

Absolutely love this album

SAAI!!!!

Really good, holy shit they are tickling the ivories. However, some of these lyrics mama...what exactly are we talking about???

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

How to describe Steely Dan ? Prog jazz? Yacht funk? A very different style All of their best songs on one album

such a good album i love this one, already loved it before this to be fair

Feels like music you hear at a whimsy theme park

Technical and songwriting proficiency very evident. Ultimately not very exciting, but grew on me as I listened.

Not warm and fuzzy, and not trying to be. Becker and Fagen wore their ironic detachment like a badge throughout their career, and Aja is the record where that detachment is most precisely calibrated against the warmth of the musicians surrounding it — the contrast between Fagen's cool persona and the absolute heat of what Steve Gadd, Bernard Purdie, Wayne Shorter, Michael McDonald, and a small army of the greatest session musicians in the world are doing underneath him is the whole secret of why this record works. Gadd's drum performance on the title track is one of the most celebrated in recorded music — not because it's flashy but because it's so precisely right, every fill landing exactly where it needs to. Purdie's shuffle opening "Babylon Sisters" is the other landmark, one of the most imitated grooves in pop music history captured here in its definitive form. Wayne Shorter's saxophone on the title track puts the jazz credentials beyond argument. McDonald's background vocals provide the soul warmth that Fagen's vocal persona deliberately withholds — the tension between those two things is the record's emotional engine. Seven tracks, forty minutes, not a wasted note anywhere. The harmonic sophistication that makes this challenging for some listeners is exactly what makes it endlessly rewarding for others — complex enough to reveal new things on return visits, accessible enough that the complexity never becomes a barrier. Can't Buy a Thrill earned a five earlier in this project. Aja confirms that Steely Dan belongs in the conversation about the greatest American bands of the era. A five that the musicians earn and the production deserves.

i do not enjoy the music of steely dan

The funky start had me right from the get go! It's like a funky fusion of R&B & Jazz, which is right up my alley! Gotta listen to more Steely Dan!!!

Obviously really technically sound. Time signatures super crazy. Tons of awesome bass. Harmonies are wonderful. But the melodies are too crazy outside of 1 or 2 tracks FOR ME. I just can’t love it.

mario kart musig für boomers

Cozy monday morning vibes

Great music. Classic

ja ist entspannt. Drei Sterne glatt

Very very nice album. On the fence about giving it a 5 stars.

An electric jazzy rock implosion. I feel like i'm a sluth dancing through a heist. The piano solos were the strongest parts I think. No idea what they are singing about.

Loved every song, very nice jazzy listen, perfect as background music bur also interesting enough to appreciate on it’s own.

There’s some good depth in the sound and music in this - and how can you knock and album the Library of Congress selects for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or artistically significant - but it’s just okay to me.

Nice

I've listened to this album a few times in my life and this time I really dug it.

Not my style and I found the sound a bit boring, but it sounds very "clean" and easy to listen to.

This album contains my absolute favourite Steely Dan song, Deacon Blues. I may be biased because I was 15 (in 2013) when I first saw Steely Dan as my dad is a big fan, but I love this album.

Not my thing, kinda boring

a very impressive mediocre album

Good production value, kinda boring otherwise

Bien

I think I have a Steely Dan problem more than an Aja problem. The pursuit of perfection/polished/sterile music is such and annoyance to me. Mix with the jazz, It feels stuffy and pretentious especially coupled with the poetic/sophisticated lyrics. Steely Dan don't always feel that way to me ( Do It Again, and Reelin In The Years are examples where they feel like a normal good ) All of that is an oversimplification and I shouldn't go into this album with those thoughts, but here we are, and we are here because it all applies to this album. I do like Black Cow musically, because it makes me think of Déjà Vu (Uptown Baby) by Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz. I might not have given it much thought otherwise. Peg is another one that stands out, and it feels the most accessible. The rest has good production but doesn't make me feel ANYTHING at all. Biggest Hit - Peg Biggest Miss - Deacon Blues ( i just dont get it) Hidden Gem - Black Cow So yes im giving it 4 stars for the pursuit of perfection, and it coming close but the cost of that is making me not like them at all

A complete masterpiece. The only thing I will say is that I think this album is given credit as the greatest of the Steely Dan albums. But I think that most of the others equal it in quality, I don’t think it is significantly better than the others.

Love steely dan. Awesome album. No notes.

This is such a nice album. Flows really well, and is a pleasure each time. Easy 4, minimum. From what I’ve heard of their discography, their best work too, Some killer musicians on here also.

Sorry I just love their sound!

Black cow- really liked, a little weird to “drink the cow” but it’s a good song. First few notes and was pleasantly impressed and surprised Aja- was good but at the middle was just boring and the same throughout it. Skipped at the middle Deacon blues- really liked, very good saxophone and sound. I think I like jazz now. Peg- I like it, cool sound- kinda different. The electric guitar at the middle is a little random but I like it. Home at last- something I’d hear on a 1980s movie and want to hear the song alone without the scene. Good, simple jazz and a good backtrack. I got the news- a little different sound from the rest of the album. Really liked the guitar in the middle. Really vibey and colorful. Lots of instruments in the backtrack. Josie- first notes, remains me of power rangers/ something I’ve heard in a movie or show before. Like this sound and song, old school jazz that you’d hear at an underground bar show Id rate it 3.5/5 Overall good on the sound, a little bland writing and is a background noise for me. I love love love the backtracks and music, but the lyrics kinda put it off and the songs really repeat themselves over the whole album.

It grew on me

Blues Gedudel 😗

Its Aja, 'nuff said. 5/5

Very tight drums, and really all areas. You can tell they put in the work on this one. 4.0/5.0

Gran album. Facil de escuchar y muy bien grabado. Delicia musical.

always roll my eyes at the white guy orientalism but thankfully that is a very small part of the album. 4.5!!!!!! highlights: deacon blues, peg, home at last, josie

And a half

5 stars for Peg alone

A good time for the boys

It sort of bums me out that I never fully bought into Steely Dan. Even now, having heard what might be their most acclaimed album, I can't bring myself to think **that** highly of them. Not to the point where I actively **dislike** them, no, of course not. It's just that, Steely Dan is a band where most of the acclaim that people have for them lies mostly under the surface. To me, it comes across like you'd really hafta be in the weeds about music production and music theory in order to truly "get" them. You hafta be able to tell how well produced the music is and how high quality it sounds, and you hafta be able to notice just how good these guys are at playing their instruments without ever obviously showboating. It's a band where I can totally get at **why** critics are so eagaer to eat them up. But if you **can't** hear any of that... Well, if you don't like yacht rock, there's nothing much these guys can do for yah. And who's that a failure on, really? I can't say it's Steely Dan's, honestly; they clearly made the music they wanted to make. Is it the critics' fault, for lumping to much acclaim onto a group that a good chunk of people could never fully appreciate? Or is it **my** fault for buying into the praise so heavily and then being mad when I fell into the good chunk? More than likely it's the latter. Though of course it only helps so much to know who exactly the blame for this. 'Coz even with that in mind, I'm just not all too wowed by 'Aja.' It's a good sound, of course. Maybe even one I'd wanna return to at some point. Just... Not now. Or any time soon, really. I mean, I can't even pinpoint an exact reason why beyond "It didn't excite me." And it's frustrating, y'know? I wanna have more to say about this album specifically, but... I'unno. I enjoyed it in the moment, and then it slid straight off me. Not even a single track stuck around long enough for me to bring it up. It's possible with a second listen I could get something more out of it, but since I tend to only go by first impressions... Yeah, no. No. I've got nothing. This might be the most unsatisified I've ever come out of writing a review, since it feels like I just didn't try hard enough to understand the material. Yes, I never truly could, but I could have appreciated the surface level a little better. And I can acknowledge, it's a nice surface; nice enough that I could never dip below a 3. But... Yeah, I'unno. To be honest, listening to Steely Dan in the context of this list was probably the worst diservice I could've done them. Taken outside of "you **need** to hear this before you die," we probably could've gotten on a lot better. As it stands... Yeah. Is what it is.

What's not to love about Aja? Solid 5 Stars.

I’m at a 5, albeit one that could someday go down to a 4.5 or a 4 if the allure of this album’s slick production ever wears off. I mean, it really does boil down to how much you can groove to the slick jazz fusion production of this album. If you can’t, you may find this a bit of a blander exercise in style over substance, with the instrumentation covering up what’s admittedly some of Steely Dan’s least biting tracks (Peg!), at least from a lyrical standpoint. This is an album that thrives more in the abstract, & while I prefer Steely Dan when they have a bit more bite, I don’t think I mind it too much when the grooves are just this strong to my ears. I absolutely love the way this album sounds. There’s a cavalcade of session musicians helping to spice up this album, and when it’s all placed as perfectly as it is in the ears here (a very special note to the drums on “Aja”, my goodness), it feels impossible to ignore. Going track by track here feels a bit futile, if only because I don’t want to get into the technical weeds of great drum, bass & guitar solos, or the piano & keyboard noodling that underlines each of those solos to enhance them further. Donald Fagen’s vocals are still smooth as hell, and Michael McDonald can barely hide his backing presence on “I Got The News”. Overall, I think it’s a pretty good album. It’s not as constantly electrifying as “Can’t Buy A Thrill” or “Pretzel Logic” or as varied as “Countdown to Ecstasy”, but it’s not really trying to be those albums. It’s a bit more experimental, and while mileage will vary on how much trading in their wit for a richer & jazzier soundscape worked here, I think the results are still undeniably great to listen to, even if you don’t think it’s as engaging. If the allure of this album ever falls down for me (and it might), it won’t fall down any lower than a 4. For now, it’s a 5, and one that I hope stays as strong to listen to as it did on this first pass. I’m glad it’s on the list. P.S.: I am sad that we won’t get anymore Steely Dan albums on the list, but they all got a 5 from me, including “The Nightfly”. Overall, I get the abrasion – carefully crafted bits of happy-go-lucky yacht rock without the same gritted edge that most of the 1970s was known for makes them stand out like Bob Barker in a mosh pit. It’s not for everyone. However, their style is right down my alley, and they’ve been a hell of a highlight for me on this list as someone who always wanted to hear more of their stuff. I like Steely Dan. Sorry.

One of the best albums of the 1970s but also one that you cannot appreciate until the moment you turn 30 years old. These guys were perfectionists in the studio and we respect that! Standouts: Black Cow, Deacon Blues, Peg, Josie

You nerds will never get me to like Steely Dan.

Not usual a Jazz Fan but enjoyed this

not my thing its so boring

Fantastic production and groove

My first exposure to Steely Dan - not at all what I expected! I really like this - it feels to me like a heavy influence on jazz fusion bands which I do know - Snarky Puppy, etc. but also prog-pop like Spock's Beard/Flying Colours.

1. 3 2. 3.5 3. 4 1. 4.5 2. 4 3. 4 4. 4.5

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

I liked it. It's very mellow and beautiful—half jazz, half funk.

It was cool as his songs have been sampled.

I went in sceptical. Two perfectionists hiring the best session players in America and making them do it again until it was right — I don't like the sound of that. It is the opposite of a band in a room. It's also true. On "Peg" they ran through about seven guitarists, wiping each solo, before Jay Graydon got it, and then kept him playing for hours. Three different drummers across the record. The exception is Steve Gadd's break on the title track: first take, kept. It grew on me anyway. The surface is easy — chill, warm, the kind of thing you put on for a nice evening. Underneath are jazz chords that have no business being in pop songs, and once you notice them you can't stop hearing them. That's what keeps pulling you back. Then the subjects don't match the surface at all. "Black Cow" is the smoothest thing here and it's a man walking out on someone who is falling apart — a black cow is a root beer float, so his last move is telling her to finish her ice cream soda and go. "Deacon Blues" sounds wistful and is a suburban nobody romanticising drinking himself to death. "Aja" itself is the one that isn't doing that. Pronounced Asia, named after a Korean woman who married a friend's brother, and genuinely about calm — a man getting away from the pressure of his life. Eight minutes, no irony in it. So the evening-music read isn't wrong. It's just only true for one song. 4/5 — I objected to how it was made and it won anyway.

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

4,14 1. "Peg" 2. "Home at Last" 3. "Black Cow"

drink scotch whisky all the time and die behind the wheel ??? I enjoy how much of this feels like a vintage dystopian commercial. I also enjoy how smooth this is to listen to. I just know I don’t want to listen to it again and that I’m not rushing to put any of it on my playlist. I was sort of expecting this to be a bit bizarre … and it was I have tentatively added Peg and Home At Last to my playlist … they are on probation… well that’s that !! Maybe the strangest album I’ve listened to so far on this journey, I don’t really know what to make of it.

Rico album, groovy, bueno para empezar a escuchar el proyecto otra vez. Cada vez me gusta más Steely Dan. Black Cow y Deacon Blues me encantaron. Muy buen album, coherente, smooooooth. Lo escucharía muchas veces más. Me quedé stuck en este album mientras hacía mis reviews, así que lo escuché más que otros álbumes de este proyecto. Facil por eso le pongo 5 estrellas. Steely Dan realmente ha sido mi mayor descubrimiento hasta ahora, además de Nine Inch Nails que no conocía antes.

The most impressive thing about Aja is that it’s much more fun to listen to than what I imagine it was to make. Fagan and Becker had 40 different hired guns in and out of the studio because they are “perfectionists” or whatever and give directions like, “I want a shuffle, but not a Chicago or Motown shuffle” or writing songs with so many notes, so close together that they had to hire a 12 fingered guitarist to play on it… ok, that last one is a joke, but listen to the guitars on the title track. At least they had the good sense to not pull any of that finicky bullshit when they convinced Wayne Shorter to play on their record. Despite all the fastidiousness and to their credit, Aja is a great record. It’s like a Jazz starter record. If you like it, you might like actual jazz, but if you already like jazz, you probably think this record is bullshit. I like jazz, but I also like this record. I give it a 4.7.

No fav song

Excelente.

This Groovy Af sound like my dad type of era

Great album

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

Some people love this band, others can't stand them. I'm in the middle. Certainly can dig the sound but not a yuge fan of it.

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

While "Aja" is a short album with only 7 tracks, I thoroughly enjoyed it. A really groovy series of compositions, that came across as very natural, organic and expressive. Throughout the album, you will be met with a wonderful level of instrumental profession and mastery, especially on the title track. I felt as though this would make for great lounge music, as its very chill but also upbeat throughout as well. "Aja" qualifies as the perfect summer sound too, and is best suited for a pleasant car ride, or sitting somewhere enjoying a cold drink, good weather, and good company if possible. A pleasant 4 star experience, I recommend it.

Those who can speak of nothing, be it adoringly or disparagingly, of the immaculate mixing on Steely Dan’s later albums are being craven and dishonest. The uncomfortable truth is, the perfect production is merely a side effect of what happens when you make a comprehensively perfect album. In the same way Pynchon was described as a mathematician of prose, who could calculate the ideal distributions of verbal stress and emotional impact across sentences and paragraphs, the Dan, by the time of their sixth album, had arrived at a golden formula and simply applied it against the concept of soft-rock music. That first abrupt harmony in “Black Cow”. Those drums (that high-hat!) and synth at the end of the title track. The jaunty, buttery guitar solo on “I Got the News” played by, I believe, Walter Becker himself. But it’s really all about the “Deacon Blues”. Steely Dan loved to invent seedy characters for their songs, from drug slinging doctors to regretful adulteresses to straight up pedophiles. Here, though, those swirling, slimy narratives reach a sort of catharsis in what feels like the band’s mission statement, the Loser’s Redemption Through The Power Of Music. Everything about this track is perfect. By this point in their career, Steely Dan were getting really good at making “cinematic” music that could conjure up vignettes better than a silver screen ever could — see also “FM”, “Glamour Profession”, and “The Nightfly” — but “Deacon Blues” is their most cohesive statement. You can feel the sleaze and romance fighting each other in the sax, the hopeful guitar licks popping in when the gloom threatens to overwhelm. It’s what I love best about jazz, cozy and maudlin and defiant all at the same time. I want to live in the world of this song and never leave.

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

Just don’t enjoy this- and I’ve tried!

I wanted to like this more than I did. I respect Steely Dan, and there's some really cool jazzy bits on this album. Love the band as a concept, eventually fading out into a studio-only duo and making the music you know you want to just feels right for some projects. Here it feels like it's directed towards the mainstream, so maybe I'd prefer it if it were a little more wild and rebellious. Then again, I don't think they're that daring, maybe I just don't fuck with it. It's still not bad, just not something I'd get excited to purchase, or even consider playing again. 3.3/5

Pretty enjoyable album. Very funky and chill. Nothing that really stood out too much, but overall, a great listen, and one I wouldn't be upset to listen to again.

•I CANT CRYY ANYMOO •I like the ghostly wind sounds in aja •Josie is fun

I like Steely Dan already, so I'm not going in blind, but I don't think I'd ever heard a song from this record before. Kind of gives off that "I'm a character in a movie" vibe, definitely would be better to listen to on a solo drive (which my girlfriend did actually and I'm jealous of her for that). It's easy listening music, it doesn't exist to make you think (at least not this album) but it's very good at what it does. The drums, the saxophone, it's a fantastic rhythm, and a great groove. Home at Last is the peak of this album for me, it's what yacht rock is meant to be, everyone else can stop trying. High points: Home at Last, Josie

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

Soft and calming album with amazing instrumentals. Love it

I wanted to like this, I tried to listen to it a few times before but it just doesn't catch me.

Pädevad muusikud ajamas tarkade muusikute asja. Pürgivad helioojad saaksid lihtsalt Steely Dani plaate tundide viisi kuulata ja alati midagi uut/huvitavat sealt õppida. Vahepeal on siin plaadil päris sarnase kõlaga akordijärgnevusi, aga ta on 100% koguaeg kuulatav ja põnev. Ainuke suur "hitt" siin aga on "Peg". 3.8/5

I just love Steely Dan. Smooth jazz with such an influence on different music genres during the late 70s early 80s. You can really hear it in this album.

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

surprisingly artsy, i really liked it. fav was home at last

It's jazzy rock and I like jazz

Steely Dan have always allegedly been one of, if not the only, good soft-rock bands, which I can get down with, seeing as I enjoyed 'Countdown to Ecstasy' quite a bit from earlier in this list. And I can say I enjoyed this about as much, if not a bit more. Their songs have this really weird effect on me, where I'm really not a fan of the song's general direction, lead melody, or instrumental palette during its first couple of minutes, but am left oddly satisfied once the song closes out, despite not much really changing. That's not to say the songs don't evolve and grow; a song like the title track felt like a long day on a tropical island resort town, from sunrise to sunset, that evokes just about every possible emotion you could have. It's maybe the best example of a song that just grows on me despite me not caring for its foundational elements. It's like the song is constantly pulling off insane tricks in a desperate effort to impress its worst critics, and it actually ends up working, because there's just so much to love in that middle instrumental interlude. Almost every song has a similar effect on me, where I grow to appreciate what it's trying to do by the end. "Deacon Blues' has maybe the neatest saxophone solo here, and it took until the third go of the verse-chorus for me to really appreciate the melodic and lyrical direction of the song, just a super tragic nihilistic tale backed by some oddly fitting bright instrumentation. "Peg" was a nice refresher, with its tighter pocket groove feel, killer harmonies, and about as gnarly a guitar solo as you'll get out of a Steely Dan record. A feel-good song...I see why De La samples this one particularly. 'I Got The News' was another one with a super tight bassline and piano groove, and I really liked how it just randomly burst into these lush instrumental segments before returning to the core groove. It didn't leave a bad taste in my mouth, and I can definitely see why people enjoy this more than I do. It's just good music, with no bells and whistles, engineered to perfection, with a mind-blowingly wide instrumental range that's all super melodic. Plus, it reminded me of the Mario Kart soundtrack at times. As for me, I can appreciate it more than I fully enjoyed it. It's like I get super close to loving these songs, but something just holds me back, and I'm not fully sure what. Maybe I'll grow to love it even more on subsequent listens.

A : 5, Josie or Home At Last JL : 3, Aja

Peg!!

This is near the pinnacle of Steely Dan and their incredible work. Solid to the most solid degree.

3/5 elegante, me gusta para estar chill, muy bueno

nice

Like all the other Steely Dan albums, it is absolutely joyful to listen to it. Time passes quickly when you listen to this album. It deosn't really change pace much, or genre for that matter. But all in all they are the masters of providing a pleasant ride for anyone who wants to listen to an album in its entirety. 4/5

Oh ho! Steely number 2. Stewbles will never forgive me for only giving Pretzel Logic 4 stars. My reasoning was, is it the best Steely D album? So too the same question for Aja. Plenty of people say it is. This strikes me an album that was put together by a sports coach. Each track features the starting lineup for that particular song and there are songs where the vice captain got dropped to the seconds! What you get is some amazing musicians for a couple of tracks, then gone (Joe Sample, for example, Steve god damn Gadd, Wayne Shorter FFS) but the album hangs together. The album is pretty much 5 star based only on the Gadd/Shorter interplay on the title track alone. But that would move it away from the ranking rule i set myself with this band already - it is great but is it the best of theirs and therefore 5 star. No, for mine it is not. Too polished? Too mature? Great performances (Larry’s solo on Peg is a delight) but this isnt full of the Dan songs I sing to myself or that come first to mind. Oh no, dont tell me I thought I liked SD but turms out I like the best of SD!!!!! No, that isnt it. There is brilliance in this album but i need far more time to akt with it and really listen. The production, is it too clean, did they suffer sunken cost fallacy in putting all their coin i to outstanding production and then think ‘we cant have our usual team on this, got to get the best’ and does this next level wrecking crew approach steralisr this album aomewhat? Did the album peak at Aja (probably my favorite track but the end - News and Josie - have a funk and sway I love). Whatever. I fucking enjoyed apending end to end time here.

Josie is sick; Deacon Blue is overpowering, why’s it so long????

I don’t love the artist’s voice, and only found the first song enjoyable.

I was slow on the uptake getting into the Dan and this album is a big reason why. It’s the first album of theirs I heard and I just don’t think the songs are as memorable as some of their other work! I love Aja now after having sat with it for so many years, but I’ll always reach for Countdown to Ecstasy, The Royal Scam, or Gaucho before this. Wonderfully produced, expertly played, all of that. “Peg” and the second half of the album are fucking excellent. Still find the first half a little goofy. Just wait till you see what they’d do on the next one.

it’s funky it’s jazzy and it’s poppy

Sort of strange. I really thought I would absolutely love this, but I feel like it's just sort of...fine. "Jazz-rock" is a very generous way to describe this. I almost feel like it's closer to yacht-rock, or perhaps more accurately dad-rock. It's certainly not bad, just polished to the point of hyper-perfection: no grit, no soul, no spirit. It's a perfectly decent listening experience, and not much more. Fave tracks: - Black Cow - Home At Last - I Got The News - Josie

Nice groove. Not interested.

A dreamy rock adventure rooted in playful instrumentation.

Sounds the same from start to finish.

Fine but a bit too easy listening for me

Okay, soft rock

Jazz rockia. Kivoja biisejä. Pitkiä, mutta hyvä meno. Biisit tosi samanlaisia keskenään. Menee taustamusiikkina tosi kivasti.

Tää oli juuri tällasta sadepäivään sopivaa musiikkia. Asfaltti kiiltää vedestä ja värivalot heijastuu silmiin. En osaa selittää mistä mielikuva tulee, mut on miellyttävä. Luulen, että tää levy uppoaisi vielä paremmin auton ratissa.

Oli vaikea löytää mistä kuunnella tää ton kaiken tracklistingsekoilun kaa taas. Mutta löysin ja tykkäsin! Aivan semmosta menevää soljuvaa hyväntuulista ja oivaltavaa musta.

En ollu kuunnellu tätä koskaan kokonaan vaikka mun lempibiisi Steely Danilta on tässä (Deacon Blues). Oon tainnu vähän päästä konsatraumoista yli koska täähän maitto oikein hyvin etenkin tokalla kuuntelulla!

Tiukka groove ja taitavaa soitantaa! Oon joskus ennenkin tätä tyyppaillyt, mut valitettavasti edelleen jättää taidokkuudesta ja kivoista elementeistä huolimatta jotenkin kylmäksi. Varmaan kaipais vähän vielä tarttuvampia koukkuja tms.

Hella good. Tää on sellasta musadiggarimusaa mitä kohtaan oon varmaan yleisesti hiukan turhan ennakkoluuloinen pelkän nimen perusteella: ”liian hienoa mulle, helmiä sioille”. Mut ei tätä varmaan ihmeemmin tartte ymmärtää, kun menee jalan alle ja viihdyttää. Kuulostaa tosi ajattomalta, jonka jälleen kerran lasken positiiviseksi asiaksi. Peg nousi lempparibiisiksi.

Like it 3/5

+2 type shit I know that's right

04/10

Oh! I was wondering when I was getting this! Yeah. It’s a 5. I’m a late to the party Steely Dan fan, and my dad definitely was NOT a fan, but now that I am here, I’m all in. 5 Boolean: True

[4/5] jazzy rocky but soft. nice instrumentals, could possibly be used in the waiting room. my favourite song was peg due to the wii party aura it carries. album sounds very clean and fresh, well put together. 3.5. track notes: 1. american diner smooth soft rock 2. little bit like being called to desk number nine in the airport but they let your overweight luggage through. marimba giving theme park queue line 3. mellow melancholy in a positive way 4. i spent so long pulling my hair out listening to this, before realising the similarities with "Minigame Rules" from Wii Party. a bit of mario kart 8 as well; familiar doo doo doo. bonus foreign movie. homely? shopping channel? feeling that all will be well? 5. sly and groovy. nice piano sliding into the function 6. funky look-at-this/tip-toeing on a piano beat. not as memorable as the other tracks 7. cannot stop thinking about the roman empire

A part from the track Peg I wasn’t familiar with this album. To be honest it didn’t do much for me. I did enjoy parts of it but overall it’s not an album I’m encouraged to listen to again

Another album I know very well. Many people consider this their best, and it's not bad at all but it doesn't stand out over their other albums. I do like some of their others more so this one can go 4 stars

Some people call Steely Dan jazz-rock. If I could find straight jazz records as good as theirs, I’d be a jazz fan. Unfortunately, most pure jazz bores me. Steely Dan, though, I could listen to them on repeat forever.

Steely Dan’s unique sound is one of their best qualities, and one of their most grating. But I find Aja to be one of their best. “Peg” is my favorite song of theirs—largely thanks to Michael McDonald’s distinctive backing vocals and the imagery of “blueprint blue”. Some other great songs, sullied only by eye-rolling Steely Dan-isms like “Here at the dude ranch by the sea.”

Very chill All the songs are sooo long though

Calm

The Classic soundtrack to every fern bar

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

I was surprised by this album. I’ve never been a huge fan of Steely Dan but I enjoyed this album. I don’t know if it’s something I would reach but I wouldn’t skip it either.

норм, добавил

Música para paladares exquisitos y oídos expertos. Sin embargo a mi me resulta algo pesada, no es mi estilo, aunque está perfectamente producida y ejecutada. Ni Peg, ni Deacon Blues (origen del nombre del grupo escocés, también muy disfrutable, Deacon Blue) me llegan a llenar. Me gusta más su debut, Can't Buy a Thrill , algo más fresco e imperfecto pero más cercano.

Nope. Boring as shit.

Great album, Deacon Blues is the highlight, but the whole album is great.

this was an unexpected but pleasant vibe, i like it.

Never listened to the whole album before and just had heard the radio songs on the album. The album was really good and had some different sounding tracks. I was really surprised by the title track, Aja, and the drums in the song. Really great jazz style song.

Not a stinker on this album. Love I got the news with a special appearance by Michael McDonald. 5 stars!!

I have soft spot for a lot of Steely Dan songs but only know Peg from this album. Wasn't aware it was only 2 guys and a bunch of highly skilled session musicians, that sheds a new light on things for sure. Everything here is very smooth, very well produced and jazzy. Feels like riding down a coastline highway in a silk lined convertible. I didn't hear a single track that I wouldn't want to hear again on its own so it's a good album but it also didn't grab me from start to finish.

Not a wasted note, not a weak track. Aja is effortless cool. Nothing but smooth grooves, flawless musicianship, and production that somehow sounds as fresh today as it did in 1977. Whatever Steely Dan was selling, I bought it decades ago and I’m still buying.

Every song was great and perfect vibes for drinking at the beach or on the lake

Álbum muito inspirado e rico. A qualidade que tudo é tocado impressiona. Boa musica. QoA Adonis New.

4.5/5

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

It's fine

4/10

I had a dream once that I hung out with Steely Dan and they didn't like me.

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

Good listen

This was so fun and funky and smooth and varied. I guess I need to learn more about steely dan? This kicked so much ass.

Some memorable samples and songs. Pretty solid album.

Jazzy, with some rock in there. Very enjoyable

These white boys cant really miss from what ive heard... another smooth record! (4.0/5.0)

didnt llisten to it all wasnt my cup of tea

якісна музика, але ж блін яка нудятина. І норм з одного боку, а очі все змикаються і голова стає важчою

they really nailed it with this one, i fear. complex and smooth at the same time, fantastic part writing, excellent playing, and great production.

Nice album of chill music. Gives me the vibes of a cozy afternoon.

Saccharine

Jazzy with immaculate bass line. Lyrics and melodies are not too memorable but is all about the vibe - and it's immaculate.

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

I find this album to be a bit overrated. Within the Steely Dan discography, I find it to be one of their weakest efforts. The entire album is just a bit too soft and downtempo for me and the cuts aren't as enjoyable as some of their other albums. That said, a bad Steely Dan album doesn't really exist. Perhaps my record was a flat sounding pressing as well, which didn't let me enjoy the audiophile grade quality this album brings with it. There's bops here, especially towards the end things get a bit groovier. My hot take is that the first side just is a bit lame.

Outro clássico absoluto. Esse eu descobri pelo Ed Motta, e acabei conhecendo grande parte da discografia da banda. É o mais popular, apesar de eu preferir o Gaucho, esse aqui é mais completinho e solidifica melhor o trabalho conceitual da banda dali pra frente, com um rock jazzístico bastante refinado.

This is an automatic 5 stars for me. I already have all of the songs on this one liked on Spotify. I've listened to this album so many times it's hard to be objective. I just know and love all of the songs - and it all flows perfectly together. Lyrically - I'm not even sure exactly what all of the songs are about - it's cryptic enough to keep me wondering even after all this time. I remember having this play on repeat while playing ice hockey on a pond near my parents house - back in the old days when that pond used to actually freeze enough for people to skate on it. Yes - 12 year old me was grooving to Steely Dan while playing ice hockey. Sometimes this was at night since we were able to setup some spotlights with a really long extension cord. Good times! As a 12 year old kid I didn't think of music in terms of genres - rock, pop, soul, funk, punk, blues, jazz etc. So, it didn't even cross my mind that this was very jazzy. It just sounded good to my ears. Genres still generally annoy me and I find they can be really limiting for understanding or enjoying what an artist is doing. I guess a genre description can be a reasonable proxy for understanding the general feel of some music or artist - but it's really just a starting point that becomes irrelevant the more you listen. I thought it was funny when 30 or so years later those YouTube guys started calling this "yacht rock" and invented a whole new genre around the players on this album. It was also pretty funny when they attempted to interview Donald Fagen about "yacht rock" in the documentary he just said "Go fuck yourselves" and hung up the phone. Haha! Even on the long songs (like Aja at 8 min and Deacon Blues at 7.5 min) they don't get tiring or boring because the music changes up as the song goes on. The production also creates space to hear individual instruments - piano, guitar, sax, synthesizer, bass, drums etc. You can tell these folks are all very talented musicians. One thing I would add is Steely Dan has their own sound. You can hear basically any of their songs and identify it as Steely Dan pretty quickly. I think that is a sign of a great band - that they have their own unique sound. Anyway - great listen. Liked songs on Spotify: 7/7 (perfect album) Rating: 5/5

7/10 - I thought it would be more 70s rock but pleasantly surprised it is more soul/funky

Watched a yacht rock documentary and this features prominently So only really got into it in the last couple of years, heavy rotation now. Puts a spring in your step. Favourite track: Peg

Me gustó bastante. Es un jazz-blues, con toques de rock. Muy lindo de escuchar.

🤷

Bättre än jag väntade mig. Jag är inte förtjust i Steely Dan. Jag har alltid tyckt att de är för invecklade och tråkiga. Detta album var dock bättre än vad jag väntade mig, framför allt Josie, Deacon Blues och Peg. Den sistnämnda lärde jag mig var samplad av De La Soul i Eye Know. Detta hade jag ingen aning om förrän jag lyssnade på det här albumet. Helt ok i det hela. Steely Dan kommer aldrig att vara mina favoriter men detta album var en trevlig överraskning.

Awesome album!

Top tier album -- it's no surprise that top album of all time lists often include Aja. The musicianship here is top notch. They brought in ringers to perform much of the instrumentals, and it's clear. This along with jazz influence chords and riffs make it a truly high-level listening experience. Everything on here sounds so polished and refined... which could be seen as both a strength and a weakness. It sounds great, but at the same time can sound a bit lifeless... until I remind myself that this was done in the 70s before technology could be used to perfect music. This was done solely on the skill of the musicians.

The duo known as Steely Dan, along with the assistance of a large crew of top-tier musicians, craft a wonderfully developed sound on Aja. It’s a step up in every facet from Pretzel Logic for me, namely musicianship, maturity, consistency, and focus. The mixing and engineering do plenty of heavy lifting as well. The record sounds so clear and high-quality for the time. It took a little time, but I really came to enjoy this one. It’s just pleasing and enjoyable throughout. It may not be all that eccentric, but it doesn’t have to be. 2 listens Favorite Tracks: Black Cow, Deacon Blues, Title Track

Expectation: -> Reelin' In The Years and Do It Again are nostalgic Steely Dan songs that I quite enjoy. After listening: -> I think it's the nostalgia that I like most. This album doesn't have that for me. Some decent songs, nice sax play. This is pretty easy listening. Track ranking: Home Aja Peg Josie Deacon News Cow

Decent

It got everything you need for a classic album: great songs, originality, godd musicianship.

9. jul 2026. 15.46h its okej, fanki ali nije bas moj cup of tea best: peg worst: deacon blues

The first thing that popped into my head was, "Well, that's stereotypical 'Adult Contemporary' right there." Very much a casual background listen.

Top 5 all time

fabulous

This is the GOAT album

As a dad, I simply must give it a 5

Great! Love Steely Dan. I get that some people think it's "boring" but I disagree. I think it's lovely.

Immaculate

Really cool funky album. Enjoyed it. Very catchy. Well done lads

I remember the album cover as a kid and always in a record store. Not my kind of groove back then but they were on top of the world in 1977. Too jazzy for my liking, but I appreciate a lot of their sound and definitely their musical chops & the strong cast of studio studs that play on their albums. You'd have to be living under a rock to not have heard "Black Cow", "Deacon Blues", "Peg" or "Josie" on the radio back then or today. Impressive listener counts from start to finish with only "I Got The News" being under 25M. That's solid, they have an audience. "Peg" is easily the highlight, it's more inline with their 70's rock groove than the others which lean towards their jazzy roots. 3 stars for me. It's not over the top with great songs but the musicianship is top notch. I can see where it gathers votes to sneak into the Top 1001, just wouldn't make my personal list.

acho que gostar de steely dan é falha de caráter, e infelizmente, eu gosto bem desse deus abençoe o yacht rock

po mano, pior que esse eh massa mesmo nao tenta tanto ser ""cool"" que nem os outros que passaram por aqui, essa eh mais direto ao ponto para atingir papais de meia idade. sem perder o jazz rockzinho, né além disso, que produção, hein. o baixarel come solto. bacana demais!!

I listened to this less than a week ago and had to look it up just now to check what genre it fits into. Clearly not a lasting impression. The internet tells me its jazz by an American rock band. I vaguely recall it sounding a bit soul. Either way, not compelling enough for me to listen to again.

Not quite my tempo, but very very close. I liked the album overall more than disliked, but it was just a little boring at times. I’ll tell you what, the production quality is insanely good, that alone bumps this album up a few notches. Great songwriting and talented musicianship, but yeah just a little boring at times.

Not 3 days after my last Steely Dan album, I'm given yet another of their albums (hopefully the last one.) I don't absolutely hate this band, but it's definitely not something I would seek out. I suspect a lot of people my age have good memories of this music because it sounds like it would be a hit with most people's parents. Well my mom liked Motown and my dad liked hard rock, so the Dan never really fit anywhere. All that aside, this one is the best of the 3 Steely Dan albums this list has given me. Every song is memorable and immaculately produced. I would have liked if it had a little more of a distinct edge but the whole album has been produced to be as prim and polished as ever, like someone buffed out every wrinkle and crease on its face. It's the equivalent of a waxed tiled floor; the pattern is nice to look at and you might find something fun, but you wouldn't dare put anything else on it lest you ruin the perfect sheen. Quite a bit of this thing also reminds me of some irresponsible playboy with thinning, slicked back hair wearing a Hawaiian shirt over dress pants driving an obnoxiously loud convertible. It's got the perfect corporate-sounding sleazy vibe to me, which might actually be something they're going for(!) There's even a song with some groove to it in "Peg," another new facet to Steely Dan's repertoire. I would honestly add that one to a playlist, it's very good. Everything else is unfortunately in that mid-tempo haze that makes the songs drift about listlessly for their entire duration. The title track is a pretty brisk 8 minutes, but more than one song whose samey riffing makes 5 minutes feel like 7. If there were half-star ratings I would have given this an extra half point, but the energy from the 2 songs I enjoyed isn't enough to push this into 4-star territory unfortunately. Beautiful sounding album overall - if only it had more songs. Key Tracks: Black Cow, Aja, Peg

Kalkulert, men fremdeles leken. Hver detalj er perfeksjonert, uten å bli kjedelig. Vi sees på Backbeat i kveld kl 18!

Veldig trivelig plate å ha på en regnværsdag i Juli. Har aldri vært fan men skjønner at jeg må bli bedre kjent med Dan.

Kruttsterkt, men litt for proggete for min smak. Svak firer, men Deacon Blues gjør susen.

Instead of trying to teach kids an abstinence-only approach in sex-ed, teachers should play Steely Dan on repeat. It will be sure to squash any burgeoning sexual desires.

I think this is a little too pretentious for me to be honest. I really like the drumming and I was aware of the band before because of it, but the guitar and other solos are really not that interesting or cool, and most of the guitar work in general does bore me a little. The songs as a whole are quite nice and smooth, but lacking in anything that really makes me feel anything, and other than the drumming at certain points there isn't enough impressive musicianship to make up for that. It just feels like people act like the melodies and harmony throughout is innovative because it uses jazz stuff, but in reality a lot of it is just going up and down those scales and not doing too much with it, although a lot of the bass lines are pretty cool. I'm also pretty conflicted on the vocals: I don't really like the lead singers voice, but sometimes the production and use of other backing vocals does make up for it.

I knew coming into this how much I love Deacon Blues but generally just find Steely Dan fine. Despite that, this is peak yacht rock. I should be on a boat in Lake Michigan drinking in the summer while listening to this. The production is also just immaculate Favorite Songs: Aja, Deacon Blues, Peg

Fantastically produced album.

это разъеб джаз рок, очень плотно и приятно хиты, короткий это такая конфета буду переслушивать 4

at least it's short

Maybe one of the best albums of all time. No weak cuts and the title song is a masterpiece.

I like one song (Home At Last), love the quality of the engineering, but got far too lost in all the schmalz

6/10 The kind of classic rock that I appreciate, but doesn't massively stand out Highlight: Deacon Blues

Love it

excellent album. lots of parts I hear sampled from tap songs. I am not az jazz fan but this is great.

fusion rock from everyone's favorite true unc rock band steely dan. both band leaders wanted to really try their hand at expanding their palette of players and instruments, and this effort seemed to work for a lot of people, both back then and today. also if you're wondering, it's pronounced "asia". fusion jazz seems to be one of those niches that's gotten pretty popular around this decade, especially with the carefree japanese fusion jazz music that's often paired with palm trees and footage of city hunter. and this is very VERY similar music that's from the ol' US of A. breezy, laidback rock, dreamy vocal harmonies, pretty keyboard chords, little accents that pop up here and there... a lot of steely dan's discography tends to be great and this is probably one of the best i've ever heard from them. lately i've been listening to a lot of "summery" albums... i think this album counts as a good example of one!

A: Omg jättecool, lite tråkig stundvis men jättechill och jättevibe och jättefunky. Drink your black cow och learn how to play the saxophone eller whatever dom sa. 4/5 would listen again. D: Omb första albumet jag skulle påriktit kunna lyssna på i civilen. Goofy och funkig och allt möjlig. Jag gillade den mycket. Jag tänkte mig att en svart ko spelade alla låtar vilket stärkte upplevelsen. 4/5 skulle lyssna den pånytt.

Great guitar, great groove, great vocal = great album