Reviews (page 5 of 15)
Great album
Black Cow Aja Deacon Blues Peg Home At Last I Got The News Josie
bonne musique d'ambiance
All my life I've had people telling me how steely dan is the best ever and I've never ever gotten that feeling. Giving this three stars due to its influence on 90s hip hop
Classic
Great album. Good flow throughout.
very good, I'd buy this on vinyl
Jesus christ, how much Steely Dan does this list need? Dad rock, soft rock, doesn't hold up, bland, made me grumpy. 2*
Background music
Perfect 10/10
OOOOOH THATS GOOD groovy and nice
Solid album with lots of hits!
Fun, funky, suave and sophisticated. Great musicians.
MASTERPIECE Makes you wanna sip whiskey and smoke fine cigars Standouts - they aint one, but 7
Never actually played any steely Dan before. Funky, jazz and very chill. Thoroughly enjoyed it. ✌️
An out of body experience. Didn't want to move on first listen, just tapped my foot and nodded my head. Sat mellowing in musical joy. No i'm not high, Sir. Wondrous.
This is the kinda album that makes me want to drink scotch whiskey all night long and die behind the wheeeel Great album can’t go wrong listening to the Dan
Bom album, gostei mto da descoberta dessa banda, mas o primeiro album (cant buy a thrill) é melhor. Queria que pudesse dar 2,5 estrelas, pq esse seria o rating perfeito, mas vai ter que ir pra 3. nota 5,5/10
I mean its okay
Listens: 3 or 4 Standout Tracks: Black Cow, Deacon Blues, Josie Out of the four or five Steely Dan albums that I've listened to so far, from the List, this is the one I've enjoyed the most, by far. It feels relatable. Familiar. Good grooves. Great bass lines. Plus, Black Cow got sampled by MF Doom's Gas Drawls, so that also helped me get into the album. I would definitely listen to this again and it's getting added to my library.
Nothing wrong with it but just dull as dish water 2 stars
Steely Damnnnn! One of the most undeniable 5’s on the list.
Vibey and cool - not what I imagined having heard the name Steely Dan many times but not listened to the music befofe.
Peg is an absolute jam. I also like Deacon Blue. The rest……meh. I’ve never been a member of the cult of SD. I find them to be more like accessible white mans jazz. Some good tunes but I do not seek them out.
This album was one of the most boring albums I've listened to, i was so happy when it ended. would not listen again. I don't understand the appeal.
This album to me is the ultimate yacht rock album. It has everything you want in yacht rock - smooth beats, polished sound, interesting composition, etc. I read that they used almost 40 session musicians on this album and you can definitely tell - the instrumentation is fantastic and the album sounds so polished and professional. Not an album that is going to necessarily take you anywhere emotionally, but extremely well put together.
Bring back songs that fade out at the end
had it on in the background while i worked and it was very unobtrusive. 3 stars
C'est beige. Pas mauvais, juste beige.
Loved it.added them to dad rock 🤘 playlist
It's the Dan, man!
Superb
It was a great album. Got me back into jazz second song too long didnt listen completely loll. But its nice i would def listen again.
Boring but it’s ok ig
This is peak 70s music and that is my least favorite decade. This just is not for me.
3 1/2
This brother is free, I'll be what I want to be...
I was on the Steely Dan hate train for a long time because I perceived how cheesy they were (without really listening). But after being forced by a friend to give this a closer listen, I realized how goddamn wrong I was. This is undoubtedly in the yacht rock camp, but it's so much more. The jazzy licks, the rollicking bass, the crisp drums, the impeccable musicianship and absolutely pristine engineering, it's got everything. There are so many modern artists that have got to be influenced by this band (Thundercat I'm looking at you). Haters are gonna hate, and surface level this is an easy target. But I'm a happy convert to Steely Dan and especially Aja.
This is really good. More of a jazz album than anything else, but impeccably played and recorded.
Muy largo no me pescó solo me gusta Peg. No puede ser que tengas mas de 3 canciones que duran mas de 6 minutos.
Easy listening but nothing really hooked me
the dan always brings it. more should be bringing it like this
it brings out the same sensory response in me as that pandemic-era hand sanitizer that vaguely smelled like bad tequila. It's cleansing and got me drunk, name something else that can do that
Optimal listening conditions: on a small yacht or large houseboat while “making love” to a hairy chested, heavily mustached man in 1977, stoned off my rocker.
better than expected
3.5/5
Play that funky music white boy
Big-time bangers right here. Thank you to De La Soul for introducing me to Peg at a younger age. Just a couple moments to notice: the solos on the title track, the horn line during the post chorus of Deacon Blues, Michael McDonald showing up on Peg and I Got The News, how Home At Last and Josie catch you with its melody. Honestly Black Cow is my least favorite cause I don't really have anything to say about it, it's just good to me and the rest are great. The whole thing is great. (9/10, 5/5 on this scale)
Do ya like jazz? Yk what I actually really vibed with this, I feel like a lot of jazz albums are too drawn out but this one was really well composed.
Good
✅️
Ok
pretty good some songs i really liked i'd like to explore their catalog more.
this album is just ok
STEELY DAN
Not great
Surprisingly groovy
Great band. Amazing drums (musicianship in general) and songwriting. Perfect to have it as background music while you drink some fancy cocktail responsibly.
Not for me
Their minor 5th orchestration is annoying, but compared to what passes as music these days they are ok
caralho, que álbum BOM. nada melhor do um jazz bem feito.
Hell yeah, yacht rock. I was first exposed to this album as a sample in Gas Draws from MF DOOM. That was a song that I played when I was going home drunk from the bar. I suspect DOOM might have done the same. I'm listening to this during the winter, which is a shame, as Black Cow is a summer song.
Prima
This was a very good album. I would give it 4.5 stars. However, it's missing a little something to really bump it up to 5 for me. I can't put my finger on it, but it's getting quite close to that edge, but never pushing it beyond. Still, very good album.
LOVE
I wasn't sure what to expect, but this was a great listen! Some songs I felt dragged a little, but not too much. Great energy overall.
Prefer Can’t Buy a Thrill to listen to but this one has great tracks, with there were just a couple more.
This is good
Infectiously fun vibes, albeit this falls off a bit towards the end. I know "Peg" from somewhere, but I can't place it.
Ok
Technically impressive but kinda boring.
It‘s ok, not great, not bad, just okay.
I hated this so much. Music without soul. Soundtrack to many hotel lobbies and dentist waiting rooms. I’ll give it a 2 though because it’s so offensively boring that at least the push back to this sanitized suck-fest helped give birth to punk and all kinds of other music I love. Thank you Steely Dan for sucking. Rock is now better for it. I’m going to listen to Fugazi the rest of the day to make sure I can still feel something.
My first thought of Aja is a drag queen not steely dan. I didn't actually mind this, though.
Feel like this band is onto something. I am expecting great things from them
I feel like this just has to be a 5 star album. It is pretty short but every song is either a classic or an underrated gem.
At least four all-timers, feels like one long song. If you like jazz rock then its a 5, if you dont its a 2.
This album is awesome...call me a dork, I dont care. Top tier musicianship, oddly dense/clever lyrics, and just expertly constructed songs. Steely Dan may have had an ironic millennial resurgence, but to me, its not ironic. Its funny that people think this is "white people music" when the so many of the session players (notably Chuck Rainey and Bernard Purdie) were Aretha's backing band. Shoutout to my hero Wayne Shorter for the sax solo on "Aja". This is their best album...I love "Home At Last" with the Purdie shuffle, "Black Cow" is a great opener, "Josie" is a great closer (the intro sounds like Steely Dan's take on a metal riff), and "Peg" is just a staple. Those loud Michael McDonald harmonies in the chorus always kind of make me laugh....they had to know that was funny, right? 5 stars.
Really enjoyed this one. It had funky tones and didn't just feel like regular guitar music.
I wanted to appreciate this album (which I'd checked out previously without "getting it") - I gave it a couple of listens, but still felt most of it is too cool to engage me. I far prefer the energy and warmth (together with interesting chords, rhythms etc) of The Royal Scam. The title track is "well made" but doesn't really attract me to play it again. Same for most of the other tracks. One stand-out, I like Peg from start to finish (faster tempo, nice funky riffs and hooks) - was chuffed to realise this was the song heavily sampled for Eye Know - interesting guitar solo, slapping bass - I'll listen to that song again, but without the rest of the album. Since each song in isolation is at least moderately interesting - I give the album as a whole a 3 rather than a 2.
Not exactly workout music
I’ve heard this one before! I like it all right but not one I return to.
Nice chill vibes, something to play in the background
Goeie lobbyvibe
- 0 nummers toegevoegd aan MMMM - 0 nummers al toegevoegd aan MMMM
I'm pretty sure I enjoyed the other Steely Dan album I listened to during the project. This one was very underwhelming, boring even.
Okay
It's not my usual kind of vibe, but it's still good and I actually went back afterwards to listen to it again. Great find!
incr?????
початок добре менф подобаєтсі точна додам і буду їх слухат це справді краще ніж оті попередні хахааха
I think I just like one song by steely dan that's on a different album. This album sounded mostly the same. 4/10
Silk shirts, late nights, and immaculate vibes. Rating: 4.8/5 Short Review: This album is precision pretending to be smooth. Every note is placed like it went to finishing school. Jazz rock perfection with a soft glow and a sharp mind underneath. Favorite Track: Deacon Blues. Melancholy, cool, and quietly devastating.
Didnt leave mutch of an impression to me. Not overtly bad or horrible to listen to but wont be listening to this album any time soon.
I dont have too much to say. Steely Dan is okay. Some songs have some swangin', but they are kinda samey
This was a nice album that somehow didn't really leave an impression on me, but in a weirdly good way. It was all genuinely nice to listen to, the grooves were great. But simultaneously nothing really stuck to me. Even in writing this review I struggle to say what exactly was good. Exactly the type of album I'd put on if I had a record player, because I feel like you can't go wrong with this. 7.5/10
Listening to Aja made me stop and think: what exactly are Steely Dan? I have never got them before today, This is easily the best Steely Dan album I’ve heard. From the first moments, Aja feels well produced and crafted. “Black Cow” is a superb opener, while the title track alone justifies the album’s status. “Peg” and “Josie” are outstanding—effortlessly catchy and the kind of songs you love more with each listen. The sound throughout is immaculate. The production is pristine, the musicianship faultless, and the drumming in particular is exceptional. Favourite tracks: “Josie” and “Peg” – both are superb Least favourite track: None – everything here earns its place Album artwork: A cool, iconic cover that suits the album perfectly
Funky, fun album. Pretty solid Fav song: Peg Worst song: I Got The News Album: 7,5/10 3,8/5
I wasn't born when this came out. Released in the same month (September 1977) were The Talking Heads debut album, Iggy Pop's Lust for Life and Little Criminals by Randy Newman. If I had been alive back then I hope I would have been listening to all of those and giving this a wide berth.
Alright steely dan is kinda good
On a donc aujourd'hui du jazz rock. Un mélange qui devrait en principe me parler, mais j'ai trouvé que j'avais surtout affaire à une version édulcorée de chaque genre, même si c'est bien interprété et que ça sera faux de dire que c'est un mauvais album. Mais pas rapport à ce que peuvent produire des artistes comme Cynic ou certains albums d'Allan Holdsworth, ça me semble un petit peu faible.
Chinese music always sets me free Really enjoyed the chill listen this album provides, good songs all around
I don't think I've ever been so sad to hear an album end before. This was absolutely incredible. Finding stuff like this is exactly why I'm doing this project. 5/5 hands down.
Steely Dan hit their stride from the get-go back in 1972, but they reach a wonderful climax with Aja. It's truly their crown jewel, featuring extremely precise (and complex!) instrumentation, chords that are impossible to follow but ridiculously easy to love, and some out-of-this-world virtuosity. Steve Gadd, Wayne Shorter, Larry Carlton, Chuck Rainey, Bernard Purdie, Victor Feldman... those are just a few of the vast array of rock and jazz legends featured here. "Tasteful" is the word to describe this record, along with "precise", "perfectionist", "smooth", "eloquent", and (arguably) "perfect". It probably helped to have played Black Cow in a jazz band prior to listening to any Dan tunes, but I'm convinced that I would've become obsessed with this band in a heartbeat even if that weren't the case. And Aja is truly their crown jewel. At least, unless you ask Dan diehards who try to justify Gaucho or Two Against Nature as deserving of the #1 spot. Those two are great as well, but Aja is catchier and more timeless. Maybe an unpopular opinion, but Black Cow is the strongest track on the record. I've jumped between Peg, Aja, and Black Cow over the years, but the latter is the current frontrunner. A masterful keyboard solo, a slow, chill bassline that (for lack of a better description) caresses your heart, a great horn section, and an extended outro that'll absolutely blow your mind. Aja is, as another reviewer described it, nearly impenetrable. It's a confusing, exotic whirlwind of mu chords, clear-cut piano lines, and lyrics about Chinese music (maybe?). And man, Gadd's and Shorter's combined drum-sax solo might honestly be one of the greatest things humanity has ever recorded. Even if you don't like the title track, it's worth sitting through to get to that explosion of dynamics and emotion, those ultra-complex drum fills, the sax shredding... and so on. I've probably listened to this album close to a hundred times, and Deacon Blues has slid down to one of the lower spots. It's most focused on the chorus and the overall lyrics, the latter of which I don't tend to put stock into with music. It's a great song, though. The backing vocals are tremendously good (and memorable), and the production is obviously on point. Peg is where the album hits a "pop peak". I've heard lots of people describe Peg as the gateway drug that got them hooked on Steely Dan, and I can't really argue with them there. A peppy funk-rock tune with some great brass lines, Michael McDonald nailing the chorus backing vocal, and a warm, enthralling guitar solo. And you can't really go wrong with 12-bar blues, especially if it's the only instance of it on the record. Home At Last is a rock-solid instance of doing the Purdie Shuffle correctly. That piano line (played by, presumably, Fagen) works wonders, and the track has arguably fewer imperfections than any other. The following song, I Got The News, is best thought of as a jazz jam session, with the piano part almost verging on free jazz in terms of complexity. It's so darn tough to follow that you're almost better off pushing it out of focus. Which is, I think, a lot of the reason people consider this the album's worst track. Without appreciating the keyboard, the song only picks up the bass when the drums hit a better combination of frequencies in the middle and we get some vocal harmonies going. We end with another funk-rock piece, Josie, which has a catchy beat (thanks mostly to the bassline) and probably Fagen's best lead vocal on the album. My personal highlight is the intro guitar melody. It's so weird, and yet so, so good. And now let's take a peek at the reviews... What? People think this is boring? And that punk is more interesting? Listen, I'm no music expert, but there's a heck of a lot more to ponder over in ridiculously well thought out jazz-pop-rock fusion than in a group of five British 20-year-olds who know little to nothing about music. You can spend hours tinkering away over a guitar, piano, or set of drums trying to work out Fagen and Becker's undeniable genius, but it's generally tough to do the same with punk unless that band is fused with another genre. There's a reason the punk movement hasn't stood the test of time as well as other genres from the same era. (Well, most other genres, anyway. I'm not letting disco get away with this.) 5/5 Key tracks: all
I have personal beef with Steely Dan that's not anyone's fault. But seeing as this is my 3rd 70s album in 3 days, he's just not helping. Like it was fine, but I just wanted it to be over sometimes.
One of his best albums! Every song a gem
It was my style of music but surprisingly it was a little hard to listen to the album bc it got a little boring at times I was confused what the goal was supposed to be
As far as production goes, impeccable. The songs are all good, but I personally feel no motivation coming back to this album, except maybe for one or two songs. In the end, I feel the album has more going on in its backbone than in the final product.
Genuinely enjoyed this album!
Yessss. What a wonderful and fun album. Brilliant cooking music or just something easy to listen to on the go. It’s a short album so it’s digestible and offers uplifting but interesting jazz. Would listen to again.
It slid off my brain like an eel coated in oil
good for what it is but i still dont like it sounds very same-y. not my type of thing at all
Achei muito simples, muita confusão de sons
this was a vibe while cooking some tacos
1. I Got the News 2. Deacon Blues 3. Home at Last Not thrilling. I don’t mind Steely Dan but there are certainly better albums of theirs. I just found it quite repetitive and boring. There are some nice instrumentals at points, especially i got the news. But overall they’re quite samey.
No substance and quite boring. I’ll give it its dues with its great production especially the drum sound and funky guitar but for the most part all of the songs sounded the same. It’s basically just really mediocre songs made better by session musicians, the jazz elements were cool but why even bother when the actual structure of the songs are so dull. Some cool instrumentals but that’s really it, not enjoyable but I guess it’s ok. Favourites: none really. Overall, 4/10.
(71/100)
the percussion and plucky synthesizer is getting on my nerves. i feel nothing when i listen to it. the resort vacation of music
There are better Styx records
Me Decade bloat and indulgence, Exhibit A.
how many more steely dan records are we going to getttttttttttttt
to paraphrase Lux Interior, Dad music for Dad people.
Just did not click with me. Found it fairly boring.
HOW OLD AM I THAT I REALLY LIKE ALL THESE STEELY DAN ALBUMS. SEND HELP
I liked it but I wasn't blown away. The hits are elsewhere.
Aja was a pretty great album. I haven't really heard any of the songs from this album prior to hearing them in this listen but i do remember seeing a recommendation for the song Peg, and the person who recommended it was absolutely right because it is a great song. That's not to say that the other songs are slouches either as they all had that fun jazzy rock vibe to them. I did feel like the songs here did suffer from a bit of same face syndrome but the album itself did not have that many songs so i felt that it was bearable, it did make the songs a bit forgettable though. Other than that though, i can't really think of anything this album does wrong, it's still a very fun listen. Best Song: Peg Worst Song: Black Cow
Tuff
this needs more original suggestions, great album for warm lighting and a nice rum and coke, blanket on type shit
Pleasant.
Some cool guitar riffs, bit slow, not totally my vibe
Been a fan since I was a kid. Great to play while getting work or other things done.
One of my top ten albums.
Long and sophistcated rock arrangements with partly more than 40 musicians. Released at my 9th birthday.
not something i'd typically listen to but i really enjoyed
Opet background music. Zvuk mi jeste primamljiv ali nekako ne privlaci mi paznju mnogo. Peg i Home at last najbolje sa albuma def
Nice rock album with some jazzy elements in there that worked really well. Well done instrumentation and well written solo sections led to a nice listen. 8/10 Favorite Song: Aja
Nein, nichts für mich.
How are you gonna name your band after a dildo and then make music this....LIMP.
Groovy, not necessarily a stand out but enjoyed my listen!
As a dumb kid, I used to think Steely Dan was lame and just music for old people. Then, as I became an old person, I realized Steely Dan is for old people because most young people can’t appreciate just how good Steely Dan is. Take Aja, for instance, it was the sixth album for Steely Dan, and while you have a certain Steely Dannishness running through all the albums, the group, or more specifically, the duo kept experimenting, using different session musicians for each album. Steely Dan just liked pushing the boundaries and creating music they wanted to hear. Steely Dan was essentially Walter Becker and Donald Fagen and whatever session musicians they decided to hire for an album or a tour. On Aja, the Dan wrote longer songs with more complicated arrangements, while also writing two hit songs you still hear on the radio today in Peg and Deacon Blues. You’re also likely to hear Josie and Black Cow off this album as well. Beyond just fabulous musicianship, Steely Dan has a wry sense of humor when it comes to lyrics. For instance, Deacon Blues is about a loser who thought that the losers of the world should have a name like Alabama is called the Crimson Tide. "They’ve got a name for the winners in the world, I want a name when I lose. They call Alabama, the Crimson Tide, call me Deacon Blues." Brilliant. The Steely Dan style can be described these days as Yacht Rock, which gets a bad name with people thinking it's cheesy or campy music made to be made fun of. However, there is nothing cheesy or campy about Steely Dan. They are true musicians who make very technical, but accessible music to just chill out to, party to, make babies to, whatever you mood you're in, Steely Dan can heighten it. I can’t recommend this album enough, along with most of Steely Dan’s catalog. Listen to this immediately, if not sooner.
This was already one of my favorite albums of all time.
Really terrible
Found a hip hop sample I didn't previously know where it came from, otherwise it was a pretty smooth listen
Genre: Jazz-Rock Steely Dan has been a group with surprising longevity. Fagen was the architect of a very clean, very meticulously produced, sophisticated studio sound, and would continue in this vein through Aja and beyond. Aja is good, enjoyable even, but I almost feel like I'm meant to study this as a music lesson rather than a rock album. It's good, sometimes very good, but I personally don't see myself revisiting this very often. Good record. Best enjoyed while feeling like a douchebag (endearingly). 3/5
This sounds like somebody asked the SNL band to make an album of the jams they perform to keep the studio audience awake during the ad breaks.
Great playing, but songs which are too smooth and a bit lacklustre for me to fully appreciate.
Ok second Steely Dan album in a row. Nothing wrong with the music, just doesn't go anywhere, I got bored.
Oh boy. Not for me.
#2 Good will listen more
loved
A favorite
This one takes me back to my old college days…I received it as a birthday gift from my older brother who was a big Steely Dan fan. At the time, I thought it was OK, but a little too jazzy for my tastes back then. I now appreciate the album much more, and think it’s aged really well. A couple of the songs are a bit long, particularly the title track, but It is now a four star record for me…I really enjoyed listening to it again.
This is THE album that I think of when I think of Steely Dan. In all that encapsulates; good and bad. I have a hard time with Steely Dan. I used to hate them, then I gradually turned to liking them as I began to appreciate them musically, but lately I'm starting to sour on them again. Their music is complex, superbly mixed, and interesting, but good God their lyrics are drivel. It's like a bunch of super talented private school rich kids who's only ambition in life is to make music and drug women so they can sleep with them. (Which as a side note captures the late '70's private school thing really well) Great album, but flawed because of the lyrical content. This band could have been so much more.
good old rock 9.4/10
MF DOOM type beat. Double Helix by Death Grips?!?!?! They call Alabama the Crimson Tide. Life changing stuff.
Blech
I feel like praising "production standards," as Wikipedia puts it, is really shallow. Granted, I hardly care about production in an album and never notice issues that other people talk about on "poorly produced" albums. I can only think of a small handful of albums with production decisions that were bad to the point of making the album worse, like Aretha Franklin being the quietest thing in the mix on I Never Loved A Man. This is to say that this album just isn't that good. It's very, very flat, like Smooth Jazz that's so Smoothed out that they lose the Jazz. I liked the drum solo in the opener and saxophones will never take away from an album (lots of saxophone bonus points for this one), but past that this album is a bunch of nothing.
Didn’t enjoy as much as Pretzel Logic. The only one I recognised was because it was sampled by De La Soul!
Solid 4/5
love steely dan forever
I'm glad the Eagles bullied these nerds. That's canon, I saw it on youtube.
Pretentious, boring, jazz wankery. Drunk Shimoda: Steve Gadd TWO STARS
261225 10:45 3.5 / highlights: deacon blues, aja
Best Song: Peg Worst Song: Black Cow Not the sort of album I would usually listen to, but glad I did. Quite different to the Steely Dan I am familiar with. Very smooth and seamless, and short enough at 39mins without becoming boring. I could see myself enjoying the album more with a different vocal performance although I would accept it works for the jazz-rock style. No songs are particularly remarkable, but I will be listening to the album again.
I didn’t think the album was bad, however it definitely was not to my taste and the songs went on way too long
This was pretty good. 4/5
pretty groovy good
really liked the first song, the rest was okay. makes for good background music but nothing you'd have to LISTEN to.
1st listen: nothing wrong but nothing inspiring.
I leaned 4 all day, but the Purdie Shuffle pushes this to the top. Classic.
My most listened to artist lol
One of my favorite albums of all time
Greatness
Favourite Tracks: Black Cow Deacon Blues Peg Home at Last
4.5
A few years ago on a plane to Tokyo I got chatting to a lovely Japanese fellow who was keen to practice his English. I learned of his favorite music genre, "City Pop" and promised to listen to some. Since I was on a Japanese airline, it was easy enough to find it on the in flight entertainment system. What I heard for the next few hours was clearly steeped in this album. Aja was made by super talented musicians who influenced decades of music that followed. Here's the problem: I have an irrational dislike for this stuff. To me it's just elevator music. Sorry, Walter & Donald. It's not you, it's me.
I'm mad at myself for not knowing who this band was before today.
Steely Dan – *Aja* (1977) In-depth review from lyrics to legacy --- ### 1. Lyrics – Noir novellas in 8 bars or less Every song is a short-story: bored suburbanites, wannabe jazz martyrs, addicts, drifters and dreamers. - **“Deacon Blues”** – A mid-life cri-de-coeur: the narrator trades respectability for “the expiring legend of the doomed jazzman” (“I’ll learn to work the saxophone… and die behind the wheel”). The lyric is both romantic and pitiless; Becker & Fagen let the delusion glow just long enough to burn. - **“Aja”** – A name that becomes a place, a woman, a mental state. Anaphora (“Up on the hill…”) and assonance (“dime dancin’… I run to you”) turn the lyric into hypnotic mantra rather than narrative. Asia is evoked but never pinned down—orientalist fantasy as refuge from “hardware” (drugs? guns? studio gear?) . - **“Black Cow”** – A relationship ends over drugs and infidelity; the “black cow” is both a floatable soda and the dark residue of addiction. The last line (“You will walk… and I will run”) flips guilt into contempt in seven words. - **“Home at Last”** – Odysseus in L.A.: the calm *after* the storm may be the next drink. The sirens here are smooth background singers and expensive studio reverb . **Verdict**: razor-sharp character studies, laced with literary devices (alliteration, internal rhyme) that survive even the most cryptic plot lines. --- ### 2. Music – Jazz-rock that refuses to jam Harmony: 9ths, 11ths, 13ths, #11 alterations—changes more common to late-period Duke than Top-40 radio. Yet every chorus is hummable. Groove: linear funk and shuffled swing coexist; drum patterns often *imply* the backbeat instead of stating it, giving the music its floating, yacht-but-not-yacht feel. Form: through-composed intros, pre-solos, tag endings; no blues clichés. The title track is a mini-suite: Latin pop theme → Wayne Shorter tenor solo → Gadd drum feature → recap, all without a single “verse/chorus” repeat . --- ### 3. Production – The $100 000 click - 8-track analog fattened to 24-track slaves; every overdub flown in by hand. - Micro-managed but *not* mechanical: Roger Nichols’ custom “Wendel” drum-computer only *enhances* Gadd’s human feel, never replaces it. - Audiophile checklist: minimal compression, ribbon mics on horns, Neve 1073 pres, tube limiters; the album is still a hi-fi showroom standard . - **Downside**: the pursuit of flawlessness can feel airless—some call it “sterile” because the same musicians rarely played together long enough to develop bandstand ESP . --- ### 4. Themes – The Dan worldview in one LP 1. Escape vs. Entrapment – Every protagonist wants out (of marriage, of the suburbs, of linear time itself). 2. Artifice vs. Authenticity – Smooth surfaces belie rotten cores; the music *sounds* relaxed yet is mathematically rigid. 3. Death as Career Move – “Deacon Blues,” “Aja,” even “Josie” flirt with self-obliteration as the last creative act. 4. Exotic Other as Sedative – Asian, Greek, Caribbean references function like Valium: they calm the white-collar anxiety that permeates the lyrics . --- ### 5. Influence – From hip-hop to hi-fi - Sample fodder: “Peg” (De La Soul, Kanye, ATCQ), “Black Cow” (Lord Tariq & Peter Gunz). - Engineering template: Mark Ronson, Flying Lotus, even Daft Punk cite *Aja* for “how to make digital feel analog.” - Jazz gateway: Introduced a rock audience to Wayne Shorter, Steve Gadd, the Brecker Bros.; Berklee still uses “Aja” for chart-reading classes. - Yacht-rock backlash: became the punch-bag for ’80s slickness, yet that same slickness guarantees immortality on streaming playlists. --- ### Pros & Cons (quick-glance) | **Pros** | **Cons** | |----------|----------| | Harmonic sophistication that *still* gets radio play | Over-perfection can feel emotionally distant | | Lyrical short-stories richer than most novels | Cryptic enough to alienate listeners who want literal meaning | | Legendary performances (Gadd’s 32-bar drum break, Shorter’s solo) | Revolving-door session line-up sacrifices band chemistry | | Production remains a audiophile benchmark | Michael McDonald’s backing vox date-stamp some tracks with Doobie hue | | Seamless genre fusion: pop hooks + jazz voicings + funk grooves | Middle-eight modulations sometimes sound *too* calculated | --- ### Bottom line *Aja* is the sound of two sarcary intellectuals proving that meticulous can still be sexy. It is neither rock nor jazz nor soul, but a fourth thing that absorbed all three and polished them until they reflected the anxieties of late-’70s America. Forty-eight years on, the album still feels *future*—a high-gloss mirror that refuses to crack, even when the image it reflects gets darker every decade.
gold after gold met ... iets te veel unieke sound maar i love steely dan
ik ben erg fan van t album, t lied aja zelf vind ik 50/50 wel. Instrumenten zijn echt gaaf maar ik ben weer van de old school manier van zingen in rock liedjes (door mannen) trekt me niet zo aan. maar good album!
Favorite Track: Black Cow
Everything steely Dan does is gold
First time actually listening to the album, I've heard so much about it (and yet only just realized there's a person on the cover, I've always thought it's just a white-red ribbon on a black background). Well, it wasn't bad but I'm afraid Steely Dan is more of a nice background music to me than something I pay attention to. I liked Pretzel Logic better 2/5
Nice for background, calming. Wouldn't play it for myself tho.
So good. The whole album.
It was fine
Not my vibe
Didn’t like majority of the album I just couldn’t really get into it even though sounds and instruments are interesting
Very “yacht rock”. Listening to this makes me think of upper middle class boomers wearing white linen and Camilla dresses on a summer afternoon, frothing harder than their sparkling white wines listening to this album. Not my cup of tea but I can appreciate the musicianship. Stoked it’s only 7 songs long
Aja is an audiophile classic for good reason. I only heard it about two years ago when I got an oldish vinyl copy included with some secondhand speakers I bought from a retired doctor. Even a brief Google search about this album will give you a solid overview of the importance of this record as an example of studio brilliance. And, oh boy, that reputation is fully earned. When I first heard this album, I liked it, but I had to think long and hard about why I liked it at all and, especially, why I liked it so much. On a surface listen, it is exceptionally smooth and well-produced soft yacht rock, not really my favorite style of music to begin with. But with deeper listens, the album reveals a deep creativity in the minutiae of the production. It's in every meticulously placed note (i.e., all of them), in the layers that blend together and then are expressed as instrument separation, in every perfectly controlled flirtation with off-key singing. And there is a lot of low-key weirdness on Aja, too. There are very unique lyrical and music phrasings, an uncanny valley between accessibility and left-field genius. The lyrics aren't heavy-handed, but they still have depth, self-awareness, and sarcasm. The Beatles were studio obsessives, but they specialized in accessibility and early pop experimentation. Pink Floyd also used the studio as an instrument, but their messages were overt: your time is running out, malevolent external forces are seeking to control you, and there is little you can do about it. Steely Dan is much more subtle on Aja. There is no obvious messaging, no gut-punch accessibility or fear. The record is clinical and cool. The artistic obsession is not worn on the sleeves; it's in the very stitching. Five stars.
One of the few that I’d heard before. Exceptional production. Musically, has a very unique vibe—probably not for everybody, and definitely not for my wife. I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve listened to a lot of crap on here recently, but it really hit today. The solo in Aja was peak.
Short and classic. Peg is great!
Polished yacht rock. I would have hated this back in the day, but 40 year old me gets it. 3/5
peak quintessential 70s classic rock steely dan you’ll always be famous
This is peak Dan. Not a note wasted. Only seven songs, but what great songs they are! “Deacon Blues” is my highlighted track here. Geffen dropped a fully remastered vinyl edition last year (2014) — do yourself a favor if you own a turntable and buy it.
6/10
Smooth af. I like this, could be a 5, definitely a grower.
This is perfectly acceptable chill music. It would be a great song on the radio but like … you know… it’s fine 3/5
Awesome white guy music! Jazzy and fun and feel good. Shaking my lil booty to Peg for the rest of my life. I love it when white guys wile out in this particular musical manner. More of this white guy business and less Beastie Boys please 1001albumsgenerator.com gods
Solid jazz vibes
The Yacht Rock Era has given Steely Dan new life post-2000, and I'm glad for them. They're obviously masterful musicians who are the kings of this kind of smooth, jazzy rock. It's something I respect more than I actually enjoy. There's nothing disagreeable on this album; I appreciate their skill and what they pull of in these songs. But I wouldn't cue up Aja on my own volition. "Peg" is fun, but I prefer De La Soul's "Eye Know." Sorry, Jeremy.
I bought a greatest hits Steely Dan CD in the closing sale of the Sunset Tower Records in 2008 and found it so boring. I think I had also heard Two Against One when it came in 2000 and found that extra boring. But Steely Dan finally caught up with me, and now I've elevated them to musical godz. This is my favorite of their albums and like a good middle aged semi-sophisticate, I listened to this on vinyl over the weekend and loved every moment.
Incredible production. Just a super rich, thick sound which is really pleasant. Much different stylistically to Can't Buy a Thrill but still really good. Favorites: Aja, Josie
Don’t love his voice, but great instrumental work
Very cool but couldn't possibly meet the hype. It's a really nice record. I just feel like I'd heard a lot about it being clearly one of the greatest of all time - I guess I need to spend a little longer with it. I'm definitely intrigued enough to want to listen to more Steely Dan
I prefer the Dan’s earlier sound: jazz-inflected rock, blues, and soul (as opposed to this rock-inflected jazz and schmaltz). “Peg” is a great tune, though.
Didn't finish even the first song. Generic 70s music
It's actually better than the Young Gods album. "Aja" has some ordinary '70s rock tunes. There's nothing to write home about. I believe this is the 2nd Steely Dan album I've listened to. I wonder when I'll get an album that's 4 stars and up. 3 stars for "Aja".
Lovely, chilled bluesy rock.
Muy bueno
Hip hop producers eating off this album
I'm so bored. But you can have an extra star for production value.
CLASSIC
Yes, Steely Dan has always been a bit of an offbeat band, and this is a very good album, though not blow-me-away amazing. There's so many layers to these songs. I listened to it a few times and I seemed to hear different things each time, which is really a testament to what they constructed. I know audiophiles love this album and I get why. That said, none of the songs are incredible and the collection is not unbelievably great. Very good? Yeah, I'll give them that.
Overall good. Wonderful instrumentals. The sax solo in Deacon Blues, what a way to win my heart. Aja is also really enjoyable, I think it might be my favorite track and Peg is a fun energetic tune. My preference is lowered somewhat by the tone of the instrumentals. The bebopping keyboard sounds as mild as any, the vocals are muted and washed out. With different mixing and sound preferences, I might really enjoy this but it brings it down a step for me.
Favorite tracks: Peg, Black Cow Clearly these musicians are talented, but wow do they come together to make some boring songs. There were a couple tracks on here that I might revisit, but for the most part this was a step up from elevator music. Enjoyable, but not really worth listening to again.
Classic album. Sonically sounding triumph. Best recording I have for my headphones. Great music.
- hyvä levy! - kyllä mä tän mieluusti ottaisin omaan levyhyllyyn ja panisin kiireettömänä lauantaipäivänä soimaan
V/rv
Sounded like steel drums
5/5
Probably the best-produced album of all time. So insanely good with some super dense jazz fusion AND at least 1 top 40 hit. On top of that it is simply wonderful to listen to.
Good stuff
I confess that I was never big into Steely Dan, my tastes leaned towards more aggressive things when this album was released- but after slogging through over 300 albums on this list and being subjected to some of the most inane shit ever recorded I’ve come to appreciate bands like Steely Dan a lot more now that I’ve acquired some wisdom. A plus 1 star for not making me want to commit suicide.
The 70’s were weird.
I can see why this is a big favorite for audiophiles setting up equipment; it's got all the good sounds. I liked it, I'd probably buy it for clout, it may be in my regular rotation of yacht rock/classic rock. 4/5
I hated this type of music back in the day and I still can’t stand it now. It’s definitely something my bank would play as their on-hold music just to encourage me to hang up and improve their call clearance times.
A well produced and well arranged jazz/pop album with some great vocal harmonies. Just doesn't seem to have any soul so a bit overrated for me.
Great line-up, ambition and artistry, certainly well done, but the music doesn't speak to me.
Not bad, not something I would put on myself - maybe it requires more familiarity to really get into?
Very enjoyable listen.
Lots of fun but a little too lounge jazz for me
I really loved some of it, other parts got way too easy jazz for me.
Perfect album. No notes. I am so disappointed with the majority of the reviews here.
classic
Everytime I've heard of this band I envisioned blue grass or dad rock. Was not expecting the smooth saxophone and sounds.
It was fine; very focused on the intricate instrumentals; would be good as background music at a dinner party
One of the finer examples of musical & studio prowess sucking the life out of a work of art. Is it good? Technically yes, of course it is. Is it boring? Definitely yes, it sure is.
Yep, that's good music.
If I've learnt one thing on this journey, it's that I hate Steely Dan.
Good I like it
Love this album, listened to it a 100 times, and I will a hundred more.
The absolute peak of yacht rock.
Disco/yacht rock/light jazz. Think other bands like ABBA, Hall and Oates. Not my style, I don’t really understand the Steely Dan love going on in this list. Musically it’s good, just not to my interest, but lyrically it’s as trite as can be. It’s be better served as instrumental music.
Interesting, never listened to any SD, but liked “Peg”, quite a funky album
I liked Peg thanks to De La Soul, the rest is just kinda mid and not particularly exciting. 6/10 Favourite track: Peg
Great album as a whole, but Peg, oh my god: the forward motion, Michael Macdonald as backup singer! Fantastic!
It's definitely a good-sounding album, but man is it easy listening and not very interesting at all. I think the word is "inoffensive." Very easy listening. Fine for background music but I have no idea why this album would be in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or artistically significant."
Great
Why is it when you turn into a father you just understand Steely Dan. Is it magic, hypnotism in the smooth saxophone? Legit though- maybe not the greatest album ever written but up there with the greatest ever mixed/produced/sounding.
This is the middle of the middle of the middle of the middle of the road
Even as a certified jazz hater I think Steely Dan made some of the smoothest music ever, and Aja is their peak.
Shit! I had a whole ESSAY written about this album and my phone died three seconds before I hit ‘submit’! I’m not rewriting all that. Aja is a terrific album and Steely Dan is a great band.
Definitely easy on the ears. Appropriate that this popped up on Dad’s birthday.
3.7 I first heard these right before I started this project, and admittedly I don't think I'd have rated this as highly if I hadn't have had the time to come back to it every once in a while. It grows on you, a lovely blend of 70s rock with jazz and funk flavouring, from a band that is extremely extremely tight. There's no absolute bangers on here, but every song is a positive listening experience, Aja and Peg standing out the most. Can see the acclaim.
Once again, I have nothing to add. It's a great album. Becker and Fagen are brilliant writers. To me it's especially evident by how many tracks they AREN'T on. Like, Fagen is on all of them but a couple are vocals only. And Walter Becker doesn't even play on Peg!? There's so much going on with this album both behind the scenes and with the final product. It's worth the exploration.
Smooth.
Almost designed to be uninvolving.
Smooooooooth. I don't always listen to Steely Dan. But when I'm in the mood for it, it hits just right. 4.25. So good. And oh the horns on Deacon Blues.
Really catchy, groovy melodies, loved the unexpected guitar riffs. 4/5
Good musician, not my kind of music
Cheesy but great
This felt like smart people rock and roll. Songs are crafted, not played. I enjoyed the layered instruments. Everything just feels so well blended. Nothing over powering but something always going on.
Saturday morning. Coffee. Rain outside. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would
I really want to give this a 4 but like, it slaps
I'm not really sure who this is aimed at, but it's not me. Disappointment after the last Steely Dan record I Listened to, which I confess I enjoyed. This however is dull and uninteresting, and in places massively over done. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ❌️ Dull ★★☆☆ (4/10)
I can't help but think of Steve Albini's 2023 twitter post while listening to this album. If punk truly is a rebellion to what this album represents, I think I understand why I am not crazy about this.
This was a great album!
Very middle of the road/beige for me - suspect I’m missing something
i guess punk happened because of this. and thats good. some good points but mostly boring. Largely overrated. 3/5
On the scale of bad to great Steely Dan albums (all of which are represented on this list), I’d say this one is pretty dang good! I love the jazz influences!
When I was young, I was worried I would grow up and age into soft rock adult contemporary. Listening to this album, I breathe a sigh of relief. I am not yet there. This album is subjectivity torture for me. I can hear why some people would love it, but I am not those people. This is my 20th daily album review, and solidifies my rating system: totally subjective. This is not a 1 star album objectively, but i would be happy to never ever hear it again.
Not my cup of tea at all
Henry loves these guys. I’ve heard a lot of their songs via his playlist and do like some of them. Nick asked me specifically to look for this album as his one choice when I asked him what I could look for for him while album hunting. I hear the yacht rock perfection here, but I’m not sure ‘yacht rock’ and ‘perfection’ belong in the same sentence. I just don’t get it, I guess, but, like a fading Kegel squeeze, these songs just can’t hold me for long
I came to this album late and had always heard how great it was. And when I finally listened, I completely agreed. A perfect album.
Not for me
This was really good
Not really for me this. I don't actually mind the slick and smooth - very slick and smooth - jazzfunk vibes but everything just has at least one difficult jazz chord too many and there is too much noodle-y display of expert musicianship. I don't care, man.
Ugh, I hate saxophone in songs. And this is too like light poppy sounding. Jazz pop apparently, and I don't like it.
Over-engineered 70s jazz vibes, slickly produced and I suppose it's good if you like this sort of music but it's really not my thing - edgy as a boiled potato, save it as background noise for the after-work fondue party
An amazing record.
I am Steely Dan neutral. I have no strong Steely Dan opinions.
later
For some reason I thought the song "Slowride" was by Steely Dan. I really do not like the song "Slowride". So I was not looking forward to this album. Then I started listening and thought, "this sounds nothing like Slowride! How could this be the same band?!". Steely Dan did not make "Slowride". I have been living in ignorance all these years. This album was very good.
Need more stars.
Yacht rock
I qualify this review by saying that I've drunk quite a lot of wine, hence my focus is somewhat lacking! This had a lot more funk and groove than I was expecting which certainly wasn't unpleasant but at the same time the album didn't really grab me beyond that fact. For the most part, it just happened while I was listening. The only thing I really noted is that _Peg_ is sampled by **De La Soul** on their song _Eye Know_. I strongly doubt that I'll listen to this again, not because I disliked it as such, but because I don't remember any other bit of it.
Silly yacht rock, engineered and mixed to an extreme standard. Musically deeper than it lets on. Great afternoon music.
Steely Danin biiseissä on semmoinen siisti äänimaailma aina. Chilleintä rokkia mitä on. Ja tosi funkkia. On nää Steely Danin levyt kyllä aina tosi kovia. Parhaat: Home At Last, I Got The News
The album where Steely Dan put it all together, as if they hadn’t done that out of the gate. There’s 5 absolute perfect songs here, 4 of them on the first half of the record. The production is immaculate, as perfect as anyone has ever made something sound in a studio. And the lyrics are so achingly awkward, stories of true losers and junkies. Fagen and Becker are at the top, and obviously couldn’t stay there. For a shining moment though they were the absolute peak of jazz fusion and for that they deserve their flowers here.
Day680 - a top one hundred album of all time with four of their best songs. its a foundation of yacht rock whether donald fagen likes it or not
Another easy, five stars for me, but I’m a huge Steely Dan fan. Love the mix of jazz and pop, each song paints a beautiful picture for me, it’s just amazing. I think everybody needs to listen to it at least once for the sound quality, even if you’re not a fan of the music itself. Home at last is my favorite underrated track.
Música de sitcom ochentera. El sonido es realmente limpio, tan limpio que es un desperdicio. No me llena nada, es anodino y el cantante o los cantantes no pasan de aficionados callejeros.
Bit of a mixed bag. Some really good stuff.
Smooth as shit off a ducks ass
Who spells Aja like that
Super Meh. 2.5 stars
Harmless, but lacking in oomph. Good lift music.
Shorter than expected. One for the Danimals I think.
Imagine, IMAGINE, being so into Steely Dan that you can muster four separate opinions about four separate albums. Baffling.
Really fun, really dug it. 3.5/5