Product Description

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Track Listing

1. Black Cow
2. Aja
3. Deacon Blues
4. Peg
5. Home At Last
6. I Got The News
7. Josie

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #581 in Music
• Brand: STEELY DAN
• Released on: 1999-11-23
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered

Amazon.com
History gives Steely Dan's Walter Becker and Donald Fagen the last, hearty laugh on this, the crown jewel in their remarkable canon of '70s Mensa pop. Sneaking onto the charts a half-decade earlier with sinuous, jazz-inflected "rock," the dysfunctional duo's acerbic, anti-heroic visions had been critically lauded for their band identity and killer guitar riffs, then promptly challenged when the two songwriters retired from the road, dissolved any formal band lineup, and used the studio as laboratory. Aja carried the added indignity of its increased focus on sophisticated jazz models and musicianship, which carried the Dan's ambitions even further in terms of suave harmonies, intricate song structures, and brilliant playing. Time has proven them wiser than their rock crit detractors: These seven songs abound in knotty plots, sneaky imagery, and drop-dead brilliant performances from a blue chip studio repertory studded with first-call jazz players epitomized by Wayne Shorter's towering solo on the title song. From the hard-boiled jazz romance of "Deacon Blues" to the twisted Homeric vamp of "Home at Last," the veiled but ominous swing of "Peg" to the sci-fi eroticism of "Josie," Aja is a modern pop classic and the coolest fusion record no one ever thought to lump in that category. --Sam Sutherland

Customer Reviews

the jack of speed
this is one of the greatest pop rock albums ever produced,and if you only had to buy one steely dan cd,this would be the one to grab.this has several of the steely dan classics on here,such as josie,decon blues,and peg.this is a true masterpiece,from one of the most talented bands to ever come down the pike.great cd.

A Technical Masterpiece
From the arrangements and lyrics, to the musicians and production, this September 1977 release is simply a stunning technical masterpiece.

The musicians appearing on the album - including Larry Carlton, Lee Ritenour, Wayne Shorter, Tom Scott, Steve Gadd and Chuck Rainey - is a who's who in the jazz and rock fields, with producer Gary Katz perfectly putting together every element from the lengthy sessions, which spanned from January to July 1977.

Peg, Deacon Blues and Josie are superb, with the title track and Black Cow perhaps slightly underrated due to the terrific trio.

Aja is a timeless masterpiece, which any major dude will tell you.

Steely Dan: Aja.....Ahhhhhh
Smooth, rich, almost silky, but never slick. This is the best of Steely Dan. A must for those brandy-in-the-snifter, feet up, after-dinner-with-friends nights. Wonderful!