Album Roundtable 9/22 - Aja

[Dawn]

Today’s featured album is a suggestion from Dave, and a great choice, as tomorrow marks the 28th anniversary of the album’s release.



Aja
Steely Dan[/b]
Released September 23, 1977

The track listing:

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

With their first five albums, Donald Fagen and Walter Becker had successfully integrated sophisticated rock and jazz elements, but it was on this release that the blend was honed to perfection. Most reviews of Steely Dan’s material give this the nod as their best work, and it definitely stands among the greatest albums of all time. Many great pop/rock and jazz legends contributed to this album, including Michael McDonald, Timothy B. Schmit, Lee Ritenour, Tom Scott, Larry Carlton, and Joe Sample.

Aja was the first non-compilation Steely Dan album I owned. I had started off with the Steely Dan Greatest Hits 1972-1978 LP that I received as a birthday gift in 1987, and being very impressed with the songs, I wanted to explore their material further. I had known the three charting singles, Peg, Josie and Deacon Blues ever since they were current, and figured that if the rest of the album sounded anything like those three songs, I was sure to love the album. I was not disappointed!

There’s not anything close to a weak track on Aja, although if I had to choose a least favorite song, it would probably be I Got the News. But it’s still a great song, which says a lot about the strength of this album. The other three non-charting tracks are very good as well, with Black Cow and Home At Last being among the most jazz-oriented of all the tracks on the album.

Josie and Peg are almost neck-and-neck as my favorite Aja cuts, partly because they’re so catchy and partly because of the memories they bring back of hearing the songs on the radio when I was in 4th grade. I especially love Donald’s vocals on these tracks.

All in all, this is an outstanding album, and my favorite of all their releases.

What are your thoughts on this album?

[Ken]

This is a fine album!

I remember hearing the album around the house back when it was current - my oldest brother owned it. We also had the 45 of Peg in the house as well.I picked up my copy of the LP about six years ago for $2 - woo hoo!

I always thought that all of their albums were recorded really well and the songs on Aja still sound as good today as they did back in '77.It also didn't hurt that Donald and Walter had some of the finest studio musicians working with them

Faves include Black Cow, Peg, Deacon Blues and Josie.

[beatles4ever]

My favorite Steely Dan album.

[djdave]

One of the best albums ever made, period. Peg should roar into my CRAZY top 100, with Black Cow, Josie, and Deacon Blues also scoring real well. I just LOVE the album--EVERYTHING about--it, bottom line.

[Dawn]

kenfrank said:

This is a fine album!

I remember hearing the album around the house back when it was current - my oldest brother owned it. We also had the 45 of Peg in the house as well.I picked up my copy of the LP about six years ago for $2 - woo hoo!

I always thought that all of their albums were recorded really well and the songs on Aja still sound as good today as they did back in '77.It also didn't hurt that Donald and Walter had some of the finest studio musicians working with them

Faves include Black Cow, Peg, Deacon Blues and Josie.

I agree that the sound quality of their albums is amazing, among the best of that time, and the albums have held up very well. Lots of talent on those tracks!

[Dawn]

tracy said:

My favorite Steely Dan album.

Mine too! There are a few others that come close, but this one is hard to top.

[Dawn]

djdave said:

One of the best albums ever made, period. Peg should roar into my CRAZY top 100, with Black Cow, Josie, and Deacon Blues also scoring real well. I just LOVE the album--EVERYTHING about--it, bottom line.

I agree with your comments. Everything about this album is so well done.

[KittyKat - RIP Luciano]

One of the definitive albums of my life most definitely. Although there are other Steely Dan albums that I think are crafted better, this remains my favorite just for sentimental reasons. Almost every track reminds me of some good memory, especially moments with my mom.

[Dawn]

kittykat said:

One of the definitive albums of my life most definitely. Although there are other Steely Dan albums that I think are crafted better, this remains my favorite just for sentimental reasons. Almost every track reminds me of some good memory, especially moments with my mom.

It is so great that music has that ability to bring back memories so vividly - that's one of the things I enjoy about it the most.

[SAT-I need more room!!]

I always considered this their best work too, based on the 4 songs I always heard-and then the stations here started playing the title track so I learned that too.

The song I really remember from youth is Peg-although I didn't know what the song was or what they were saying. I thought it was just , "Heyyyyyyyyy, it will come back to you...." I guess I kinda knew Josie to a degree. But I never knew Deacon Blues until my dad borrowed his friend's album and had me tape it. I thought it was just some album cut he discovered! LOL!

Black Cow I learned from classic rock and after not liking it at first, it became a big Steely fave. Still love it, not sick of it.

The title track is another good one, but not in the class of Peg, Black Cow and Josie.

I still feel this is a truly great album, but Home at Last and I Got the News have never stood out to me. So for that, I have to kinda knock this down under Katy Lied and The Royal Scam, both of which I love from start to finish.

[Dawn]

sat said:

I always considered this their best work too, based on the 4 songs I always heard-and then the stations here started playing the title track so I learned that too.

The song I really remember from youth is Peg-although I didn't know what the song was or what they were saying. I thought it was just , "Heyyyyyyyyy, it will come back to you...." I guess I kinda knew Josie to a degree. But I never knew Deacon Blues until my dad borrowed his friend's album and had me tape it. I thought it was just some album cut he discovered! LOL!

I still feel this is a truly great album, but Home at Last and I Got the News have never stood out to me. So for that, I have to kinda knock this down under Katy Lied and The Royal Scam, both of which I love from start to finish.

LOL about Deacon Blues! I don't remember it getting quite as much play in my area when it was current as Peg or Josie did.

While I like those two tracks, I agree that they're not as memorable as the others on the album.