Project 1001: Aja by Steely Dan
Drink Scotch whiskey all night long / And die behind the wheel
I remember the hits off this album, but I didn’t appreciate them much at the time. Mainly because I was a kid. I’m not sure children can fully appreciate the music of Steely Dan. As an adult and, I like to think, as a more mature connoisseur of music, I very much appreciate Steely Dan. And this album is a gem. I don’t believe there is a moment on the record that isn’t strong. I also can’t state a favorite cut. They are all so damn good. My rating:
Yacht Rock is a thing now and some people wonder if Steely Dan is part of that genre. Donald Fagen had a succinct answer to that question in a fun and excellent documentary on Max: Hear Steely Dan musician's response when asked to participate in ‘Yacht Rock’ documentary
Steely Dan are revered in the musician world. Every studio musician in the 1970s wanted to be on a Steely Dan record and Aja is regarded by many music professionals as one of the best-produced albums of all time.1 Walter Becker and Donald Fagen were known as perfectionists in the studio because they tried to make the best music possible on each record and were described as, “sociopaths masquerading as benign dictators.”2
Courtesy of guest contributor Therron Kokales.
The Steely Dan show at the Fox Theater in Downtown Detroit on July 16th, 2011 was one of the best live performances I have ever seen. I went with three musician friends, one of which lived in Northville, which is where we stayed that night after the show. He rented us a car and driver so we wouldn't have to battle the crazy Detroit traffic and we could party freely. It was crazy enough because there was a Tigers game across the street at Comerica Park that night as well. The city was absolutely bustling. I think it was one of the hottest days of that summer. We made our way to our fourth row seats in the orchestra pit, close enough for Donald Fagan to spit on us. And he did. After a long intro, they opened with the title song, “Aja”. A great opener. They went on to play many more songs off that album; including “Home At Last”, “Josie, and Peg”. All great songs! It's the only time I ever got to see them live. I was sad to hear of Walter Becker's passing in 2017, but thrilled to be able to have seen him live. He's one of the best writers and legendary guitarists I've ever seen. If you get a chance to see them live, I highly recommend you do. Even without Walter gracing the stage.
Therron is an accomplished musician in his own right. Please support him by visiting The Music of Therron Kokales.
AllMusic’s Stephen Thomas Erlewine described Aja as, “a shining example of jazz-rock at its finest…complex music delivered with ease” with, “none of the overt cynicism or self-consciously challenging music that distinguished previous Steely Dan records.” 3
Describing Aja as brazen and clever, one reviewer noted:
“Aja is like driving down a treacherous, cliff-side road in the most luxurious car ever made: If you sink deep enough into that supple leather seat, it is possible to forget entirely about the twists and turns, the threat of looming destruction. It’s possible to forget about gravity entirely.”4
In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Jamie Dixson wrote:
“As an album, Aja has little of Pretzel Logic’s playful pastiche, or the cynicism of The Royal Scam. Instead, Fagen and Becker crafted a polished, jazz-inflected opus that went on to sell more than five million copies.
“With superlative production and performances from 30 of the best session musicians of the day, Aja is a genuine landmark in jazz rock.”5
Enjoy and listen without prejudice. Cheers!
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For details about this project, read this: Project 1001 Albums
Charts
• Peak on Billboard 200 album chart: #36
• Singles on Billboard Hot 100 chart: “Peg”, #11; “Deacon Blues”, #19; “FM (No Static At All), #22; “Josie”, #26 7
• RIAA certification: 2x Platinum | September 7, 1993 8
Released on September 23, 1977. Here’s what else was happening:
Pop Culture
• Number one song: “I Just Want to be Your Everything” by Andy Gibb9
• Number one album: Rumours by Fleetwood Mac10
• Number one movie: Star Wars by George Lucas11
• Most watched TV programs: Charlie's Angels, Happy Days, Three's Company, Soap, Welcome Back, Kotter, Young Joe, the Forgotten Kennedy12
• NYT bestseller, fiction: The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough13
• NYT bestseller, non-fiction: All Things Wise and Wonderful by James Herriot14
Some other albums released that month
Sport
• Sep 17 Ryder Cup Golf, Royal Lytham & St Annes: US wins 12½-7½; last time a Great Britain and Ireland team competes for Ryder Cup.
• Sep 18 Ted Turner's Courageous (US) sweeps Alan Bond's Australia 4-0 in the 24th America's Cup.
• Sep 24 Ken Hinton of CFL British Columbia Lions returns a punt 130 yards.16
Notable Births
• Sep 25 Clea DuVall, American actress (Argo, Veep), born in Los Angeles, California.
• Sep 28 Jeezy, American rapper and songwriter (Trap Or Die 3), born in Columbia, South Carolina.
• Sep 28 Se-ri Pak, South Korean golfer (5 LPGA major titles; US Open 1998, British Open 2001), born in Daejeon, South Korea.17
Historical Events
• Sep 18 Voyager I Captures Historic Earth-Moon Photograph: NASA's Voyager I spacecraft took the first distant photograph capturing both the Earth and Moon together, marking a significant milestone in space exploration and our understanding of planetary imaging.
• Sep 21 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Signed by Major Powers: A significant nuclear non-proliferation agreement was signed by 15 countries, including the United States and the Soviet Union, marking a crucial diplomatic effort to limit the spread of nuclear weapons during the Cold War era.
• Sep 24 Tragic Nile River Ferry Disaster: A catastrophic collision between a ferryboat and a barge occurred north of Cairo, resulting in a devastating maritime accident that claimed 51 lives out of 60 passengers. The incident highlighted significant maritime safety concerns in Egypt during the late 1970s.18
Notable Deaths
• Sep 16 Marc Bolan, English rock vocalist and guitarist (T-Rex - "Bang a Gong (Get It On)"), dies in a car crash at 29.
• Sep 16 Maria Callas(1923-1977), American-Greek soprano (Carmen), dies in Paris of a heart attack at 53.
• Sep 17 Lou Hooper, Canadian jazz pianist, and educator, dies at 83.19
Dixson, Jamie, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Fifth printing, ed. by Robert Dimmery p. 380.
Ibid.
Good review (as usual), Rich! Thanks for the plug! Keep up the good work!