| Name | Artist | Time | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Black Cow | Steely Dan | 5:10 | $1.29 | View In iTunes |
|
2 |
Aja | Steely Dan | 8:00 | $1.29 | View In iTunes |
|
3 |
Deacon Blues | Steely Dan | 7:36 | $1.29 | View In iTunes |
|
4 |
Peg | Steely Dan | 4:00 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
|
5 |
Home at Last | Steely Dan | 5:35 | $1.29 | View In iTunes |
|
6 |
I Got the News | Steely Dan | 5:07 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
|
7 |
Josie | Steely Dan | 4:30 | $1.29 | View In iTunes |
| Total: 7 Songs |
iTunes Review
A work of immaculate craft and insinuating wit, 1977's Aja is perhaps the most fully-realized album in Steely Dan's catalog. Leaders Donald Fagan and Walter Becker enlisted an all-star crew of jazz/rock players - drummer Steve Gadd and saxophonist Wayne Shorter among them - to lend this album an urbane finesse and dark-tinged sparkle. Steely Dan pays tribute to old-school jazz in "Deacon Blues" and brings a sophisticated R&B groove to "Peg" and "Home At Last." "Black Cow" has a sardonic sting, while "Josie" radiates warmth with a minimum of irony. The arrangements are gorgeously expansive -- the title tune is a jazz mini-suite. Fagan's vocals (embellished with high-gloss harmonies) are bitingly dry with a twist of venom. Behind the album's cool exterior is a burning passion for fine musicianship. Undeniably excellent, this album's hipster Žlan has made it an enduring favorite among rock and jazz aficionados alike.
Customer Reviews
The Dan's best
It's hard to put into words exactly how genius and amazing this album is. From the opening three notes of Black Cow, you know you're in for one of the greatest albums of the '70s. Every song on here is a jem: Black Cow is cool, Aja is beautiful, Peg is fun, Josie's a blast. Steely Dan was known for their absolute perfection and attention to detail, and it's on full display here. The strongest work of their incredible career.
Widely considered their best
Most would conisder 1977's Aja to be Steely Dan's best album and I wouldn't argue (though i personally like Royal Scam better). By this time, Becker and Fagen have resorted to using almost only studio musicians (Becker does play bass and guitar occasionaly and Fagen throws in a synth track or two), but the main parts are covered by the industries best session people including Wayne Shorter of Miles Davis Band/Weather Report on sax. There is something for everyone on this album, funk, jazz, fusion, blues, rock, even danceable pop based tunes. Steely Dan covers more ground in 7 songs than most bands cover in a career. Easily the best overall album of the '70s, BUY THIS ALBUM!!!. The album opens with the funk based Black Cow with snarling clavinet, thumping bass and a nice electric piano solo by Victor Feldman. The title track is absolutely immaculate, it's a religious experience everytime I hear it, it's a mix of a bunch of tunes Becker and Fagen had previously written with a superb drum track by Steve Gadd, nice vibes and piano work throughout and a great sax solo by Shorter, also tons of guitar work by Denny Dias and Becker impossibly to put this song into a genre. Deacon Blues is a smooth flowing song pushed along by a nice acoustic guitar, tons of horns and a nice vocal of Fagen in his highest register. Peg is a danceable blues tune with nice backup vocals from Mike McDonald and an interesting guitar solo by Jay Graydon, great bass line by Chuck Rainey. Home at Last is a jazzy number driven by piano, the lyrics are a take on Homer's The Odyssey, nice synth solo by Fagen that leads right into a Becker guitar solo. I Got the News is a raunchy sexy song again with piano driving it played by Victor Feldman. Josie is a minor blues with a great groove provided by another great Rainey bass line and funky rhythm guitar, nice Becker solo, amazing vocal performance by Fagen. This album is in the top 30 all time recordings and is a must have for any music collection.
Steely Dan's Best CD
This is not a new recording, it was released in 1977, but is was definitely one of the most influential records of my teeth cutting days. I’ve owned it since the day it was released, listened to it most of my life, memorized it, can sing most every note of every part and solo played, but why review it now? Well, a friend of mine (yeah, you guessed it… Jorge) loaned me a DVD of “Classic Albums – Steely Dan: Aja.” This triggered my good music glands and prompted the placement of the CD into my car for a deeper listening experience. The DVD was filmed in 1999 it consists of interviews with session musicians like Dean Parks, Bernard Purdie, Larry Carlton, Chick Rainey, singer Michael McDonald, engineer Roger Nichols and others who reminisce about the “making of” this genre defying landmark LP. But most amazing of all we get to witness Walter Becker and Donald Fagen sitting before the mixing console, probably for the first time since it’s original mixing session, cueing up and soloing parts that they hadn’t heard since they recorded them. Very cool and educational to hear the drums, bass, guitars or even Michael McDonald’s voice soloed and commented upon. Amazing. Sometimes they are even bewildered. “What were we thinking here?” One might ask the other. This record was folk-loric with stories of uncountable takes and tedium. But the ends in this case definitely justified the process. I had heard the there were many alternate solo takes on “Peg”, of which Jay Graydon’s purposeful riffing got the deserved nod, but didn’t know they still existed until I watched the DVD and heard parts of two of them. As a session guitarist myself, I know how producer’s can often guide you to play things you wouldn’t normally (and for good reason) play, so it’s with empathy that I say “what was that unnamed guitarist thinking?” Jay’s solo was worthy. The others? No comment. Surprisingly (or maybe not) there was no mention of Steve Gadd’s jaw dropping stick work on the title track. I heard (from a reliable source) that they carried him into the studio drunk to take a single and final pass at the song, then carried him back to a waiting cab. It the best drumming I have ever heard and he doesn’t even remember doing it. Insert cuss word here. It’s a veritable who’s who of studio musicians guitar greats – Dean Parks, Larry Carlton, Lee Ritenour, Steve Khan and Jay Graydon. Also jazz greats like Wayne Shorter, Joe Sample, Tom Scott and Victor Feldman reside on this unclassifiable disc. One interesting note, studios went from being caverns with room mics in the 50’s and 60’s to controlled, dead (heavily padded) environs of the 70’s and 80’s, that coupled with the very conservative use of reverb makes it sound like the musicians are in what ever room you are listening to the tracks in, this includes you car. Even note played can be heard. 7 of 7 tracks are classic Steely Dan. Probably the best studio musicians have ever sounded.
Biography
Formed: 1972 in Los Angeles, CA
Genre: Rock
Years Active: '70s, '80s, '90s, '00s, '10s
Top Albums and Songs By Steely Dan
| Name | Album | Time | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Reelin' In the Years | Can't Buy a Thrill | 4:37 | $1.29 | View In iTunes |
|
2 |
Do It Again | A Decade of Steely Dan (Remastered) | 5:56 | $1.29 | View In iTunes |
|
3 |
Peg | Aja | 4:00 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
|
4 |
Dirty Work | Can't Buy a Thrill | 3:08 | $1.29 | View In iTunes |
|
5 |
Deacon Blues | Aja | 7:36 | $1.29 | View In iTunes |
|
6 |
Hey Nineteen | A Decade of Steely Dan (Remastered) | 5:07 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
|
7 |
Rikki Don't Lose that Number | A Decade of Steely Dan (Remastered) | 4:32 | $1.29 | View In iTunes |
|
8 |
Josie | Aja | 4:30 | $1.29 | View In iTunes |
|
9 |
Black Cow | Aja | 5:10 | $1.29 | View In iTunes |
|
10 |
Aja | Aja | 8:00 | $1.29 | View In iTunes |
![At Fillmore East (Deluxe Edition) [Live], The Allman Brothers Band](http://a5.mzstatic.com/us/r1000/001/Features/fe/28/eb/dj.sfowctql.100x100-75.jpg)
