45th Anniversary of Steely Dan's Aja |
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Grumpyprogfan
Forum Senior Member Joined: July 09 2019 Location: Kansas City Status: Offline Points: 10145 |
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Posted: September 13 2022 at 15:44 |
On September 23rd, 2022, Steely Dan's Aja will be 45 years old. Hard to believe that one of my favorite albums is so ancient. Some heavy players on the album... Wayne Shorter, Bernard Purdie, Larry Carlton, Paul Humphrey, Tom Scott, Steve Gadd, Steve Khan, etc. An album of pure sonic nirvana. Nothing I've heard compares to the excellent tunes and audio that are shared on this album.
What are your thoughts about Aja and how will you celebrate??
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Necrotica
Special Collaborator Honorary Colaborator Joined: July 28 2015 Location: California Status: Offline Points: 3214 |
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I'm so glad I discovered Steely Dan last year, such an amazing treasure trove of music And in only 14-15 months, Aja has already become one of my favorite records of all time... absolute masterclass in songwriting, production, performance, and - last but not least - tracklist sequencing. 40 minutes, all-killer-no-filler, and that runtime just flies by
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Take me down, to the underground
Won't you take me down, to the underground Why oh why, there is no light And if I can't sleep, can you hold my life https://www.youtube.com/@CocoonMasterBrendan-wh3sd |
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Manuel
Forum Senior Member Joined: March 09 2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 12468 |
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I remember when AJA came out. My best friend got a copy and we played it all afternoon long. I still love it.
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Saperlipopette!
Forum Senior Member Joined: December 20 2010 Location: Tomorrowland Status: Offline Points: 10069 |
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It's amazing. Probably the closest they ever came realizing the slick perfection they were going for. In many ways only Steely Dan gets away with a smooth product this polished (at least that's true to me). When I'm not in the mood Aja feels "overengineered". But nine out of ten times it simply sounds spectacular. It's got a lot more to offer than studio perfection in regards to depth, darkness, complexity, an incredible rhythm section etc... As an album experience took me a few spins fully embrace - a few spins and a couple of years actually. I'm gonna listen to it later today and I look forward to it.
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richardh
Prog Reviewer Joined: February 18 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 26371 |
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Personally I don't find anything particularly memorable about this album. Dan were the perfect band for an upper middle class dinner party , music in the background a bit jazzy and terribly inoffensive. Yep it's certainly as slick as hell.
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Awesoreno
Forum Senior Member Joined: October 07 2019 Location: Culver City, CA Status: Offline Points: 2906 |
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^Take a listen to those lyrics and, ironically enough, it's those same upper middle/upper class dinner parties they were tired of and railing against. The title track itself is a take on their experience with terribly erudite upper crust types living in the Hollywood hills.
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Rick1
Forum Senior Member Joined: April 14 2020 Location: Loughborough UK Status: Offline Points: 2792 |
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This was the first Steely Dan album I ever bought, the consequence of John Peel playing the title track on his radio show! I was 15 at the time and it was like entering a very grown up world (but very unlike that of my parents!)
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Stressed Cheese
Forum Senior Member Joined: March 16 2022 Location: The Netherlands Status: Offline Points: 540 |
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Yes it is perfectly suitable to put on in the background, but there's so much care and attention to detail in these songs, that a statement like this is borderline offensive. This album is as clever and calculated as they come, and the instrumental arrangement is, IMO, brilliant.
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chopper
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 13 2005 Location: Essex, UK Status: Offline Points: 19965 |
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I'm kind of with you there Richard. I can appreciate the skill of the playing but to be honest I prefer some of their earlier albums.
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Rednight
Forum Senior Member Joined: January 18 2014 Location: Mar Vista, CA Status: Offline Points: 4807 |
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An album that's just...there. A step down from previous efforts. Prime material for adult-oriented rock airplay. And who can forget (forgive) Peg?
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"It just has none of the qualities of your work that I find interesting. Abandon [?] it." - Eno
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Saperlipopette!
Forum Senior Member Joined: December 20 2010 Location: Tomorrowland Status: Offline Points: 10069 |
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I love Peg
and have no idea what's not to like. Such a great song! But I've
never experienced your american AOR-radio and hardly ever heard any the
songs that you're all sick of. Most of them were never that big in
Europe. So thirty-forty years later I discover your old (for you)
overplayed hits by Heart, Boston, Toto, Eagles, Fleetwood Mac,
Foreigner, REO Speedwagon, Chicago, Journey, Christopher Cross,
Eagles... and I think they're all kind of wonderful lol. It's surely
better than your typical radio friendly music of the last couple of
decades.
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Hrychu
Forum Senior Member Joined: November 03 2013 Location: poland? Status: Offline Points: 4285 |
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It's a masterpiece. It has that syrupy smooth jazz sound but with an exciting art rock edge. My personal highlights of this album: Black Cow, Deacon Blues, Aja.
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On the day of my creation, I fell in love with education. And overcoming all frustration, a teacher I became.
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JD
Forum Senior Member Joined: February 07 2009 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 18394 |
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Been a fan of SD since Can't Buy A Thrill. Got the whole catalogue on LP. My AJA is red vinyl. However, as some above have said it may be slick as 5hit production, but it is far from their best album. This album alone is, as @Awesoreno says, for the "upper middle/upper class dinner parties".
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Thank you for supporting independently produced music
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Grumpyprogfan
Forum Senior Member Joined: July 09 2019 Location: Kansas City Status: Offline Points: 10145 |
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^Have you been huffing your bud that matured, JD? You need to re-read Awesoreno's comment.
...Drink your big black cow, and get outta here... |
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JD
Forum Senior Member Joined: February 07 2009 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 18394 |
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^Damn, you got me ! Truthfully yes I was. My 2019 Purple Kush. I meant to say @richardh.
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Thank you for supporting independently produced music
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Grumpyprogfan
Forum Senior Member Joined: July 09 2019 Location: Kansas City Status: Offline Points: 10145 |
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^Purple Kush! Save me some.
Do you remember Thai Stick? Best herb ever. |
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Awesoreno
Forum Senior Member Joined: October 07 2019 Location: Culver City, CA Status: Offline Points: 2906 |
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Hey, to each their own. I was just merely pointing out that it's ironic that the elite will put this album on in an act of "sophistication" when they were precisely the targets of Fagan and Becker's ire.
In any case, regardless of what any of us think of the album, there is something to be said for a piece of art that can appeal to those who appreciate music in a more passive way AND to those who appreciate music in a more active way. They hit the sweet spot, where one actually gets to decide for themself if they want to pick it apart. And for that, they have my respect. (For the record, I adore the album, my dad played it a lot when I was young; I don't know if it's my favorite, but I don't think I can pick one, they have a very consistent discography to my ear, minus Everything Must Go).
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JD
Forum Senior Member Joined: February 07 2009 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 18394 |
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Thank you for supporting independently produced music
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twosteves
Forum Senior Member Joined: May 01 2007 Location: NYC/Rhinebeck Status: Offline Points: 4071 |
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Yup! Amazing album.
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Catcher10
Forum Senior Member VIP Member Joined: December 23 2009 Location: Emerald City Status: Offline Points: 17535 |
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A brilliant record, could be a masterpiece. Each song is incredibly created and performed and rightly so, sampled by some other artists.
I've been spinning that album since it came out.....This documentary of the album is a great watch. |
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