Aja (album)

Aye
Studio album by Steely Dan
Publication (s)	1977
Label (s)	MCA Records
Format (s)	LP, CD
Genre (s)	Jazz rock
Title (number)	7th
running time	39:58
occupation	Singing , keyboard : Donald Fagen Guitar , bass , vocals : Walter Becker Guitar : Denny Dias Guitar : Larry Carlton Guitar : Lee Ritenour Keyboard : Victor Feldman Keyboard : Joe Sample Tenor saxophone : Wayne Shorter Drums : Steve Gadd Drums : Jim Keltner Bass : Chuck Rainey
production	Gary Katz
Studio (s)	A&R Recording Studios, New York ABC Recording Studios, Hollywood Producer's Workshop, Hollywood Sound Labs, Hollywood Village Recorders, West Los Angeles Warner Bros. Recording Studios, North Hollywood
chronology " The Royal Scam " (1976) Aye " Gaucho " (1980)

Aja (pronounced like "Asia" in English) is Steely Dan's sixth album . It was released in September 1977 and became the band's best-selling album.

The album

The album has a pronounced jazz influence, jazz musicians like Wayne Shorter , Lee Ritenour , Victor Feldman and Joe Sample were used. It is an example of the perfectionism that Becker and Fagen developed in the arrangement and production of their music. Within three weeks of its release, it was already in the top 5 of the US album charts, and it was one of the first records to go platinum. Peg was selected for the first single release (number 11 in the US singles chart), followed by Deacon Blues (# 19) and Josie (# 26) , which lasted over seven minutes .

reception

In July 1978 the album won the Grammy Award for best technical recording (outside of classical music). In 2003 it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame , and in the same year voted number 145 on the list of the 500 best albums of all time by Rolling Stone readers .

Stephen Thomas Erlewine praised the album as a "shining example of the finest jazz rock" at Allmusic , where Aja was rated four and a half out of five stars:

"Aja is a shining example of the finest jazz-rock."

- Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Allmusic

The album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2003.

In April 2011, the album was recorded by the Library of Congress in the National Recording Register as "culturally, historically or aesthetically important".

Track list

All songs were written by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen.

page 1

1. Black Cow - 5:10
2. Aja - 7:57
3. Deacon Blues - 7:37

Page 2

1. Peg - 3:57
2. Home at Last - 5:34
3. I Got the News - 5:06
4. Josie - 4:33

Web links

• Review of the album at Allmusic (English). Retrieved February 5, 2012.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
2. ↑ The RS 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in Rolling Stone
3. ^ Review of Thomas Erlewine's album on Allmusic
4. ↑ National Recording Register 2010