The Recording of Steely Dan's

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Steely Dan—Walter Becker (left) Creating a and Donald Fagen—in 1977. Classic: The Recording of Steely Dan’s GETTY IMAGES CHRIS WALTER/WIREIMAGE Aja

BY THE METALLIANCE Steely Dan were famous for their meticulous approach to recording, and while they earned armloads of plaudits and Grammys proving they were right in their rigor, it’s the sound of their records that really makes the point. To this day, their albums are held up as pinnacles of recording— and a prime example is their 1977 classic, Aja. Released in September 1977, Aja mark collection. What followed was a er. After month or two of that, I found the duo of Walter Becker and warm recollection of the days when got really fed up, and wouldn’t you Donald Fagen in top form, once the studios were big and the budgets know it, I got a call on the last day again working with producer Gary were even bigger. of that week and they said, “We’re Katz. Becoming their fastest seller not working today.” We hung up, to date, the album went on to go How did you guys get involved with I packed my bags, I left and never The METAlliance is Al Schmitt, Chuck double Platinum and spawn three the project? said anything. I just got out. Ainlay, Elliot Scheiner, Frank Filipetti, Top 40 hits with “Peg,” “Deacon Elliot: I started on the album before, We didn’t talk again until a year George Massenburg and Niko Bo- Blues” and “Josie”—not bad for an which was The Royal Scam, and we or more later. Gary called me and las, along with the late Phil Ramone album of only seven songs! Nomi- had a falling out during that project. said, “Do you want to mix this re- and Ed Cherney. The METAlliance nated for Album of the Year and Best We had a deal: “Come out to L.A. cord?” I was just in New York at Mission is to promote the highest Pop Performance at the 1978 Gram- and we’ll do the record. We’ll be done A&R Studios, and it was a great op- quality in the art and science of re- mys, Aja ultimately brought home in two months maximum” ... and I portunity for me to be back with cording music. the trophy for Best Engineered Re- didn’t know enough about how they those guys. We were friends before cording – Non-Classical—a triumph worked. any of that started—I’d known them shared by engineers Roger Nichols, I stayed in the Beverly Hills Ho- since the late ’60s when they were ently—verse by verse, chorus and Bill Schnee and two members of tel, Donald got me a Mercedes Benz the backup band for Jay and the bridge all had separate setups. When the METAlliance, Al Schmitt and sports car and it seemed good, but Americans—so I took it. you got finished with a verse, you Elliot Scheiner. With that in mind, we only recorded maybe once or Before Al came in, I was mixing now had a guitar on a percussion we sat down with Al and El to get twice a week. We started at one stu- the entire record. Bill Schnee had track. It kept moving around like their insights on recording the land- dio and moved to Village Record- recorded “Aja” and “Black Cow,” that, so you had to change panning, and everything else was recorded EQ, everything—and the whole song by Roger Nichols. The only thing was like that, just trying to get the that was recorded at A&R was thing together before we even edited. “Peg”—we ended up recording it We did that, and about three weeks in one night. I think they actually after, they said there’s no bass in a came up with the song that night lot of the mix. and decided to record. There was I said, “That’s impossible.” so much sick s--- that happened I thought about everything that during that time period. At some went into that and the last thing I point, we finished. I thought. wanted to do was do it again, but I had mixed everything on [the at some point, I thought to myself title track] “Aja,” but they came back in the night, is it possible that I because there was so much leakage didn’t switch it on when it had to in the room on some of the things. be muted? There was no automa- Elliot Scheiner was initially Most everything was on one 24-track tion—it was all manual, right? They only going to mix the album, tape, and in some cases it had three were coming back on a Monday, so I but soon recorded the hit “Peg” as well. or four things on a single track and came in early and put the whole mix they each had to be mixed differ- up, listening to the original. There

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were notes for EQ and not really as There’s that old adage that when much for level setting. I recalled the people listen to something they whole mix, and put it down with the worked on a while back, they hear bass really loud. [laughs] something they’d want to go back They came in, and Donald and and change. You guys don’t seem to Walter looked at each other, thinking, have that affliction. “Wow, this is really f----d up. There Elliot: For me personally, when it’s was no bass on this.” I started to laugh done, it’s done. But if I hear it a year and they knew instantly what hap- later? Oh. My. Gosh. pened. They said, “Okay, so you put Al: I’m exactly the same—I hear it in today. Let’s start the whole mix it a year later, I say, “Oh, why didn’t I again.” We did and that was the only do that? How did I miss that?” That’s thing that got redone by me. Then I the perfectionist in us. Somebody didn’t hear until the record came out asked me recently, am I happy with that Al had mixed two songs. anything I’ve ever done? I said, “To be honest with you, no matter what All right—so Al, how did you get record it was, I can always take some- into this? thing and make it a little better.” Al: I got a call while at Sound Labs Studio 2 [in Hollywood]. We used to Is that something about how you’ve do a lot of work there at that time, changed since then? Is it that you and I said yes. They came over to learn something on a subse- bring their tape and brought five or Al Schmitt, along with quent session, or perhaps you six 1176 limiters—I don’t know what Scheiner, Roger Nichols and grow as people or grow as the hell they wanted me to use them Bill Schnee, took home the engineers—or do you Best Engineered Recording - on, but they did. They dropped the think there was actu- Non-Classical Grammy Award tape off and left. [inset] for work on Aja. ally something that you I put the tape up and it’s “Peg.” probably knew but you I get a mix on it and it sounds pret- just missed it? ty good. I know there’s going to be never worked that long on a mix Elliot: I think it was a case a lot of things that have to be done, in my life. I’d get it right, but may- of missing for me. Here’s an ex- but I get the mix up—and then I be Donald would say, “I missed the ample: The dynamic between turn the monitor off, and I hit the echo. I didn’t get in the right spot,” Donald, Walker and Gary was playback. I’m watching the meters and so we had to keep doing it over such that when we were actu- on the Quad 8 board to see how and over and over. Every time we ally doing the cut “Aja,” Gary they are reacting and everything. ran it down, it was a performance, wasn’t in the room. He would Then I turn the monitor back up, because we were all performing, come in to start the session so here’s this mix coming out of the right? and then drift out. Nobody speakers. And little did I know, they I mixed another one, “Deacon knew where the f--- he had come into the room [while the Blues,” and then at that same went, but after three days monitor was off]. They were stand- time, they were doing “FM of mixing, Roger was doing behind me and Gary said, “F- (No Static at All),” [the theme ing the two-track edits ----g Al, he can mix without even song to] the movie FM, and they were doing. Then I mixed it back at when we finished. We played it back hearing this s---!” [Laughs] asked me to record. Although they Sound Labs. The funny thing about and thought it really sounded great. Elliot: They told that story to had a track done, we got Johnny that single? I got this Best Engineer Gary came in and was on the oth- anybody who would come in the Mandel in to do the arrangement. [Grammy] award for that, and that er side of the console, standing with room, that Al was capable of mix- We did that at Capitol in Studio was the first and last time that ever his ears in between the speakers. Af- ing without speakers. I remember A and Johnny said to me, “These happened for a single, I believe. ter it finished, he looked at Donald saying to Gary, how is that possi- guys know what they’re doing?” I and Walter and said, “There’s not ble? Gary, in his wisdom, said, “He said, “Absolutely.” At one point, The story you always hear is that enough cymbals.” [Laughs] Walter looks at the meters!” [Laughs] he was running things down and they would record a track a number looked at me and said, “You know, Al: Anyway, it was such a com- Donald hit the talkback and said, of times with a number of players wherever you are, get the f--- out of plicated mix that we were all mixing “Johnny, there’s something wrong to get it right. here and go back there.” the record. I was at the board, Don- in the violas.” And sure enough Elliot: Yeah—I remember on [the For the full interview, visit the ald and Walter were doing something there was—and that turned Mandel follow-up album] Gaucho, they would METAlliance website. with echo and something else, and right around. That’s when he re- record songs five, six, seven times, METAlliance Gary was doing something else—and ally knew that they had ears—they and with completely different bands. www.metalliance.com we were there for 12 hours. I had could hear and they knew what they With Aja, I only recorded “Peg,” and that was one band. Rick Marotta, Chuck Rainey, Don Grolnick, Paul “It was such a complicated mix that we Griffin and Steve Kahn. I would only were all mixing the record. I was at the do the tracks and then Roger would do all the overdubs. [Legendary ses- board, Donald and Walter were doing sion drummer] Steve Gadd played on “Black Cow” and “Aja,” and when something with echo and something else, we finished mixing “Aja” the first time, they said, “Why don’t you bring and Gary was doing something else—and Gadd in?” He came in and was really f----d up. He started listening to we were there for 12 hours. I had never the drum solo and was nodding like, worked that long on a mix in my life.” “This is incredible!” And at the end of the song, he said, “Who’s playing Steely Dan’s Aja went double-platinum and Al Schmitt drums?” [Laughs] spawned three Top-40 singles.

[ August 2020 ] The METAlliance Report Creating a Classic: The Recording of Steely Dan’s Aja (continued from Pro Sound News)

Al Schmitt: I think Steely Dan could have farted at one point and they would have gotten awards. Everybody was a Steely Dan fan. And when I knew I was getting a track that Elliot did I got a big smile on my face because I knew it was going to be done right. I knew I wasn’t going to have to do all kinds of shit and gyrations in order to put this thing together. Because like most good engineers, Elliott is also mixing when he’s recording. He’s placing things where he wants them to be and I knew it was the same thing I would do. It’s always a pleasure to get something from someone who really knows what they're doing. Some of the mixes I get called to do, you wouldn't believe how badly they're recorded, but this was really a pleasure. Everybody was in a good mood. There was no fighting.

Elliott Scheiner: For me, if I knew my work was going to Al, I would be shitting. (Laughter)

Al: Well, you know, we have a mutual admiration society. I love what you do. Any time I hear a great record on the air or somebody plays me something, I'll say, that's Elliott. I can pick out his stuff because it's just so outstanding. It's just a step above.”

Elliott: “Thanks” Al: It's true.

Elliott: For me, it’s always been the same thing. But I got bad for sounding too much like the same thing. When you listen to anything that Al does, you can’t tell. He does it so differently and everything sounds so unbelievably perfect. And there's a difference about it that you would say “Al did that?’ He didn't have any one sound that you’d say, that’s Al. You never knew. Holy cow.

Q: So what was it like working with Donald and Walter?

Al: Els worked with them a lot more than I did, but I never had a problem. What impressed me when we were on that FM date and doing strings at Capitol, Johnny Mandell said to me, “These guys know what they're doing?”

(Laughter)

And I said, ‘Absolutely.’ And at one point, he's running those things down. And Donald hits the talk back and says, ‘Johnny, there’s something wrong in the violas, and sure enough there was and that turned Mandell right around. When he knew that they had ears and that they could really hear, he knew that they knew what they were doing.”

Elliott: That was the only song they did that actually had strings. Al: Yes, it was for the movie and it came out as the single “FM”.

Elliott: Well, I've known these guys since the late 60s. They were the backup band for Jay the Americans. I've done a couple of Jay and the Americans records and in one record, Donald did the charts. And they both played on the album. So I met them back then. And you know, you enjoyed yourself, regardless of what they did. You had a great time with everything.