4/5/2017 Aja (album) Wikipedia Aja (album) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Aja (/ˈeɪʒә/, pronounced like Asia) is the sixth album by the jazz rock band Steely Dan. Originally released in 1977 on ABC Aja Records, it became the group's bestselling album. Peaking at No. 3 on the U.S. charts and No. 5 in the United Kingdom, it was the band's first platinum album, eventually selling over 5 million copies.[2] In July 1978, the album won the Grammy Award for Best Engineered NonClassical Recording. In 2003, the album was ranked number 145 on Rolling Stone's "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list. It is widely regarded as a good test recording for audiophiles because of its high production standards.[3][4][5]
Contents Studio album by Steely Dan
Released September 23, 1977[1] 1 Background 2 Critical reception Recorded January to July 1977; 3 Legacy at the Village Recorder, West Los 4 Outtakes Angeles, California; 5 Track listing Producer's Workshop, Hollywood; 6 Personnel 6.1 Steely Dan Warner Bros studios, Burbank; 6.2 Additional musicians ABC recording studios, N.Y.C.; 7 Production Sound Labs, Hollywood; 8 Awards A&R studios, Manhattan 9 References 10 External links Genre Jazz rock Length 39:58 Label ABC Background Producer Gary Katz Steely Dan chronology Donald Fagen has said the album was named for a Korean woman who married the brother of one of his highschool The Royal Scam Aja Gaucho friends.[6] The cover photo by Hideki Fujii features Japanese (1976) (1977) (1980) [7][8] model and actress Sayoko Yamaguchi. Singles from Aja The album features several leading session musicians. The 1. "Peg" eightminutelong title track features jazzbased changes and a solo by saxophonist Wayne Shorter. Released: November 1977 2. "Deacon Blues" When DTS attempted to make a 5.1 version, it was discovered Released: 1977 that the multitrack masters for both "Black Cow" and the title 3. "Josie" track were missing. For this same reason, a multichannel SACD Released: 1978
Music sample https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aja_(album) 1/5 4/5/2017 Aja (album) Wikipedia version was cancelled by Universal Music. Donald Fagen has "Home at Last" offered a $600 reward for the missing masters or any 0:00 MENU information that leads to their recovery.[9] Critical reception
Summarising the style of the band at the time the album was Professional ratings released, music critic Andy Gill said: "Jazzrock was a fundamental part of the 70s musical landscape.. [Steely Dan] Review scores wasn't rock or pop music with ideas above its station, and it Source Rating wasn't jazzers slumming... it was a very wellforged alloy of the Allmusic [10] two you couldn't separate the pop music from the jazz in their music."[6] BBC Music (positive)[11] Robert Christgau [12] Describing the album in 1999, British musician Ian Dury said: B+ "Well, Aja's got a sound that lifts your heart up.. and it's the most Drowned in Sound 10/10[13] consistent upfull, heartwarming.. even though, it is a classic Q [14] LA kinda sound. You wouldn't think it was recorded anywhere else in the world. It's got California through its blood, even Rolling Stone (favorable)[15] though they are boys from New York.. It's a record that sends my [16] spirits up, and really when I listen to music, really that's what I Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music want."[6]
Analyzing the band's songwriting style, Dury said: "They've got a skill that can make images that aren't puerile and don't make you think you've heard it before... very "Hollywood filmic" in a way, the imagery is very imaginable, in a visual sense" and of their musical style: "Parker, Mingus, Blakey, I can hear in there.. Jazz Messengers I can hear in there, Bobby Timmons... the subject matter doesn't matter, it's the sound they're making."[6] Legacy
In 2010 the Library of Congress selected Aja for inclusion in the United States National Recording Registry based on its cultural, artistic or historical significance.[17][18] The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[19]
Aja is the subject of one of the Classic Albums, a series of documentaries about the making of famous albums. The documentary includes a songbysong study of the album (the only omission being "I Got the News", which is played during the closing credits), interviews with Steely Dan cofounders Walter Becker and Donald Fagen (among others) plus new, liveinstudio versions of songs from the album. Becker and Fagen also play back several of the rejected guitar solos for "Peg", which were recorded before Jay Graydon produced the satisfactory take. Outtakes
The sessions for Aja produced several outtakes, including "You Got the Bear". The song was never officially released, but would later be played live on their 2011 Shuffle Diplomacy tour.[20] Track listing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aja_(album) 2/5 4/5/2017 Aja (album) Wikipedia All songs written by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen.
Side one No. Title Length 1. "Black Cow" 5:10 2. "Aja" 7:57 3. "Deacon Blues" 7:33 Side two No. Title Length 4. "Peg" 3:58 5. "Home at Last" 5:34 6. "I Got the News" 5:06 7. "Josie" 4:33
Personnel
Steely Dan
Donald Fagen – lead vocals (all tracks), synthesizer (all tracks but 4), police whistle (2), backing vocals (2, 5, 7) Walter Becker – bass (3), guitar (2), guitar solos (5, 6, 7)
Additional musicians
Victor Feldman – electric piano (1, 3, 7), vibraphone (5, 6), piano (5, 6), percussion (2, 4) Joe Sample – electric piano (2), Hohner Clavinet (1) Paul Griffin – electric piano (4), backing vocals (4) Michael Omartian – piano (2) Don Grolnick – Hohner Clavinet (4) Larry Carlton – guitar (1, 2, 3, 5, 7), guitar solo (6) Lee Ritenour guitar (3) Denny Dias (2), Dean Parks (3, 6, 7), Steve Khan (4) – guitar Jay Graydon – solo guitar (4) Chuck Rainey – bass (all but 3) Paul Humphrey (1), Steve Gadd (2), Bernard Purdie (3, 5), Rick Marotta (4), Ed Greene (6) – drums Jim Keltner – drums (7), percussion (7) Gary Coleman – percussion (4) Tom Scott – tenor saxophone (1), Lyricon (4), horn arrangements Wayne Shorter (2), Pete Christlieb (3) – tenor saxophone Jim Horn, Bill Perkins, Plas Johnson, Jackie Kelso – saxes/flutes Chuck Findley, Lou McCreary, Slyde Hyde – brass Michael McDonald (4, 6), Timothy B. Schmit (2, 5, 7), Clydie King (1, 3, 6), Sherlie Matthews (1, 3, 6), Venetta Fields (1, 3, 6), Rebecca Louis (1, 6) – backing vocals
[21][22][23]
Production
Executive producer: Stephen Diener [ABC Records] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aja_(album) 3/5 4/5/2017 Aja (album) Wikipedia Producer: Gary Katz Engineers: Roger Nichols, Elliot Scheiner, Al Schmitt, Bill Schnee Assistant engineers: Joe Bellamy, Lenise Bent, Ken Klinger, Ron Pangaliman, Ed Rack, Linda Tyler Mastering: Bernie Grundman Production coordination: Barbara Miller Sound consultant: Dinky Dawson Consultant: Daniel Levitin Horn arrangements: Tom Scott Art direction: Vartan Reissue Design: Geoff Westen Photography: Hideki Fujii (cover photo), Walter Becker Liner notes: Walter Becker, Donald Fagen Reissue coordination: Beth Stempel Awards
Grammy Awards
Year Winner Category 1977 Aja Best Engineered Recording, Non Classical
References
1. Crowe, Cameron (December 29, 1977). "Steely Dan Springs Back: The Second Coming". Rolling Stone. New York City: Straight Arrow Publishers, Inc. (#255): 11. Retrieved October 27, 2011. 2. "Steely Dan Biography". billboard.com. Retrieved 20160718. 3. "The 30 best hifi audiophile albums ever | Tech Features | Stuff". www.stuff.tv. Retrieved November 8, 2015. 4. "What Are the Top 10 Digital Tracks for Testing Speakers? A Journal of Musical Things". A Journal of Musical Things. Retrieved November 8, 2015. 5. "Vinyl Me, Please | 52 Essential Albums to Own on Vinyl (Add Your Own) «". vinylmeplease.com. Retrieved November 8, 2015. 6. Classic Albums: Steely Dan Aja (Video 1999), Directed by Alan Lewins, Eagle Rock Entertainment, ASIN: 6305772649 [1] (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0268225/) 7. "Aja". Retrieved September 9, 2008. 8. Steely Dan: Reelin in the Years by Brian Sweet – page 130 9. "Aja notes". Archived from the original on May 5, 2009. Retrieved May 13, 2009. 10. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Aja review (http://www.allmusic.com/album/ajamw0000191964) allmusic.com. Retrieved on August 14, 2015. 11. Easley, Daryl. BBC Music review (http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/cq9p) 20110809. 12. Christgau, Robert (October 31, 1977). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved April 29, 2013. 13. Jonathan Rawcliffe. Drowned in Sound review (http://drownedinsound.com/releases/4770/reviews/2622) 20011125. 14. Q (http://www.qthemusic.co.uk) June 2000, p.131 15. Duffy, Michael. Aja review (http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/aja19771201) 19771201. Retrieved on July 3, 2011. 16. Steely Dan: Aja (http://www.acclaimedmusic.net/Current/A405.htm) 17. "Complete National Recording Registry Listing National Recording Preservation Board | Programs | Library of Congress". Loc.gov. Retrieved November 8, 2015. 18. National Recording Preservation Board, 2010 Selections (http://www.loc.gov/rr/record/nrpb/registry/nrpb2010reg.html) 19. Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (7 February 2006). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 0789313715. 20. Baltin, Steve (July 9, 2011). "Steely Dan at the Greek Theater: Concert Review". The Hollywood Reporter. 21. "Steely Dan Aja (Vinyl, LP, Album) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved November 8, 2015. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aja_(album) 4/5 4/5/2017 Aja (album) Wikipedia 22. Liner notes to the digitally remastered edition 23. "Aja Album". Broberg.pp.se. Retrieved November 8, 2015. External links
Complete Lyrics (http://steelydan.com/lyraja.html) Promotional Video (http://www.fuzzymemories.tv/screen.php?c=1675&p=1&m=aja), courtesy of The Museum of Classic Chicago Television "Steely Dan: The Making of Aja" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QA9ydTb_bM) on YouTube Essay by: Brian Sweet for the Library of Congress (http://www.loc.gov/programs/static/nationalrecordingp reservationboard/documents/ajaFINAL.pdf) at loc.gov
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Categories: Steely Dan albums ABC Records albums 1977 albums Albums produced by Gary Katz United States National Recording Registry recordings
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