STEELY DAN – Aja (1977-2014) RM | SHM-CD | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Steely Dan hadn't been a real working band since Pretzel Logic, but with Aja, Walter Becker and Donald Fagen's obsession with sonic detail and fascination with composition reached new heights. A coolly textured and immaculately produced collection of sophisticated jazz-rock, Aja has none of the overt cynicism or self-consciously challenging music that distinguished previous Steely Dan records. Instead, it's a measured and textured album, filled with subtle melodies and accomplished, jazzy solos that blend easily into the lush instrumental backdrops. But Aja isn't just about texture, since Becker and Fagen's songs are their most complex and musically rich set of songs -- even the simplest song, the sunny pop of "Peg," has layers of jazzy vocal harmonies. In fact, Steely Dan ignores rock on Aja, preferring to fuse cool jazz, blues, and pop together in a seamless, seductive fashion. It's complex music delivered with ease, and although the duo's preoccupation with clean sound and self-consciously sophisticated arrangements would eventually lead to a dead end, Aja is a shining example of jazz-rock at its finest.  Stephen Thomas Erlewine 
Tracklist :
1 Black Cow 5:07
Backing Vocals – Clydie King, Rebecca Louis, Sherlie Matthews, Venetta Fields
Bass – Chuck Rainey
Clavinet – Joe Sample
Drums – Paul Humphrey
Electric Piano – Victor Feldman
Guitar – Larry Carlton
Lead Vocals – Donald Fagen
Synthesizer – Donald Fagen
Tenor Saxophone – Tom Scott
2 Aja 7:56
Backing Vocals – Donald Fagen, Timothy B. Schmit
Bass – Chuck Rainey
Drums – Steve Gadd
Electric Piano – Joe Sample
Guitar – Denny Dias, Larry Carlton, Walter Becker
Lead Vocals – Donald Fagen
Percussion – Victor Feldman
Piano – Michael Omartian
Synthesizer – Donald Fagen
Tenor Saxophone – Wayne Shorter
3 Deacon Blues 7:26
Backing Vocals – Clydie King, Sherlie Matthews, Venetta Fields
Bass – Walter Becker
Drums – Bernard Purdie
Electric Piano – Victor Feldman
Guitar – Larry Carlton, Lee Ritenour
Lead Vocals – Donald Fagen
Synthesizer – Donald Fagen
Tenor Saxophone – Pete Christlieb
4 Peg 3:58
Backing Vocals – Michael McDonald, Paul Griffin
Bass – Chuck Rainey
Clavinet – Don Grolnick
Drums – Rick Marotta
Electric Piano – Paul Griffin
Guitar – Steve Khan
Guitar [Solo] – Jay Graydon
Lead Vocals – Donald Fagen
Lyricon – Tom Scott
Percussion – Gary Coleman, Victor Feldman
5 Home At Last 5:31
Backing Vocals – Donald Fagen, Timothy B. Schmit
Bass – Chuck Rainey
Drums – Bernard Purdie
Guitar – Larry Carlton
Guitar [Solo] – Walter Becker
Lead Vocals – Donald Fagen
Piano – Victor Feldman
Synthesizer – Donald Fagen
Vibraphone – Victor Feldman
6 I Got The News 5:03
Backing Vocals – Clydie King, Michael McDonald, Rebecca Louis, Sherlie Matthews, Venetta Fields
Bass – Chuck Rainey
Drums – Ed Greene 
Guitar – Dean Parks
Guitar [Solo] – Larry Carlton, Walter Becker
Lead Vocals – Donald Fagen
Percussion – Victor Feldman
Piano – Victor Feldman
Synthesizer – Donald Fagen
Vibraphone – Victor Feldman
7 Josie 4:30
Backing Vocals – Donald Fagen, Timothy B. Schmit
Bass – Chuck Rainey
Drums – Jim Keltner
Electric Piano – Victor Feldman
Guitar – Dean Parks, Larry Carlton
Guitar [Solo] – Walter Becker
Lead Vocals – Donald Fagen
Percussion – Jim Keltner
Synthesizer – Donald Fagen