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1977: a historic year for modern music, with punk and its "revolution," all aimed at cutting ties with the excesses of a decade overly 'prog'; a political-musical revolution as important as it was swift (practically its obsolescence was contemporaneous - think of the debut of Talking Heads, which, along with other gems of the period, was already paving the way for the new wave season). A year that also foreshadows another great boom, that of disco music and its staggering numbers (the revenues from "Saturday Night Fever" are just a slice of the pie divided among many artists — many of whom were black — protagonists of the "disco inferno").
Amidst so much ideological-artistic turmoil, while rock defends itself with clenched teeth from those who proclaim its premature death (the most resolute admonition to resist will be "Rock 'n' roll will never die" uttered by Neil Young in "My My, Hey Hey"), it seems arduous to trace the genetic chromosome of a rare gem like Steely Dan’s sixth album, "Aja". Perhaps because the departure from the rock of their beginnings and from rock altogether had already occurred - for the band now reduced to a duo - by the time of their third, acclaimed trial, "Pretzel Logic". That album not only gave birth to one of their greatest pop successes ("Rikki Don't Lose That Number"), but it was a breath of fresh air for those who, as early as 1974, sensed the call of a more 'free' way of making music. The journey of the Becker-Fagen duo would lead to increasingly perfect works, artistically unmatched at times for the era (a journey comparable - with similar maturation times, choices, and stylistic-formal outcomes - to that of Joni Mitchell): "Pretzel Logic", "Katy Lied", "The Royal Scam" and "Aja" are the pride of a decade that gives birth to a "revolt" as subtle but no less impactful than the punk one. "Aja", in particular, is the epitome and the pinnacle of an impressive ability to creatively, wittily, and elegantly fuse all that the seventies left on the table.
The plot, the red thread that links its compositions, is the philosophy of the new fusion (and how could it be otherwise, given the host of gigantic session men hired by our duo to accompany them on their adventure?), but the album is also a pleasant revolution for pop ("Peg" and "Deacon Blues", in this sense, are unparalleled examples of crossover) and funk peeks through where no one expects it (the rhythm of the splendid "Josie"). The rest is pure creative delirium, with stellar performances from both the duo (Becker's delightful guitar on "Home At Last") and their prestigious companions (first and foremost, the immortal drum solo by Steve Gadd at the end of the "title track"). "Aja", like few other albums of its period, is a gift of elegance to posterity, a monumental work for its formal completeness and artistic maturity, a chest full of jewels, an inexhaustible source of stimuli and inspiration for future artists.
Tracklist Lyrics and Samples
02 Aja (08:00)
Up on the hill
People never stare
They just don't care
Chinese music under banyan trees
Here at the dude ranch above the sea
Aja
When all my dime dancin' is through
I run to you
Up on the hill
They've got time to burn
There's no return
Double helix in the sky tonight
Throw out the hardware
Let's do it right
Aja
When all my dime dancin' is through
I run to you
Up on the hill
They think I'm okay
Or so they say
Chinese music always sets me free
Angular banjoes
Sound good to me
Aja
When all my dime dancin' is through
I run to you
03 Deacon Blues (07:36)
This is the day
Of the expanding man
That shape is my shade
There where I used to stand
It seems like only yesterday
I gazed through the glass
At ramblers
Wild gamblers
Thats all in the past
You call me a fool
You say its a crazy scheme
This ones for real
I already bought the dream
So useless to ask me why
Throw a kiss and say goodbye
I'll make it this time
I'm ready to cross that fine line
Chorus:
I'll learn to work the saxophone
I'll play just what I feel
Drink scotch whisky all night long
And die behind the wheel
They got a name for the winners in the world
I want a name when I lose
They call Alabama the Crimson Tide
Call me deacon blues
My back to the wall
A victim of laughing chance
This is for me
The essence of true romance
Sharing the things we know and love
With those of my kind
Libations
Sensations
That stagger the mind
I crawl like a viper
Through these suburban streets
Make love to these women
Languid and bittersweet
I'll rise when the sun goes down
Cover every game in town
A world of my own
I'll make it my home sweet home
Chorus
This is the night
Of the expanding the man
I take one last drag
As I approach the stand
I cried when I wrote this song
Sue me if I play too long
This brother is free
I'll be what I want to be
Chorus
04 Peg (03:58)
I've seen your picture
Your name in lights above it
This is your big debut
It's like a dream come true
So won't you smile for the camera,
I know they're gonna love it (Peg)
I like your pin shot
I keep them with your letter
Done up in blueprint blue
It sure looks good on you
And when you smile for the camera
I know I'll love you better
Peg
It will come back to you
Peg
It will come back to you
Then
The shutter falls, you see it all in 3-D
It's your favorite foreign movie
I like your pin shot
I keep it with your letter
Done up in blueprint blue
It sure looks good on you
And when you smile for the camera
I know I'll love you better
Peg
It will come back to you
Peg
It will come back to you
Then
The shutter falls, you see it all in 3-D
It's your favorite foreign movie
05 Home at Last (05:35)
I know this super highway
This bright familiar sun
I guess that I'm the lucky one
Who wrote that tired sea song
Set on this peaceful shore
You think you've heard this one before
Well the danger on the rocks is surely past
Still I remain tied to the mast
Could it be that I have found my home at last
Home at last
She serves the smooth retsina
She keeps me safe and warm
It's just the calm before the storm
Call in my reservation
So long hey thanks my friend
I guess I'll try my luck again
Well the danger on the rocks is surely past
Still I remain tied to the mast
Could it be that I have found my home at last
Home at last
06 I Got the News (05:07)
You
In your Lark
You're a mark
You're a screamer
You know
How to hustle
Daddy
Is a rare
Millionaire
I don't care
Yeah you
Got the muscle
I got the news
Yes dear
How did you know
Can't you see our love will grow
Take it
In your hand
All the sirens
And the band
Get to bendin' my ear
How
Was I to know
About the warm
Soulful secret
You been keepin' for years
I got the news
Slow down I'll tell you when
I may never walk again
Broadway Duchess
Darling if you only knew
Half as much as
Everybody thinks you do
What I hear
May be true
I would still be proud
To know you
Spanish kissin'
See it glisten
You came ragin'
Love rampagin'
I got the news
Yes dear
How did you know
Can't you see our love will grow
07 Josie (04:31)
We're gonna break out the hats and hooters
When Josie comes home
We're gonna rev up the motor scooters
When Josie comes home to stay
We're gonna park in the street
Sleep on the beach and make it
Throw down the jam till the girls say when
Lay down the law and break it
When Josie comes home
When Josie comes home
So good
She's the pride of the neighborhood
She's the raw flame
The live wire
She prays like a Roman
With her eyes on fire
Jo would you love to scrapple
She'll never say no
Shine up the battle apple
We'll shake 'em all down tonight
We're gonna mix in the street
Strike at the stroke of midnight
Dance on the bones till the girls say when
Pick up what's left by daylight
When Josie comes home
When Josie comes home
So bad
She's the best friend we ever had
She's the raw flame
The live wire
She prays like a Roman
With her eyes on fire
When Josie comes home
So good
She's the pride of the neighborhood
She's the raw flame
The live wire
She prays like a Roman
With her eyes on fire
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Other reviews
By pana
The perfect fusion of the music we’ve always loved, Jazz, Rock, Pop...
After the sumptuous eight minutes of Aja, another masterpiece awaits us: it is 'Deacon Blues,' also indescribable, unanimously considered among Steely’s masterpieces.
