Boasting melodies with the sharp cut of a Saville Row suit and lyricism whose meaning had the puzzlement of a cryptic crossword, Steely Dan were the most unfathomable yet ultimately fascinating rock band to emerge during the early ’70s.
Indeed, such is the complexity attached to their music, let alone the intermittent tenure of several coopted members, they were less a group in the traditional sense, more a collection of satellite musicians existing within the orbit of core duo, native New Yorkers Donald Fagen (keyboards) and Walter Becker (guitar/bass). As a songwriting axis they were responsible for a body of work that was tasteful, technically accomplished, yet in terms of the lyrics, often willfully obtuse.
Having joined musical forces at a New York college in 1967, Fagen and Becker (respectively 19 and 17 at the time), eventually made their way to L.A. to work as staff songwriters for ABC/Dunhill Records. Despite one of their compositions (‘I Mean to Shine‘) finding its way to Barbara Streisand, their material made few concessions to commercial appeal, although it was the idiosyncratic nature of such pieces that aroused the curiosity of label house producer Gary Katz.
Given the green light to record an album, on deciding to call themselves Steely Dan, based on a reference from the William S. Burroughs novel ‘Naked Lunch‘, the central pairing gathered around them guitarists Danny Dias (an acquaintance from their New York days) and Jeff ‘Skunk’ Baxter, drummer Jim Hodder, along with vocalist David Palmer, (Fagen at this stage not considered to have a voice strong enough for the lead vocal role).
Enlisting Katz to oversee production duties, (a duty he would perform on their first seven albums), the November 1972 debut set ‘Can’t Buy a Thrill‘ displayed remarkable assurance for a first effort. The record returned healthy sales figures and reached a highest position of 17 on the Billboard chart, helped in no small way by the excellence of hit singles ‘Do It Again‘ and ‘Reelin’ in the Years.’
By the time of second album ‘Countdown to Ecstasy‘ (July 1973), the record again distinguished by often obscure lyrics aligned to jazz rock inflections, Palmer had departed the scene to leave Fagen as principle vocalist, a position he would maintain thereafter.
The next album ‘Pretzel Logic‘ (February 1974), proved the last on which the original line-up of musicians would perform, Becker and Fagen, having lost interest in touring, dissolving the unit in favour of working with session players.
This change in emphasis did not prevent the subsequent ‘Katy Lied‘ (March 1975) from attracting positive reviews or lofty chart placing (U.S./U.K. 13) and while the critical reception for ‘The Royal Scam‘ (May 1976) was less enthusiastic, Steely Dan continued into the second half of the decade an entity as inscrutable as they were intriguing.
But their mystique, while apparent on sixth release ‘AJA‘ (September 1977), now came under closer scrutiny by virtue of an album that would achieve colossal sales.
While the record was again built upon the fusion of rock and jazz for which they were renowned, through the seven tracks of their latest offering Becker and Fagen succeed in reaching new heights of melodic sophistication. To this end is heard a discernable change in approach as several songs evolve into extended, somewhat freeform pieces, that while languid are never lacklustre.
Such were their collective demands regarding attention to detail, ‘Aja‘ was 12 months in the making and worked on by a cast of almost 40 sessioneers. The two main protagonists induce performances of extraordinary virtuosity from any number of their collaborators, who are seemingly matched to an instrumental passage within a song the way actors would be cast in a film.
As a result only one of the six drummers to feature plays on more than one cut. While Chuck Rainey (bass) and Victor Feldman (keyboards/percussion) have a near constant presence, on ‘Peg‘ which became a U.S. hit when issued as a 45, five different guitarists recorded the solo before Jay Graydon delivered the one with the exact level of nuance sought by the Dan duo.
Despite the polished resonance, the album rarely fails to engage due to the cinematic sweep of the lyrics, these ostensibly the efforts of Fagen. His creative, at times, cynical allusions are once more an ideal foil for the meticulous musicality.
In the hands of others such a detached ambience could sound stylized to the point of stilted. Indeed, this mode of composition would soon be termed ‘yacht rock’, although given the pointed ruminations of their lyric writer, Steely Dan sail as a supertanker rather than schooner.
Opening track ‘Black Cow‘ (the title derived from a soft drink combination of root beer and ice cream), offers instantly engaging funk rock grooves that could not be any more pristine.
Framed by the keyboard work of Fagen (synthesiser) and Joe Sample (clavinet), decoration comes in the form of a tenor sax solo from renowned maestro Tom Scott and airy backing vocals provided by the four-strong troupe of Clydie King, Venetta Fields, Shirlie Matthews and Rebecca Louis, each one a session date veteran.
Depicting a romantic relationship now on the point of collapse, the narrator conjures a vivid scene when the pair come across one another unexpectedly, ‘In the corner of my eye/I saw you in Rudy’s/You were very high.’
For him things have reached their defining moment, the smooth vibes of the instrumentation matched by a relaxed vocal that downplays evident frustrations:
‘I can’t cry anymore/While you run around/Break away/Just when it seems so clear/That it’s over now/Drink your big black cow/And get out of here.’
Enhanced further by a resonant electric piano solo from Feldman, the days of their union are clearly numbered, her reckless behaviour now looked upon with sarcasm rather than an sympathy:
‘Like a gangster/On the run/You will stagger homeward/To your precious one/(I’m the one)/Who must make everything right/Talk it out ’til daylight.’
Featuring the final performance on a Steely Dan recording of long-standing sideman guitarist Dias, the ‘Aja‘ title cut evolved from musical stanzas Fagen and Becker had worked on over time to become an eight-minute suite that stands as their most ambitious work – a remarkable feat in itself.
According to Fagen the lyric was inspired by a Korean woman named Aja who was married to the brother of a friend and based on the ‘romantic sort of image‘ evoked by her name.
Through this Latin-tinged piece ‘Aja‘ becomes a metaphor for the tranquil location where the writer can escape the demands of daily life, (‘Aja/When all my dime dancin’ is through/I run to you‘).
While the differing segments that comprise the finished offering can be distinguished, they are crafted into a seamless whole by the artistry of guitar players Becker, Dias and Larry Carlton, who together with pianist Michael Omartian pave the way for an exhilarating tenor sax break by Wayne Shorter.
The piece is underpinned by the crisp drumming of Steve Gadd, whose propulsive contribution is more than a match for his immaculate playing on the 1975 Paul Simon hit, ‘50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.’
Side one closer ‘Deacon Blues‘ has no blues connotations in the obvious manner, in fact the piano-based melody is the most serene of the record.
With Fagen summoning autobiographical ruminations on his journey so far through life, (‘It seems like only yesterday/I gazed through the glass/At ramblers, wild gamblers/That’s all in the past‘), the track feels upbeat and positive even when the couplets take on a darker tone, ‘I crawl like a viper/Through these suburban streets/Make love to these women/Languid and bittersweet.’
As Larry Carlton (lead guitar) and Pete Christlieb (tenor sax) come to the fore, Fagen uses the chorus, bolstered by gospel-affected harmonies, to affirm his preferred standpoint is that of outsider, free from convention:
‘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.’
Sequenced to open side two, ‘Peg‘ (at just under four minutes the shortest track on the album), is the candid tale of an actress on the brink of fame, told from the perspective of one she was left behind on the climb to stardom:
‘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.’
Infused with a serving of Philly Soul, the resounding hooks of this dance-orientated piece marked it out as the obvious single (‘Peg‘ reaching number 11 on the U.S. charts), the vocal of Fagen containing sufficient grit to prevent the track sounding too slick for its own good.
In this respect it was a blessing he did not possess the vocal range of say Eagle Don Henley or Doobie Brother Michael McDonald, otherwise Steely Dan may have erred, for all the deadpan lyrical couplets, dangerously close to excessive gloss.
McDonald in fact, had been an interim component of Steely Dan in their final throes as a touring outfit, going on to contribute keyboards and vocals to three subsequent albums despite being a full-time Doobie since 1975. Ties to Becker and Fagen are maintained by adding his distinctive tones to ‘Peg‘ and fellow second side cut, ‘I Got the News.’
With distinct New York resonance (‘Broadway Duchess/Darling, if you only knew/Half as much as/Everybody thinks you do‘), the funky contours, dictated by Rainey and drummer Ed Greene, twist and turn around a lyric preoccupied with winning the affections of woman (‘What I hear may be true/I would still be proud to know you‘). But as yet his advances have proved unsuccessful, the frustration of the pursuer manifesting in frenetic electric work from Becker.
Evoking home sickness for New York and containing references to the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer (‘Though the danger on the rocks is surely past/Still I remain tied to the mast‘), ‘Home at Last‘ incorporates faint strains of Chicago blues amidst the fluid light-jazz shuffles.
While the lyrics convey a sense of fatalism, (‘It’s just the calm before the storm‘), the ebb and flow of the melody, through which Feldman (piano) and surging horn section do the heavy lifting, weaves its way through moments of contentment (‘She serves the smooth retsina/She keeps me safe and warm‘).
The overriding feeling, however, is one of uncertainty (‘I guess that I’m the lucky one‘), Fagen, aided by one of three backing vocal performances on the record from recently recruited Eagle Tim Schmit, sounding less than convinced such fulfillment will last.
The opening electric guitar chords of closing track ‘Josie‘ hint that a more orthodox late-70s rock track may be about to unfold. But once into the body of the song, the guitars and keyboards become more rhythmic in nature as Fagen takes to describing the anticipated homecoming of the woman referenced in the title:
‘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.’
The aggressive guitar sound, coupled to deft touches of Feldman on electric piano, give the piece a crystalline edge and with the magnetic female in question being described in forceful fashion (‘She’s the raw flame/The live wire‘), Steely Dan, perhaps on casting a curious eye over the new wave music beginning to emerge, create a rare form of punkadelic.
For an album soon enjoying commercial success way beyond that of any previous Steely Dan release, ( ‘Aja‘ proved a top five hit on both sides of the Atlantic, securing a platinum disc on the strength of one million Stateside sales), there was the attached irony of a mixed response from the rock press – an outcome that would not have been lost on its central creators.
Rolling Stone reacted with a three (from five) star review, taking issue with what they perceived as ‘unparalleled pretentiousness‘, while noted New York rock scribe Robert Christgau bestowed a B+ mark from his A-D rating system, although that was still higher than the B he assigned to their previous album.
There was, however, no such dissent from the Grammy Awards panel. They nominated ‘Aja‘ for best album (losing to ‘Rumours‘), with ‘Peg‘ selected in Best Vocal Performance by a Group category (won by the Eagles for ‘New Kid in Town‘). Yet the album did succeed in winning the Best Engineered Recording section (trophies in this respect collected by Roger Nichols, Elliot Scheiner, Bill Schnee and Al Schmitt), few who have heard the record failing to marvel at its nigh-on sonic perfection.
Over time the content has undergone significant reappraisal, not least by Rolling Stone magazine whose adjudicators in a 2020 list of the 500 Greatest Albums Ever made placed ‘Aja‘ at number 63.
‘Aja‘ proved the last Steely Dan album of the decade, Becker and Fagen, aside from contributing the excellent theme song to the 1978 film ‘FM‘ not heard from again until ‘Gaucho‘ (1980), after which they took a 20 year hiatus from recording together.
With melodies that purveyed refinement rather than bombast and lyrics portraying characters who were haughty opposed to heroic, Steely Dan brought all these dimensions to bear on ‘Aja‘ – an album confirming Fagen and Becker as the anti-heroes of ’70s rock.
STEELY DAN – AJA (Released September 23 1977):
Black Cow/Aja/Deacon Blues/Peg/Home at Last/I Got the News/Josie;
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