Aja Steely Dan reaction | Sounds Like butter and honey melting

[@eileendobbs8009]

My all time favorite band. This is a deep.rabbit hole. They literally make no bad music.

[@williamflinchum-qo6ch]

Mine too since 73/ I saw them live in 2014,in New Orleans,great show,I was on my feat,with a hienikin in my hand for the whole show!

[@stevengifford7457]

The finest 8 minutes ever put on vinyl.

[@ixtapavangogh]

Seconded. It's just too strong. Nothing can top it.

[@shireeni8665]

Steely Dan makes me feel sad yet happy - sad because it takes me back to my youth - never to be recaptured - and happy because it takes me back to some of my best times..... ❤️

[@richardyoung6214]

Well stated! Im 69 yrs old. I happened across SD when I was about 20 and I borrowed an 8-track player to use for a bday party. I plugged it in and behold. .... Can't Buy a Thrill! I've been obsessed with their music ever since.

[@ubilo]

Stranded on an island with one group's music -- - Steely Dan.

[@jenl3162]

It’s the only option.

[@darrendonahue2797]

Well said...

[@jirimondo]

No matter how many times I hear this album (thousands of times) its always fresh and even when I know what's coming there's a feeling of discovery. It never tires out, it always fills the soul.

[@eljefe9020]

Got that right brother

[@cobbycaputo3332]

The sax work here is by Wayne Shorter, one of the best in Jazz. He was with Art Blakey, Miles Davis, and then co-founded Weather Report. His "duet" with Steve Gadd's drums in the middle section of this song is just so good.

[@williamosborne6866]

Guitars by Larry Carlton (and Denny Dias) - perhaps the best ever in jazz, sideman for more than 50 prime artists, and founder of Fourplay.

[@atombomb31458]

great info thanks!!

[@jim6214]

The duet is PERFECT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@danielolson5378]

This song is such a masterpiece superb production! Steve Gadd the drummer on this track did this at one take!! That's bad ass. These guys never left anything to be done by random they were the biggest perfectionists the biz has ever experienced.

[@charsibaba6960]

Wayne Shorter killing it on tenor sax and Steve Gadd tearing it up on drums .

[@reXdownhamOG]

Steely Dan is where perfection goes to calibrate itself.

[@realbser1956]

Not live. You should just react to the entire album. They are their own musical genre. No one like them before or since. Aja is their masterpiece, IMO.

[@roymoore3156]

Many people agree and it’s probably why it won awards for the production quality and mixing etc,.

[@BuffaloC305]

Steely Dan is a group that can be vastly rewarding to listeners by going thru their albums, and seeing their 'generational growth' of their compositions and recordings.

[@beachbunny7256]

AJA is their masterpiece!!! Whole Aja album is awesome!!

[@mikeruddell6091]

Some the most genius music I have ever heard.

[@ronrobbins2737]

You get it! Keep spreading the word man, this was Pop music at its best. 30 years, eight studio albums is the S. Dan legacy from Fagen/Becker. Don’t forget Fagen’s 4 solo albums, that makes 4 decades man!

[@alanmusicman3385]

Steely Dan truly deserved the title of "Your Favourite band's favourite band".

[@glenndespres5317]

Not live, just more studio genius. I don’t even have words for this song. It is just SOOO damn GOOOD!!!

[@stevenmurano7863]

In a career full of highlights, THIS is the very pinnacle for my money . Everything about this is PHENOMINAL !

[@zhubajie6940]

Steely Dan's Aja shows off their great craftsmanship as is one of my favs.

[@elgonwilliams7624]

The drums and the sax are my favorite part.

[@arnoldsherrill6305]

In my honest opinion based on what I've listened to over the years, their entire catalog should be in the Library of Congress if it isn't already., and if they ever put together a playlist of music for the first Mission to Mars this band should definitely be on it when you want to Define musical genius in terms of lyrics , vocal performance, engineering the band that comes to mind........ Steely Dan never imitated because even nobody came close

[@buddystewart2020]

Aja is probably my favorite Steely Dan track. Wayne Shorter from Weather Report killing it on the sax solos. Steve Gadd taking the kit apart, with that famous stick click.

[@cobbycaputo3332]

So was that click a mistake, or intended? I've seen folks argue it both ways. I think it was intended because it perfectly replaces the last drum strike in that section.

[@melcardonell759]

Great song, my favorite song is Deacon blue 💙🔵

[@gaskeg]

That stick click is like Gadd did a mic drop on the rest of us drum fools! Immaculate

[@buddystewart2020]

@@melcardonell759 ... I wouldn't argue with you, I love Deacon Blues as well.

[@buddystewart2020]

@@cobbycaputo3332 ... I think he knew precisely what he was doing.

[@richkrents7910]

That's Steve Gadd on the Drums . It is considered one of the greatest drum solo's in pop music history.

[@ammaleslie509]

One of? None better.

[@ericanderson8886]

This duo were responsible for so many great tunes. Keep exploring them. Thanks for the reaction.

[@keymack2477]

When people talk about the greatest bands Steely Dan is rarely mentioned, at least not near the top, yet despite being underrated they made so many great songs and so much beautiful, easy-listening music. Many more great Steely Dan tracks ahead for you, Harri!

[@stevengifford7457]

Because they are not a band. It's two song writers and whatever musicians they needed for that particular song.

[@edwardodson2867]

Except by Walter White.

[@dwgale01]

They're often called your favorite band's favorite band.

[@beachbunny7256]

Musicians ' music...

[@brodocbetty4856]

Possibly the most perfect track ever recorded.

[@stretmediq]

They make the most of every instrument and bring out the absolute best in the musicians who play them. I mean they even made a freaking whistle sound good

[@johnomahoney7755]

I love that you appreciate stele Dan !

[@ubilo]

"AJA" is a great intro to the rest of this terrific album.

[@davidbeckett1098]

I’ve known steely Dan since I was a kid but for the last 3/4 years I’ve been listening more & more to them , and they are my favourite band of all

[@babylonsister118]

I promise you won't find a bad one in their entire catalogue, I have heard them referred to as "your favorite musician's favorite musicians". Also, I have heard them called the musical rubiks cube.

[@g.hon.4645]

Omg, "You're favorite musician's musicians..."! My "favorite musician" would NEVER have played SD on his sound system @ home! I'm pretty sure he never owned any of there stuff. All I ever got from him was Maynard Ferguson, Chick Corea & Chuck Mangione, w/a lot of fusion stuff thrown in. And even w/the stuff he DID play, he was such a music snob! 😂😂😂

[@kylebakke594]

Next recommended Steely Dan song: “FM (No Static at All)”

[@g.hon.4645]

It's a shame it was from a sound track album. I think that's why a lot of people forgot abt it. Pity,too, bcs that sound track had a GREAT collection of what was popular at the time! There was a time when 'MMR here in Philly used to play blocks of it!

[@joelliebler5690]

My favorite Steely Dan song!👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻❤️❤️☮️🎼🎤

[@cortezslack107]

I graduated high school in 1977 when Aja came out. I can't tell how many times I played this entire album. Classic. Becker, Fagan, Shorter, Gadd...... musicianship @ it's finest.....🎷🎤🥁🎸🪘🎹

[@rytageo]

Shorter on the sax - amazing! Gadd on the drums - the solo is considered one of the best EVER!

[@kevinlakeman5043]

This is pure studio. Shows how far they had come in mastering the potential of sound with master musicians and the studio.

[@melcardonell759]

Actually saw one of their last shows in Orlando fl. Great show, great live band. They were amazingly good. Silky smooth

[@jenl3162]

Heaven, indeed. It’s the perfect song.

[@roymoore3156]

This is GREAT music, and the two guys that orchestrated it. Donald Fagan is an absolute genius. Dan forever!

[@ncat4369]

THIS IS MUSICIANSHIP AT ITS FINEST!!

[@stevemariman8769]

Lotsa great musicians joining SD on this one. Wayne Shorter from Weather Report playin 'sax in the middle of Aja, Joe Sample from the Jazz Crusaders playin' the Rhodes electric piano throughout, and Steve Gadd from the Brecker Brothers playin' the drums!

[@SuperLawz]

This album is one on repeat, it's genius!

[@chellj8175]

Beautiful beautiful song!! ❤❤❤SD !! So much to listen to in this song !! Love it. It takes you away !! 😂Harry looks just like I do jamming to this song !! Can’t sit still !!

[@drmorqWarrenProject]

Steve Gadd is the drummer on this cut. Walter and Donald used any number of studio cats to cut their songs..

[@TheDivayenta]

The drum outro that changed the world!

[@williammoore2693]

Jazz station WRVR in NYC in the 70’s would premiere full uninterrupted jazz ,fusion,classic albums on Friday nights. In 1977 I heard this album. Soooo good then and even better now 🎶❤️🎶❤️

[@TheDivayenta]

@@williammoore2693 the production is so beyond its time!

[@g.hon.4645]

@@williammoore2693 Yeah, I know. My then boyfriend was a jazz musician & had that station on non-stop when I'd be there for the wknd. It's interesting that you mentioned '77 bcs it was this album @ abt that time that started changing my snooty music major friends' minds abt the band. Gosh! Suddenly, it was like I knew what I was talking abt, lol!

[@dougnelsin1480]

There is so much joy in this song. Thank you for sharing this masterpiece.

[@timtravasos2742]

Incredibly complex and soothing. Awesome drums at the end, yes.

[@leslieheine2618]

Steve Gadd!!!!! The drum solo's here sparked the beginning and careers of a thousand young drummers! Doing those solo's in one take and having it on the final cut, is almost unimaginable with Fagan and Becker. Goes to show just how good that man can play.

[@Frankincensedjb123]

Very open and airy, space to groove and grow and then they rock and jazz ya. The Dan, the extraordinary men of the eternally masterful groove.

[@ThePittsburghToddy]

They don’t have any “filler” on their albums. Top notch throughout their entire catalogue. Please do ‘Gaucho’!

[@doplinger1]

My favorite track from my favorite album.

[@robertnshine]

Loving watching you realise just how fantastic the music of Steely Dan is. And there’s so much more awesome stuff! Here’s a few to be getting on with: Pretzel Logic, Night By Night, Green Earings, The Caves of Altamira, Babylon Sisters, Time Out Of Mind, Glamour Profession, Your Gold Teeth II, Black Cow, Home At Last & Peg. All are absolute bangers!! Welcome down the rabbit hole!!!

[@paulweber686]

Hey, I second that! Those are some of my favorites...

[@randyhochstein8455]

You should do “King Of The World” next.

[@dejns6945]

I thought I was the only person who wore their headphones under their chin. Loving how you love this song so much.

[@HarriBestReactions]

Someone just advised me to stop doing it..i wont 😀

[@toddhooks9813]

Love that you said "King of the World". That's the title of another of their great ones so check it out. LOVE seeing others like you enjoy this as much as I do.

[@billpemberton7207]

My favorite band

[@freegracetruthembrace7188]

Astute observation . I've agreed with that sentiment from their inception . Thanks for caring about excellence in beauty .

[@billbox1916]

HI Harry, great song, loved your reaction. The drummer on this track "Aja" was Steve Gadd he flew in from New York to record just that one track and he nailed it on the first take. It sounds like they rehearsed it for months with him. Amazing!

[@g.hon.4645]

I like to.think that something like that can only be the Hand of God. Meant to be bcs God wanted it that way.

[@RedSinter]

In reality, it would not matter they are just as good if not better live!!!

[@cityhonors1]

😍 The lights on stage during the ending 🥁 Drum solo outro is both 🤩 amazing & 😳 blinding.... Like a Floyd show. 🍿🐰

[@walterhaynes5393]

AJA is the first digital mastered record .

[@HarriBestReactions]

No wonder..the sound was so clean..

[@mikeziegler7008]

FM, Don't Take Me Alive, The Royal Scam, Rikki Don't Lose That Number... all of the Aja album... well, all of every album. Every song is so well thought out and perfected. They did a documentary on the making of Aja. It can be easily found on KZbin.

[@bobryan8793]

Best track of all time ...Aja was a woman....

[@cindipossidento5688]

BEST STEELY DAN ALBUM !!!!! THE BEST 😘

[@davehagi9883]

After telling the story, the out´ro put´s me in mind of the final run home, dime dancing is through, Beautiful.

[@Adair9800]

Glad you reviewed this album. I might actually still have this LP. Back in the day I enjoyed the Grateful Dead, and saw them live several times (try listening to their Europe ‘72 album). I read somewhere that Steely Dan tried touring for a year, but they did not enjoy it.

[@dwainwilder7337]

They have such a unique sound, I like it a lot! I am trying to catch up to you Harri, you started reacting before I started listening to reaction videos. I will never truly catch up, although you know I will continue trying. Thanks for sharing!

[@thomasp.3796]

The drummer is Steve Gadd. Always amazing, no matter who he is playing with. He has played with lots of different bands and musicians and every style he plays sounds as natural as if he had been playing it since birth.

[@gregj1295]

Your the first one I've heard do this song-Thanks, I love it (and that drumming!)

[@bassjumpblues3631]

Steel Dan's "Can't buy a thrill" album was the same rock, jazz Blues and soul. they are perfect!

[@debbiechang5781]

Steely Dan is well worth a dive down the rabbit hole. Absolutely masterful musicians and perfect production every time. Enjoy this journey (As long as you don’t let it distract you from your Beatles journey, lol). 😇

[@HarriBestReactions]

😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣

[@docbearmb]

I've heard it reported that they had a $2million budget for the AJA album. With that kind of investment by the record company, they could work on perfection. They succeeded. There's a 1 hour video on the making of the album. It's must-viewing/listening.

[@Tica..77]

Thx U4 this ...L❤️VE it! Wow Harri, you’re taking me back on this one✨ it’s been a Fav & staple sound in my home for yrs now. 🤍🇺🇸 .

[@bmaniac1]

Really enjoy your reactions!

[@nicholaspowell7949]

What a drummer Steve Gadd is absolutely perfect for this track

[@RMLtiger]

Their music is “smokin a doobie on the back patio” good. Chill the F out! 😂

[@william7108]

It can't get any better than a Ma Rouge curtain behind you when you're doing your thing

[@DCronk-qc6sn]

From the 1st album on .... a category by itself. I remember when this record came out - all was changed.

[@stephenord3403]

I do x factor. Only joking, there two dudes were the most technically brilliant musicians I've ever known. Still listening 40 years on

[@karenkneisley288]

Me too but 50 years on!

[@jacksonmorganfroghin4815]

There is a tribute band to Steely Dan called Glamour Profession. That's all you need to know about that song on the Gaucho album. Maybe it's their best song. But it's all subjective. Keep up the good work. You're the best Harry, the best!!

[@yohannbiimu]

Ahhhhh...now you're getting into some eclectic stuff...Steely Dan...Great stuff! "Hey, Nineteen" is my favorite.

[@yohannbiimu]

"Deacon Blues" is my second-favorite...

[@barneymiller6204]

You are having a great time man!

[@ralphvillanueva8724]

A great song on an extremely fine album. There is not one bad song on the album. Check out Deacon Blues, or any of the others.

[@g.hon.4645]

My absolute favorite. "Deacon's" is my.theme song.

[@TheDivayenta]

You’ve got great taste, Harri!

[@billyryland]

The only consistently competitive outfit to the Beatles, these two guys produced some of the greatest music since the Fab Four. In my irreproachable opinion..😃😁😆 seriously.

[@Isleofskye]

Well Done Harri Steely Dan was a class Act. So many great songs like "Rikki Don't Lose That Number"/ " Do It Again"/ " Reelin' In The Years" and " Haitian Divorce" and everyone will give you a different list. :)

[@andrewtrotter9023]

Steely Dan is your favorite band’s favorite band.

[@patrickdaniels8942]

great reaction!

[@bmiamiwai]

Unique band

[@joejoesguitarinventions]

biggest fans.of SD ...are musicians 🔥🔥

[@bowtangey6830]

Genius. Sui generis. 🙏 🎶🎵🎶

[@walterpanovs]

Fagen and Becker used the best session musicians in the business to help make their albums and create their fabulous sound.

[@starjunkie2804]

Steely Dan was the class of the Seventies.

[@mariaportengen2959]

Donald Fagen, the lead singer of Steely dan has great music. Enjoy it!

[@briangray00]

So You're feeling like the King Of The World ?! ... SD have a song about that. Suggest you give it a reaction spin. It's early/rockier than this but it swings and I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Good call on one of the *the* greatest pieces of drumming you'll ever listen to, but it's all brilliant.

[@kestrelle5345]

"Please, Sir, may I have some more?"

[@HarriBestReactions]

Hahahahha Linda Twist

[@kestrelle5345]

@@HarriBestReactions BING!

[@thomassicard3733]

It's the perfect studio recording of Aja by Steely Dan - 1977 - award winning: Grammy Award for Best Engineered Recording - Non-Classical and received Grammy nominations for Album of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. It has since appeared frequently on professional rankings of the greatest albums, with critics and audiophiles applauding the album's high production standards. In 2010, the Library of Congress selected the album for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or artistically significant." - Wikipedia. Yes. Totally. But please, do not ignore ANYTHING else from these artists. Donald Fagen, Walter Becker... and anyone else EVER associated with them.

[@gpwx]

Like playing all your best cards on the music table ...

[@cityhonors1]

🙄🤔🤭😊 I've been listening to this song & seeing SD play live for decades and 🤷🏿‍♀️ I don't know what this song is about either. 🤣😂🤣🐰

[@slackmeister77]

Steve Gadd on drums.... the best

[@jtenaz]

Beatles, Steely Dan and XTC, the three best bands in the world

[@personalcheeses8073]

I like XTC but really? 😂

[@completecharleston7142]

@@personalcheeses8073 It's all in one's tastes. Yes, I really like / love some of XTC songs, but top 3 is a high bar for most bands. Myself, would put Pink Floyd in that group.

[@JC1953RD]

Harri...you need to do Babylon Sisters..next...you'll melt...promise

[@cityhonors1]

🤞🏿 Hoping NYC is open for Oct Steely Dan Residency shows at the Beacon Theater. 😁 A different Album every other night. 😏 I try to do AJA night twice if I can afford it. They have 3 & 5 night pkg deals, but I try to work the shows so 😒 so I don't have to pay and 😍 see every Album + Greatest Hits nights performed. 🍿🐰