Classic Albums - Steely Dan | The Making Of Aja (REACTION)

[@gregbartley2475]

THIS is why Aja is a masterpiece.

[@thielmangary]

Spent a really cool weekend with Walter back in 89' during an AES show in NYC. He was endorsing the Meyer HD1's at the time and I loaned a large mixing console to John for their booth. The SF earthquake hit the day before the show started and all the SF folks were freaking out trying to get home etc. Walter and I were stuck with each other in a booth for the weekend. Fun and very inciteful, and a really nice guy. RIP

[@jimdukeproject]

I envy you.

[@CoboProdz]

‘89*

[@joeabraham878]

Thus documentary might be my favorite hour of TV ever. Interesting, hilarious, informative and more.

[@AU88]

I think VH1 was the original distributor or producer of the “Classic Albums” series. This is my favorite, followed by “Night At The Opera.”

[@paullacroix527]

Great stuff guys. I love this. Knowing how much you like Steely Dan talk, check out Rick Beato's channel where he interviews Michael McDonald (great interview) and Donald's piano master buddy, Michael Omartian. Both talks are full of SD content, especially Omartian interview. I mention this because I know you'll love it. Enjoy your channel. Oh BTW, Deacon Blues is their best song IMO, later..

[@alansmith7626]

YES! I was going to suggest the same, Beato is so good, and I do believe Mr McDonald is a stoner! LOL Love it!

[@PhillyGuy1966]

Total masters of their craft! None better!

[@jwoodard29]

At 6:27 Donald says "Henry Mancini would be proud" during a section that sounds like a riff from the "Pink Panther" movies for which Mancini wrote the scores.

[@AjaxCaper]

"Detective" bass.

[@wendyt7958]

Love this Rock Doc...Yes they are music nerds in a good way and I can say from personal experience that harmonizing with yourself with the parts being so close was one of most difficult things I've ever done, but eye opening! Love Steely

[@kbrewski1]

I absolutely love the fact that you two are reacting to this great AJA documentary in this Classic Albums series. This is such a great detailed dive into not only Steely Dan history but the HOW and WHY they created this masterpiece. And the interviews with not only Donald and Walter, but the session musicians in particular, are absolutely priceless. You guys doing this deep dive is so perfect, because you will know and appreciate the intricacies of this complex jazz fusion. Thanks guys, great idea! Your appreciation and love for Dan music will become even greater after hearing this whole thing. True masters of their art.

[@TheCornishCockney]

The whole “Classic Albums” series is musical gold with legendary albums recording behind the scenes stuff, and the whole process which I love. Well worth checking this brilliant programme out fellas if you’re a music nerd like me,there were loads of them made.

[@AjaxCaper]

I've watched this maybe 4 times, but it's more fun to have you guys to watch it with.

[@AjaxCaper]

I just saw this. I think you'll like this drum short from Police drummer Stewart Copeland. Tribute to an early black drummer. kzbin.infobfvlz1M-xzY?si=txiSP486rVmWgnBT

[@ragjamrock]

Bob Marley's Catch A Fire was also done by Classic Albums. It's also worth checking out. Chuck Rainey and Bernard Purdie were my favorite rhythm section players.🎶👍🏽

[@jwoodard29]

Glad you guys are branching out into movies; your talent is too great to be confined to one medium. The movie called "Backbeat," is a fictional account about how the Beatles came together. I highly recommend it -- the ending is a killer.

[@michaelyork4554]

Your favorite Sound Engineers' Sound Engineers. Sound Perfection comes from Perfectionists.

[@destinyreelly2974]

If Walter and Donald went into medicine, they probably could’ve cured cancer. Their brains don’t work like most. It’s amazing they found each other. ❤❤❤

[@Pablo_sanz359]

This is awesome. This is the only channel that does reactions to stuff like this.

[@metaphoria3]

The harmonies are so perfect it almost doesn’t sound real

[@TheDivayenta]

The hypnotic seduction of dissonant chords! 😊

[@metaphoria3]

@@TheDivayenta yea speaking of that I reeeeeally got into Brian Wilson’s Surfs Up album lately Til I die is insane harmonically

[@dunwityal]

Might I suggest the Martin Scorsese directed documentary about The Band's farewell concert ""The Last Waltz". It includes live performances from Clapton, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Muddy Waters, Van Morrison, Ringo Starr, Dr. John, The Staples. and more. It's a deep dive into the rock scene of the 70's. Another good documentary I think you would enjoy is "It Might Get Loud"' Jimmy Page, Edge, and Jack White. You're awesome!

[@blanewilliams5960]

Fantastic guys, Classic Albums was a great program that showcased the making/recording of some of the all time greats. I recommend you do some more of these, thank you!

[@guinkoo]

Me and my best friend went to 7 of their shows. I was loving them and my husband told me they were a studio band and didn’t tour. AS SOON AS I HEARD THEY WERE TOURING, we got tickets! We saw them until Walter Beckers last show.

[@mr.snicker-doodles7081]

I thinks it's safe to say that Becker & Fagen are/were geniuses. When I was in Marching band in High School in 1980, we played PEG! Haa..it was super fun to play I might add.

[@airplay_movies]

I know that was fun in marching band.

[@mr.snicker-doodles7081]

@@airplay_movies Boy it sure was..

[@stumblinharris2219]

Great to see the late Ian Dury again. I'd forgotten he was in this. You should check out some of his stuff with his band The Blockheads, probably the funkiest band to emerge from the UK pub rock / new wave scene. I think you'd both enjoy the episodes from the classic albums series that focus on The Band, Stevie Wonder, Peter Gabriel and Grateful Dead, too

[@karenj3611]

Talk about musical genius! These guys are it

[@lmkeniston216]

You guys need to hear Gaucho next! It takes off where Aja left off and has my favorite Dan song ever: Time Out of Mind \m/

[@jenniferfoster1692]

If you're interested, there's a great documentary called Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World. It's really amazing & involves a lot more well known people than I'd realized. It shows how much Native Americans have influenced & contributed to rock music, even going back to the Blues era. Lots of great musicians from famous bands & playing on famous songs. Rumble refers to the song by Link Wray, a Native American rock guitarist in the 50s. Rumble was the only instrumental song to ever be banned because it was seen to support juvenile delinquency, lol. All the British Invastion guys were inspired by Link Wray & Jimmy Page just played Rumble at Wray's induction into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame in 2023.

[@Noelle0026]

Loved that doc!

[@jenniferfoster1692]

@@Noelle0026 It's so good! So much that I didn't know. Native American musicians deserve the recognition for their important contributions to rock.☺

[@andymccracken4046]

This was great, looking forward to the next part!

[@mojorider8455]

Loved that documentary; really shows their craft and mastery, how great they were at putting songs together. Even if they were obsessive, whatever---it worked!

[@jimdukeproject]

It inspired me for my own tunes (one just released matter of fact)

[@JB-Deadskins]

You guys should check out Stop Making Sense, Jonathan Demme's Talking Heads movie. Probably the best "concert" movie of all time. And of course, I want you to do the Grateful Dead Movie too. 😂

[@kamaliancirranoush1916]

YES and YES!

[@JamesDimond-l7u]

Talking Heads are painful

[@JB-Deadskins]

@@JamesDimond-l7u Painful? Only if great music causes you pain. They are a top 10 band.

[@jimmoore8951]

Talking Heads concert movie is dope

[@josephgallagher945]

Imo, Aja is up there with Dark Side of the Moon as 1 of the best albums ever written & recorded. Aja got me into jazz.

[@aspenward390]

So great to see. I was disappointed when it ended. Looking forward to the next episode.

[@willdenham]

I wanted to be this band so bad. When I started playing it was all about jazz, funk, R&B, tinge of rock. Had a flute player on the group.

[@metaphoria3]

19:05 ‘speaks for itself rly’ 😂 love when they take shots at the studio musicians

[@timmiller5913]

I read several years ago that at least one of those other examples was played by Walter.

[@metaphoria3]

@@timmiller5913 haha I wouldn’t doubt it even tho Walters a brilliant musician obv

[@wwk68tig]

I loved this........can't think of two better guys to watch it with. Thanks for posting.

[@joeyboogenz]

This is just mind numbing !!!!!!!!! I hate YT , but at same time , I love it !!!!!!

[@buddystewart2020]

See, I told ya you needed to watch the whole thing. It's worth it huh? It's a great documentary.

[@zanohoriamazo1]

Live footage of them doing Josie, Tom Barney on bass (Miseducation of Lauren Hill), & former Parliament Funkadelic drummer Dennis Chambers.

[@johnbrowne2170]

Fascinating stuff.

[@captjeter2]

I love watching stuff like this all the behind scenes stuff

[@metaphoria3]

Some of my fav video /audio ever! 🍻

[@AU88]

How many guitarists tried the “Peg” solo? 😊 Love seeing y’all’s faces light up!

[@michaelmorgenbesser7026]

What most who weren't aware of the music scene at the time don't realize, and I haven't heard anyone else point out was that, at the time, jazz musicians had to go to Europe to make any decent money. So, when they got the opportunity to play on a rock-like album with a popular group, they jumped at the chance to make money and get their music out to a much wider audience. A brilliant idea at exactly the right time. Steve Gadd became famous from his drum track on Aja. All the musicians were absolutely brilliant. In my not so humble opinion, one of the greatest albums of all time, also recorded sensitively and brilliantly. Maybe the actual best of all time. Amazing. Thanks guys.

[@Jan-xn3kz]

The great Ian Dury fan-boying the Dan is all I need. Check out Ian at some point “Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll”.

[@MacSvensson]

for art class, I once wrote a paper on a Dutch painter subtitled: "master craftsman or artist?" Mr. Becker and Mr. Fagen are both. A very rare combination.

[@Noelle0026]

The documentary about the Wrecking Crew and the Muscle Shoals documentary are excellent also.

[@hoovgroov1571]

When they did tour the live performances were amazing!

[@petertrotman7708]

I bought this on dvd when it came out, it's a superb breakdown of this classic album. There's a great live Steely album called "Alive In America" that you haven't reviewed yet. They were fantastic live. Cheers from the UK.

[@jimdukeproject]

I can watch this Steely Dan documentary forever. And have seen it several times. I modeled a few songs from their influence (one just released matter of fact) and learned their technique of choosing parts. They had their start about 50 minutes from me in Upstate NY. Chuck Rainey is the best. They used him a lot.

[@TheDivayenta]

Love watching y’all react to this! ❤

[@mikebozik]

Looking forward to part 2! This is probably one of their best documentaries. I can tell you guys were blown away!😊

[@erolbulut2584]

I love your inquisitive minds! Such a breath of fresh air

[@darinmetzger9346]

Funny how the Beatles were originally a live band. Toured and played live extensively. Then after 66’ and Bestlemania they stopped touring and became, like Steely Dan, studio nerds, exclusively. Love this doc🙏🙏🙏

[@johnfrank3177]

Hey Fellas. I knew you would enjoy the Classic Albums videos as much as I do! The Aja one and the Electric Ladyland one are my favorites. Great seeing these musicians talking about playing on the tracks and watching Donald and Walter sit at the board and pull up individual tracks. Thanks for reacting to this. Peace.

[@doplinger1]

Good show - I would also like to recommend the one on Meat Loafs “Bat Out Of Hell”.

[@Zhipfan]

Very cool seeing how much you both appreciate the band! Great making of video, didn’t know it existed!

[@AW11-e4h]

I like this format 🤘🤘

[@donkunes8630]

the drummer , Steve Gadd , for the piece Aja is a former neighbor in Rochester NY. They wanted a drummer more jazz oriented and Steve was one of the best. there were other Fusion, Prog bands from the 70s who's production was complex . Earlie Genesis , ELP , Yes etc . Even groups like Uriah Heep with their piece Salisbury ventured into Prog. But they all had to pay bills so would release a more 'pop', radio friendly song . Phil Collins said Genesis was the money cow ( their work in the 80s ) but he really loved playing with jazz fusion band Brand X.

[@Jack-D-Ripper]

Lads! This bloody marvellous! Thank you. I cannot wait for the rest.

[@JJReagan]

Glad you guys did the making of Aja all the way great job guys!!

[@terrylucas8424]

Terrific guys!

[@SD-it9ne]

Can't wait for the rest of it!

[@genecase9464]

Glad you finally got to the rest of this documentary. It really shows the inner-workings of how those two put things together. Fleetwood Macs Rumours is another wonderful example as is the Elton John episode. Speaking of documentary's, I saw one on Tower Records a few yeas ago on some cable channel. It was very interesting how a bunch of roc and roll heads tried to run a company! I miss record stores. Among SO many other things. Ah, progress. Whatever.

[@hklinker]

I bought this show on VHS in Osaka at the merch stand when I saw SD play there in May of 2000. It never gets old. The other one to watch is Donald Fagen’s Concepts for Jazz/Rock Piano. That one is him at a piano explaining the choices they made in chords and chord voicings, etc. Pretty much indispensable if you want to appreciate what they were going for.

[@metaphoria3]

15:20 so glad he chose to slap it

[@juzbo44]

Fantastic, guys!

[@danielmccann8325]

Really enjoy this one, can't wait to see part 2 with Black cow.

[@edwardmeradith2419]

Excellent stuff

[@judynorman9497]

Aja is my favorite SD album. A couple of documentaries you should check out is The Wrecking Crew, about session musicians in LA . Twenty Feet from Stardom is about the back up singers for major artists. Rumble is awesome too!

[@MrThumbs63]

Great reaction, guys.

[@JohnBelcher-v7z]

Great reaction, guys!

[@stevemd6488]

Wonderful guys. "Speaks for itself really 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@uncletom618]

Thanks guys! Of all the shit in my feed, all my subscribed channels, you fellas have most consistently had the content I just can’t wait to watch and am bummed when it’s over. Really, truly, my fave channel. Thanks! I got a box of incredible cds ive beed collecting for about a year, including all the great Elton albums from the ‘70s. Please hip me to your mailing address so i can get these off to you.

[@airplay_movies]

Thanks for rocking with us!!! Look in the description of any of our videos and our address is listed in there

[@tylerwfy6]

This is awesome guys, just wanted to tell you there’s an episode of this series about Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon

[@airplay_movies]

We definitely have to do that one!

[@tjmasson1013]

Man this was cool to see. Tx fellas!

[@joeykopack]

I love these classic album documentaries, they do one for Black Sabbath - Paranoid, that one is really good also, I’m not sure how many views you’ll get but I’m all up for watching these classic albums

[@airplay_movies]

We will try as many as possible.

[@Jan-xn3kz]

The Zappa one is good.

[@FUBAR1986]

☮️❤️🙏🌎🌏🌍🇺🇸❤️☮️

[@stevenesfield]

Need the 2 nd part guys gagging for it 😂

[@wpollock1]

See that they are talking about two different session player groups - one in LA and one in NYC....Wow.

[@annbeguity5932]

Raise your hand if you think 1) Rainey is a GOAT who 2) has a habit of sometimes embellishing stories and 3) whose visual swivel no way in hell ‘tricked’ pop music’s greatest ears into not hearing (rather than eventually accepting and liking) his slapping on the chorus 🖐🏼

[@thomascerulli8013]

Aja was such a highly anticipated album. Regarding the Title song Aja. As always they brought in different muscians, to fill certain roles. They tracked it the day before with Jim Keltner. Jim’s one of the top studio drummers on the scene at the time. The following day they brought in Steve Gadd. The # 1 studio drummer. They cut the track on the album in 2 takes. With Steve just reading it as he played. They played the whole damn thing Live. Got the sound they wanted. And the rest is history. FYI, if you guys ever go back to Paul Simon. 50 ways to leave your lover. Again Keltner played, Paul wasn’t satisfied. He brought in Steve Gadd. Steve’s the man, and someone that needs to be on both of your radars. As always great job guys. Peace ❤

[@metaphoria3]

Theyr so real

[@dionysus1016]

Art meets Craft Hard Work beats Talent when Talent doesn't want to Work Hard. Steely Dan epitomises Talent Working Hard.

[@SteveSmith-uo5ug]

Really cool video guys!

[@metaphoria3]

Happy easter bros 🤘🙌

[@neillenet291]

You guys should definitely check out the making of DARK SIDE OF THE MOON. Same series.

[@Darth_Jafar]

If nobody has requested it, This Is Spinal Tap would be a fun reaction for this channel. A Mockumentary following a fictional band on the decline as they enter the 80's. Most of it was improvised and it's utterly genius.

[@jdbroders64]

Saw them live many times back in the day. They were always amazing and interestingly sounded better than the albums. Pure talent and virtuosity.

[@jdbroders64]

And before I get hate about their 19 year hiatus on not touring it was after that.

[@Sal-pm8lg]

Ine if the best bands of all time. RIP Walter Becker

[@lindalee5866]

"Henry Mancini would have been proud"... ;) Love that line.

[@HyzersGR]

At the very end of the documentary, after the credits are done rolling, there is a clip of Walter Becker saying, "You know what I like? When someone comes up to me and says 'Hey, you're that guy in Steely Dan' and I say 'yep that's me,' and they say 'No you're not, that's not you.' "That's what I like."

[@jasonralph4286]

My close non musician friends and I have always said "It's the Same Thing Only Different".

[@billc.5861]

About reading music , A few years back I wanted to improve my drumming so I sought out Jeff Campitelli , literally one of the first things he ask me was do I read music? I said no …. His response was you going to learn if I work with you 😂. Ok …. One of the best things I’ve been forced to do, I’m not a instant walking in old sight reader but I can figure it out when it’s handed to me to And Campitelli is the real deal for any drummer who wants to know.

[@annbeguity5932]

ALERT ‼ Wait for the tag at the very *end of the credits* in Part II, for a bit of Classic Becker 😎

[@lageronimo8012]

Steely Dan! Want to hear the greatest guitar solo ever? Find George Watanabe play with SD live on the song "Third World Man" Its late in the song and lengthy. Blows the fabulous Larry Carlton version away. And that is saying a lot.

[@chitownlee]

They have one of these about Dark Side Of The Moon.

[@airplay_movies]

Gotta do that one next

[@chitownlee]

@@airplay_movies actually they're a bunch of them. I'm sure you'd like Who's Next too.

[@vincentschmitt7597]

If you ever explore Henry Mancini that they mentioned start with some obscure gems like the theme to The Molly McGuires...a soaring gorgeous melody. Later you can hit his more famous stuff like Pink Panther.

[@joeschmo8862]

Fellas. It's time to listen to "The Second Arrangement."

[@kenlawless7247]

Before MTV discovered they'd get more viewers with teen moms throwing drinks in each other's faces they had a show called "Classic Albums". It was very much like this. The producer would sit at a console with various artists from the album and show how their contribution contributed to the final product. And you didn't even need a paternity test - they'd admit to their part.

[@hklinker]

Isn’t that what this is, one of the Classic Albums episodes?

[@kenlawless7247]

@@hklinker Yea it might be. I specifically remember the one from Bowie's "Let's Dance" album and it was a lot like this.

[@hklinker]

And there are others, including Dark Side of the Moon (which other people here have mentioned) and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - I’ve got both of those and recommend them.

[@rengarza]

Seems so strange that two nerdy English majors/ musical geniuses could produce so much groove and funk. My all time favorite musical artists. Thanks to my older brother Mario for introducing them to me in 1974 when I was mere 12 years old.

[@SteelyFan]

Yall gotta listen to Cousin Dupree 😆 as well as West of Hollywood

[@JoeCruz-hs2yt]

these guys were just hippies trying to create something different than everybody in those days and they created magic !

[@troubleondemand7703]

I have this DVD with Roger Nichols' autograph on it. Probably the nerdiest thing I own. 😂