Ranking The Songs: Steely Dan - Aja Intelligent Donkey Episode 075

[@intelligentdonkey]

Though I made a brief shoutout to Rick Beato's and Adam Reader's channels, I failed to put links to them in the description, so I'm including it here in the comments. They were the primary inspiration for this video, and they deserve a look as well. Rick Beato - @RickBeato Adam Reader - @ProfessorofRock

[@raycewilliams3300]

This album is an absolute classic. I could not rate them in any order. I remember buying this album. I had just graduated college and had purchased my first good stereo system. I sat in my living room in total disbelief. How on earth could these two fellas put together something that is as close to musically "perfect" as you could get. That was about 46 years ago and all the tracks sound as good today as they did in 1978. Amazing piece of work. Take care...

[@tonyallen4265]

Yep. My favorite band and song. Keep em coming. Awesome!

[@briangray00]

I agree wholeheartedly with the choices of #2 & #1. The title track in particular is magical and beyond any comparison.

[@ajhil5653]

Black Cow is my #1. Its so smooth and funky, just puts me in a great mood. My old lady is NOT a Steely Dan fan, but she does like this song.

[@wpollock1]

You are spot on in this.....I might switch Peg with Josie, but you got the main pieces so right (IMHO). There is a Wayne State University guitarist (from Detroit) that has a great band which does a Steely Dan night - very difficult for them to play all the music, but they do it justice. I started college in 1978 so we are the same age. Love (of course) Steve Gadd on drums, but it is the piano that really holds everything together. i love when he reaches into the piano with his hand and strums those strings.....the only other pianist to do that in rock is Keith Emerson. Sounds so cool!

[@steelyd2]

I hate to be that guy but I’m only a few minutes in and I’m pretty sure Victor Feldman plays piano on I Got the News

[@intelligentdonkey]

You're right; I stand corrected. Thank you.

[@steelyd2]

Sure thing. Like I said, I hate being that guy who’s like “hey you got it wrong!” but I’d like to give Victor his credit for that amazing piano part, and if I made a mistake I’d like someone to set it straight. I’m sure Donald wrote it of course but Donald didn’t play much keyboards on Aja strangely enough. It’s the album where he plays the least by far. On Gaucho he would return to doing a lot of the keyboard work and then of course on Nightfly he plays a lot as well as the two “comeback” albums Two Against Nature and Everything Must Go but on Aja he was really into the idea of having the pro session guys like Feldman, Michael Omartian, Paul Griffin, etc play the keyboard parts.