Steely Dan – Aja (45 RPM 200 Gram Clarity Vinyl)

Seven songs and an entire musical world

Aja needs only seven songs to open up an unusually extensive musical world. On Steely Dan’s sixth studio album, Donald Fagen and Walter Becker connect finely developed writing with a cast that changes from track to track. Jazz harmonies, precise rhythmic figures, distinctive solos and ambiguous narratives are not treated as separate ingredients. They work together, giving the 1977 release its particular identity. The surface can seem immediately approachable while new relationships continue to emerge between the musical voices beneath it.

By this stage, Steely Dan was primarily a studio project. Fagen and Becker wrote every selection, Gary Katz produced, and players were chosen to suit the individual arrangements. This method is interesting for more than the amount of work or perfectionism it represents. It allowed each song to acquire its own internal movement. A different drummer, pianist or featured soloist changes more than instrumental colour: that choice also affects the way the whole piece unfolds. Yet the common identity remains unmistakable throughout the changing combinations.

Fagen’s voice provides an important thread through those shifting line-ups. Becker contributes guitar and also plays bass on Deacon Blues. As writers and musical architects, both remain at the centre without having to perform every instrumental role themselves. That combination of a clear conception with space for individual contributions helps make Aja so rewarding to revisit. A listener can follow one instrument closely while observing the care with which it relates to the others, finding a different route through songs that already seem familiar.

Changing rhythm sections and shared precision

The sessions involved several studios in Los Angeles and New York, including Village Recorders, Producer’s Workshop, Warner Bros. in North Hollywood, ABC Recording Studios, Sound Labs and A&R. The engineering credits name Roger Nichols, Elliot Scheiner, Bill Schnee and Al Schmitt, with Nichols also designated executive engineer. Bernie Grundman mastered the original release at A&M. Together, these names describe a substantial collaborative undertaking, although the result is organised as an album rather than a loose sequence of prestigious guest appearances.

The drumming assignments make the working method particularly clear. Paul Humphrey plays Black Cow, Steve Gadd the title track, and Bernard Purdie Deacon Blues and Home At Last. Rick Marotta appears on Peg, Ed Greene on I Got The News and Jim Keltner on Josie. Chuck Rainey supplies the bass on six of the seven selections, the exception being Deacon Blues, which features Becker. These changes are worth considering as more than a list of distinguished names. They represent different rhythmic possibilities within a carefully directed body of music.

The keyboard parts are distributed with similar care. Victor Feldman contributes substantially through Rhodes, piano and several percussion instruments. Joe Sample plays Clavinet on Black Cow and Rhodes on Aja, while Michael Omartian adds piano to the title piece. Paul Griffin’s Rhodes and Don Grolnick’s Clavinet meet on Peg. Guitar duties involve Larry Carlton, Dean Parks, Denny Dias, Lee Ritenour, Steve Khan and Jay Graydon, among others. The identity of the player and the nature of the part are therefore essential to each song’s history, and the accompanying credits preserve those distinctions.

Solos, voices and the character of each song

Black Cow establishes the opening with a clearly defined rhythmic shape and Tom Scott’s tenor saxophone. The extended title track then opens a larger space. Wayne Shorter’s tenor solo and Steve Gadd’s drumming are among its most distinctive individual contributions. Their names alone, however, do not explain the music. The relationship between composed passages and featured moments is just as important. The piece allows movement and surprise without losing sight of its structure, creating room for strong personalities within a form that remains coherent.

Deacon Blues turns towards another kind of central character. Pete Christlieb’s tenor saxophone responds to a narrative in which self-invention, longing and distance coexist. The extended form gives that mood time to develop. Peg gathers its elements into a more compact song: Jay Graydon’s guitar solo, Michael McDonald’s backing vocals and the closely interlocking instruments each offer a separate point of attraction. Tom Scott contributes Lyricon here, an electronic wind instrument whose role should not be confused with an ordinary saxophone credit.

Home At Last, I Got The News and Josie add further emphases to the closing sequence. Purdie’s rhythmic character, Feldman’s contributions and Becker’s guitar solos give the songs their individual balances. Depending on the track, additional voices include Timothy B. Schmit, Clydie King, Venetta Fields, Sherlie Matthews and Rebecca Louis. On a return visit, following those supporting parts rather than the lead vocal can be especially revealing. Much of the music’s movement has been placed behind the apparent foreground. Aja is thus both a collection of remarkable individual performances and a demonstration of how completely they can serve one shared musical conception.

The Analogue Productions UHQR edition

Edition AUHQR 0014-45 presents the complete album on two 200-gram Clarity Vinyl stereo LPs running at 45 RPM. Bernie Grundman also handled this lacquer cut, with pressing undertaken at Quality Record Pressings. Analogue Productions describes the source as an analogue tape copy running at 15 ips, specifically a non-Dolby, EQ’d quarter-inch copy. The important distinction is that an analogue copy is identified for this UHQR, rather than the original flat-mix master tape. Published descriptions of the copy’s finer technical details differ.

The UHQR is specified as a numbered edition of 30,000 copies. Its presentation includes a substantial slipcase, a Stoughton Printing tip-on gatefold, a booklet describing the UHQR process and an inspection certificate. The seven songs occupy four sides, with Deacon Blues given a side of its own. For collectors, a specifically credited cut and an individual physical presentation meet an album whose musical richness extends well beyond its packaging. Its lasting invitation is to move between the voices while hearing their connection: Fagen and Becker establish the direction, and an exceptional gathering of musicians fills it with contributions that remain distinctly their own.

You order from Michael 45 in Germany. We arrange the US import and dispatch from Hilden. Editions not currently in stock are dispatched after the goods arrive.

Also on SACD: Aja

More by Steely Dan: Can’t Buy A Thrill

Artist page: All titles by Steely Dan

Customer question: Collecting UHQR records: limited editions of great albums

Series: UHQR – all 31 editions with pressing run and mastering

Musicians

Participants and documented credit status. Track references correspond to the tracklist.

• Donald FagenLead Vocals (all (1–7)); Synthesizer (1–3, 5–7); Police Whistle (2 Aja); Synthesizer solo (7 Josie); Backing Vocals (2, 5, 7)Participation: See instrument and track assignments
• Walter BeckerGuitar (2 Aja); Guitar solo (5–7); Bass (3 Deacon Blues)Participation: See instrument and track assignments
• Chuck RaineyBass (1, 2, 4–7)Participation: See instrument and track assignments
• Paul HumphreyDrums (1 Black Cow)Participation: See instrument and track assignments
• Steve GaddDrums (2 Aja)Participation: See instrument and track assignments
• Bernard PurdieDrums (3 Deacon Blues; 5 Home At Last)Participation: See instrument and track assignments
• Rick MarottaDrums (4 Peg)Participation: See instrument and track assignments
• Ed GreeneDrums (6 I Got The News)Participation: See instrument and track assignments
• Jim KeltnerDrums; Percussion (7 Josie)Participation: See instrument and track assignments
• Victor FeldmanRhodes piano (1, 3, 7); Piano (5, 6); Percussion (2, 4, 6); Marimba (2 Aja); Vibraphone (5, 6)Participation: See instrument and track assignments
• Joe SampleClavinet (1 Black Cow); Rhodes piano (2 Aja)Participation: See instrument and track assignments
• Michael OmartianPiano (2 Aja)Participation: See instrument and track assignments
• Paul GriffinRhodes piano; Backing Vocals (4 Peg)Participation: See instrument and track assignments
• Don GrolnickClavinet (4 Peg)Participation: See instrument and track assignments
• Gary ColemanPercussion (4 Peg)Participation: See instrument and track assignments
• Larry CarltonGuitar (1–3, 5); Guitar solo (6 I Got The News)Participation: See instrument and track assignments
• Dean ParksAcoustic guitar (3 Deacon Blues); Guitar (6, 7)Participation: See instrument and track assignments
• Denny DiasGuitar (2 Aja)Participation: See instrument and track assignments
• Lee RitenourGuitar (3 Deacon Blues)Participation: See instrument and track assignments
• Steve KhanGuitar (4 Peg)Participation: See instrument and track assignments
• Jay GraydonGuitar solo (4 Peg)Participation: See instrument and track assignments
• Wayne ShorterTenor saxophone (2 Aja)Participation: See instrument and track assignments
• Pete ChristliebTenor saxophone (3 Deacon Blues)Participation: See instrument and track assignments
• Tom ScottTenor saxophone (1 Black Cow); Lyricon (4 Peg); Horn arrangements; Conductor (album)Participation: See instrument and track assignments
• Jim HornSaxophones / Flutes (section) (Album credit; track assignments unconfirmed)Participation: See instrument and track assignments
• Bill PerkinsSaxophones / Flutes (section) (Album credit; track assignments unconfirmed)Participation: See instrument and track assignments
• Plas JohnsonSaxophones / Flutes (section) (Album credit; track assignments unconfirmed)Participation: See instrument and track assignments
• Jackie KelsoSaxophones / Flutes (section) (Album credit; track assignments unconfirmed)Participation: See instrument and track assignments
• Chuck FindleyBrass (section) (Album credit; track assignments unconfirmed)Participation: See instrument and track assignments
• Lou McCrearyBrass (section) (Album credit; track assignments unconfirmed)Participation: See instrument and track assignments
• Dick “Slyde” HydeBrass (section) (Album credit; track assignments unconfirmed)Participation: See instrument and track assignments
• Timothy B. SchmitBacking Vocals (2, 5, 7)Participation: See instrument and track assignments
• Michael McDonaldBacking Vocals (4, 6)Participation: See instrument and track assignments
• Clydie KingBacking Vocals (1, 3, 6)Participation: See instrument and track assignments
• Venetta FieldsBacking Vocals (1, 3, 6)Participation: See instrument and track assignments
• Sherlie MatthewsBacking Vocals (1, 3, 6)Participation: See instrument and track assignments
• Rebecca LouisBacking Vocals (1, 6)Participation: See instrument and track assignments

All compositions: Walter Becker / Donald Fagen. Produced by Gary Katz. Engineers: Roger Nichols (also executive engineer), Elliot Scheiner, Bill Schnee, Al Schmitt. Original mastering: Bernie Grundman at A&M. Cover photograph: Hideki Fujii; subject: Sayoko Yamaguchi; design: Patricia Mitsui and Geoff Westen. This UHQR: Bernie Grundman; QRP; Stoughton Printing. Individual track assignments for the general horn section remain unconfirmed.