1977 - November: Steely Dan “Aja”

Quick!  Name a song by Steely Dan.  Chances are good that the song you picked is off this sixth studio album, the iconic Aja.  Steely Dan had already become a successful jazz rock group by this time, but Donald Fagen and Walter Becker created their most successful album by far with this one.

By the time this album was produced, the group had been reduced to the duo who were responsible for the lion's share of the music.  Fagen and Becker assembled a large group of session musicians to make this album, including well known vocalists like Michael McDonald of the Doobie Brothers and Timothy B. Schmit of the Eagles.  

Donald Fagen has said that the album name was inspired by a high school friend whose Korean wife’s name was Aja.   

Many consider this album and Gaucho, the following Steely Dan studio album, to be two of the founding albums to a genre that would become known as yacht rock.  However, the heart of this music is undoubtedly jazz.

 

Black Cow The album starts with this song which has been interpreted a lot of ways, from a commentary on a troubled relationship to self-doubt, to  a track inspired by Thelonious Monk.  The song describes a girl sitting at a counter, and a Black Cow is a fountain drink like a Coke float.

Deacon Blues The opening lines describing the "expanding man" may have been inspired from sci-fi author Alfred Brester's 1950's novel "The Demolished Man."  The song itself is about having a name for the nerds and the losers of the world, and compares football powerhouse Alabama and their name as "the Crimson Tide," to the proposed name for the loser.  Becker and Fagen considered this song somewhat autobiographical.

Peg This track features backing vocals from Michael McDonald.  The song is about an actress in a photo shoot being promised fame.  While some speculated that the song referenced Broadway and Hollywood star Peg Entwistle, Donald Fagen stated that "we just wanted a dotted half note for that spot and Peg was short enough to fit with the music."  

Josie This song finishes off the album and is a bit more influenced by Delta blues than the more jazzy tracks on the album.  This may be because the song was written well before the rest of the recordings for Aja.  The song tells about a popular girl from a blue collar town, who always creates excitement when she returns to town.  Timothy B. Schmit plays bass and is on background vocals for this track.

 

ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:

“The Lonely Man” - theme from the television series “The Incredible Hulk” Long before the MCU, we were introduced to David Banner in this weekly show, who struggled to escape the curse of turning into the Hulk when he became angry.  Bill Bixby played David Banner, and Lou Ferrigno became famous as the green-muscled Hulk.

 

STAFF PICKS:

“Free 'n' Easy” by Uriah Heep Wayne's rocking staff pick highlights an underrated prog rock/heavy metal group.  This is not a single, but a deep cut off Uriah Heep's eleventh album.  

“Baby What a Big Surprise” by Chicago Rob brings us this well known tune with Peter Cetera taking his turn as lead vocalist of Chicago.  Cetera was attempting to repeat the success of "If You Leave Me Now" with this song.  Interestingly, this song is the only one on the album Chicago XI to feature Cetera on lead vocals.  

“I Know a Little” by Lynyrd Skynyrd Bruce's staff pick was written by guitarist Steve Gaines, and features his talented picking.  This song is off the last Skynyrd album before the plane crash that killed several band members including front man Ronnie Van Zant and Steve Gaines.  Gaines had just joined the band, so this would be his first and last studio album as a member of Lynyrd Skynyrd.

“Cold As Ice” by Foreigner Brian's pick is a great tragic song about a materialistic woman who will some day face the consequences of her selfish ways.  This is off Foreigner's debut and self-titled album.

   

INSTRUMENTAL TRACK:

“The Entertainer” by Scott Joplin Billy Dee Williams starred in the biographical film "Scott Joplin," which was released in November 1977.

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