Oh, I've been looking forward to this!!! I'm going to comment as you go: First, I always took the "up on the hill" portion to mean people who've reached a certain point of confidence (and this theme kind of continues throughout the album), "people never stare, they just don't care" because they've learned to be beyond that. They've learned you can't worry about what other people think. Dime dancing, FWIW, is a reference to an old practice of paying for a dance with women. In the case of this song, it's a metaphor for running around with different women--"when all my dime dancing is through, I run to you." So, when I'm done experimenting, you're the one I want at the end of it all. Aja definitely refers to a beautiful exotic woman. Donald Fagen referred to this song as a song about "the sort of tranquility that can come of a quiet relationship with a beautiful woman." Yes, the list was all the people who worked on the album, not just this song. The notable people to work on this particular song, however, are Steve Gadd on drums (that solo... mmm mmm mmm), Denny Dias on guitar, and Wyane Shorter on saxophone. The instrumental featuring all three of these guys is one of my favorite of all time, and part of why I call this song "musical heaven." Notable on vocals, aside from Fagen's usual smooth mastery, is Timothy Schmitt formerly of The Eagles who did many of the Eagles famous high notes. Again, it's just an example of the quality of musician that wanted to work with Steely Dan. There's a reason Steely Dan has been referred to as just "your favorite band's favorite band." I'm so happy you enjoyed this, especially as someone who enjoys metal as much as you do. This is obviously much softer, and the music a good bit more subtle. To me, this is the fastest 8 1/2 minute song ever. When it's over, you're like "is that it??? There's no more?" and if you didn't look, you wouldn't even know it was as long as it is. Love the reaction my friend... truly.
Oh, I don't know if you're familiar with Rick Beato, but he did an entire video on just the drum solo. It's worth watching: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-BXH7cqrTbmM.html
I've always considered the "up on the hill" lyric to be a continuation of the previous lyric about the "dude ranch above the sea", which people have always assumed referred to the Esalen Institute, a world-renowned retreat/spiritual education campus perched midway up a coastal mountain in Big Sur. It was very hip to go there back in the day. Here are oodles of photos. It is very much "up on a hill". The behavior described would readily apply to the hipster types who actually believed they were obtaining spiritual growth by attending sessions there. Here are way too many photos. www.google.com/search?hl=en&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1396&bih=657&ei=4_UhX7OPE4HbtAa6wI3YAw&q=esalen+institute&oq=esalen&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQARgBMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADoFCAAQsQNQ9wtYrC9g70RoAnAAeACAAUuIAfwDkgEBOJgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1n&sclient=img
Mate, if ever there was someone expanding his musical horizons it's you. It's like you've discovered a rainbow of colours that you weren't sure even existed before. You've just awoken to limitless musical possibilities and bands Iike Steely Dan will be only too happy to light your way. Enjoy enjoy.
I mentioned this to another reactor. After you finish hearing the entire Aja album you should watch the Classic Albums dvd documentary on the making of Aja. It's eye-opening!
Steely Dans Sign in a stranger from their album The royal scam may just have that piano guitar combination that you were talking about It also is an amazing song,
Steve Gadd on drums is utterly life changing. Check out Rick Beato’s musical breakdown of this masterpiece. I love all kinds of music and I find Steely Dan the Creme de la Creme of musical sophistication and tastiness. Their lyrics are usually about shadier and lost characters . There are no bad SD songs. Michael McDonald of Doobie Brothers fame came out of Steely Dan as keyboardist and back up singer.
Even though everything in this classic song is fantastic, the drums are stellar and stand out as, in my mind, the best in any song anywhere. Steve Gadd totally freakin rules.
I was just going to say the same about Steve Gadd! His isolated drums are here on RU-vid (if I'm wrong, you can listen/download them from Drummer world). Also, to see Steve in action, check out "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover" from The Concert in Central Park...
I think it's great that younger people are opening themselves up to music they've never heard of - I was lucky to grow up and experience what I think is the greatest music era of all time. You are correct about the drums: it isn't just random drumming just for the drumming's sake. Each note is deliberate and controlled along with the tone, weaving each instrument in and out for a free-flowing melodic blended with minor key that feels like butter. This song and Steely Dan in general is in the rock genre that relies heavily on jazz. This song is truly a masterpiece. Thank you for your review and giving the respect that this music deserves. I will be watching more of your videos!
Great review. Someone has probably already mentioned it, but Wayne Shorter on tenor sax is one of the greatest, most iconic giants in all of jazz history, both as a leader and sideman, hand-picked by the likes of Miles Davis and Art Blakey, also playing with Herbie Hancock, Bobby Hutcherson, McCoy Tyner and Lee Morgan. Becker & Fagen were uncompromising in their pursuit of the best session players available.
You wanted to know who played on this song, here are the song credits: Donald Fagen - lead vocals, synthesizer, police whistle Steve Gadd - drums Victor Feldman - percussion, vibraphone Chuck Rainey - bass guitar Walter Becker, Denny Dias and Larry Carlton - guitars Michael Omartian - piano Joe Sample - electric piano Wayne Shorter - tenor saxophone Timothy B. Schmit - backing vocals
You might want to checkout the documentary on making of AJA which is on YT or Amazon Prime. This album took over a year to produce because of their perfectionism. They used many session players to the point swapping whole bands for any given song to get the sound they were looking for
You get it. I can see by your face. You get it, my friend. It's a pleasure to watch you enjoy this song that I've been enjoying since the album was released!
The great Steve Gadd on drums. He also played on a lot of other stuff, including Paul Simon... see 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover and Late in the Evening. Cheers.
Another great song about traveling to a different land and finding the love of a beautiful woman is Year of the Cat by Al Stewart. It is very cinematic in its lyrics as well as instrumentation an song structure. I think that it is a song that may be right up your street.
For some reason, when I first listened to this album I skipped this track, I’m not sure what initially swayed me, but after actually hearing it through it has since become one of my favorite jazz tracks. The ending is something I’m a big fan of, I really like the spacey sounds and drums. Also, check out Babylon Sisters
Steely Dan's fifth and sixth albums, "The Royal Scam" and "Aja", are considered by many to be their two masterpieces. Now that you've listened to the title track of "Aja", it's time for the title track of "The Royal Scam".
since you're on the theme of longer, complex songs, I'm going to recommend Billy Joel's "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant". it's a great song, fan favorite, and you'll be happy you heard it. it's off of his album The Stranger which is a complete masterpiece from beginning to end.
I absolutely agree. Scenes From and Italian Restaurant is one of my favorite songs of all time, and one of the best examples of a song within a song I've heard. And you're also right that the whole album is great - there just isn't a bad track on that album.
I was 13 back in 1975 and got to listen to all this on my older brothers high end stereo system, I knew instinctively that Yes, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and Steely Dan, were special events in musical history, and I would never hear music of higher caliber than what I was hearing. I knew it was a special time, and that I was blessed. Wait until you hear all this on a nice 4 speaker system with the EQ set, and the bass can vibrate your whole body. Close To The Edge, Awaken, Turn Of The Century by Yes will leave you stunned, and amazed. Been playing guitar for 45 years now, you are fortunate as a guitar player to take all this in and integrate it into your musical consciousness. Listen to "Mood For A Day" from Fragile the "Clap" from The Yes Album
I always thought this song was about California’s obsessions with Asian culture: Buddhism, yoga, tofu, etc. People on the hill are the celebrities indulging in the obsessions.
Walter and Donald were musical soul mates. They met in high school and talked the same language about music and became lifelong friends. They were so fastidious about their musical vision that they had several different musicians come in to the studio and rehearse and play and see how it went then bring in another whole set the next day. Just to see who hit the solo just right on the guitar or just the right drummer. It’s amazing how this album was made.
Wayne Shorter (great Jazz Sax man) and, the inimitable Steve Gadd on Drums..Gadd is my all time favorite drummer..The guy just never sound's out of place..For every song, with anyone he's ever played with (and it is an impressive resume), everything he does just sounds like, "Yes!..Of course!..That's exactly what is supposed to be there!"..His timing is flawless, and jaw dropping good!.......No, that's the whole album of people, BTW.
Since you said you like pianos and guitars you have to listen to “Your Gold Teeth”, “Sign In Stranger”, “Fire In The Hole”, and so so many more. I like how you look at the lyrics. When you are done with each song you should google the song meaning. Spoiler, a lot are about drugs... I’ve been listening to Steely Dan for 20 years and I still find new meanings to certain lyrics and/or songs. It’s one of the things that makes the Dan so unique and incredible.
Love to see different generations get turned on by the amazing and timeless Steeley Dan - I've heard this song a thousand times, and everytime I hear something new.
The credits would be for the full album.The only two constants in Steely Dan are Donald Fagen and the late Walter Becker. The rest are the best of the best musicians they can find. Obvious by my profile name that I love Steely Dan. They're the only band I know of that in my opinion haven't produced a bad song.
My thought about “dime dancing” is his everyday job working for a buck. But when he’s done, he runs to his love, an Asian girl I think. When the instrumental section begins, I see a busy Chinatown, complete with traffic cop blowing his whistle! But that’s just me
Back in the day you could go get a dance with a woman for a dime. Tina Turner's video "Private Dancer" is about these old-time dancing parlors. I thought he meant when all my fooling around with women who I know won't lead to real love, I'll run to you, when all my dime dancing is through. That worked for me.
Let me give you an idea how obsessive Walter and Donald are about the sound of their music. On the song Home at Last, there is the line, "Well the danger on the rocks is surely past". They spent 6 hours mixing the words "Well the". Six hours mixing 2 syllables!
@@DiconDissectionalReactions Roger Nichols was Fagen & Becker's recording engineer across several albums, only to be summarily dismissed after multiple Grammy award winning albums with them. Check out the Wikipedia listing for him and read his descriptions of working with SD, and expanding on the available technology of the day.
If you want to hear a keyboard and guitar going off together on the same note, check out Return to Forever. Especially the "Romantic Warrior" album. Chick Corea and Al DiMeola are sensational together.
Yes! The band was composed of Becker and Fagen plus tons of awesome session musicians! Wayne shorter of weather report, miles Davis, and his own awesome solo career plays sax, and Steve gadd who played with everybody from Paul Simon to chick Corea plays drums. Incredible!
This song is remarkable-as is the entire album. You need to dive deeper into the entire record, because the work comprises a huge array of the top L.A. studio musicians. Each song on Aja is a miniature masterpiece and features different ensembles. This one has Wayne Shorter, tenor; Victor Feldman, marimba, Joe Sample, Piano and the fabulous drummer, Steve Gadd (he sight-read this chart and did it in one take!) Steve’s outro on this is fire! Oh, by the way... the drummer on Josie, is my close friend, Jim Keltner, my friend of 60 years.
Steely Dan has such a wide catalog, there is something for everyone to consider their favorite. Aja might not be everyone's favorite, but it is widely considered one of the most technically brilliant tunes in composition and execution (in musicianship and mixing). Many audiophiles still use this to calibrate their equipment. When this tune sounds perfect from your speakers, then your gear is perfect.
As far as pausing is concerned, we understand (I'm not sure how some reacters get away with not pausing). Too many times others will pause right at a critical part of the song, totally ruing the groove or a transition that is essential to the flow of the song. And not just that, but they'll start right back up where they left off...AARRRGGGH! As long as you bring it back a bit each time it certainly helps. Also, on this particular song, Rick Beato says that the drum solo changed popular music - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-BXH7cqrTbmM.html
"Dime dancing"... Many years ago at weddings you could dance with the bride (or groom?) for a literal dime (maybe a few bucks today). This money went to the newlyweds to help them in their new start together. In this saying... it means cheap, meaningless. When the character's 'meaningless' daliances are done, he returns to his 'meaningful' relationship with his main squeeze- Aja. If you throw out the hardware (Birth Control)and do it right, you might create a double-helix = DNA= life.
Steely Dan was two guys.They used top notch studio players for the rest of the great playing.Sometimes they would bring in different players and do several cuts tol they got exactly what they wanted.
GO CHECK OUT TYD BBC DOCUMENTARY ON THIS ALBUM!! They had an obscene EMBARRASSMENT OF RICHES FOR MASTERFUL SESSION MEN!! They had so MANY, that they platooned themselves into 2 bands that played well together, and different bands played on different songs!! LARRY CARLTON was the defacto director writing the charts & helping figure out which group of players to use on which song. The documentary is FASCINATING and drives hone what a groundbreaking, seminal work this album was!
Lyrical interpretation is tricky and a bit opaque. Old saying that art is more a question than an answer. This song makes me think of San Francisco. Stunningly beautiful, very hilly, urbane, sophisticated, international city with a large Asian population. Falling in love with a beguiling, mysterious Asian woman and being introduced to cultural as well as sensual delights. Musically-words fail, although “masterful” is a good start. My favorite of theirs.
Walter Becker and Donald Fagen used a variety of musicians on the Aja album, choosing them to suit the individual tracks. On this one, Fagen sang lead and played synthesizer, while Becker, Denny Dias and Larry Carlton handled guitars. On backing vocals is Timothy B. Schmit, who joined the Eagles that same year. Other musicians on the track are: Bass: Chuck Rainey Drums: Steve Gadd Electric Piano: Joe Sample Percussion: Victor Feldman Piano: Michael Omartian Tenor Saxophone: Wayne Shorter Kenny Aronoff, a top session drummer who appears on tracks by Stevie Nicks, Joe Jackson, Bob Dylan and many others, puts Steve Gadd's work on "Aja" in his list of the Top 5 drum performances of all time. Aronoff told Songfacts: "Everybody knows that this was absolute genius. Steve Gadd, his musicality, his iconic drum fills, his feel, his delicacy, the balance on the drum kit. He did it in one take - every take they did was a full take with the whole band playing together. That was a performance. Now in this day and age of Pro Tools, people are getting comfortable with fixing everything. This was not those days. You had to be a great drummer, you had to have great equipment, you had to be able to play with great time, you had to be able to read, you had to be able to play with feel, you had to have musical ears, you had to be able to be perfect, basically. It was one of the greatest drum performances that made it on the radio, ever." If you want to take a deep dive, and I know you do, watch 'The Making of Aja' ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-u9MusH-QijY.html
For me, I have always pictured this as a time in a high-end rehab facility where the protagonist meets an exotic woman, (or drugs?) Of course, I could be way off... What were we talking about again?
This was the album, and specifically, the song that pulled me into Steely Dan. When it came out, a guy I was dating sat me down and said, "listen to THIS!" I was blown away, and ended up buying their back catalogue and becoming a huge fan. I actually wouldn't seriously date anyone who wasn't into them too. I've now been married to another SD fan for almost 28 years! You've got a lot of great music ahead of you if you continue with this primo band!!
When I see a band with keyboards it always makes me respect them a little more. Finding 17 guitarists is easy but try to find a Jon Lord type organ player a Tony Banks, Rick Wright, Rick Waksman, Keith Emerson now we’re talking.
2 million spent to produce this Album... No one will EVER spend that again... Vinyl days you could possibly recoup. Today it would be ripped off in half a heart beat.
I was about your age when I heard this album, and Steely Dan, for the 1st time. This album had just come out and I heard a couple tracks on the radio so I went and bought it. Been a big fan ever since. However, I just enjoyed how good it sounded back then.
I don't know if you've ever checked out any of Rick Beato's videos, but he's outstanding at dissecting songs. Check out his video on Steve Gadd's drum part in Aja. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-BXH7cqrTbmM.html
Steve Gadd played drums on this song. Amazing drums with the Sax Solo. They would call in all studio musicians to work on all their songs and it was usually different people on different songs. You should check out all Steely Dan's catalog!
This group never rushed recording their albums. It could take months to record an album. They used various musicians on each song. The only constant was Walter Becker and Donald Fagan. They chose the other musicians carefully for each song, usually getting the best session players available.
Musically, this group is 2 levels higher than any metal band. LOL. And this was their masterpiece. Maybe one of the greatest songs in rock history. The studio musicians Steely Dan used were the best in the industry. Your analyses of the song's details were great. Very entertaining.
Make sure to save all these files locally, as Steely Dan videos tend to get blocked. I’m guessing you’re going to have a Vimeo account soon. You can’t do Zeppelin reactions here either... so yay Vimeo “angular banjo sounds good to me” 👍🏼 I think might be the song that the drummer sight read on the first try? It’s worth looking up. Steve Gadd: studio cat genius
You should check out some of their live videos and you can get a better idea of what it takes to pull this kind of crap off. Donald and Walter usually had about 20 other cats on stage with them, and all of 'em stayed busy the whole show. Cheers!
Yes... that's a list of musicians on the entire album. It's cool to watch you hear these for the first time and actually 'get it' . cheers my my friend. (drums are the amazing Steve Gadd)