Emily: Right off the bat, I was surprised that I recognized multiple songs on this album. Steely Dan is a fixture of both classic rock and adult contemporary radio, and therefore a fixture of long drives with my family after I ceded control of the CD buttons and radio knobs. These songs weren't my preferred road trip soundtrack, but they're not particularly objectionable. The rest of this album, though, has plenty to object to. Steely Dan has an over-the-top theatrical quality that makes this album sound like the soundtrack to a musical. That musical is hard to follow and doesn't make much sense. The recognizable singles are solid performance pieces. The other songs are just filler that would usually serve to explain the plot of the musical, but here they really don't. The result is jumbled and confusing, but with a few bright spots.
Favorite Tracks: Do It Again; Reelin' In the Years; Dirty Work
Zack: We listened to Aja by Steely Dan long ago,
before the world ended, and I loved it. I relisten to it every once in a while
and it is still just very good. Can’t Buy a Thrill was not quite as great, but
it was still a very good approximation. It was also Steely Dan’s first album,
and they hadn’t yet decided to work in the jazz elements that really popped out
on Aja. Still, the same smoothness and polish were there, and those elements
are crucial to the groove found on Aja. A number of years ago, I was drinking
with a friend who told a story to me about another time she was drinking with
some people and sheepishly confessed that she liked Steely Dan. Everyone around
the table made similar confessions. After listening to Aja and Can’t Buy a
Thrill, I don’t think there’s any reason to be embarrassed to like this
particular brand of classic rock.
Favorite Tracks: Dirty Work; Reelin’ in the Years; Kings
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