Episode 96–Deacon Blues
from How Good It Is
Aja, by Steely Dan, was one of the first albums I purchased with my own money. It wasn't that I was so enamored by Steely Dan; I'd just heard a lot of good stuff about it so I took a chance. And while fourteen-year-old me heard a ton of good stuff in it, doing a re-listen these many years later has only cemented this album in my Top Ten of all time. (Small wonder that so many others agree with me on that one.) Aja was released to rather mixed reviews, but over a relatively small amount of time, many of the critics who didn't like it at first were won over. It just took a second or third listen to appreciate that Walter Becker and Donald Fagen were doing something genuinely new, fusing multiple genres into a cohesive whole. As I strongly suggested during the show, go back and listen to this album with headphones. You'll be amazed at the intimacy of every element on it. You're welcome. Click here to become a Patron of the show. Click here for a transcript of this episode.
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