Steely Dan's Aja
Steely Dan's Aja
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Summary
"Aja" was the album that made Steely Dan a commercial force on the order of contemporaries like Fleetwood Mac, the Eagles and Chicago. A double-platinum, Grammy-winning bestseller, it lingered on the Billboard charts for more than a year and spawned three hit singles. This book paints a detailed picture of the making of a masterpiece.
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Steely Dan's Aja by Don Breithaupt
"Aja" was the album that made Steely Dan a commercial force on the order of contemporaries like Fleetwood Mac, the Eagles and Chicago. A double-platinum, Grammy-winning bestseller, it lingered on the Billboard charts for more than a year and spawned three hit singles. Odd, then, that its creators saw it as an "ambitious, extended" work, the antithesis of their anti-rock, anti-band, anti-glamour aesthetic. Populated by thirty-five mostly jazz session players, "Aja" served up pre-war song forms, mixed meters and extended solos to a generation whose idea of pop daring was Paul letting Linda sing lead once in a while. And, impossibly, it sold. Including an in-depth interview with Donald Fagen, this book paints a detailed picture of the making of a masterpiece.
Musician and songwriter Breithaupt's book pores over every last note of Josie, Deacon Blues, Peg and the like with the enthusiasm of a teenybopper and the insight of an academic-- Terry Staunton * Record Collector *
Aja was the album that made Steely Dan a commercial force on the order of contemporaries like Fleetwood Mac, the Eagles, and Chicago. A double-platinum, Grammy-winning bestseller, it lingered on the Billboard charts for more than a year after its 1977 release and spawned three hit singles. Odd, then, that its creators saw it as an `ambitious, extended` work, the apotheosis of their anti-rock, anti-band, anti-glamour aesthetic. Including an in-depth interview with Dan co-founder Donald Fagen, this book - part of Continuum`s ongoing 33 1/3 series - by Canadian musician and music journalist Don Breithaupt paints a detailed picture of the making of a masterpiece. * Upper North Side *
Don Breithaupt has crafted an informative book about Steely Dan's platinum sixth album, Aja—part of Continuum Press' 33 1/3 series on acclaimed albums in rock history. The author analyzes Walter Becker and Donald Fagen's cryptic word play and arty rock and West Coast studio contributions to the 1977 release and tried to build a case in support of his fervid-fan claim that Aja is ‘the best record in the solar system. * Downbeat Magazine *
Aja is the first one [in the series] I've read, but I'll be checking out the others. Highly recommended. * Stereophile *
Aja was the album that made Steely Dan a commercial force on the order of contemporaries like Fleetwood Mac, the Eagles, and Chicago. A double-platinum, Grammy-winning bestseller, it lingered on the Billboard charts for more than a year after its 1977 release and spawned three hit singles. Odd, then, that its creators saw it as an `ambitious, extended` work, the apotheosis of their anti-rock, anti-band, anti-glamour aesthetic. Including an in-depth interview with Dan co-founder Donald Fagen, this book - part of Continuum`s ongoing 33 1/3 series - by Canadian musician and music journalist Don Breithaupt paints a detailed picture of the making of a masterpiece. * Upper North Side *
Don Breithaupt has crafted an informative book about Steely Dan's platinum sixth album, Aja—part of Continuum Press' 33 1/3 series on acclaimed albums in rock history. The author analyzes Walter Becker and Donald Fagen's cryptic word play and arty rock and West Coast studio contributions to the 1977 release and tried to build a case in support of his fervid-fan claim that Aja is ‘the best record in the solar system. * Downbeat Magazine *
Aja is the first one [in the series] I've read, but I'll be checking out the others. Highly recommended. * Stereophile *
Don Breithaupt is the author of two acclaimed books on pop music for St. Martins and an acclaimed jazz composer and keyboard player. He writes extensively on music for the National Post in Toronto, and is a voting member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation.
SKU | Unavailable |
ISBN 13 | 9780826427830 |
ISBN 10 | 0826427839 |
Title | Steely Dan's Aja |
Author | Don Breithaupt |
Series | 33 1 3 |
Condition | Unavailable |
Binding Type | Paperback |
Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing PLC |
Year published | 2007-07-15 |
Number of pages | 144 |
Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
Note | Unavailable |