Steely Dan - Aja
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Movie Reviews of Steely Dan - Aja
Movie Review: Nice to see these guys really talk.
Summary: 4 Stars
Fun watching Walter and Don talk about this record that we all compare music production to. Only thing, I wish we could've seen a few more interviews with other people, i.e. gadd, carlton, etc. Whatever, it's a must have for any music lover or musician that likes this stuff.
Nothing like hearing Mike Mcdonald's vocals in Peg solo'd.
Movie Review: Steely Dan's AJA
Summary: 4 Stars
Really insightful from Fagen, Becker & cohorts on the production of one of the truly great albums. So far ahead of its time, it remains fresh & ages like fine wine. Would've enjoyed seeing more actual performance on the DVD, but it's still great.Movie Review: Steely Dan Doco
Summary: 4 Stars
I enjoyed this as a documentary which provides historical information of the group, and how they put their music together but it is not something you buy for the music itself.Movie Review: Not Enough But Better Than Nothing
Summary: 3 Stars
Six different drummers played on the AJA recording. Arguably the standout drum performance on a record filled with great performances, and certainly one of the most famous in all of rock music, is Steve Gadd's work on the title track.
If you didn't know better, you'd come away from this documentary about the making of Aja with the impression that Bernard Purdie was the only drummer on the gig. Numerous musicians who played on the record are interviewed, as well as people who had nothing whatsoever to do with it. But nowhere is Steve Gadd's name or face mentioned or seen. Others have noted this omission, but I feel the need to restate how curious it is. Maybe Gadd wasn't available when the docu was being filmed. But to actually perform the tune, with Purdie behind the drum kit, and never even mention Gadd's name? Weird. (No disrespect to Purdie intended. He's a brilliant musician and a delightful personality, and his presence adds a lot to this video.)
I assume the producers had to pare down their material to fit a 60-minute TV format. Still, the video is largely unsatisfying. Did we need a word-for-word recitation by Fagen of the lyrics to "Black Cow," especially when there was no time to say Steve Gadd's name even once? The live performances are interesting but lackluster, and don't include vocals. "Peg" sounds like a rhythm track; why'd they bother? "Josie" mopes along with a middling lead guitar by Becker, who can do better.
But the video is worth seeing if you're interested in the Dan's creative process. Fagen and Becker sit at the mixing board and banter about the tunes, breaking them down by tracks, so you can hear how they arrived at their final choices. Singer Michael McDonald and engineer Roger Nichols muse candidly about the maddening perfectionism of Fagen and Becker, but then marvel at the outcome. Larry Carlton describes his critical role as chart writer and arranger. This is mixed in with biographical information, including a photo of Becker as a kid of maybe 12 years old, looking like Peter Pan with an electric guitar in his hands.
One thing you won't get from this video -- but maybe it's the kind of thing that's impossible to capture -- is how Fagen and Becker actually write and produce. The mystery of their partnership is intact. Nichols says it best when he likens them to one body with two brains (or did he say one brain with two bodies -- that would make more sense), finishing each other's sentences. When they're together there's a lot of dead air after Fagen talks, during which Becker says nothing or smirks. Must be ESP. If the background and quirks of Steely Dan interest you, get this. Or just watch parts of it on your favorite video clip website. Not sorry I purchased it, but not thrilled either.
Movie Review: Steely Dan Aja DVD
Summary: 1 Stars
I've just purchased this DVD and felt that it was a total waste of my money to purchase it and a total waste of my time to watch. I found it disjointed and lacking in direction. It seemed to me to be a typical Fagen/Becker self absorbed kind of rambling. I have loved this album since it's release in 1977. I have loved Steely Dan's music since they were a band. To pay almost no attention to the song Aja and to the incredible drumming of Steve Gadd on the track was a huge disappointment to me. I am not any richer in my knowledge of this AWESOME piece of work having spent my limited free time watching it. I consider Aja to be The Dan's Magnum Opus and would have really preferred to have more information about the inspiration for the music instead of the technical studio jargon Fagen/Becker employ. I had such a sense of anticipation and excitement based on the reviews I've read here on Amazon. What a let down!
gypsy