Of all the fantastic Steely Dan songs, this is my favorite. So jazzy and catchy and just plain gorgeous. Impeccable musicianship. Everything about it is perfect.
Warning: the more you get into them, the more you will want to hear their whole discography... there a jewels sprinkled all over every single of their 9 albums. Although 'Aja' is by many regarded as overall their best, it is more about distinguishing between master pieces, when comparing their albums... some recognition of this one at the time: at the 20th Grammy Awards 'Aja' won Best Engineered Recording - Non-Classical, and was nominated for Album of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. 💖
BEST BAND EVER!!!!!!! What I Love about this song is how he's just over it ~ to the point of not even being angry ~ he's like, whatever ~ bye ~ and the music reflects that ~ quiet, smooth and simple.
@@TheCornishCockney~ what I was referring to was the "vibe" of his being done with it/the relationship ~ not the bands music. But I can see how what I wrote would come across that way ~ 👍
Thanks for reacting to this one Shawn! There are great songs on every Steely Dan album but the "Aja" album is generally considered their peak work. Fagen and Becker were at the height of their creative powers, hired the top session musicians in the business to help them play the songs, and were absolutely dictatorial in the studio when it came to perfecting the production of each track. Every song on the album is a classic, and "Black Cow" is a fantastic introduction to what lies beyond. (Your interpretation of the song is spot on, by the way.)
This album came out when I was in university - headphones a must for the complete experience. The stereo stores used it as their speaker and headphone test music. Steely Dan was also usually your favourite band's favourite band!!
For me....."Aja" was one of the final picks I made on my "15 albums for 15 cents" Columbia record deals, and I picked it purely for the weird album cover. Best damn little mistake I ever made in my stupid young 70's life.
Stereo shops use to use Aja to demonstrate the sonic clarity of their systems. One of the finest recordings made in the 1970s. Fagen and Becker were perfectionists in their sound.
This album was so revolutionary at the time. Not just in terms of production but such a divergence from the typical rock and pop offerings in the mid-late seventies. It's mostly straight up jazz fuzed with soul/funk...etc. it still remains a crowd pleaser. Doesn't matter what kind of music the group of people you're in likes, put this album on and everybody grooves. I bought it at age 10 because I liked the song "Peg".. Still have the vinyl 46 years later.
You are absolutely right. I turned 20 In 1977 when this LP came out. Hard rocking music would be typically playing at parties as the norm but then this LP was put on the turntable and I swear I could see people switch into this cool groove. It created such a vibe. It was also for years often played at concerts through the system as the music before and during acts. And again in that situation I could see the crowd/bodies seem to float along with the vibe.
@@bradsense7431 I have many friends who claimed they didn't like jazz. Introduced them to this album and that dips the toes into the water. Next thing you know they're talking about Coltrane, Miles Davis or even Stanley Clarke and George Duke or Benson. It's a gateway album. Lol
I still remember the moment. The first turntable I bought myself. My first apartment. Putting that needle down on my new Technics turntable onto ... Aja. Heaven. Will never forget the moment
Black Cow is perfection. Aja, one of the greatest LP’s in contemporary music history. Yacht Rock’s a bullshit insult. An immediate success, the arrangements are the envy of professional musicians, engineers, producers and music lovers everywhere. Still Top Shelf to this day from The Classic Era.
@jimmeltonbradleyy1497! "Kid Charlemagne" is off of "The Royal Scam" 1976 which precedes "Aja" 1977 & Gaucho" 1980! Steely Dan's three slickest albums before they both took a 20-year hiatus for "Two Against Nature" 2000! If I had to rate their top 3 albums? Those 3 would be it! Peace!!!
I don't think I ever considered Steely Dan as a 'rock band'. They are beyond that. Really, they are a fusion band, and by that I mean, they fuse together rock, funk, soul, jazz, reggae, blues and musical styles from the past, to create something that is greater than the sum of their parts. They are true artists, that can pull from any musical genre, and make it sound authentic.
This is in the top 10 albums of all time! Great song ! Loved this album from the moment I heard the first song on the album back when it was first released!
SHAWN the reason why there are different styles is because Walter and Donald used different studio musician and tones on each song after that first album!
You interpreted the lyrics right-on, SD’s lyrical content typically has an adult sophistication. SD is sometimes referred to as Dad Rock because of the sophistication and sometimes the lyrics are not so straightforward, however do hold a meaning or a story. ✌🏽
Mid-70s fusion all over this song. You can look up some of the names and find great fusion from them. Joe Sample (The Jazz Crusaders) and Tom Scott, a great composer and sax soloist. He has worked with the best. Nobody reviews The Crusaders. But they should.
The coolest band in the universe. You gotta react to "Josie" from this album. It's badass. But everything from this band is fire. One of my very favorite bands.
Love how he locks into the meanings of the lyrics and gets the subtly of the music. It is fun to experience and sometimes learn something. Steely Dan gets jazz.
Crazy thing is, a song this complex, this soulful, this expertly crafted and performed was par for the course for these guys AND, just one of so many great tunes played regularly on FM radio back in the 70's.
Still my favorite track from my favorite of their albums (Aja was released in 1977). It’s perfection. And one of the best reactions to it that I’ve ever seen. 😉
Great reaction, Shawn!!! I grew up in the 60s listening to Beatles music, but as I now still like to discover phenomenal music it seems like true musicians and music lovers consider Steely Dan as true innovators. So much yet to explore!!
I take it as he is the confidant who hangs out at the bar, probably the sax player, who ends up having to hear about all her trysts, that her husband is unaware of, and he is tired of hearing it.
Wow, so glad you got to hear this song, it's incredible. I believe the girl at the bar is a call girl with her book of numbers and the remedies are her pills that help her forget the night's work. How the pros play the game, they change their name. Every song on the album is stellar but Deacon Blues, Josie and Peg are standouts. More Dan please!
You probably figured this song out better than most other reactors on your first listen. Some people still don't know that a Black Cow is a drink! But it's all good. Everyone still loved this track. So do I.
You have exquisite taste, Shawn. I greatly enjoy your reviews. As for your interpretation of Black Cow, it is spot on; that moment when you wake up and realize you are done with a relationship.
Love your reactions, Shawn. "You should know how all the pros play the game..." He's hopelessly infatuated with a high-priced, self-destructive "professional". I suspect that he's sung this song many times before, yet she manages to manipulate her way back into his heart. This song NEVER gets old.
It's so cool that you're doing that about learning about the evolution of music. It's called musicology. And in fact that was the name of Prince's last album before he died. I have been a musicologist my entire life because I started taking classical piano lessons in kindergarten and they start you back in the Gregorian, then Baroque, Classical, Romantic, then into Modern. And then of course I moved to Ragtime and Jazz and pop music and all that stuff and of course rock. But I always enjoyed listening to music from way before my time as well as the latest stuff, and from about college age I started listening to music from all different cultures from all over the world from all different times. For example of what is the classical music of Japan? Versus some of the most amazing modern music that comes out of japan. And so on and so forth. It's absolutely fascinating to me and it's about a lot more than just the music; it's also about culture and history and possibility for the future. Not to mention that it amplifies my ability to play music and to appreciate listening to music by orders of magnitude. To see the connectivity between a lot of it over time is just fascinating.
I’ve watched you enough Shawn, to know when you’re gonna love a song. Like Zeppelin, I don’t think there are any bad songs by Steely Dan. You and I like that complex music. Great review!
Cool Breeze Shawn - more Steely Dan, please. I really enjoyed your commentary. Your Reaction Channel is Top Shelf Single Barrel Whiskey Smooth. Thanks for all your hard work; you are greatly appreciated.
Shawn, good stuff. Suggest(heartache) .."Rockin alone in an old rocking chair" by Everly brothers...."I must be seeing things" by Gene Pitney......"Sylvia's mother" by Dr Hook.... " I don't like Mondays" by Boomtown Rats ....last song based on true story.
I’m 73. As a youth we had one youth-oriented radio station on AM; FM was reserved for classical until the late 60’s. So we grew up listening to DoWap, Soul, Motown, Country, Movie tunes, R&B, lite jazz, Brazilian, soft rock, hard rock, psychedelic… you name it and it was thrown together like a smorgasbord. I’m really glad seeing your generation finding these gems. Keep it up brother.
REMEDIES REFERS TO DRUGS THEY MAY SCREEN OUT THE SORROW BUT WHERE ARE YOU TOMAROW,SOME SAY THIS SONG REFRENCES FAGENS FRUSTRATION WITH WALTER BECKERS DRUG PHASE AND HOW IT WAS AFFECTING THEIR RELATIONSHIP MUSCICALLY AND PERSNAL.
Of all the fantastic Steely Dan songs, this is my favorite. So jazzy and catchy and just plain gorgeous. Impeccable musicianship. Everything about it is perfect.
One thing about mostly all of Steely Dan’s songs, it always puts me in a better mood than I was…🤘🏼😎
"Black Cow" is pop,rock,soul,R&B,and Jazz.This song is brillanty produced.
And hip hop... uptown baby uptown baby
Warning: the more you get into them, the more you will want to hear their whole discography... there a jewels sprinkled all over every single of their 9 albums. Although 'Aja' is by many regarded as overall their best, it is more about distinguishing between master pieces, when comparing their albums... some recognition of this one at the time: at the 20th Grammy Awards 'Aja' won Best Engineered Recording - Non-Classical, and was nominated for Album of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. 💖
BEST BAND EVER!!!!!!! What I Love about this song is how he's just over it ~ to the point of not even being angry ~ he's like, whatever ~ bye ~ and the music reflects that ~ quiet, smooth and simple.
Simple?!
Steely Dan,simple?
I think not,they were famous for their perfectionism.
@@TheCornishCockney~ what I was referring to was the "vibe" of his being done with it/the relationship ~ not the bands music. But I can see how what I wrote would come across that way ~ 👍
Background singers are the best!!
Aja is one of the best albums ever made. Evey track a classic.
And the cover art was designed by the legendary comedian Phil Hartman! Fun fact
Definitely!
I was born in the 50's. I have eclectic taste but Aja is my top album all time
Thanks for reacting to this one Shawn! There are great songs on every Steely Dan album but the "Aja" album is generally considered their peak work. Fagen and Becker were at the height of their creative powers, hired the top session musicians in the business to help them play the songs, and were absolutely dictatorial in the studio when it came to perfecting the production of each track. Every song on the album is a classic, and "Black Cow" is a fantastic introduction to what lies beyond. (Your interpretation of the song is spot on, by the way.)
You're going to love this journey, nothing but great music. Not a bad song on any of their albums.
This album came out when I was in university - headphones a must for the complete experience. The stereo stores used it as their speaker and headphone test music. Steely Dan was also usually your favourite band's favourite band!!
When this came out, I laid on the floor in my living room with my headphones on and played this over and over and...
For me....."Aja" was one of the final picks I made on my "15 albums for 15 cents" Columbia record deals, and I picked it purely for the weird album cover. Best damn little mistake I ever made in my stupid young 70's life.
Stereo shops use to use Aja to demonstrate the sonic clarity of their systems. One of the finest recordings made in the 1970s. Fagen and Becker were perfectionists in their sound.
I absolutely love that bass guitar line. Everything about it is just so perfect for the mood. It's so smooth.
If I was stranded on an island and had only 1 album to listen to, Aja would be it!!! I am 72 and this song still gives me chills!!! Absolutely 🔥
This album was so revolutionary at the time. Not just in terms of production but such a divergence from the typical rock and pop offerings in the mid-late seventies. It's mostly straight up jazz fuzed with soul/funk...etc. it still remains a crowd pleaser. Doesn't matter what kind of music the group of people you're in likes, put this album on and everybody grooves.
I bought it at age 10 because I liked the song "Peg".. Still have the vinyl 46 years later.
Love to hear how it affected and influenced the times. Thank you
You are absolutely right. I turned 20 In 1977 when this LP came out. Hard rocking music would be typically playing at parties as the norm but then this LP was put on the turntable and I swear I could see people switch into this cool groove. It created such a vibe. It was also for years often played at concerts through the system as the music before and during acts. And again in that situation I could see the crowd/bodies seem to float along with the vibe.
@@bradsense7431 I have many friends who claimed they didn't like jazz. Introduced them to this album and that dips the toes into the water. Next thing you know they're talking about Coltrane, Miles Davis or even Stanley Clarke and George Duke or Benson.
It's a gateway album. Lol
There is nothing new can be said about this song and this album and this band. I'm glad you learned about this Shawn. Thanks.
Album of the Year 1977...
And ever since!!!
I recall that in Chicago WXRT radio’s listener poll for that year voted it number 1 album for that year.
I still remember the moment. The first turntable I bought myself. My first apartment. Putting that needle down on my new Technics turntable onto ... Aja. Heaven. Will never forget the moment
Every song on this album (Aja) is just frigging outstanding!
Black Cow is perfection. Aja, one of the greatest LP’s in contemporary music history. Yacht Rock’s a bullshit insult. An immediate success, the arrangements are the envy of professional musicians, engineers, producers and music lovers everywhere. Still Top Shelf to this day from The Classic Era.
Yes! f**k the Yacht Rock label. Jess Funk Rock Soul Fusion with a hint of Blues - that's how I classify them
I was at Rudy's this weekend. I, too, was very high!!
If you're a guitar fan, try Kid Charlemagne from the Katy Lied album by them. The Aja album is regarded as their best.
Yep, fantastic solo on Kid Charlemagne.
@jimmeltonbradleyy1497! "Kid Charlemagne" is off of "The Royal Scam" 1976 which precedes "Aja" 1977 & Gaucho" 1980! Steely Dan's three slickest albums before they both took a 20-year hiatus for "Two Against Nature" 2000! If I had to rate their top 3 albums? Those 3 would be it! Peace!!!
Kid Charlemagne is from Royal Scam
I don't think I ever considered Steely Dan as a 'rock band'. They are beyond that. Really, they are a fusion band, and by that I mean, they fuse together rock, funk, soul, jazz, reggae, blues and musical styles from the past, to create something that is greater than the sum of their parts. They are true artists, that can pull from any musical genre, and make it sound authentic.
Amen to that! 🤘
You talked over the outtro !!
Steely Dans outtros are legendary.
This is in the top 10 albums of all time! Great song ! Loved this album from the moment I heard the first song on the album back when it was first released!
SHAWN the reason why there are different styles is because Walter and Donald used different studio musician and tones on each song after that first album!
You interpreted the lyrics right-on, SD’s lyrical content typically has an adult sophistication. SD is sometimes referred to as Dad Rock because of the sophistication and sometimes the lyrics are not so straightforward, however do hold a meaning or a story. ✌🏽
Mid-70s fusion all over this song. You can look up some of the names and find great fusion from them. Joe Sample (The Jazz Crusaders) and Tom Scott, a great composer and sax soloist. He has worked with the best. Nobody reviews The Crusaders. But they should.
The coolest band in the universe. You gotta react to "Josie" from this album. It's badass. But everything from this band is fire. One of my very favorite bands.
This album..and honestly their next..Gaucho is perfection. You can pick a song and its gonna be good
I looked the up word perfection in the Oxford English and there was simply a picture of this album.
Spot on.
Favorite album ❤
EPIC TALENT! 😎👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
HUGE thumbs up!! Love you Shawn!!! Great song! Great reaction!!
Love how he locks into the meanings of the lyrics and gets the subtly of the music. It is fun to experience and sometimes learn something. Steely Dan gets jazz.
Crazy thing is, a song this complex, this soulful, this expertly crafted and performed was par for the course for these guys AND, just one of so many great tunes played regularly on FM radio back in the 70's.
Still my favorite track from my favorite of their albums (Aja was released in 1977). It’s perfection.
And one of the best reactions to it that I’ve ever seen. 😉
Great reaction, Shawn!!! I grew up in the 60s listening to Beatles music, but as I now still like to discover phenomenal music it seems like true musicians and music lovers consider Steely Dan as true innovators. So much yet to explore!!
I take it as he is the confidant who hangs out at the bar, probably the sax player, who ends up having to hear about all her trysts, that her husband is unaware of, and he is tired of hearing it.
Wow, so glad you got to hear this song, it's incredible. I believe the girl at the bar is a call girl with her book of numbers and the remedies are her pills that help her forget the night's work. How the pros play the game, they change their name. Every song on the album is stellar but Deacon Blues, Josie and Peg are standouts. More Dan please!
just an awesome album right down to Home at Last ...a great song by them in a diff style to check out is "Haitian Divorce"
You probably figured this song out better than most other reactors on your first listen. Some people still don't know that a Black Cow is a drink! But it's all good. Everyone still loved this track. So do I.
My favorite Steely Dan song love it love you
You have exquisite taste, Shawn. I greatly enjoy your reviews. As for your interpretation of Black Cow, it is spot on; that moment when you wake up and realize you are done with a relationship.
Legendary comedian and SNL alum Phil Hartman designed this album cover. Talented man.
WHAT???? I did not know
All their albums are really great!! 🎶❤️
Yea man, this whole album is ear candy, peace.
Love your reactions, Shawn. "You should know how all the pros play the game..." He's hopelessly infatuated with a high-priced, self-destructive "professional". I suspect that he's sung this song many times before, yet she manages to manipulate her way back into his heart. This song NEVER gets old.
It's so cool that you're doing that about learning about the evolution of music. It's called musicology. And in fact that was the name of Prince's last album before he died.
I have been a musicologist my entire life because I started taking classical piano lessons in kindergarten and they start you back in the Gregorian, then Baroque, Classical, Romantic, then into Modern.
And then of course I moved to Ragtime and Jazz and pop music and all that stuff and of course rock. But I always enjoyed listening to music from way before my time as well as the latest stuff, and from about college age I started listening to music from all different cultures from all over the world from all different times.
For example of what is the classical music of Japan? Versus some of the most amazing modern music that comes out of japan. And so on and so forth.
It's absolutely fascinating to me and it's about a lot more than just the music; it's also about culture and history and possibility for the future.
Not to mention that it amplifies my ability to play music and to appreciate listening to music by orders of magnitude. To see the connectivity between a lot of it over time is just fascinating.
Musicology was one of my favorite Prince albums ... after Dirty Mind - I'm old school
Steely Dan = Superb Yacht Rock. Super classy!
Music of my college years!
Love the way you feel the music..very cool.
I’ve watched you enough Shawn, to know when you’re gonna love a song. Like Zeppelin, I don’t think there are any bad songs by Steely Dan. You and I like that complex music. Great review!
Great album. Great band.
Your face says it all! Perfect reaction to one of their best! Love it!
You hooked me with your Dire Straits reactions, now you reel me in with Steely Dan. Thanks.😊
Sounds great! Blue tooth to a 100 watt tube amp into 3 way home built speakers. Volume unnecessarily loud 🤘
Definitely in my top 10 favorite albums......maybe top 5. Not a bad track on it!
when forced to choose - it's a tie. Aja vs. Joan Armatrading sent-titled album that included Down to Zero
Cool Breeze Shawn - more Steely Dan, please. I really enjoyed your commentary. Your Reaction Channel is Top Shelf Single Barrel
Whiskey Smooth. Thanks for all your hard work; you are greatly appreciated.
Haha, thanks Clifton, always great to hear you are enjoying the reactions 😁✌️
Shawn, good stuff. Suggest(heartache) .."Rockin alone in an old rocking chair" by Everly brothers...."I must be seeing things" by Gene Pitney......"Sylvia's mother" by Dr Hook....
" I don't like Mondays" by Boomtown Rats ....last song based on true story.
Bought this on vinyl when it was released. By that point I'd worn out Pretzel Logic.
You are doing a great job diving deeper into your knowledge.
I’m 73. As a youth we had one youth-oriented radio station on AM; FM was reserved for classical until the late 60’s. So we grew up listening to DoWap, Soul, Motown, Country, Movie tunes, R&B, lite jazz, Brazilian, soft rock, hard rock, psychedelic… you name it and it was thrown together like a smorgasbord. I’m really glad seeing your generation finding these gems. Keep it up brother.
One other comment, deep dive into Gino Vannelli’s Brother to Brother album. It’s amazing! 😉
REMEDIES REFERS TO DRUGS THEY MAY SCREEN OUT THE SORROW BUT WHERE ARE YOU TOMAROW,SOME SAY THIS SONG REFRENCES FAGENS FRUSTRATION WITH WALTER BECKERS DRUG PHASE AND HOW IT WAS AFFECTING THEIR RELATIONSHIP MUSCICALLY AND PERSNAL.
Book of numbers AND your remedies.
I thought that the remedies were pill bottles. I don’t know.
Deacon Blues, wtf?