Aja Drum Poll

i go for gadd's clinic on "aja". shit kills me. (pretty purdie's stuff on "deacon blues" probably second. very pretty indeed.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXfdxlsc9hA

"home at last" is great too. see, i love the drums on the whole album. and today i was listening and "aja" just kicked my ass like it does every, i dunno, tenth time i play it. and i haven't listened to the album in a year or two. and i found a pristine copy at the flea market today. and man i just love it. but i had forgotten that there were five drummers for the whole thing. which makes the album even more fun to play cuz all five bring a little something different to their track (or tracks in purdie's case).

home at last is still my answer, but lots on youtube (aja doc is so great)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQLkpXacFUA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py0FdS-e960

I don't know from drums. But I would like to let the world know that my fave song on this album is "I Got the News" mainly for that mean (in more ways than one) "Broadway duchess" part. Really cooks. So does "Josie" when that beginning riff comes homes again towards the end. Still only my sixth or seventh fave SD album, though.

"Aja"

lol

The shuffle on "Home At Last" is godlike.

oh man. tempted to go for the purdie shuffle, although the "peg" beat might be even more killing.

these making ofs are so great: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7AjAvY_t0I

yeah, definitely one of the best episodes of Classic Albums. how is the 33 1/3 on Aja, has anyone here read it?

i had no idea that show was a thing. i'd love to see the stevie wonder ep.

that one's pretty swell too -- lots of Stevie in the studio replaying the keyboard and drum parts

they rerun episodes on VH1 Classic here and there, don't know if you get that channel

no cable. looks like a bunch of them are on netflix, but not stevie (but it's on youtube of course).

'Home At Last' is great but I've got to go with the title track, so many incredible bits. That fade-out!

title track has awesome drumming but it's also by far my least favorite song on the album so

otm

the two legends i've heard about the title are 1) gadd sight-read the song and it was a first take, and 2) he was so coked out of his head that he doesn't remember doing it.

reading the 33 1/3 Aja now, coincidentally. about 1/3 of the way through, so far i like the music theory that Don B is discussing. may not be everybody's cuppa tea

33 1/3 book not so good...

Yeah worst I've read so far. The stuff on lyrics? Yeesh!

Thank you for this poll. Very difficult. Hugely enjoyable drumming throughout. Black Cow, for the beat. Black Cow is my favorite song of all time, periodically.

For drums, the title track rules over this album. Really a beautifully written and performed piece of music overall and Steve Gadd just nails it home. The beat he goes into at the very end may be the best Steely Dan moment of all time.

I bought the 33 1/3 book a couple months ago - my favorite of the series so far, though I haven't read too many of them.

there is no way the best steely dan moment of all time is on this album, imo

So what's the best Steely Dan moment then?

Can't not vote for Purdie.

I made a new thread mood, don't wanna derail this one but I think it's a good subject

just got back from seeing them perform the whole album in its entirety. friggin REAL sweet. gotta go with "Peg", that high-hat action is just godliness.

this kid they have playing drums, Keith Carlock, is pretty sweet. He handled the Gadd fill nutsola from "Aja" real real well.

Hate to be boring, but it's the fills in "Aja" for me too.

the news

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

"Black Cow".

I always though Jeff Porcaro was playing on this one, he is on a lot of "Gaucho" then?

since this a Aja Drum Poll than my vote goes to "Josie" though "Peg" is a very close second.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

These results seem right.