One of my all-time favorite albums, "Aja" by Steely Dan, was released 35 years ago today [[Sept. 23, 1977). The album is considered the high watermark of Steely Dan's career, and was their best selling LP.

Originally released on ABC records, the album went all the way to #3 on Billboard's Hot 100 album charts in the U.S., and into the Top 5 in the U.K. The LP went platinum, selling over 5 million copies, and won the 1978 Grammy Award for Best Engineered Non-Classical Recording. It is listed at #145 among Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Aja was mostly recorded in early 1977 at various studios in Hollywood. Gary Katz was the producer. The track lineup:

Black Cow
Aja
Deacon Blues
Peg
Home At Last
I Got the News
Josie

In addition to Donald Fagan and Walter Becker, a host of great musicians played on the sessions, including Tom Scott, Bernard Purdie, Paul Humphrey, Larry Carlton, Chuck Rainey, Joe Sample, Jay Graydon, Larry Carlton, Victor Feldman, Lee Ritenour, Don Grolnick, Michael McDonald, Venetta Fields and Clydie King, among others. The great musical high point of the record is the explosive drumming of Steve Gadd and sax solo by Wayne Shorter during the extended interlude on the title track.

This album is one of my two desert island discs [[the other being What's Going On by MG). There isn't a single dull musical moment on the entire record! It's now 35 years old, and sounds like it hasn't aged a day. That's the mark of great music.

So dig out your copy of Aja today, give it a spin, drink your big black cow, and get outta here. So outrageous!

Info from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aja_[[album)