Product Details

• Actors: Walter Becker, Ian Dury, Donald Fagen, Gary J. Katz, Michael McDonald
• Directors: Alan Lewens
• Producers: Bous De Jong, Martin R. Smith, Nick De Grunwald
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Rhino / Wea
• VHS Release Date: July 25, 2000
• Run Time: 60 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (72 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 630594850X
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #351,775 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Aja--one of the greatest albums ever produced.., April 7, 2000

By 

Gavin Hadley (Avon, IN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Classic Albums: Steely Dan - Aja (DVD)

This insiders look at the recording process plus a peek into the Becker/Fagen persona is extremely well done. How the Aja album is able to simultaneously evoke southern CA and NY imagery starts making sense now. Hearing all those Peg guitar solos that never made the cut along with Don and Walter's commentary is something that any Dan fan or guitarist will appreciate. I always thought that the SD was largely Don Fagen and that Becker was sort of along for the ride but this DVD sheds new light on that for me. Walter Becker is an incredible producer and I would be willing to bet he contributes well over 50% lyrically. But where would they be without that Fagen voice?

I'm not sure where Aja stands on your list of favorite albums, but it's at the very top of mine. Listen to it a couple of times, then watch this video. You will have a new appreciation for the album--its creators Becker and Fagen and the many musicians who played on it.

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oh nothing, just the deconstruction of a masterpiece..., February 26, 2001

By 

Jon Ell "jon-el" (Aliso Viejo, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Classic Albums: Steely Dan - Aja (DVD)

This DVD is a must-see/must-own for any serious fan of the Dan. Aja remains the duo's landmark album; more than that one of the shortlist of truly significant, groundbreaking "rock" albums of the '70s. Presented in a documentary style, it gives a brief background into the history of the band, then proceeds directly to the music itself. Donald and Walter attempt to break it down song by song, track by track, supplementing their revealing insights with interviews with the individual session players on each song, e.g., Larry Carlton, Bernard "Pretty" Purdie, Wayne Shorter, Michael McDonald, etc. I've shown this DVD to friends not intimately acquainted with SD and turned them into instant fans of the music. Btw, this makes a great companion to the Two Against Nature DVD. Although it lacks "2vN's" lush DTS 5.1 sound, it more than makes up for it with a truly revealing look at a remarkable album for all time.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Education in the making, May 17, 2007

By 

S J Buck (Kent, UK) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Steely Dan - Aja (DVD)

This is a marvellous DVD on the making of Steely Dans great album Aja. All of Walter Becker and Donald Fagans legendary perfectionism is on display.
Fortunately for us all the tapes of their sessions were saved, so we are able to hear some of the fabulous guitar solos they rejected for Peg; but then when you re-hear the original you understand why. There are interviews with many guest musicians: Jazz Tenor great Wayne Shorter.
Drummer Bernard Purdie who demonstrates his uniquely funky drumming style.
Michael McDonald talks about some the fiendishly difficult backing vocals he multi-tracked with himself.

This is an essential purchase for the Dan fan or for anybody generally interested in the music making process by two of the most fascinating musicians in the business.