Aja

steely dan’s sixth album is easy on the ears, thanks to both its meticulous production, pristine playing, and its excellent songs — this was Walter Becker and Donald Fagen’s no-holdsbarred stab at mainstream jazz-pop success. And sure enough, thanks to sweet, slippery tracks like “Deacon Blues” and “Peg,” this collegiate band with a songbook full of smart, cynical lyrics became bona fide superstars.