The 1977 masterpiece Joni Mitchell called overrated: “I fail to see it”
Joni Mitchell questioned the acclaim for Steely Dan’s 1977 album *Aja*, saying she failed to see its eccentricity. The article presents her view as part of a wider contrast: Mitchell’s own jazz-influenced work was initially less readily accepted, while *Aja* was celebrated as a landmark.
Mitchell said she had begun adding jazz overtones to her music before that sound became more acceptable. The article links this shift to her work with jazz musicians such as the LA Express and guitarist Larry Carlton, and notes that she later had positive things to say about Steely Dan’s *Gaucho*, released after *Aja*.
- Joni Mitchell questioned the acclaim for Steely Dan’s *Aja*.
- She said jazz influences in her own music had initially been less accepted.
- Mitchell praised Steely Dan’s later album *Gaucho*.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Aja’s acclaim is understandable: its intricate arrangements, polished performances and blend of jazz and rock made it a distinctive, carefully crafted album that has endured with listeners. Mitchell’s failure to find it eccentric reflects a reasonable difference in taste and in what each artist valued as musical risk.
The case against
Mitchell’s scepticism also has a fair basis: technical polish and jazz-inflected arrangements need not amount to genuine eccentricity, and a celebrated album can seem less adventurous beside work that took greater risks. Her own early experience of introducing jazz into popular songwriting may have informed her view that Aja’s reputation outpaced its originality.