Steely Dan’s 1977 album Aja became both their most critically acclaimed record and their biggest commercial success. Its achievements reflected the duo’s meticulous standards, alongside a reluctant decision to appoint manager Irving Azoff, whose industry connections and marketing strategy expanded the album’s reach.

Aja sold faster than any previous Steely Dan release, reached number three in the US and number five in the UK, and sold more than one million copies to gain platinum status. The band’s rigorous use of elite session musicians, including Bernard Purdie and Wayne Shorter, helped create its polished sound; the guitar part on “Peg” reportedly required 12 players before meeting their standards. The album also won the 1978 Grammy for Best Engineered Recording – Non-Classical.