10 Rock Songs That Have Obvious Mistakes In Them
6. Aja - Steely Dan
As Steely Dan entered the album sessions for Aja, they felt like much more of a studio institution than an actual band. Not willing to go on the road and making a home for themselves in front of the control room board, Donald Fagen and Walter Becker were aiming for musical perfection in most cases, hiring different sessions musicians to play parts over and over again until they were just right. Even when they have the right guy behind the glass though, that doesn't mean there isn't any room for human error as well.
In the early run throughs for the title track, Fagen and Becker initially were thinking of session drummer Jim Keltner to play the song, before bringing in Steve Gadd to deliver a masterclass behind the kit. From the sounds of what they eventually got, you knew they got the right guy, going from the subdued sounds of the verses to the climax of the song where Steve tears through different drum fills without even sounding like he broke a sweat.
It takes a lot of energy to play drum solos like this, so it would make sense that Gadd had almost too much energy than there were drums, eventually ending his soloing showcase by clicking his sticks together, which bled through into the final mix. This was the age of the virtuoso musician, but it didn't hurt having little bits left in the mix to show the listener you were still human.