Random Music Talk CXXXI: Interference Finally Gets Its Revenge on Cobbler

[lazarus]

Finally had some time to go through Gaucho and determine the best placement for this, and your first impulse is the best option in my opinion. It perfectly balances out the ending of the album with the slower songs. I considered it at the end of S1 but the tempo is too similar to Glamour and just doesn't work as well. And I like Gaucho ending the side anyway.

Also, the song has been getting the fan treatment these last few days. I think this person did a great job with the DAT recording; it's the best I've heard it.

https://archive.org/details/nichols-tapes

Yeah I’ve heard some good cleanup jobs already. This guy took the full vocal from the DAT and combined it with some of the clearer arrangements from the cassette version, but keeping the faster/more accurate tempo from the DAT:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dCBsziakty8kLsHtUTHNpv4WDVf2k_l_/view

 

[cobl04]

This has inspired me to finally go all in on the Dan. I'm going to do an old-fashioned Cobbler post, ranking each album and the tracks.

 

[cobl04]

Alright, here's four of their seven. Katy Lied, Royal Scam, Gaucho up next.

Aja. 10.
Just a perfect record. I still remember where I was when I first heard it; on a flight to the US for a family holiday. I queued up a few records to listen to, one of them was 21st Century Breakdown by Green Day, and another was Aja. I still remember to this day getting a couple minutes into Black Cow and thinking, “I’ve been waiting for this album my whole life”. Eventually I saw the Classic Albums doco and it took my love for the record to another level. I Got the News is my least favourite song but that Michael McDonald verse is out of this world.
- Black Cow 10
- Aja 10
- Deacon Blues 10
- Peg 10
- Home at Last 10
- I Got the News 8
- Josie 9


Can’t Buy a Thrill. 8.
The hooks on this record are so fucking good. The three most well-known tracks are all absolute masterpieces, and Midnite Cruiser is my favourite outside of that, such a good chorus (and there’s a 3-4 second piano chord progression that comes in after the chorus that reminds me so much of Station to Station, or some other Berlin/TWD Bowie song). It starts to fall off pretty sharply after Reelin though. I really enjoy David Palmer and Jim Hodder’s vocals on this record, and though Donald Fagen is one of my favourite singers, it’s a shame there wasn’t more of them.
- Do it Again 10
- Dirty Work 10
- Kings 8
- Midnite Cruiser 9
- Only a Fool Would Say That 7
- Reelin’ in the Years 10
- Fire in the Hole 5
- Brooklyn (Owes the Charmer Under Me) 8
- Change of the Guard 7
- Turn that Heartbeat Over Again 7


Countdown to Ecstasy. 8.
Exceptionally consistent, and it has three of the band’s very, very, very best songs. So good they may even take up three of the four Rushmore spots. Show Biz Kids fucks. Old School is heaps of fun and Boston Rag’s chorus is monstrous. This band’s ability to write an incredible hook is severely underrated.
- Bodhisattva 8
- Razor Boy 8
- The Boston Rag 10
- Your Gold Teeth 7
- Show Biz Kids 10
- My Old School 10
- Pearl of the Quarter 7
- King of the World 8


Pretzel Logic. 7.
The highs are really high, and Pretzel Logic has newly landed itself amongst my upper echelon of Dan songs. Starts really hot but ends with a bit of a whimper imo. I feel like Rikki seems like more of a Can’t Buy a Thrill song, bit of a red herring on this record. Would like to know more about the title and cover if anyone knows.
- Rikki Don’t Lose That Number 10
- Night By Night 8
- Any Major Dude Will Tell You 8
- Barrytown 9
- East St Louis Toodle-Oo 5
- Parker’s Band 9
- Through With Buzz 7
- Pretzel Logic 10
- With a Gun 6
- Charlie Freak 7
- Monkey in Your Soul 7

 

[lazarus]

Despite being a fan for a longer time and knowing most of these albums backwards and forwards, I agree with almost everything you've written, and only differ on some of the point ratings. You're right that I Got The News is the weak link on Aja but is still very, very strong, not just because of that great Michael McDonald middle-8, but that off-kilter beat. Obviously easier to do when you only have 7 tracks, but I don't know if there's any other album that has that high of an average from song to song. And none sound alike.

I consider Countdown to be my personal favorite, as it has a normal band's energy before they went into hired gun mode, but the variety is astonishing for a sophomore album. And you can hear some early excursions into jazz as well. I was surprised you gave it the same rating as Thrill, but technically your average scores are 8.1 and 8.5 so I guess you did. Personally I think Bodhisaatva and King of the World should be scored higher.

You're also right on about Pretzel Logic, which indeed has some very high highs but the second side feels a bit like the Abbey Road melody with these mostly short song sketches, but the problem is they're unmemorable, aside from that blistering title track. Again, I'd rate Night by Night and Any Major Dude higher, both of which I prefer to Barrytown and Fagen's strained vocal.

Katy Lied was my favorite when I first started getting into the band, and I think it's very similar to Pretzel but with better songs. It has what may be their weakest closing track (alongside Pretzel's Monkey), unfortunately. So I'm very curious what you'll think of that one.

 

[cobl04]

Thanks for your thoughts, really enjoy reading them! I should definitely have Countdown as a 9, and I think I could definitely be persuaded to give or take a point or two of tracks like Bodhisattva, Barrytown, Major Dude.

 

[DaveC]

steely dan is the second best band named after a dildo

 

[Hewson]

steely dan is the second best band named after a dildo

Nine Inch (with) Nails?

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Smashmouth

 

[monkeyskin]

Don’t forget Peggy Sue.

 

[cobl04]

The new ANONHI record is great

 

[gump]

The new ANONHI record is great

It is so so good. Somehow better than their earlier records, which were amazing. It is probably amongst my 5 or 10 favorite records this year. Admittedly I have not listened to that much new music lately - new baby came in May so it's been hectic. But I'd appreciate recommendations of what you guys have enjoyed so far.

 

[cobl04]

I adore Can't and Rest. It's not what I expected; Drone Bomb Me is one of my favourite songs ever and I assumed the new record would be in a similar synth pop vein but it's totally different.

I saw a Steely Dan covers band play in a jazz club in the CBD the other night, they did Aja in full. They didn't play it in order (they did Black Cow > I Got the News > Josie > Deacon Blues > Home at Last > Peg > Aja) which I wasn't crazy about at first but in a live context it made sense. I could listen to that dark piano line/hi-hat outro from Aja on a loop for hours. The singer was okay, but his voice lacked personality and holy shit did he turn Josie into an aural contraceptive pill. Reviews of Katy Lied, Royal Scam and Gaucho coming soon.

 

[cobl04]

I could see the real thing, they have dates around the U2 concerts, but they're all opening for the Eagles, and I'm not interested in seeing them really, and imagine the Dan set would be shortened.

 

[Hewson]

I could see the real thing, they have dates around the U2 concerts, but they're all opening for the Eagles, and I'm not interested in seeing them really, and imagine the Dan set would be shortened.

And tickets likely very expensive.
Eagles were the first rock band to eclipse $100.00 for tickets back in the 90's with the "Hell Freezes Over" tour. One would have to assume their supposed final tour will not be cheap.

 

[LemonMelon]

Fuck it, I'll play along with Cobbs:


CAN'T BUY A THRILL
Do It Again 9
Dirty Work 9
Kings 7
Midnite Cruiser 9
Only a Fool Would Say That 9
Reelin in the Years 10
Fire in the Hole 8
Brooklyn 7
Change of the Guard 6
Turn That Heartbeat Over Again 9


COUNTDOWN TO ECSTASY
Bodhisattva 9
Razor Boy 8
The Boston Rag 10
Your Gold Teeth 7
Show Biz Kids 7
My Old School 10
Pearl of the Quarter 8
King of the World 9


PRETZEL LOGIC
Rikki Don't Lose That Number 10
Night By Night 9
Any Major Dude Will Tell You 10
Barrytown 9
East St Louis Toodle-Oo 7
Parker's Band 8
Through With Buzz 8
Pretzel Logic 9
With a Gun 7
Charlie Freak 8
Monkey in Your Soul 7


KATY LIED
Black Friday 8
Bad Sneakers 10
Rose Darling 8
Daddy Don't Live in That New York City No More 7
Doctor Wu 10
Everyone's Gone to the Movies 8
Your Gold Teeth II 8
Chain Lightning 7
Any World (That I'm Welcome To) 9
Throw Back the Little Ones 8


THE ROYAL SCAM
Kid Charlemagne 10
The Caves of Altamira 9
Don't Take Me Alive 9
Sign in Stranger 9
The Fez 8
Golden Earrings 8
Haitian Divorce 7
Everything You Did 7
The Royal Scam 9


AJA
Black Cow 10
Aja 10
Deacon Blues 10
Peg 10
Home At Last 9
I Got the News 8
Josie 9


GAUCHO
Babylon Sisters 10
Hey Nineteen 9
Glamour Profession 8
Gaucho 9
Time Out of Mind 10
My Rival 7
Third World Man 7
*The Second Arrangement 8


TWO AGAINST NATURE
Gaslighting Abbie 8
What a Shame About Me 8
Two Against Nature 8
Janie Runaway 8
Almost Gothic 9
Jack of Speed 8
Cousin Dupree 7
Negative Girl 8
West of Hollywood 7


EVERYTHING MUST GO
The Last Mall 6
Things I Miss the Most 7
Blues Beach 6
Godwhacker 6
Slang of Ages 6
Green Book 6
Pixeleen 7
Lunch With Gina 6
Everything Must Go 7


The only really average Steely Dan album is Everything Must Go. It's missing some bite, but it is listenable and tasteful. Two Against Nature is actually super consistent but the highs aren't as high as their classic work. The original seven Steely Dan albums are varying levels of great to excellent with only a few weak tracks across all of them. I rank Aja as one of the top 5-10 albums ever made.

 

[cobl04]

We gotta rank FM as well, I learnt about that from the covers band I saw I'd give it 9, maybe 10.

Nice LM. I'm gonna need explanations for the scores for Show Biz Kids, Home at Last, Fire in the Hole and East St Louis.

 

[LemonMelon]

I'd give FM and Here at the Western World easy 9s, maybe 10s.

If you haven't heard Here at the Western World, it's an absolute must-listen. Very melancholy non-album track that sounds like a bridge from Katy Lied to the hedonistic LA sleaze of The Royal Scam. It landed on a greatest hits comp and a box set.

 

[phanan]

Yeah those two tracks are essential and I add them to Royal Scam and Aja when listening.

Was also listening to some recently cleaned up versions of songs from the Lost Gaucho bootleg on YouTube the other day. The Bear is so good.

Funny how Gaucho is like their Let It Be. It might not be considered their best album but the sessions for it are so damn intriguing.

 

[lazarus]

I could see the real thing, they have dates around the U2 concerts, but they're all opening for the Eagles

 

[lazarus]

I'm glad multiple people pointed out Here At The Western World already. I first got into SD via the Citizen Steely Dan boxed set, which is chronological so it was placed right inbetween the Royal Scam and Aja tracks. It's phenomenal and I'd rank it over several Royal Scam tracks it was recorded with.

COUNTDOWN TO ECSTASY
Your Gold Teeth 7
Show Biz Kids 7

KATY LIED
Throw Back the Little Ones 8

Does not compute. That weak-ass closer is in no way better than those two Countdown tracks.

EVERYTHING MUST GO
The Last Mall 6
Things I Miss the Most 7
Blues Beach 6
Godwhacker 6
Slang of Ages 6
Green Book 6
Pixeleen 7
Lunch With Gina 6
Everything Must Go 7

The only really average Steely Dan album is Everything Must Go. It's missing some bite, but it is listenable and tasteful. Two Against Nature is actually super consistent but the highs aren't as high as their classic work. The original seven Steely Dan albums are varying levels of great to excellent with only a few weak tracks across all of them. I rank Aja as one of the top 5-10 albums ever made.

I'm in a minority of Dan fans who prefer Everything to Nature, and I'm not sure I can pinpoint why. Something about its overall sound, maybe. If memory serves it was actually recorded as more of a live band performance compared to their usual meticulously-crafted assemblies. I think The Last Mall might be their weakest opener, and It's A Shame About Me arguably their weakest single. But I find Blues Beach to be a perfect little bop, Green Book has the great dueling solo between Becker's guitar and Fagen's...whatever he's playing. And for me the closing title track is such a perfect one to go out on, even if the title and lyrics are on the nose. The vocal melody is so catchy, there's a great laidback groove, and while Walt Weiskopft might not be Wayne Shorter or even Tom Scott, I think his sax shines on this one. Nature is indeed more consistent (and I think you scored West of Hollywood too low), but I'd put those three ETG tracks I just mentioned above anything on Nature.

So happy that the Danaissance has reached this forum.

 

[LemonMelon]

West of Hollywood probably should have gotten an 8 because of the outro, which is admittedly fucking sick. I've just never gotten much out of the syllabically overstuffed chorus the way I do, for example, Bad Sneakers', which contains a rare example of a breathless tumble of words sounding completely natural and heartfelt. What a great song.

Throw Back the Little Ones is a flat closer, but I love that song. The surreal storytelling, the classical piano outro, the horn arrangement during the instrumental break, it's such a delight.

 

[lazarus]

Throw Back the Little Ones is a flat closer, but I love that song. The surreal storytelling, the classical piano outro, the horn arrangement during the instrumental break, it's such a delight.

I wouldn't mind it as much if it switched places with Any World, which would have made a much better closer.

And of course, as brilliant as Aja is, there's a case to be made that Josie is an odd closer and that Home At Last might work in that spot better.

Also, a bit of trivia about F.M. that I found fascinating:

When they went to the studio, they were able to record "FM" as quickly as they had written it.[7] It was built up from a click track. Fagen played piano, and Becker handled all the bass and guitar work, including the solo on the song's outro. This was the only Steely Dan song where Becker and Fagen performed most of the instrumentation

Becker's guitar solo is fucking sick. And there are actually two prominent versions of the song, so a lot of people haven't even heard that original one:

"FM"'s first appearance on one of the group's albums is the original 1982 release of the compilation album Gold, which uses the 4:50 full-length version. The later compilation albums A Decade of Steely Dan and The Definitive Collection use this version as well. A fourth version of "FM" was created by removing the guitar solo from the end of the original track, and using the "FM (reprise)" saxophone version as a new ending, yielding a running time of 5:06. This hybrid version appears on the 1991 compilation Gold (Expanded Edition),[11] as well as the Citizen Steely Dan box set and the Showbiz Kids: The Steely Dan Story, 1972–1980 compilation[12]

 

[cobl04]

It was built up from a click track

My name is Giovanni Giorgio
but
everybody calls me
Giorgio.

*the most boring synth line ever created starts up*

 

[lazarus]

 

[LemonMelon]

The compliment has been overused to the point of meaninglessness, but man Bob Dylan's Desire is such a fucking vibe. One of the best produced albums I've ever heard. It's so rich, warm and inviting even when the subject matter is harrowing. Bob's voice is superb, Emmylou does tremendously well backing him up, the violin, the textures and tone color, it's out of this world.

I've been experimenting with MDMA this year and have come to appreciate the texture and feel of music more than I ever have. People associate the drug with dance music, and it is wonderful in that capacity because of the bass and because it encourages dancing and touch. But honestly any music that sounds warm and comforting and is already pushing out serotonin for you will sound incredible. Desire is an album that I'm going to have to try at some point, maybe when I roll again in a few months. I'm trying to space it out.

The last time I did it with friends at their house, we listened to Avalanches, Daft Punk, The 1975, Magdalena Bay, that kind of thing, but also dream pop and shoegaze like Lush and MBV. I listened to some Steely Dan later in the night. The best experience I've ever had with it though was listening to Kurt Vile's Wakin on a Pretty Daze album. I've never been so relaxed in my life. I'm a deeply anxious person but felt nothing but bliss.

I only have weed on rare occasions these days, but earlier this year I did have a wonderful experience listening to the Beach Boys and Laura Nyro on edibles with friends. Usually edibles set off my anxiety but Til I Die/Surf's Up was unforgettable that night. Most of the time I'm so on edge with weed that I just end up listening to lofi study beats or maybe Blonde if I'm feeling a little adventurous.

 

[cobl04]

Thanks for sharing! I love MDMA but only use it a handful of times a year because it takes me a couple days to recover. I saw Thundercat a few weeks ago on a date and we had MD and it was awesome. Then we did nangs (I think you call them whippets) and ketamine and laid in bed with me changing the songs every so often. Listening to Someone Great and Massive Attack on ket was pretty amazing, and I felt very relaxed, although also a bit confused and paranoid, partly because that deeply anxious part of me just won't let go.

 

[LemonMelon]

I've been taking molly at 3 month intervals, not because of the comedowns but because I want the effects to stay as potent as they have been without increasing the dosage. The comedowns are ass if you mix it with anything; the last time I rolled, I drank during the comedown and felt it the next day. A little 5-HTP and extra sleep helped a lot, but I felt it. When I took it by itself, I actually felt an afterglow the next day and it was wonderful.

I'm not a very experimental guy when it comes to drugs, but ketamine sounds pleasant. I'd also be willing to do low-dose shrooms even though psychedelics don't agree with me; they're readily available in California and I know some people who microdose that I could do it with. 2c-b interests me as a midway point between acid and molly but it still seems a little too mind fucky for me.

Coke is around me constantly but that shit would end my life as I know it so I haven't tried it. There are few things more annoying than being sober at a party full of cokeheads but I'm getting familiar with the experience lol

 

[LemonMelon]

These are some of the songs I've been listening to lately:











And I have a playlist going that lines up with what we're talking about:

Plateau

The first 90 or so songs are vaguely ordered but I keep adding things to it so I haven't bothered sequencing the rest.

 

[iron yuppie]

The compliment has been overused to the point of meaninglessness, but man Bob Dylan's Desire is such a fucking vibe. One of the best produced albums I've ever heard. It's so rich, warm and inviting even when the subject matter is harrowing. Bob's voice is superb, Emmylou does tremendously well backing him up, the violin, the textures and tone color, it's out of this world.

If I were forced to choose my favorite Dylan song, it would probably be One More Cup of Coffee.

 

[lazarus]

I've been experimenting with MDMA this year and have come to appreciate the texture and feel of music more than I ever have. People associate the drug with dance music, and it is wonderful in that capacity because of the bass and because it encourages dancing and touch. But honestly any music that sounds warm and comforting and is already pushing out serotonin for you will sound incredible. Desire is an album that I'm going to have to try at some point, maybe when I roll again in a few months. I'm trying to space it out.

The last time I did it with friends at their house, we listened to Avalanches, Daft Punk, The 1975, Magdalena Bay, that kind of thing, but also dream pop and shoegaze like Lush and MBV. I listened to some Steely Dan later in the night. The best experience I've ever had with it though was listening to Kurt Vile's Wakin on a Pretty Daze album. I've never been so relaxed in my life. I'm a deeply anxious person but felt nothing but bliss.

I only have weed on rare occasions these days, but earlier this year I did have a wonderful experience listening to the Beach Boys and Laura Nyro on edibles with friends. Usually edibles set off my anxiety but Til I Die/Surf's Up was unforgettable that night. Most of the time I'm so on edge with weed that I just end up listening to lofi study beats or maybe Blonde if I'm feeling a little adventurous.

No Pink Floyd? Back in college we had a ritual where once a week we'd sit in one of our friend's dorm rooms with the lights out, on various substances, and listen to Meddle straight through, no talking allowed.

I imagine TUF would be a pleasurable experience as well in terms of texture and comfort.