20 ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND — EAT A PEACH
Simultaneously a tribute and a stop-gap after the untimely death of Duane Allman, Eat A Peach is slightly schizoid. A big double album, it includes three unreleased studio tracks featuring Duane, three live tracks from the Fillmore concerts, and three new studio songs without Duane. Yet the album works, especially for fans who craved an homage to the fallen guitarist. We have past (the live cuts), the present (recent recordings) and a glimpse of a post-Duane future. There are some great songs—the plaintive “Melissa” and an impassioned “Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More” are standouts—while the centrepiece is the monumental “Mountain Jam”, clocking in at an epic thirty-three minutes. Dickie Betts and Gregg Allman step up to fill a massive hole that is both musical and emotional and signal the path leading to the following year’s Brothers and Sisters. [Released February 1972]
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19 CLUSTER — CLUSTER II
This is the second album after Dieter Möbius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius Anglicised their band name from Kluster to Cluster. It is a step forward from the chilly minimalism of the preceding album, yet still largely eschews regular beats. Employing basic synthesisers and other electronic devices, the duo have managed to expand their palette of sounds making this a distorted yet stimulating trip into the outer reaches of the krautrock solar system. In passing, it should be noted that producer Conny Plank is listed as a composer on this LP, a rare but fully appropriate credit. Twitching pulses and industrial discord ensure Cluster II is never a boring listen, even at its sparse, repetitive best. You could say this is space rock without the rock; it will rearrange your head. [Recorded January1972]
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18 LOU REED — TRANSFORMER
Sashaying somewhere between high camp and glam, Lou Reed’s second solo LP yielded an unexpected hit in “Walk On The Wild Side”, a tale of sleaze and searching that has, astonishingly, become a staple of golden oldies playlists. Aided and abetted by David Bowie and his talented guitarist Mick Ronson, Lou’s stories benefit from the extra colour and texture of these musical settings. Examples that stand out are Ronson’s slashing guitar in “Vicious” and his nuanced arrangement for “Perfect Day”. Sometimes tough, often whimsical, Transformer was a cleaned and polished Lou Reed that connected with Bowie’s legion of glam fans and signalled the direction his solo career would take thereafter. [Released November 1972]
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17 STEELY DAN — CAN’T BUY A THRILL
If you worked backwards through the Steely Dan catalogue from the slick, world-weary lounge jazz of Gaucho to the debut LP Can’t Buy A Thrill, the latter would seem an uneven patchwork of sounds and styles. Yet taken on its merits, it is a strong first statement by a band still seeking its unique voice. The songs—all written by Donald Fagen and Walter Becker—are tight and well-constructed with “Do It Again” (not to be confused with the Beach Boys song of the same name) and “Reelin’ In The Years” being highlights. The use of blue-eyed pop/soul singer David Palmer is a bit jarring for those accustomed to Donal Fagen’s nasal drawl, yet the songs hold up surprisingly well (“Midnight Cruiser” is a good example). In sum, a significant beginning. [Released November 1972]
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16 TANGERINE DREAM — ZEIT
This drifting, captivating, disconcerting double album is a gem in the extensive Tangerine Dream catalogue. It is a record that slowly pulses like a mysterious alien heart. Across four dark ambient sides the German innovators created a world both chilling and enthralling, using electronic instruments supplemented by understated strings. This is a trip everyone should take, an experience of the Total Perspective Vortex that may leave you reeling but may well lure you back again and again. If New Age music was the anodyne, wheat-bag face of electronica, this is Mythic Age. Here be enlightenment, death, and the birth of the universe. [Released August 1972]
More on early Tangerine Dream here.
This fabulous boxed set includes an excellent booklet, postcards, and other ephemera. The double CD also has a contemporaneous live recording.
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vinylconnection.com.au 
Can’t Buy A Thrill is a longtime favorite of mine. Nice that you mention Palmer; I love his vocal on Dirty Work. Duane Allman is a member of the “what else would they have gifted us with?” club, made up of insanely gifted guitarists who died young. Other members include Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
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Spot on about Duane. There are two double album anthologies of his session work, amply demonstrating his skill and versatility. The one below came out, coincidentally, in 1972. Great stuff.
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I will second that this Duane anthology is indeed great stuff.
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You got two of my top 10 all-time favorite albums here. Ain’t that weird? Eat a Peach and Zeit . I would love to have that Zeit box set with the blue cover and everything, even though I have heard the bonus material already, which was so cool.
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Delighted to welcome another Zeit fan! Yeah, the live concert from ’72 is pretty amazing. Very happy to have the box.
Eat A Peach is simply a corker of an album, isn’t it?
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I used to collect their live albums and I had a bunch of those Tangerine Tree bootleg albums and all their regular live albums too. There’s like zillions. They put out more albums than anybody in the whole world. I never had all of them but in the early 2000s I had like maybe 40 or 50 of ther CDs, but I never got around to collecting them all. There’s over 200 I think.
And yes eat a peaches great. I’m not a huge fan of all their stuff, but that album I just love.
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And dozens of film soundtracks too. Man, those guys were prolific. That’s fascinating about the TD live albums. I have quite a few and have been tempted…. but thus far resisted.
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Eat a Peach remains one of my all time favorite albums…along with Transformer.
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That’s cool Max. I imagine more favourites might well appear in the next batch!
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Cool…great post.
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I’ve really become a Steely Dan fan over the years, so glad to see “Can’t Buy a Thrill”. Similar story with the Allmans. Once again you impress with your deep knowledge of Krautrock with Cluster, making this German really look ignorant! 🙂
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Loving the Dan is a requirement, isn’t it? 😉
As for the ‘krautrock’, certainly not trying to ‘one up’ anybody, and hope you enjoy these little snapshots of lesser known German artists. It’s been a treasured zone for many years.
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Glad you mention “Midnight Cruiser” on the Dan’s magnificent “Thrill.” It’s one of my very favorite Steely Dan songs. Drummer Jim Hodder is on lead vocals there, and I do so love his voice . . . he also sang lead on the forgotten/lost original “Dallas” single, which I also adore. And while Palmer was but a passing/transient member of the Dan, he went on to co-write an entire album (“Wrap Around Joy”) with Carole King, including the hit “Jazz Man,” so he’s left a couple of interesting marks on pop culture. I need to give “Zeit” a spin, have not heard it in years. Watched the (great) film “Sorcerer” a couple of weeks ago, and had forgotten how wild and radical its TD score seemed when it first came out, and how well it’s aged all these years on!
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Thanks for adding some nutritious details, JES.
Sorcerer is fantastic! I was fortunate to see the live performance with a screening not long before Edgar Froese died. (There’s a feature here if you are interested).
Cheers.
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Some great choices here, Bruce. If I’m not mistaken, I recall a gossipy-cum-catty anecdote about the Transformer album of Lou Reed. Of course, I have no idea of its truthfulness: I read somewhere that Lou brought the newly-finished Transformer to a New York City gathering of friends, which included John and Yoko, and he made everyone there listen to it from start to finish. He received compliments from all around after it played. Wanting to keep that warm feeling going, Reed said, “Let’s play it again” and got up to turn the album over to replay it. Lennon at this point had heard enough and said, “I think once is enough, Lou.” 🙂
“Can’t Buy a Thrill” is such a great album. I’m grateful for Eric’s information above about Jim Hodder and his vocal on Midnight Cruiser. That’s my favorite song on the album. – Marty
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Just a New York conversation, eh Marty?!
Really nice to read the affection for the Dan debut. A pleasant surprise, as I wondered if some might find it odd to see the LP in the top 20.
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At last a post that I have some from . Zeit is an annual pilgrimage in the bleak mid winter and I am working my way into C(K)luster still digesting that first album, they are pretty much the other sided of the musical tracks from Steely Dan but just as entertaining.
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I’ve been surprised and absolutely delighted to find there is a hidden coterie of Zeit lovers. Welcome, Neil! Maybe we need a tattoo of the cover or something.
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So far I only have Can’t Buy a Thrill on cassette – I think I’m ready to upgrade to the LP!
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Or even an 8-Track, Geoff? 🙂
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Like the song says, three out of five ain’t bad… As you could easily guess, it is Allmans, Steely, and Lou that reside here with me. Your relentless TD marketing makes me think I should give ’em another try each time. Maybe some day, but I do sure enough like the Sorcerer soundtrack. Quite envious of your live screening.
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What’s that US word? Shill. That”s it. My relentless shilling (of? for?) TD. It’s fair call, as they were doubtless a formative influence on my musical tastes, and the gateway to a sizeable chunk of the collection.
Sorcerer is great. So was the concert.
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I hadn’t realized “shill” was American c. 1914 (ran to look it up), I’d have guessed it was somehow related to a shilling as in 12 pence. Well, I guess you’re an effective pitchman, I’ve been listening to “Zeit” this afternoon and enjoying it, but not sure you’ll enjoy this reaction – – I absolutely cannot escape the sensation that it was recorded underwater, I’ve heard a muted foghorn a couple times, a faint snatch of whale-song and currently we seem to be filling with water and submerging. It’s very cool to sit back with your eyes closed and experience all this.
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There is a sense of depth (inner, outer, cosmic, Mariana) in the best TD music. I think wherever it takes you, enjoy the trip!
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Thank you, Bruce I really did enjoy floating along
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3 of those albums I listened to a lot. I friend made me a cool silk screen t-shirt of the Lou album. I sent Lou a users fee..
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Surely his estate should pay you?
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I was watching one of those “What’s in My Bag?” features with Matt Berry, an actor, musician, and all around very funny person, and what album should he pull out at the end but “Cluster II”?? I thought that was so cool.
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That is very cool. As is Matt Berry. I love the ‘Insomniacs’ LP.
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[…] almost brings us up to date. The past two posts have revealed albums #20-16, and […]
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