#30
STEELY DAN — PRETZEL LOGIC
What is the difference between a VG and an EX Steely Dan album? Countdown To Ecstasy from 1973 came in at #21 on the 73 FROM ’73 COUNTDOWN while Pretzel Logic sits at a more modest (but still creditable) #30. There’s something here about expectations, of course, but that would take an essay to explore. In the meantime, we have Steely Dan’s third album, containing their biggest single “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number.”
There are other pleasures, too, such as the surprisingly gentle “Any Major Dude” and “Pretzel Logic” itself, featuring Walter Becker’s first guitar solo on a Dan record. Yet some tracks — “Charlie Freak” for example, or a pleasant but scarcely essential cover of Duke Ellington’s “East St Lions Toodle-oo”, even the not-so-memorable “Barrytown” — lack that special Dan fizz. So we will focus on the good bits, like the funky “Night by Night” and the supercharged “With a Gun”.
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#29
THE COSMIC JOKERS — THE COSMIC JOKERS
’Twas a tricky choice between this and Galactic Supermarket. After all, both (and three other LPs) were recorded at the same series of jam sessions recorded by Connie Plank and released—without the artists permission, or even knowledge—by Rolf-Ulrich Kaiser in 1974 (and beyond). Comprising musicians from Ash Ra Tempel and Wallenstein, the playing is outstanding throughout, with a relaxed yet deeply trippy groove waxing and waning across two sides. The trip draws you in and takes you to cosmic places in a uniquely krautrock way that was hugely influential in the sub-genre that became known as space rock. Brain expanding stuff.
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#28
SKYHOOKS — LIVING IN THE SEVENTIES
It is no accident that Skyhooks debut LP has appeared in these pages twice before. It was a blast of fresh air when it arrived in ’74 and, if you can look past the ‘glam’ face makeup and costumes, Living In The Seventies still sounds pretty damn good. Could songs like “Horror Movie,” the title track, and “Lygon Street Limbo” still be relevant fifty years on? Well, TV news is still a suppurating “Horror Movie”, the current decade is no less disorientating than the 70s were, and I drank a cappuccino on Lygon Street last Wednesday. The only real difference was that we’re not wearing flares today, although I’ve heard they’re making a comeback.
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#27
CAN — SOON OVER BABALUMA
With both Malcolm Mooney and Damo Suzuki gone, Can ambled towards a more instrumentally based approach with this album. The vocals are still there (as on jaunty opener “Dizzy Dizzy”) but much less foreground. Something more foreground is the violin of guitarist Michael Karoli, somehow augmenting the European flavour of the LP.
This is an accessible album that retains an air of the exotic, of mystery. Like a wood-panelled salon lit by electric candles, where the bar is slightly different every time you go for a drink. Sit back with your absinthe and enjoy.
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#26
DAVID BOWIE —DIAMOND DOGS
What is the difference between a VG and an EX Bowie album? Aladdin Sane from 1973 came in at #11 on the 73 FROM ’73 COUNTDOWN while Diamond Dogs sits at a more modest (but still creditable) #26. There are strong tracks on this semi-glam sci-fi rock concept album yet the whole thing is a little underwhelming. Is the problem too many ideas duking it out?
The title track provides an attention grabbing opening and “Sweet Thing” is a terrific follow up. Then things get a little muddled. “Canditate” and the “Sweet Thing” reprise are incoherent/unnecessary respectively and side one ends with “Rebel Rebel”, which has at least two brilliant ideas but sounds incomplete. Tony Visconti ceded the producer’s chair to Bowie, so maybe there was no-one there to say, “Hey, David, this is really good but if you want a world-wide #1—and this could do it—you need to write another verse, sharpen up the middle and generally concentrate a bit harder.”
Side two opens with the ho-hum 50s pastiche of “Rock ’n’ Roll with me” but picks up to deliver a classic one-two Bowie salvo in “1984” / “Big Brother.” The former, particularly, is an album highlight.
In truth, this three star Bowie album would be a classic four star effort by almost anyone else, and I would encourage those unfamiliar with Diamond Dogs to give it a proper listen or three. Perhaps we demand too much from our heroes.*
* It should be noted that Vinyl Connection owns five copies of Pretzel Logic and three of Diamond Dogs, so our carping should be taken with a grain of pretzel salt or e even a deposit of doggy doo-doo.
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vinylconnection.com.au 
Charlie Freak was a good tune from this LP.
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There you go. 🙂
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Seeing albums in your countdown always makes me feel a little less ignorant! 🙂
Plus, with Steely Dan’s “Pretzel Logic” and David Bowie’s “Diamond Dogs” you got two albums I like. I included “Pretzel Logic” in my preview post about albums turning 50 this year back in January. I also did a dedicated post on “Pretzel Logic”, timed to its February 20 anniversary date. If anything, my appreciation of this album has increased over the past 6-8 years or so.
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Your comments point towards that like/love boundary, Christian. Yes, I’m with you; both are enjoyable albums that sit comfortably with the rest of each artist’s catalogue. It’s the good/great divide, I guess; always a most subjective call. 🙂
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With a Gun is one of my all time favorite Dan tracks. The Bowie is a challenge at times to like.
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That’s one I picked out too, Neil.
I was a bit worried I might get flamed for being less than passionate about Diamond Dogs but there you go; I’m not alone. A solid album that falls just short of greatness.
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There is some choice material at the end of the year. A choice pun therefore seems in order:-
Can is doable.
Thank you
DD
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Thank you. You’re a ‘can do’ kind of guy. 🙂
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Excellent post as usual VC. I don’t remember Can so will have to look them up. Of course being a teenager in 74′ The party scene had me forgetting lots of things lol. Have a great day and thanx for the memories.
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A pleasure, Ernie D. 🙂
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Five copies of Pretzel Logic and three of DD. That’s dedication, man. Or something. I love it. Yeah was sad about that Can album, it’s like the soda really lost its fizz starting here. And got kind of increasingly weird but not in a weird way I’d enjoyed before, as they went on in the decade. Some good stuff but you had to look harder for it I found.
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Definitely ‘something’, Bill. And yes, I think Can had peaked by the time of Babaluma.
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I wished they would have toured more.
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Steely Dan? Yes, they were not keen back in the day. I managed to see them three times after they reformed in the 90s. Cracking musicians.
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Steely Dan should have started touring in the 70’s after the Aja LP. They had some very good studio musicians playing on their albums.
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True. Problem was, they hated touring!
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They were lucky their record company didn’t make them promote their LP’s on the road.
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There was pressure, but fortunately for them the band had achieve enough success in terms of record sales that they were able to stand their ground.
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I like Diamond Dogs quite a bit, but it’s second-tier Bowie for me – still a place few other artists could ever aspire to, let alone reach. I have never heard this Can one, but I do have the Cosmic Jokers one.
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Confession: I was worried you might draw and quarter me for being a little reserved about Diamond Dogs. Phew.
Have you written on the Cosmic Jokers, Joe-ker? I reckon you could give St Julian a run for his money on this one.
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Pretzel Logic is inconsistent IMO, but has some of my favourite Dan tunes like Night by Night and Any Major Dude. Would probably have it higher.
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And fair enough too! There are no Dan albums that wouldn’t make a ‘Best of the Year’ for me. Perhaps you are the same, G.
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Are you counting the reunion ones? I’m not sure if I’d include them. Gaucho might struggle too, even though I really like the title track.
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I think I like Steely Dan more than you! Gaucho would get Bronze on my podium. Probably. 😉
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A little mustard on my pretzel please!
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