What we do when we talk about Katy Lied and Gaucho (and The Dan generally)

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clive gash
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What we do when we talk about Katy Lied and Gaucho (and The Dan generally)

Postby clive gash » 07 Nov 2016, 23:07

One of my first box sets was Citizen Steely Dan, I loved all of it but the final disc was hard to court. A decade or so later as the CDs were reissued, Ian MacDonald reviewed them, this reignited my love. I truly believe them to be the best ever.

Mac rated them all very highly (4.5 or 5 Stars, conservative I feel) bar Katy Lied which only got 3 or 3.5. Being an ex-Punk, it was always going to be Gaucho that was going to rub me the wrong way and so it was until recently.

But I've made my peace with "Time Out of Mind". The next track still sticks craw-wise but "Third World Man" is Gaucho's "Aja". Lose "My Rival" and put a harder-hitting version of "FM" at the end in the "Josie" position and, whoop! whoop! Gaucho now is one of the top 3 Dan. So the spotlight falls on the next weakest, you know, only a 8/10er.

Katy Lied

I will be mulling this album over, track by track and with many diversions. Not tonight obviously, I'm bored and I've forgotten some of the things I dreamt up an hour ago under the influence.

So, please - pile in. Let this thread also be the Rosetta Stone for BCB metal-leggers, at some point i'll chip in with Two Against Nature chat.
Last edited by clive gash on 08 Nov 2016, 00:27, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: What we do when we talk about Katy Lied and Gaucho (and The Dan generally)

Postby clive gash » 07 Nov 2016, 23:15

My theory? After the (supposed) murky mix on this one, The Dan decided to kick balls on their next.
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...a multitude of innuendo and hearsay...

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Re: What we do when we talk about Katy Lied and Gaucho (and The Dan generally)

Postby Goat Boy » 08 Nov 2016, 10:12

I presume those reviews were in Uncut? I’d like to read ‘em.

Katy Lied is my least favourite too. Despite the strength of the individual songs (Everyone’s Gone To The Movies is fucking A) it doesn’t hang together for me and I think it fades on the second side. The thing with the Dan is that their standards were so high that lesser albums get judged more harshly. Let’s face it, most bands, even bands we love and praise have never made a record as good.


I’ve defended Gaucho on here before. I think it’s a great piece of work and I like My Rival.

http://www.bcb-board.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=125644&p=3560721&hilit=gaucho#p3560721


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Re: What we do when we talk about Katy Lied and Gaucho (and The Dan generally)

Postby clive gash » 08 Nov 2016, 10:27

Yeah they were in Uncut. I'll poke about. When he died there were rumours of him writing a Revolution in the Head on Bowie. How I wish he'd done one for The Dan.

Mac on Gaucho. Unsure when it was written.

http://partyka.tripod.com/gaucho.html
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Re: What we do when we talk about Katy Lied and Gaucho (and The Dan generally)

Postby Goat Boy » 08 Nov 2016, 13:04

If you find the review I'd really appreciate it if you could upload a photo or something so I could read 'em!

he was usually on the money.
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Re: What we do when we talk about Katy Lied and Gaucho (and The Dan generally)

Postby Purgatory Brite » 08 Nov 2016, 15:54

In my view Katy Lied is the least interesting in the original run of albums by the group. It lacks memorable songs.

Gaucho is the most "Yacht Rock" album in their catalogue. It is even smoother than Aja, which must have taken some doing. I agree the songs deserve revisiting.

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Re: What we do when we talk about Katy Lied and Gaucho (and The Dan generally)

Postby Matt Wilson » 08 Nov 2016, 16:03

I love Katy Lied. More than Gaucho, for sure...

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Re: What we do when we talk about Katy Lied and Gaucho (and The Dan generally)

Postby Snarfyguy » 08 Nov 2016, 16:15

clive gash wrote: Being an ex-Punk, it was always going to be Gaucho that was going to rub me the wrong way and so it was until recently.

Coming from roughly the same place, that album took decades to click for me, but now I really like it, along with its abandoned companion piece: http://bbchron.blogspot.com/2015/07/ste ... takes.html
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Re: What we do when we talk about Katy Lied and Gaucho (and The Dan generally)

Postby clive gash » 08 Nov 2016, 16:39

Upgraded versions! Cheers Snarf.
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...a multitude of innuendo and hearsay...

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Re: What we do when we talk about Katy Lied and Gaucho (and The Dan generally)

Postby Six String » 08 Nov 2016, 18:33

Matt Wilson wrote:I love Katy Lied. More than Gaucho, for sure...



Me too. Dr. Wu, Rose Darling, Daddy Don't Live In ....., Chain Lightning and Any World I'm Living In are great Dan songs. The weakest songs here trump the weakest on Gaucho imho.
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Re: What we do when we talk about Katy Lied and Gaucho (and The Dan generally)

Postby jimboo » 08 Nov 2016, 19:13

They are both total shite.
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Re: What we do when we talk about Katy Lied and Gaucho (and The Dan generally)

Postby clive gash » 08 Nov 2016, 21:59

That Grand Dan Sound: Why Everyone Knows Steely Dan When They Hear Them

https://www.allaboutjazz.com/that-grand ... ettine.php
It takes a big man to cry, but it takes a bigger man to laugh at that man.

Diamond Dog wrote:...it quite clearly hit the target with you and your nonce...

...a multitude of innuendo and hearsay...

...I'm producing facts here...

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Re: What we do when we talk about Katy Lied and Gaucho (and The Dan generally)

Postby clive gash » 08 Nov 2016, 22:12

It takes a big man to cry, but it takes a bigger man to laugh at that man.

Diamond Dog wrote:...it quite clearly hit the target with you and your nonce...

...a multitude of innuendo and hearsay...

...I'm producing facts here...

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Re: What we do when we talk about Katy Lied and Gaucho (and The Dan generally)

Postby Diamond Dog » 09 Nov 2016, 06:17

))))))))))))))
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Re: What we do when we talk about Katy Lied and Gaucho (and The Dan generally)

Postby ... » 09 Nov 2016, 07:07

A wonderful, wonderful band up to and including the oft-deplored Gaucho. Should never have reformed.

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Re: What we do when we talk about Katy Lied and Gaucho (and The Dan generally)

Postby Quaco » 09 Nov 2016, 19:32

clive gash wrote:

Those inversions don't seem that weird? Looks like a lot of standard 1-3-5-7 stuff, though I didn't analyze it in detail and I'm not sure I'd be able to.
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Re: What we do when we talk about Katy Lied and Gaucho (and The Dan generally)

Postby clive gash » 09 Nov 2016, 19:47

I just dug the sound :)

It takes a big man to cry, but it takes a bigger man to laugh at that man.

Diamond Dog wrote:...it quite clearly hit the target with you and your nonce...

...a multitude of innuendo and hearsay...

...I'm producing facts here...

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Re: What we do when we talk about Katy Lied and Gaucho (and The Dan generally)

Postby Snarfyguy » 09 Nov 2016, 19:51

fueryIre wrote:A wonderful, wonderful band up to and including the oft-deplored Gaucho. Should never have reformed.

I have to agree, at least w/r/t to the two albums. I did enjoy seeing them live last year.

But even though those albums have some good songs on them, they're not really good Steely Dan albums. They don't *sound* right, for one thing. You never get the sensation that there was ever a bunch of guys in a room playing that music together and the production values are so rinky-dink and digital sounding.

Meh!
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Re: What we do when we talk about Katy Lied and Gaucho (and The Dan generally)

Postby clive gash » 09 Nov 2016, 20:00

I really liked Two Against Nature at the time, now the drums seem thin but there's a handful of goodies.
It takes a big man to cry, but it takes a bigger man to laugh at that man.

Diamond Dog wrote:...it quite clearly hit the target with you and your nonce...

...a multitude of innuendo and hearsay...

...I'm producing facts here...

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Re: What we do when we talk about Katy Lied and Gaucho (and The Dan generally)

Postby Sneelock » 09 Nov 2016, 20:35

I like both 2 against nature & everything must go. they sound like Steely Dan to me. I like the snappy drums.
I get that, track per track they don't stand up to the best stuff. I maybe share that opinion somewhat on "Katy Lied" except that "Your Gold Teeth 2" and "Throw Back the Little Ones" are supercalifragalisticexpealidocious.

I've warmed to "Gaucho" a lot. I'd put it at the front of that batch, I suppose. "Babylon Sisters" and "Time out of Mind" get played in my eye rolling Nora Desmond state quite a bit. we had saxophones then!!!!
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