Countdown to Ecstasy | Steely Dan | 1973 | ABC | #310
It sounds like what I’d imagine a mid-morning BBC Radio 2 presenter would play if they were being daring. For example, Donald Fagen finally exclaims “look out!” before the breakdown/solo/outro of “Bodhisattva” begins - a blues guitar solo over a swing rhythm section complete with an organ! To be fair there was hardly any time to react to _New York Dolls _in 1973. Cautionary lyrical warnings preceding innocuous 70s guitar solos only seem naive now because we know about the invention of punk.
“The shine of your Japan/The sparkle of your china/Can you show me Bodhisattva… I’m gonna sell my house in town” and just like that I now love this album. The funk, jazz, rock, easiness is so adept I first mistook it for being a bit tedious, but then I realised we were doing it whilst taking the piss out of Westerners who try to buy Asian culture, qualming over class differences, and other topics I get to feel smug about having self-righteous grievances with.
Actually the whole album is laced with nuances I initially overlooked. I’ve listened to it about 10 times now (it’s been a while since my last entry) and I get something new out of it every time. The album format seems silly and frustrating for what are obviously a bunch of expert jam session musicians who seem like they could probably eternally produce material of equal quality. As a snapshot though this seems pretty good.