Things I Miss The Most

Things I Miss The Most, 2013

Barrytown

Barrytown, 2013

There was still blood under the nail of her left index finger. She was tempted to suck it out, but felt sudden revulsion. Impossible – she couldn’t have done that. She walked along an alley dotted with overflowing dustbins; no one had been murdered – tomorrow must be bin day, she thought. For a moment she hesitated, frozen to the spot half way along the alley, ahead of her a frenzied version of herself dropped a bagful of  bloodstained clothes into a wheelie bin.

*

Barrytown is the fourth track on Steely Dan’s 1974 album, Pretzel Logic. The track is a sharp dissection of class prejudice, wedded to searing sarcasm, and an upbeat backing track. “I can tell by what you carry that you come from Barrytown” being a sample lyric. You can listen Barrytown here.

*

So, having finished my ham sandwiches, I step out onto Kingsway. It’s a road with a lot of history…

Everything Must Go

Everything Must Go, 2012

Everything Must Go  is an album by Steely Dan. It was released in 2003.

I resisted the charms of Steely Dan until a couple of years ago (they’re just hideous 70s MOR shufflers aren’t they? I would think), then I fell for them. Sure, they’re tricksy – combining cynical, sardonic lyrics with smooth, jazzy grooves at every turn, but you’ve got to do something a lot to get it right, right? I won’t go on and on about the band – you either love them or hate them.

Here’s the title track.

In our house this CD can be found: dining room, right-hand bookshelves, second shelf down.