Monday, July 13, 2009

(Really) Great Lost Singles of the 70s: An Occasional Series

Okay, this one's a) a masterpiece, b) incredibly rare, and c) something I've been looking for a copy of for nearly twenty five years.

From 1973, please enjoy Stealer's Wheel and "Everyone's Agreed That Everything Will Turn Out Fine," their fabulous followup to that song in the Tarantino movie whose name now escapes me. The promo single version, in stereo.





The short version: As I said, this was the followup to "Stuck in the Middle," and it flopped, inexplicably. The band then re-recorded it, hideously, for their second album, and that's the only version that has ever appeared on LP or CD since. Why they re-recorded it I have no idea, as the original is as close to perfection as any record ever gets; as you've heard by now, if "Stuck in the Middle" was the band channeling Dylan, this one is them channeling Revolver and late 60s pop psych in general. Simply gorgeous.

Adding to the wonder of it all, I should add that the circuitous route I took to finally finding the track involved -- unbeknownst to me at the time -- the help of a lurker at Eschaton. Talk about a fricking small world.

In any case -- enjoy the damn thing.

[h/t Richard Pachter and Hans Vaarkamp]

8 comments:

dave™© said...

Cool! But I don't think I can download it - just play it...

steve simels said...

Click on the divshare logo on the far right.

Piece of cake....

dave™© said...

Done!

BTW, I think the reason this song got re-recorded was to bring it more in line with the "sound" of "Stuck in the Middle". For some reason, record companies always think that the follow-up should sound as much like the original hit as possible - a strategy that rarely works, sales-wise.

steve simels said...

Actually, the remake is a sort of crappy country-rock thing. Totally shorn of the pop psych touches.

Blue Ash Fan said...

Wow. Thanks for unearthing this one, Steve. This one has a date with my iPod, that's for sure.

And to think they gave us Ariel Bender.

Mister Pleasant said...

Steve, I was going to send you a link to the 45 single version a while back, but when I checked that site the link was no longer active. I have the 45 but have yet to figure out how to turn them into mp3s. Alas, it is also available on YouTube with a totally unrelated video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTa81gNRh-Q).

Kudos for finding it. Definitely a little masterpiece. Rafferty and Egan had a real Lennon/McCartney groove when they wrote together. Separately, not at all. Love the bass throughout, as well as the sitar-like middle section.

Maude Lange said...

I've been looking for this for ages. Thanks-ever-so. The sitar break at the end is pure bliss.

rap said...

It was re-recorded to be consistent with the rest of the album —  minus the band. Just Joe and Gerry and a bunch of studio guys.

A&M didn't care; the single was a stiff. But "country rock"? I don't hear that at all.

Whatever.