What's the best song on Aoxomoxoa?

Message Bookmarked
Bookmark Removed

Listen to the 1969 mix (now available on the streaming svcs) before voting! It has a few surprises. Poll closing date is the 50th anniversary of the album's release.

Poll Results

OptionVotes
St. Stephen 9
China Cat Sunflower 9
Mountains of the Moon 5
What's Become of the Baby 1
Dupree's Diamond Blues 0
Rosemary 0
Doin' That Rag 0
Cosmic Charlie 0


WmC, Monday, 10 June 2019 00:50 (six years ago)

I couldn’t possibly choose btw. St. Stephen & China Cat... and nor will I!

Theodor Adorno, perhaps the greatest philosopher alive today (morrisp), Monday, 10 June 2019 02:04 (six years ago)

probably mountains of the moon if we're dealing with the actual studio version (if live then china cat of course)

tylerw, Monday, 10 June 2019 02:12 (six years ago)

i'd love to lol-vote for "what's become of the baby" but this is china cat easy

Flood-Resistant Mirror-Drilling Machine (rushomancy), Monday, 10 June 2019 02:16 (six years ago)

Between Stephen, Rosemary, and Mountains. China Cat I’ve heard too many times and the melody just grates. The rest is a load of charming nonsense

calstars, Monday, 10 June 2019 02:33 (six years ago)

Does anyone prefer the 69 mixes over the 71s? Latter seems much better

calstars, Monday, 10 June 2019 02:38 (six years ago)

I prefer ‘71 m’self

Theodor Adorno, perhaps the greatest philosopher alive today (morrisp), Monday, 10 June 2019 03:20 (six years ago)

"China Cat Sunflower."

clemenza, Monday, 10 June 2019 03:35 (six years ago)

gotta be mountains of the moon, everything else is either an interesting sketch or a shadow of what it would become live

oiocha, Monday, 10 June 2019 03:38 (six years ago)

i've kind of come around to what's become of the baby (og mix) over the years... but this is mountains of the moon just shading out china cat.

which mix was it that made it onto the early cd? cos i'm not sure i've actually heard the '71 version.

no lime tangier, Monday, 10 June 2019 04:14 (six years ago)

^it was the ‘71 mix (although: Mistakenly, the song timings on the first (1987) CD release refer to the original mix, not the remix (varying most significantly on "Doin' that Rag," which was edited from 5:15 to 4:41, and "China Cat Sunflower," edited from 4:15 to 3:40).)

Theodor Adorno, perhaps the greatest philosopher alive today (morrisp), Monday, 10 June 2019 04:17 (six years ago)

I believe this new anniversary reish is the first time the ‘69 mix has been officially issued on CD.

Theodor Adorno, perhaps the greatest philosopher alive today (morrisp), Monday, 10 June 2019 04:19 (six years ago)

ah, thanks... then i haven't heard the remix in 15+ years. might be interesting to get hold of a copy and contrast & compare at some point (though taking out the "experimental" factor, boo!)

no lime tangier, Monday, 10 June 2019 04:44 (six years ago)

I liked the 69 mix better for a while after I first heard it, but really the 71 is better for most of the album. But "What's Become of the Baby" is tons better in the original mix.

WmC, Monday, 10 June 2019 11:21 (six years ago)

What was the version on the Golden road box set was that still the '71.

Stevolende, Monday, 10 June 2019 15:54 (six years ago)

St Stephen and it isn't even close

longtime caller, first time listener (man alive), Monday, 10 June 2019 16:00 (six years ago)

xp To my understanding, yes. (That’s what I owned, and I dl’d a rip of the ‘69 LP mix from Slsk back in the day)

Theodor Adorno, perhaps the greatest philosopher alive today (morrisp), Monday, 10 June 2019 16:26 (six years ago)

voted for china cat, even tho the studio version is almost unrecognizable to me at this point. it's still got some A+ guitarwork.

Jeff the grown man (voodoo chili), Monday, 10 June 2019 17:06 (six years ago)

Love Phil’s 5ths during the St Stephen intro

calstars, Monday, 10 June 2019 18:41 (six years ago)

Interesting -- not sure i ever heard this version of China Cat before. I don't hate it. Still have to go with St Stephen though.

enochroot, Monday, 10 June 2019 19:12 (six years ago)

for jams & future purposes china cat easy. for "what's my favorite song to sing & play, the best song-qua-song here" I think it's St Stephen for sure

she carries a torch. two torches, actually (Joan Crawford Loves Chachi), Monday, 10 June 2019 19:12 (six years ago)

the little "china cat!" harmonies are so goofy, forgot about those.

oiocha, Monday, 10 June 2019 19:39 (six years ago)

I hate the "la-la-la" on this china cat. Glad they dropped that.

longtime caller, first time listener (man alive), Monday, 10 June 2019 20:00 (six years ago)

yeah this record sounds very of its time, way too much going on at any given moment

there's a lot of hippy dippy crap on this record but the opening lines of saint stephen are so evocative and great

Saint Stephen, with a rose
In and out of the garden he goes
Country garden in the wind and the rain
Wherever he goes the people all complain

just instantly conjures up this beatific, persecuted holy fool.

oiocha, Tuesday, 11 June 2019 00:01 (six years ago)

this is always worth a "wow, different times" look

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wx6OAfvlxTs

she carries a torch. two torches, actually (Joan Crawford Loves Chachi), Tuesday, 11 June 2019 02:06 (six years ago)

It was one of the first LPs recorded using a 16-track (which I imagine most folks posting here already know...).

Theodor Adorno, perhaps the greatest philosopher alive today (morrisp), Tuesday, 11 June 2019 02:41 (six years ago)

lol @ bob at 5:38. he's so corny and always has been

global tetrahedron, Tuesday, 11 June 2019 03:18 (six years ago)

Heard the live set with the 50th anniversary edition yesterday and it sounds pretty great.
Captured during the 24th-26th January 69 live shows that Live Dead comes from apparently. Seems to be quite peak 69.

Stevolende, Tuesday, 11 June 2019 06:00 (six years ago)

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

System, Wednesday, 19 June 2019 00:01 (six years ago)

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

System, Thursday, 20 June 2019 00:01 (six years ago)

kudos to the brave soul who voted "what's become of the baby"

thread got me into "mountains of the moon"... but only live. the dp26 version is nice. (goes into a nice pre-rider china cat, too) the studio version... i mean it's a good song but harpsichord was past its sell-by date in '69

Flood-Resistant Mirror-Drilling Machine (rushomancy), Thursday, 20 June 2019 00:12 (six years ago)

Luv the tie score!

Consider the coconut (morrisp), Thursday, 20 June 2019 00:23 (six years ago)

but harpsichord was past its sell-by date in '69

― Flood-Resistant Mirror-Drilling Machine (rushomancy), Wednesday, June 19, 2019 7:12 PM (fourteen minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yeah i mean bach had already been dead for almost twenty years

budo jeru, Thursday, 20 June 2019 00:31 (six years ago)

Rosemary deserved better

think the toledo mud hens but for twitter (Drugs A. Money), Thursday, 20 June 2019 02:50 (six years ago)

It was down to that or What's Become for me. I knew St Stephen and China Cat would get plenty of love.

I am curious (george) (slight return) (WmC), Thursday, 20 June 2019 03:22 (six years ago)

sorry about my dumb joke

as you were

budo jeru, Thursday, 20 June 2019 07:55 (six years ago)

in fairness knowledge of bach's death wasn't common knowledge until the 1978's "duck stab"

Flood-Resistant Mirror-Drilling Machine (rushomancy), Thursday, 20 June 2019 12:44 (six years ago)

rosemary is cool cos it sounds like proto-ween

oiocha, Thursday, 20 June 2019 16:19 (six years ago)

Rosemary’s ”a breath of cologne” such good phrasing by big J

calstars, Thursday, 20 June 2019 16:27 (six years ago)

Boots were of leather
A breath of cologne
Her mirror was a window
She sat quite alone

All around her
The garden grew
Scarlet and purple
And crimson and blue

She came and she went
And at last went away
The garden was sealed
When the flowers decayed

On the wall of the garden
A legend did say:
No one may come here
Since no one may stay

calstars, Thursday, 20 June 2019 16:30 (six years ago)


You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.