1974

Rolling Stone says:

Donald Fagen and Walter Becker make their love of jazz explicit, covering Duke Ellington and copping the intro of "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" from hard-bop pianist Horace Silver.  The guitars on their third LP are dialed back for a sound that's slick and airtight without being cold.  The lyrics?  As twisted as ever.

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Countdown to Ecstasy wasn't half the hit that Can't Buy a Thrill was, and Steely Dan responded by trimming the lengthy instrumental jams that were scattered across Countdown and concentrating on concise songs for Pretzel Logic.

While the shorter songs usually indicate a tendency toward pop conventions, that's not the case with Pretzel Logic. Instead of relying on easy hooks, Walter Becker and Donald Fagen assembled their most complex and cynical set of songs to date. Dense with harmonics, countermelodies, and bop phrasing, Pretzel Logic is vibrant with unpredictable musical juxtapositions and snide, but very funny, wordplay.

Listen to how the album's hit single, "Rikki Don't Lose That Number," opens with a syncopated piano line that evolves into a graceful pop melody, or how the title track winds from a blues to a jazzy chorus -- Becker and Fagen's craft has become seamless while remaining idiosyncratic and thrillingly accessible.

Since the songs are now paramount, it makes sense that Pretzel Logic is less of a band-oriented album than Countdown to Ecstasy, yet it is the richest album in their catalog, one where the backhanded Dylan tribute "Barrytown" can sit comfortably next to the gorgeous "Any Major Dude Will Tell You." Steely Dan made more accomplished albums than Pretzel Logic, but they never made a better one.

Tracks

Title Composer Time 1 Rikki Don't Lose That Number Becker, Fagen 4:32 2 Night by Night Becker, Fagen 3:40 3 Any Major Dude Will Tell You Becker, Fagen 3:08 4 Barrytown Becker, Fagen 3:22     5 East St. Louis Toodle-Oo Ellington, Miley 2:49     6 Parker's Band Becker, Fagen 2:45     7 Through with Buzz Becker, Fagen 1:34     8 Pretzel Logic Becker, Fagen 4:32     9 With a Gun Becker, Fagen 2:18     10 Charlie Freak Becker, Fagen 2:44     11 Monkey in Your Soul Becker, Fagen 2:33