Steely Dan - Pretzel Logic
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Artist: Steely DanBrand: STEELY DAN
Edition: Music CD
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Original recording remastered
CD Release Date: 1999-05-11
Music Label: Mca
Soundtracks:
- Rikki Don't Lose That Number
- Night By Night
- Any Major Dude Will Tell You
- Barrytown
- East St. Louis Toodle-Oo
- Parker's Band
- Through With Buzz
- Pretzel Logic
- With A Gun
- Charlie Freak
- Monkey In Your Soul
Free Music Notes for Pretzel Logic
Free Music Review: Anothr knockout from Steely Dan!
Hit: 5 Stars
After their second album (1973's brilliant Countdown to Ecstasy) failed to become a hit, Steely Dan masterminds Walter Becker and Donald Fagan decided to tone down the band's aggressive jazz-rock fusion style and focus on making more accessible, radio-friendly music. On the surface, anyway. In reality, Pretzel Logic is every bit as musically sophisticated and structurally complex as its predecessor. It's a tightly constructed mixture of pop and jazz, with touches of R&B, folk, blues, and rockabilly mixed in for good measure. It's just that upon first listen, it simply sounds like a collection of pop tunes; after all, the songs are short (only two of them are above four minutes in length, and one is shorter than two), catchy (this album is full of brilliantly written, expertly positioned hooks), and tight (there are none of the fuzz toned guitar battles that featured on Countdown to Ecstasy). The result is a collection of expertly crafted songs that sound great the first time around and afford more and more pleasure with each repeated listen.
Incredibly, Becker and Fagan's lyrics have also grown sharper. The cynical, beguiling vignettes that populated their first two albums can be found on this album in spades. This time around, the group's musings are even more darkly humorous, smugly sarcastic, and downright twisted (like a pretzel, one could say) than on previous outings. By this point, the Dan have become masters of irony, lending even the most emotionally uplifting and genuinely sentimental songs a sharp, satirical edge. As always, the songs' true meanings are often masked by intentionally opaque and difficult-to-decipher lyrics; a seemingly harmless line is delivered with a knowing wink and a sly turn of phrase, and only after some scrutiny reveals itself to be a biting insult. All of which makes Donald Fagan the ideal vocalist for the group; his wily, rasping croon constantly suggests sarcasm and double entendre.
The other players on the record sound fantastic as well. Now, since Steely Dan wasn't so much a musical group as it was a vehicle for Fagan and Becker's songs, most of the people on this album are studio musicians. However, they're all excellently chosen, and some (especially guitarists Jeff "Skunk" Baxter and Danny Dias) are mainstays that have appeared on several Dan albums. Speaking of Baxter and Dias, they sound absolutely great here, bridging the gap between the Dan's jazz and pop inclinations without alienating fans of either.
Which leaves us with a collection of great songs. The sumptuous "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" is one of the greatest singles ever released, thanks to its swinging, jazzy groove and cocksure keyboard strut. Lyrically, it's a cheeky farewell to an ex-girlfriend, with subtle references to egotism and obsession. It manages to be a wonderfully underhanded subversion of pop clichés, and an incredible pop song in its own right. Brilliant! "Any Major Dude Will Tell You" takes a similar approach; it's a lush, beautiful sung with layer upon dreamy layer of instrumentation, and some genuinely uplifting lyrics that nevertheless carry an ironic bite. "Night By Night" is downright funky (the Dan were really good at getting funky), with some wicked guitar breaks and a gritty vocal. "Barrytown" has a shimmering melody with soaring lyrics and a delicious meld of piano and acoustic guitar. The lyrics, meanwhile, match Bob Dylan's "Positively 4th Street" in terms of pure spite. A cover of Duke Ellington's "East St. Louis Toodle-oo," aside from being a rare example of Steely Dan performing a song not by Becker and Fagan (or, for that matter, an instrumental), is a delicious little side trip in its own right, thanks to its playful atmosphere, layered sounds, and wonderful guitars. The album's second half is also littered with classics; "Parker's Band" is a hipster's tribute to jazz legend Charlie Parker, with some soaring melodies and a propulsive rhythm. "With A Gun" is a smooth `n' speedy slice of pop-rockabilly. The lyrics are pure post-modern film noir; Fagan takes on the role of a murder witness. The narrator fearlessly taunts the murderer, assuring him that he'll be caught while snidely asserting that the murderer will never learn from his mistakes. The result is a classic Steely Dan character study, and an excellent bit of commentary on the cyclical, destructive power of violence. Good stuff! Then there's the odd yet appealing "Through With Buzz," with its tension-filled string section and rumor-addled lyrics. The title track is a warped bit of uptown blues, while "Charlie Freak" is a genuinely harrowing tale of human cruelty and regret, set to a taut spiral of melody. "Monkey In Your Soul" closes the proceedings with in ultra-hip burst of soul-rock goodness. Another masterpiece, then. Get it if you have even the vaguest liking of rock, pop, or jazz.
Pretzel Logic Poster
Japanese only SHM-CD (Super High Material CD - playable on all CD players) paper sleeve pressing. Universal. 2008.Pretzel Logic marked a transition for Steely Dan from a studio-bound rock band producing hits such as "Reeling in the Years" and "Do It Again" to a looser constellation of studio musicians under the direction of songwriters Walter Becker and Donald Fagen. That later version of Steely Dan would paint its masterpiece with Aja. Pretzel Logic is much more playful than that, and also jazzier than the albums that came before. The jazz intentions are made perfectly clear on "Parker's Band," a swinging tribute to bebop titan Charlie Parker, and a crafty cover of Duke Ellington's "East St. Louis Toodle-oo." The lyrics displayed their own twisted logic, presenting a tumble of images in search of a unifying principle that most often remained elusive. Steely Dan was that rare act that could work such purposeful obscurity to its advantage: "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" was a top-five hit even though nobody had a clue as to what it was about. Or, perhaps, everybody had a clue, but nobody could agree. --John Milward
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