PRETZEL LOGIC

The fact that this is the Dan's popiest album does not take away from the fact that it is also their most complete and brilliant album. All of the tracks flow from one to another seemlessly in a way that only Aja can duplicate. The song writing is also the best that can be found on any Steely Dan album. The super catchy jazz pop sound of this album is really just a cover up for the fact that Steely Dan wrote some of their most brilliant melodies for this album.

BY this point Becker and Fagen had focused Steely Dan entirely on making brilliant studio albums and the result is clear on this album. Everything about the sound and production of this ablum is perfect. Most people would argue that Aja was even better at that, but the truth is that Aja is so worked over in the studio that it sounds almost sterile. Steely Dan peaked very early with their best albums, Pretzel Logic and Coundown to Ecstacy, and both are masterpieces that everyone should own. This album is by no means a hardcore prog masterpiece that with dazzle you with its complexity and grand scale, but Becker and Fagen were the masters of creating pop rock music that was way more than just pop or rock.