PRETZEL LOGIC

"Once the neural floodgates had been opened upon the possibilities of recording with any and all of our favorite LA cats, there was no turning back." [Fagen/Becker]

And so it was that Steely Dan was changing from the road-weary band of mates to the beginnings of the slick jazz/rock duo the world would come to know. They were changing their recording process from using their bandmates to employing whatever studio musicians might tickle their fancy. "Pretzel Logic" is the first album where you begin to hear the sound that one associates with the Dan. Things are getting more lush and more radio friendly. On the down side we are beginning to feel the loss of the special "grit" that I love about the early work, the street cred mixed with a longing sentimentality about the past. The essence of the band that is so successfully captured in the cover of Pretzel Logic, a photo that contains many stories but is likely commentary on the rugged individualism and urban spirit. In the lame Disney-fied cities of today's America, the guy probably wouldn't even be allowed to have his cart near the park.wouldn't pass code. The classic urban character of our great cities have been replaced by a horribly unfortunate modern chain retailing mirage, where everything looks the same, safe, plastic, and without soul. Relevant mainly because in some ways similar things have happened in music, film, hell.even cars (that new Accord ain't exactly a '69 Challenger, is it?) Right out of the gate you hear the changes with the slick melodic pop of "Rikki" and it is an amazing track. Absolutely tight and perfectly crafted songwriting and delivery. As Micky said you could hear this one 1000 times and still admire the job they did here. The quality remains astounding on the next two, the funky and soulful "Night by Night" and the reflective "Any Major Dude Will Tell You." But with the exception of the fabulous title track, a Dan classic, the rest of the album does not live up to the same level of quality. Track for track this is probably the weakest of the first three albums. I find it pretty hard to recommend this one to anyone besides Steely Dan fans though for me personally it is still a good 3 star affair. "Charlie Freak" is one more that is pretty decent with a neat rolling piano and some interesting, almost neurotic sounding lead guitar. Like many of the tracks here it sounds underdeveloped because of the short run time. "Pretzel Logic" starts very strong but is one of the weaker Steely Dan albums.

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