Pretzel Logic is a Steely Dan album originally released in 1974. The album's opening song, "Rikki Don't Lose That Number", became the band's biggest hit, reaching #3 on the charts soon after the release of the album. The album itself went gold, reaching #8 on the charts. The album was also highly regarded critically, appearing near the top of several end-of-year polls including the number one slot on the NME critics' poll and the number two spot on both Robert Christgau and the Village Voice end-of-year lists.
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
Steely Dan was still considered a true “group” at the time this, their third album, was released (in addition to core members Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, guitarists Jeff “Skunk” Baxter and Denny Dias as well as multi-instrumentalist Victor Feldman had appeared on both previous Steely Dan releases along with a host of session aces; all five appeared on the inside cover of the album). A tour supporting this album would be the last time any version of Steely Dan appeared live until decades later.
Something of a compromise between the tight pop of the band's 1972 debut Can’t Buy a Thrill and the extended instrumental explorations of 1973’s Countdown to Ecstasy, Pretzel Logic included some of the most sophisticated pop music ever committed to vinyl and was unlike anything else on the radio in 1974.
One of the standout tracks, "Parker's Band," was a tribute to legendary jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker.
Track listing
all songs by Becker and Fagen, except where noted
- "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" - 4:30
- "Night by Night" - 3:36
- "Any Major Dude Will Tell You" - 3:05
- "Barrytown" - 3:17
- "East St. Louis Toodle-Oo" (Duke Ellington, Bubber Miley) - 2:45
- "Parker's Band" - 2:36
- "Through With Buzz" - 1:30
- "Pretzel Logic" - 4:28
- "With a Gun" - 2:15
- "Charlie Freak" - 2:41
- "Monkey in Your Soul" - 2:31
Personnel
Steely Dan
- Jeff Baxter - guitar
- Walter Becker - bass, guitar, vocals
- Denny Dias - guitar
- Donald Fagen - keyboards, vocals
- Jim Hodder - drums
Additional personnel
- Ben Benay - guitar
- Wilton Felder - bass
- Victor Feldman - percussion, keyboards
- Jim Gordon - drums
- Plas Johnson - saxophone
- Lew McCreary - horn
- Ollie Mitchell - trumpet
- Michael Omartian - keyboards
- David Paich - keyboards
- Dean Parks - guitar
- Jeff Porcaro - drums
- Jerome Richardson - saxophone
- Timothy B. Schmit - bass, vocals
- Ernie Watts - saxophone
Production
- Producer: Gary Katz
- Engineer: Roger Nichols
- Consultant: Daniel Levitin
- Orchestration: Jimmie Haskell
- Design: David Larkham
- Art direction: Ed Caraeff
- Photography: Ed Caraeff
- Cover photo: Raenne Rubenstein
Charts
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Pop Albums | 8 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | "Pretzel Logic" | Pop Singles | 57 |
| 1974 | "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" | Pop Singles | 4 |