The 500 - #386 - Pretzel Logic - Steely Dan

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

Album # 386

Album Title: Pretzel Logic
Artist: Steely Dan
Genre: Rock-Jazz-Fusion
Recorded: The Village Recorder, West Los Angeles
Released: February, 1974
My age at release: My guest blogger Heather was 6, I was 8
How familiar was I with it before this week: Very
Song I am putting on my Spotify: Any Major Dude Will Tell You 

Guest Blogger Introduction

This week, I am delighted to welcome my dear friend Heather Keep as guest blogger. We met at Saunders Secondary School where her future husband and my future wife also attended.  Consequently, the four of us have been part of each other's lives for 40 years. I was thrilled when she accepted my invitation to share her connection with this record by American music pioneers Steely Dan.

Background Information

Pretzel Logic was the third record from the American jazz, fusion, soft and pop rock band Steely Dan. It's story began in 1967 at Bard College, New York, when pianist Donald Fagen heard fellow student Walter Becker practising guitar at The Red Balloon Cafe on campus. The two cynics bonded over a love of music and beatnik culture. A musical experiment began and the duo became the core members of a musical collective they called Steely Dan. Together, they released nine records, and their attention to production and detail in the studio has become the stuff of legend. Steely Dan has sold more than 40 million records and were inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. In 2017, Becker died from esophageal cancer and the musical experiment came to an end.

By Heather Keep

Steely Dan was my "go-to-band" in high-school. At the time, I didn't know another soul who loved them like I did. Everyone seemed to know the classics, such as Rikki Don't Lose That Number, the lead single from the record, Pretzel Logic. However, few seemed to know those obscure "B-side" tracks like Kid Charlemagne from the The Royal Scam (1976) or Babylon Sisters from Gaucho (1980). 

Pretzel Logic - Steely Dan (1974)

Any Major Dude Will Tell You from this, the first of three Steely Dan records to appear on The 500 list, is one of those deep-cut pearls that I listened to as a young teen. The easy going melody, beautiful vocals, and layered acoustics always offered me comfort when I was feeling down. In some ways, it helped put things in perspective for a serious teenager dealing with high school in the 80s! 

That's me, the serious teenager on the far left (Circa 1981)

Any Major Dude's release on the flip-side of the single Rikki garnered some FM radio-play, but it has remained a hidden gem and one of Steely Dan's most underrated creations. I love it dearly still.

My introduction to Steely Dan came through my Uncle Brian and my dad. I have a clear memory of my dad lying on the carpet in our living room, headphones on, with Steely Dan spinning on the turntable. I thought my dad was so cool. I wanted to do that too and was intensely curious about this record he was listening too. 

I also have memories of my Uncle, with his wild, long, afro-like black curls, blasting Steely Dan on the cassette player at his house or in his car. The memories of which album he was playing are fuzzy, but I remember the feeling -- that great feeling was undeniable.

My sister (left), baby brother and me in 1974 - the year Pretzel Logic was released

Perhaps the thing that drew me most to the band was the inclusion of piano and electronic keyboards as principal instruments in their brilliantly orchestrated fusion of jazz, rock, and R&B. I started playing piano at six and continued to take lessons until I was 18. The classical training provided by the Royal Conservatory gave me a deep appreciation of the piano. 

I needed a way to reconcile my love of rock music with my love of the piano and the sounds it could make. Steely Dan was the answer. The band could perfectly blend keys and guitars and then accent them brilliantly with a jazzy saxophone or trumpet flourish. The keyboards didn't take over the ensemble, yet remained a crucial element in the music. The result was a unique sound and a genre too elusive to peg. Sometimes, I wasn't sure what I was listening to -- I just knew I loved it.

The walls of my teenage bedroom profess my love of piano and music.
I spent a lot of time there.

Pretzel Logic, the album's title track, is on the bluesy side and remains faithful to that genre, but is also a great example of the duo's knack for production. In it, the sax, trumpet and trombone accompany Fagen's Wurlitzer electric piano and Becker's guitar perfectly. I love the vocals on this track. Pretzel Logic was the first Steely Dan album to feature Becker on guitar. Prior to this, the guitar work had been shared by several top-shelf session musicians, with Becker only playing bass. The end result firmly established Steely Dan's trademark sound. 

With critical acclaim and commercial success with their first and biggest pop chart hit, Rikki Don't Lose That Number, the band embarked on a successful promotional tour. They even recruited future legend Michael McDonald (Doobie Brothers, Kenny Loggins Band) for backup vocals.

However, shortly after the tour ended, Becker and Fagan made the decision to focus exclusively on recording in the studio. The other members of the band (Danny Dias, Jeff Baxter and Jim Hodder) moved on to other projects. Steely Dan continued to record four more records before disbanding in 1982 to pursue their own solo careers. However, they reunited in the mid-90s to record and tour again.

For me, their music and sound remains in my top 10 list of all-time favourites. I have had the privilege of seeing them twice in concert at the Molson Ampitheatre in Toronto. The first was their Art Crimes Tour in July, 1996 and the second, their Two Against Nature Tour in 2000 -- a record that won them Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards. 

I'm also happy to say that my husband, who accompanied me to both of those shows, became a Steely Dan fan in the early days of our relationship. We still enjoy their music together and I continue to spread the "word of the Dan" to whomever will listen.

My time-battered concert shirt from the 1996 tour

Thanks to you Marc for giving me the opportunity to travel a bit down memory lane and revisit songs I haven't listened to in a long time. Food for the soul.