Pretzel Logic

Really really good album. Very groovy, cool guitar bits, and some interesting political themes.

Best song - Barrytown

Achei bem mid para falar a verdade. Surfa entre jazz, rock and r&b mas não se localiza em nada o que ficou um tanto quanto sem personalidade pra mim

Eu não acredito que vivi tanto sem conhecer essa banda! Que álbum gostoso, ouvi inteiro de uma vez sem cansar das músicas.

Good vibes.

Steely Dan is yacht rock but bad

Tof!

I always get Steely Dan and Stealers Wheel mixed up. This is not my cup of tea, super well produced though and smoother than a babies bum. East St Louis toodle do is a soundtrack to a Mario Bros level.

This album was so satisfying. Relaxing vocals on top of simple guitar. Reminds me of Toro y Moi but a little more old school and contemporary.

Not really one of my SD favorites but still a 5 star

Album 216 of 1001 Steely Dan - Pretzel Logic Rating : 5 / 5 (Rounded Up) Favorite Tracks : Rikki Don't Lose That Number I like Steely Dan. There are lots who feel other wise, but I'm going to stick by them. This isn't their best album, in my opinion but is enjoyable all the way through. Love their sound.

Dad music in the best way possible. This was the first album I got; if they’re all this good, this is gonna be a wild ride.

Fun Album. Skunk Baxters (Guitar) last album with SD before he left to join the Doobie Brothers. Also some tasty studio work by Jeff Porcaro on drums.

"Jazz Rock"? Consider me bored.

Great instrumentals, I liked it. It was a vibe tbh, and you could dance to it

Solid album. Enjoyed it

Unfamiliar with the artist, but I've heard songs by them before. Overall it was mid, nothing really spoke to me

Really good with lots of variety and fun

Fine album, nothing special, couple catchy tracks. 2.5

This is why people hate smooth jazz. 2.8

The slower vibe of the album was a bit of a letdown after Boddhisatva. That being said, I really like the lyrics on here, they feel really playful and precocious. The varied instrumentation is very fun, and I like the sometimes experimental production. The group vocals and brass section on My Old School are sick.

pretty slick

Heard before: yes Good album, a little front-loaded, but still solid. Funny that this was their attempt to write pop songs - pretty good hooks, tight song structures, classic crunchy harmonies. But the songs kind of fade into the Steely Dan canon as soon as it’s over, not enough sticks out. Top tracks: Night By Night, Any Major Dude Will Tell You, Rikki Don’t Lose That Number

Fun but not very memorable

Not my cup of tea

Love this one. Great lyrics, vocals, and instrumentation.

Tasty all the way through.

Rikki is a Pretty standard 70s rock album. Just what I’m into in terms of older music. Nothing special, but it’s all pretty good. I’d consider listening to this album again sometime. 8/10 Top 5: 1. Rikki Don’t Lose That Number 2. Any Major Dude Will Tell You 3. Pretzel Logic 4. With A Gun 5. Monkey In Your Soul

Side B better than Side A

Nothing like a Steely Dan mix

Not a fan

Other than the vocalist who would have thought that this was SD. Very little of what came before or after is imprinted on this album. Save of course the striking songwriting. It took a while to get into the album on release following on from Countdown which remains my favourite of theirs. This is a better album.

super! rikki is always a hit.

Decent album.

Some fun moments, but not as memorable or unique as Aja and not as effectively fun as Can't Buy A Thrill. Standouts: Rikki, Don't Lose That Number, of course. Of all the stabs taken at rocking, With A Gun is the most interesting.

Didn’t listen to the whole thing… but it was decent. Didn’t love the first two so I just didn’t finish it. The lyrics weren’t the best, but some of the instrumentation was interesting.

Meh, it’s a good album. I can imagine when it came out in 1974 it was blowing peoples minds but it’s not really doing much for me. Although, pretzel logic is really good and I would listen to that song again.

Cool blend of genres, lots of jazz & blues elements. Loved the use of breaks and accents. Feels like a fun album to dissect, definitely need to listen again. The lyrics didn't stand out to me and the vocals weren't super melodic but the delivery was unique and contrasting. Lucía & I listened together over a chicken soup dinner.

6/10. Too many things going on. Each instrument trying to take centre stage makes the melody and lyrics blurry

WITH A GUN WITH A GUN YOU WILL BE WHAT YOU ARE JUST THE SAME. DID YOU PAY THE OTHER MAN WITH THE PIECE IN YOUR HAND, AND LEAVE HIM LYING IN THE RAIN?

70s funk pop. Very nice. May listen again. 3.5/5

Rikki don’t lose that number definitely defines this record. Very tight instrumentation, focusing on lifting the song in their own idiosyncratic manner. Not as heavy in the soft jazz as other records, this really hits the right balance between rock energy, pop hooks, and cerebral jazzy structures.

Bit same same

OK

Jazz and funk, and the best of it.

joyful, easy music well suited for driving

Was never a big fan of Steely Dan's jazz rock style, but I quite liked "Rikki Don't Lose That Number".

Damn this was a nice listen. Maybe it was walking in the rain at night that did it, but it seemed the perfect balance of melancholy and uplifting. I love how they take rock and fortify it with bits of jazz, blues, folk, without (in my opinion) looking down their noses at the fun or energy of rock. It doesn't quite reach the grandiose splendour of Aja, but there isn't a dull moment here. 4*

Love it, Steely Dan, is the Best!

Not My Favorite, just not my style.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. It's still very far from an album anyone needs to hear before they die. Apart from maybe coke heads and they're scum so who cares

It's not their best album, but I still like Steely Dan.

I dig it. Funky guitar jams

A bit slower than I expected

Typical Steely Dan. Enjoyable to listen to

one of their best

By far the best of their full band era. Every song fires on all cylinders with that distinctive sharp production quality that was unmatched for the era. 34 minutes blows by quickly.

teräksinen.. jatsi infuusio infusion.. infusioninfusioninfusion... perushassuttelu albumi, aikaa ei dan tuhlaa. täysin keskivertoa kamaa, miellekästä jopa. ei huonoja biisejä mutta ei varsin vaikuttaviakaan. jaztsi osiokin on lähinnä poppipulitusta konsanaan ja ennemmän jazzesque saundi eikä itse jazzztyyppistä musiiikkia, kyllä minä näistä tiedän... silti kiva pretzel logic

Steely Danの中でもピアノにフォーカスがあたってて、ゆったり聴ける！ やっぱりAny Major Dude Will Tell Youが一番好き〜！

Very good musicality but nothing in terms of great songs

Can’t beleieve I’ve never listed to this one all the way through. Epic.

I liked it but I don't think I'd listen to it over other stuff. Solidly 3 stars for me

Excellent

This was my second Steely Dan album to be assigned. My first was Countdown to Ecstasy, which I gave five stars. I liked this album, and I thought it was great, although I didn't enjoy it as much as I did Countdown to Ecstasy. Overall, I missed the lengthier songs, and I missed the more meandering instrumental jamming that was present on the previous album. Several of the songs on here really stuck out to me: -the guitar on "Night by Night" was fantastic, and I loved the way it has that kind of stutter sound to it about 2/3 of the way through the song -as much as I missed the jamming on this album, East St. Louis Toodle-Oo was great, with its wah-wah guitar and gloomy piano -I really enjoyed the varied guitar sounds the band utilized as well; the bluesy sound of "Night by Night" goes right into the softer strumming of "Any Major Dude Will Tell You," and neither song feels out of place -the best part of this album though was "Barrytown." I thought the lyrics about fearing change and the unknown were great, and the rhyming structure of rhyming carry with barry was absolutely brilliant. The lyric "Don't believe I'm taken in by stories I have heard. I just read the Daily News and swear by every word" was absolute genius -the piano and strings on "Through With Buzz" were awesome too -"With a Gun" was probably my second favorite song; its bluesy sound was perfect for the lyrics, and really felt like the band's take on western ballad Hell, now that I typed this out, I realize how much I liked this album. I was going to give it four stars, but I think it's worthy of five. I can't wait for Aja and Can't Buy a Thrill.

Fine, just fine.

A multi faceted and sprawling masterpiece where they do it all, I esp like the country and folk touches.

Do people only make fun of Steely Dan because it sounds funny? This is some DAMN good music.

For some reason I never gave Steely Dan much of a listen, my loss! This album has so much stuff I like - complex but uptempo compositions, dense jazzy arrangements with all sorts of instruments making quick cameos, close harmonies and memorable melodies, virtuoso musicianship and a bit of a sense of humor. The guitar work is great - a range of cool tones from bright clean and compressed to scuzzy and fuzzy playing tight punchy solos with inventive phrasing. The only knock is that it's so polished, rehearsed, and cleanly produced it ends up a bit plastic - it's like smooth Zappa. It seems like their legacy in rock is mostly in jambands.

HL: “Rikki”, “Barrytown”, “East St Louis Toodle-Oo”, title track, “Charlie Freak” Idk what’s more shocking, the fact that this is the 3rd Steely Dan I’ve seen on this website or that they’ve all been pretty great? Whether I like this more or their debut (Pretzel Man is my favourite album cover of theirs tho), there’s a lot of fun directions taken; the highlight might be two contrasting songs side-by-side, the Byrds-y “Barrytown” leading straight into an odd Duke Ellington cover, “East St Louis”. October 9, 2023 🦃

This was fun! Loved listening to it while walking through London

Pop, jazz/rock fusion that is as tight as it is loose. The compositions are reminiscent of Stevie Wonder and Herbie Hancock with guitar and clav panned hard right and left on some tracks to give the similar bouncy feel. The musical choices are innovative whilst still being faithful to classic jazz and blues styles, with “East St. Louis Toodle-oo” being a clear tribute to Duke Ellington. The songwriting is heartfelt without being cheesy and relates to the day to day trials and tribulations of the average American, tackling subjects like drug addiction, living paycheque to paycheque and anxiety due to life not going your way. The storytelling makes the characters in each song very vivid and makes each track an interesting listen. Overall, the album is captivating and engaging and is a truely innovative album.

Fantastic production, great song writing and damn near flawless musicianship. The only thing really holding them back is a lack of imagination, but I guess that's not really the point. Not something that I'd listen to in my spare time, but I cannot deny the perfectionism at show on this record.

Many classics

Meillä oli tällä levyllä melkonen pop-vaihde silmässä hanhen kanssa

Pretty good reminded me of Toto a bit 4/5

4/5 would groove again

More interesting than I thought it would be.

Les Steely Dan font toujours le travail mais j'ai de plus en plus l'impression qu'on s'est fait berner par l'intro de leur premier album généré. Attention à ne pas faire une Richard Hawley.

Steely Dan nous offrent comme à leur habitude de la bonne musique, mais rien de bien bandant non plus. Sur la célèbre echelle du Bobby Womack, permettant de mesurer la taille de son erection, on est seulement sur un petit 13cm.

The opening song, Rikki don't lose that number, is the only one off the album I'm familiar with. There's a couple good songs on the album, East St Louis Toodle-oo is a fun instrumental break. The titular song is alright, With a Gun is good too. Finishes strong with Charlie Freak and Monkey in your soul.

Some good songs, the others are pleasantly forgettable

Eh it’s ok. More songs I knew than I realized.

It’s like an ogre. Layers I couldn’t hear thru speakers were great in the headphones.

Steely storytelling and charmingly borrowed musical phrasing. Wild west With A Gun. Horace Silver and Duke Ellington, but unfortunately packed into a short pop friendly radio format. Traded in longer jam breaks for creative instrumental use. I want to say its a friendlier way to get into Steely Dan, but the shorter format somewhat mutes the Aja glimmer they're known for. Blends jazz influence in effortlessly, for better or worse. Any Major Dude Will Tell You Night By Night Pretzel Logic Monkey In Your Soul (oddly enough none of the jazz loaners!)

interesting take on rock, but not quite groundbreaking or even well mixed

Ricky Don't Lose That Number is a classic so it was a hit right off the bat with this album. The other songs have that usual Steely Dan sound and overall I thought it was a solid album.

Not really my type of music. Seemed boring to me but everyone has different tastes.

Un muy buen álbum con sonidos variopinto dentro de todo lo que se puede considerar como música fácil de escuchar y hasta dentro de lo que catalogamos como pop. Creo que influenciaron a la banda Los Tres.

Jesus Christ I’m losing the will to live here. Awful.

First half had some funky, groovy instrumentals that i loved. Their bass shined throughout most of the album. Always caught my ear. Fun listen

Mediocrity was all I got out of Steely Dan's Pretzel Logic. Nothing here stands out as spectacular or interesting. Lacks a common theme or story to explore on further listens. Very representative of 70's sound, whatever that might mean to someone who wasn't around then. After listening I turned on some Doobie Brothers on and heard some proper 70's tunes. This just lacks emotion and interesting themes. Pretzel Logic didn't necessarily age well for new audiences. With that being said nothing is bad here, but certainly nothing here that's going on my playlist. Coming off the incredible Channel Orange, this is a bit disappointing.

This is yacht rock at its finest. These riffs and melodies can not be beaten. Sooooo cheeesey

Your Dad’s favourite band. The soundtrack of a Saturday afternoon at your man’s house in the 80s. The Bella Pasta houseband. Either utterly in offensive, or offensively bland. I can’t decide.

Nothing spectacular, but nothing horrible. I do love me some yacht rock though. Rikki Don't Lose That Number is such a good mix of rock and smooth jazz.

Meh

4.5/5 GREAT ALBUM-everything about it is what you’re looking for in oldies funk. Will definitely come back to this and other albums.

Although I've always heard of Steely Dan I'd never taken the time to listen to any albums. This was a pleasant surprise and I gave it 2 plays through. Didn't recognise any songs as singles just enjoyed the flow. It's definitely of a time but hadn't aged too badly in my opinion. Will listen to more too.

Not my favorite of the original Steely Dan run, but still pretty great.

čudan mišung

Ovo mi se sviđa, slušala sam tri puta za redom. Više mi je Jazz nego Rock na nekim dijelovima.

Honestly pretty solid album! The album has a consistent mood and the tracks are fun and groovy. They don't overdo the songs resulting in an album length that can easily be listened to in one sitting. One of the reviews that gave this a 1 said, "This is the sound of a suburban dad in socks and sandals" and I think that is the best part of the album. The global review is probably correct in giving this a 3.42 I don't know if the songs are particularly meaningful for me, but if they are for someone else then awesome!

funky, jazzy album. has a theatrical feel. slick cool feel to the album. really worth a good listening imo.

Sounds like one long song. Not for me.

Good stuff.

steely dan always slaps. this one feels incredibly smooth. I had heard several of the tracks, but hadn't heard others. smooth in the sense that you can play it while doing something other than actively listening, and not really be perceiving it, and still be deeply grooving.

Didn't love it

A fairly jammy album. I can see the appeal, but it's not my favorite. Songs like East St. Louis Toodle-Oo are just goofy, but not fun for me. I love the album art and most of these track names are fantastic. I can respect this album, but I probably won't revisit it for some time. Not my favorite Steely Dan record.

Great album. Classic Steely Dan album

Riki Don't Lose that Number puts this album at at least 4 stars by itself

Wasn’t for me.

Wonderful collection of intelligent sometimes biting songs that shine in the music's colorful variety. Super cool!

Album #24 I worked retail for over 10 years, so I had plenty of exposure to Steely Dan via Muzak. I never paid attention, and never had the desire to listen to them. I dreaded seeing this album because of my retail PTSD, but was relieved to see the 34 minute length. It started with “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number”, which I recognized. What I didn’t recognize was the groove established by the band. That continued throughout the next half-hour. I was astonished by how much I enjoyed listening to it, as well as the sarcastic lyrical content. My opinion has completely changed. 4*

Limber and light. Also, if I'm 'listening' to this, it does nothing... except borderline irritate me, but if I'm working and it's on in the background, I've found myself tapping my foot subconsciously. Not sure what that does to an album rating but I'll err on the side of caution.

"Pretzel Logic" is our 4th and final Steely Dan album, and I wish I could say that I had been won over. But alas, I feel like they are overrepresented on the list. I've learned that I like a handful of Steely Dan songs, but not enough to make an album stand out. Their debut, "Can't Buy a Thrill," was by far the best, and "Aja" by far the worst. "Pretzel Logic" sits somewhere in between. "Rikki Don't Lose My Number" was familiar, and probably the best track, but as the opener allowed for a series of forgettable songs to follow.

The song that got me unconsciously doing a little shimmy was East St. Louis Toodle-Oo. Unfortunately, that is not reflective of the rest of the album.

Steely Dan continued their cracking start to their catalogue on Pretzel Logic. Now that we have listened to all of their albums on the 1001 list, I’ve realized how much I appreciate Walter Beaker’s lead guitar. He is by no means near the most talented players. However, his lead lines always seem to accentuate and lift Steely Dan’s songs. Pretzel Logic (song) is on of my favorite Steely Dan songs, right up there with Dirty Work and Reelin’ In The Years. On this album I also like Rikki Don’t Lose That Number and East St. Louis Toodle-Oo, on which I still am amazed how Becker got his guitar to sound like that. There are quite a few other enjoyable songs here too. But also one too many misses with Barrytown and Through With Buzz. While I like this album a bunch, it’s not at the top of Steely Dan’s game.

é bom

Opening stretch wasn’t bad but I didn’t really enjoy this despite the jazzy stuff. Corny and kinda dull. Would be willing to try again. Best song: Barrytown?

Good album

Emana anni 70 da tutti i pori. Un disco solido, pop rock, un po' jazz a tratti, interessante ma assolutamente non il mio genere. Non penso ci ritornerò mai. 3/5

I want some hot pretzels.

Good length, I dont like steely dans general style. its not bad quality. charlie freak reminded me of roscoe and east st louis reminded me of fallout. in charlie freak, the part when he sings "Five nights without a bite" is what i dont like about steely dan. most of the album is like that part.

Another great SD album, not as good as Thrill but better than Aja. EZ 4.5

None of the songs were bad by any means, I just didn't really hear anything that interested me.

All over the place! Folk, jazz, rock

never heard any of this outside of "Rikki Don't Lose That Number"

Steely Dan has a really unique voice/sound. I like this album and would definitely give it a second listen. Introducing me to a lot more Steely Dan songs I didn't know. I ended up listening to this album probably 4-5 more times throughout the rest of the day. Definitely a great album

Un poco rollo. Pero me ha caído bien Walter Becker. SoftFolk - rock.

One likes that SD seemed simultaneously always to be having a good time and trying to expand musically. Nearly all of their experiments pay off for the listener in some form or another. This might be the most jazz inflected record – with the Ellingtoninan justification for the extended wah-wah solo, the avian content, and the string-laden "Through With Buzz," which doesn't quite come off, much as one enjoys the effort. Ditto on the bluesy funk of "Monkey In Your Soul." First four cuts are extraordinarily strong, but back side meanders or droops a touch, though with many interesting flourishes and no bad songs.

It's certainly an album

ok

Never listened to any Steely Dan before as always thought they’d be insufferably noodly and indulgent. But this was actually really good A jazzy influence but not to the detriment of some great tunes

It was okay

Fairly inventive, esp for the time. But basically like easy listening. Not my thing.

It’s like kinda good I guess? But I don’t really get it. Not bad, not good, just is.

My indifference to Steely Dan grew to irrational hatred with each song.

Timeless album that has great songs.

it was alright

Rating; 6/10

странно что у него британский голос хотя он не есть британец... симпатично и очень в стиле 70х

Decent but a bit easy listening. Not sure it’s one to revisit.

It was... Okay. I don't think I can recall a single song from it though

This is so close to being a perfect album on first listen which is so rare for me. This album could very well become a perfect one on more listens but for now I just really like it. Never listened to Steely Dan but I hear major similarities to Billy Joel who I do quite like, I wonder if he was inspired by Steely Dan at all. Great project Favorite Tracks: Rikki Don't Lose That Number, Night By Night, Any Major Dude Will Tell You, Parker's Band, Pretzel Logic, With A Gun

Lovely Album. Not as much as Can't Buy a Thrill from the same band, so it's a 4 for me

Really love steely dan, and this is one of my personal favourites of theirs (up there with Aja, Gaucho, Can't Buy a Thrill and Kid Charlemane). The opener is one of the Dan's strongest overall tracks and the album stays consistent after it. Even shorter tracks like "Through With the Buzz" still have things to offer. Furthermore, as with all of their tracks the lyrics are interesting and often take some additional thought to decipher. Favourite Tracks: Rikki Dont Lose That Number, Any Major Dude Will Tell You Barrytown, East St. Louis Toodle-oo, Through With the Buzz, Pretzel Logic, Charlie Freak

Not anything to write home about. Typical 70s music.

Great sound. Definitely feeling a specific vibe and era.

I like Steely Dan, but I’ve always felt they’re a “Best of” kind of band. Nothing got me excited, but not a bad album.

Beautiful Dan tunes with some skippers.

Pretty good, don’t usually listen to grittier styles of music like this

Steely Dan’s third album is as funky as it is charismatic, and while some songs don’t hit their mark as much as others, there is a consistent charm that carries through the whole runtime.

Really enjoyed this one - dylanesque musically and good 70s chill vibes

I don't really know what to say.

This was very much your run of the mill Steely Dan album. Short and sweet, somewhere between grocery store music and porch swing music. There is no wow factor, just Steely Dan.

B- Rikki Don't Lose That Number 3 Night By Night 3 Any Major Dude Will Tell You 3 Barrytown 3 East St. Louis Toodle-Oo 3 Parker's Band 2 Through With Buzz 4 Pretzel Logic 3 With A Gun 4 Charlie Freak 3 Monkey In Your Soul 4 Steely, Steely, Steely. Ah, what a Dan.

I don’t think this is as complete as last week’s Steely Dan album but I was still impressed

At some point or other I’ve happily listened all the way through each of Steely Dan’s first seven albums. At best they stand among the upper ranks of seventies music. At worst they provide great music to listen to while working, only half-realizing music is playing at all. Pretzel Logic falls into the second category. Their work is characterized as elevator music by some, and with songs like “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number” and “Any Major Dude Will Tell You” as the headline tracks on this album, the critics make a valid point. On most other Steely Dan records, they would be mid-tier songs at best. “Night By Night” is to Pretzel Logic what “Home At Last” is to Aja; it’s not the most popular track, but with multiple listens it feels more like a hidden gem. I have a tough time hearing the Lou’s influence in “East St. Louis Toodle-Oo,” but I thoroughly enjoy the variety in this pure instrumental. Pretzel Logic is not as good as The Royal Scam or Gaucho, and comes nowhere near Can’t Buy A Thrill and Aja. It adequately showcases Steely Dan’s style but leaves the listener thirsting for more. That may as well be the perfect formula for a three.

Had all the weight and flavor of an excellent Steely Dan album, was only missing a few really standout tracks.

I didn't really enjoy the album but there were some fun jazzy elements and some good solos 4/10

Steely Dan's 3rd best album. Still solid, smooth, and tight.

A little too 70s but not in the good way if you know what I mean.

This album was just an all round good time. I found a lot of new songs and found it pretty soothing. Easy to listen to. Love the style of pretzel vendor in black and white. My mum heard some songs and showed me how her favourite Steely Dan song 'Hey Nineteen'. This album was super funky and groovy.

11 songs in 34 minutes. they don't make em like that any more.

another really great album, and only a week after the last steely dan album it generated for us! what a treat! the jazz-rock fusion works so well for SD's 70s output... i have no notes, keep doing your thing guys. favorites: rikki don't lose that number, any major dude will tell you, pretzel logic, charlie freak

From this album, I had only heard "Rikki Don't Lose That Number," which happens to be my favorite Steely Dan song. As for the rest of the album, I think I liked "With A Gun" best. "Barrytown" reminded me a lot of the Beatles' "Tell Me What You See." All in all, pretty good album.

The other champion of the Jews besides Springsteen. This was ok. Nothing bad, nothing good. Just alright. A solid 3/5

i mean…it’s steely dan…

спотифай решил перестать играть нормально, но в целом вроде поняла. много думала про требования к вокалу в стародавние времена. норм

I've always had dueling thoughts when it came to Steely Dan, as my father would always say the music made by the group was awful, but my partner thought it was pretty alright. I'm gonna have to lean with my partner with this one, probably even more so, as I wnjoyed this one pretty consistently. I'd say each song has something I like about it, and the shorter length for each track makes it so nothing takes up too much time if you are disliking something about it. Perhaps had I not just listened to all of America's discography in the last year, which is very similar, then I wouldn't care about this, but I've got more of an ear for yacht rock now, and that definitely helps this album out.

This was a really great album and a lot of fun to listen to. Nothing in specific really stuck out, just a lot of great grooves and awesome guitar work. I think this squeaks out a 4 star rating - if the vocal performances had been better it would have been an easy call, but as it is I think it still meets that mark for me.

Don't like steely dan

Funky, my first intro to his music so I didn't know what to expect. But a good mix of folk and 70s funk

3/5 Best: With a Gun Worst: East St. Louis Toodle-Oo

fun album

i like steely dan a lot 😊👍👍

Not for me

This is like THE album that Spotify constantly pushes under my nose, but I’m waiting til 40 to make “Dan Stan” my entire personality, thanks.

Smooth

um alívio então, sonzao nask rock classico bem na manha

Funky

About once a year I binge Steely Dan hoping to finally get them. I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t actively hate this music, but I recognize it’s not my jam. The “perfectionist” narrative around them seems so overblown to me. There’s nothing objectively perfect about music, so basically Steely Dan can just say it’s perfect whenever they choose to stop. In reality it seems to me to be an excuse to be insufferable pricks during recording. And if the two of them weren’t such assholes, I don’t think there’d be as much mystique around this band.

A few classics and a few other good songs but in no rush to listen to it again.

that perfect but so boring music

Enjoyable and I like the name👌

Me and my brother recently got into Steely Dan but I never really listened to this album because it didn't have any of their really big hits so I just assumed it was a dud of an album but I couldn't have been more wrong. I think this is just as good as the rest of the albums they released around this time like "Katy Lied" and "Countdown To Ecstacy". Really solid throughout and I would say it doesn't really have a bad track. Easy 9/10.

This was pretty good, an album of Steely Dan is plenty by the end. I like the funk and the horn arrangements. It's very polished and has a great sound.

Still not liking Steely Dan but this was much more bare able than Countdown to Ecstasy.

Didn’t expect to think this but honestly one of the best catchiest smartest pop albums I’ve ever heard

Not interested

Creative chord structures and instrumental parts. I know that I could find something new and surprising to hear with each new listen.

Seems like I should listen to more Steely Dan. They pull off a lot of the proggy elements that lots of their contemporary and modern prog bands do. In reading their wiki, looks like session musicians from this album and its follow-up went on to form Toto; that makes sense.

Decent album. I don't have a ton to say about it though. I'd listen to it again, but I'm not super stoked about it. 3.25/5

I’ve been on a Steely Dan high, so I might be overrating this… but fuck it, it’s good shit. A couple of fluffy tracks too many to achieve true greatness- Aja wins every day- but full of enough great performances and songwriting to look into for classic rock/fusion/music nerds. B+

A few good moments but not much in it for me

I ALREADY RATED THIS YOU IDIOTS

Brilliant. 5 stars.

Nice enough

Great musicianship. I only know ‘Jenny’ but a good solid album.

Steely Dan is always going to be a nice soft rock listen. The songs all have a similar vibe but it's a good vibe!

Great feel to this full album. Enjoyable and relaxing. Roll me a joint, put this on and I'll be in a great place.

I love a great yacht rock album. Steely Dan is fun and I love their instrumentation and harmonies on their songs.

3,5

I can't stand Steely Dan. I really tried to get through this whole album but I just couldn't.

A big surprise though it wouldn’t be my cup of tea but catchy and funky

Great vocals, great guitars, solid production, tight execution. I just find the song structure to be a little lacking. Ideas are fully fleshed out but having each song littered with solos makes me exhausted.

Steely Dan just could not possibly be more down my alley in terms of music interests. Extreme focus on instrumentals, including a strong emphasis on horns. Jazz-blues feel throughout. This is what I want to listen to with a beer in hand while barbequing. Not sure what that says about me, but it's the truth. Favorite tracks: East St. Louis Toodle-Oo, Pretzel Logic

Funny how your music style changes huh? This band, I despised a couple of years ago. I hated their jazzy sounds and vocal style. But after several tries, things slowly started to connect, and now, I love them. And this might be my favourite of them! 9 out of 10

Didn’t love

It’s fine. It feels like I know it but I don’t. I think that’s due to Steely Dan being so distinctive.

Listening to this album kept reminding me of Peanuts and Charlie Brown.... it just sounded so much like the music on those cartoons, care of the awesome Vince Guaraldi. Rikki don't lose that number, and Pretzel Logic, prob the best 2 tracks of this very short album, only about 30ish mins. I enjoyed the album, has been well produced in the sound booth, even though, for me, its dated and a tad bland, but these guys can sing, play instruments very well, and write some pretty good lyrics to the arrangements. The annoying thing is, its just music from that 70s era, I can just picture in my mind, the type of peops back in the day, out in their best wide lapelled suits and frocks, dancing around their handbags on a 70s disco floor, all thinking this sound was coolio, but it's just not my kinda music.... and I don't have a handbag, or a flared suit with big lapels, or a gringo moustache and greasy hair lol.

Nice easy listening.

Terrific production and compact songs make this collection more palatable than other Steely records.

Very short! To me an OK album, maybe some songs would grow on me if I listened again but nothing really grabbed me. 3 out of 5 for me

Perfectly fine. Not the biggest fan of the blend of jazz and rock they were trying as I don't think it suits the vocals, but the album wasn't displeasing to listen to

Perhaps my favorite Steely Dan album or at least the one I listen to probably the most. Nice balance or rock and jazz. Some great guitar work.

Another fantastic record from Steely Dan. Sonically it’s just so pristine. But the music is so great, and just top shelf musicians.

Between a 3 and a 4. Couple of the songs stayed with me so maybe more of a 4.

Maybe not quite as good as Aja (my favorite Steely Dan album) but still a very good album with great insturmentation, jazz and pop hooks, and a few songs that are quite catchy!

AWESOME

I've been curious about what I'd think of Steely Dan, so I was happy to get this. It's not exactly what I expected. It's okay, and there were parts I liked, but not enough for me to give it 4 stars. Not really that much to say about it. I'm hoping I'll like one of their other albums on here more. I do have 3 more, after all. My favourite song was East St. Louis Toodle-Oo.

My first Dan - has a lot of flavours that aren't to my taste in terms of the melodies and instrumentation, but gets big points for the lyrics and straightforward song structure that other albums of the era have sorely missed. Fave track: With a Gun

Was wondering how long until a Steely Dan record would grace this generator. Probably my favourite band and a damn fine album from the group here. A snappy collection of genre-fusing pop that displays some of the best playing and mixing, cynical lyrics, and odes to some of the band's musical (mainly jazz) heroes; through the borrowed bassline on Rikki Don't Lose That Number, tribute to Charlie Parker on Parker's band, or cover of Ellington's East St Louis Toodle-Oo. Solos on these tracks are cool and restrained, and operate as part of the songs rather than ostentatious flourishes. All tracks slap pretty hard and all together come in at just under 35 minutes - the only gripe I'd have here are Fagen's vocals that are a little less polished and slightly wobblier than other records. Four and a half. Fave track: Rikki Don't Lose That Number

AJ: listening late, bet it’s good!

Good but not Aja.

A pretty nice and fun rock album with plenty of jazz elements. I've heard of Steely Dan, but not heard any of these songs before. It was a pleasant listen, and the harmonies in the vocals and generally tight production moved this from just another 70s rock album, into a great 70s rock album. Favourite: Rikki Don't Lose That Number

Album has aged really well. Still fun to listen to.

A classic rock groove. Very easy listening.

Thought it was great. Definitely something my dad listened to.

Du bon petit rock, pas aussi intéressant que Can't Buy a Thrill, mais quand même agréable. Rien de tant plus à dire. 7/10

This is a good one 4

Needs to be longer

Less singing more guitars than the previous Steely Dan album I got makes this the less sucky Steely Dan album of the two. 🥨🥨

Man, I gotta say, I was expecting to give this one a 3/5. Aja is the Steely Dan album that really appeals to me, and for some reason I'd always expected their other albums would be a bit lesser, as I expected them to be less captivating instrumentally and with inferior production. Happy to say that wasn't the case, this is an awesome record and it passed by so quickly since I enjoyed it so much. Easy 4/5, makes me want to go through their whole discog!

Well, here I am, listening to another Steely Dan record and going down the rabbit hole of the jazz-rock / yacht-rock. Pretzel Logic is a complacent album. It comes, spreads its happy vibes, and leaves without any notice. A good bunch of short songs compiled for making all the dads happy

Steely Dan rules

first time listening

There are Steely Dan songs I like, but outside of Aja I can't really find myself fully invested in a full album. 3/5

cool grandpa music fo sho short and sweet epic piano + harmonies + rockin guitars 💗 sooo fun!!! nice jazz n brass stuff going on too. fave tracks - any major dude, east st., parkers band,, idk so many solid tracks its hard haha least fave - ? I guess the title track only bc they meantion minstrelsy lol, also Charlie freak bc I'm not into the jingle bells would I listen again¿ sure dude

Love this.

Lovely songs for driving or chilling in the garden. Songs sound familiar - like you know them already - but in a good way! Sounds effortlessly cool, although I appreciate there was probably a lot of work put in to make it sound so chilled. Exceptional work

I dunno, I just find Steely Dan to be too easy listening. I can't even quite make them a guilty pleasure

More jazzy than I expected

there’s something gross about them

2/3

The soundtrack to suburban corduroy clad couples politely tucking into salted peanuts and cheap wine before depositing their car keys into a fruit bowl. ("Rikki Don't Lose That Number" is a stone cold classic though)

I only liked the one song. The rest I could live without hearing again

Surprisingly good. Hooked after the first two songs. Rikki is a banger that I'll have in my normal soft-rock rotation. I saved about 5 out of the 11 songs. Got lost in it at the gym.

Some classic soft rock that has a similar sound throughout, fortunately I think that sound is good.

fine music that just does absolutely nothing for me

Freakin awesome

Yes it's dad rock. But I enjoy dad rock so.

Heard it before?: No Enjoy it?: it was meh for me Favourite song: didn’t have one

It was easy listening - not much to remember for me.

Good, funky, timeless.

A couple jazzy/funky tunes throughout. Too much slog, too much uncool trying to be cool. Maybe it was hip when it came out but it really drags now and bores the pants off me.

I should hate this. But there’s a craft there that can’t be denied. Sure, Fagen is a miserable so and so and the late Walter Becker wasn’t much more pleasant but there’s a talent there. Crack musicians in the band. I don’t like this one as much as the glorious aja but it’s good. As a certain kind of musician it’s both the thing you’d love to play on and what you’d like to do. Too cynical to be really classed as ‘yacht rock’ (unlike the less misanthropic Doobie brothers or a tonne of privileged white boys most of whom I can take or leave), I can see why punks and harder rockers tend to dislike this. But it, as the kids say, slaps.

A familiar easy listening sound, but didnt know this by name... I now see its good easy listening mix of jazz blues rock and other experiments. I cant dislike it, but its doesnt make a strong impression on me.

Steely Dan. I just don't know Formula 1 fans. I know they get mixed reactions, with me one of my all time favourite records is Aja, yet none of their other work moves me. What is it? Too formulaic, too try hardy "we are serious musicians"? So is this worthy of being played while they slip you the novocaine for your soul? East St Louis is just plain weird, what the fuck? All the guitar nurdling like on Parker's Band, awful., With a Gun, que? And I hate it when non groovy bands try to get groovy and funky like with Monkey in Your Soul. Rikki and Pretzel are great, fantastic pop tunes where the very best of this band comes out, which points to why Aja is so good. Dimery death freaks, just slide those two tunes into a playlist and ignore the rest.

This was the first Dan album I ever purchased, from Ashwoods, while on leave from Newcastle Uni in 1974. I was already in love with the band’s biggest ever hit single, Rikki, Don’t Lose That Number. My knowledge of jazz was not great and it would be at least 20 years before I discovered that the piano intro to the song ( and, for that matter, the album) was totally lifted from the Horace Silver track, Song For My Father. This was the album that showed just how strong Becker & Fagen’s love of & influence by jazz was. The Duke Ellington composition, East St. Louis Toodle-oo is the only cover Steely Dan ever recorded. To get the sound of a muted trumpet on the original, Becker sang through a Talkbox, while Jeff Baxter used a pedal-steel for the trombone part. It may be an instrumental, but it never feels out-of-place here & has always been a highlight for me. Parker’s Band is inspired by Bird. They might have recorded this album on the west-coast, but Steely Dan are definitely from the Big Apple. Not that they didn’t use some of the west coast’s finest on this album. Jeff Porcaro was only 19 when called in to play on Parker’s Band & Night By Night, the latter which featured Jeff Baxter’s fiercest solo on the album. The flipside of Rikki, Don’t Lose That Number was Any Major Dude Will Tell You - one of the best tracks on the album & the reason behind the conspiracy theory that the Coen Bothers’ film The Big Lebowski is a coded tribute to Steely Dan, & this album in particular ( you know - The Dude). The whole of Side 1 is particularly strong. Side 2 has highlights but is not as immediately engaging. I know this album backwards but I still loved playing it 3 times in a row while I pondered it’s greatness. It’s not my favourite Steely Dan, but still great.

Steely Dan. Just a bit too smooth, a bit too clever clogs for me. I just need a little bit more of an edge to really appeal to me. There are a few slightly rockier numbers on this album that work a bit better for me (Night by Night, for example). I don't mind smart rock and roll, but I just need a bit more rock. There is some filler here (East St Louis Toodle-oo - neither satisfyingly rock nor jazz) I own this record, but almost never play it, and have considered giving it to my son (who likes prog and jazz. He was a very excited to find a copy of Countdown to Ecstasy in a record store bargain bin recently). Actually, I'm listening to Night by Night again, and it's pretty good... I'll bump my rating up a bit I think...

A masterpiece.

It was alright… but not my style i guess

Call me a 50 year old man but damn that was good

Another solid steely Dan album. Rikki don’t lose that number is a classic and one of their best songs. Pretzel Logic is a cover to cover enjoyable album with nice jazz and classic rocks components with a poppy lyricism that makes each song special. Overall it’s probably number 2 or 3 for me of steely Dan albums. Looking at past ratings I definitely would put this right there with them as a definite 4 with lots of replay value. 8.4/10

Eu até gostaria de expressar minha apreciação pela capacidade musical de mais uma bande de folk americano. No entanto, ficou apenas a lembrança de ser mais um disco da lista que não terá muita lembrança.

I have never listened to a Steely Dan album and I feel I have made a mistake....I really enjoyed this one. I dunno what it was but it gave me the head bops throughout. Saved this one and will be an album I return to.

Increíble. Las melodías están super acertadas, y no podría pedir más, en principio tenía pensado darle 3, pero qué bueno que me esperé, dándole una segunda pasada estoy dudoso en si darle hasta las 5, al momento de escribir esta reseña, sigo dudoso, por lo que le daré 4, que tampoco está tan mal, con la esperanza de que el gusto no se vaya.

I went from hating Steely Dan as a kid, to developing an appreciation for them in my 20's. By the time I hit 40, they'll probably be a favorite of mine, but I'm not quite there yet. Instrumentally, they're virtuosic. Their arrangements are extremely creative, and on this album, pretty tight lengthwise too. But their music can leave me cold in some way -- it's not as heartfelt as what I'm typically drawn to. But who needs heart with music this brainy?

Actually pretty good 👍

Outstanding writing. So much generational talent in this band. Their melodies don't really grab me for the most part, but the instrumentation is top notch.

Smooth jazzy pop record, perhaps a bit too accessible to me and without much intensity it is a big boring after a while. But I appreciate the clear production and talent the band has.

There’s no doubting the talent of the band’s members or the uniqueness of their sound. Just lacks the needed edge to match my tastes.

Not bangers from end to end, but lots of bangers throughout. I only knew track 1 and the rest stacks up!

Nothing special in my opinion.

Highlights: "Pretzel Logic," "Night by Night," "Parker's Band," "Through With Buzz" If we take it as a given that Steely Dan consistently set very high standards in the 70s, from production to performance to lyricism, without ever really having claim to a groundbreaking album, the best way to evaluate their albums is against each other. This is probably one of their best, because it seems to respond to earlier criticism without compromise. Countdown to Ecstasy hadn't done as well as Can't Buy A Thrill, and some of the main criticisms were of the inscrutably personal lyrics and the long jam-based runtimes. Pretzel Logic gives us clear subjects with the same clever lyrical development, detailed and intelligent but playful and catchy, and packing tons of movement for harmonics, groove, and arrangement into two-to-four minute songs. The result holds attention from start to finish on every level of the craft. Exceptional.

4.5/5

didn't hate it!

Funky af!

I don't understand what emotion this music is trying to caption or evoke. The songwriting is creative, but the performance and production are about as boring as it gets. Very listenable, though. Very inoffensive. Favorite song: Parker's Band

Pretty chill and decent tracks. Nothing spectacular, but nothing terrible. Furthering my review of Leonard Cohen's perspective further

Excellent Steely Dan album! Standouts: ---------------- Rikki Don't Lose That Number Pretzel Logic Others: --------------------- Charlie Freak Barrytown East St. Louis Toodle-oo With a Gun Any Major Dude Will Tell You Through With Buzz Parker's Band Night by Night Rating: 4/5

intense opener, let's see if the rest of the album is as fun.

Un poco rollo. Pero me ha caído bien Walter Becker. SoftFolk - rock.

Jazz-rock animado. Está bien. Un 4.

Un poco rollo. Pero me ha caído bien Walter Becker. SoftFolk - rock.

Immaculately boring.

Solid and smooth, so listenable as usually is the case for Steely Dan. Really starting to enjoy this band after having heard Aja and absolutely loving it. 4/5 with a promise to listen to it again in the future!

An album so dreadful that I wanted to stab myself in the ears to make it stop by only the third track.

Ricky, lose the number.

knot my thing

I always found these guys kind of wanky. They wanted to incorporate jazz into their music but they never had the chops. Plus their lyrics were nonsensical and I don't like the vocals.

Ok

Something like quintessential dad rock. Album gets better towards the end, the start is relatively slow and nothing to write home about. Later half is much more enjoyable. Standout Song(s) : With A Gun; Honourable Mention : Pretzel Logic.

Still not a Steely Dan fan. It’s just okay.

Steely Dan is in my top five. Perfect.

This is the only Steely Dan album on the list that I haven't listened to before. And what a shame that is. Pretzel Logic truly is pushing the boundary for what can be called pop. All songs are trimmed in length but definitely not in complexity. This hit turned out to be the incredibly catchy 'Rikki Don't Lose That Number', but my personal favorite is 'Barrytown' with an incredible melody reminiscent of Dylan. As always with the Steely D, the production is stellar. Every instrument has its own space to operate in, and does so in sublime fashion. The drumming on 'Parker's Band' is otherworldly.

Pretzel Logic was one of the first records I owned on vinyl - so this is easily the Steely Dan album I’m most familiar with. I won’t try to even begin analyzing Becker and Fagen’s obscene lyrical universe but I’m always intrigued by the vague hints of obscure meaning in the songwriting. Steely Dan might come across as just a 70’s pop rock band but the jazzy complexity of the songs, air tight instrumentation and warm production makes the duo anything but ordinary. If this is dad rock then I’m ready to settle down with a wife and a couple of kids.

Good stuff

2.5.

Much more interesting than Can't buy a thrill because the record feels much more cohesive yet bold, often stitching together disperate genres to fully fledged collage of sounds. One minor drawback is that the record's finest hour is right at the beginning, with nothing else quite comparing. A great record.