Pretzel Logic

Yacht rock boredom beyond belief. Never not never!

obviously bangers, ni super mega speciaal ma gwn goeie vibey 3.5

pure vibes maar wel geen 5 sterren album

Meh

I realy enjoyed listening to this album ! Great Find ✌️

i love this album!! definitely one of my favorites now!! wonderful listen

I tried but couldn't muster up the desire to finish this album. It's... fine just not for me

8.5/10

This was absolutely what I needed today. I don't remember rating this album as anything special on my previous listen through of Steely Dan, but it really hit for me this time. Yacht Rock is great Favorite Songs: Rikki Don't Lose that Number, With a Gun

3.5

I listened to this and forgot to write a review straight away. Now a few hours later I can’t really recall a thing about it. That speaks volumes.

Pretty good. Fun to listen to but not very exciting or super interesting, kinda dragged towards the end.

A Steely Jam. Enjoyed it.

Didn’t blow me away, but it’s smooth enough that I didn’t mind the ride.

There's not such thing as bad steely Dan. But there is better steely Dan than this album.

A bit dated, but I liked it.

Oh mama, le ptit Steely Dan surprise qui arrive clutch à la fin, j’adore

I honestly thought I didn't enjoy music like this, but it's so good.

Another band I know and heard but never listened to a whole album. This was a great listen! Very interesting songs written with some jazz influences. Makes for a very harmonically rich listen. Each piece is well written in a concise fashion. Leaves me wanting to hear the album again at the end and I did put this on twice. Definitely want to hear their other albums as well.

such annoying vocals. The instrumental track was great.

Steely Dan is fun as always, a true uncgem.

Their sound is pretty fabulous - the right amount of jazz and pop and rock blended into irresistible confections. I added a couple songs to my playlist, though pretty much the hits I already knew. I enjoyed the whimsical forays into a jazz age tune (“St. Louis Toodle-Oo”) and a hard-boiled western number (“With a Gun.”) in just over 30 minutes they were able to display a lot of range and talent in a tight package. 4/4.5

Love some steely

Pretty good stuff, just getting kind of dated

Wasn’t keen on this the 1st time round, still not changed my mind, listening again

Love this album, already reviewed and this was as enjoyable to listen to again

Reminds me of Matt & Sarah, though I have no idea if they listen to Steely Dan. Great tunes.

Not annoying but not something i would seek out again

Slightly better than the last album, but it had a couple of songs that brought it down.

Dad rock to dig. Real WAH-WAH-WAH kinda stuff.

I had trouble forming an opinion on this, so I looked back at my reviews of previous Steely Dan albums, and they were no help, I described them both as "bland". And it's a bland triple-bill from Steely Dan with this too. It's a bit Simon and Garfunkel, slightly funkier, but my overwhleming impression is no impression. The best things I can say about this album are that it didn't actually offend me and it was short.

Maybe a little more loungey than their other stuff, but they still don't miss

Sympatoche poprock qui passe bien mais sans relief.

I love Steely Dan so much

Class. Pop-y in comparison to Can't Buy a Thrill, still great.

Good vocals and really strong lyrics, one of those albums to just vibe to when doing homework or doing some other chore, not MY favorite type of rock that Beatles esque sound, but not bad

steely dan doesn't do it for me Would I listen again: No Deserves to be on this list: Doesn't he have more popular albums? 2.5

2nd Steely album on this list for me! I like all of their albums, but I would really have put Gaucho or Royal Scam here instead of Pretzel Logic, for this goody I will be going for 4 stars I reckon.

Great album, this band always delivers and this one is solid throughout. Not quite five stars but very good

Listened previously. Expectations: High - Verdict: Great - Brilliant album from start to finish. I couldn't pick a favourite Steely Dan album but this would definitely be up there.

Interesting harmonies and funky grooves. Not bad at all!

Want it to be over. I can't put my finger on it but there is something just unsettling and awful about it all. Starting to remind me of Frank Zappa and maybe I don't like Frank Zappa now. Little bits of funk, country come through but it's like it's taking the piss. I know it's an acquired taste but I can't contemplate how people like this.

Loved night by night

Way better than I thought. Steely Dan still has a hokey sound sometimes, to Me. But this songwriting is great and I LOVE the gratuitous solos

I went in expecting not to like it but it's not bad. It is dad-rocky pero that doesn't have to always mean boring and generic. It was chill and nice to have in the background.

I have never heard a Steely Dan song that I enjoy. In that regard, this album did not disappoint. I do not understand working that hard to sound so bland.

This album was solidly good. Nothing stuck out to me as a masterpiece, but none of the songs were bad either. I could see the songs growing on me more with repeat listens. Favorite Track - Parker's Band Least Favorite Track - Charlie Freak ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Risch geil

Starker Einstieg und mit dem zweiten Song erstmal klassischer 70er Funk. Mag ich. Der Rest war mittelmäßig unterhaltsam.

Eigentlich ganz geil am Anfang, finde es allerdings mit Dauer immer langweiliger. Kann aber auch mit dieser seltsamen Mischung aus Funk und Trucker-Musik nicht wirklich etwas anfangen. Das ist wohl dann diese Brezellogic...

Soft rock can get boring quick, luckily this was only 33 minutes. Definition of OK.

I love Steely Dan but this isn’t my fave of theirs. Still more solid than 90% of this list

Pretty eh for steelys standards

3.5

A single hit amongst a variety of bearable and pleasent sending tunes

This album was okay, but it felt unremarkable to me. You can definitely tell it's a 70s piece because of the groovy elements mixed in with the rock music, but there's also some blues mixed in as well. There were a couple of standout tunes to me: "Barrytown" and "Charlie Freak". These songs were perfectly melodic and the storytelling was amazing. Not to say the other songs weren't melodic or told stories, but these two had the best combination of both. The last song, "Monkey In Your Soul", did not feel like a closer to me, more just another filler song. Overall, I see a couple of shining moments in an otherwise sort of bland album.

Not their best work

Biased because I genuinely like steely dan

Album sounds like something my dad would make me listen to as a joke and we're both just mutually suffering to this.

Some gems and some questions. When it works, brilliantly played pop/jazz infused with lurking blues runs through Hooksville, and when it doesn't (have you actually finished this song or is this an idea you are still working out?) it makes you wonder who organized the whole project.

I do love ‘Rikki I don’t lose that number’ but I don’t really care for the rest. It’s accomplished but not my thing.

Always enjoy a Steely Dan record. Ended before I was ready.

Not my bag, but it's well done.

Simply Cool

Probably my fault for coming in with expectations based on the very few (but very exceptional) Steely Dan songs I've heard on radio over the years = suspect this album is a creeper that will grow on me over time with repeated listening 3 star with a note to call back from time-to-time

I feel like I could become a Steely Dan guy, but I'm not there yet. I kind of like their attitude and writing, but they're a little too smooth for me. This is probably their most average release. A few good hits at the start, then nice enough but a bit slight throughout the rest

6 / 10 - coole vibes und ziemlich abwechslungsreich (jazz/rock/blues) - interessante Songwriting - Manche Songs besser/einprägsamer als andere - kein befriedigendes Ende zum Album Favs: - Rikki Don't Lose That Number - Night By Night

I feel like Albini because there's something deep inside that renders me incapable of liking Steely Dan. They just sound so *uncool*. They're undoubtedly competent musicians, but this style of anodyne jazz-funk-pop does nothing to my ears or my body or my soul.

Maybe too much Steely Dan.

Yeah.

4.

The instrumentals on this album felt very Beatles-y at times but even that was not enough to save it for me. As someone with the music taste of a boomer dad this should be right up my alley but I just did not vibe with it.

Not noteworthy

Barry town, Through the Buzz, Rikki etc... C'est difficile de doner moins de 4 à un album de Steely Dan, même si je crois qu'un seul serait suffisant dans la liste.

Vous pouvez ben me convaincre que c'est bon mais vous me convaincrez jamais que c'est écoutable. 2.49 étoiles

The kings of easy listening strike again. I don’t have a ton to say about this record. It was a very solid listen, very well produced, and like most things Steely Dan, I enjoyed it immensely. Take out ‘East St. Louis Toodle-Oo’ and this would be a perfect score, but as it stands, it’s a very good 4/5

not my favorite steely dan album

The line up alone requires a standing O. These musicians have consistently put out timeless recordings for YEARS. They are just as good today as the day they were recorded. AND they just got better as they composed and recorded. Steely Dan forever!

Enjoyed, but not as much as later albums.

this album is so fun! the songs blend in together at times but i liked it, it was a nice surprise.

good

Ummm This just reminds me of the boys (they were always boys) who could play their instruments really well, keep a beat and not have a single memorable track. Geeks.

This album felt quite anachronistic. I understand how it paved the way for the development of current pop music, but I probably won't be returning to it.

Steely Dan Man … Steely Dan. Underrated album of there’s, some point criticisms, and a lot of good music

an okay album. it started strong with “rikki doing lose that number” and the next two songs became a bit boring the piano parts are cool, the guitar bits are good too, just a bit too long for my liking, therefore boring it has some jazzy and james-bond-ish vibes sometimes also at some moments really remind me of queen, fleetwod mac, and david bowie saved a few songs a 2.5/5, but i’m rounding up to the bigger

primeiro album curto em muito tempo KKKKK FAVS (top 3): rikki dont lose that number, night by night, pretzel logic mençoes honrosas: barry town, monkey in your soul um bom album, curti o começo, achei a segunda metade meio fraca, mas é bom, pra primeira parte eu tava considerando um 4 mas dps errr uns 3-3.5 entao de media vou dar 3.5 nota final: 3.5/5

Pretty short album, its fine, but nothing catchy really.

this is fun and familiar but would probably not pick it but I like it

Some really good vibes. I really enjoyed the music even if I found the vocals a hit and miss.

Good but what's the logic behind having four damn Steely Dan albums in this challenge?

Good Pop Rock, but I think we got the picture after 4 Steely Dan. Do you know any other band, by chance?

Precise, rich, jazzy, catchy, melodic… Steely Dan are the real deal of having a strong and playful band. I won't hide it to my hipster friends : I love Steel Dan.

A lot of this album sounded like it was going to be fun, interesting, and funky, but proceeded to let me down a little. Most of the songs felt like watered-down Billy Joel to me. Ironically, I really liked “East St. Louis Toodle-Oo,” which is arguably the least Steely-Dan sounding song on the album. I also enjoyed Charlie Freak, but the rest didn’t leave a strong impression on me.

Simple-minded. Artist have better musics in setlist.

A Steely Dan album is like a box of chocolates. I’d heard this album talked about plenty but never listened front to back. Walter Becker and Donald Fagen are clearly virtuosos musically - always some intricate progressions and arrangements. The first 3 tracks had me ready to give this one 5 stars, but I found things getting less interesting by the middle. Glad I discovered that banger “Night by Night” though! 🔥 Any Major Dude rocks as well, and of course Ricky is a certified classic

Beautifully done.

1974. I love Steely Dan and Im glad to have listened to thie album but unfortunately this album doesn't reach the height of the best that Steely Dan has to offer. I still love the sound and style but I know there is better waiting for me.

Tired of all the Steely Dan.

Any more Steely Dan albums and I think I might become a fan. This album flowed so nicely from start to finish and was the perfect accompaniment to my walk along the seafront. Just wonderful vibes, but distinctly different from my memory of Aja. Favourites: Rikki Don't Lose That Number Any Major Dude Will Tell You Pretzel Logic

The good stuff is legendary. But there are a few cuts on here that are just a bit sterile. They haven't quite hit their peak. Excellent guitar throughout, though. Like, REALLY amazing, which was unexpected. "Rickie..." is an all-time favorite.

Great overall album! Smooth, jazzy, catchy, not much filler. Nice listen!

technically, it's good, they make good albums. but nothing called my attention in this one

Favorite Track: Rikki Don't Lose That Number

Phenomenal album and classic Steely Dan sound.

Favorite tracks: Parker's Band, Charlie Freak, Rikki Don't Lose That Number, Barrytown Honestly I'm surprising even myself with this rating. I've always thought of Steely Dan as boring, but it did grow on me as the album went on. Still not my favorite style of music, but I definitely have a new appreciation for the jazz elements and harmonies.

Good album, easy listen! 7.1/10

8/10 Great start but dips towards the middle.

Wasn't sure what to expect, listened a few extra times before succumbing to a 4. Good stuff, wide variety.

Fire up the steam powered dildo and prepare to set sail for another helping of baffling 70s yacht rock. This one opens with Rikki Don’t Lose That Number, which puzzled me at the time - why didn’t Rikki just call directory enquiries or look up the number in the phone book? It’s only now that I realise that she was trying to ghost this dork by pretending to write his number down on the back of a napkin or something. The rest of the album is mostly easy listening, smooth jazz/rock which is ok, but the lyrics are just bizarre in places. Does he mean Barry in Wales? Is he going to meet Napoleon in a secure hospital? What has he got against Buzz Aldrin? I genuinely don’t want to look up the stories behind any of these for fear of spoiling them.

Cool stuff

Don't tell my dad, but I could listen to any Steely Dan for weeks

Besides the first song nothing really stood out.

Favorite Track: Pretzel Logic

The older I get the more I like Steely Dan. Pretty good but definitely not my favorite.

take it or leave it

Call it sophistipop, soft prog, complex pop. Call it what you want. It is a work of refined arrangements and complex compositions. Do I like this? Oh fuck no. I hate Steely Dan. But it is undeniably well made, it made its mark in time. Brilliant album. It deserves to be here. I just hope I don't have to listen to it again.

Any major dude will tell you this is crap

Mu ameno y con autenticos temardos. Me ha gustado mucho Barrytown por la clara influencia de Dylan

This album made very little impression on me. All the songs sounded the same. I don't like it but I don't hate it. I think I was expecting better.

Instantly recognisable vocals and guitar - instantly forgettable 70s easy listening Radio 2 music .

The definition of boring middle of the road dad rock.

This guy Dan really has some steely music. Sorry, I saw a review of this that included a line like, "I really like his music" with a 5 rating and thought it funny. Steely Dan may have acclaimed music, but it is too soft for me. I'd prefer more jazz and less pop effort.

I didn't dislike it, but nothing stood out to me. Kinda blah.

I gave it an extra point because the production is excellent, and the musicians played amazing, but god what a bloody boring album!

Thought Countdown to Ecstasy was a little better, but this is a damn good album in its own regard. 4.5 bumped up to 5.

I’m at a 5. I mean, it’s Steely Dan, what am I supposed to say? If you like “Can’t Buy A Thrill” & “Countdown to Ecstasy” (or if you’ve gotten “Aja” by now, unlike us), you’ll enjoy this. All my same praises apply here, with Donald Fagen’s vocals especially sounding even more refined here, and the band’s technical skill being showcased a bit more. I don’t think it’s got the same consistent stream of hit after hit like “Can’t Buy A Thrill” does, but this is still a super fun album in its own right. As with “Can’t Buy A Thrill”, I really have no complaints, and only nitpicks; I think the lyricism isn’t quite as tight as I remember from the band (though still pretty good), and I think it could’ve had a more definitive closing track than “Monkey in Your Soul”, which doesn’t really feel like it wraps up the album satisfyingly. It’s a good track, but it feels like it’s building to something more. The length is surprising here; at just 34 minutes, it’s the shortest one on the list, and I do think that makes the quality / pace of the album suffer just a little bit, in a way that’s almost too fast to appreciate the variety the album is going for. I’m not saying they had to pad to make it 40-ish minutes, but I think just a little bit more room to explore some solos & soundscapes further would give each track a little more weight to appreciate them with. All in all though, I’m splitting hairs – this is another great Steely Dan album, and I think it’s about on par with “Countdown to Ecstasy”. I’m glad it’s on the list, and I really, REALLY cannot wait to get Aja at some point over the final 310 albums. Hopefully that comes sooner than later, but as far as this album goes, it’s a very nice 5.

Steely Dan is a very polarizing band, you either love them or hate them. I would say I'm closer to the former, particularly because my dad played us a lot of Steely Dan when I was young. I liked the first half of this album a bit more, or maybe I just didn't listen as closely to the latter half. Rikki Don't Lose that Number is of course a classic but I also quite enjoyed Barrytown and Night by Night; this is an album I'd come back to.

Mildly better than one before.

I’ve heard of them. I listened to one of their songs Aja. They're like a jazz fusion band. Rikki Don’t lose that number: 6.5/10 Soft rock really isn’t my thing, this song isn’t too bad. Night by Night: 6/10 The song isn’t bad, the musicians aren’t bad. I just don’t like this style of music. Any major dude will tell you: 6/10 I just don’t like this genre. Barry town: 5/10 Easy St Louis Toodle-Oo: 3/10 Parker’s band: 6/10 Through with Buzz: 5/10 Pretzel Logic: 5/10 With a Gun: 5/10 Charlie Freak: 6/10 Monkey in your soul: 6/10

8 - GOOD

There is no doubting the skill but this is just so lifeless The worst track is a vapid cover of East St Louis Toodle-oo. It was so weak I ended up listening to Duke Ellington to see if the original song is really that bad. It isn't - it is quite playful and kind of fun, with a bit of moodiness in the background. The way Steely Dan play it is just so damned careful. What is the point of that? I am not a big jazz fan but one thing I definitely don't want from jazz is predictability

É um álbum bem legal. Não tem enrolação e músicas bem elaboradas. QoA Vesper.

Technically proficient, but very much of it's time. It kind of bores me. It is odd to me that they are getting some some of reevauluation these days. Shrug.

It's Steely Dan, like come on

Good albim

I love Steely Dan so this was automatically gonna be a high rating. Probably my second favorite album i have heard by this band. The jazzy pianos are what caught my attention the most. Also I really like the album cover

I was excited but the album isn't as great as their other stuff. Still good ofc Favorites: -Rikki don't lose that number -Night by night -Pretzel logic

A great album however I'm not sure I can psychologically endure entering a Steely Dan phase at this stage of my life. I'm also realising I thought Steely Dan and Dave Matthews Band were the same (??) so clearly I have some unpacking to do.

All the elements of a great Steely Dan record appear to be here, but this doesn’t really click for me. Other than “Any Major Dude Will Tell You” and “Barrytown,” this strikes me as below average Steely Dan, which makes it above average for music generally, but still. I would probably not include this on a list of albums to hear before you die, even given my enjoyment of Steely Dan generally.

got 100% absolutely jumpscared by the piano riff in 'rikki don't lose that number'. genuinely thought I had put 'song for my father' on queue somehow. ON THAT NOTE 'rikki don't lose that number' is a BOP AND A HALF. steely dan is??? really good????????? I love it when popular things are good! Barrytown is also excellent. Very catchy. And East St. Louis Toodle-Oo is also great I love a good piano saxophone moment. I think...guys I think I really like Steely Dan.

It's a 4.3.

Never listened to Steely Dan before. This wasn’t bad.

Was very cool and had some bangers. Interesting to see how they teetered between country/soul on this album a little more than they did their debut. Favorite Songs: Parker's Band, Through with a Buzz

Rikki Don't Lose That Number - Es el unico que quieres y que nesesitas usalo cuando llegues a casa y te sientas mejr, nunca lo pierdas por eres todo tú, anotalo para cuando te sientas perdido sepas a quien compartir tu felicidad. Night By Night - Vivire mi vida sin tener que preocuparme de que mañana vendra a corregirme pr vivr. Any Mayor Dude Will Tell You - Aunque te lo diga tienes que vivirlo por ti mismo para sentirlo. Barrytown - puede ver que tu eres de BARRYTOWN !!!! me gusta mucho mos cambios que utilizan para hablar de Barrytown, como si nesesitaras manos de jazz para comprenderlo. East St Louis Toodle-Oo - jejeje me gusta la trompeta y los platillos, la manera en que el teclado te pasea alrededor y puedes sentir como el aire cambia, EN ESPECIAL EL PLATO DEL FINAL. Parker's Band - Tu y yo podemos disfrutar el nuevo aire que te trae la banda de parker !!!! Through With Buzz - AHH ESCUCHEN ESA ARPA, esto lo hago por ti, no me gustaia sufrir de esta forma si no es por ti. Pretzel Logic - jejeje el mismo nombre de su album, sera q les gustan los pretzel?, ¡¡¡ todo cambia tan rápido que que lo que haga hoy o importara para el siguiente abril !!! With A Gun - CON UNA PISTOLAAAA, todo esto va a acabar con una pistola, cuanto más corras, mas digas, más te escondas terminaras con una pistola entre los dos, ¿la lluvia nunca detuvo estos pensamientos tuyos? Charlie Freak - Charlie era más que los errores que cometió . Monkey In Your Soul - Un gran cierre de album con la huida de nuetro protagonista, tal vez no debimos interrumpir su canción.

This album is fire. Sonically it is amazing and you can hear influences from rock, country, folk, and country. The singing is soulful and smooth and there is this cool vocal stacking that makes some parts of some of the songs sound autotune esque while not feeling robotic or over the top.

It sounded very old. I liked it okay

I don’t hate the Dan as much as I did in the 90s, but I’ll never be a fan of this era.

Like a lot of Steely Dan, it's fine. Sometimes they write beautiful melodies and hire people to write catchy hooks. Sometimes you get Pretzel Logic, which is competent and completely forgettable. It's an album and it hurt much less than Kid Rock. It had no effect on my view of music or even Steely Dan, though. It sort of reminds me of listening to a click track, except those weren't used in 1974. So I guess you could set your watch to it, if not derive pleasure from listening to it. 3/5; perfectly middle-of-the-road for The List. At least it didn't involve Morrissey.

Vibes

Very good

Solid jams in a small package, but the weak bits on this album aren't covered by any generational hits. More of a 3.5, but average Steely Dan still has to be considered somewhat average.

Great jams. Only a 4 because I know they have better albums

it's fine. the songs all sound the same to me, but that's just me.

My god everybody smoked far too much pot in the early 70's if they liked this

A good album, with a nice blend of jazz and rock that comes together in a catchy sound throughout. The only major criticism would be that that sound becomes fairly repetitive- there are little quirks on each song that keep it interesting, but broadly the album is one style done very well.

In which Steely Dan brilliantly marry their jazz-rock stylings to really catchy short songs with a great pop sensibility. I’d give this 4.5 if I could; it’s seriously good, but because I’m not as familiar with it as some definite 5 star albums I’d feel slightly uncomfortable giving it the maximum score. My other shortcoming is that there are some relatively weaker tracks (although still really good) in the back half, and the album ends rather abruptly, which was slightly jarring. Still, this is about as close to 5 without getting it as any album is likely to be.

Honestly found this kinda meh. I love some Steely Dan, but this isn't a patch on Aja. 3 Stars.

Sets the stage well for what’s to come in later albums.

Great album title. Terrible earworm starts off proceedings and it then continues... Just fine.

Kinda boring

ah, a banda dos audiófilos™. Tenho nada a dizer sobre esse álbum.

Bog standard. Ok.

Kind of a mash up of different moods and styles. A lot of the songs didn’t really appeal to me.

очень расстраивает, что приходится оценивать на сравнении, потому что кто-то сюда фигню поставил. ну ладно, сам по себе альбом неплохой, даже что-то подпевать хотелось, интересно

Short album with high quality material

Cooles Album, sehr chilliger Sound

Ja, ganz okay chillo

Some proper bangers in this one, like Night By Night and Pretzel Logic. Overall, it's a pretty fun one. Nothing overly remarkable, but better than Countdown To Ecstasy for sure

Need more funk!

I wasn’t super into it.

Donc, l'album du jour, encore du Steely Dan. Le premier que j'avais entendu était plus ou moins sympathique, mais alors celui-ci est tout sauf mémorable. On va être honnête : je comprends pas trop ce qu'il faut dans la liste. Il n'est pas vraiment mauvais, mais c'est pas non plus particulièrement mémorable. Au moins, il était pas trop long.

Doing uni work while this on the background, perfect sort of album for that. Love the vibes and super chill. Definitely will revisit when paying more attention to the music. Never got bored and loved all the songs.

𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘻𝘦𝘭 𝘓𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘤 strikes me as the strongest Steely Dan album I’ve heard so far: concise, smartly arranged, and full of songs that glide by with an easy, understated charm. The blend of pop structure and jazz-infused detail works better here than anywhere else in their catalog, at least for me. Even so, it’s not a record I feel the need to replay immediately — more something I’ll come back to when the right moment arrives.

not quite my vibe

This was a solid album. A little disappointed in some of the musical choices they made, would’ve made this even better. Feels like they went a kind of generic route. Especially night by night.

Eh

Yacht rockers rejoice! I have a soft spot for Steely Dan, my parents like them a lot so listening to them carries some feelgood nostalgia for me. Any major dude would tell you. For the album itself, not my favorite Dan album but I think there are still some gems in there like the title track Pretzel Logic. I think I would go 3.5 stars if I could but I'm leaning towards rounding down.

Rikki Don't Lose That Number is a perfect song. Reminds me of my Aunt Joan. I found myself vibing along to this one very heavily from the jump. Nodding my head. Generally loving it. So many great tracks. A touch slow in spots. 4.5/5

first time listening to this. been meaning to check out Steely Dan for a while now, if only to more fully appreciate the memes. my reaction upon listening: aight then

A type of music where the brevity of the album elevates my opinion of it. An hour of this would put me to sleep, but 30ish mins is enought to brighten my spirits. Charlie Freak was hella eerie and fantastic story telling. Makes me want to go back and listen more intently to other song lyrics. Classic rock, funk, jazz (cover) - Steely Dan did it all. I think I may be a SD fan now...

It’s such well put together music. So many earworms that are designed to get stuck in your head for days. It’s no Aja, but still fantastic.

Steely Dan is probably my biggest discovery so far doing this. Really enjoyed all the tracks on here but especially track 2 and the title track

Overall Rating - 4.09/5 (8.18/10). I consider this one of the weaker Classic Steely Dan (up to Gaucho) albums. That said, it's exactly the kind of tight, jazzy, slick rock music with nothing out of place that you expect from The Dan.

Some pretty fun tracks but kind of ultimately feels like a mess. I followed up with a couple tracks off Can't Buy a Thrill and liked that more. Maybe this just isn't the Dan for me.

Loved the music but the songs, not for me. They lack any gravitas or conviction

Super super solid, liked it a lot top to bottom.

I expect we'll see a bunch of Steely Dan records in here, and I expect they will have a high floor but a low ceiling. I think my general opinion of them having only dabbled is that they're just a little too slick for a jazz rock band compared to their contemporaries, even those coming from the rock side (thinking about Zappa especially). I guess you could even call this soft rock or my new least favorite term "adult-oriented-rock", but it's way more interesting than most of that stuff is. They compare extremely favorably to other soft-rock contemporaries, but do not hold a candle to other fusion contemporaries, I guess I'm saying. Nonetheless, they make like perfectly cromulent dad chunes that are musically interesting enough to listen to. This certainly is a record of their songs, and is is a perfectly fine record to throw on and either listen intently or just have it linger in the background. I remain curious whether one of their records is going to stand out enough to deserve a 4.

East St. Louis Toodle-Oo is a hilarious encapsulation of Steely Dan is so frustrating. anyways rikki slaps and parker's place is fun but there are so many things that insist on itself that I can't go higher than 3

Like a strong 3.5, good vibes, Ricky is good, but not extraordinary!

This was a tight 33min with fun melodies and harmonade me relisten easily. Steely Dan was a lot more enjoyable than I’d expected and especially after the wall of sound we endured from Springsteen, a cool and smooth reprieve

I think it was an Achewood line (maybe Teodor) — a person was trying to describe Steely Dan and said "Imagine if the greatest band in the world fucking sucked." It's a fun conceit I've enjoyed applying to other concepts*, the main point being there's this extremely technically accomplished group artfully making layered music but the end result is Yacht Rock. Anyhow I might give this a few more listens, but honestly I think 3 is where this belongs -- A good album that I wouldn't describe as being all that trail blazing and if not boring can at least sort of fade into the background. *My favourite: Imagine if the greatest comedian in the world fucking sucked — you'd get Tig Notaro

Love this album. So does my daughter on 1 year. Riktigt Don't Loose That Number have been playing a third time straight, and she's just jamming along. For me the best way to describe this album is; tasty. Tasty compositions, Donald Fagens tasty voice that fits so well with the music, and tasty guitar playing by Walter Becker.

Did not love it. It tried too hard. Lose the number Rikki, he isn't worth it.

Apple Music said it was rock but wasn’t rock at all

It was fine. I appreciate the musicianship but most of it wasn't for me.

Confirms what I suspected, I like Steely Dan

Dad rock for sure but loved it. I loved Rikki, With a Gun, and the guitar solo in Pretzel Logic was fantastic. I definitely prefer Aja for an overall album as this one did start to feel like elevator music after a while - good thing it was only 33 minutes!

Pretty good when it comes to instrumental work, but, nothing that really stood out to me as 'this is a must listen'.

This concludes all the steely dan I'll listen to for this list. In retrospect what is always present is the very technical instrumentsls and intricate progressions. But throughout I always thought something was missing to keep me here. I believe it is an overdose of polish that repulses me when I look deeper. Everything is just a little too calculated, or at least sounds that way. Pretzel logic I'd argue is the most accessible of the four albums. With mostly poppy songs leaning more into jazz rock than straight prog. The songs are shorter but not less intricate. Sadly, that accessibility does not address my need for a little more imperfection.

c'etait pas mal

Straight trash that insists upon itself. There's something here, but it's not for me.

A nice Jazz album with some rock aspects... I really enjoy it Fav song - Rikki Don't Lose That Number 3/5

It’s good. Definitely better steely Dan out there though

Agradável mas nao me conectei muito.

Of course Rikki is great, but the second half is also really strong.

3.66

Some of the best guitar playing I have ever heard!

I don't think I like steely Dan much.

Once of the songs is called 'any major dude will tell you' which may well be one of the best song titles I've ever heard. Unfortunately the song doesn't live up to the title, and the as album as a whole is a bit nothingy.

I've obviously heard "Rikki Don't Loose That Number" before. Growing up the 2000s my parents had the oldies station on while getting ready for school and that played often on it so it's a bit nostalgic. "Any Major Dude Will Tell You" is a fun, chill one. "With a Gun" has no right to be as jovial and fun as it is. Overall, actually pretty good. Compared to some of the albums on this list it'd be a 5, but for within my own personal taste it's about a 3.5 or 4

I'm sure my dad loves this album.

3.4 2x

Didn’t recognise any of the songs and found the album pretty boring to be honest, wouldn’t listen again!

Several years ago, I listened to Aja because a friend told me it was great, and I was experimenting with albums from the "all time great" lists. I did not like it. I wasn't expecting much from Pretzel Logic. But after Rikki, which I knew from radio play, this album was easier to listen to than I expected. The music is technical. I can easily how this album would reward repeat listens, gaining familiarity and anticipating little things. Unfortunately, I would find that somewhat difficult to do. The lyrics are, to be charitable, profoundly stupid. I assume the lyrical content was some mix of inside jokes, some.weird early 70s brand of "cool" that does not translate to a modern listener, or the result of the very specific drugs of the era (does doing quaaludes make Steely Dan appealing???) The overall package is music that isn't actively offensive. At 33 minutes, this album doesn't wear out it's welcome. I could stand if this music was playing in tbe background with friends or something. But this didn't convince me to seek out more Steely Dan into my musical life.

Sometimes I smile when I see what has been generated for me, other times I give a mild cheery but never before have I happily fist-pumped as I did when I got this album by one of my favourite bands This is so novel, the bubbling sound at the beginning of Rikki Don’t lose that Number is a flapamba, a type of Xylophone, how cool is that. But, the album also feels very laid back, like guys just sitting in a New York bar telling tales and sharing stories, but really interesting stories, in harmony.

Dazzling compositional creativity and breathtaking musicianship. Wow

Sin duda no es mi favorito pero sigue siendo un gran álbum

Not bad just a bit bland

I LOVE STEELY DAN.

love steely dan

This album is a ten as high as the highest tree, and even more. I've loved it, and, wow, how didn't I know about it before? This album is great, such a masterpiece. There is so much variety, but also a sonic consistency. And the songs are all fantastic, there are no skips possible. Every song is a universe in itself. There's a lot on here to dive in, a lot of different sounds, layers,... And I'm here for it, oh, yes, for it all! I've loved this album. It's very enjoyable and full of bangers, funny and subtle, and full of taste. I can't stop repeating how good it is!

Whenever I play Deadlock and get tilted I play Steely Dan to calm myself down like a dog given a pill hidden in peanut butter. 5 stars.

PBS rock.

🤌🏼

I’m still not lame enough to love Steely Dan but this is the closest I have gotten. Shouldn’t be on this list though.

Easy listening, good background music

Et av mine favorittband. Fagen sin stemme fyller meg med nostalgi og varme. Dette er ikke en av mine favoritter i deres diskografi (men det er jo Dan, så dårlig er det uansett ikke). Litt mindre nyansert enn sine etterfølgere, da dette var tidlig i bandets karriere, men det er tydelig at dette albumet er starten på en overgang fra enklere pop rock til Dans perfeksjonerte yacht/jazz rock (som på The Royal Scam og Gaucho, som dessverre ikke er inkludert i dette prosjektet). Dette er dessuten det siste albumet før Steely Dan gikk fra å regnes som en gruppe, til kun å være Fagen og Becker. Mange varme og fengende melodier. Veldig enkel kost for ørene, noe som i denne sammenheng er et pluss. Top 3: Night By Night, Barrytown, Charlie Freak

Fine

Nice old school rock that is really easy to listen to. No song really stood out to me but I enjoyed the whole album. Especially the songs where they brought in the brass instruments.

Захотелось брецель

My notes deleted… Loved the sound and the album as a whole.

Ah not really my thing. Nothing I got in to

Zuhause, Gerstetten, Deutschland. Sehr schönes Album.

3.8/5

Pretty cool, short and sweet listen (kind of surprised by the shortness as they strike me a longer album type of band)

Nice old blues poppy

Not the best steely dan

The apple notes indicate that this is meritocracy, but I would characterize it as mediocracy. I liked the tendency towards original songs and a common band vision. I may not like the vision, and thus the album, but it offered something to like. This might land well with some listeners, but so does the nameless bar band that fills the background. At least some of those bands hope to be found, to put in the work to polish themselves(or be polished) into something that endures.

no niby spoko, ale jest to dla mnie jeden z tych albumów, który brzmi jak tysiąc innych (nawet jak przesłuchałem go milion razy). i to te piosenki, które są dziwnie radosne, a nie jak w soundtracku "Inside Llewyn Davis", gdzie smutek i tak się nawet chce w tym smutku być. no ja nie wiem.

Nie mogę codziennie słuchać całego albumu soft folkish poprocka bo po prostu oszaleję. To nie jest wina steely dana że jest zbyt normalny, dlatego dziś zamiast przemyśleń nt płyty klip, który rezonuje ze mną od kiedy pierwszy raz go zobaczyłem - jak villanelle jest niedobodźcowana w muzeum i na całe gardło krzyczy BOOOOOOORIIIIIIIIIIING i tym sposobem sama sobie zapewnia lepszą rozrywkę: https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ

Fajne, całkiem buja. Ja lubię sobie posłuchać jazzowo folkowego rocka ale nie wbił mi się ten album za bardzo w nastrój dnia

Miałem bardzo irytujący dzień w pracy. Nie mogłem się skupić, ale ta muzyczka była na tyle przyjemna, że jak miałem jej jak posłuchać to pomogła mi się skupić. Kilka utworów nawet zapadło mi w pamięć

Nothing memorable. That's almost a one. But it wasn't bad, tho'

It was OK. Songs kind of blended together after a while.

You have to be a certain kind of person to enjoy Steely Dan.

Perfect album to listen to sitting on a dock and having no idea what time it is

Always liked Steely Dan but this listen was so eye-opening for me. Such incredible music-making. Immaculate production and the entire thing feels so full- the lyrics never detract from the artistry of the music and vice versa. Everything fits together so well into this massive slice of timeless music. Pretty instantaneously elevated this band into my favorites. This record feels like a pop progressive rock and jazz combination without ever feeling offputting, boring, or messy. Cannot wait to hear more SD now.

upbeatsel bazen bazen blues rock beğendimm

was okay

What do they excel in? Nothing really, but they do everything right and made an album which is very pleasant to listen to. 4/5

Enjoyed this album - great production, smooth tracks and a couple of standout hits. Not as many blow-you-away songs as Cant Buy Me a Thrill, but this album was another Steely Dan win from this project. 8/10

listened to this one thousands of times. we all hate that one song

molto carino mio genere

I am a massive fan of Steely Dan and I’d say this is my second favorite album of theirs after Aja. During my sophomore year of high school Ricky Don’t Lose That Number was very popular with the kegger crowd. The first side of the album was flawless except for a weird little todo loo thing at the end.

70's pop-rock. Yacht rock a little? Pitchfork: n/a Rolling Stone: n/a Best Songs Rikki Don't Lose That Number

Another unnecessary addition, but not a bad album

Fine, a bit disappointing based on previous Steely Dan albums.

Not sure about this one. There were maybe three good songs here. The rest was some of the lamest rock music I've ever heard. That said, somehow I still didn't hate it. It was a level of fine that allowed me to keep listening without getting too turned off (or maybe I've just reached the adult contemporary rock stage of life). I think the key to that was its brevity. The album is about 34 minutes long and most of the songs are under 3 minutes long. If it had kept going much more, I think I would've gotten to the point of strong dislike. Still, I didn't think much of this was very good. A lot of it was bordering the bad side of OK. The few good tracks didn't do much to improve the whole for me. I managed the listen this time, but I doubt I'll be listening to it again. Overall: 2.2/5

Muy buen álbum, se te hace cero pesado escucharlo

- Another woman beater. - Yeah, I hate this. Forgettable singer over jazz-adjacent soft "rock". The image it brings to mind is white dudes who think they're intellectuals pining for the good old days. - Yes, they are proficient enough with their instruments and the production is clean, but just like with jazz in general, I feel left cold and irritated when I listen to it.

I expected to hate it, but that never happened. While it’s not my style of music, it was better than I thought. I appreciated the short runtime too.

It's fine. Some bangers but I got lost while listening to it, didn't keep me hooked.

Listened to this 3 times now, so good, love the vocals but the solos are also outstanding!! Dan is the man.

Steely Dan continue their trend of writing a couple of the best songs I've ever heard and sprinkling them in-between a load of nothing

Yes, it's the one with "Rikki Don't Lose That Number", but I need more than that. Having been introduced to Steely Dan through Aja, it's difficult to find anything as close in quality. Pretzel Logic has the benefit of being a Steely Dan album, but the misfortune of not featuring enough memorable songs. It's fine, but a mid-tier Dan album.

Started strong, then kinda meh

I LOVE STEELY DAN. SO FUNKY

07/10 14.01.2026

Very nice. Second half dips a little but still great stuff.

Another day another Steely Dan album that does absolutely nothing for me. Maybe one day when I'm a dad in my fifties I will finally get it. Key tracks: Rikki Don't Lose That Number

Thank God for Steely Dan. I had just finished being annoyed by Don MacLean’s awful American Pie album. Steely Dan provided an epic musical bath to clean my palate and my soul. They are the basic black dress of pop music — always sophisticated, appropriate, and cool. Love the fusion of jazz with witty lyrics, and super talented and tasteful instrumentals. A 5 — will enjoy this any time.

Not a bad album but nothing exciting

one of the better 70s albums I've heard (mostly post-band beatles stuff). Definitely better than I expected it to be, though I still don't have any stand out tracks. Solid album for sure though. Also I thought steely dan was a black man don't ask why

It wasn't, like, offensively bad, but I'm gonna go ahead and not listen to that one ever again.

Estos discos setenteros se me están haciendo bien difíciles

It was a very weird album, not terribly enjoyable or bad, just meh

It's a real stretch to call this rock music. I'm so tired of listening to 50 year old music.

robert - "5/10"

How have I never heard of this band before. Super funky and flowy(?) rock which I love. A couple just ok songs but they don't detract from the rest of the album.

You seriously cant go wrong with Steely Dan, though this might be weaker than Can't Buy A Thrill, but still, 8/10

Kulare enn eg synest då eg var ung

Steely-muthafuggin-Dan. Im biased. Theyre just too good. Catchy innuendo songs, who doesnt like that?

There’s times when I realize a song is by steely Dan and I think maybe I do like steely Dan. And then there’s times I realize a song is by steely Dan and I think mane I don’t like steely Dan. Maybe that’s what pretzel logic means.

The older I get, the more steely dan makes sense

Incredible musicianship. Schmaltzy, saccharine smoothness. Pretentious pricks.

Pretzel Logic is my fourth Steely Dan album, and this is another catchy album that I can’t seem to turn off. Yet it sounds similar to their other albums on this list. I am not complaining, because what Steely Dan did worked for them. Like “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number” has such a good beat, and I found myself bopping along to that and the rest of the album. One song in particular struck me: “East St. Louis Toodle-Oo” is jazz instrumental that has a sinister undertone that has me obsessed. It sounds so different from Steely Dan’s other work.

In my opinion, another stellar album from Steely Dan! A lot of people in this day and age know a couple of Steely Dan songs, but one thing that this project has revealed to me is that these guys put out great albums at best, decent albums at worst, all throughout the 70s. And their sound is quintessential 70s perfection. These guys really aren't talked about nearly enough today in comparison to other 70s giants. But make no mistake, they're part of the giants club. This album is short and sweet at 34 minutes, and it doesn't waste a single moment of that time. The mix between jazz and rock here is juuuust right, and Steely Dan showcases a lot of variety in that short time.

like, jazzy, lindo lindas voces linda musica

Easy listening but not something I would go back to.

Oh dear, this band ticks every single box in my List of Irritations: Up Their Own Backsides-Faux-Cleverness, Dad Rock Smoothness, Unnecessary Jazz Syndrome, Smug Punchable Faces... The band that invented FM Rock, FFS. They even managed to annoy me with the novelty tune about East St Louis Street. I love novelty tunes done well with some affection for whatever is being lampooned, but I felt as though they were laughing AT Duke Ellington's composition, not laughing along WITH the country's musical heritage. An insufferable album from a pair of insufferable beardy twats.

Fine listen. 1 save but wasn't head over heels

I don't think Rikki ever did call back...

This one started off really strong and had me thinking it might end up higher. “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number” is obviously a banger and still holds up. I was also surprised by “Night by Night.” I had never heard it before, and honestly, it might be the best song on the album. That track alone gave this record a nice boost for me. The second half is where it kind of lost me. It’s not bad, it just does not keep the same momentum. Still very much a yacht rock album…if it was the summer and I was on a lake, it would probably be rated higher. Rainy day on the back porch might’ve killed the vibe.

Very nice

Aja is amazing! This album was meh, had some moments but I couldn’t get into it.

Nothing good or interesting here.

Boring.

really fun, white people music, reminds me of guardians of the galaxy.

Made 35 minutes look like 135.

Gostei bastante da vibe desse álbum. Não conhecia a banda.