{"id":39600,"date":"2006-01-12T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2006-01-12T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/reviews\/pretzel-logic-2\/"},"modified":"2006-01-12T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2006-01-12T00:00:00","slug":"pretzel-logic-2","status":"publish","type":"review","link":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/reviews\/pretzel-logic-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Pretzel Logic"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

After two albums, was Steely Dan running out of
\ngas?<\/p>\n

Listening to Pretzel Logic<\/i>, the third disc
\nfrom the brainchild of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, that was the
\nbig question I found myself asking. Despite the inclusion of one of
\ntheir biggest hits, this outing features tracks that sound like
\nworks in progress rather than the finely-polished gems that the
\ncollective was known for.<\/p>\n

The one hit that you’ll instantly recognize (after
\nthe brief lead-in of what sounds like a faint jungle rhythm) is
\n“Rikki Don’t Lose That Number.” Okay, so it’s overplayed on classic
\nrock radio. I can’t help it, I still love this song, no matter how
\nmany times I’ve heard it. In a sense, it’s kind of hard to explain
\njust what makes this track succeed. Is it the catchy refrain that
\ngoes from a samba-like beat to a full-blown chorus? Is it the
\ngentleness of the verses that clashes with the more intense guitar
\nsolo? I’ll let others argue those points.<\/p>\n

In fact, a good portion of the first half of the
\ndisc, while not as powerful as either of Steely Dan’s two previous
\nefforts, still evokes enough hope for the listener to make them
\nthink that the whole album will turn the corner on the very next
\ntrack. Songs like “Any Major Dude Will Tell You” and “Barrytown”
\nhold out those glimmers of hope — if only they delivered the goods
\nafterward.<\/p>\n

For the bulk of Pretzel Logic<\/i>, though, Steely
\nDan turns into a band without a solid song behind them. Jumping
\nfrom an almost ragtime band style (“East St. Louis Toodle-oo”) to
\nwhat sure sound like mere fragments of songs (“Through With Buzz,”
\n“Parker’s Band,” “Monkey In Your Soul”), it’s almost like Becker
\nand Fagen just put out these concepts in order to insure they had a
\ndisc in the stores each year. I’ve seen it argued that Becker and
\nFagen were railing against the outcry over the richer
\ninstrumentation on Countdown To Ecstasy<\/i>; maybe this is so.
\nBut by lopping off the instrumental development of their songs,
\nthey essentially neuter the creature of Steely Dan that they
\ncreated. Whatever the case, it’s a bad mix.<\/p>\n

Props do need to be given to the title track, even if
\nit too does not count among the strongest efforts that Steely Dan
\nrecorded in their history. There is something about this track that
\nfeels like a backhand slap against — well, everything, almost as
\nif Becker and Fagen are tired of being told that everything they do
\nis wrong. Their response in this track seems to be, “The hell with
\nyou all, we’ll do it the way we want to.” Fine and dandy,
\nboys\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 just don’t expect everyone to like the end result.<\/p>\n

Daring to call Pretzel Logic<\/i> anything but a
\nmasterpiece in this day and age almost invites the masses to pull
\nout the tar and feathers against the blasphemer. Yet if one steps
\nback and compares this disc to a lot of the material that Steely
\nDan recorded in their history, one can’t help but see it as a disc
\nwith half-finished ideas almost begging for closure. Had they only
\nbeen granted that wish.<\/p>\n

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