#385: Steely Dan's Pretzel Logic

Steely Dan's third record, while stylistically varied, is grounded by a jazz and funk forward sound. Largely absent are the mellow proggy psychedelia and New Orleans boogie of Countdown to Ecstasy, as well as Can't Buy a Thrill's samba and soul references. Pretzel Logic announces its intentions with one of Steely Dan's better known songs, "Rikki Don't Lose That Number," followed by horn driven funk-fest "Night By Night." The charming instrumental "East St. Louis Toodle-Oo," sees the band covering a Duke Ellington classic, while "Parker's Band" finds them paying tribute to Bird. The bluesy title track does a fine job of showcasing Skunk Baxter's lead guitar prowess (interesting aside: these days, Baxter is a technology consultant to the US Dept. of Defense and several of its contractors), and leads into the unexpected Country number "With a Gun." The record's closing track, "Monkey In Your Soul" opens with a swamp rock guitar riff that plainly references Creedence, but quickly settles into the jazzy funk (and/or funky jazz) that characterizes much of the rest of the album, in the process providing one of the more gratifying horn lines of the set.

While Pretzel Logic sees the band spreading their wings, a couple of trademarks remain. As on previous releases, Gary Katz' meticulous production gives each of the players his own spotlight. Walter Becker and Donald Fagen's famously abstruse lyrics are in play as well, although toned down significantly, at times bordering on literal; The infectiously catchy "Barrytown," for me the record's stand-out track, explores the banality of racial and class prejudice, while the aforementioned "Rikki" is presented as a more or less straightforward love song, a relative rarity in the Steely Dan canon. At the end of the day, Can't Buy a Thrill would win out as my desert island Steely Dan record, but Pretzel Logic is by no means a slouch...

Some other thoughts:

#384, Def Leppard's Pyromania: Okay, so I'm gonna have to cheat a little here, and write this one up from memory, as most of Def Leppard's back catalogue is out of print, and this one doesn't appear to be on Spotify (that said, next time I stop into my local record shop, I'll see if they have a used copy...). I have, indeed, listened to this record all the way through many times, back in my middle school days, and while I ultimately left Def Leppard behind for harder stuff like Metallica and Slayer, I have to say it was eminently listenable at the time, particularly "Photograph," "Foolin'" and "Rock of Ages." The latter's intro phrase "Gunter glieben glauben globen," as near as I've been able to determine, is meaningless gibberish.

#383, The Who's A Quick One: The Who's sophomore effort doesn't hold up over time as well as their later records, nor does it stack up all that favorably against the work of mid-sixties British Invasion compadres. That said, several tracks stand out: "Run Run Run" is classic mop rock, while Townshend's jangly riff on "So Sad About Us" sounds surprisingly contemporary. The album's closer, "A Quick One, While He's Away" foreshadows the expansive concept rock to come... Not their best, but a worthwhile listen.