Review
“Pretzel Logic” is Steely Dan at their deliciously mischievous best, where studio precision gets crammed into a 34-minute shape reminiscent of a sardonic musical crossword puzzle. Produced by Gary Katz and unleashed in early 1974, this is where Fagen and Becker tighten their songwriting screws, expertly smoothing their jazz-rock hybrid until everything slides around with clockwork efficiency. You’ve got “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number” leading the charge: a half-serious, half-teasing anthem with a keyboard intro that shamelessly winks at jazz legend Horace Silver before sauntering into radio history. Lurking amid the meticulously crafted tunes are lyrics full of dry humor, doublespeak, and cherry-picked bits of Americana as seen through aviator sunglasses and a cloud of LA studio cigarette smoke.
Take the title track, “Pretzel Logic”—a slithery blues shuffle about time travel, uncertainty, and perhaps the ultimate Steely Dan paradox: wanting to escape the past while finding inspiration in it. This was the swan song for the band's original live lineup, with Fagen, Becker, Dias, Hodder and Baxter all making their last joint studio appearance—a real “Ocean’s Five” moment before the session titan parade took over. The arrangements fuse jazz chord flourishes and cryptic storytelling, nodding slyly to both vintage blues 45s and the burning-out glam of early-'70s Sunset Strip. This is the album where Steely Dan retools their sound and leaves a witty, sly little puzzle box of jazz-rock for the ages. - Eliot
