Steely Dan - Pretzel Logic (2LP, Box set, 45RPM, UHQR, 200g, Clear vinyl)
ORDER LIMITED TO ONE ITEM PER CUSTOMER
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Donald Fagen – keyboards, saxophone, lead vocals, background vocals [click here to see more vinyl featuring Donald Fagen]
Walter Becker – bass, guitar, background vocals
Jeff Baxter – lead guitar (wah-wah on "East St. Louis Toodle-Oo"), pedal steel guitar
Denny Dias – guitar
Jim Hodder – backing vocals on "Parker's Band"
Additional musicians
Michael Omartian – piano, keyboards
David Paich – piano, keyboards
Ben Benay – guitar
Dean Parks – guitar, banjo
Plas Johnson – saxophone
Jerome Richardson – saxophone
Ernie Watts – saxophone
Ollie Mitchell – trumpet
Lew McCreary – trombone
Timothy B. Schmit – background vocals on "Rikki Don't Lose That Number", "Barrytown" and "Pretzel Logic"
Wilton Felder – bass
Chuck Rainey – bass
Victor Feldman – percussion
Jim Gordon – drums on all tracks except "Night by Night"
Jeff Porcaro – drums on "Night by Night", additional drums on "Parker's Band"
Roger Nichols – gong on "East St. Louis Toodle-Oo"
Orchestration by Jimmie Haskell
All songs written by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen except "East St. Louis Toodle-Oo" written by Duke Ellington, Bubber Miley
2 LPs, box set, gatefold on heavy cardboard stock, premium slipcase with a wooden dowel spine
Limited to 15,000 numbered copies
Original analog Master tape : YES
UHQR
Heavy Press : 200g
Record color : Clear vinyl
Speed : 45RPM
Size : 12”
Stereo
Studio
Record Press : Quality Record Pressings
Label : Analogue Productions
Original Label : ABC
Recorded October 1973 to January 1974 at The Village Recorder in West Los Angeles
Engineered by Roger Nichols
Produced by Gary Katz
Mastered by Bernie Grundman
Originally released in February 1974
Reissued in 2023
Tracks:
Side A:
- Rikki Don't Lose That Number
- Night by Night
Side B
- Any Major Dude Will Tell You
- Barrytown
- East St. Louis Toodle-Oo
Side C:
- Parker's Band
- Through with Buzz
- Pretzel Logic
Side D:
- With a Gun
- Charlie Freak
- Monkey in Your Soul
Awards:
Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time - Ranked 386/500
Colin Larkin’s All Time Top 1000 Albums - Ranked 205
Reviews :
“Countdown to Ecstasy wasn't half the hit that Can't Buy a Thrill was, and Steely Dan responded by trimming the lengthy instrumental jams that were scattered across Countdown and concentrating on concise songs for Pretzel Logic. While the shorter songs usually indicate a tendency toward pop conventions, that's not the case with Pretzel Logic. Instead of relying on easy hooks, Walter Becker and Donald Fagen assembled their most complex and cynical set of songs to date. Dense with harmonics, countermelodies, and bop phrasing, Pretzel Logic is vibrant with unpredictable musical juxtapositions and snide, but very funny, wordplay. Listen to how the album's hit single, "Rikki Don't Lose That Number," opens with a syncopated piano line that evolves into a graceful pop melody, or how the title track winds from a blues to a jazzy chorus -- Becker and Fagen's craft has become seamless while remaining idiosyncratic and thrillingly accessible. Since the songs are now paramount, it makes sense that Pretzel Logic is less of a band-oriented album than Countdown to Ecstasy, yet it is the richest album in their catalog, one where the backhanded Dylan tribute "Barrytown" can sit comfortably next to the gorgeous "Any Major Dude Will Tell You." Steely Dan made more accomplished albums than Pretzel Logic, but they never made a better one.” Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
UHQR :
UHQR pressing is inspired from JVC Japan, which 30 years ago was the pinnacle of high-quality vinyl. Each UHQR vinyl is pressed, using hand-selected vinyl, on a manual Finebilt press with attention paid to every single detail of every single record. The 200-gram records feature the same flat profile that helped to make the original UHQR so desirable. From the lead-in groove to the run-out groove, there is no pitch to the profile, allowing your stylus to play truly perpendicular to the grooves from edge to center. Every UHQR is hand-inspected upon pressing completion, and only the truly flawless are allowed to go to market.
Ratings :
AllMusic : 5 / 5 , Discogs : 4.3 / 5