Any Major Dude Will Tell You: Steely Dan's "Pretzel Logic" Set for Reissue

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The Steely Dan reissue campaign rolls on with the July 28 reissue of the band's third album, 1974's Pretzel Logic. The release follows the recent reissues of both Can't Buy a Thrill and Countdown to Ecstasy; like those titles, it will be remastered by Bernie Grundman from the original analog masters and reissued on standard 180-gram black vinyl, Ultra High-Quality (UHQR) premium vinyl cut at 45 RPM, and hybrid stereo SACD (playable on all CD players). Donald fa*gen has overseen the audio for all formats.

Pretzel Logic was a transitional album for Steely Dan as the final LP released during the group's original time as a touring unit. Donald fa*gen, Walter Becker, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Denny Dias, and Jim Hodder all appeared, as did a number of illustrious studio musicians including keyboardists David Paich and Michael Omartian; saxophonists Ernie Watts, Plas Johnson, and Jerome Richardson; trumpeter Ollie Mitchell; trombonist Lew McCreary; drummers Jim Gordon and Jeff Porcaro; guitarists Ben Benay and Dean Parks; bassists Wilton Felder and Chuck Rainey; and percussionist Victor Feldman.

The sessions, produced by Gary Katz and engineer Roger Nichols, incorporated the Dan's ever-present jazz influences more explicitly than its two predecessors, while fa*gen and Becker honed their songwriting to a new level of pop precision. The opening song, the slinky admonition "Rikki, Don't Lose That Number," became Steely Dan's biggest hit record, peaking at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. It remains a staple of radio airplay today. Propelled by a riff lifted from pianist Horace Silver's 1964 "Song for My Father," the song's lightly Latin vibe proved irresistible. The B-side of the "Rikki" single, "Any Major Dude Will Tell You," would be recognized as another Dan classic for its gentle message of sympathy from one friend to another, rendered without pathos or overt sentimentality.

The biting "Barrytown" was revived from Becker and fa*gen's pre-Steely Dan days; their early demo version has been released on numerous unofficial collections. The title track was built on a blues foundation, nonetheless taking in funky jazz and repurposing the pedal steel, so often used in country music, in a blues-rock setting. The band's darkest side was indulged on "Charlie Freak," an edgy tale of drug addiction. Much more spirited the tribute to another Charlie - Parker - on "Parker's Band." Steely Dan tipped their collective hat to Duke Ellington, too, with a cover of his "East St. Louis Toodle-Oo" on which "Skunk" Baxter innovatively used his guitar to conjure the sound of a muted horn.

Months after the release of Pretzel Logic, Steely Dan announced their retirement from the road. Becker and fa*gen would press on as a studio-only unit for the remainder of their first tenure together. The album reached No. 8 on the Billboard Top LPs chart; "Pretzel Logic" followed "Rikki" on 45 RPM, reaching a respectable No. 57 peak. In 1993, almost two decades after its release, the album was certified Platinum.

Joe Marchese

JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with Real Gone Music, has released newly-curated collections produced by Joe from iconic artists such as Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Chet Atkins, and many others.He has contributed liner notes to reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, and Andy Williams, and has compiled releases for talents including Robert Goulet and Keith Allison of Paul Revere and the Raiders.Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray. Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.

Any Major Dude Will Tell You: Steely Dan's "Pretzel Logic" Set for Reissue - The Second Disc (2024)

Joe Marchese

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