There is almost a direct correlation between the type of man who would attempt to explain Steely Dan to me and the same guy who canвЂ™t remember which one of them just died. I have lost count of the number of times men have tried to explain to me that вЂњRikkiвЂќ is about writer Rikki Ducornet, despite FagenвЂ™s continued insistence that it is not. It also marks a transition in sound, delving even deeper into the bandвЂ™s jazz influences, including active tributes to Charlie Parker and a Duke Ellington tribute. ItвЂ™s the last album to feature the original Dan lineup, including guitarist Denny Dias, drummer Jim Hodder and Jeff вЂњSkunkвЂќ Baxter. Pretzel Logic is the bandвЂ™s third album, itвЂ™s not my favorite, song-wise (thatвЂ™s The Royal Scam), but itвЂ™s the one I love the most. This was my introduction to Steely Dan, beginning a life-long obsession that, in many ways, defines me. Dana CudmoreвЂ™s copy of Pretzel Logic moved from New York to Oklahoma and back to New York, from Park Place to Patrick Road and now to my living room, less than an hour from where I first heard it. ItвЂ™s worn and a little muddy and it crackles, nowhere near the clean, slick sound of my first-edition, clear-vinyl pressing of Donald FagenвЂ™s Sunken Condos, which sounds so good on my turntable, (lovingly named Walter, in honor of the Steely Dan co-founder). Pretzel Logic turns 45 this week and I still have my fatherвЂ™s pressing of the album. вЂњWe hear youвЂ™re leaving, thatвЂ™s okayвЂ¦I thought our little wild time had just begunвЂ¦вЂќ Then he turned back and played the best version of вЂњRikki DonвЂ™t Lose That NumberвЂќ that I have ever heard in the ten times I have seen Steely Dan live (not counting Donald Fagen solo or with the Dukes of September). He wiped his brow and took a drink and muttered something to them. вЂњTen minutes, Don!вЂќ he yelled as the band launched into вЂњGodwhacker.вЂќ вЂњYouвЂ™re gonna make me miss my bus!вЂќ he proclaimed with вЂњRazor Boy.вЂќ вЂњThanks a lot, Don, I missed my bus!вЂќ he whined along to вЂњBlack Friday.вЂќДonald Fagen turned to the band. My friend Matthew & I were in the balcony, and not far from us, a man was loudly complaining about the show starting late. The shadiest thing I have ever witnessed was in October 2016, on the tail end of The Dan Who Knew Too Much tour, what would be Walter BeckerвЂ™s final Beacon Theatre residency. PRETZEL LOGIC ranks alongside AJA as one of the band's finest achievements.Happy 45th Anniversary to Steely DanвЂ™s third studio album Pretzel Logic, originally released February 20, 1974. Yet Steely Dan blend their colours ever more effectively here, writing shorter, sharper compositions packed with harmonies, instrumental interplay, witty wordplay, and satisfying hooks. Louis Toodle-Oo and the bop atheleticism of 'Parker's Band', a tribute to Charlie Parker.

The bar is raised in terms of musicianship here, as evidenced by the sassy cover of Duke Ellington's 'East St. Though Fagen and Becker write the material and handle vocals/keyboards and bass, respectively, their recording process increasingly involved a rotating cast of session musicians, honing their studio-cobbled sound to a flawless perfection. A sinuous slice of jazz-pop that merges piano balladry with a samba-esque groove, the song became a Top Ten hit. 'Rikki Don't Lose That Number', the album's lead off track, is a case in point. On PRETZEL LOGIC that combination is perfected, even as band masterminds Donald Fagen and Walter Becker moved deeper into jazz-influenced territory.

They managed-on their first two albums and, especially, on PRETZEL LOGIC-to combine breezy, ear-pleasing accessibility with an immensely sophisticated sensibility that upended most pop conventions.

Steely Dan holds the title as one of the most quietly subversive pop bands of the 20th century.

Pretzel logic