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
. 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,
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
melody, or how the title track winds from a
blues
to a jazzy chorus --
Becker
Fagen
's craft has become seamless while remaining idiosyncratic and thrillingly accessible. Since the songs are now paramount, it makes sense that
is less of a band-oriented album than
, 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."
made more accomplished albums than
, but they never made a better one. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine