689 Steely Dan - Pretzel Logic (1974)

 689 Steely Dan - Pretzel Logic (1974)

Studio album - Art Rock



About the Act:

Steely Dan are a rock band from Annandale-on-Hudson, New York State. They were formed in 1971, and Donald Fagan and Walter Becker were the two stable members. They broke up in 1981 but reformed in 1993, with just the two of them listed as members. Becker died in 2017 but Fagan continues under the Steely Dan name.

About the Album:

This was their third album, and the last while they were still a touring band.

My History with this Album:

None.

Review:

Sorry, Wikipedia, I know you are the source of all knowledge, usually, but you list this album as "Jazz Rock, pop rock". I'm labelling it as "Art Rock". I guess Wikipedia is somewhat right but I'm going to stick by my diagnosis.

It's pop rock, sure, but there are quite a few influences at play here, including Jazz, yes, and the words have a tendency towards the obscure and enigmatic, and the music and production have a tendency towards the clever. Chords are not straightforward, and instrumentation is varied, and it's not heavy, but it is the sort of thing that appeals to lovers of Art Rock. More than anything it reminds me of Fleetwood Mac, but it is varied enough to remind me of The Manfred Man Earth Band, Steve Harley, and less in sound but still in approach and appeal, Supertramp, 10CC and other art rock bands. 

This series of reviews is being enlightening and interesting, and occasionally I stumble onto something that I wish I had known earlier. This is one of those albums. It is varied and intelligent Art Rock, even Art Pop, I might say.  And that's pretty much all I want to say about it.

So, if you are fan of those people listed above, or even just some of them, I think there is a reasonable chance that you will enjoy this too.

8/10


Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/2OUYJtDV6EmLkVyoHSuGIp

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLT1mkqzZkqhsJWRSdmB6kt7hlknTP0MPk

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pretzel_Logic



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

840 Various Artists - The Best of Girl Groups Volumes 1 and 2 (1990)

Image
 840 Various Artists - The Best of Girl Groups Volumes 1 and 2 (1990) Compilation (double) - Girl Group (Soul/Bobby Soxer/Do-Wop) About the Album: This is a highly acclaimed compilation in 2CDs by Rhino Records. It's the sort of thing that in this country you might expect to see at 3.99 in a Garden Centre. My History with this Album: None Review: There are not many multi-artist compilations in this series for reviewing. There is not information about it on Wikipedia, but the reception seems to have been positive. It is choc-full of hits with a smattering of lesser-known songs, and it's hard not to imagine Grease or similar situations - girls with cardigans and white socks, listening to the juke box while sipping milkshakes in the drug store. On one level it's a fun collection of songs that you could use to feel nostalgic, or as the music for a themed party. On another level it's kind of like a cultural artefact. I feel honour-bound to describe it, even though if I drop
Read more

944 Manu Chao - Próxima Estación Esperanza (2001)

Image
 944 Manu Chao - Próxima Estación Esperanza (2001) Studio Album - World Music About the Act: Manu Chao is a French-Spanish musician of Spanish descent who grew up on the outskirts of Paris. In the mid-80s he was in a Spanish/English rockabilly group called Hot Pants. In 1987, with his brother and cousin he founded the band Mano Negra, combining punk and world music influences and playing on the Paris Metro. This band took off and had 4 studio albums. In 1995 Manu "went solo", forming the band Radio Bemba Sound System to be his backing band. The punk elements were less prominent, but he started to make music that "replicates the sound of street music and bar scenes from a variety of cultures". He has been really popular in parts of Europe.  About the Album: This album was Manu Chao's second studio album as a "solo" artist. In Spanish, the name means "Next Station: Hope", after a real station on the Madrid Metro. The album reached top 10 slots
Read more

591 Harry Smith, Ed. - Anthology of American Folk Music (1952)

Image
 591 Harry Smith, Ed. - Anthology of American Folk Music (1952) Compilation Album - Americana About the Act: Harry Smith is not the performer here, he is the collector. He was a film-maker, occultist, and eccentric. About the Album: Harry Smith had a collection of early 78rpm records of various "folk" styles dated from 1927 when such things first started to be commercially available to 1932 when the Great Depression put a stop to the sales of folk records. In 1947 he approached a label, Folkway Records, about releasing a collection of them transferred onto LPs. This they did in 1952, without seeking copyright permission, making this technically a bootleg. It was released as three double-LP boxed sets, and sold very poorly. In the first year it sold 50 copies, 47 to libraries and colleges. It was reissued later, and gained traction and sold better. It now has a reputation for being one of the most influential compilations in the history of Americana, and is cited as being a ma
Read more