Steely Dan – Countdown to Ecstasy

   Steely Dan was one of most original American bands of 70’s of rock and pop rock genre. According to some critics accurate assessment of the genre should be jazz-rock. And it’s understandably since it was not quite easy task to classify this band’s music. Although it was advanced in harmonic complexity, band arrangements and soloing, it was more rock than jazz. Despite Steely Dan was more ambitious in creative productions than many popular groups, professional aims of this band were reaching the level of artistic music. This attitude should be considered as important element of fusion culture. But the idea of songs designed in details and played by professional and versatile musicians should be considered as the return to the tradition of artistically developed popular songs. The strophic and formal pattern with instrumental solo choruses in place psychedelic jamming, the discipline against freedom, this was like backtrack moving out of dead end.
   Without any doubts this was just one of artistic rock projects. Arrangements were ambitious as much as in many other bands of early seventies. In most progressive rock projects musicians were trying to merge this still best selling genre with different noncommercial traditions. Many musicians were trying to build original song constructions intertwined with jazz, ethnic, traditional, popular or even classical music. And there were dozens of groups, every one developing its original style and seeking means of expression that could attract audiences.

Steely Dan – Countdown to Ecstasy (1973)

   When in August 1973, less than one year after the debut album Can’t Buy a Thrill, ABC Records released their second album Countdown to Ecstasy, critical acclaim of this production was great. In fact the enthusiasm of critics was much higher than commercial effect. The Steely Dan’s lineup was almost the same as on debut album, with guitarists and Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, bass guitarist Walter Becker, drummer Jim Hodder and Donald Fagen playing pianos and synthesizer. After vocalist David Palmer had quit the band, Donald Fagen main vocalist supported by Becker, Hodder and group of additional background singers. The sound of Steely Dan was also enriched by group of sideman musicians Rick Derringer and Ben Benay on guitars, Victor Feldman on vibes, marimba and percussion instruments, Ray Brown on string bass in Razor Boy. There were also four saxophonists section in My Old School arranged by Jimmie Haskell with Ernie Watts and West Coast veteran Bill Perkins.
   Sound of this album was totally different than older productions. Producer Gary Katz made this album a groundbreaking project. Denny Dias was featured in lineup as Stereo Mixmaster General. Sessions took place in the Village Recorder in Santa Monica and the Caribou Ranch in Nederland, Colorado (on original LP cover misspelled as Carabou Ranch). Recording conditions of two modern studios gave stable basis for professional arrangements being some kind of artistic answer for older popular music. No wonder back cover photo shows the band in engineering room centered around the mixing table with ashtrays, catch in hard workers’ resting poses. The sound of Countdown to Ecstasy album shows this was the real space of creative efforts.

Steely Dan – Pretzel Logic

The band Steely Dan was founded by two friends Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. Both were musicians and co-leaders of the group, together they were co-authors of great amount of songs. Best feature of the band was it’s jazzy harmonics and perfect sound precision with multidirectional influences aiming to the wide synthesis of American music. It was few years before in late Seventies American super group Steely Dan became as much disappointing for some rock-fans as great hope for popular music. Soft rock songs often with sarcastic lyrics combined with jazz, jazz-rock and elements of funky was their mark of identification. After success of their third album which was one of most perfect productions in rock history, musicians suspended concert tours for many years, focusing on studio recording, but 1974 album was really hard to conquer.

Steely Dan – Pretzel Logic (1974)

The third album of Steely Dan – Pretzel Logic became greatest success of the group. Reaching position in first ten of the charts record went gold and then platinum. The song opening this album – sung by Donald Fagen Rikki Don’t Lose That Number – was introduced by riff taken from Horace Silver’s Song for my Father – perfect idea for straight connection with jazz tradition. It was not the only jazz connection of Pretzel Logic – for the end of A-side musicians played instrumental cover of swinging twentieth’s standard East St. Louis Toodle-Oo composition by Duke Ellington and Bubber Miley. Opening reverse side Parker’s Band was a kind of jazz-rock tribute to great improviser. But next song Through with Buzz is pearl of creative jazz-rock harmonization. Even elements of country music in With a Gun or polyphonic instrumentation of Charlie Freak can be the part of the play.

Shortened versions of first and third (Any Major Dude Will Tell You) songs from Pretzel Logic were published as a 7” single and became the hit of summer 1974, reaching number 4 on Billboard hits chart. And Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 all time greatest albums gives for Pretzel Logic 385 position. It’s worth to understand what makes this record so unfading and still much worth to listen to. Donald Fagen, Walter Becker and 17 other musicians created great album with lots of courage to mix every possible, alive and worthy ideas and unify them in one musical work. This idea was mutual for many artists in midstream of fusion music in Seventies but Pretzel Logic gives it new shape enough close to jazz, rock, soul, progressive and pop music.