Pretzel Logic (studio album) by Steely Dan

Pretzel Logic by Steely Dan
Year: 1974
Overall rank: 867th   Overall chart historyOverall chart history
Average Rating: 
80/100 (from 523 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution   Average rating historyAverage rating history
Accolades:
Award Top 20 albums of 1974 (14th)
Award Top albums of the 1970s (186th)
Award Top 1,000 albums of all time (867th)
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Steely Dan 5 LP Viny Record Lot Aja Can't Buy a Thrill Katy Lied Pretzel Logic
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Steely Dan Pretzel Logic CD DADC PRESS! MCAD 31165 Donald Fagen, With A Gun RARE
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Steely Dan bestography

Pretzel Logic is ranked 4th best out of 21 albums by Steely Dan on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by Steely Dan is Aja which is ranked number 158 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 9,472.

Steely Dan album bestography « Higher ranked (819th) This album (867th) Lower ranked (880th) »
Countdown To EcstasyPretzel LogicGaucho

Upcoming concerts

Nov
30
Tue
00:00
Steely Dan Tribute by Pretzel Logic
The Canyon -Montclair, Montclair, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
Jun
17
Tue
19:00
The Steely Damned 2
Belly Up, Solana Beach, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
Jul
03
Thu
17:00
Tom Petty, Steely Dan, Linda Ronstadt tributes along with Bobby Gray band - RWB Fest #2
Garden Amphitheatre, Garden Grove, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
Discover more upcoming concerts

Listen to Pretzel Logic on YouTube

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Pretzel Logic track list

  Track ratingsTrack ratings The tracks on this album have an average rating of 82 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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2.
Track pick
Rating: 86 (128 votes)Comments: 1
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4.
Rating: 82 (109 votes)Comments: 0
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6.
Rating: 80 (106 votes)Comments: 1
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8.
Track pick
Rating: 86 (127 votes)Comments: 0
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9.
Rating: 81 (104 votes)Comments: 0
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10.
Rating: 81 (103 votes)Comments: 1
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Track pick Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.

Pretzel Logic rankings

Pretzel Logic collection

Pretzel Logic ratings

Average Rating: 
80/100 (from 523 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 523 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
95/100
 Report rating
18 hours ago imimesis  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 1,92381/100
 
60/100
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5 days ago Invader666  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 1,35967/100
 
80/100
 Report rating
06/05/2025 03:19 AAL2014  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 3,01676/100
 
95/100
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06/03/2025 19:16 replacementlevel  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 7,45070/100
 
55/100
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05/30/2025 02:17 Rhyner  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 1,63659/100

Rating metrics: Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 2% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 79.7/100, a mean average of 79.3/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 79.8/100. The standard deviation for this album is 13.5.

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Pretzel Logic comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 25 comments |
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Rating:  
80/100
From 05/08/2025 16:21
This is one of those Classic Rock Albums that will live on forever. I appreciate good music, and this album deserves to be in my collection. I love the jazz infusion they bring to their music. My favorite song on the album is Pretzel Logic…oh yea.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 10/09/2022 00:05
A bit of an inconsistent listen in places but there is still that classic Steely Dan charm on here that makes some of the songs on here fantastic pieces of music. These include Rikki Don't Lose That Number, Night By Night, Any Major Dude Will Tell You and the title track. All of these are beautifully crafted and all hook you to the song perfectly. It is very easy for those choruses to get stuck in your head as well and you end up singing them all night long. The rest of the album is decent but nothing special and there is quite a bit of filler. It definitely isn't as tight and compact as some of their other works but there is a lot of variety on here to be able to get stuck into. One major strength of this record is the diversity that is present on here and it is difficult to get bored of it as I keep noticing new things with each listen. Overall, this is definitely an album worth checking out as it is full of life and is of a very high musical quality.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 09/06/2022 17:38
Solid record
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 01/09/2022 09:49
This was definitely a nice listen, one of the better Steely Dan's albums I've heard.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
70/100
From 08/03/2021 12:29
not the best of these two geniuses but pretty darn good
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 01/14/2021 20:26
Pretzel Logic is probably Steely Dan's most concise and variable work. It contains a wealth of ideas and musical sketches while the band was at a crossroads between its early rock sound and its later smooth rock sound.

Track Pick: Rikki Don't Lose That Number
Gems: Any Major Dude Will Tell You, Pretzel Logic
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 06/20/2020 21:33
Another fine outing from Steely Dan. Nothing super special here except Rikki Don't Lose That Number and the title track. Their blend of jazz, rock, and pop is easily the most interesting thing about this record.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 01/03/2019 03:41
While not my favorite, this is still essential Dan. This album is full of that cerebral jazzy rock that's just a little off kilter or even just slightly disturbing but ultimately compelling.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
60/100
From 11/09/2018 21:31
An inconsistent album in tone and quality. Tracks 5-7 are duds. 'With a Gun' is almost a country song. The rest are mostly jazzy, some folkier than others. The album may be too polished for it's own good as well. Other Steely Dan albums go well with the clean production, but this one feels sterile. 'Rikki...' and 'Any Major Dude...' stand as some of their best tracks, but most of the others just aren't as well-written.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (2 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 03/23/2018 23:37
I'm not a big fan, but I think this is their best (or as good as it could get for me)
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

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Best Albums of 1974
1. Red by King Crimson
2. On The Beach by Neil Young
3. The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway by Genesis
4. Crime Of The Century by Supertramp
5. Rock Bottom by Robert Wyatt
6. Court And Spark by Joni Mitchell
7. Here Come The Warm Jets by Eno
8. Sheer Heart Attack by Queen
9. A Tábua De Esmeralda by Jorge Ben
10. Diamond Dogs by David Bowie
11. Queen II by Queen
12. Mirage by Camel
13. Radio City by Big Star
14. Pretzel Logic by Steely Dan
15. Kimono My House by Sparks
16. Autobahn by Kraftwerk
17. Fulfillingness' First Finale by Stevie Wonder
18. I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight by Richard & Linda Thompson
19. No Other by Gene Clark
20. Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy) by Eno
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