'They have soul and fire, but leave nothing to chance, with superb production and songs.' Melody Maker review, April 1974
Steely Dan wiped the floor with pretty much everything around them in the early Seventies. While so many others became indulgent and introspective, they took another line completely and decided to document the bleak, seedy and desperate Nixon's America they saw around them. And wrote some pretty wonderful pop songs while they were at it. I bought their third album Pretzel Logic at the weekend and it's a wonderful record. This gem is almost thrown away, second song from the end of the second side, disproving Robert Forster's otherwise robust theory that the track that occupies this place on a record is always the worst on any album. It's done and dusted within three minutes. The description genius is not far off.
'Three weight ounce pure golden ring no precious stone
Five nights without a bite
No place to lay his head
And if nobody takes him in
'He'll soon be dead
On the street he spied my face I heard him hail
In our plot of frozen space he told his tale
Poor man, he showed his hand
So righteous was his need
And me so wise I bought his prize
For chicken feed
Newfound cash soon begs to smash a state of mind
Close inspection fast revealed his favorite kind
Poor kid, he overdid
Embraced the spreading haze
And while he sighed his body died
In fifteen ways
When I heard I grabbed a cab to where he lay
'Round his arm the plastic tag read D.O.A.
Yes Jack, I gave it back
The ring I could not own
Now come my friend I'll take your hand.'
And lead you home '
Five nights without a bite
No place to lay his head
And if nobody takes him in
'He'll soon be dead
On the street he spied my face I heard him hail
In our plot of frozen space he told his tale
Poor man, he showed his hand
So righteous was his need
And me so wise I bought his prize
For chicken feed
Newfound cash soon begs to smash a state of mind
Close inspection fast revealed his favorite kind
Poor kid, he overdid
Embraced the spreading haze
And while he sighed his body died
In fifteen ways
When I heard I grabbed a cab to where he lay
'Round his arm the plastic tag read D.O.A.
Yes Jack, I gave it back
The ring I could not own
Now come my friend I'll take your hand.'
And lead you home '
Incredible band. I cycle through phases of obsession with them. Recently played Can't Buy A Thrill, the first album of theirs I bought, when I was 18, and it still blows my mind. "Genius" is way overused, but it fits in this case.
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