Polled At Last: STEELY DAN - ILM Artist poll #50

shine up the battle apple

shocked that this is only 19, was my number 4.

RAW FLAME, LIVE WIRE!

so few of SD's album closers feel like closing tracks to me. like almost everything besides "King Of The World," "Royal Scam" and "Third World Man." i kind of respect that, though, gives the albums an interesting flow.

My No. 1. For this week anyway.

xp

I agree, "Home at Last" would probably bee the most traditional closer for Aja

Lot of talk about how Steely Dan has stood up to repeated listens, except for maybe Reelin' In the Years. I agree, but I also worked for a classic rock station for eleven years. "Josie" is the only song of theirs that I never turn off, and keep in mind that I'll leave the other ones on too nine out of ten times.

She prays like a Roman with her eyes on fire.

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_me9ab4KlTU1ri63dso3_400.gif

TOO LOW! but then i recall it got stiffed in the AJA poll.

still surprised "Josie" got released as a single; record companies be taking lessons from the success of Rumours.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vk8FfjoN8tg/U0CDnPlJnMI/AAAAAAAAAlA/v069iZ_Otg8/w500-h498-no/Steely%252BDan%252B-%252BJosie%252B-%252B12-%252BRECORD-MAXI%252BSINGLE-500549.jpg

1978: "Josie" (B-side: "Black Cow")
Label: ABC 12404
Chart: US Pop 26

I think I'm coming around to "Third World Man," but for me both Aja and Gaucho seem to drop off a little with the last two tracks. I like "Josie," but it's probably their most forgettable single.

Damn, how did I not vote for "Josie." Probably the one I regret leaving off the ballot most.

Definitely can't argue with these two being in the top 20

one of my favorite fagen vocals

Was out earlier, but "Caves of Altamira" was my #2. Absolutely love that song, and have since I first heard it at age 5 1/2 in 1978 when my older cousin spent the summer with us. She was a huge Steely Dan fan, and she brought with her all their albums.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-EfCuafZSPX8/U0CJzPI10YI/AAAAAAAAAlw/LrBtUiXsQlo/w640-h320-no/Pretzel+Logic.jpg

18. Pretzel Logic
From: Pretzel Logic
Released: February 20, 1974
686 Points, 33 Votes, 3 Number Ones

Yay Pretzel Logic, I was getting worried that it wouldn't make it.

I had somehow forgotten about "Josie" until I was finishing my list, but I made sure to make room for it.

...and here is "Pretzel Logic," one of my two that I thought might not make the list.

still kicking myself over forgetting FM

My 'Boston Rag' story: during the time that I was I listening to the song for the first time, I lived on 7th avenue and used to get 'out of my mind' on grass every chance I got. The girl that I was into at that time lived in Astoria ( not Bayside but same borough). One weekend afternoon I was out of my mind as usual and she drunk dialed me out of the blue

Another great song. This is probably going to be all killers from here on in.

On some days I think "Pretzel Logic" is my favorite SD song. Glad it's top 20. Love Becker's solo here - his first on record!

yeah "Pretzel Logic" is my #5, wrote a bit about it on some other thread about how it's a canny reflection on the ephemeral and thus their best blues jam

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IOgj_3nbtZo/U0CPZkUtncI/AAAAAAAAAmc/bUaPw8XImFs/w563-h552-no/steely-dan-pretzel-logic-1974.jpg

1974: "Pretzel Logic" (3:59 edit) (B-side: "Through With Buzz")
Label: ABC 12033
Chart: US Pop 57

"Pretzel Logic" is a single released by Steely Dan from their album Pretzel Logic, originally released in 1974 by ABC Records. It reached number 57 in the Billboard charts. In the lyrics, the speaker describes wanting to visit the Southern United States with a minstrel show, wanting to meet Napoleon Bonaparte because Napoleon is lonely, and being the victim of fashion by being questioned about his shoes, to which he answers that he saw them in motion pictures and television and that "the times are changing".

In Brian Sweet's 1994 Steely Dan Biography Reelin' in the Years, Donald Fagen states that the lyrics are actually about time travel. Sweet also hypothesizes that the first verse was inspired by the band's distaste for touring, particularly the tours of the American South that their record label had sent them upon the previous year.

This is one of the first Steely Dan songs to feature bassist Walter Becker as a lead guitarist. He would do so periodically on every Dan release since.

Are they really referring to the South in that line, though? Nobody calls it "The Southland" - in fact, that's a nickname for Greater Los Angeles.

And yes, I know those are Wikipedia's words and not yours, Bee.

"Pretzel Logic" got three number ones, didn't make my list.

/She prays like a Roman with her eyes on fire./



Always hard to explain to my daughter who is, er, named Josie.

yeah "Pretzel Logic" is my #5, wrote a bit about it on some other thread about how it's a canny reflection on the ephemeral and thus their best blues jam

― Euler, Saturday, April 5, 2014 7:18 PM (19 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

What are you talking about?

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-u5aqKEU1dv0/U0CSQdHisnI/AAAAAAAAAno/fOQMQl-Lxc0/w640-h320-no/King+Of+the+World.jpg

17. King Of The World
From: Countdown to Ecstasy
Released: July 1973
699 Points, 28 Votes, 2 Number Ones

amazing graphic.

(also: i'll confess i was activity anticipating what sort of image Gaucho would get and pp did not disappoint)

Just checking in. Who is the other person who had The Boston Rag at 1? Bring it back now!

Looooove the synth

and the guitarists answering every Fagenism.

"Pretzel Logic" was my #1--but it was actually "King of the World" that I thought would win. I'll resign myself now to an Aja or Gaucho #1

I was one of the #1 voters for KOTW, really was pulling for it to crack the top ten

I think of "King of the World" the same way I think of On the Beach's cover: as one of the greatest encapsulations of the last few months of Nixon. (Countdown came out in July of '73, so they jumped the gun a bit.) What it must have felt like to experience that, I mean. Even though I know they're almost certainly singing about something else--the big one in California, probably.

A Monza for the "King of The World" graphic? Too perfect! Can't comment much now, but will say pp's images own.

Great pic for a great song.

this part of the poll must be the title track graveyard, expecting "Aja" and "Dr. Wu" next

just finished re-listening to "Pretzel Logic" and wondering how i actually didn't vote for it.

the big multi-tracked Fagen harmonies on choruses like "King Of The World" and "Pretzel Logic" are catnip to me, so great

You're fucking kidding me. This is my favorite SD song

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-PQHOspGyLGI/U0CZvHw-M0I/AAAAAAAAAog/ulZZWdnIOPY/w585-h320-no/FM.jpg

16. FM (No Static At All)
B-side: FM (No Static At All) - Reprise
From: FM Soundtrack
Single Released: 1978
722 Points, 34 Votes

Gutted about the king of the world placing. But if u don't vote u can't bitch

kick off your high-heeled sneakers. It's party time.

haha, yes you can.