STEELY DAN ? PRETZEL LOGIC ? EX/NM orig 1974 ABC black label 1A/1B + Jim Gordon

$

30

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Original first press with front-loading cover and black label (this was one of the very last titles released with this design, so all represses are the target label). As 1974 got underway Donald Fagen and Walter Becker were looking to overcome a bit of a sophomore slump caused by the previous year’s Countdown To Ecstasy, which saw the accessible-but-complex pop singles of their 1972 debut (‘Reeling in the Years,’ ‘Do It Again,’) replaced with musically and lyrically denser fare like ‘Bodhisattva’ and ‘The Boston Rag.’ While Ecstasy still reached the Top 40, its two singles didn’t make much of a dent in the charts, so it was with a new-found focus that Fagen and Becker settled into Village Recorders, where they began to painstakingly assemble the pristine collection of jazzy rockers that would make up Pretzel Logic. To accomplish this, the pair expanded their practice of bringing in first call session musicians with serious jazz and R&B chops to satisfy their increasingly demanding expectations. Jeff “Skunk” Baxter and Denny Dias — with some help from Becker — still handled the lion’s share of the guitar work, but drummer Jim Hodder was relegated to background vocals  in deference to studio legend Jim Gordon and rising young gun Jeff Porcaro. Not even the two principle members were exempt. Becker dished off most of the bass playing to Wilton Felder and Chuck Rainey, while Fagen brought in Michael Omartian and David Paich to help out on keyboards. This may have been an unorthodox approach, but no one could argue with the results. The lead-off track ‘Rikki Don’t Lose that Number’ would storm to No. 4 (the biggest hit of their career), while the album cuts helped to hone and define the trademark Steely Dan sound — as sweetly infectious as it was deceptively intricate, dark and witty — for the remainder of the decade. For Becker and Fagen, the combination of critical and especially commercial acclaim confirmed that their seemingly unconventional, and certainly difficult, decisions regarding Steely Dan’s modus operandi had been entirely vindicated. Following their tour in support of Pretzel Logic, they decided to stop performing to devote more time in the studio. This led to the departure of Baxter and Hodder (with just sporadic spots for Dias), permanently cementing the concept of Steely Dan as a duo.



Artist: STEELY DAN

Title:

Year: 1974

Label: ABC

Catalog Number: ABCD-808

Mono/Stereo/Quadro: stereo

Country: USA

Weight: 110 grams

Cover Format: gatefold

Cover Condition: EX (sharp, crisp, vivid & tight, perfect edges, no wear, slight yellowing along spine & a few tiny corner bumps otherwise top NM)

Vinyl Condition:

Label Condition: one small spindle mark on each side

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We visually grade all records using the classic Goldmine Standard, to which we have added EX (as have many others), but we do not use any other variant from the classic scale.  No NM- or EX+ (which are both EX), EX- VG+++ or Near Excellent (which are all VG+), or any such other nebulous grades here!  We feel that nearly every collector will be more than pleased with anything listed EX or above in our auctions; they will all be top-shelf, archive quality items which will play M- throughout.  A VG+ record will truly satisfy all but the most critical curator.  On the very rare occasion we actually grade an opened LP as straight MINT, we can guarantee you’ll never find a nicer copy anywhere!

We will play-grade any LP if there is any reason to do so; any questionable mark, scuff or noteworthy artifact of any kind will be sampled to determine its true significance (which may obviously impact the grade ).  We will also gladly play-grade anything upon request; if you are curious about the actual pressing characteristics or any have other questions about its actual performance please feel free to ask.

MINT :  Absolutely perfect.

This record looks like it has just left the plant, with no flaws whatsoever.  It appears unhandled and unplayed, with no marks of any sort.  Usually only sealed or (sometimes) unplayed LPs will warrant this grade.

The cover does not appear to have had a record inside it; there is no wear or distraction of any kind.

 NM : Virtually flawless, top copy.

The record is virtually identical to the moment it was opened, but may have a few faint paper, packaging or pressing scuffs which will produce no sound whatsoever and are very hard to see without critical inspection.  It was very carefully handled and played, likely only once or twice.

The cover is as close to perfect as can be expected given its age.  There may be minor impressions due to the outer edge of the vinyl (no ring wear), the lightest possible corner bumps, or a few tiny laminate creases (mainly on imports), but no wear or whitening of any kind whatsoever.

EX : A beautiful specimen, which will please most critical collectors and not need to be upgraded.

The record has no scratches or significant blemishes, and will play NM throughout.  It retains 100% of the gloss, sheen and luster, but may have a handful of faint superficial scuffs, hairlines or light spindle marks which will not produce any sound whatsoever.

The cover is nearly perfect.  There may be the absolute faintest suggestion of ring wear or possibly a light touch of dulling on the corners (nothing wrinkled or obtrusive in any way), but no notable seam or spine wear, writing or sign of tape anywhere.

 VG+ : Plays perfectly nearly all of the time, with only a few minor distractions.

The record still retains nearly all of the gloss, sheen and luster, but there may be a handful of inaudible superficial marks or scuffs, a mild scattering of light hairlines (which would only be faintly audible between tracks or in some very quiet passages), or a few stray marks which may mildly sound for a few revolutions. Each flaw is very minor, barely noticeable to the naked eye, and will not detract from the enjoyment in any way.

The cover is still very clean and crisp, but may look slightly more aged and have a few minor flaws such as small unobtrusive writing, minor wear to the seams and spine (no splits), slightly worn corners, very light ring wear or minor creasing.  No flaw is at all distracting in and of itself.

 VG : A nice play copy, which will perform without much significant distraction.

The record appears well played, but still has the majority of the luster.  It will not have been abused, though there will be some audible sound defects which will not overpower the dynamics of the music, such as mild surface noise in the quietest sections, a handful of stray isolated pops and clicks (which are brief and occasional), or possibly some very mild groove wear; still no skips, repeats, or anything deep or seriously pronounced.  It will play through quite nicely most of the time, with very minimal distraction.

The cover looks somewhat used and shows some mild wear.  There may be some minor seam splitting, ring wear (which still doesn’t overwhelm the cover), discreet writing (not large magic marker), or mild yellowing due to air contaminants. It is still nice, just a few notable flaws away from VG+.

We will never sell anything less than VG, so the rest of the scale is unnecessary.  We absolutely detest groove wear, so we will almost never list anything lacking the overwhelming majority of the luster, sheen and gloss.  Anything of significance will always be noted. 

THANK YOU FOR SHOPPING!

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