# RIP Walter Becker (Steely Dan) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 3, 2017, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-walter-becker-steely-dan/795400 "2017-09-03T14:17:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![minlokwat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minlokwat/32/2844_2.png) [@minlokwat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minlokwat)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2017, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-walter-becker-steely-dan/795400/41 "2017-09-04T17:06:02Z")
I’ll chime in as one of the board’s resident Danophiles. Becker’s greatest achievement might ironically be on Fagen’s single album **Kamakiriad**. The album is -in a word- flawless and doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. Fagen asked his buddy to produce it and Walter obliged. While listening to the demo tracks and figuring out what musicians to bring in, they realized they needed a bass player. Fagen asked Becker if he wanted to do it and Walter replied, what the hell, he can produce and play bass. They also of course needed a lead guitarist, Fagen asked Walter if he wanted to take on that task as well and Becker responded “sure”. So you’ve got a Donald Fagen solo album but it’s produced by Walter Becker and features him playing bass and lead guitar on every track. Not a Steely Dan record per se but in a way, it very much is. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2017, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-walter-becker-steely-dan/795400/42 "2017-09-04T19:30:02Z")
R.I.P. Well, home at last, no more glamour profession, taking me down a peg with a little deacon blues. Hoping these show biz kids do it again (possible change of the guard?) with their dirty work on a new frontier. At least WB wont have to declare (only a fool would say): “don’t take me alive”. Turn that heartbeat over again, Becks. > [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > (Though you will have to pry “Hey, Nineteen” out of my cold, dead headphones.) Naw, as far as _Goucho_ is concerned - totally “Babylon Sisters”. So, WB - enjoy somewhere up in that Aja constellation. “I’ll run, to, you–uuuuuuuu…” ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2017, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-walter-becker-steely-dan/795400/43 "2017-09-04T19:39:50Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Mostly because their worst stuff was their most popular. If Reeling or Rikki comes on the air I change the channel. Most of their other music I could listen to all day. The Royal Scam is one of the most perfect albums ever recorded. Their more accessible (i.e radio-friendly) songs were my favorites, although I do appreciate their deeper work, too. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2017, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-walter-becker-steely-dan/795400/44 "2017-09-04T19:44:01Z")
“Rikki” is the one that has me stabbing at the radio. **Exapno** is right: _The Royal Scam_ and _Katy Lied_ are the best, but none of them is less than stellar. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2017, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-walter-becker-steely-dan/795400/45 "2017-09-04T20:29:13Z")
I remember when I heard “Hey Nineteen”. I was having a fling with a woman 16 years my junior and the song just knocked me out. I was getting semi-serious with the lady, and the song really gave me pause about any long term relationship with someone who was only two when I turned 18. It’s still a song that I will crank up on the radio. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2017, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-walter-becker-steely-dan/795400/46 "2017-09-04T20:40:03Z")
> [@Enter\_the\_Flagon](#): > > I remember reading that Becker and Fagen felt much the same; that Reelin’ was a foot-in-the-door throwaway for them. > > It’s still worth hearing, though, if only to marvel at Elliot Randall’s guitar work. That he was able to improvise those solos in a single take represents a level of craftsmanship that’s almost unique. Good lord, yes. I’d say that Reelin is probably the gateway drug to SD. I will still crank that song every time because of those solos. > [@Enter\_the\_Flagon](#): > > But then, Becker and Fagen consistently got brilliant performances out of their ensemble. For a musician to even get a call to audition for them must’ve been really very flattering. > > It’s sad that he’s gone, but by God, he did a good job. Yeah, they did write complex music, and knew that they needed to let people go to get the best performances out of them. If there is a genius to their music, it’s that they knew how to create frameworks that let their players stretch out. Yacht Rock/Muzak? Yeah, they produced plenty of it, and got rich in the process. No shame in that, and no shame in liking it. As they said themselves, their hits weren’t necessarily their best work, but they still liked it enough to release it. Adios, Walter! You and Don made adventurous Jazz/Rock that actually worked, and I thank ya for it. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2017, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-walter-becker-steely-dan/795400/47 "2017-09-04T21:58:57Z")
I’m a Danhead too. This is awful, and truly sad. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-walter-becker-steely-dan/795400/48 "2017-09-05T00:15:58Z")
Boy do I feel silly. Until yesterday, I thought his name was Walter Beckett. :smack: R.I.P. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-walter-becker-steely-dan/795400/49 "2017-09-05T05:28:07Z")
Dildo! ☹ ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-walter-becker-steely-dan/795400/50 "2017-09-05T05:33:04Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Right here. A search on my name and Steely Dan finds 35 threads in Cafe Society dating back to 2002. > > I’m a Dan man. Have you heard the B and F Demos? ---
**Author:** ![Hoops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoops/32/6408_2.png) [@Hoops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoops)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2017, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-walter-becker-steely-dan/795400/51 "2017-09-07T01:52:45Z")
May I take this opportunity to recommend Becker’s second solo album, [Circus Money](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circus_Money)? He’s maybe not the greatest singer–sort of a cross between latter-day Dylan and Lou Reed–but it’s really a subtle and thoughtful album, surprisingly reggae flavored, and of course immaculately recorded and played. Pretty much everyone who played on the reunion era Dan albums is on it (except for Donald Fagen, of course). Here’s a tune from it: [Bob Is Not Your Uncle Anymore](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vMQRcELtRE) ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2017, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-walter-becker-steely-dan/795400/52 "2017-09-07T02:04:10Z")
Any word on the cause? ---
**Author:** ![somepumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@somepumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/somepumpkin)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2017, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-walter-becker-steely-dan/795400/53 "2017-09-09T16:43:18Z")
I just crawled out from under that rock in the back of my cave. I got the news from some YouTube comments this morning. That wasn’t the song I was after… I was listening to a demo/early release of the Gaucho album, actually. Some of my favorite Becker stuff is the bass line in “Home at Last” and that simple, infectious groove in “The Fez”. But there’s so much to appreciate, really. RIP Mr. Becker. I love what you guys did to leave one of the most unique marks on American music. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2017, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-walter-becker-steely-dan/795400/54 "2017-09-11T00:39:24Z")
I think that the way forward is to make a Steely Dan Sound, where you get Dias and Baxter back. The credits have Starring Donald Fagen. You got those three, it’s worth a regular Steely show. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2017, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-walter-becker-steely-dan/795400/55 "2017-11-16T00:30:10Z")
[Fuck cancer.](https://apnews.com/a998194fd91a496b9251014ffee918f3/Walter-Becker's-wife-says-he-died-from-esophageal-cancer) > [@](#): > > Delia Becker says in a statement Wednesday that he “died in the course of being treated” for esophageal cancer. She added that the cancer “seemed to have come out of nowhere and had spread with terrifying speed.” At least there’s this: > [@](#): > > Delia Becker says her husband died peacefully at their home in New York City. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2017, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-walter-becker-steely-dan/795400/56 "2017-11-16T14:45:01Z")
I’ve only recently figured out what the hell they were SAYING in this one: [Google Play Music is no longer available](https://play.google.com/music/preview/Tcbk7ydwbjsqk6ai3gnxuatkntu?lyrics=1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=lyrics&pcampaignid=kp-songlyrics) Bodhisattva [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-walter-becker-steely-dan/795400.md?page=2)