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.
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.
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…”
“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.
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.
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.
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.
May I take this opportunity to recommend Becker’s second solo album, 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
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.
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.
