In an earlier post, I had taken Walter Becker to task. I had chastised him for a whole variety of things, mostly having to do with guitar solos on records that I didn’t feel were up to the early standard that he set on albums like Katy Lied, and some other things such as how he sounded live, or what guitar fills he was playing on various things. In short, when my favorite band, Steely Dan, is involved, I always wanted to hear them at their very best.
But right now I’m listening to his own Paging Audrey, which is just a beautiful tune, with gorgeous chord changes, melodies, and atmosphere. And it doesn’t end there – Upside Looking Down and Darkling Down are both outstanding pieces (could the word “Down” be a key element in his success? Countdown to Ecstasy and all that? But that’s just a conspiracy theory, and far be it from me). The writing is of the highest standard, the lyrics are just as cynically clever as always, guitar solos are succinct and funky with no excess baggage, and the most pleasant surprise is that his voice really sounds good on the studio cuts, and is very appropriate for the feel of the tunes.
In my “ad hominem attack on Walter” phase, not only had I been focusing on the things I didn’t like, but was also comparing him, largely unfairly, to his partner Donald Fagen, whose talents are especially abundant. Fagen has the distinction of scarcely ever putting a foot wrong on record. With Donald singing, playing, and writing so well, it would be hard for anyone not to suffer by comparison. I had even wondered if he were the brains behind the operation.
Having given a good listen to Walter’s own excellent material, it’s clear that I was overly critical, and worst of all, I was fairly snotty about it. Why not give Walter’s recent album, Circus Money, a listen – you may be as pleasantly surprised as I was, especially if you’re a big fan of Steely Dan. (OK, the cover art is a bit creepy) It reminds me why I like to binge on Steely Dan music on occasions when I’m visiting Hyde Park, NY, right near Bard College, where Donald and Walter went to school.
Sometimes it’s very good to be wrong, when you find out that things are much better than you thought they were. So Walter, I apologize for my negative remarks, and I hope that you continue to produce such high quality music, whether on your own, with Donald, or with others. You rule, Maestro!