Walter Becker appreciation thread

[chuck3]

OK, I know he plays guitar too, and yes I'm a huge Dan fan, but still - I think "Jack of Speed" is a masterpiece of bass playing -



And for something a little later, here is "Things I Miss the Most" - great song IMO -



and this from a guy who thinks Chuck Rainey's playing on "Aja" is pretty much the best ever.

 

[Icculus]

Aja is magic. I listen to this album and think "This is how I want to play the bass", but yes Becker great too. Steely Dan is so easy to listen to.

 

[sm49341]

OMG how does his thread have only one reply? I've been bored with my band's rock material lately and been getting into Steely Dan to challange myself and actually learn something. I had to see who this bassist was. Easily one of the best I've ever heard. Especially if you like that Funky sound. I've added a few of his little licks to my bag of tricks.

 

[20db pad]

I'm hopelessly in love with the flat picked, palm-muted bass work he did on "Kamakiriad", which is ironically a Fagen solo effort. He played a Sadowsky bass on that album and it just sounds glorious. Nobody has really copped that sound that I'm aware of, which always struck me as strange because it's such an amazing tone. He manages to play great time and solid ideas, somehow morphing a Jamerson feel with a Joe Osborn/Carol Kaye vibe, all without the world blowing up.

Essentially, WB is known by the masses aware of Steely Dan as a guitarist, so I guess his bass playing gets back-burnered a bit.

 

[markjazzbassist]

great bassist, love his writing with the Dan.

 

[JimK]

OMG how does his thread have only one reply? I've been bored with my band's rock material lately and been getting into Steely Dan to challange myself and actually learn something. I had to see who this bassist was. Easily one of the best I've ever heard. Especially if you like that Funky sound. I've added a few of his little licks to my bag of tricks.

Which era of Steely Dan? Early on, they were a 6-piece band. Becker played bass on many of their classic hits.
An aside: Can't Buy A Thrill is one of the strongest debut albums, IMO...any band, any genre.
...eventually, it's sessioneers (the cream of the crop).
So it's Chuck Rainey (on the bulk of the material) & Anthony Jackson (shows up on Gaucho).
I would put these guys in for SD's 'funky' sound.
"Kid Charlemagne", "Josie", "Green Earrings", "The Fez", "Black Cow", "FM", etc is Rainey.

Becker is solid...but 'funky'?

(Tom Barney comes in on the later post-Gaucho material). He is also funky ("Gaslighting Abby")

 

[silky smoove]

Didn't Becker play on "Lunch with Gina"? That's certainly a funky track. Specifically the bass part. Either way, he's great.

Bonus points: I'm seeing Steely Dan with Elvis Costello in two days!

 

[David Jayne]

I'm hopelessly in love with the flat picked, palm-muted bass work he did on "Kamakiriad", which is ironically a Fagen solo effort. He played a Sadowsky bass on that album and it just sounds glorious. Nobody has really copped that sound that I'm aware of, which always struck me as strange because it's such an amazing tone. He manages to play great time and solid ideas, somehow morphing a Jamerson feel with a Joe Osborn/Carol Kaye vibe, all without the world blowing up.

That is a truly masterful track. Just perfect. Such great ideas and his feel is just amazing.

 

[Kaa]

I like him much more as a bass player than guitar player.

 

[pnchad]

No, I'll never do it without the fez on.

We have a pretty hip npr station & this came on today. Wow, whatever happened to quality rock?

And what a sense of humor. I think Fagan's last album was called "Sunken Condos"

 

[Muddslide]

I have a real love/hate relationship with Steely Dan.

On the one hand, they are undeniably excellent at writing, arranging and at playing multiple instruments (along with various band members/session cats whose services they have enlisted.)

On the other hand, a great deal of their music strikes me as way too polished, smooth and over-produced. I realize not all bands should sound like Black Sabbath or Black Flag but I do tend to like some rawness and roughness to my pop and my rock. Sometimes Steely Dan hit me as more like schmaltzy elevator music.

All that said, another thing that can't be denied is that they have a number of songs in their catalog that are just excellent, and fairly unique, examples of what jazz-informed pop/rock can be.

I can't take all of their work, but in some cases, the songs themselves are so stellar, clever and well-drawn I cannot help but love them.

The entire Countdown To Ecstasy album, for instance. But they have great tracks peppered throughout their discography.

 

[Pentatonic]

I recently rediscovered what a jem of a record Aja is. Truly infectious, I listened to it over and over for a week solid. Every song on it is masterful and timeless.

 

[pnchad]

I have a real love/hate relationship with Steely Dan.

On the one hand, they are undeniably excellent at writing, arranging and at playing multiple instruments (along with various band members/session cats whose services they have enlisted.)

On the other hand, a great deal of their music strikes me as way too polished, smooth and over-produced. I realize not all bands should sound like Black Sabbath or Black Flag but I do tend to like some rawness and roughness to my pop and my rock. Sometimes Steely Dan hit me as more like schmaltzy elevator music.

All that said, another thing that can't be denied is that they have a number of songs in their catalog that are just excellent, and fairly unique, examples of what jazz-informed pop/rock can be.

I can't take all of their work, but in some cases, the songs themselves are so stellar, clever and well-drawn I cannot help but love them.

The entire Countdown To Ecstasy album, for instance. But they have great tracks peppered throughout their discography.

I started playing pro about the same time the Dan began. Although there were lots of other great influences, their's is up there. I know theres been a major change in musical aesthetic, espeically since the early ninties. But from the time of the Beatles until Nirvana, we all aspired to quality, high quality. Tight bands were the norm and we worked hard at it (kind of like some Metal but a lot more variety). Now there's just three chord major minor stuff or wankers. Nothing in between.

 

[pnchad]

I take a bit of that back

Been impressed lately w/ Bruno's band & Snarky Puppy

 

[David Jayne]

I take a bit of that back

Been impressed lately w/ Bruno's band & Snarky Puppy

You might like Dumpsterfunk.

 

[pnchad]

I'll check 'em out - thanks, always interested in new

 

[Trayster2]

My friends kept telling me to check out Steely Dan. Even though I pretty much grew up to their music, I never really listened due to negative association. They were continuously played on Muzak at a job I hated.

This summer, I was poking around YouTube & found a guy talking about Berklee & his audition piece was Gaslighting Abby. I was immediately hooked & revisited some of their older stuff. I love the funkiness of their last two albums.

 

[Whousedtoplay]

I'm hopelessly in love with the flat picked, palm-muted bass work he did on "Kamakiriad", which is ironically a Fagen solo effort. He played a Sadowsky bass on that album and it just sounds glorious. Nobody has really copped that sound that I'm aware of, which always struck me as strange because it's such an amazing tone. He manages to play great time and solid ideas, somehow morphing a Jamerson feel with a Joe Osborn/Carol Kaye vibe, all without the world blowing up.

Essentially, WB is known by the masses aware of Steely Dan as a guitarist, so I guess his bass playing gets back-burnered a bit.

Yes, Walter Becker played the whole Kamakiriad album.
Personnel: Donald Fagen - keyboards, vocals Walter Becker - bass, lead guitar Randy Brecker - trumpet, flugelhorn Cornelius Bumpus - tenor saxophone Angela Clemmons-Patrick - background vocals Leroy Clouden - percussion, drums Ronnie Cuber - baritone saxophone Illinois Elohainu - tenor saxophone (a fictive musician, actually Fagen himself plays a saxophone sample on the keyboard) Lawrence Feldman - flute, tenor saxophone Frank "Harmonica Frank" Floyd - background vocals Diane Garisto - background vocals Paul Griffin - Hammond organ Amy Helm - background vocals Bashiri Johnson - percussion Birch Johnson - trombone Mindy Joslyn - background vocals Brenda King - background vocals Curtis King - background vocals Lou Marini - clarinet, flute, alto saxophone Dennis McDermott - drums Jenni Muldaur - background vocals Christopher Parker - drums Jim Pugh - trombone Tim Ries - tenor saxophone Roger Rosenberg - baritone saxophone Alan Rubin - trumpet, flugelhorn Catherine Russell - background vocals Dian Sorel - background vocals Fonzi Thornton - background vocals David Tofani - flute, tenor saxophone Georg Wadenius - guitar

 

[20db pad]

There's a lot of synth bass tunes on "Kamakiriad" - Might be Don on key bass sometimes - seems to lack some of the stylistic movement and hip factor that Becker usually adds, regardless of instrument he plays.

 

[Whousedtoplay]

There's a lot of synth bass tunes on "Kamakiriad" - Might be Don on key bass sometimes - seems to lack some of the stylistic movement and hip factor that Becker usually adds, regardless of instrument he plays.

For some reason, I've got that impression that Walter Becker has a more rhythmic approach and Don is the one that adds those harmonic/melodic embellishments to their songs.
On the other side, Walter's bass-lines' ideas given to a good bass player get additional "flavors" and start really blossoming.