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#Post#: 862--------------------------------------------------
Steely Dan's Walter Becker dead at 67
By: AJ Date: September 4, 2017, 3:19 pm
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...Don't know if any of you were Dan Fans or not...I sure
was...Sad this incredible musician is gone from us. :'(
HTML http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/walter-becker-steely-dan-co-founder-dead-at-67-w500956
HTML http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/walter-becker-steely-dan-co-founder-dead-at-67-w500956
#Post#: 863--------------------------------------------------
Re: Steely Dan's Walter Becker dead at 67
By: Bucky Date: September 4, 2017, 3:46 pm
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Gaucho is in my top five albums. I mean, that album hit me
between the legs, and there was no other like it.
I can't overstate Steely Dan's influence on me as a writer and
music lover. Becker was one half of that machine, and what a
monster he and Donald Fagen made.
#Post#: 876--------------------------------------------------
Re: Steely Dan's Walter Becker dead at 67
By: indigo_dave Date: September 5, 2017, 7:49 am
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The only album (CD actually) I owned was "A Decade of Steely
Dan", which was sort of a greatest hits album (although I think
some were just band favorites). When I think of "My Old School"
- my god what great music. And those guitar breaks. I read
an interview in Keyboard magazine decades ago with Victor
Feldman once (a jazz pianist and percussion player - percussion
on some of SD's recordings). He said they set a really high
bar when auditioning players for their records. He said it was
heartbreaking sometimes the hear them say "we'll let you know" ,
knowing they were rejecting the player. Seems like I also read
they had used Larry Carlton to do some of their arrangements in
addition to playing guitar on some tracks. Not sure.
All that scrutiny and obsession with perfection yielded
excellent results.
#Post#: 878--------------------------------------------------
Re: Steely Dan's Walter Becker dead at 67
By: Bucky Date: September 5, 2017, 9:56 am
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Becker and Fagen were the minds behind Steely Dan. Larry Carlton
was a hired gun amongst many. They basically kept musicians
captive in the studio until the produced a worthy track, and
even rejected many parts from others. Mark Knopfler recorded
hours of guitar for "Time Out of Mind," yet only a few of his
licks made the final cut. In the early days when Denny Dias and
Skunk Baxter were the guitarists, they still had Elliot Randall
play the solo for
"Reelin in the Years." Ironically, Dias kept playing with Dan as
a studio musician and recorded some of the coolest parts on
tracks like "Aja."
Also, if you contrast the solo efforts of Becker and Fagen, you
get the sense they worked best together. Becker was the more
cynical lyricist that liked the rambling passages ("Reelin in
the Years"), and Fagen was more about structure in his lyrics.
Fagen was also the better arranger. But Becker was a fantastic
guitarist! Steely Dan are truly an example of objectivity in
arrangement, because they were capable musicians that allowed
others to put in their two cents.
#Post#: 881--------------------------------------------------
Re: Steely Dan's Walter Becker dead at 67
By: AJ Date: September 5, 2017, 6:44 pm
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Becker and Fagan were a unique pairing musically and the music
they made together is some of the best I ever heard anuwhere. I
love all their albums, but "Aja" is a perfect record. They wrote
out the parts for all of the myriad of musicians that passed
through their efforts. I thought they wrote some of the
cleverest lyrics ever written.
Becker was a fucking monster on guitar and bass. I watched one
of their reunion tour shows and Becker played guitar throughout,
capturing and perfectly reproducing the many great guitar tracks
and solos, and I mean tone and everything...And he made it look
effortless.
He gave Fagan credit for most of the arranging....But he had as
much to do with all their albums as Fagan.
Jimmy Page was once asked what his favorite guitar solo was and
he immediately responded, "Elliott Randall, Reeling in The
Years".
It really is a perfect solo...And it was recorded directly into
the console. No amp...Just a Neve channel strip.
#Post#: 884--------------------------------------------------
Re: Steely Dan's Walter Becker dead at 67
By: Bucky Date: September 5, 2017, 8:35 pm
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According to Elliot Randall, the solo was a cranked SVT bass amp
that they miced from down a hallway.
#Post#: 886--------------------------------------------------
Re: Steely Dan's Walter Becker dead at 67
By: AJ Date: September 5, 2017, 9:06 pm
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[quote author=Bucky link=topic=89.msg884#msg884 date=1504661710]
According to Elliot Randall, the solo was a cranked SVT bass amp
that they miced from down a hallway.
[/quote]
Rumors abound I guess....Depends on which account is to be
trusted...I'd think Elliott would have the straight poop on his
solo.
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