It's a grim day. Losing Walter Becker to an as-yet-undisclosed ailment puts a humid pall on this Bay Area heatwave. We're trying to stay positive and remember all of the deft and cutty lyrics the guy gave us over the years, the sci-fi ("Sign In Stranger," "Pixeleen"), the political ("Royal Scam," "Kid Charlemagne"), the personal ("Midnight Cruiser," "Monkey In Your Soul"). But it's tough to say where Becker's lyrics turn into Steely Dan partner Donald Fagen's lyrics--they were always reluctant to talk about their "process," making it a lot more difficult to decipher than Lennon-McCartney credits--so we want to pay tribute to another aspect of his artistry: his efficient and pristine basslines.
With equal parts stoicism and swagger, his bass work never pulled too much focus, but they were supportive and swung just enough. We're sticking to basslines that Becker performed himself, so that leaves out some Chuck Rainey lines that Becker may have helped write, like "Sign In Stranger" and, of course, the oft-sampled "Black Cow." Here they are in mostly-chronological order:
1. "Do It Again," Can't Buy A Thrill
Becker swings between the octaves, keeping it simple and complementing the Latin guiro groove.
2. "Rikki Don't Lose That Number," Pretzel Logic
Another simple, beautiful line that owes its feel to Horace Silver's "Song For My Father." Check out the live 1974 Rainbow Room version below for some extra homage to Silver on the intro.
3. "Time Out Of Mind," Gaucho
This skeletal track has unusual burps of bass throughout the verses; surprising and melodic bass support throughout the chorus; and a more involved, disco-inflected bass on the bridge. The demo version below captures the basic tracks especially well.
4. "Green Book," Everything Must Go
The bassline here brings a lot of emphasis to particularly crunchy chords but still finds room to dance a bit in the open spaces. The whole record, Steely Dan's last it appears, features Becker on the low end.
5. "Darkling Down," Circus Money
Becker's second solo record, Circus Money, sees Becker settle into a set of reggae and dub-tinged pop that the Dan hinted at way back on "Haitian Divorce." We like the interplay between the bass and guitar melodies on this one.
BONUS. "This All Too Mobile Home," Live
Although there's a rumored studio version of this, we have yet to hear it. Their live tour finale dissolves into a lengthy drum battle between Jeff Porcaro and Jim Hodder, but the bass hangs in longer than the others for a quasi-solo of menacing, belligerent triads.
We might have something more to say about Uncle Walt later, but we're feeling too raw at the moment. Rest In Precision.