Much Has Been Done … (1990)

And just like that, another great Walter tune leaves the proverbial nest, and flies straight into my well-sculpted receptors. Walter's metaphor as love game is always on point. The metaphor of a game of chance occurs in several places, notably in Hard Up Case ( "They dealt us houses full with the queens and kings/And now they're calling out our bluff/'cause you and me girl we had everything/But it just wasn't quite enough" ). Here, the metaphor is love—or at the very least ostensibly loving relationships—as war. Makes sense, the two situations in Lyly told us "all's fair." The French have a phrase (and wouldn't they just) c'est la guerre , that translates literally to "that's war," but means "That's just the way it is." It would be clever of me to make that observation, had Walter not already included it in his song here, because of course he's that clever and that kind of a lyricist, even in the tracks we aren't hearing until now. And HOW ABOUT THAT BASS LINE? -Matt War Baby Walter Becker © 1994/2019 Zeon Music LLC Can this really be all that we came together for Battling dawn to dusk and fighting door to door When we call a truce girl now I come to see Maybe this is the righteous struggle you believe your life should be And when I try to speak, talk to you like a friend There goes those dominos all tumbling down again Just tell me what to do, show me where to sign When do I get to be on your side of the firing line Now War Baby We’ve been fighting right along But soon you got to see I'm not the enemy No I'm not girl War Baby Now I'm not saying that it's wrong Just to be dissin' you But I keep missing you Why is that now? Well I guess you disagree with something I just said Judging by that suede cruise missile hurtling past my head So now you make your last stand on the soggy higher ground Wet with the blood of the martyrs or is that the tears of the clowns You wiped our little noses, sent us on our wicked ways Full bore for the killing floor which is where we are today Still you stand so tall big ideals and all And me just waiting for the other high heeled shoe to fall Now War Baby All your reasons and your rhymes Don't appeal to me They're not real to me No they're not now War Baby You know the life you've lived so far Is no great tragedy That's all history That's all that is I guess you got your reasons no matter what I might say All's fair c'est la guerre sometimes it just be that way I say viva la struggle I say viva el good fight But can't the revolución keep until tomorrow night now? War Baby Now can't you separate yourself From that party line It's no friend of mine Not at all girl War Baby We've been going low so long The things you say to me That's an atrocity Yes it is girl War Baby

(Surprise Piano Version) This extremely early rundown of Book of Liars by The 11TOW band [Adam Rogers (Guitar): Fima Ephron (Bass): Ben Perowsky (Drums): John Beasley (Keyboards): Dean Parks (Guitar)] is interesting on several counts, not the least of which is the peek it affords into the studio process . Walter enjoyed almost everything the band played as it emerged from their interaction, rather then from any strong a priori “instruction” he offered. The rule seemed to be: Let’s just play it. See what we see. It’s interesting, for example, to hear one of the first rundowns of this tune took on a sort of calypso vibe. Yet all the tracks invariably developed, changed —through a combination of the creativity and explorations of the musicians playing together, and the small, subtle shaping that Walter would occasionally offer. It’s probably too obvious to observe that the feel of the final versions as we all know them from Whack and Alive in America traveled quite a distance from this earliest rundown. The 11TOW recorded version of this song has also long inspired speculation a’plenty about that rather unique keyboard solo. Here, on one of the earliest rundowns — and with only the above musicians in the room — we hear what might be its etiology. The quasi-comic conducting Walter would often exercise is in evidence here — “big piano passage”….then “Piano solo. Surprise piano solo!” (sandwiching an expression of juvenile gun-lust). A playful response follows, and that we hear a “yeah” during the staccato playing leads one to suspect the die on this one was cast early on; there was just something about that general vibe of this early keyboard part that he wanted preserved in the recorded version. We'll leave it to the listener to hypothesize who did or did not play the recorded solo or, at the very least, from whence its inspiration sprang. We see it springing right here. Then there’s “Fima’s got it” as a few players seem to momentarily lose their bearings in the unfamiliar chart….and of course the wonderful end-talk about different ideas for “the bridgy kinda thing”….and, well, from 5:14 out…that’s our Walter all over, isn’t it? Hope you enjoy. D-Mod P.S. Speaking of Book of Liars: Don Breithaupt's band Monkey House released a new album TODAY with their own cover of Becker's Book of Liars! You may know Don from previous Monkey House albums or from his insightful look at Steely Dan's Aja album for the 33-1/3 series. "As a lifelong Steely Dan fan, Walter's death hit me hard," said Don. "I thought it'd be a nice gesture to do one of his." The new album, " Friday ," also features the talents of Steely Dan musicians Michael Leonhart and Drew Zingg. It's a damn fine album, and it looks like listeners agree—" Friday " is currently sitting at the #1 spot on iTunes' Jazz charts. Congrats to Don and Monkey House! - Matt