© 1992 Zeon Music
Vocal: Walter Becker
Drums: John Keane
Bass: Neil Stubenhaus
Guitar: Dean Parks
Keyboards: John Beasley
Saxophone: Bob Sheppard
Engineer: Roger Nichols
Recorded at Signet Studios, Los Angeles, 1992
In case you're wondering it's alive and well
That little habit that you left with me
Here in the suburbs where it's hard to tell
If I got the bear or if the bear got me
How did you know that it would take me down
Down to the bottom of the wine dark sea
Where you were waiting there to bring me 'round
Where you knew all the dopest cuts to be
Drowned at the bottom of your mystery
Down in the bottom of the wine dark sea
Saw your old lady in the park today
The legendary smile is wearing thin
Behind that guessing game you make her play
Now that she knows that she could never win
I guess you're never gonna take her down
Down to the bottom of your little black heart
Lay with her naked on the cold hard ground
To watch the sunrise in the dopest part
Down in the bottom where your lifeline shows
Down in the bottom where nobody goes
I like the feathers and I love the hat
I like that little gypsy tune you're humming
I guess I'm happy now we've had this chat
Oh yeah I'm really glad I saw you coming
There in the corner of the eastern sky
The tortured angel of your rising sign
Darkens the evening with his one good eye
An evil omen of the dopest kind
Down in the bottom where your demons fly
Down in the bottom of the eastern sky
Down in the bottom where your lifeline shows
Down in the bottom where nobody goes
Drowned at the bottom of your mystery
Down in the bottom of the wine dark sea
My initial thoughts on this track: I think this is great! I mean, this track kind of proves to me that WB made the right decision. DITB is one of my top 5 WB tracks, and I think this lacks the "edge" of the album version. Not in a bad way, but in a confirmational way. He could have done a more Steely sound, but it wouldn't have been as propulsive, as lean, as impactful, as what he DID do. I mean, to me this version sounds slower, even though it is a percent or two faster in tempo than the album version.Â
There's a story of how during one rehearsal for the 93 tour, Erskine increased the tempo to some song by one - ONE - beat per minute, and at the end Walter commented that it felt like the band was rushing. So he for sure knew that he had slowed the tempo down here while still making the song feel like it moved more.
For reference, this is both tracks, with vocals starting the same time. So after the album intro, when the vocals come in, signet is panned left and album is panned right:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ju0gkgbce3wjhp8/down%20in%20the%20bottom%20mix%20l%20r.mp3?dl=0
And because it would drive me crazy otherwise, here it is tempo matched. Turns out the difference is actually half a beat per second. I mean damn. I could tell the difference immediately, but damn. Half a beat per second is so small, but it really matters here.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/8r72rgu1lyuhwbh/down%20in%20the%20bottom%20lr%20tempo%20match.mp3?dl=0
Matt