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    WB's 'Hey 19 Rap' of the Week

    1. Walter Becker Media Forum
    2. Rarities & Unreleased
    3. Were You Close Today
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    Walter Becker Media
    Feb 19, 2018
      ·  Edited: Mar 9, 2018

    Were You Close Today




    Walter Becker Media
    Feb 19, 2018  ·  Edited: Mar 9, 2018

    Were You Close Today

    (Words & Music: Walter Becker ­ ©Zeon LLC 1997/2018)


    MP3 available for download at: http://walterbecker.com/media/wyct/were_you_close_today_320.mp3

    FLAC available for download at: http://walterbecker.com/media/wyct/were_you_close_today.flac

    MOV available for download at: http://walterbecker.com/media/wyct/were_you_close_today_hq.mov


    Adam Rogers - Guitar

    Fima Ephron - Bass

    Ben Perowsky - Drums

    Dave Russell - Engineer


    Were you close today

    How close were you

    More than half the way

    Or just in the mood to

    Were you on the phone

    Did you reach the driveway

    Were you in the car

    Getting on the freeway


    Did you cross some line

    Did you whisper to me

    Did you say my name

    Did you look right through me


    Going past the point

    Where there’s no return

    Were your feet on fire

    Was the sidewalk burning

    Were you close today

    How close were you


    Were you close today

    How close were you

    Was the luggage packed

    Was the passport on you

    Were you fingers curled

    Did you palms start sweating

    Did your arms fill up

    Were you unforgetting


    Did you board that train

    Did you quit the station

    Did you just renounce

    Your renunciation

    When they played our song

    Did you turn and face it

    Was it on your lips

    Could you almost taste it

    Was I there too

    And how close were you

    Were you close today


    Were you close today

    How close were you

    Did you make your play

    Did you get some on you

    And then run away

    Back to your rough and tumble

    Down on the old back bed

    Where you dropped your bundle


    Were you satisfied

    Did you get that feeling

    Did you take a ride

    Staring up at the ceiling

    Did you face that thought

    That you don’t care to mention

    Did your screen go black

    With your bad intentions


    Was your throughput clean

    Was your picture steady

    Were you duty free

    Were you cable ready


    You were just right there

    Just this far away

    You came close today

    (close today)

    You got close today

    (close today)

    You’re So close today

    (close today)

    You were close today

    (close today)

    You came close today

    (close today)

    You got close today

    (close today)

    So close today

    (close today)

    You got close today

    (close today)

    So close today

    (close today)...

    pbrickey
    Feb 20, 2018

    This is awesome! Thanks for sharing!

    mikeprizy
    Feb 20, 2018

    Nice! So Walter.

    DDD09
    Feb 20, 2018

    You are so sorely missed Walter. Thanks for the gift of this song. Rest in peace,

    ShaunMac
    Feb 20, 2018

    Already a classic as far as I'm concerned.

    OnTheCorner
    Feb 20, 2018

    fuck, this is great.


    a lot to dive into here, but on the surface, it’s interesting this was recorded in 97. i wonder if this was intended for another solo album. arrangemenr wise it feels like a demo. but the performances are polished.

    graeme
    Feb 20, 2018

    Your great music lives on. RIP man.

    steviedebe
    Feb 20, 2018

    Man, RIP! Major impact on my life. See you in heaven.

    Matthew Kerns
    Feb 20, 2018

    Chris, I wonder if copyright year is different than when it was recorded. Seems like WB would have been knee deep in Two Against Nature in 97.

    Michael Pilkington
    Feb 20, 2018

    I love the stretched-out, taut, tension of this one - I want to own it though! What a man, what a musician, what a master! 20 years goes quick. RIP Walter.

    ross_hyland
    Feb 20, 2018

    I wonder if something went wrong with the upload. There is no bass.... very tinny sound.....

    I'd be really more than happy to pay for a proper mix as it sounds like a lost gem of a song.... Excellent stuff indeed. His album "11 Tracks of Wack" was good but I thought Walter really nailed it with "Circus Money". Donald Fagen could always manage to do albums as good as Steely Dan albums...... and Walter Becker proved that he could do the same with his release of Circus Money.

    Terrible loss.... I hope Donald has something in the pipeline.... I understand they had been working together for a while on new material.

    Lemonade
    Feb 20, 2018

    Thank you very much. Only Walter Becker could have written a song that smart. He lives on.

    BC Bill
    Feb 20, 2018

    I agree there seems to be a problem with the mix, ross. Goodness knows how deep down in the box Ms. Becker may have to go for some of these unreleased gems. For one thing you can figure that by the very fact that they are unreleased, they are going to be songs that were abandoned before being release-ready ("were you cable ready?" :-)) . Maybe unreleased may turn out to mean unfinished as well, or maybe just judged "not good enough" to complete or release, and that we will be able to hear that in the shortcomings. I just pray to god we have a chance to find out more, and that this experiment isn't blown up by the trolls. I for one would be more than happy for even "demo-quality". Did anyone else recognize the guitar as the Lost Tribe player Adam Rogers? That's who I heard even before I looked at the credits...so distinctive and appropriately almost spooky on this very haunting song. But will I really be the first to say that Walt's singing is just f'ing fantastic here!? Expressive, blusey as always--but it doesn't even sound like its been pitch corrected! (or a I missing it?), Anyway, fantastic vocals. Thank you Mr Becker, god i am going to miss you forever. And thanks also to whoever helped put this whole site together, great great work!

    D Pot
    Feb 20, 2018

    What a nice surprise to wake up to. Let's hope there is appetite for a commerical release of this and any other unreleased tracks even if they are demo's!


    I'm in the UK and saw a CD release in stores before Christmas, 'Steely Dan A Tribute To Walter Becker' 2 live SD shows and a third disc with some of the 11 Tracks of Whack outtakes, and a couple of Walter interviews.... I presume this is not an official release?

    des442
    Feb 20, 2018

    I’d be surprised if this was recorded in ’97. The best ideas of this song were used to far greater and inspired success in a few of the songs on 11 Tracks Of Whack. Yes, sentimentally it’s nice to hear something ”new” that Walter recorded but you’d expect any curator of someones’ legacy to want to start any public exposure with the best they could find. If this is the best, I’m afraid this doesn’t excite me nor make me think ”I can’t wait for what’s coming next”, unfortunately.

    tohnz
    Feb 20, 2018

    "This" sounds like an early "Moody Bastard" with different lyrics to me.


    Thanks for the post wbm, looking forward to more...


    hb wb

    zebalby
    Feb 20, 2018

    I don't know how I was included into this community as I don't think I have signed up to the Walter Becker website, nominally the only access point. Privacy is important but a gift like this just makes me grateful. Love the ease and leisure of the musicianship, particularly the bell-like guitar and of course, the vocal. Love the way the world stops while the song plays - how do they do that?

    Moderator: D-Mod
    Feb 20, 2018

    Hi Zebalby:

    According to our ancient logs, an email address starting with Zebalby (server name redacted to protect your privacy) signed up for The Walter Becker Newsletter 2009-02-21 15:39 and confirmed subscription request at 2009-02-21 13:54. Long time ago! If you would like to confirm email server (the rest of your email address) and/or unsubscribe, please just let us know. Thanks for the comment,

    - WB Mod

    zebalby
    Feb 20, 2018

    Wow! That's super-efficient! But then how come this is the first issue of the newsletter I have seen? Never mind, glad to be on board for this trip!

    Moderator: D-Mod
    Feb 20, 2018  ·  Edited: Feb 20, 2018

    Zebalby -

    Wish we had figured out how to message privately...soon hopefully. It may be your "first" because we have sent practically no Newsletters out over the years! Archive of past mailings are here:

    http://walterbecker.com/newslarchive.html

    Welcome :-)

    - WB Mod

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