WALTER BECKER & LARRY KLEIN movie: Matt Kerns Gene: Page: Door: Somebody’s: Upside: Deal: Downtown— these were some of the names on CD labels and tape canisters while Circus Money was being made. Every song — from the music charts to the tape on the mixing board — was known by an abbreviated name only. The reasons and history behind this longstanding convention — and some of the unexpected, Keystone-Kops effects of violating it — would make for a fairly amusing story we could tell about the 2vN era, and perhaps some day we will. But hold on — what’s this — other names? on other labels: Building: Mayor: Mouse: Lucky: Lucy: Danger: and more! They didn’t make the cut. Ouch. And perhaps oddest of all, you find one apparently called “Couchies” We posted the demo for Couchies way back in April. When you superimpose a melody on some tracks, their character changes rather dramatically, because the melody isn’t really echoed, particularly, by the harmonic structure of the track itself. We felt this was true here. What do you think? Take a listen to some of your favorite musicians, playing along with Walter’s scratch vocal, on Couchriders in the Sky Stay wait: Couch, um, ride um, Huh!? For those not old enough to remember quasi-novelty songs from the mid-century, you might want to look it up. Except it wasn’t Couches anybody was riding. Burl Ives; Gene Autry: Johnny Cash — it was a classic. A brief word about vocals. Oooooo so tempting to apply just a touch of auto-tune….just 3 notes!? Can we? Should we? We learned the plug-ins, we tried them out, we tweaked and leaked, squinted and squirmed, we wept, we prayed, we microlistened…and then… … we took all autotune OFF. That’s what you’re hearing today; Walter’s uncorrected naked scratch vocal. This issue will become more relevant soon enough: Pitch, especially holding it steady for long notes, may not have been WB’s forte; it is in fact the forte of very few singers, even among the accomplished. But any honest listener of the contents of this site has to admit that Walter was a much better and skillful (natural, uncorrected) singer than usually given credit for. I mean….c’mon people! Re-listen if you need to. And if you’re still not down with it, we’ll be coming for your secret decoder ring forthwith. But the point, Watson, the point is this: Walter was not inevitably disturbed about an off-pitch warble in a woking vocal. For one thing, a career with Fagen utterly schooled him on the concentration, experience, and practice required for strong, steady vocals in the studio or on the stage. So for Walter, his vocal limitations were just facts, not failures. Certainly an observer wouldn’t find the tsk-tsking, the averted eyes, the oh-dear-that-was-terrible head-drop. Walter took for granted —rather sanely, it seems to me — that informal and non-perfected vocal sessions were just gonna be….informal and imperfect. But there was a particular type of self-perceived “weak” singing that did bother him; it was a voice that, given the choice, he would largely keep to himself. As we move deeper into the stacks, we may have to make some hard decisions, and leave some DATS in their cases. But there’s nothing terrible about “hard” decisions, if one’s respect for all Walter has given us will tamp down that impulse for more,, more, more — no matter what. But later for that! For now, enjoy Becker/Klein’s Couchriders in the Sky! (Thanks again to Uber-mench Larry Klein , a blessing to our boy in every possible way, plus 10). Couchriders In The Sky WALTER BECKER & LARRY KLEIN © 2007/2018 Zeon Music LLC and  © 2007/2018 Strange  Cargo/ Downtown Music (ASCAP)   This is no Grace Line tour This is no Disney ride No hipster buccaneers Wait on the yonder side This river's fast and wide This water cold and deep And there's no place for you Where stones and fishes sleep Spliff and chalice Chalice and spliff Oxi's and dexi's Like dragon's teeth I know what happens And you do too You seen the rushes On the pay per view and Yes We are leaving In the morning For the afternoon and more Say good evening Say goodbye Couchriders Couchriders in the sky And who goes on this boat I guess we don't know yet We see through low-res eyes In dusky silhouette This couch is long and low The bolsters warm and deep And there is room for you Where kings and counsellors sleep Switchblades and matches And black cat bones Spacecones in batches And casing stones The headland’s rising And don't you know As up above so is it Down below and Yes We are leaving In the morning For the afternoon and more Say good evening Say goodbye Couchriders Couchriders in the sky Vocal, bass- Walter Becker Drums- Keith Carlock Electric piano - Ted Baker Piano - Jim Beard Guitar - Jon Herington Producer: Larry Klein Engineer: Elliot Scheiner

True, we asked if you had this track, to please not share or post it yet; we'll put it here soon enough. But that doesn't mean you can't tell us what you think of it! Anybody here in Queens on Sunday? What's your take on 'his building'?

Attendees in person or in spirit -- Our first follow-up page is at walterbeckerway.com Let's hear... Got a Dollar? Hello D. Writing to THANK YOU for the beautiful and greatly needed $1,000 gift you donated to the Jazz Foundation on 10/30/18. We are honored to be the recipients of your t-shirt sale during this important occasion - and the monies raised will directly impact the (more than) 1200 musicians and their families who we currently "serve" in the States, including Puerto Rico. Where would any of us be without music -- and without the extraordinary men and women who have devoted their lives, time and talent to enhancing ours. Obviously I'm speaking to the choir here and just want to send a "personal" note of great appreciation. Wishing you all very best - peace and music, always, bridget Bridget Sullivan Director of Development Jazz Foundation of America 322 West 48th Street New York, NY 10036 (o): 212.245.3999, ext 18 /(m): 917.716.6608 www.jazzfoundation.org

An unreleased song from the 11 Tracks Of Whack era (c.1992-3) BONUS alt take: No "talking intro", w/ extended outro. By Download only movie: matt kerns Our Lawn Words and Music: Walter Becker © Zeon Music, 1992 They very best days of the summer Now will they jazz us no more Spare parts and leftover pieces Lay out across the garage floor Babe it's a sad situation Tell me, what can it be? What's happening all over Elm Street Is happening all over me We frolicked here once in reckless green abandon Stretching out to the horizon line Even as the season ended We were running low on sweet borrowed time Those dead leaves piled up out by the mailbox Stacked up against the first decent blow You wonder what would it feel like To just dive in and let go All of sudden there's that tear in your eye It’s the end of an era so kiss kiss goodbye Our lawn is dying, we're watching it die Well when the sun starts looking lazy On ‘bout a quarter to five The girls are talking and laughing Up at the top of the drive Me stuck here in my wood-paneled dungeon Wondered what we're gonna do Who's gonna save the Bermudas Now that we've forgotten to A little taste, a little light conversation Isn't that the way it always was No lousy zero-sum equation Nor a lesson in some long-lost losing cause Green Peace Whole Earth Utne Reader Tell ‘em that I already gave Tell ‘em it's the midnight hour Dancing by the side of the grave The margins are crumbling now and its starting to show You might not even notice cause it’s going down slow Our lawn is dying, in case you don't know Let's throw a party on this doleful occasion Show the bastards who you really are No aging overnight sensation Hitched his hammock to the wrong shooting star All the way from DC to daylight Illumination in the cold, gray dawn Jacked up on the cellular level In case you got to call someone There's no one to blame now And there's nothing to do Let's just make the best of What's real and what’s true Our lawn is dying, so what else is new Walter Becker, Vocals Adam Rogers, Guitar Dean Parks, Guitar Fima Ephron, Bass Ben Perowsky, Drums John Beasley, Keyboards Engineer: Roger Nichols 2nd Engineer: Dave Russell

movie: matt kerns She Was Good Words & Music: Walter Becker 1992/2018: Zeon Music LLC Hey there Janie girl You’re looking good all over Sashaying your way on down that luggage line Yes a sight beyond compare Lookin at you standing there So glad and happy just to be a friend of mine Jumping in your little white car Screaming down the I-280 There’s that Golden Gate Shining like a string of diamonds This Bay City just rolls on and on and on That’s right — you told me twice You want to pick up something nice To help this evening last way past the dawn Hang a left at Chinatown Ready for the 3-flight walk-up Maybe I just rest my eyes on you a while Dressed up like you are In nothing but your Sunday smile Good — she was good — good for nothing Nothing but that one thing, as far as I could tell That was enough to believe in And all else is forgotten Maybe just as well. And I know Janie girl This whole world’s gone crazy When the cops pick up a fine young thing like you Yes I go your bail The check is in the mail You’ll find my heart out in that mailbox too Special delivery girl so Handle it nice and easy You don’t want to meet my mom You don’t want to have my baby You just want to kick and scratch And party all night long What we got is God’s own buzz Guess that’s all it ever was Love is only skin deep girl So how could we go wrong Better than it is right now Not in a month of Sundays This could be our shining hour I suppose So come on girl let’s get it on Before this bathtub overflows Good — she was good — good for nothing Only just her bad self Was all I’d ever know That was a lot to hold on to Hard enough to handle But harder to let go Hey now, hey now, hey now, hey now, hey now baby Hey now, hey now, hey now, hey now, hey now baby

movie: matt kerns They had so much fun -- Walter, the Lost Tribe guys, Beas, Dean, Rog, Dave, Bob... Here Walter started one of his monologues -- The Prison Story I guess we'd call it -- Beas started some mood music (did Adam join in?), and someone flipped the 'record' switch. The picture; just a few from books of Polaroids.

We're all familiar with the crusty "11 Tracks of Whack Outtakes" that have been banging around the interwebs for a couple of decades. Sure, they're neat sounding tunes--- what we can hear of them, anyway. It sounds like the versions out there are some advanced generation of an old cassette. We found the first generation cassette. Add some nifty modern digitization tools, a tweak or two from superfan Dan Belcher, and NOW we've got something to hear! We're starting with Sanpaku .... movie: matt kerns .....and Ghost of Hipness Past. movie: matt kerns We'll get to the others eventually. But in the meantime, please to enjoy the creamy goodness of these tunes sounding quite a bit more like God and Becker made 'em. Great sounding versions also on our Downloads page, as usual. Jeez -- Dan, Matt -- coming through to save the day. I'm beginning to feel a little more like The Damsel In Distress than I'm comfortable with. Watch out: compensation for such states usually involves a lot of testosterone (and yeah, we got some too)

movie: matt kerns My time on Maui impressed me with its relative lack of seasons. Sure, there was a hot season, dog days when the trade winds died, a rainy season... but to a North Easterner like me, such low variation made it easy to lose the sense of time passing. Birthdays were less a discreet bead on an abacus (or a salty pearl) than, well, .... just a little more time passing. I wrote this "birthday haiku" for Walter one year: “Just one season here!” -  - tossing back to the water forty-six salt pearls Apparently taken by one of the phrases, he repeated it a few times under his breath : just one season here...interesting... And what creative, personalized gift would I like for my birthday? We were trying to stop gift-giving entirely so I picked a guaranteed impossibility: write me a song! We both had a good laugh; you just don't give commissions to Walter Becker. I laughed and laughed... ...until some years later, when on one birthday I was presented with a CD, gold bow on top. It's a little late , he said. It was "my" commission. Well knock me over with a guitar pick. It was a truly precious gift of course, and somehow -- was it the "waltz with a push" maybe? -- a different type of song from his usual. It also typified something you learn spending time with a creative person: for them, the transformation of meaning is endless and effortless: any concept or phrase encountered in one context could and would be transfigured, almost automatically, to several others entirely. When he was repeating the phrase just one season , I reasonably thought he was repeating the words along with their "original" context: the timeless feel of a place without seasons. Ha. In that moment he was likely running the phrase through some kind of " context thesaurus" where the phrase takes on other meanings...in this case, the tiresome predictabilty of various interpersonal dramas. I came to think of this as a type of untethered, superflexible three-dimensional engagement with language that "regular" Folk just didn't naturally have without trying for it. His song typifies this notion.. I told him many times it was really good, he really should release it on his website. To this he invariably shrugged... but in that way that meant I wouldn't protest too much if it happened to slip itself online. Today, though, I hoard his gifts. I once urged him to share it with everyone; now , I don't want to share it with anyone. But I know how good it is, and how distinctive ...and I believe he did too. Now that I feel among friends here at at wbmedia, friends who hold WB's talent in esteem and his memory with affection, I'm happy to present you, fellow WB freaks, the World Premiere of Walter Becker's Only One Season

I'm putting this under street legal because it certainly was public ,sanctioned material that changed every couple of years . I am speaking of course of the storied Becker Bathroom Break ( or Becker Beer Break to some.) Lutz put up a fine, wide-ranging post over in "Everything Else" which included some opinions about a few of Walter's more frequent tunes , Walter tried a wide variety of them over the year,s, including tunes from Whack and even "Our Lawn". Thus the Becker Bathroom Break was born . The combo of a non-DF noise presenting something no one had ever heard before was just a bridge too far for many DanFans and so would commence a depressing exodus of concert-goers choking the aisles headed for the john or the bar. But I digress. Last night I thought of two songs in particular that I believe broke the pattern. One was so counterintuitive, so wrong for his voice, so unlikely to be a Becker tune, that it actually worked --although plenty of folks might disagree. I'm speaking of course about Mother F-ing Gaucho ! Count me among those who thought this was an absolutely inspired pick and delightful performance (with a fulsome assist by the ladies). Not that the tune suddenly revealed him to be an expert Pitch Perfect singer. No, it was still him...but like we've never quite seen -- or heard -- before. And it went over! Hard to find a good quality version of this, but here's one that, echo aside, captures I believe the gusto with which he approached the sad Tale Of Love Gone extravagantly wrong, It's from 2000. (another excellent take is at https://youtu.be/MPaB_MRTFwA) Honestly, now -- what do you think?