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 Post subject: [2008-06-10] Walter Becker "Circus Money"
PostPosted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 12:13 am 
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It's been 14 years since Steely Dan co-founder Walter Becker's last (and first) solo album was released. Now, at long last, the wait is finally over for the second. [title]Circus Money[/title] finds Becker's sardonic sensibility completely intact and each of the album's songs, inflected with jazz, reggae, and rock phrasing, is a masterpiece of musical understatement and lyrical nuance.

1. Door Number Two
2. Downtown Canon
3. Bob Is Not Your Uncle Anymore
4. Upside Looking Down
5. Paging Audrey
6. Circus Money
7. Selfish Gene
8. Do you Remember The Name
9. Somebody's Saturday Night
10. Darkling Down
11. God's Eye View
12. Three Picture Deal

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0016KJS3I/?tag=imwan-20

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 Post subject: [2008-06-10] Walter Becker "Circus Money"
PostPosted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 12:15 am 
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http://www.reuters.com/article/entertai ... 0720080328

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Steely Dan member issues first album in 14 years

Fri Mar 28, 2008 4:14am EDT
By Greg Prato

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Steely Dan principal Walter Becker plans to release his first solo album in 14 years by early June, and says he may hit the road to promote it later in the year.

"Circus Money," the follow-up to 1994's "11 Tracks of Whack," exhibits the jazzy studio perfectionism that Steely Dan has been long known for. But, as evidenced by such tracks as "Bob is Not Your Uncle Anymore" and "Do You Remember the Name," it also embraces another musical style.

After Steely Dan's most recent tour, Becker tells Billboard.com he "went into a deep research period. One of the guitar techs is a big Jamaican music fan. And I started to listen to all this stuff that he had -- these really deep, dub cuts from the '70s. I just became totally fascinated with it, so I spent a lot of time listening to that and working on stuff along those lines."

While the album does not feature an appearance by longtime partner in crime, Donald Fagen, it does include quite a few veterans of the Steely Dan touring band, including keyboardist Ted Baker, guitarist Jon Herington, drummer Keith Carlock, saxophonist Roger Rosenberg, and singer Carolyn Leonhart-Escoffery, among others. "One of the ideas we had was that we wanted to do all the tracks with basically the same band," explains Becker. "And that's what we did -- plus or minus a few personnel changes.

Also working closely with Becker on the sessions was renowned producer Larry Klein. "Larry offered to produce the album at exactly the moment when I was getting ready to think about doing it. Having worked with him and known him for a while, I thought it would be a great combination," Becker says.

Becker may play shows in support of "Circus Money" later in the year, but next up for the singer/guitarist will be Steely Dan dates during the spring and summer. And according to Becker, fans are in for some pleasant surprises.

"We're going to reconfigure the show in a way that changes the flow and energy of it considerably, I think," he says. "(We'll) do some songs that we haven't done or haven't been doing recently, and rearrange some of the other ones that are perennial favorites."

But there's no progress on a new Steely Dan studio album, which would be the band's first since 2003's Reprise Records release "Everything Must Go."

"We were touring for four or five months last year -- that's a lot of work for us," Becker says. We've been laying low between things. We don't have a plan at this point for any particular album. I don't even know if we have a label anymore. I hope we don't!"

Reuters/Billboard

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 Post subject: [2008-06-10] Walter Becker "Circus Money"
PostPosted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 8:03 am 
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"11 tracks of whack" was quite interesting musically, but becker's voice is tough to listen to. definitely an acquired taste.

renny

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 Post subject: [2008-06-10] Walter Becker "Circus Money"
PostPosted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 9:41 am 
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Liked SOME of 11TOW...loved "Slang Of Ages". Hopefully that bodes well.

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 Post subject: [2008-06-10] Walter Becker "Circus Money"
PostPosted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 11:09 am 
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Interesting that he's working with an outside producer, as neither Becker or Fagen have worked with one since Gaucho. I don't think it'll make his voice any more palatable, but the musical results might be more interesting. I was wondering if this album was ever going to come out.

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 Post subject: [2008-06-10] Walter Becker "Circus Money"
PostPosted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 1:06 pm 
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Yeah, Walter singing just ain't good. I especially disliked when he sang some Steely Dan songs on one of the tours (I think it was 2000)-when he sang "Daddy Don't Live In That New York City No More" it was excrutiating.
I'm certain musically, his new album will have some good moments, but otherwise I just couldn't go there.

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 Post subject: [2008-06-10] Walter Becker "Circus Money"
PostPosted: Sat May 03, 2008 7:56 pm 
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Track listing:

1. Door Number Two
2. Downtown Canon
3. Bob Is Not Your Uncle Anymore
4. Upside Looking Down
5. Paging Audrey
6. Circus Money
7. Selfish Gene
8. Do you Remember The Name
9. Somebody s Saturday Night
10. Darkling Down
11. Gods Eye View
12. Three Picture Deal

There was apparently a contest of some sort where people chimed in with their ideas on how to promote the forthcoming album. Becker writes about it in his own sardonic way:

http://www.walterbecker.com/cmpromovotes.html

TO: My Lords, My Ladies of the Royal Court
FROM: Walter Becker
RE: 'CIRCUS MONEY' Promo Vote

Proposition: A worthy and able recording artist of a certain age, ever handsome, ever spry...
...ah, let's face it: there is a certain tide in human affairs which, when taken...that is to say, to every thing — turn, turn, turn.....or, to put it yet another way, fortune favors the bold, chance favors the prepared mind, luck is for the lucky...

...you can see what the problem is here, I think . So let's just say this: there is a time to "get down on it " and there is likewise a time to "get up off it." And, as pertains to me and my long rumored, closely held solo album, it is most definitely my time to get up off it and send CIRCUS MONEY toddling out into the world to seek its fortune. Well past time, you may say, and quite rightly — and the fact is that, were I on as friendly a footing with that malodorous cigar-chomping uncle, Commerce, as I am with that fickle mistress, Art — the album would have come out long ago.

As it is, I have taken a little extra time to wrest the thing away from the "major label" who was at one time my sponsor and establish a new relationship with the kind of right-on comrades who will, I think , shape the future of the music business. My new partners, and New-Paradigm Music companies of every stripe, may eventually find a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory and break all of our hearts, but they will scarcely be able to do worse than their predecessors, "the majors", in any way that I can imagine. After the Revolution, in the ideal society of the future, there may no longer be a need for any sort of "music business" whatsoever, but in the dreary here and now, one must take what actions are necessary to allow people to hear what one has done and decide for themselves that it is, or is not, great great music, wonderful work, a masterpiece, or whatever.

In order to do this, we must first recruit the attention of our worthy audience and let as many as possible know that there is indeed a new Work ready to be purchased, purloined, downloaded and/or enjoyed freestyle, as the case may be. In the Old Paradigm, this was known as "promotion". So, using the existing nomenclature, what I need now is the core idea for a promotional campaign, or at least the cleverest way to start one. Said campaign must be a) whimsical b) somewhat entertaining and c) congruent with, and expressive of the values, virtues and sensibilities of the Work itself. It must also reflect my understanding of the collective nature of what constitutes a community of artists and music lovers who are jointly participating in the ecstatic ritual of music-making.

Thus I am presenting several models for promotional programs or devices which we can use to make our music available to all who might enjoy it. I am going to ask you to help me pick the model which most appeals to you and in which you will feel the most luxuriantly bathed in good feeling and musical fellowship. And, in case none of the proposed models appeal to you, or if perhaps you have come up with Something Better, I will invite you to tell us all what exactly it is you have in mind which is, how-to-say, way-cool.

All right — here goes:

1) A campaign which kicks off with a "promotional stunt" — in this case, it would be me faking or simulating my own disappearance, abduction, or possible death. Such a stunt would be concocted so as to evoke thematic and stylistic affinities with the Odyssey of Homer, with Joyce's sandwich-chomping, soap-purchasing perambulator of Dublin proper, with Samuel Beckett's unforgettable "Murphy", with the eponymous hero of "Bunny My Honey" by Anita Jeram, and with the Amelia Earhart, Judge Crater, and Billy Eckstine affairs. Such a stunt would be roughed out to begin with and then adjusted on the fly to make opportunistic use of current events, real and imagined — bogus sightings, false hopes, denunciation by skeptics, etc. I would have to be willing to stay missing, abducted or dead for as long as it took to obtain the desired attention and sympathy. This last bit is the biggest flaw in this proposal, by the way, as it is exceedingly likely that no one or almost no one will give a tinker's damn if I go missing (me included). Should this be the case, I would have to be prepared to re-emerge in some new persona, some new identity, some new guise — or else move back to Polynesia and/or go fuck myself.

2) A full-on unprovoked internet-based assault on my enemies, who are many — thus providing ample juicy prospective targets for insult, ad-hominem attack, accusation, etc.

3) similar unprovoked internet based assault on my partners, friends and family members past and present, who are few and fewer still by the day.

4) An insanely complex and multipronged program of promotional freebies, perks', giveaways, bonus tracks, downloads, meet 'n' greets, etc. which would be dazzling to the sensibility and very nearly, if not actually, Too Good To Be True.

5) Noisy well publicized DUI/disorderly conduct/resisting arrest bust while driving sideways at speed on the Pacific Coast Highway. This would include a gruesome jailhouse arrest photo and spectacular meltdown in the form of vicious denunciation of the pernicious influence of that certain vile cult who have taken over Hollywood, the Military-Industrial-Infotainment Complex and Everything Else — namely, the Babylonians.

6) Ask everybody to build beautiful scale model pyramids honoring the Legendary Fathers of Social Psychology (no ratrunners, please), using info and materials provided on and through my website. The pyramids would eventually be used to improve the sound of my (or anybody's) new CD, and to keep razors sharp. NB: for this one I would need the help of a Certain Party who has so far evinced not the slightest inclination to become useful to such an enterprise. Too bad — as Nabokov Himself wrote, " It might be fun."

7) A flattering puff piece about me by my producer Larry Klein, for publication here and wherever else it could conceivably be placed.

8) Tell everyone a lot more about the album, the songs, and the musicians; announce a release date [Update: Release Date is June 10 2008]; let everybody hear some of the goddamn thing or maybe some of its many dub variants.

9) None of the above --

Seen? Seen! Take it, Drone...

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 Post subject: [2008-06-10] Walter Becker "Circus Money"
PostPosted: Sat May 03, 2008 8:12 pm 
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I like what I've heard. The reggae influence is interesting.

As time goes on, I'm finding that "Slang of Ages" is my favorite song on Everything Must Go.


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 Post subject: [2008-06-10] Walter Becker "Circus Money"
PostPosted: Sun May 04, 2008 3:53 pm 
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Wow, not a lot of love for Walter Becker's voice. It never bothered me, and I really enjoyed 11 Tracks of Whack. To my ears Becker just sounds like a gruffer version of Fagen.


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 Post subject: [2008-06-10] Walter Becker "Circus Money"
PostPosted: Sun May 04, 2008 4:29 pm 
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Pure Evil Gold!!

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Glenn S. wrote:
Wow, not a lot of love for Walter Becker's voice. It never bothered me, and I really enjoyed 11 Tracks of Whack. To my ears Becker just sounds like a gruffer version of Fagen.


While I didn't find 11 Tracks Of Whack as enjoyable as Fagen's solo albums, his voice didn't bother me. I've heard far worse. I'd rather listen to Walter Becker than Tom Waits.

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 Post subject: [2008-06-10] Walter Becker "Circus Money"
PostPosted: Thu May 15, 2008 6:39 pm 
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Heads up. If anyone pre-orders the CD from the label's website before May 26th, you will receive it 5 days early, plus gain access to download a full track (plus lyric sheet) right away.

Go here: http://walterbecker.mailboatstore.com/

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 Post subject: [2008-06-10] Walter Becker "Circus Money"
PostPosted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 7:51 pm 
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Picked this one up over the weekend and I really like it. If Steely Dan did a reggae album, this is probably how it would sound. I think working with an outside producer (Larry Klein) really helped. The production has a nice, full sound to it. The bass is full and the drums have a nice analog whack (no pun intended) to them.

More cohesive, full-bodied and focused than 11 Tracks Of Whack, in my opinion. If Steely Dan ever does another album, they should have Larry Klein produce it.

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