Love in the 4th (Lies I Can Believe)

Walter Becker, who left us on September 3, 2017, left a fantastic legacy with Steely Dan. His estate has also released albums worth of material, which further his legacy. Love in the 4th (a.k.a. Lies I Can Believe) is among many great songs on www.walterbeckermedia.com. The track written by Becker with ace guitarist Dean Parks forgoes the drum machine backbeat prominent on Becker’s stellar 11 Track of Whack for session ace John Keane’s acoustic drums. The song utilizes the same group of players Becker used on his demo of the song, “Cringemaker,” with Neil Stubenhaus on bass, John Beasley on keyboards, Bob Sheppard on alto sax, and Parks handling the guitars and the fretless guitar solo. Bob Sheppard’s solo work and melodic touches further cement the song as a favorite of Walter Becker Media releases.

The song’s feel is contemporary and laid back with a warmer sonic feel than those on 11 Tracks of Whack. Becker, the sole vocalist is confident,  delivering revealing confession lyrics. The vocals are from a demo version of the song, lovingly synced to the backing music. 

The result is another Becker gem that should not go unheard. 

Girl Next Door To the Methadone Clinic Clinic (live at Slim’s 1995 )

Yes, a live Walter Becker song! Recorded at his one-off gig to celebrate the 11 Track Of Whack album, Becker delivers a dark, yet funny take of woe. Interestingly credited to Becker, his then-wife Elinor Becker, Donald Fagen, and his wife Libby Titus, the song is dynamic and dark. Becker’s vocals are equally dark and weary and the band reflects the mood with delicate rhythm playing by Adam Rogers along with kaid back brush work by Ben Perowsky

Is there a hidden message Becker wanted to convey beyond imploring the listener not to go to the methadone clinic?  Maybe but this is an interesting footnote in the Walter Becker canon. 

Black Dog

Black dog is an irresistible shuffle anchored by the great Rick Marotta and complemented by the bass work of Neil Stubenhaus The song has a groove which is on me which is irrefutable as it again raises the question, why were the band recordings not used for 11 Tracks Of Whack. In this case, the lyrics are not 

Black Dog is barkin’ all night long

Black Dog quite up to Walter Becker’s exacting standards…

“Black Dog is barkin’ all night long

Don’t wanna tell anybody but 

Black Dog is barkin’ all night long”

Still with bluesy guitar work from Dean Parks and biting organ from John Beasley, the song is easily more than the sum of its parts.

“He Wants You (Out)”- 

Plenty of drum machine-driven whack. Becker’s multitracked vocals are strong and emotive. Add guitars, and real bass, and the song would have been a great addition to 11 Tracks Of Whack. I can easily imagine a Becker guitar solo replacing the fittingly cheesy synthesizer solo and maybe an end-of-the-song Bob Sheppard tenor solo. According to Becker Media, what we get was what was intended. Becker musical library curator 

asked him: “so these are rejects

from Whack?” to which he replied Nah,  just a few things he’d been working

on lately. 

Three Picture Deal (Demo) Written with bassist/ producer Larry Klein for Becker’s Circus Money, “Three Picture Deal” is one of my favorite Becker songs. Becker doesn’t go too deep lyrically, however, the song’s lyrics are as good as anything on Donald Fagen’s last two albums. The demo version relies on Becker’s vocals to sell it since the demo contains drum machines and sequencing along with splashes of Fender Rhodes and acoustic piano. Sure, you don’t get the mighty Roger Rosenberg baritone sax solo like on the original, but this stripped-down version confirms just how strong the song is.