Walter Becker Gear Auction in October

[Little Jay]

This is great! I can show the catalog to my wife when she complains once more about me having too much gear.......

[jads57]

As I said earlier Walter Becker was quite average as a guitarist. Especially in comparison to the guitarists the band used either on recordings or live performances.

As far as Donald Fagan and his voice,granted it's an aquired taste like or not. But try singing some of his so gs,and you'll find his vocal range was quite high.

[mr quick]

I'm with jads57 on this. Steely Dan is my favorite music, but I always cringe at WB's solos on "Alive in America", like at the end of "Peg" when Jojje Wadenius has tore it up, WB kind of ruins it with an aimless noodle on the last chord... but I guess we're not really here to discuss his merits as a musician. Lots of really interesting gear here. Like someone else put, it's not far off street price, so if I were in the market for a Jim Tyler guitar with a floyd rose, I'd be all over it. Thankfully I have one without a floyd..!

I don't know what one would ever do with so many guitars, I'm content with 1 ES, 1 Strat, backups for those, and an acoustic!

[Stringswinger]

While the expected prices in this auction look realistic, this is an auction so anything can happen. Prices may end up being a bargain if there are not enough interested bidders (assuming a reasonable or no reserve) or prices may end up being stupidly high if a few prospective bidders get "auction fever".

I would not pay a premium price for any celebrity "gravitas" on an instrument owned by Walter Becker. Particularly seeing as none were probably used very much considering the size of his collection. Bid wisely.

[sgcim]

And keep in mind that unless you're going to the Beverley Hills auction. you're going to have to pay so many fees (like in most of these high profile auctions), that you're going to wind up paying a great deal more than your winning bid.

You have to pay a 25% flat fee to Julien's
You have to pay 3% for using their online service.
You have to pay the shipping fee, which is either by Julien's, or contracted out their choice of a shipping company.
You have to pay the sales tax in Cal. if you're from there, or the sales tax in your state or country.
You have to pay insurance on the shipping.
Like Marc said, bid wisely...

[deacon Mark]

I say boycott the operation fees, fees, fees, to me this is nothing for just regular guitarist who even have the money to buy a decent guitar. I suppose if you are wealthy then it does not matter. I really dislike those auction houses...……..you can tell right? I will take a regular guitar dealer even the crusty old nasty ones, over any auction house. Auction houses to me come across as some experts who know all about the stuff they sell...…………..In the case of guitar I want to hear it from a real player even one who may not be the best guitarist.

[sgcim]

A lot of smack talk about Becker.
Becker wasn't Larry Carlton but he could play well enough. The guitar and bass on "FM" is all Walter.
And why would Fagan lie about Becker's contributions and keep him around for 45 years if he was dead weight? Fagan isn't exactly known as a person with a lot of forbearance.

If you read what DF said closely, he was just saying that WB would edit DF's tunes after he was finished writing them.
In the recent interview, right after WB's death, he said that he'd give WB a tape of every tune he wrote, and WB would take it home for a night and change one chord or note, and give it back to DF.
I never said WB was dead weight, just that DF did all the writing. Like you said, WB played great bass and guitar on FM, and helped out on the board in the studio.
DF had to have someone he trusted to take care of things he couldn't or didn't want to do.

A good example was when they got Phil Woods to do the solo on the Katy Lied album (Dr. Wu). They paid for PW's hotel room and any amenities PW wanted there. He wound up inviting every jazz alto sax player in LA to his room, and they partied till 7:00am the next morning, on the record company's dime. Phil showed up at 9:00am, hung over. and no one was in the studio but WB. DF was nowhere to be found. WB had him do one take, and said,"Okay, we're done", and PW walked away with more money than he made the whole year, for doing a few minutes of work.
So WB took care of studio stuff like he did in that example.

[starjasmine]

...but please let Drew Zing, or Jon Herrington play the solo.

Or Denny Dias, or Larry Carlton, or Skunk Baxter, or Elliot Randall, or Jay Graydon, or Dean Parks, or Rick Derringer, or Pete Christlieb, or Hugh McCracken, or ... hey, WAIT A MINUTE...!!!!

[starjasmine]

If you read what DF said closely, he was just saying that WB would edit DF's tunes after he was finished writing them.
In the recent interview, right after WB's death, he said that he'd give WB a tape of every tune he wrote, and WB would take it home for a night and change one chord or note, and give it back to DF.
I never said WB was dead weight, just that DF did all the writing. ...
So WB took care of studio stuff like he did in that example.

Listen to Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen Discuss Walter Becker’s Death, Gaucho and More | SPIN

See 16:47 and 31:33

[sgcim]

Curious, got a link to that interview?

This article quotes Fagen on the subject as follows

“I usually come up with germinal musical idea, and then we will arrange to meet,” says Fagen. “Usually one or both of us won’t show up, but I think we generally come to make something out of it. So it is really a collaboration. Its not one of us writing the music, the other lyrics. And its not like Lennon and McCartney, who as I understand it usually just wrote a song by themselves and then put both their names on it. It is a collaboration: we think very much the same musically. I can start songs and Walter can finish them. He’s a very good editor also. He’ll suggest improvements on my original idea, and then we’ll work on lyrics together.”

In this interview from 2012, in Songwriter Interviews, Fagen talks about how it wasn't that difficult musically to not work with Becker, because Fagen wrote all the musical material of the songs. He said that it was hard writing lyrics without Becker, because Becker would offer suggestions on the lyrics:

"At this point I can't really remember who wrote this verse or that chorus, but the way it often worked out was like this: I would come up with a basic musical structure, perhaps a hook line and occasionally a story idea. Walter would listen to what I had and come up with some kind of narrative structure. We'd work on music and lyrics together, inventing characters, adding musical and verbal jokes, polishing the arrangements and smoking Turkish cigarettes. Of course, the musicians would kick in with arranging ideas, bass lines, etc. when we got into the studio. Working without Walter was shocking to begin with, but I got used to having somebody to bounce ideas off. It wasn't that difficult coming up with the music, because I basically used to come up with the musical material anyway. But the lyrics were quite difficult. I think I was lucky to be able to draw on my own background for some semi-autobiographical songs"

Also, in the Rolling Stone interview, Fagen is asked what part of the music was his, and what part was Becker's, and Fagen kind of avoids saying what he said above, by telling the interviewer to listen to each of their solo albums, and Fagen's solo albums would sound like his contributions, and Becker's would sound like Becker's contributions.
Are you going to tell me that Eleven Tracks of Whack, and Circus Money sound anything like Aja, Gaucho, and 2VN?

[Average Joe]

If you only consider the changes and melodies on Circus money, and not the Reggae beats, are those songs really that far from Dan territory? I think the rhythms make them sound more different from the Dan than they actually are.

Rather than a sign of Becker's lacking contributions to Dan the differences could also be seen as an attempt by him to do something different where Fagen decided to own the Dan sound.

I don't think we'll ever know exactly what each contributed to Steely Dan. My hunch is that Fagen was the main contributor on Aja and Gaucho but that they were more equal writing partners earlier on on the more overtly rock albums. But it is just a hunch

[MarkRhodes]

Speaking of auctions, the one for some of BB King's guitars, etc. raised over 1.3 million dollars. One guitar went for $280,000 to a buyer who chose to remain anonymous.
King's collection of 78 rpm records fetched $51,000. I'd like to see a list of those records!

1 of B.B. King’s ‘Lucille’ guitars sold for $280K at auction

[joe2758]

One guitar went for $280,000 to a buyer who chose to remain anonymous.

what in the actual f**k? how?

[wintermoon]

Lucille

[MarkRhodes]

He had all that kit, and yet they still had to bring in session men to do the solos.

They brought in session men for pretty much everything after the first few records. Donald loved the way Walter played and wanted him to solo more. (And Donald didn't solo at all on Steely Dan records...)

[MarkRhodes]

Lucille

Couldn't resist listening again to Little Richard sing about a different Lucille.

[jads57]

How many well known session guitarists tried to solo on "Peg"?

[MarkRhodes]

How many well known session guitarists tried to solo on "Peg"?

A bunch?

[rob taft]

[Bbmaj7#5#9]

A bunch?

Jay Graydon is one of my favorite rock guitarists. His sweet and violin-like legato tone is a very unique voice in rock guitar. In 1978 he did some great sessions with a Swedish singer in Los Angeles. Here’s one of the tracks:

[Litterick]

He had everything: he had the looks, he had the song, he had the solo.

But he called himself Ted.

[Bbmaj7#5#9]

He had everything: he had the looks, he had the song, he had the solo.

But he called himself Ted.

It’s not Graydon on that photo. He was one of the session guitarists on that album.

Edit: Steve Lukather, Jeff Porcaro and Lee Ritenour were also participating session musicians.

[sgcim]

If you only consider the changes and melodies on Circus money, and not the Reggae beats, are those songs really that far from Dan territory? I think the rhythms make them sound more different from the Dan than they actually are.

Rather than a sign of Becker's lacking contributions to Dan the differences could also be seen as an attempt by him to do something different where Fagen decided to own the Dan sound.

I don't think we'll ever know exactly what each contributed to Steely Dan. My hunch is that Fagen was the main contributor on Aja and Gaucho but that they were more equal writing partners earlier on on the more overtly rock albums. But it is just a hunch

I was really excited about 'Tracks of Whack' when I first heard about it. I thought it was gonna be some more great Dan stuff, like Nitefly.
I went out and bought it, and couldn't believe how bad it was. It didn't even come close to early Dan. I couldn't stand Adam Rogers' playing on that.
I threw it out. I tried to listen to Circus Money, but I gave up after a few cuts.

Early Dan might have been mostly rock, but it was great rock. A great songwriter is a great songwriter in any idiom he chooses to write in.

[Litterick]

Yes, I was referring to Ted.

[MarkRhodes]

Also, in the Rolling Stone interview, Fagen is asked what part of the music was his, and what part was Becker's, and Fagen kind of avoids saying what he said above, by telling the interviewer to listen to each of their solo albums, and Fagen's solo albums would sound like his contributions, and Becker's would sound like Becker's contributions.

I heard that interview. If we take this dichotomy to heart, then I am left with this: I much prefer Donald's solo records to Walter's, but none of Donald's albums is known for its killer guitar solos... If Steely Dan without Walter would have meant no (or very few) killer guitar solos, well, that would suck, no? Even if Walter didn't play them, the guitar-focus of the early Dan records was not Donald's thing, right? And for those records, the guitar-focus was a very big thing!