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First a comment on the other negative reviews you'll find here. I say, "Throw this fish back." What I ask you to do is not appreciate my review, but please appreciate the other reviews which are trying to save you your hard earned cash. I too am a fan of Steely Dan, but I can hardly stomach the sometimes nauseating sound here.
However, sometimes those reviews have saved me from wasting my money. Yep, that's what you get here and nothing more; an attempt. I'd be the first to admit that when I like a musical artist or group, I very much dislike finding negative reviews about them.
At times, he seems to shift the melody lines of both instruments and vocals to a calculated destination that purposefully causes unrest in the listener, as if to scrape fingernails on a chalkboard, resulting in at least this listener's questions, "Isn't that note out of tune." and "Wasn't that vocal note flat." One of the definitions of the word "whack" is: 'a trial or attempt'. When I see the collection of negative reviews here, and then find that many of the readers voted that these reviews were NOT very helpful, I have to ask were these readers simply do-or-die fans and therefore, if the reviews aren't positive, the reader wouldn't like them. I found the negative reviews here very helpful, especially in that they matched my sense of reality concerning the quality (or lack of it) of the music found in this (Walter Becker) effort.
I agree with the reviewer that stated his shelf doesn't have room for less than average recordings. Spend it elsewhere.
Just what I was hoping for from this man with the wonderful sense of humor and exquisite musical distinction. I enjoy this album whether I'm doing the dishes or going on a road trip. I'm proud to have it as part of my collection.
But over the past year, in between listening to the entire Steely Dan catalog on a regular basis, I kept returning to "11 Tracks" and finding myself slowly getting the point. But the rest, particularly the first 4 songs (Down in the Bottom, Junkie Girl, Surf and/or Die and Book of Liars), are wonderfully produced and have some funky, ethereal, eloquent guitar solos that, typical of Steely Dan, jibe not at all with the dark subject matter. It's lyrically, musically and spiritually profound. Surf and/or Die, about the accidental death of a friend, is the emotional centerpiece of the CD for me. This is jazz, rock and funk in watercolor, through a haze. These songs speak of devastating emotional losses, depression, loneliness and nostalgia, but expressed with humor, cynical tongue in cheek and even poetic imagery.
What holds it together most of the time is a subtle, lovely, cognitively-dissonant musical ocean in which all this drama floats.I had to pay attention to this music. Then I heard the shimmering guitar solos that Becker weaves into the subtle mix of these rueful tunes. I didn't start out liking this CD very much. Little Kawai is a funny and endearing love song to his young son. There are four songs he could have eliminated: Girlfriend, My Waterloo, This Moody Bastard and Lucky Henry suffer from being lyrically self-indulgent and musically monotonous. These apparently simple songs actually have sophisticated and seductively beautiful underlying harmonic structures that turn unexpected musical corners. And Hat So Flat, a sci-fi satire with a catchy chorus, opens another window into the quirky mind of one of pop music's smartest and most unique musicians (along with his often-partner, Donald Fagen, who, by the way, produced and played on this CD).Although this review started last year with 3 stars, today I'd give it 5, although only 8 cuts get my seal of approval.
He does sound a bit whiny and sad, but his voice is good. The emphasis on failed relationships, addiction and seedy subcultures are the bread and butter of Steely Dan's subject matter, and apparently, Becker's in particular. Becker manages to evoke the afterlife as a place of joy and transcendence even as he mourns the passing of a daredevil who's left behind a wife and children. There's also a somewhat atonal feeling to some of these songs, as if they're hovering somewhere between keys.Unlike some who have criticized his singing, I like Becker's voice. At times his style remind me of Jimi Hendrix, who was undoubtedly Becker's guru in the olden days.Not everything works. Not what I would have expected from Becker.and perhaps least of all what sounds like the native Hawaiian shamanistic death chant that closes the track. Be patient with these songs, and like me, you'll be rewarded.
If you love Steely Dan than this CD is a must for your collection. The songs "Junkie Girl" and "Book of Liars" each offer a slice of that classic sound as well. Starting off with "Down in the Bottom" you'll hear the classic Steely Dan sound. "Lucky Henry" is a fast paced Jazz romp that will be sure to set the mood. Though Donald Fagen is more well known and has come out with more solo work than Walter Becker, I can't wait until Becker comes out with another CD. FIVE ***** STARS.
Most of it is not bad, but not particularly good. I am a die-hard Steely Dan fan and love most of the solo work I have heard. And even though I am more of a "Walt" guy than a "Don" guy, I found this CD lacking the phenomonal production and performance standards Becker has previously set for himself. It just is. And I don't have room on the shelf for anything average or below.
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