Walter Becker - Circus Money
(Mailboat, 2008)
5 out of 10
Maybe for good, maybe not, but right now I'm done listening to Circus Money by Walter Becker. I've given it a few spins, had my laughs with its perverse lyrics (real example: "Mind meld... a permanent picture of your pussyprint in cement") and smarmy charms, enjoyed its middle-aged white guy skankin' rhythms as much as that's possible (the three reggae songs are the three best songs: "Downtown Canon," "Bob Is Not Your Uncle Anymore," and "Do You Remember the Name"), indulged my Steely Dan fandom ("that's classic Becker," I would have thought to myself at times, were I not under the illusion of retaining some youthful dignity), and now I'm done.
It's a good thing, I suppose, that Becker found some inspiration by working with Larry Klein, producer, writing partner, and Joni Mitchell's husband; I'm even glad this is a better album than his first solo effort, or Steely Dan's most recent record (Everything Must Go, now five years old). But I'm finished thinking things like, "Why did he put really obvious, glitchy-sounding autotune on his voice? I know he's a perfectionist, but doesn't this transform perfection into problem?" I'm done thinking, "Gosh, this dub stuff is kinda fun, but can't they make it more interesting?" These are futile thought processes; I'm moving on.
Like the Dan's Everything Must Go (which, really and like I said, this is better than, I promise, except for the hella catchy "Pixeleen") and Donald Fagen's more-recent Morph the Cat, Circus Money has its memorable moments, but not many; like them, too, it also has its flaws, but not many. It's just there, played by the new-era Dan allstars Keith Carlock on drums and Jon Harrington on guitar, voicing chords the way these jazz-pop-bos do, bein' all straight-laced and goofy at the same time, and not adding enough to itself to allow it to stand out as a whole from the mostly otherwise-illustrious body of work.
"Do you remember the name?" Becker asks, the strained but not unpleasant voice of the newly-minted Becker/Klein partnership.* "Remember the name of the man/ The name of the man who tried hard/ 'Immemorious' was his name-o." Actually, the name was Walter Becker, and I can't help but admit it; for a guy like me, this was pretty fun. Maybe if you didn't try so hard at some things these days, I'd like the record better. But then, as Yoda said, there's no try, only do or don't, so I've stopped trying to like this more than I do and gone back to Aja. True story.
-Spencer Owen
*just as long as he doesn't ever sing anymore songs written for Fagen to sing; if you want to best preserve your memory of "Haitian Divorce" from The Royal Scam, do not look up the video on Youtube of Walter Becker singing it live in the '90s
My Trusted MOGs
Hmmmm. I wish you'd posted a track. I'm going to buy it nonetheless. A good gauge might be: what did you think of his first solo CD? I prefer it to Fagan's solo work meself but, hell, I love the Dan enough to own everything regardless.
My Trusted MOGs
hmmm i am with dermahrk. wish i could hear it - 5 out of 10 is tricky.
My Trusted MOGs
interesting. i'll have to look up those reggae sounding tracks, coz i am curious. but, if it weren't for your review i would have passed on this album entirely.
My Trusted MOGs
I too would like to hear a track or two....on another note, I have to say that Fagen's solo stuff, overall, I like a lot, and The Nightfly is one of my top 20 albums of all time (I'm also a big Steely Dan fan).
My Trusted MOGs
Oh, but The Nightfly is wonderful, isn't it. Here's what I wrote about that!
"Won't you pour me a Cuban breeze, Gretchen dear?..."
My Trusted MOGs
Niiiiiice!! I believe I just got the goodbye look ;)...........great review, Spencer Owen!
My Trusted MOGs
i'm listening to it now, and it kinda sounds exactly how i thought it would - uptight white jazz/pop noodlings made by a guy with enough cash to hire great sidemen and a great recording studio. Really awful songs, sung badly, played by impressarios, in pristine sound quality. I love Steely Dan, but this album is about as enjoyable as gargling laundry detergent.
My Trusted MOGs
AJA set the bar really high. It might be a 5/10 compared to AJA but it is far about the usually sediment that rises to the top as our culture declines.
The drum and tambourine groove on Circus Money is the reason Keith Carlock is Dan's favourite drummer and Gordon Gottlieb teaches percussion at Julliard.
The Chris Potter sax solo's and sound is simply divine.
Somebody's Saturday Night is a great song which I predict will be covered "badly" by bar bands in the future.
However, my sense is like good wine it takes some musical experience to fully get the paradoxical understated simple/complexity of this offering.
I will certainly be using one or two of these songs as a reference for "tuning" sound systems and referencing the monitor speakers.
Dave
www.aamicrophones.com