As Walter Becker was actively rekindling his songwriting partnership with Donald Fagen in the ramp-up toward Two Against Nature, the mere fact that he was knocking around song ideas on his own during this time suggests that his creative fire was burning brighter than what we may have assumed at the time.
He was already about five years past Eleven Tracks of Whack and another seven before Circus Money, leading one to speculate the gestation of a mythical middle album that may have been derailed by a triumphant comeback album with his old band.
And thankfully so, perhaps. “He Wants You (Out)” — released the other day by official site Walter Becker Media — has all the earmarks of Becker’s cutting wit injected into so many Steely Dan/solo Becker broken love songs and that funky programmed rhythm is a Whack hangover. But this song wholly constructed from keyboards and a single WB vocal is in demo form all the way.
It’s way more potential than potential realized, especially when measured against the stack of sparkling gems he was dreaming up with Fagen at around this time. Still in all, that weary vocal of his has its own charms, especially sounding like Bob Dylan in the way he just lets the notes fall off at the end of each line.
And the prose: Well we all ride together in this world/Fall together where we stand/And we all got one slim chance to be heard/It’s all written in the plan…you could drop that verse into any song regardless of the topic and it would not lose its poignancy.
This is what Becker was doing with what little spare time he had during a very active period for the tan, rested and rejuvenated Steely Dan. Me? I watch Netflix during my downtime. I’d say he was way more productive.
