It’s still hard to believe Walter Becker is no longer with us. Fortunately, the webmasters at Walter Becker Media continue to provide a steady stream of good air occasionally great unreleased material.
The website marked Becker’s February 20, 1950, birthday with the drop of a live recording of the song “Hard Up Case,” which Becker referred to as a hard-boiled neo-reggae tune.
Like the four other live songs from this first and only Walter Becker live performance on April 7, 1995, “Hard Up Case,” features Becker on vocals and lead guitar, current Steely Dan axeman Adam Rogers on guitar, John Beasley on keyboards, Bob Sheppard on tenor sax, Fima Ephron on bass and Ben Perowsky on drums. The band plays spontaneously and with power.
Yes, Steely Dan did road test “Hard Up Case” on their first early ’90s tour, but this stripped-down approach is a tad more muscular than the Dan version – and, unlike Donald Fagen’s forgettable The Nightfly Live from a couple of years ago, it has an edge. Bob Sheppard adds a number of tasty ad-libs, complimenting Becker’s vocal and the song’s melodic core.
Becker, the only singer, was not only in good voice here but also felt free to let his guitar chops fly. The result is one of my favorite songs from Walter Becker, or for that matter Donald Fagen’s solo album got just a bit better. Thanks for the memories.
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