Aw man, dead at 67 just seems young these days, though it probably doesn’t help that I’m getting older myself. It’s not cool to say but I’ve been a lifelong fan of Steely Dan, mostly because of my dad. As a young kid in the 70s seems like there was a constant background of Eagles, Steely Dan, Boz Skaggs, Steve Miller … it’s just baked into my brain.
This is soooo depressing. I got to see Steely Dan just last summer at Pine Knob, it was a great show. And Becker was in a really good mood, he talked a LOT more than I’ve ever seen him talk previously.
RIP. Steely Dan was a quintessential part of 70s popular music despite - or maybe because of - their nuanced and enigmatic presence. Their music was many things at once: suburban stoner soundtrack, musically sophisticated cool jazz updated for the album rock era, pleasant background melodies suitable for upscale cocktail parties, clinically produced reference for audiophiles, ironic tales of dark humor and biting satire, and more.
Despite being complex and subtle - things that were supposedly anathema in the rock era - they managed 3 top ten hits and a passel of best selling albums. They captured a moment really only possible in the 70s; we won’t see the like again.
One of the greats. RIP.
I was at that show myself. Great show and although you could tell Becker’s skill were diminished substantially, he was very active and still quite good. They also had an incredible group of young horses to help out ( the drummer was insanely good! ). Ive been a big fan of Steely Dan since I was a kid buying their first album. Ive really enjoyed the work that Fagan and Becker have done over the years and always felt that Walter was highly underrated as a guitar player. RIP Walt!