So, Labor Day was a great holiday a few weeksss aogo marking the end of summer and tipping the hand of a new season to begin. Monday September 3rd was also the 1-year anniversary of the passing of Walter Becker, the one-half of the famous Steely Dan band that began its musical journey in the mid-70s, earning the respect and admiration of the critics.
If you ever saw Walter play any instrument, you’d realize how special he was. He was also an incredible song writer – so let’s look at the band’s biggest hits from Walter…
“Reelin’ in the Years” showed off the guitar of Elliott Randall and arraignment of Walter Becker. The song just missed the Top 10 on the charts but opened up the eyes of rockers everywhere.
“Aja” is perhaps the greatest accomplishment of Steely Dan, receiving rave reviews from the harshest of critics in 1977. The LP was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number” was from the ‘Pretzel Logic’ and the guitar licks are all Skunk Baxter. The song broke the top five on the charts and pushed the LP to millions in album sales.
“Josie,” “Peg,” and “Deacons Blues” all come from ‘Aja’ the album and solidified Steely Dan’s commercial success.
“Do It Again,” from the band 1st LP in 1972, broke the top 10 on the charts, and quietly featured the talents of Michael McDonald and Skunk Baxter. “Dirty Work” belongs on any Steely Dan list simply because of the lyrics.
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