(Becker/Klein © Zeon LLC © Strange Cargo/Downtown Music 2008/2018)
Historically, Donald and Walter used working titles for their songs right up until the final mix, at which point the tune would miraculously sprout it's full and final title. This one, written by Walter and Larry Klein during the Circus Money era, was known as “Couchies” and will remain known as such until that time when and if the fuller song is posted.
This demo also nicely illustrates one way Walter managed to squeeze in more bass playing, which we all know he loved, and which many of us love right back; many of his demos had midi keyboards and beats, but live bass. This is one. And man, is that bass ever the bomb (imho ‘natch)
Love this demo. To me, it sounds like Walter is playing actual bass on this. Perhaps the bass is going through some compressor? It has a similar feel to the bass on Trans-Island Skyway.
Could we perhaps see a 'Mother's Day' surprise?
This is excellent. Thanks for all these tracks!
Nice demo, looking forward to more. Thanks for posting.
OTC:
while I can behaviorally confirm him playing an actual bass over (some) demos, i have no idea what effect(s) or processing if any he was putting it through. I am by no means an audio tech expert (or even much of a beginner fot that matter) but my ears alone tell me there is some "gating" (probally misusing the term) going on, or a dampening of sustain here and there. For punch? or perhaps just as an artifact or an epiphenomenon of the integration with his not-so-subtle Vision setup. Should be interesting to compare to the tracked version:_)
Thanks for the responses moderator! It would not be the first time my ears lied to me (happening more and more lately, thanks to a couple drummers I’ve played too many gigs with...)
While I’m definitely interested in The Truth, I’m also curious if anyone else thought the same thing. The theory that the synth sound is due to some processing is definitely plausible, and maybe the fact that the rest of the track is unquestionably midi tricked my ears into assuming the bass was, too.
It sounds to me like a bass run through a piece of gear as the Mod has pointed out. You can hear every once a while the tracking between the possible effect and bass no quite being in sync. Having said that, if an answer pops up great! If not, it's still a great bass part regardless! Thank you.
RE bass-- i am stll trying to track down a second 'verifying" source (me being the first) to illuminate the bass question. But in the interrum and just as a hypothesis for the audiophiles to kick around, when W played live through his Vision deck, he was almost always sending it through what he would call "some sweet little piece of newly aquired outboard equipment"....whateve that meant. I presumed that meant he was processing his signal somehow...perhaps to fatten it up, or gate it, or..something (dont have the expertise to even guess). Back if/when I know more
I agree that the bass is not live on this one, but still super funky!
pants!!! Thanks wbm... in fact, my whole neighborhood thanks you!
i will check with my original source an disregard for the moment my first person observtions. Will get back 2 u
the bass part is great here! but am i missing something? this sounds like keyboard bass to me. fantastic part, but i'm not hearing a "live" bass.
This makes me so happy to hear! I miss him even more.
This makes me wish I had learned to play the bass at some point. Actually, as an incredible mediocre musician, I really wish there were sheet music books of Walter's solo stuff, or that someone would take the time to do for these songs what Howard Wright has done for some of the Steely Dan songs over on his site. These songs should be played live and covered and all that...this one is just so funky I want to put it on repeat and improvise over the changes.
sO glad u like Jim! and isn't it crazy to try to imagine what goes over those changes and cadences? Sometme people get so familiar with the "song that has developed in their head", they may be disappointed when they hear the tune itself!! (another risk, my dear select editors/shrinks/readers, why I honestly feel it is risky to post a demo first ). Anyway I hope you will like a fuller version just as much
So far my favorite of all the demos, etc that have been released at WBMediaProject. Just gets better and better.
Track available for download at:
https://www.walterbeckermedia.com/downloads
"many of his demos had midi keyboards and beats, but live bass. ".
One reason why I love so many of his demos is to hear him do his bass thang, which more often than not is simply phenomenal (again imho) and such a joy to listen to, and to know he was smiling all the way through. I seem to recall a reviewer of CM say something like 'Becker plays bass throughout and leads the album by the nose', So perfectly true for all/most reggae styles, in which the bass takes the lead over the drums in driving the song and defining the groove, instead of the other way around in most other forms. On the demos on which he plays live bass, even on non-reggae tracks like this one, when everything else is stripped away it still fels that way: I get a mental picture of WB pulling a powerful, synchopated stepping bull through the aural space from the ring in it nose, even while the playing is delicate and lyrical. OK so I'm wierd. whatevah.
natch indeed.