Waiting for Walter...

So today is Sunday October 26, 2008. One day away from the online-only release of the three track ... uh ... "EP" from Walter Becker featuring Somebody's Saturday Night (Radio Edit), Bob Is Not Your Uncle Anymore (Radio Edit) and Circus Money Dub (Instrumental Remix).
All three songs from the album Circus Money.

And as far as the radio edits go an "edit" usually means you shorten it and give it a bit more oompfh and punch to work on a sort of hit single level. Not necessarily better, but "hittier"...
With Somebody's Saturday Night running 4:29 and Bob's Not Your Uncle Anymore a respectable 4:45 we suspect both songs will end up around 4 minutes long or less.

We're more curious about the instrumental remix of the title track from the album. Circus Money is a personal favourite that felt a bit short and we'd love to hear an adventourous and looooooooooong remix of the track. Let's hope Walter, Larry or whomever did the remix takes the song for a ride.
Two things are sure: We'll be back with a report on the EP Monday and you can be sure that Radio Dupree will be spinning all three come Monday.

UPDATE Monday 11:01 PM local time: Looks like the EP was misplaced by iTunes ... if you can misplace a digital only EP. After looking everywhere possible, including the discography of that German Walter Becker they keep mixing up with the Walter Becker, we can only conclude that the EP hasn't been added yet. Odd. But a fact.

UPDATE Tuesday 12:25 PM local time: Woke up early this morning and found that the EP had been added. I downloaded the three songs, but had to catch a plane so no time for any repeated listening and review of these versions of songs already familiar from the Circus Money CD.
I'll be back later this evening with a bit more including my thoughts on the EP. For the time being I'll just say that on international iTunes they're available as DRM-free 256 kbps AAC.

Somebody's Saturday Night is 3:50 long compared to 4:29 on the album.
Bob Is Not Your Uncle Anymore is 3:37 on the EP and 4:45 on the album.
Circus Money Dub is 5:41 and all instrumental compared to 4:15 for the title track on the Circus Money album.

More tonight!

UPDATE Tuesday 9:20 local time: So I've had the time to spin the songs a few times and this is what I have to share.

Somebody's Saturday Night: The radio edit cuts to the original fade at 3:35 skipping the stuf inbetween. Just like track two here it makes for a shorter and snappier version. And that's what a "radio edit" is all about, right?

Bob Is Not Your Uncle Anymore: Shorter intro before the sining begins compared to the album version. The instrumental part of the original 2:20-3:04 is cut and the new edit fades a bit faster towards the end.

Circus Money Dub: Immediately into the groove of the original. There are no breaks or changes. It stays on the same rhytmical riff with some minor tweaking of the instuments.
Don't expect any Jamaican vinyl b-side dub reverb or echo madness. Subtle is the way for this dub.
Early on there are some jungle/monkey-noises. At least that's how I heard it. It's an effect I associate with Brazilian type of music. Stevie Wonder's Bird Of Beauty is one. On that track it's a Quica making the distinctive sound.

The track is instrumental. All vocals have been removed. The original sax solo by Chris Potter is there.
Some might find this dub a bit lacking, but it's clearly done as a constant groove. The wild breakdowns and sound twisting might be hiding somewhere in the "more to come"-line on the homepage walterbecker.com.

I wonder if Walter will do like Peter Gabriel and others have done and make one or more tracks awailable for some remix contest or such? Would be cool.

I bought my songs on iTunes. You don't have to buy the whole EP and can pick whatever track(s) you like.

N.S.