417. Walter Becker

It was just barely January of 1974 and I'm working out of Pasadena (Colorado and Lake) for Wherehouse Records, as their "classical buyer." Part of my job description was to make sure that all 45 SoCal stores were properly stocked with the classical catalogue.

Amazingly, this meant every single release from the major labels like Columbia, RCA, EMI, and my favorite label, DGG, with its Archiv subsidiary which specialized in everything before 1800.

This minimum wage job ($2.00/hr) was one of the happiest times of my life!

I shuffled back and forth from the 45 stores -- quickly learning L.A.'s freeway system -- but the Pasadena store was my home base.

[One of the more lovelier tasks I was assigned to was to co-direct the opening of the huge new store on Sunset Boulevard. I will never forget the days arranging bins of lovely new shrink-wrapped, 33-1/3 RPM long-playing record albums!]

I didn't pay much attention to non-classical music. But during those early weeks of 1974, the buzz began to hum about an upcoming dual-release party -- for Joni Mitchell's long-awaited "Court and Spark" and Bob Dylan's "Planet Waves."

It was a big deal! I remember schlepping hundreds of boxes of fresh-pressed LPs -- Joni on the left side and Dylan on the right. We were busy from opening to close and completely sold out of both new releases.

A month or so later, this 16-year-old kid came up to me asking for the new Steely Dan album, "Pretzel Logic."

As I rang him up, I could tell he was jumping out of skin with excitement. "Have you heard this yet?" he asked me hopefully.

"No," I replied. "I'm not really into that kind of music."

The kid refused to leave the counter until I promised him I would check them out.

I owe that kid a huge debt of gratitude. "Pretzel Logic" was in heavy rotation in my brain for months.

Each new release became an unforgettable listening experience -- I can remember tingling at the details on "Katy Lied" and the astonishment at Steve Gadd on "Aja."

But through it all was Fagen and Becker -- writing tight 4-minute masterpieces, one right after the other.

By the time "Two Against Nature" came out, the Danners were flipping out for something new. And man, did we get it!

Becker's two solo albums -- "11 Tracks of Whack" (1994) and "Circus Money" (2008) are great masterpieces, imho.

Thank you, Walter.

For everything.