''Circus Money'' is the second and final solo album by
Walter Becker
Walter Carl Becker (February 20, 1950 – September 3, 2017) was an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He was the co-founder, guitarist, bassist, and co-songwriter of the jazz rock band Steely Dan.Russonello, Giovanni,Listen t ...
released on June 10, 2008 through the 5 Over 12 label (an imprint of
Mailboat Records
Mailboat Records is an independent record label established in 1999 by American singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett after his vanity label Margaritaville Records was absorbed by Island Records when they were sold to Universal Music Group, owner of B ...
) both in CD and digital download formats and July 14, 2008 through
Sonic360
Sonic360 Records is a British record label founded by record producer Chris Allison in June 2000. Its headquarters are in London with a subsidiary in the US, Sonic360 Inc.
Artists that have signed to the label include Mexican electro-funk rock ...
for the rest of the world outside North America. The release is notable for not having the participation of fellow
Steely Dan
Steely Dan is an American rock band founded in 1971 in New York by Walter Becker (guitars, bass, backing vocals) and Donald Fagen (keyboards, lead vocals). Initially the band had a stable lineup, but in 1974, Becker and Fagen retired from live ...
founder and bandmate,
Donald Fagen
Donald Jay Fagen (born January 10, 1948) is an American musician best known as the co-founder, lead singer, co-songwriter, and keyboardist of the band Steely Dan, formed in the early 1970s with musical partner Walter Becker. In addition to his w ...
.
The cover artwork features graphic work inspired by a photograph of a
Yup'ik mask, reproduced in
Ann Fienup-Riordan
Ann Fienup-Riordan (born 1948) is an American cultural anthropologist known for her work with the Yup'ik of western Alaska, particularly on Nelson Island and the Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta. She lives in Anchorage, Alaska.
She received her Ph.D. i ...
's ''The Living Tradition of Yup'Ik Masks''. Becker wrote that after obtaining the rights to re-use the photograph (from Fienup-Riordan as well as the book's publisher and the original photographer), the
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...
's
National Museum of Natural History
The National Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. It has free admission and is open 364 days a year. In 2021, with 7 ...
(where the mask is held) was notified of the intended use of the photograph. The museum attempted to block the use of the photograph, citing cultural sensitivity and the sacred nature of the mask. Following legal advice, it was deemed the museum had no legal basis for blocking the photograph's use.
Circus Money , FAQ , Walter Becker
/ref>
Track listing
All songs written by Walter Becker
Walter Carl Becker (February 20, 1950 – September 3, 2017) was an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He was the co-founder, guitarist, bassist, and co-songwriter of the jazz rock band Steely Dan.Russonello, Giovanni,Listen t ...
and Larry Klein
Larry Klein (born March 17, 1956) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is based in Los Angeles.
He began his career as a bassist, playing with jazz artists Willie Bobo, Freddie Hubbard, Carmen McRae, Joe Henderson, Bobby ...
, except "Circus Money", written by Becker.
# "Door Number Two" - 4:33
# "Downtown Canon" - 5:36
# "Bob Is Not Your Uncle Anymore" - 4:45
# "Upside Looking Down" - 4:08
# "Paging Audrey" - 6:48
# "Circus Money" - 4:15
# "Selfish Gene" - 4:38
# "Do You Remember the Name" - 4:14
# "Somebody's Saturday Night" - 4:29
# "Darkling Down" - 5:04
# "God's Eye View" - 6:02
# "Three Picture Deal" - 5:27
# "Dark Horse Dub"''*'' - 6:46
''*International release only''
Personnel
Musicians
* Walter Becker
Walter Carl Becker (February 20, 1950 – September 3, 2017) was an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He was the co-founder, guitarist, bassist, and co-songwriter of the jazz rock band Steely Dan.Russonello, Giovanni,Listen t ...
– vocals, guitars (1, 2), bass (1-5, 7-12), guitar solo (7, 9, 10)
* Ted Baker – keyboards (1-3, 5, 7, 10-12), acoustic piano (4, 6, 9), electric piano (9)
* Jim Beard
James Arthur Beard (born August 26, 1960 in Philadelphia) is an American jazz pianist and keyboardist, composer, arranger and producer who has worked with Wayne Shorter, John McLaughlin, Pat Metheny, John Scofield, Mike Stern, Dennis Chambers ...
– acoustic piano (1, 3, 5, 7, 12), keyboards (5, 6, 8, 11), clavinet
The Clavinet is an electrically amplified clavichord invented by Ernst Zacharias and manufactured by the Hohner company of Trossingen, West Germany, from 1964 to 1982. The instrument produces sounds by a rubber pad striking a point on a tension ...
(5), calliope
In Greek mythology, Calliope ( ; grc, Καλλιόπη, Kalliópē, beautiful-voiced) is the Muse who presides over eloquence and epic poetry; so called from the ecstatic harmony of her voice. Hesiod and Ovid called her the "Chief of all Muses" ...
(7), RMI Rock-Si-Chord (12)
* Larry Goldings
Lawrence Sam “Larry” Goldings (born August 28, 1968) is an American jazz keyboardist and composer. His music has explored elements of funk, blues, and fusion. Goldings has a comedic alter ego known as Hans Groiner.
Life and career
Gold ...
– organ (2), Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated s ...
(10)
* Henry Hey
Henry may refer to:
People
* Henry (given name)
* Henry (surname)
* Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry
Royalty
* Portuguese royalty
** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal
** Henry, Count of Portuga ...
– keyboards (4, 8)
* Jon Herington
Jon Herington (born Jonathan Reuel Herington on April 14, 1954) is an American guitarist, singer-songwriter, record producer, and session musician.
Career
Herington was born in Paterson, New Jersey, and grew up in West Long Branch, New Jerse ...
– guitars, slide guitar
Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos tha ...
(8)
* Dean Parks
Weldon Dean Parks (born December 6, 1946) is an American session guitarist and record producer from Fort Worth, Texas.
Albums
Parks was member of the North Texas State One O'clock Lab Band before moving to Los Angeles to work with Sonny and Cher ...
– guitars (2, 4, 9), guitar solo (4)
* Larry Klein
Larry Klein (born March 17, 1956) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is based in Los Angeles.
He began his career as a bassist, playing with jazz artists Willie Bobo, Freddie Hubbard, Carmen McRae, Joe Henderson, Bobby ...
– bass (6)
* Keith Carlock
Keith Carlock (born November 29, 1971) is an American musician who has played drums with Toto, Wayne Krantz, Steely Dan, James Taylor, Donald Fagen, Walter Becker, Tal Wilkenfeld, John Mayer, Sting, and Chris Botti. In ''Modern Drummer's'' 2009 ...
– drums, percussion (1)
* Gordon Gottlieb – percussion (2, 3, 7, 10, 12)
* Luciana Souza
Luciana Souza (born 12 July 1966) is a Brazilian jazz singer and composer who also works in classical and chamber music. Her song ''Muita Bobeira'' was featured as a music sample on Windows Vista.
Music career
Grammy winner Luciana Souza is one ...
– vocal solo (7), pandeiro
The pandeiro () is a type of hand frame drum popular in Brazil. The pandeiro is used in a number of Brazilian music forms, such as samba, choro, coco, and capoeira music.
The drumhead is tunable, and the rim holds metal jingles (''platinelas'' ...
(9)
* Chris Potter – tenor saxophone (1, 5, 6)
* Roger Rosenberg – bass clarinet
The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B (meaning it is a transposing instrument on which a written C sounds as B), but it plays notes an octave bel ...
(11), baritone saxophone (12)
* Carolyn Leonhart-Escoffery – backing vocals (1-5, 8-11)
* Kate Markowitz
Catherine Judith "Kate" Markowitz (Born 28 April 1956) is an American singer-songwriter known as a backup singer who has recorded and performed with a number of singers, most notably James Taylor but also Willy DeVille, Shawn Colvin, Mylène Farm ...
– backing vocals (1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9-12)
* Cindy Mizelle – backing vocals (1, 2, 4, 5, 9-12)
* Windy Wagner – backing vocals (1, 2, 4, 6, 9-12)
* Carmen Carter – backing vocals (2, 6, 9)
* Tawatha Agee
Tawatha Agee (born November 14, 1954) is an American backing vocalist and songwriter. Her voice has been described in ''The New York Times'' as an "acrobatic, gospel-charged soprano." She was the lead singer of funk and soul band Mtume; her soulf ...
– backing vocals (5, 12)
* Sharon Bryant – backing vocals (5, 12)
* Sweet Pea Atkinson – backing vocals (11)
* Sir Harry Bowens – backing vocals (11)
* Terry Dexter
Terry Dexter is an Americans, American contemporary R&B singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and actress.
Early life
Dexter was born in Detroit, Detroit, Michigan. She has a twin sister, and she describes her ethnicity simply as miscege ...
– backing vocals (11)
Production
* Larry Klein – producer
* Helik Hadar – engineer, mixing
* Jay Messina – engineer
* Elliot Scheiner
Elliot Ray Scheiner (born 18 March 1947) is a music producer, mixer and engineer. Scheiner has received 27 Grammy Award nominations, eight of which he won, and he has been awarded four Emmy nominations, two Emmy Awards for his work with the Eagl ...
– engineer
* Jim Beard – additional engineer
* Brian Montgomery – additional engineer
* Justin Gerrish – assistant engineer
* Chris Lupo – assistant engineer
* Bernie Grundman
Bernie Grundman is an American audio engineer.
He is most known for his mastering work and his studio, Bernie Grundman Mastering, which he opened in 1984 in Hollywood. The studio, which includes engineers Chris Bellman, Patricia Sullivan, and Mi ...
– mastering at Bernie Grundman Mastering
Bernie Grundman is an American audio engineer.
He is most known for his mastering work and his studio, Bernie Grundman Mastering, which he opened in 1984 in Hollywood. The studio, which includes engineers Chris Bellman, Patricia Sullivan, and Mi ...
(Hollywood, California)
* Roger Sadowsky – guitar and bass technician
* Andrew Rathbun – musical transcription
* Jill Dell'Abate – production coordinator
* Cindi Peters – production coordinator
* A. Denovo – design, photography
* Carol Bobolts – design support
* Irving Azoff
Irving Azoff (; born December 12, 1947) is an American entertainment executive and chairman of Full Stop Management, which represents recording artists. In the mid-1980s, he brought success to MCA Records.
Since September 2013, he has been chai ...
– management
* Sandy Roberton – management
References
{{Authority control
2008 albums
Albums produced by Larry Klein
Walter Becker albums