Walter Becker: His take on "Hi-Rez" and 5:1

From Sound on Sound

The DVD-A version of Everything Must Go contains a plethora of data formats: 'advanced resolution' multi-channel surround sound (96kHz/24-bit), advanced resolution stereo (192kHz/24-bit), Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 surround sound, and Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo. There is also a 13-minute short movie called Steely Dan Confessions, plus song lyrics, a photo gallery, song credits and production credits. Some of this stuff plays back on DVD-A players, some only on DVD-V players. It appears that 21st century music consumers will need a doctorate's degree in electronics to be able to work out what they can play back on what. They are also going to need very deep pockets.
"We're aware of two kinds of technical innovations," says Walter Becker. "Category number one are things that help us do something sonically or musically that we couldn't do before, but probably already wanted to do for 20 years. Category number two are things that can increase our income. So every time somebody comes up with a new format in which our material can be repackaged, we put aside whatever forebodings we may have about the durability or advisability of the new format. Instead we throw our weight 110 percent behind it to get the product our there on the shelves and see if anyone will buy it.
"People are now downloading music for free from the Internet, so what this is about is creating a new set of technologies that the record companies are better able to defend from public dissemination and duplication via the Internet. And they're going to sweep up all these new bucks and get people in Third World countries to go out and buy DVD players and discs with 5.1 and God knows what other formats, and then the Americans won't have to send in their armies. You see?"
One suspects that there's more than a hint of irony in these statements, and it seems that Becker and Fagen do have a more positive motivation to be at the forefront: "On a more serious note, the actual appeal when we listen to surround sound is that it has a tremendous potential as a hi-fi medium in terms of separation and clarity and so on. It's great for people who want to hear into tracks and hear all the individual elements stand out more clearly."

The rest can be found here
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/aug03/articles/steelydan.htm

 

Steely Dan has always been at the forefront of surround music. Their early albums were available in quad, and they were one of the first acts with a DTS CD of an older title that was never released in quad.

They also released their last two albums in surround around the same time they were released in stereo, and both of Fagan's solo works can be had on DVD-A.

These guys are cool!

 

Were there ever funnier guys in rock and roll than Steely Dan?

 

The closest I think is Dave Grohl from the Foo Fighters...he is a pisser.

 

Fagen and Becker are one of the great comedy teams of our time. A funnier interview, you won't find anywhere. Individually, as the post above indicates, they are still wicked funny.

 

Al Kooper would be a contender... his book is hilarious.

 

For the average consumer, i'm afraid he's right! I'm still having trouble figuring out the differences between Dolby Digital, Pro-Logic, and DTS, much less being able to set them up on an HT reciever!

 

I love the bonus 22 minute DVD that came with "Everything Must Go".

The interview takes place during a cab ride in Las Vegas and Becker describes EMG as a damn party album.