Internet empires have been built on far less (and certainly far less shame) than BH's Twitter. Why not give BH a little more grist for his mill? Studio pics from the modern era are even more scarce than from the 70s.

@D-Mod: Thanks for this look behind the curtain. I'm not sure how to react to learning that even Walter's masterwork couldn't escape the pettiness that us mere mortals know all too well. What was that quote (mis)attributed to Kissinger about academic politics? I'd wager the stakes are even lower for museum politics.

Love You Ax: Walter's got some keyboard chops. Nice!

@Matthew Kerns I think you've got the transcription more or less correct. Big-ups to Our Heroes for rhyming fullback with bivouac, but, come on: These lyrics are inane. (Though I'm sure that was their intention: D+W's consistent talking point about these demos was that pop singers wouldn't go near the tunes' lyrics.) I've listened to this song for years, but seeing the words written on the page, I can't help but smile at the absurdity of it.

And people think that the lyrics from the official Steely Dan catalog are inscrutable...

@Tony Favia If I recall correctly, the errata page was posted the day of release, or maybe a day thereafter. Internet carpers aside, the disc color did seem to be very much on the radar of Our Heroes (whether in jest or in earnest). While on the subject, I always thought that the art and liner notes of 2vN were among the most tasteful of any release from the CD era.

@Moderator: D-Mod This may be less a test of SD-obsessiveness than it is a measure of one's ability to recover (non-traumatic) memories. I vaguely remember a black-and-white photo of a pair of lawn reindeer with "TWO AGAINST NATURE" stamped across in a faux-typewriter font. I believe it was the same two reindeer from the 2vN booklet. But my gut tells me that wasn't the first leak of the album title. (A quick Google search turned up the photo, elsewhere on the archived site. So now I'm even more confident I'm on the wrong track: https://sdarchive.com/2vntracks.html) Speaking of 2vN hype and mystery, what was the deal with the green vs. orange disc (http://sdarchive.com/oldindex27.html)? An in joke? A real screw-up? (How would that get by quality control?) Then again, the DVD-Audio disc, issued the next year, was indeed very green. That you guys were able to maintain this enigmatic air––on sd.com, and with DF and WB on the publicity front––amid what must have been considerable pressure/bullshit from the suits and record company types is quite something. Forget the music; that in itself is a triumph.

I'm drawing a blank on this one. I'd love to have my memory jogged. The closest I can remember is the then-perplexing "2 Flfshte Tfegku," circa the fall of '99. Not quite as merchandisable as "Two Against Nature." But a good deal more mysterious.

What's interesting to me––assuming that these are all from the Gaucho era––is that many of these tunes date back to the very early days of Steely Dan and even the Becker/Fagen partnership. "Mobile Home" was a staple of the 1974 tour. That's a sound, band, and approach that, to my ear, had long been abandoned by the Gaucho era. "Roaring of the Lamb," that old Brill Building chestnut, was on the list for a Gaucho treatment? I can't wrap my head around that one. But I don't doubt that it could be done; it's just hard to imagine how. After all, "Megashine City," a recently surfaced outtake from the Can't Buy a Thrill era (and a rare SD turkey), was reworked to "Talkin' 'Bout My Home," which not only sounded like it belonged from the Gaucho era, but had been reworked into a good song. One thing here that's not clear is why "Home at Last" is on the list. The titles listed all point strongly to the Gaucho period. Perhaps Aja wasn't yet released and the track list hadn't been finalized? In any case, this smallest SD artifact is a fascinating look behind the curtain, even if, given its provenance, my conscience doesn't feel entirely clean for taking a peek.

Fans are legion/Tri-state region = rhyme of the week

IMO, best opener, by far, was Boston Rag in 2000. Hip new arrangement, with the tension building section by section. It's just the band, with some understated solos. Then after, what––five minutes?––DF sits down at the Rhodes, snarls, "Any news was good news," and the rush hits. Perfection. One of my favorite live arrangements of any SD tune through the years.

This lyric is so much better than what made it to tape. "One red rose and a tender goodbye?" Lame by comparison. This is on par with the very best lines of the SD songbook.

Don't leave us hanging! What was the announcement?

$1500 starting price for a piece of recording history worth $800,000 (in 1997 dollars)? It's the deal of the century!

Sounds great! And what a band! Lots of questions about this one. To start: What’s the official title of this tune? “Three Sisters?” “Three Sisters Shaking?”

After some hunting, stalking, treks through the tall grass, and stare-downs with circa-1999 HTML, I came upon the slender payload. Suffice it to say, the track is everything the proper WB fan would hope for. It’s a great performance and a great recording. Thanks go to the Moderator, not only for making this track (and many others) available, but for capturing the spirit of the golden age of the SD Internet scene. In a past life, I was quite involved with this scene, but the Internet (and, if I’m to believe recent reports, nostalgia) isn’t what it used to be. These kinds of rabbit-hole exercises were a staple of the steelydan.com of old. It was this air of mystery and impishness that made being an SD devotee so fun. From someone who was among the first to crack the code: Thank you and well done! And I must ask, especially after the cryptic reference at the top of this thread: Was Walter part of the “WE” who “hatched this plan?” It sure feels like his work.