I remember hearing from someone or somewhere that Roaring of the Lamb meant a lot to Donald and Walter and they wanted to turn it into a hit. And apparently they even wanted to record it for Can't Buy a Thrill. That definitely makes Linda's reading seem extra poignant to me and it's nice we have a non demo version of it now with official arrangements. Here's to that too

The production on the actual Tracks of Whack makes sense to me. As I said before, it was a bit more grunge in spirit. A bit more rough cut than Aja and more fitting for the times. But honestly, I enjoy this "Steely Dan" take on Down At The Bottom too. Either would have been fine for me. It's the melody and the lyrics (aka the spirit) that matters most to me and Down At The Bottom is one of his best

I could listen to the keyboard and synth counterpoints in this song endlessly.

The triad of Gaucho outtakes that cement the legend of the sessions: The Second Arrangement, Kulee Baba, and The Bear. Some bands would trade their whole careers for a smidgin of that genius, and they nixed those. One Dan’s trash is another fan’s treasure.

@Matthew Kerns I could never see something like Lucky Henry on a Fagan solo album. It's so bizarre, yet compelling. The twisted kind of jazz rock you'd hear on Throw Back the Little Ones where you have no idea what's coming next. Walter Becker was definitely the guy coming up with the musical Burroughs approach, while Donald kind of had that sophisticated r and b jazz vibe. Combining both lead to one of the best partnerships in modern music history. And like the Beatles, why most of their ideas are winners. Even some outtakes betray that genius.

@Matthew Kerns I agree 100%. I've got a fondness for music that goes "out of the box" so to speak. (Others might call it, music you make on drugs) and hearing all these new tracks from Walter is a real treat. It's great getting to hear the work of an outstanding artist, and I thank you all wholeheartedly for this experience.

The closest Becker ever got to Prince. Specifically the Linn drum funk era, and I mean that as a compliment. Sounds less like a demo and more like a full song with the way the drum machine pounds

When I was ten years younger, aka a teenager, I didn't even really factor Walter's solo work into Steely's output. His sound/voice didn't really interest me. I've got no idea why. What changed me was hearing Slang of Ages on Everything Must Go. Seeing how cool and laid back he sounded on that track really made me warm up to his voice. Still, it took revisiting the Steely catalog in my twenties to buy a Walter album, and that was this one. I really dig that kind of cynical jazz funk vamping on some of these tracks, and as someone said, it's a successor to the cynical jazz funk vamps on the Royal Scam. I always thought of RS as Walter's albums, because it's got a similar kind of rockish aggression to it. The loud electric drums, to me, while dated, kind of make me think of the back cover with the broken glass. The "Whack" so to speak is Walter's punching you in the head over and over again with his drums. It's as close as Steely Dan ever got to a "grunge" album. I full agree with the analogy that Walter is Lennon and Fagan is McCartney. Kamikariad is a naughty and introspective, yet smooth, melodic and futuristic flight of fancy, while Tracks of Whack is Walter wrestling with his demons in a way similar to Don't Take Me Alive. At least to me

The jazzy chord progressions on here are to die for. Fagan and Becker have such an original sound in "rock" because no one in rock writes stuff like this. They really carved their own niche, which explains why their work remained quality, even as they got older, at least imo As for the track itself, I love it. A great bitter fall tune for a very bitter fall season

Psychedelic electro jazz waltz with cryptic lyrics. A genre that could only come from the mind of Walter Becker

@Moderator: D-Mod Props to Matt. They’re as much eye candy as Becker’s chord progression are to the ear

Gorgeous artwork to accompany this brilliant track. Sometimes I really think that some of these art designs should be physical they're so cool with logos and artwork. As for the song itself, brilliant late night jam. The kind of track you listen to at two in the morning when you're fret with worry from a bad relationship and need something to relate to. Some of the turns of phrases in this are wonderful, and showcase Becker at the top of his game with zingers.

One of my favorite tracks on this site. I never heard the demo before so I was going in blind and this is a really great collab. Very elegant, cool and funky. It's kind of got that jazzy bounce of solo Fagan but the rendering of it is pure Walter. Love his vox on it.