Yes, us Steely Dan fans are entitled pricks. We use to whine year after year for new music, and when the well went dry in 1980, instead of wishing them well, we whined even more.
In 1982 when Donald Fagen (with Gary Katz at the production helm) gave us an album arguably as good as any Steely Dan album, we still demanded more. When Walter Becker returned from his healthy life in Hawaii to make two albums which didn’t attempt to retread Aja (co-producing Kamakiriad and creating 11 Tracks of Whack), we complained about the drums and, well they didn’t sound like Aja.
Face it, those of us in the Dandom universe are privileged. Donald Fagen released a series of albums which are each brilliant in their own way and stand the test of time. Walter Becker, on the other hand, released just two albums, both which are brilliant in their own way and stand the test of time.
Becker was visited by the fella in the bright nightgown and left us in 2017 but we have received regular doses of brilliance from his estate since his departure. The latest is an initial run-through of the lead-off track to 11 Tracks of Whack, ”The Dopest Cut / Down In the Bottom.”
Similarly to the release of the demo of ”Book of Liars” a few weeks back, this version is a full band workup with L.A. session men John Keane on drums and Neil Stubenhaus on bass. Their playing is direct, yet tasty. Interestingly, Becker’s bass parts on the 11 Tracks of Whack is busier than Stubenhaus’ in this version. Keane adds a bit of swing and the pocket grooves along added by tasty buts from guitarist Dean Parks. Saxophonist Bob Shepperd provides an equally tasty tenor break. Luckily, the released version features one of my favorite Walter Becker guitar solos. Becker, provides a vocal which is as self-assured and powerful as any on the original album.
It’s hard to tell from this release what co-producer Donald Fagen added to the original version. Becker was clearly going for a different feel which resulted in the 11 Tracks of Whack version being a little stiff-legged yet sonically just as powerful.
“The Dopest Cut / Down In the Bottom” is yet another treat for us Dan fans which should not go unnoticed.
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