A fantasy outtake album favorite of mine is “Wet Side Story.” The song is said to have been worked up for the Grammy winning Two Against Nature but didn’t make the cut.
Some speculate the song wasn’t included because of its similar vibe to the stellar “Jack of Speed”. I don’t buy it. “Wet Side Story” may have the same heavy Fender Rhodes into as “Jack Of Speed” (also provided by Donald Fagen) but the vibe is face paced and loose with an bluesy and slightly unhinged guitar solo by Walter Becker and a chunky rhythm guitar part by Wayne Krantz.
Lyrically, it’s another Steely Dan-style goofy love story, and our main protagonist Mickey gets anxious over the advances of a lovely lady he meets by chance when going out for a quick bite to eat:
“Everyone knows that it’s scary out there when you jump to the wet side…”
“Wet Side Story,” played during the 1996 tour, sounds like a complete work, which could easily be whipped out by the current touring band or a revised studio combo. Hmm, maybe this song should go on Steely Dan’s next album, too. I volunteer to produce it if Walter and Don need help.
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Love this tune. “We’re still working on it, should be recorded sometime in the fall” is one of the great SD letdowns of all time.