A Whimsy of the Submerged and the Unrehearsed
In the curious folds of Walter Becker’s creative archive lies Mock Turtle Song, credited to Becker (with his long-time partner Donald Fagen) and appearing on the 2007 compilation Found Studio Tracks—a collection of early demos and sketches from the pre-Steely Dan era. Though not released as a single with chart performance to report, the song’s significance lies less in commercial impact than in its exploratory, almost playful spirit rooted in Becker and Fagen’s embryonic partnership.
In the haze between jazz-rock sophistication and off-hand studio improvisation, Mock Turtle Song stands as a distinctive curiosity: Becker leaves the bass-and-guitar pedestal momentarily to offer his voice front-and-centre, delivering a performance that is as much a demonstration of character as it is of musical instinct. The track’s listing on Found Studio Tracks credits the song at 3:44 in length, described simply as “The Mock Turtle Song (Lewis Carroll)”.
One cannot read the title without smiling: the “Mock Turtle” evokes the peculiar creature of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, a creature at once absurd and melancholic, dancing through a nonsense rhyme. The earlier demo recordings of Becker and Fagen are similarly perched on the edge of seriousness and parody. In this track, Becker channels a voice of sly displacement, meditating on studio imperfections, youthful experimental energy, and the freedom of “just doing it” before the full machinery clicked into place. As listeners, we find ourselves behind the curtain: we hear the rough edges, the tentative backing vocals, the slight lack of polish—and yet that very texture becomes the song’s charm.
Musically, the instrumentation is sparse and direct, leaning into sketch-mode rather than glossy studio sheen. Becker’s lead vocals are steeped in a calm detachment, perhaps mischievous in tone, trading off Fagen’s usual forward-voice role. On Reddit, a listener notes:
“Walter Becker is on lead vocals … while Donald Fagen … are on backing vocals.”
That switch alone makes the track worth studying: a moment where Becker steps boldly from his familiar bass/guitar role into narrative front line.
Lyrically, the song nods at the absurd. The title’s allusion to Carroll suggests a playful mis-direction, and the demo context allows Becker and Fagen to toy with form and expectation without worrying about radio-play or market demands. There is a sense of creative freedom—almost giddiness—in the recording, and that freedom invites us as listeners to relax and simply be in the moment. We are witnessing Becker not as the consummate craftsman of later Steely Dan albums, but as the inquisitor and experimenter, the “what if” voice at work.
In the broader sweep of Becker’s journey—with Steely Dan’s immaculate compositions, the alt-career collaborations, and his later solo work—Mock Turtle Song offers a rare window into the wellspring. It reminds us that even a major artist begins in the shadows of sketches, demos, and informal sessions. The very imperfection of the track becomes its poignancy: the carefree exploration of form, the stepping-out of roles, the hint of humor and oddness that would later be refined but never entirely lost.
For mature listeners familiar with Becker’s legacy, this song resonates as an archival gem. It’s not about chart positions or mainstream acclaim—it never aimed for those. Instead it offers texture, personality, and a backstage pass to a creative dialogue in progress. In the hum of studio tape and the low-fi backing vocals, one senses the friendship of Becker and Fagen, the curious collision of jazz, rock, wit and subtle ambition.
So next time you spin it—preferably on a vinyl-equivalent platform—listen for the cracks, the voice change, the playful drift. In those moments lies the magic of possibility, captured before refinement took hold. The Mock Turtle’s dance may be odd, but it is joyous, and in its modest ambition it reveals the true spirit of Becker’s artistry: always probing, always slightly off balance, and always fascinating.