# 47 edits and a $150,000 machine: How Steely Dan’s ‘Gaucho’ almost destroyed Jeff Pocaro

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/47-edits-and-a-150000-machine-how-steely-dans-gaucho-almost-destroyed-jeff-pocaro/
- Published: 2026-10-26T16:11:46+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-07T07:12:11+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/how-steely-dans-gaucho-almost-destroyed-jeff-pocaro/
- Topics: Music

## Key points

- *Gaucho* sessions tested musicians with Steely Dan’s exacting standards.
- Roger Nichols built the Wendel drum machine for $150,000.
- Wendel enabled detailed control but did not make recording quick.

## Summary

Steely Dan’s perfectionism made recording their 1980 album *Gaucho* a demanding process for the musicians involved, including drummer Jeff Porcaro. The sessions show how Donald Fagen and Walter Becker pursued precise, controllable rhythms, sometimes at the cost of musicians’ morale and patience.

The duo were dissatisfied with the drum tracks, despite contributions from players including Steve Gadd, Rick Marotta, Bernard Purdie and Porcaro. Engineer Roger Nichols said he could build a machine to let them adjust recorded kick and snare sounds independently; Steely Dan allocated $150,000, and six weeks later he delivered Wendel. The article notes that using it could still be slow: Fagen recalled Nichols spending 20 minutes entering instructions before producing one snare hit.

---
Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.