[TomtheRevelator]

I haven't kept up with the discussion, really, but I was excited to hear about this snapshot of the band in 2006 and listen for myself, even though my fandom has morphed into something far more arms-length in recent years.

Listening to the sessions now, a few takeaways:
1. Batson is a good producer. By that, I mean he's capable of generating a lot of music from kernels-of-ideas from the artist and moving in the right direction. Dave was writing good songs in this era. Far better than Stand Up-era. And Batson was gathering all those ideas very efficiently, it seems, and helping provide a framework for further work.
2. Anyone who blames Batson for Stand Up being sub-par is just wrong. Dave was bringing just NOTHING to the table in that era, songwriting-wise. But it's a well-produced album sonically, and Batson stays out of the way, other than a few drum machines in there (itself not a mortal sin). It's a terrible album, but it's the band's fault and not Batson's.
3. This leak etc. all reinforces my longstanding belief that there's a better band hiding in there. They're their own worst enemy, undermining their creative impulses with something far uglier and lazier at turn after turn. But they might not be terribly strong arrangers -- or, at least, they're not good COLLECTIVE arrangers, and there has been a muddled sense of artistic direction that made any interesting approach something to be avoided over the years. Commercial concerns and the fans' attitude have been part of this, and that's too bad.
4. To anyone complaining about the guitar-and-drum-machine aspect of some of this: I'm sorry, but that's how lots of people make demos. After all, the early/classic DMB songs started with just Dave, and they were presented to the band, who then helped contribute parts. That's the stage lots of these ideas are in on the Batson Sessions: "Ready to work on."
5. These sessions are definitely not as monumental as LWS, but there's a lot here to like. A 2nd Batson album would have been far better than Stand Up.
6. It's possible that Come Tomorrow will be a good thing for the band. I think it's a pretty strong record, although something that I can't get passionate about. But looking back, there's a sense from the 2004-2008 era, even as a fan, that there's a lot of unfinished business there. I think the band might have some bad feelings about this era, and Come Tomorrow had an effect of tying-up a few loose ends, which is always cathartic.
7. Based on this session, there is plenty in them-there vaults. They could definitely do a box set of unreleased studio material 1991-present, and it could be several discs, and it would include some gems we've never even heard of. Their instinct is to look to live material when there's a chance for archival releases, but they should really go clicking around on those hard drives. There's plenty, and the fans want to hear it.