At least you get a bit of Walter Becker's background in the FAQ book. The Reelin' In The Years bio contains very little, not even a specific birthdate, if memory serves.
It gets better. "Frequently Asked Questions" is a bit of an understatement- it's really more like "Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Steely Dan But Were Afraid To Ask." The book's been invaluable to me since I started this discussion. A special thanks to Mr @Chris Schoen for even alerting me to the FAQ book's existence in the first place
And now...Steely Dan's Big Comeback! Wiki sez: Two Against Nature is the eighth album by Steely Dan, released in 2000. The album won the group four Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. It marked the first Steely Dan studio album in 20 years, following 1980's Gaucho. It has been certified platinum in the United States. Two Against Nature marked Steely Dan's debut for Warner Bros. Records – through a sub-label, Giant Records. The group's leaders, Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, accepted all four Grammys the album won, including Album of the Year. Contents Track listing All songs written by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen. "Gaslighting Abbie" – 5:53 "What a Shame About Me" – 5:17 "Two Against Nature" – 6:17 "Janie Runaway" – 4:09 "Almost Gothic" – 4:09 "Jack of Speed" – 6:17 "Cousin Dupree" – 5:28 "Negative Girl" – 5:34 "West of Hollywood" – 8:21 Personnel Steely Dan Donald Fagen – organ, piano, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer, vocals Walter Becker – bass, lead guitar Additional musicians Ted Baker – piano, Fender Rhodes Jon Herington – acoustic guitar, rhythm guitar Paul Jackson Jr. – guitar Hugh McCracken – guitar Dean Parks – guitar Tom Barney – bass Keith Carlock – drums Leroy Clouden – drums Vinnie Colaiuta – drums Sonny Emory – drums Ricky Lawson – drums Michael White – drums Gordon Gottlieb – percussion Will Lee – percussion Daniel Sadownick – percussion, timbales David Shank – vibraphone Steve Shapiro – vibraphone Amy Helm – whistle Lawrence Feldman – clarinet, tenor saxophone Lou Marini – alto saxophone Chris Potter – alto saxophone, tenor saxophone David Tofani – saxophone Roger Rosenberg – bass clarinet, baritone saxophone Michael Hitchcock – trumpet Michael Leonhart – trumpet, conductor, Wurlitzer Jim Pugh – trombone Cynthia Calhoun – background vocals Mike Harvey – background vocals Carolyn Leonhart – background vocals Production Producers: Walter Becker, Donald Fagen Executive engineer: Roger Nichols Engineers: Phil Burnett, Per-Christian Nielsen, Johan Edlund, Anthony Gorman, Roger Nichols, Ken Ross, Dave Russell, Jay A. Ryan, Elliot Scheiner, Peter Scriba Mixing: Roger Nichols, Dave Russell Mastering: Scott Hull Assistants: Suzy Barrows, Reaann Zschokke Technician: Roger Nichols Editing: Jan Folkson Horn arrangements: Walter Becker, Donald Fagen, Michael Leonhart Project manager: Jill Dell'Abate Project coordinator: Suzana Haugh Consultant: Michael Leonhart Piano tuner: Sam Berd Electric piano technician: Edd Kolakowski Design: Carol Bobolts Photography: Michael Northrup/Jason Fulford Copyist: Michael Leonhart Charts Chart (2000) Peak position The Billboard 200 6 Top Internet Albums 2 UK Album Chart 11 Awards 2001 Grammy Awards Winner Category "Cousin Dupree" Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal Two Against Nature Album of the Year Two Against Nature Best Engineered Recording, Non-Classical Two Against Nature Best Pop Vocal Album
This ain’t yer granddad’s Steely Dan. Or maybe it is, given that they opt for a much smoother, slicker sound on their “comeback” album (IMO Kamakiriad, that Steely Dan album in all but name, is the real comeback album). Admittedly some of 2VN is a little too smooth for my tastes. Musically it doesn’t really disappoint (except for the drumming, see below) and the lyrics are as sleazy as ever…some of the subject matter possibly being even a bit too sleazy, even for Becker and Fagen’s standards (“Cousin Dupree”, anyone?) Two Against Nature was almost three years in the making, and other than Becker and Fagen producing themselves –I would have liked to hear what Gary Katz might have brought to the table production-wise had he been asked to do so- they generally follow the same sort of modus operandi they perfected on Aja and Gaucho way back when when it came to how they made the album. Different drummers on almost every track keeps with the tradition, for example. Walter Becker does handle all the lead guitar (for good or ill) and most of the bass parts himself, though, as does Fagen with the keyboards. As soon as that phased Rhodes piano kicks in on the first pre-chorus on “Gaslighting Abbie” the sound is like coming home. All that said, 2VN is far from perfect. The dreaded WENDEL still goes to town on the drum tracks, rendering most of the drum parts to sound extremely robotic and repetitive…it also doesn’t help that the overall drum sound on the album is terrible IMO. I remember in my old band back in high school (this was in grade nine actually), our guitarist and I were messing around recording some demos- I put down “drum” tracks where I tapped on an empty cassette case with a pen. That is what the drum sound on Two Against Nature reminds me of, and that definitely is not meant as a compliment. The overall sound of the album is bone dry, almost too dry. Sterile, just like the last few albums. And the robotic drumming comes close to ruining at least a couple of the songs on the record, with the epic “West Of Hollywood” probably the most affected. Then there’s Fagen’s voice. I remember when I brought the CD home from the library and put it on I was shocked: “Whoa, what the hell happened to his voice?” Compared to Gaucho or even Kamakiriad it almost sounds like a different person altogether. I mean, I’m used to it now (hearing a few modern era Steely Dan live shows helped with that) but on first listen it was a bit of a shock. Don’t start smoking, kids! “Gaslighting Abbie” – First off, if seventies Dansongs like “Don’t Take Me Alive” musically sound inspired by crime dramas, “Gaslighting Abbie” sounds almost like a sitcom theme- think the theme from Seinfeld crossed with Night Court or something like that (at least, that’s what it sounds like to me). It’s a funky, uptempo tune about a couple trying to psych out the guy’s wife…pretty standard Steely Dan fare lyrically. “What will it be, some soothing herb tea might be just the thing, what say we spike it with Dilaudid?” is a line that always makes me laugh. I like the way the multiple guitars play off of one another, it’s a fun listen in headphones. Still, here is the birth of the “modern” Steely Dan sound- Becker’s guitar and Fagen’s Rhodes at the forefront, the horns, the girls…essentially the sound that would sustain the Dan for the rest of their career. “What A Shame About Me” – This is my favourite song on the album, even if that “smooth jazz” sound starts creeping in (the muted trumpet in the coda section, for example). I like Becker’s bass on this one. It’s a darkly amusing song about a guy who runs into one of his old college flames. They play a little bit of catch up, only to have the woman proposition the emotionally scarred narrator, who’s so damaged he doesn’t hesitate to turn her down. “Two Against Nature” – The title track introduces drummer Keith Carlock into the Steely Dan fold; Carlock is compelled to play against a WENDELized drum machine pattern, though. It’s another funky, syncopated tune…don’t ask me what it’s about though. The lyric has some great lines: “Bang you silly but leave a nasty bite”, “Sewed his mouth shut with rusty chicken wire” and “Whip the bastards while they still breathe” are among my favourites. “Janie Runaway” – Another smooth funk groove that lyrically presents an updated “Hey Nineteen” type scenario: an older man trying to convince a much younger woman to run off with him. Unfortunately (and it’s not the only song on the album where this happens) but Don and Walt sort of come across like dirty old men here IMO. Not one of my favourites. “Almost Gothic” – Don’t like this song at all. Too smooth. Next… “Jack Of Speed” – The oldest song on the album, first aired on the 1996 Art Crimes tour, with a slightly different arrangement and sung by Walter Becker. They change keys, a few lyrics and let Fagen sing here…it’s my second favourite song on the album even if it has the worst drum sound of the all (again I picture myself in 1990 tapping that tape case with a pen). Becker plays a nice solo but –and not to speak ill of the dead- but it sounds like when Walter overdubbed his solos on the album he stuck to one basic sound for all of them, therefore making all the guitar solos sort of sound the same. Switch it up a bit, Becker! That said the song is home to one of my favourite Steely Dan lines: “He’s a one way rider on the pshrink express.” What I’ve always wanted to know is, just what the hell is the jack of speed anyway? “Cousin Dupree” – I’d be brazen to say that this is one of the worst songs Becker and Fagen ever wrote. I don’t know if they were trying to be funny or kick up the shock value factor with this one or what but it’s a really dumb song that almost seems beneath them. The protagonist, Dupree, is a slacker layabout who has the hots for his sexy younger cousin, who is clearly repulsed by Dupree and his advances. Becker and Fagen might have been able to get away with a lyric like this in their twenties maybe but in their fifties it makes them just seem sleazy. The uptempo, funky music can’t even redeem this one for me. “Negative Girl” – see “Almost Gothic”. Instrumentally Becker and Fagen sit this one out. “West Of Hollywood” – Clocking in at over eight and half minutes, this is the longest song in Steely Dan’s oeuvre. Unfortunately the robotic sounding drums seem to make it feel twice as long…I don’t care how good Chris Potter’s sax solo is in the extended coda, he’s playing over the same robotically steady beat for those four minutes, no fills, barely even a cymbal accent, the monotonous drumming becomes a total distraction from one of the best, certainly most extended instrumental solos in their catalogue. Fail. I usually only listen to the first half of this song, though, again, damned if I could tell you what it's about... So, you sorta get the idea that I like about half the album…once again, it’s another Steely Dan project that was ultimately flawed in its overall execution. Leave WENDEL at home, Roger! Give the sound a little bit of reverb! Lose some of the sleazy, dirty old man lyrics! Now, I’m no fan of Eminem, that’s for g-ddamn sure, but I can see why people were scratching their heads at Two Against Nature beating out The Marshall Mathers LP for Album Of The Year at the Grammies.
I'm gonna set the bar high for this - it's equal to most of their 70s work, and better than at least one of those album. It's imperfect; there're two songs that could be improved (title track, 'Negative Girl'), or dropped in favour of a shorter tracklist and longer running times, especially if 'West Of Hollywood' is anything to go by. But, overall, this is fantastic. Utterly fantastic. When the thread on the weakest link for this album was doing the rounds, it was really obvious how strong most of the songs were. Okay, the production and Fagen's vocal are not as all-enveloping as the old stuff, but the new sound suits the new material. And Becker/Fagen finally get to make the old man album that they their relative youth prevented in the old days. The guys they sing about (and in character as) are even less appealing, but also human - the temptations of younger flesh make up the content of at least three songs (and some of their best lyrics, of which 'Janie Runaway' is just hilarious), but the jewel in the crown is the aformentioned 'West Of Hollywood' which I'd rank as one of their finest ever moments. It's as lyrically impenetrable as ever (I say it's about AIDS in the porn industry, someone else says it's about hard drugs), but that sax. Oh boy. I could listen to that forever. A very strong 4/5 for me, and an album I listen to as much as any other in their catalogue. This is one of my favourites, despite the smoothness. The melody and arrangement (the backing vocals at the start) are so mood-inducing that this is the first thing I reach for at the height of summer when the air is warm and still. I'm still puzzling over 'the opposite of an aerial view' 17 years later.
I rank 2 Against Nature above Gaucho. I really liked it a lot when it came out but I've cooled to it over the years. It showed they still had the magic, but I don't think it has aged as well as their 70s work.
You are welcome! Glad to share with fellow Forum members. And, thank you for starting this great Steely Dan thread!
I always wondered if it was a reference to a basement apartment, literally a "dark place". I agree that this is among my favourite songs on the album, but I rate the album very highly overall, in spite of the sterile drum choices... to me, that's a real testament to the quality of the songs. To be honest, it took some repeated listening upon release for some of the songs to really take hold... I still spin it regularly.
Not very familiar with this album. Is there a breakdown on who plays on what tracks? For example, it would be interesting to know what tracks Keith Carlock and Will Lee play on..
I was lucky enough to get the 2vn album advance 2 weeks before general release! I have all the promo singles for this one except the euro only 4 track Cousin Dupree with 'Aja (live), 'Fall of 92' and 'Overture' on it.
I’ll take this over Gaucho any day of the week. ‘What a Shame About Me’ is a delightfully narcissistic narrative. It’s almost as if they took a magnifying glass to the life of one of the Showbiz Kids, with predictable Dan-ish results. And that title track just gets in a groove; very danceable. For an album this late in an artists’ career, it was a very pleasant surprise, faults and all.
Pretty solid. Was definitely psyched when this was out and they were back, and it didn’t disappoint. It’s different, continuing their perpetual evolution, not rehashing old sounds — and mainly well done. Quickly without listening currently, it seems I dig the 1st 5 songs the most, and contrary to the thoughts of OP @ohnothimagen , it picks up for me again only at the outro of West of Hollywood and the sax solo, making a nice close to the album. Anyone know which track(s) Vinnie Colaiuta plays on?
More on 2vN later, but gotta wonder after listening to yet another album's worth of manipulated drums ... what made two guys who live and breathe great classic jazz records featuring natural drums, who featured on their first six albums some of the greatest natural drum parts of the '70s, become so enamored with UNnatural drums?
Carlock's on the title track. Leroy Clouden's the primary drummer - he's on 'Janie Runaway', 'Almost Gothic', and 'Cousin Dupree'. Others are Michael White ('What A Shame About Me', 'Jack Of Speed'), Ricky Lawson ('Gaslighting Abbie'), Vinnie Colaiuta ('Negative Girl'), Sonny Emory ('West Of Hollywood').
Yeah, same kind of reggae groove Vinnie plays during some of the interludes on the Joe’s Garage album.
It's contradiction, I know: even though all of the songs on the album are good I still don't like a couple of them. Weird, eh? Perfect. I like the outro to "West Of Hollywood"- I just have to be in the mood to listen to the whole song. It sounds like the sax is playing to a drum machine to me. I actually like how the guitars play off one another the most. I don't know. We'd have to ask Fagen At least eventually they did see the error (as it were) in their ways and return to warm, analog live playing in the studio. As the next album shows. Cheers for that, saved me having to scour the FAQ book for who plays what.
That was a fun read Paul, thanks. I bet you some more people who read those reviews ended up trying out the albums if they hadn't heard them yet. Also interesting comments about Dorothy White and cool to know the background on her. When I attended Bard, it was just so laid back when it came to any kind of outside presence including police. Security never interfered with the fun and I felt safe from not just authorities but from the world in general. I had a relaxing, exciting, fun time down in the Hudson Valley and though it was in 1999 not 1969, there were plenty of drugs and alcohol and I saw some crazy things but rarely did anything get totally out of control. We had a few odd circumstances there that did need outside help, but 99% of the partying was fun without any sign of consequences. It's a private college and I think President Leon Botstein was just as cool as the kids were-mostly everyone respected and were happy with having him at the head which he still is to this day. As a classical conductor, he would put on live performances that were stellar and inspired, indoors, outdoors, all over campus. Ward Manor was fun to hang out at but each dorm had its own personality when you entered it and it felt like visiting little towns when you went into the different dorms. Ward was one of the fancier looking ones but it felt like it was built a long time ago-it wasn't incredibly well kept but it has a lot of class (not literally).
