Two Against Nature

Their concerts featured faithful recreations of their classic recordings while allowing room for extended solos and jazz improvisation.

In the year 2000, Steely Dan released Two Against Nature, their first studio album in 20 years.

The album won Grammy Award for Album of the Year, defeating several high-profile competitors.

It was an unexpected triumph and demonstrated that Becker and Fagan had lost none of their musical touch.

And also a couple of Becker solo albums as well, interestingly enough.

But when Dan reformed with Two Against Nature and then what turned out to be their final album, Everything Must Go, those two albums...

in my head, feel closer to sort of extensions of The Nightfly than they do extensions of Gaucho.

So weirdly, the sort of solo Fagin, or this album, is a sort of stepping stone to Steely Dan's Return, with two albums which are both very good, there's no doubt about it.

So yeah, so been busy doing that kind of stuff.

And obviously, recording with the group with Jeff Lorber and Everett Harp, Jazz Funk Soul.

Right.

And we just have a new single, actually the title track from the new CD.

And did you record it at George Duke, that home studio I saw? I saw he had just built it.

Recorded there a lot.

In fact, that's pretty much, except for a few occasions, that's where I did all my recording with George, at his house, home studio, yeah.

Well, we alluded to you being one of the most recorded guitarists, your own projects, and studio work with hit upon hit.

Don't-I think you're absolutely correct to emphasize the continuity, uh, of the music throughout their career.

You're right about the fact that even from Can't Buy a Thrill or Countdown to Ecstasy, all the way to Gaucho, or even Two Against Nature, it's still Steely Dan.

But of course, why, why is there such continuity? 'Cause it actually answers your other question, what is a band? Well, what was Steely Dan? At its essence, it's always just been Becker and Fagen.

And in fact, the way it, it became more than just Becker and Fagen i- is part of Steely Dan's story, and it's such a Steely Dan kind of a thing to happen itself that we have to, have to get to that.

I've listened to once.

It's not really important.

What really matters is they finally decide, "Hey, let's, um, let's just get together and finally put some new songs down on tape in the studio." They tried once and it fell apart, but they finally got it with 2000s, um, Two Against Nature, and I don't know what you guys think about these, these last two albums that represent the coda of Steely Dan's career.

I've never much loved them, and I'll tell you what, Two Against Nature is nice.