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Two Against Nature
 
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Two Against Nature

~ Steely Dan
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Audio CD (12 Jan 2002)
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Label: Revolution
  • ASIN: B00004LMJL
  • Other Editions: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  DVD Audio  |  MP3 Download
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 58,471 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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1. Gaslighting Abbie
2. What A Shame About Me
3. Two Against Nature
4. Janie Runaway
5. Almost Gothic
6. Jack Of Speed
7. Cousin Dupree
8. Negative Girl
9. West Of Hollywood

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

A half-decade after their concert comeback and a mere 19 years after Gaucho seemingly closed out their recording career, the jazz-pop conceit of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen deliberately dropped back into a recording landscape where they weren't so much seasoned vets as alien ambassadors. Two Against Nature, indeed. The tack is instantly familiar: a musical/lyrical reconciliation of Monk and Newman, with familiar harmonic flourishes, nimble studio chops and an icy, world-class cool, as wilfully insulated from hip-hop and dance as it was from disco and Top 40. Less concerned with melodic hooks than a canny sophistication of mood and manner, Becker and Fagen never let a trite melody get in the way of a good story, whether their protagonists are plotting some nefarious obliquity ("Gaslighting Abby"), Southern-fried incest (the deliciously funky "Cousin DuPree") or bleakly confronting dashed expectations ("What a Shame About Me"). A little more musically languorous perhaps, its trademark cynicism now undercut by hints of sadness and regret, this is nonetheless a Steely Dan album worthy of the name, and like the best of them, one whose subtle charms reveal themselves in surprising ways. --Jerry McCulley END


CD Description

In the 20 years that elapsed since 1980's GAUCHO, Steely Dan linchpins Donald Fagen and Walter Becker have dabbled in solo projects, toured with the Rock & Soul Review, and spent most of the '90s gearing up for the band's long-awaited eighth studio album, TWO AGAINST NATURE. Only nine songs long, TWO AGAINST NATURE is a clear example of quality over quantity. As has been the modus operandi throughout Steely Dan's existence, Fagen and Becker have gathered an impressive backupcrew of jazz players with impeccable chops to season the proceedings.
With both Becker and Fagen hovering around age50, it's not surprising that most of this rich material deals with the uncertainties of middle age. Themes addressed include the complexities of relationships, whether they involve family ("Cousin Dupree"), a toxic significant other ("Negative Girl"), or an old flame met by chance ("What a Shame About Me"). Throughout, Steely Dan manages to successfully straddle the line between the empty calories of light jazz, andthe fusion from which the duo has previously borrowed nuances.

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Customer Reviews

36 Reviews
5 star:
 (17)
4 star:
 (10)
3 star:
 (5)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (4)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (36 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars My Album of the Year, 14 Mar 2000
If I don't buy another CD again this year, I know I've heard the best start to the 21st Century! The music is perfection, and after listening to it for maybe 30 or 40 times, there are still new thrills to tingle the spine,and then bask in the warm glow of knowing the best music today. My stand-out track will have to be Janie Runaway, just as I loved My Rival, I will never tire of hearing the opening beats, and then the langorous, almost lazy intro leading into a story of low-life lust and lechery. My wife doesn't understand me, and the people I work with are bewildered by my enthusiasm, but when you know Steely Dan, you truly know good modern music, and this is the best.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars It started out good....then it got much better!, 13 Oct 2003
Having reviewed "Everything Must Go" and said that I had missed "Two Against Nature", therefore, having a gap in my CD collection, I soon remedied that situation and now have the immense pleasure of reviewing that CD.

Well, for a start, I have given it more stars! It is just brilliant! OK, that's not much of a review, but how can you review brilliance? You can't - you just have to let it wash all over you and love every track! You have to get into it and listen for those quirky lyrics and enjoy the images being conjured up. Did she, after all, tempt him to take a cab back to her hotel in "What a shame about me"? (I am always tempted to sing "Barry is a soft PORN king".) In "Cousin Dupree", what WAS it that exactly turned her off? And just why is the "Negative Girl" meeting a doctor friend uptown? (I have an affinity with "Janie Runaway" - my girlfriend lives in Spain and gets to spend her birthday (today, actually) in Spain every year!)

There have been a few reviewers who have been on a downer on the Dan with these two albums, whether it's the change of personnel causing the music to suffer or the strength of the songs themselves. But why should bands always try to push the boundaries of their genre? They are acknowledged masters of their craft and the music is in no way stagnant or dull and is just as valid as their earlier classics. The Dan have produced two new albums doing what they do best - the jazz/rock riffs, the off-the-wall lyrical hooks and the great musicianship. Don't take it so seriously, just enjoy the music. After all, "it started out good then it got much better"!

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Kinda Gothic (in a funny kind of way), 15 Aug 2002
A stunning return from the masters of razor sharp jazz fusion. I often wonder just how good a Steely Dan album would sound if it were recorded today (amazing as it sounds Can't Buy a Thrill is pushing 30). The answer seems to be that it would sound better than ever. The tight and crisp musicianship is jawdropping. If there was any doubt that finding a replacement for Steve Gadd or "The Skunk" would be a step too far would seem to be dismissed. From the beautiful Almost Gothic to the Witty Cousin Dupree these tracks remind us just how great the Dan really where and still are today. Perhaps there aren't the stand out tracks like Aja and Dirty Work, but Walter and Donald show that they can still produce some of the best and humourous pop around.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad, but not brilliant
Having listened to the excellent 70s and 80s (just) Dan albums, I decided to give this one a try to be more au-fait for a forthcoming gig. Read more
Published 6 months ago by D. Spencer

5.0 out of 5 stars A seducing "must-have"!!!!
This is an excellent album and an outstanding recording. Percussions and drums are incredibly fast and crisp and they should remain so even when reproducing loads of bass... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Albertone74

3.0 out of 5 stars Very contrived affair ....
Like most of the negative reviews here, I really wanted to like this album. I have been a Steely Dan fan for 25 years, so I couldnt wait to get this album. Read more
Published on 1 Jul 2004 by Mr. Leigh A. Cane

5.0 out of 5 stars A 50-minute Slice of Perfection
Forget all the talk about Aja – yes, it‘s a brilliant album – but that was then. Two Against Nature is now (ok, a little while ago) and of course Becker and... Read more
Published on 18 Nov 2003 by G. Don Fielder

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent dvd-a
Excellent DVD Audio disc. Very crisp sound, not too much sound from the surrounds, to keep it subtle. Read more
Published on 9 May 2003 by R. Duncan

1.0 out of 5 stars Give it up, guys!
My first introduction to Steely Dan was through the 1993 "Remastered" CD. I loved it so I was keen to hear more of their music. Read more
Published on 7 Jul 2001

3.0 out of 5 stars Run-of-the-mill Dan
Steely Dan long since gave up springing surprises on us. If you've got Aja, Gaucho and The Kamakiriad in your CD collection, then you'll know what to expect here. Read more
Published on 29 Jun 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars Back and better than ever
How do you add quality to the greatest rock band ever? You put them away and let them mature. It's miracle enough that they're back, but for Fagen and Becker to return with maybe... Read more
Published on 20 Jun 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars Jazz, funk and soul
I couldn't wait to get my hands on this album after seeing the band on a TV documentary and hearing 'Cousin Dupree'. Read more
Published on 29 May 2001

1.0 out of 5 stars Hotel lobby muzak?
Having been a Dan fan since the mid 70's I couldn't wait for this to drop through the post box. So why 1 star? Read more
Published on 2 May 2001

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