Steely Dan - Two Against Nature

Two Against Nature — Steely Dan's Grammy winner for Album of the Year!

The brilliance of Steely Dan remastered and reissued by Analogue Productions!

Recorded to a multi-track analog tape, mixed to 24/96 and mastered and cut by Scott Hull at Masterdisk. Hull won a Grammy for the mastering of the original Two Against Nature LP

180-gram 45 RPM double LP pressed by Quality Record Pressings!

Tip-on old style gatefold jacket by Stoughton Printing

“’Everything’ appeared on vinyl in Europe shortly after its release, and Rhino put out a 2LP ‘Two Against Nature’ (with the fourth side blank) for Record Store Day in 2021. I haven’t heard the Euro pressing, but I have the Rhino. The Acoustic Sounds reissue is pressed from the same digital master (by Scott Hull), so its only distinctions are the QRP pressing and 45 RPM speed, but that makes a big difference. Fagen’s voice is clearer, the guitars are pluckier, the horns are brassier, the drums are more eye-blinkingly smacked, and the rhythm is more coherent. The improvement isn’t huge, but it’s obvious. (The improvement over the CD is fairly large.) The Rhino LP package is out of print and sells on Discogs for hundreds of dollars, so the Acoustic Sounds package, at $60, is a relative bargain. Everything Must Go was released on vinyl in Europe, and while it too is better than the CD (I have both), the Analogue Productions reissue, which is mastered by Bernie Grundman, is much better still. Here, too, comparisons are academic, as the Euro LP is out of print and selling for three-digit prices on the secondary markets. Both albums are also among AP’s handsomest productions, with a Tip-on gatefold jacket, lush color reproduction, and dead-quiet 180-gram virgin vinyl. If you missed these albums when they came out, at the start of the century, it’s time to catch up, since the times have caught up with them. There’s never been a better way to do so.” — Fred Kaplan, Revinylization, for Stereophile, September 2022. Order both albums here.

Two Against Nature brought Steely Dan renewed commercial and critical success. Their first studio album after a 20-year hiatus, the album was released on February 29, 2000, and subsequently won four Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year.

The album's nine tracks reveal Steely Dan's signature sound, blending elements of jazz, rock, and R&B. Each showcases the band's instrumental arrangements, clever lyrics and unique vocal stylings. The opening track, "Gaslighting Abbie," sets the tone with its bluesy guitar riffs and sly lyrics, while "What a Shame About Me" features a catchy melody and witty wordplay.

Other standout tracks include "Jack of Speed," a funky groove with a memorable chorus, and "Cousin Dupree," a humorous tale of an infatuated family member. The album's title track, "Two Against Nature," is a jazzy instrumental with intricate keyboard and guitar solos.

At Metacritic.com, which assigns a rating on a scale of 100 to reviews from professional critics, the album drew a "generally favorable" average score of 77, based on 13 reviews.

Lyrically, the album explores themes of love, betrayal, and the human condition, often with a sardonic wit.

Writing in March 2000 for The Village Voice, Robert Christgau applauded the music as an excellent "rock comeback" and a "jumpier and snappier, sourer and trickier and less soothing" iteration of the jazz pop featured on Steely Dan's 1977 album Aja, describing it as "postfunk." Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic appreciated the "sharp humor" in the lyrics, but was especially impressed by the music's "depth and character," as he observed "nearly endless permutations within their signature sound."

Analogue Productions is honored to reissue these Steely Dan albums in a way that best shares the group's unmistakable sound with decades of devoted fans. This reissue is newly remastered by Scott Hull at Masterdisk and cut at 45 RPM.  The dead-quiet double-LP, with the music spread over four sides of vinyl, reduces distortion and high frequency loss as the wider-spaced grooves let your stereo cartridge track more accurately. The result is more sonic punch and more expression is captured. The Quality Record Pressings 180-gram vinyl ensures a virtually silent playing surface.

Founded by core members Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, Steely Dan's popularity rose throughout the late 1970s on, and their seven albums over that period of time blended elements of jazz, rock, funk, R&B, and pop. Steely Dan created a sophisticated, distinctive sound with accessible melodic hooks, complex harmonies and time signatures, and a devotion to the recording studio. Becker and Fagen, with producer Gary Katz, gradually changed Steely Dan from a performing band to a studio project, hiring session musicians to record their compositions. The duo didn't perform live between 1974 and 1993. But their popularity nevertheless grew throughout the '70s as their albums became critical favorites and their singles became staples of Adult Oriented Radio and pop radio stations.

Becker (bass) and Fagen (vocals, keyboards) were the core members of Steely Dan throughout its incarnations. Since reuniting in 1993, Steely Dan has toured steadily and released two albums of new material, the first of which, Two Against Nature (2000) earned a Grammy Award at the 2001 ceremony for Album of the Year as well as three other Grammys: Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Engineered Album — Non-Classical, and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal (for the single "Cousin Dupree"). Commercially, it peaked at No. 6 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and sold more than 1 million copies, earning a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America.

After a brief battle with esophageal cancer, Walter Becker died on September 3, 2017 at the age of 67. Steely Dan has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2001. VH1 ranked Steely Dan at No. 82 on their list of the 100 Greatest Musical Artists of All Time. Rolling Stone ranked them No. 15 on its list of the 20 Greatest Duos of All Time.

Overall, Two Against Nature is a superb album that showcases Steely Dan's unique musical style and masterful songwriting. It's a must-listen for fans of jazz-rock fusion and sophisticated pop music alike.

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

Customer Reviews (5.00 Stars) 12 person(s) rated this product.

Two towards soundstage posted on 04/15/2023 5 Stars Reviewer: Audiotom I have the DVD-A, cd, RSD LP and now AP The European 2000 lp was taken from digital and is an unofficial inferior release. The late Walter Becker even commented to avoid it on their website at the time. Finally we got the RSD which is an incredible pressing - it really breathes and has great tonality. The AP takes that further with more body, microdynamics and air. A stunning release. In this case - buy now without hesitation, do not cry later

Overwhelming Quality! posted on 02/26/2023 5 Stars Reviewer: Larry H. I have loved Steely Dan and vinyl for 50 years now. I have their work on original pressings, audiophile copies from Japan and now this! By far, the best money I've ever spent on vinyl. The care that went into this from the special gatefold jacket to the impeccably quiet vinyl is amazing! The 180g vinyl weight, mastering at 45 rpm and the deep, rich soundstage make it a masterpiece in every way! Buy it before they're gone!

Top Quality in every respect. posted on 01/27/2023 5 Stars Reviewer: Mike The attention to detail really shows. Super quiet grooves, great sound, and even the packaging is beautiful! The disks were nice and flat with perfect centering. Each weighed in at 187 grams. Also worthy of mention is the clarity and detail of the sound as well as the soundstage/panning which is spot-on. As others have noted, worth every cent! Bravo Quality Record Pressings!

Great sounding posted on 09/19/2022 5 Stars Nice quiet dynamic pressing everyone who sells hfi equipment should own for demo purposes highly recommended

One of the best Lp's in my collection posted on 07/21/2022 5 Stars Short review here: This is a wonderful example of Fagen's /Becker's work. If you are a SD fan, you will not be disappointed in the audio quality of this pressing. It is now one of a handful of LP's that I use to showcase my 2 channel stereo rig. If you are a SD fan, this pressing is a must have!

The Dan posted on 07/09/2022 5 Stars I waited for this for a long time. I find myself playing it over and over; few records do that to me. This was done right. Get it before it's gone.

Steely Dan Pristine posted on 07/05/2022 5 Stars Reviewer: Daniel A Martinez I have every Steely Dan album on vinyl. Both regular vinyl releases and Mofi versions. This release has one of the best soundstage on vinyl that I have heard in a long time. It's not overproduced it sounds like your in the same room. This is such a great time to get quality reissues. No cash grab here it's worth every penny. Chad if your listening great job by you and your team. Steely Dan regular releases are always great sounding. This is at a new level. After 4+ decades of collecting I know what sounds good.

It's about the Audiophile masterpiece. posted on 06/23/2022 5 Stars Reviewer: Maximo Lucosi Best album you can buy to try the limits of your expensive rig. Clear and crisp sound with lowers and height in perfect balance. This album will make your room become the Steely Dan studio. Just buy this album, play it, and be happy.

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