Steely Dan: Two Against Nature

When Steely Dan swept the 2001 Grammys with Two Against Nature, beating Eminem, Radiohead, and Beck for Album of the Year, it sparked outrage among younger listeners who saw it as the "revenge of the boomers." Two decades later, this Analogue Productions reissue proves the Grammy voters might have been onto something after all.

The Album That Defied All Odds

Released February 29, 2000, Two Against Nature was Walter Becker and Donald Fagen's first studio album in 20 years—a comeback so improbable it bordered on miraculous. After personal struggles, substance abuse, and a lengthy hiatus that saw Becker farming avocados in Hawaii, few expected the duo to recapture their sophisticated jazz-rock magic.

Yet Two Against Nature sounded like they'd never left. The album peaked at number six on the Billboard 200, earned platinum certification, and delivered what Robert Christgau called an "excellent rock comeback"—a "jumpier and snappier, sourer and trickier" evolution of their signature sound. Most importantly, it proved Steely Dan's album-oriented approach could still thrive in the Napster era, when the very concept of cohesive LPs seemed endangered.

Scott Hull's Grammy-Winning Touch

This Analogue Productions pressing benefits from Scott Hull's mastering expertise at Masterdisk—work that earned him a Grammy for Best Engineered Album. Hull, who started as Bob Ludwig's assistant in 1984 and has mastered everything from John Mayer's *Room For Squares* to countless vinyl reissues, brings decades of experience to both digital and analog domains.

Recorded to analog tape and mixed to 24/96 before Hull's mastering, the source material showcases Steely Dan's legendary studio perfectionism. 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. Hull's original mastering remains unchanged—a wise decision given its Grammy recognition.

Sonic Excellence That Justifies the Hype

The sound quality is excellent as you might expect from Analogue Productions, and the album is a stunner. Pressed at Quality Record Pressings on 180g vinyl and housed in a tip-on gatefold by Stoughton, every aspect screams premium quality. Zero noise floor. Dynamic and punchy mastering. Bass, drums and instruments all perfect and vocals are stunning.

Compared to the 2021 Record Store Day pressing, this 45 RPM edition delivers tangible improvements. The AP 45 does it - The sound stage is more expansive in all directions, deeper, and the sounds have more weight and extension. If the RSD was a 10, this is an 11. 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 particularly benefits complex arrangements like "Gaslighting Abbie" and "Jack of Speed," where Steely Dan's intricate layering of jazz harmonies, rock rhythms, and pristine production finally breathes with full dynamic range.

Steely Dan's Enduring Sophistication

Two Against Nature represents Steely Dan at their most refined—songs that blend jazz complexity with accessible melodies, wrapped in production that borders on obsessive. Tracks like "Cousin Dupree" (which earned them a Grammy for Best Pop Performance) and "What a Shame About Me" showcase their gift for crafting character studies that are simultaneously cynical and deeply human.

The album's themes—middle-aged men grappling with desire, disappointment, and self-awareness—might have seemed irrelevant to the TRL generation, but time has validated its emotional honesty. Unlike many comeback albums that feel like pale imitations, *Two Against Nature* expanded Steely Dan's palette while maintaining their essential identity.

The Vinyl Verdict

This is Steely Dan's most well-engineered recording, followed by Gaucho. An essential audiophile release. Period. At approximately 4,000 units pressed, this Analogue Productions edition represents the definitive version of a historically significant album.

For Steely Dan completists, this pressing is mandatory. For audiophiles seeking demonstration-quality material, Two Against Nature delivers sophisticated musicianship in pristine fidelity. And for anyone who dismissed this album due to Grammy controversy, it's time to reassess. Sometimes, I'll be it rarely, the establishment gets it right. 💰

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