Two Against Nature

Untitled

Two Against Nature is an album by Steely Dan, released in 2000. The album won the group four Grammy Awards including Album of the Year, and marked the first major collaboration between Walter Becker and Donald Fagen since the album Gaucho, released 20 years earlier. It has been certified platinum twice in America.

Track listing

All songs written by Becker and 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

Walter Becker - bass, guitar
Donald Fagen - organ, piano, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer, vocals

Tom Barney - bass
Ted Baker - piano, Fender Rhodes
Jon Herington - acoustic guitar, rhythm guitar
Paul Jackson Jr. - guitar
Hugh McCracken - guitar
Dean Parks - guitar
Lawrence Feldman - clarinet, tenor saxophone
Amy Helm - whistle
Michael Hitchcock - trumpet
Michael Leonhart - trumpet, conductor, wurlitzer
Lou Marini - alto saxophone
Chris Potter - alto saxophone, tenor saxophone
Jim Pugh - trombone
Roger Rosenberg - bass clarinet, baritone saxophone
David Tofani - saxophone
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 Schenk - vibraphone
Steve Shapiro - vibraphone
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, Peta 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
Design: Carol Bobolts
Photography: Walter Becker
Copyist: Michael Leonhart

Charts

Chart (2000)	Peak position
The Billboard 200	6
Top Internet Albums	2

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

External links

v t e Steely Dan
Donald Fagen Walter Becker Jeff "Skunk" Baxter Denny Dias Jim Hodder David Palmer Royce Jones Michael McDonald Jeff Porcaro
Studio albums	Can't Buy a Thrill (1972) Countdown to Ecstasy (1973) Pretzel Logic (1974) Katy Lied (1975) The Royal Scam (1976) Aja (1977) Gaucho (1980) Two Against Nature (2000) Everything Must Go (2003)
Live albums	Alive in America (1995) Plush TV Jazz-Rock Party (2000) Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz with Steely Dan (2005) Northeast Corridor (2021)
Singles	"Dallas" "Do It Again" "Reelin' In the Years" "Show Biz Kids" "My Old School" "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" "Pretzel Logic" "Bad Sneakers" "Kid Charlemagne" "Peg" "Deacon Blues" "FM (No Static at All)" "Josie" "Hey Nineteen" "Time Out of Mind" "Cousin Dupree"
Album tracks	"Aja" "Any Major Dude Will Tell You" "Dirty Work"
Compilations	Greatest Hits (1978) Steely Dan (1978) Gold (1982/91) A Decade of Steely Dan (1985) Reelin' In the Years (1985) Do It Again (1987) Citizen Steely Dan (1993) Then and Now (1993) Showbiz Kids (2000) The Definitive Collection (2006) Found Studio Tracks (2007)
Related articles	Discography Gary Katz Members Roger Nichols Yacht rock
Category

v t e Grammy Award for Album of the Year
1950s	The Music from Peter Gunn – Henry Mancini (1958) Come Dance with Me! – Frank Sinatra (1959)
1960s	The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart – Bob Newhart (1960) Judy at Carnegie Hall – Judy Garland (1961) The First Family – Vaughn Meader (1962) The Barbra Streisand Album – Barbra Streisand (1963) Getz/Gilberto – Stan Getz & João Gilberto (1964) September of My Years – Frank Sinatra (1965) A Man and His Music – Frank Sinatra (1966) Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band – The Beatles (1967) By the Time I Get to Phoenix – Glen Campbell (1968) Blood, Sweat & Tears – Blood, Sweat & Tears (1969)
1970s	Bridge over Troubled Water – Simon & Garfunkel (1970) Tapestry – Carole King (1971) The Concert for Bangladesh – George Harrison & Friends (1972) Innervisions – Stevie Wonder (1973) Fulfillingness' First Finale – Stevie Wonder (1974) Still Crazy After All These Years – Paul Simon (1975) Songs in the Key of Life – Stevie Wonder (1976) Rumours – Fleetwood Mac (1977) Saturday Night Fever – Various Artists (1978) 52nd Street – Billy Joel (1979)
1980s	Christopher Cross – Christopher Cross (1980) Double Fantasy – John Lennon & Yoko Ono (1981) Toto IV – Toto (1982) Thriller – Michael Jackson (1983) Can't Slow Down – Lionel Richie (1984) No Jacket Required – Phil Collins (1985) Graceland – Paul Simon (1986) The Joshua Tree – U2 (1987) Faith – George Michael (1988) Nick of Time – Bonnie Raitt (1989)
1990s	Back on the Block – Quincy Jones and Various Artists (1990) Unforgettable... with Love – Natalie Cole (1991) Unplugged – Eric Clapton (1992) The Bodyguard – Whitney Houston (1993) MTV Unplugged – Tony Bennett (1994) Jagged Little Pill – Alanis Morissette (1995) Falling into You – Celine Dion (1996) Time Out of Mind – Bob Dylan (1997) The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill – Lauryn Hill (1998) Supernatural – Santana (1999)
2000s	Two Against Nature – Steely Dan (2000) O Brother, Where Art Thou? – Various Artists (2001) Come Away with Me – Norah Jones (2002) Speakerboxxx/The Love Below – Outkast (2003) Genius Loves Company – Ray Charles & Various Artists (2004) How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb – U2 (2005) Taking the Long Way – Dixie Chicks (2006) River: The Joni Letters – Herbie Hancock (2007) Raising Sand – Robert Plant & Alison Krauss (2008) Fearless – Taylor Swift (2009)
2010s	The Suburbs – Arcade Fire (2010) 21 – Adele (2011) Babel – Mumford & Sons (2012) Random Access Memories – Daft Punk (2013) Morning Phase – Beck (2014) 1989 – Taylor Swift (2015) 25 – Adele (2016) 24K Magic – Bruno Mars (2017) Golden Hour – Kacey Musgraves (2018) When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? – Billie Eilish (2019)
2020s	Folklore – Taylor Swift (2020) We Are – Jon Batiste (2021) Harry's House – Harry Styles (2022) Midnights – Taylor Swift (2023)