Product Description

Steely Dan has not had a new studio album in twenty years--"Two Against Nature" was worth the wait! This concert, recorded live in New York at the Sony Studios, contains new songs as well as classic hits from the minds of Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. Together, they deliver a unique music experience that is truly unforgettable. Songs: Green Earrings, Cousin Dupree, Bad Sneakers, Janie Runaway, Josie, FM, Gaslighting Abbie, Black Friday, Babylon Sisters, Kid Charlemagne, Jack of Speed, Peg, What a Shame About Me, Pretzel Logic.

Full Frame - Color - English - 5.1 Dolby Digital, 5.1 DTS

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9291 in DVD
• Brand: STEELY DAN
• Released on: 2000-06-13
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Dubbed in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 102 minutes

Amazon.com
Having discreetly disbanded at the dawn of the MTV era, the 1970s' most stubbornly faceless pop subversives returned after 19 years with their first new studio album, followed in short order by this stunning long-form video project. Part concert, part documentary, Steely Dan: Two Against Nature offers a savvy cross-section of both old and new material performed by the latest incarnation of the formidable stage bands that founders Walter Becker and Donald Fagen have assembled for the periodic tours unleashed since their early '90s concert reunion. True to form, they preside over immaculately arranged, flawlessly executed performances that confirm the Dan's state-of-the-art standards, then undercut that achievement with devilish audience sound bites and their own faux cable-access interviews, as if to debunk their artistry with a blast of anticelebrity.

For hardcore Dan fans (including this reviewer), Becker and Fagen long ago distanced themselves from rock culture, their music steeped more in '50s jazz and rhythm & blues, and their lyrics pitched to a darker, funnier world-view divorced from youth culture and self-congratulatory rock personae. Fagen, with his close-cropped hair, austere beard, tinted glasses, and prominent incisors resembles a pale, vampiric Ray Charles as he huddles over his keyboards and croons those dangerous lyrics. His partner's longer locks and steel-rimmed glasses reinforce the spectre of a postbop Franz Schubert who's traded clavichords for custom electric guitars--a studious image reinforced by his dry, articulate gibes in the interviews, if undercut by the twisted imagery and shadowy, second-person perspectives pervasive in the band's lyrics (like the music, written by both men, but conspicuously shaped by Becker).

The material hews to the group's later albums recorded after they downsized the band into a de facto studio laboratory and dialed up the jazz accents, with understandable showcases for the sneaky new songs on the Two Against Nature album: sleek, seductive songs about incest, midlife crises, pyromania, designer drugs, and other fun stuff. Sonically, the performances are as meticulously recorded and mixed as the duo's albums, with the performance footage beautifully shot and edited. We'd knock director Earle Sebastian for a few too many tilted camera angles, but then we might have to wait another 19 years for the next one. --Sam Sutherland

Customer Reviews

It Doesn't Get Much Better Than This
If you've scrolled down the page this far, it's obvious that you're a Steely Dan fan and you, therefore, don't require a long-winded biography of this most unique band and its principal founders, Donald Fagan and Walter Becker. You already know they write great songs with memorable hooks, fascinating lyrics, and keen, jazz-influenced harmony. And no doubt you know that their latest studio album, "Two Against Nature," is their first in nearly twenty years.

This extraordinary video concert, taped at Sony Studios in New York this past winter and now available on VHS and DVD, was first presented by PBS Television as an installment of its "In The Spotlight" series. I purchased the DVD and it is remarkable in terms of both the performance and the overall production.

If you've seen the PBS version, be advised that the DVD offers essentially the same program, only with few more interview segments, rehearsal footage and short clips of Becker and Fagan humorously interrogating various friends and band members. It also includes an energetic performance of "FM" edited out during my PBS station's pledge week, perhaps to allow more time to pitch tote bags and umbrellas.

The old songs like "Kid Charlemagne," "Pretzel Logic," and "Babylon Sisters" sound better than ever. And the new material is superb as well. Thankfully, the concert is produced without the usual obligatory special effects that so often make concert videos annoying. It simply looks and sounds great.

While you're waiting for the Steely Dan tour to hit your town this summer, this DVD will have to do it the meantime. And it will do just fine.

Great musicianship and a perfect sound mix make for a winner
After the VH-1 "Storytellers" edition featuring Steely Dan, I honestly didn't have too high hopes for this DVD. "Storytellers" left me wanting for better sound (of course...TV, what could one expect? ), and quite frankly, something that didn't smack of simply "PR" for the new disc. This disc, however, laid all fears to rest. From the opening moments of "Green Earrings", I knew this one was a true winner. This disc features "bang-on" performances from the entire ensemble...no slackers in this crew. Where do they find these guys, anyway? Is there some top-secret underground facility that cultivates and raises top-notch session musicians for Becker and Fagan's private stock? Hmmm..... Sound-wise, there are three choices of mix: Dolby Digital 5.1, which seems to be the most balanced; DTS 5.1, which features far better separation of channels, but typical "overdone" bass; and 2- channel PCM Dolby Stereo. The folks at Digital Theatre Systems (DTS) seem hell-bent on demonstrating the extended headroom DTS is touted to offer over Dolby Digital by trying to blast viewers out of the room with bottom end. While it works wonders for movies such as "Saving Private Ryan", it really is overkill here. The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is well-balanced, and just about as good as it can get for a live performance. Highly recommended for Dan Fans!

Poor video and interviews distract from great performance
Oh, if only they could have separated the interviews! The music portion of the DVD is great but every song is followed by a goofy interview. I found this very distracting. Also, the video footage of the concert is a bit too "modern" for my tastes. Funky camera angles - in one shot the bottom 1/4th of the screen shows the heads of the background singers will the upper 3/4ths of the screen shows the top of the soundstage! Huh? Also, the lighting is distracting. Fagen's face is usually in shadows. Finally, the dts mix was so heavy on subwoofer, the furniture started to move and my dog barked. Dolby 5.1 sounded much better.

In sum, I'm glad I bought since I have everything Steely Dan, but I wish they spent the time to allow an option to watch the concert straight through.