But now it’s 20 years later, and I’m washed, and I absolutely love Two Against Nature - not as much as Kid A, sure, but the perversity of Steely Dan winning an Album Of The Year Grammy in 2001 is a perfect choice that ultimately honors the profound perversity of The Dan. At the time, I despised this, because I was 23 years old and therefore didn’t know much of anything about anything. Which of course explained why their comeback LP, Two Against Nature, won Album Of The Year at the 2001 Grammys, beating out young turks like Radiohead and Eminem. In my mind, they were the epitome of smug, laidback, and exceedingly lame boomer music. Like many people who love Steely Dan, I once hated Steely Dan. So, let’s enjoy the Cuervo Gold and the fine Colombian and experience The Dan together! I even once dated a woman who said she was looking for “a Donald Fagen type.” We broke up after only a few months, which tells me I’m more of a Walter Becker.) However, I feel like this list of my 50 favorite Steely Dan songs does make a convincing case for their greatness.
(Though it should be noted that, contrary to some popular opinions, I know many women who love Steely Dan. If that’s the case, I’m sure I’m not the first 43-year-old straight white man to try to talk you into digging The Dan. That’s not revisionism that’s just taking a very long time to “get it.” The whole point of this band is to grab the ear immediately, but not reveal what is actually going on until many listens, and even many decades, later. This was partly a function of how Steely Dan songs work - a spotless veneer of impeccable musicianship and complex music progressions act as a kind of slow release capsule for the humor and perversity that lurks inside.
Best songs off logic mixtapes mac#
It’s just that subsequent generations for decades didn’t seek them out like they did Fleetwood Mac or even The Eagles. They were commercially successful and critically acclaimed. In the ’70s, Steely Dan was widely regarded as one of the top American bands of the era.
Some have claimed that this embrace of The Dan is “revisionism,” but that’s not exactly right. Once the butt of endless “graying ponytail” jokes by insufferable indie dweebs, Steely Dan has somehow become part of the indie dweeb canon, a turn confirmed by numerous indie music sites writing thoughtfully and enthusiastically about the band’s nine studio albums released over the course of 31 years. One of the strangest (and most heartwarming) developments in recent years is the hip-ification of 1970s snarky jazz-rock institution Steely Dan.
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