Steely Dan’S Sequel 20 Years In The Making Legendary 1970S Rock Group Brings Signature Jazz-Rock Sound To The Gorge This Weekend
Good thing Walter Becker and Donald Fagen didn’t become journalists.
The whole notion of deadlines appears lost on them.
It has taken the duo behind Steely Dan 20 years to release their latest studio album, “Two Against Nature.”
The CD neatly picks up where 1980’s “Gaucho” left off, with the same cryptic lyrics and horn-infused jazz-rock melodies.
The nine tracks are even built with snippets of words and music written by Becker and Fagen years ago.
“After a couple of seasons of touring, we wanted to have new songs that we could play onstage,” Becker told USA Today earlier this year. “So we decided we’d make a new album so that we could feel like we were doing more than just reliving the glory of the ‘70s.”
The two launched their career in 1972 with “Can’t Buy a Thrill” after meeting at Bard College in upstate New York in the late ‘60s. That first record contained one of Steely Dan’s biggest hits, “Reelin’ In the Years.”
Since then, they’ve sold some 11 million albums and have had hit singles with “Rikki Don’t Lose that Number,” “Time Out of Mind” and “Hey Nineteen.”
Fed up with all the things that come with life on the road, Steely Dan stopped touring in 1974, at the height of their popular success. They went back on the road in the mid-90s.
“We discovered to our great surprise that we had a lot of fun touring,” Becker told Billboard in January. “Everything was different. We had a great band, a great sound, and the logistics of touring had been perfected in every way to a much higher degree than in the ‘70s … And we were making money, as opposed to losing money, like we did back then.”
On this tour, they’ll cross paths with performers young enough to be their kids: Britney Spears, Korn, Christina Aguilera.
“The easiest thing would probably be for the new Santana fans to just come over and check us out when they get tired of the Santana record,” Becker said in USA Today.
Added Fagen: “For anyone who’s disenchanted with the object of their fandom, we actually have a halfway house that you can go to. You can make a transition over to our camp.”
This sidebar appeared with the story: IF YOU GO Gorge open house
The Gorge will host an open house from 2-5 p.m. Sunday to show off its renovated campground. House of Blues Concerts, which owns the Gorge, spent more than $2 million remodeling the campground. The open house will feature free music, refreshments, door prizes and games.
Steely Dan
When, where: 8 p.m. Saturday at The Gorge Amphitheater
Tickets: $35-$78.75, available through Ticketmaster