2001 Steely Dan wins the Grammy for Album of the Year!

[davelamy]

Whether Radiohead should have won this will always be a matter of opinion. But I am sure that as far as comparing SD to all the Bands up for this,none can hold a candle to SD for their songwriting, musicianship and technical ability and perfection strive over many years. Steely Dan are arguably the greatest band ever, as so many critics have concurred.

[killergirbot]

Kid A should have won...And it definitely shouldn't have lost to steely dan. Ew

[MusicThatDoesNotSuck]

@killergirbot I guess they'll have to wait 20 years too, lol

[englishbobful]

Walter forgot that Stevie is blind 1:15

[levanyzzuf]

RIP Roger Nichols.

[jasonrosenbaum]

This was arguably the worst decision in Grammy history. You cannot possibly make an argument that Two Against Nature was better than Kid A or The Marshall Mathers LP. It wasn't even better than Midnite Vultures! This is the day the Grammys lost all credibility.

[minamu8]

Should have been Radiohead.

[alexhirschmusic]

Steely Dan is the truth!

[pretorious700]

awards for music? wtf? I don't get it. taste is too subjective, and the genres are way too different. it's like the 100 yard dash between people, elephants, and a sea snail. stupid.

[retrop75]

Two Against Nature will stand the test of time. Eminem is already a mere afterthought

[shellybellysf]

Once more..Stevie is one of the best harpists around son.

[shellybellysf]

Jamesbeard..agreed and well said.

[jamesbeard]

I always felt that this was kind of a legacy award, as much in recognition of the Grammys they should've won during the peak of their career (Aja, anyone?) as it was for Two Against Nature. Bit like giving Scorsese an Oscar for 'The Departed', having ignored classics like Raging Bull, Goodfellas or Taxi Driver. They were making amends whilst the band was still together ...

[pretorious700]

@jamesbeard probably true, I mean if Aja didn't win the award that year, wtf is the point of the whole exercise?

[alexhirschmusic]

@pretorious700 Aja was too good for award shows. They had to actually bring their music down to Earth a little just to win with 2 against nature. Aja might be the greatest album of all time next to the B side of Abbey Road.

[minamu8]

@jamesbeard Well said.

[HaterAssasin]

i hate this album of the year grammy more than anything, except maybe 2011

[CharlieSidewalk]

The complaint at the time was that Eminem's record was too controversial to reward it with "Album of the Year". The hilarious irony is that Steely's album opens with a song about a man and his mistress plotting to "gaslight" his wife to the point of insanity, then delves into songs about depression, drugs addicts, pedophilia and incest. Eminem is a shockingly gifted lyricist and artist, but Steely Dan just did it better. More subtlety, better grooves (and they produce their own songs, to boot).

[tdwp4life]

the fact that eminem didnt win shows how dumb the grammys actually are

[littlequacka]

@tdwp4life - you're obviously transfixed on the Show Biz Kid. You'll get over it.

[MrPetrolekas]

@tdwp4life You can't be fucking serious.

[jasonv1222]

LIKE A BOSS

[PalmPistol]

This exemplifies why becker and fagen are two of the baddest motherfuckers to ever live...they just won one of the most prestigious awards in music and couldn't give less of a shit!

[wendileona]

I remember, laughing in my sofa ... at Emimems. Ha! HAAA!

- Gary

[nitman3]

@shumey7 Calm down. You can't compare a rap album to a rock n' roll album or an album from any other musical genre. The Marshall Mathers Lp is arguably the greatest rap album of all time, thus making it one of the greatest albums of all time in any genre.

[mezzetin1]

@nitman3

not really.

[kevinherbert]

The gr8est contemporary songwriters of our time...thanx to Walt & Don..from a gr8ful global audience...

[rhcprh]

Love this album. Still think Kid A was the best by far but if not that then this one was definitely a great one also

[finnthehuman85]

@rhcprh heck yeah. I totally agree. 

[mezzetin1]

@rhcprh

r-head sux. it's a fact.

[nitman3]

@shumey7 no, the marshall mathers lp was one of the greatest albums of all time. it deserved it. the content and lyricsm in the album is untouchable. and steely dan wins? :S

[mezzetin1]

@nitman3

yep.

[dekken231]

i dont hate rap at all, but em wasnt robbed at all. Two Against Nature is one of the greatest albums of all time for me.

[thatboyhov]

sick nominees

[nitman3]

EMINEM was robbed.

[TheKidstarj]

@nitman3  No he wasn't....this is one of my favorite Grammy moments who comes back after 20 years and wins for best album!!.. incredible!....that was for all the hard work they put in and it was a great album! at least EM was listed in Rolling Stone as one of the 100 greatest artists of all time and Steely Dan wasn't!! what a fuckin tragedy!!

[mezzetin1]

@TheKidstarj

wow, rolling stone? really? gosh, go figure.

[littlequacka]

@nitman3 - thank GOD!

[StelyDn]

I watched this as it happend, and I was like...

O_o What?????

[BurntLeftovers]

wait was eminem praying when they showed him? lol...

[Da2sDayMassacre]

The Marshall Mathers LP by Eminem shits on their album. Nowadays, who's Steely Dan?

[fastcomet]

@Da2sDayMassacre he thinks eminem is music hahaha

[TheKidstarj]

@Da2sDayMassacre Does it really ???...it may not be for you but I think Two Against Nature shits on EM's LP...EVEN WITH DRE BEATS!!! ...and Im an MC/Producer from Los Angeles...imagine that!!!

[Da2sDayMassacre]

@TheKidstarj You're retarded. MMLP only has around 5 Dre beats. Eminem got robbed.

[stevemesaros]

this should have went to Radiohead or Eminem , without a doubt

[TheKidstarj]

@stevemesaros your wrong too!! For once they got it right ..no one will ever do that again..come back after 20 years to do that! Amazing!!

[KMatteKudasaiC]

So any lip readers know what fagen said to stevie? i worship you? You are the most talented person to ever live? Probably something along those lines :)

[fugueoflife]

@KMatteKudasaiC There was a story about this that I read. He said to Stevie something along the lines of "I was working on that song about you, or that you gave me, and I just never got around to finishing it!"... and then Stevie said "whatever!" LOL.

[123suckamc]

@KMatteKudasaiC Stevland isn't in Fagen's league in any category (except singing, of course).

[123suckamc]

@KMatteKudasaiC Miles Davis would never have called out Fagen for writing shallow junk the way he did to Stevie.

[ikkfu]

What song is that playing when they walk up to collect the award?

[fugueoflife]

@ikkfu Gaslighting Abbie

[ikkfu]

@fugueoflife Cheers!

[kevinherbert]

They did....they REALLLLLLY deserved it.....

[bradco6]

The fact that someone can later win Grammys for sampling music off of other people is a sad reflection of the music industry.

[KwameNewton]

@bradco6 Sampling is no different than Steely Dan using a bossa bassline for Rikki Don't Lose That Number—it's not like they copied an entire song.

[bradco6]

@KwameNewton At first I was going to argue against your statement, but realized that no matter how brilliant my argument could possibly be, you would still not get it. The only thing I can suggest is that you learn how to play an instrument and study musicians who play that instrument.

[KwameNewton]

@bradco6 I actually do play an instrument (saxophone) and fully understand the amount of practice, hard work, and skill it takes. Having said that, playing a bossa bassline takes about as much skill as sampling (which is not always just cut/paste, mind you), and can contribute to a great work of music, if used correctly. Would you argue against a Grammy award for a blues album?

[TheKidstarj]

@bradco6 "Look at the big brain on Brad"....No there is creative sampling out there..and sampling is not the problem..its the industry signing lots of garbage!

[fugueoflife]

@brandonhytr Teehee ;-)

[digga2k6]

@brandonhytr I wish I can agree with you.......but can't. I am a big Em fan as well as SD. But overall the fact of the matter remains that even with a 20 year hiatus SD was still on top of the craft they left off with on the "Gaucho" album.

[bradco6]

@digga2k6 I could not imagine Em taking a 20+ hiatus and still be relevant.

[bigfootdean1]

@bradco6 Is he even relevant now? Eminem makes music for the moment (as do most pop/hip-hop artists). Steely Dan makes timeless music. Think of Steely Dan in the same way you think of Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, etc. They will remain relevant well beyond their lifetime. Every Steely Dan album is the best album of the year any year it is released.

[bradco6]

@bigfootdean1 Maybe Em could sample a Steely Dan song and win a Grammy for creative sampling.

[Andy1000K]

@bradco6 Great comment!

[bradco6]

@bigfootdean1 I actually do think of Steely Dan in the same light as Cole Porter and Duke Ellington. I recall Becker and Fagen in an interview stating that they always wanted to attain in their own music the same musical complexity Ellington achieved in his compositions.

[mezzetin1]

@bradco6

no one can.

[jlt4926]

@brandonhytr who's Eminem? I only listen to good music, like Steely Dan.

[dobbsgeorge]

meh.

[KMatteKudasaiC]

@brandonhytr Do you have ANY idea who steely dan are? they rape modern music

[KwameNewton]

@KMatteKudasaiC I think that was sarcasm

[SOB90]

@brandonhytr hahahahahhaa AND YOU MUST BE THE MOST IDIOT PERSON I HAVE EVER HEARD IN MY LIFE""" fuck you rapper piece of shit AND CLEAN YOUR FUCKING EARS they dont seem to be working for you, learn someting about music too ASSHOLE!!

[steveviscious89]

This has been the only justice done in the music business. Good grief people.....putting Steely Dan in the same category as Eminem is just sickening. I'm glad they cleaned everyone's clock. And yes, as far as musical facility goes, it IS their best work. If you actually listen to the tracks you would know this.

[Moosethrill]

@steveviscious89

Your probably one of those people that hates rap music. Shutting out a well respected genre like rap is only gonna make people laugh at you.

[mezzetin1]

@Moosethrill

perhaps not.

[digga2k6]

I was shocked when they won. I had purchased every album that was up for album of the year that year when they annonced the nominees. What made it so much of a shock was the fact that Walter & Donald came off a 20 year break and did not seem to miss a beat. But keeping it real, it was not their most celebrated album. As a matter of fact I see it as a low point with high memories

[gibsondg335]

jeez, it looked like they didnt even give a shit

[fugueoflife]

@gibsondg335 Haha they often give that impression. In the Taxicab confessions dvd (in the Everything must go bonus package), they said they were stunned at winning, so it might have been more shock than anything.

[DarthClam]

@fugueoflife hah they were stunned at winning! Im not surprised... I mean let's be honest guys, it was their worst album lol... i should find that dvd, seems interesting

[fugueoflife]

@DarthClam I suspect it was more likely the people they were up against, and how hard it might be to win, considering their popularity. I for one, am glad they won! :D

[DarthClam]

@fugueoflife right, me too (just since I don't care much for the competition)

[littlequacka]

@gibsondg335 - They're just as cool as dude. As cool as.