The Nightfly

So fucking boring. Great album cover, though.

Great album, transporting me straight back to early 80s

From start to finish, this album doesn't have a misplaced note. Amazing album.

“Wow this guy sounds a lot like Steely Dan” *Googles Steely Dan* “Oh, that would be why”

One of Fagen's best solo albums, and my favorite.

Steely Dan without Walter Becker. And that is okay. In fact it is pretty darn good. 3.7 rounded up. Thankful its a break, at least for a day from Brit pop electronica. Phew.

Where's the fingerless gloves Fagan? No ideas here. 80s so I'm guessing soft rock/singer with world music influences. ------------------------------------------------------ Music constructed and constricted by a strive for perfection that is clinical and soulless. It's soft jazz of the kind you'd hear on hold across the land with the nauseating vocal harmonies of the era. It's not technically bad - actually that's the problem. There's no nuance, no ugly, no edge and no character. It just keeps getting worse and worse as it goes on. Think this is the first album I'm not even going to commit a song to the playlist. The neutral carpet of music. 1* (0)

On my first listen to Donald Fagen’s The Nightfly, I thought it was okay, maybe even quite good, but I couldn’t really work out why. So I gave it another listen to try and form a proper opinion. There’s no doubt this is a well-made album. In fact, it might be a little too well made for me. Everything is incredibly polished and slick, but there’s absolutely nothing raw about it. It feels overproduced and almost too clean, as though it’s trying to appeal to everyone without ever really landing with me. It gives me the same sort of feeling I get from modern Coldplay. Technically there’s very little wrong with it, but it all feels a bit safe and generic. I’m also not a massive fan of mixing jazz with polished pop like this. Rather than making the music more interesting, for me it gives the album a sound that has dated quite quickly. There are nice melodies and some excellent musicianship, but very little that makes me want to come back for another listen. That said, I didn’t dislike The Nightfly. It’s perfectly enjoyable while it’s playing and there isn’t a bad song here. I can understand why people love it, but it’s just a little too polished and clinical for my tastes. Favourite track: “New Frontier” was probably the track that stood out most for me. Least favourite track: Nothing was horrible. Every track was worth a listen, even if nothing really blew me away. Album artwork: Cool album cover. Simple, stylish and probably more memorable to me than the music.

me gustó, 7/10 quizás 8

Somehow half of Steely Dan got all of his most underwhelming talents onto this list.

This was perfectly fine. I don’t have strong opinions on this

Hmm Steely Dan this is not

As a kid in the late 70s, early 80s, my dad would bring us on a Sunday drive to visit relatives. Casey Kasem American Top 40 would always be on the radio. Weirdly, it never seemed to have the same songs that you'd see on Top Of The Pops.You'd get some of course, but a lot seemed to me for grown ups. They had no spark, no glamour. And it wasn't old time music like Elvis or Bill Hailey ether, becauseneven though you knew that stuff was a 100 years old, it still had energy that made you want to move. No, this was music with all the vividness and life sucked out. Donald Fagan, stuck me as one of the architects of ripping fun out of music and I avoided him and his ilk ever since. I was looking forward to having my eyes and ears opened to what so many people fuss about. And we are off to a promising start with the opener IGY. Yes, it sounds a little tepid but now I appreciate it a little more, maybe because it sounds familiar. In it's lite reggae shuffle, I can elements for the template of Bowie's Tonight albums. This could be interesting and I'm feeling positive. Green Flower Street is fucking awful. That asthmatic keyboard sound and lame 'funky' sounds. Ruby Baby is an improvement but the only in the way the song holds the note at the end of the chorus, beyond that, nada. As it plays on, particularly during the instrumental breaks, the penny suddenly drops - this is soundtrack music for cop shows! And maybe it sounds okay watching a semi speeding muscle car crashing through some empty cardboard boxes; in isolation, it feels like being waterboarded with wet cardboard. New Frontier at least has a pulse. But sadly, those same awful vocals - like The Beach Boys without balls. Yeah, * said it, balls. By the title song, I am begging it is the end or at least being able to adjust the speed to give it a little kick. The Goodbye Look plays the now disappointing trick of starting the song with something at least a little instrumental interesting before it all sinks into the same smooth quagmire. The last song has a weird cheerleader part presumably to wake people up. That was fucking awful. I listen to the Suicide album last week and it struck me how divisive that record could be. I see this record as the same. The difference being I loved Suicide! This? I cannot understand how anyone would listen to this for pleasure. It offends me that I gave to give it one star on the app it is the worst yet

4 - great album

Absolute fucking drivel. If this album was a food it would be a slice of dry white bread.

Everything from shit to fuckin' shit

Boring

Familiar voice. MOR and a bit too safe for me.

More Lionel Richie than Stevie Wonder - it sounds painfully 80-s for a lot of the album

Was really enjoying until nearer the end where it fell of for me slightly. Funny discovering it’s one of the fuckers from Steely Dan!! Album cover is also fantastic

I did not recognize any of the song titles, but listening I definitely remember "I.G.Y." and "New Frontier" from the radio growing up. Is this considered Yacht Rock? It sounds like it should be. I was never a huge Steely Dan guy, but I like this.

Ranking of best to worst. 1. The Goodbye Look - 6.5/10 2. Maxine - 6/10 3. Walk Between Raindrops - 5.5/10 4. Ruby Baby - 5.5/10 5. (Tie) Green Flower Street The Nightfly I.G.Y - 4.5/10 6. New Frontier - 4/10 6.

vlt top 5 ever. eeeever. so insaaane guet. i.g.y. isch worschinli de poppigst song wo de fagen je gmacht het und trotzdem ischer so komplex und s arrangement isch insane. de BASS d blöser de choooooor. und so viel zynismus haha. eternally free and eternally young UUUH ich bin so nöd objektiv ich wür etz scho es sechsi geh. green flower street isch afoch immer liisliger als IGY haha. aber the town it's murder out in the street. ich lieb die strophe wo afoch es shaky keys/giti solo isch. und de schluss haha. jaaaa ich lieb ruby baby de grooove d chords what?? und es isch es leiber/stoller cover? so fun. de gitarresooounndd. maxiiiine die gabze harmoniiiies i love itt. isch bew frontier de best song? vilicht? de synthi didi didi didi. die klavierline am aafang. de GITARRESOUND ALTE. die line mit make up my mind and study overseas unterbroche vo "do you have a steady boyfriend" findi sooo funny. s isch sone gueti karikatur vomne arrogante arschlochstudent. ich lieb de larry carlton uf dem fuuuuck me. ich find the mightfly de best song. fix. d akkööööörd mann und de verbitteret text zs de sicht vomne scheiss radiomoderator hahaha. und s soooolo. goodbye look isch au suuper lyrisch und alles. so guet. walk between raindrops isch e 80er version vomne 50er johr song obwohler neu gschriebe isch irgendwie. afoch herzig eigentli.

mmmhh igy isch en geile start zumene album! de synthi ide bridge(?) isch huere cool, het tönt wie wenner hinderschii abgspielt wür werde? wemmers weiss ghörtmer scho au d steely dan vergangeheit findi hahaha de "ruby ruuuuby ruuuby babyyy"-teil ischmer jz doch echli lang gange allgemein ischsmer echli zu gradlinig falls das sinn macht? sicher au weg de drum machine walk between raindrops het öppis ufgstellts (und ich lieb de titel iwie hahah) achh ich weiss nöd recht. eig na villes hetmer gfalle, de jazz-ihfluss isch hot aber es isch au so schnell ah mier verbii. glaub wird es guets 3, sorry luca igy slappt uf jede fall ALSOOO GUET ICH LOSES NOMAL okay es isch scho sehr cool. ich glaub wills rhythmisch nöd unglaublich villsiitig isch schalt ich ener schnell ab, das problem hani bi steely dan ja auchli gha. aber es 4i isches.

Milquetoast elevator music. Literally nothing for me here.

This is just watered down Steely Dan.

I really like the synths on tracks like New Frontier and I.G.Y. Some of the jazzier stuff is a little slow for me. The title track is great.

I’ve never understood those who go gaga over Steely Dan/Donald Fagan (there is no discernible difference between them). It’s smooth jazz for vanilla people who pretentiously pretend they know music. I don’t hate it……but it’s not music I’ve ever chosen to listen to.

A+ production quality! There's just no punch to it. Yacht Rock is apt...

Reminded me a bit of Billy Joel

Cool jazzy vibe Some songs I liked more than others

Oh boy! This is not it, Deceiving album cover…there is nothing cool about this.

What in the WHAT? This album is the cheesiest thing I’ve heard in a long time. The first song, “IGY,” is ok in a LITE-FM kind of way. But I liked it better when Huey Lewis copied it and made “Stuck With You.” That’s about the only positive thing I have to say about this album. Oh and the title song is so bad it made me laugh out loud. I guess that could be a positive, at the end of a long day.

Будто поплавал в густом фиолетовом киселе

звучит даже хорошо, вайб приятный, но переслушивать вряд ли буду - 3.5 вопросов, почему этот альбом в этом списке - нет, как раз за таким и слушаю этот список

When artists leave a popular band to pursue a solo project don't they usually try something different? These songs are smarmy, saccharine, overly earnest and absolutely immaculate. I agree with everything the haters say but somehow come to the opposite conclusion. This album rules.

*1982. *I wasn't aware Donald Fagen (of Steely Dan) had a solo career. *This just sounds like a B-Side Steely Dan album - kind of jazzy bordering on adult contemporary. *Totally fine yacht rock, but nothing particularly striking. RATING - 6.5/10

Woah, the dark sarcasm.

Shouldn’ta gone solo

arrancó bien pero se fue desinflando, me gusto la vibe

I was listening to Sun Ra (so actual real jazz) right before I refreshed and got this album. I’ve never listened to much Steely Dan but some people really love them and they seem jazz adjacent, so I thought maybe this could turn out to be a pleasant surprise. No. It’s not good. It’s like smooth jazz mixed with some bad 80s pop. I couldn’t wait for this to end so I could go back to listening to Sun Ra again

Sounds like Steely Dan but not as good

Great cruising music ….

Awful

kinda one step away from muzac

Donald Fagen in the 80s just isn’t as fun as Steely Dan in the 70s.

An insomniac.

There were times that I was completely put off by the easy listening jazzy feel, but the attention to songwriting detail always pulled me back. There are some really cool touches on this album and the dedication to recording digitally before digital was a thing is amazing. Might be a 3.5 for me, but bumping.

I.G.Y. (What a Beautiful World)

All songs are kinda the same but admittedly this is a very nicely produced 80s pop album, very charming

The record sounds gorgeous with beautiful crystal clean production however what is also lacks is any memorable songs. It's basically background music for wine bars and restaurants. Nothing too exciting or offensive.

This is just Steely Dan. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I'd rather just listen to Steely Dan. Favorite Songs: I.G.Y

So dull

I vote no more Steely Dan or Steely Dan-adjacent albums.

Really didn't like this.

Aburrido

Nope.

Horrible music.

Bland, twee and boring. Good musicianship but didn't like the content of the songs at all. Heard it before? ❌ Listen again? ❌ Rating out of ten? 1️⃣

I counted up the number of Steely Dan albums that I'd need to ensure and was disappointed, then I discovered the hidden levels and was distraught. Don't bother with this triple, it's pointless, dated, and has no value in today's world.

It’s pop, it’s pop, no argument here.

If you asked my father, "Stones or Beatles?", he would have said Pink Floyd. If you asked him "Zeppelin or The Who?", he would have said Steely Dan. While not my particular cup of tea, the clean production and mellow sounds of Fagen/Steely Dan/the yacht rock era shines through on this record. While I prefer the duo of Fagen and Becker.

I feel fully validated in my early decision to never listen to Steely Dan.

The one Steely Dan album I listened to before in my original project was good so I was surprised how bad this was. Extremely bland, uninspired and deeply uncool.

To be bluntly honest I was never in awe of Steely Dan or thus Donald Fagen. At least not at the time. You see “back then” there were Titans of music. But between then and now music has gotten so incredibly bad that the greatness of this is clear by comparison. It’ll never go into my daily rotation so I can’t justify a 5, even though compared to 90% of this list it probably deserves a 10.

While there are some instances of great writing, this is just way too polished for my taste, bordering on sterile. I enjoy a couple of Steely Dan albums, but the style doesn't work for me as much here. A couple of great instrumental bits do stand out and I can honestly enjoy the production on some of the better tracks here, but I didn't care of it most of the time, particularly on weak tracks like Maxine. Favourite track: New Frontier

Released in 1982, this is his first solo album. It's categorized as jazz sophisti-pop and (as Steely Dan) is synonymous with yacht rock. The sound of the music and vibe is instantly recognizable with the keyboards, horns, subtle but great guitar work and vocals. Donald Fagan doesn't have a "good" voice but its recognizable. I like the way the almost conversational lyrics are delivered. It's easy to listen to but some songs do start sounding similar to others. Top songs I.G.A. Ruby Baby New Frontier The Nightfly

Красивая музыка для ресторана

Sounds very like Steely Dan.

Every early 80s post punk or UK pop record is met with a chorus of bleats from Americans on here about it hurting their ears or being obscure. But America, if this is the best of the dross you were serving up what do you expect?

Reminds me of the old guideline for crafting a public speech: Tell them what you’re going tell them; tell them; tell them what you told them. I’m going to hate listening to this; I hate listening to this; I hated listening to this.

Tracks longer than 3:59: Too many Long tracks interesting or special: Not Really Album shorter than 58 minutes: Yes Will listen to again: Not really Overall: Sounds like a standard Steely Dan Album. I’m not a Steely hater, so that is not a problem in and of itself, but aside from the song I already knew, nothing stood out.

The first solo record after Steely Dan went on hiatus makes the case immediately and completely — "I.G.Y." opening with one of the most perfectly constructed pop songs of the decade, the optimistic 1957 vision of the future delivered with just enough irony to make it bittersweet rather than naive. The International Geophysical Year as a prism for lost American innocence is exactly the kind of concept that Fagen's sensibility makes feel inevitable rather than precious. The production is immaculate — one of the first major releases mixed digitally, the clarity still remarkable four decades later. Chuck Rainey's bass and Steve Jordan's drums anchor everything with the same precision that made the Steely Dan sessions definitive, the cast of elite session musicians giving Fagen exactly the sonic world he heard in his head. The jazz harmonics and studio perfectionism that defined Aja and Can't Buy a Thrill are fully present without Becker as co-pilot, which answers the question of where the primary creative force resided. "New Frontier" carries the nostalgic sci-fi optimism forward with a backbeat that earns it completely. The title track closes the record as a meditation on late night jazz radio and the specific American cultural moment that formed Fagen's musical imagination — which is the whole record's subject made explicit in its final minutes. Both Aja and Can't Buy a Thrill earned fives in this project. The Nightfly joins them without deliberation — Fagen alone doing what Fagen and Becker did together, which is the highest possible solo statement.

groovy

I hate Steely Dan and I hate this too.

Yacht rock at its finest.

Clav with no funk?!

This is like a tease of some Steely Dan album that isn't complete and needs something, but you can't figure out what that something is, so you just release it anyway. I think that thing is Walter.

Another musical blindspot! I'd heard the name Donald Fagen but didn't know he was in Steely Dan whoops!The word that kept coming to mind is groovy. It sounds very 80s but also very fresh for the time. I love the homages to radio DJs

Very cool. I can't believe it took me a couple of tracks to figure out it's the steely dan guy! He's so distinctive. This feels like a steely dan record but I guess the lower reliance on guitars makes things feel a bit more chill and a little bit more soulful and slightly jazzy. The lyrics are vertical much his style too and I'm not crazy about them in parts. It's all really good though!

Very cool album cover, very mid yacht rock album.

I’m a bit of a Steely Dan defender, but I gotta say sorry, Don, I don’t love your solo album. Man this is cheesy. Polished to the point of having no edge or verve at all. It’s like waiting room music that refuses to fall to the background. The craftsmanship is unquestionable, but that is not enough for me.

That was some goofy fun pop.

ok

not for me

Descubrí a Steely Dan con esta página, y de la mano va este tipo. Un estilo parecido y muy muy agradable de escuchar.

Generøs 2’er. Lyder som det absolut værste steely Dan album

Synes faktisk den her var ret lækker. Silky smooth. Kun lidt kedelig.

Electronic marimbas are the devils creation

5.5/10

Listening to this was like eating the blandest oatmeal. Oh, is that a chocolate chip? Nope, raisin. Yuck.

это еще один альбом стили дэна со второго прослушивания не получилось отделить его от коллектива возможно стоит переслушать как раз с этой точки зречния, чем он так хорош будучи сольным автором 3

I enjoy Donald Fagen’s voice, even as it’s difficult for me to separate that sound from immediately thinking this is Steely Dan. Sadly, his solo songs here don’t work the same magic as his storied band. Much of the instrumentation is watered-down, carrying all the punch of elevator music. The one single I knew and some nice moments of piano and guitar work helped raise the experience.

Solid but very sterile. Doesn’t stand out much

ETA: downgrading from a 3 to a 2 after another listen. I didn’t save off any songs.

I had no idea that Donald Fagan was a member of Steely Dan, and now I understand why I hate this album so much. Everything Steely Dan touches is garbage.

Man, that classic Steely Dan cool vibe, lived this one!

Fun and a little funky. Easy background listen.

Unfathomably shite. If Fagen hadn’t been in Steely Dan, this basic, artless borefest is quickly forgotten, certainly not making it to a list like this.

A pretty damn good slice of 80s jazz-pop, you can pretty much view this project as a spiritual successor to Steely Dan, which had recently disbanded due to inner personal turmoil as well as disagreements in musical direction on "Gaucho". In order to differentiate itself from its 70s brethren, "The Nightfly" is a very slick record that is ready for radio play, as its jazzisms are more subdued in order to make way for more simplistic R&B and pop sounds, with less soloing and more tight melodies. Fagen's vocals are also quite smooth, as the harmonies that he plays with feel almost Beatlesque of how they interact with the instrumentals. That said, while I didn't dislike any of the material on here, nothing really stands out all that much, aside from the occasional catchy hook or melodic lead, the musical side of this record ends up feeling very corporate.