Reviews (page 2 of 9)
At times, I did not know if I was listening to Donald Fagen or Steely Dan. Kind of repetitive and boring
I’m not ashamed to admit that I grooved to this.
Steely Dan lite and I loved every minute
Catchy asf
Nothing to tell home about. Nice pitch for the main singer but that's it.
I don’t know man, why wouldn’t you just listen to Steely dan? You don’t need skim milk when whole milk is waiting in the fridge for you.
скукотища. Как выяснилось это вокалист такой же супер скучной Steely Dan, которой тут уже послушал 2 альбома.
I've been a big Steely Dan fan but never ventured into their solo work. This was not enough Steely and too much Dan. Almost too sweet and not enough edge. Still a fun listen but I was hoping for more.
Didn't finish. Whoops. I don't want to either.
Unfortunately extremely boring
Buen hallazgo
Masterpiece of Jazz Rock Ruby baby
The worst kind of 80s music. Utter dross, but the guy was in Steely Dan so that explains it as they are dross too.
Bag o shite
Steely Dan is probably the quintessential dad rock group, and Donald Fagen's first solo album does little to change this. However, that does not mean this album is bad, far from it in fact, as the songs here are enjoyable and have a nostalgic feeling to them.
#457/1001. Muzak for robots? Too clean, perfect production, 80s sound world coming from a bad retro future film. Nothing for me here.
I've no strong feelings either way towards Steely Dan. There are songs that I like, and there are songs that are forgotten as soon as they've finished. That's pretty much the same with this album. I.G.Y is a good opener, New Frontier is an interesting bit of prog-synth pop and The Nightfly has a humorous narrative. Lyrically, it's all very smart, there are elements of funk and bits of jazz and the interesting key changes that you hear a lot in other Steely Dan work. But you still come away from it thinking, 'Is that it?' 3 stars, neither here nor there.
I sometimes felt like he just threw words together.
Kind of reminded me of Steely Dan. I enjoyed it
funky enough, sounds like radio music but not in a bad way, like i'd probably sway along to it if it was playing on the radio
1) New Frontier 2) I.G.Y 3) Ruby Baby Least Favourite: The Goodbye Look
Steely Dan stripped of its good parts.
Just as good as Steely Dan. I’m not going to say Walter Becker is a fraud, but it’s safe to say Doanld Fagen would be fine if he started off as a solo artist.
Very smooth. Feels very generic and nice. I do like the feel of this album and didn't know it was one of the members of Steely Dan.
Terrible- and cheesy. Unclear what genre this was even… jazzy show tunes?
Didn’t feel this. Lots of early 80s white guy funk vibes going on. Felt like didn’t age very well.
First Listen; 3; Perfectly good music. Smooth sounding, easy listening, fun little guitar riffs and other instrumentals sprinkled in. Clever lyrics. While it is easy to dismiss this as bland music, I thin there's something to be said for how much is going on in all these songs. Yes, the underlying synths and chords glide easily back and forth, there's a lot going on around it. At the same time, nothing really jumped out at me. I guess I'm saying that I agree there's something to appreciate here, but don't know that it's something you need to hear before you die. Favorite Track: The Goodby Look
I fuck with it and I really like the album cover
Like if Steely Dan was worse, and I say this as someone who already doesn't like Steely Dan
The music on this album gives me the ick and makes me uncomfortable. Considering how bland and insipid it is you'd think it would leave me indifferent, but I'm repulsed by this album.
This album gives off heavy New York visions and vibes. That classic trope of a noir detective in a hazy smoke-filled bar. I'm picturing this album takes place at about midnight (on the dot!) The production is so glossy and clean, I mean Donald Fagen is one half of Steely Dan, so it makes sense why it's like that. I will have to admit I wasn't the most attentive with this one in the second half, so it's not the most interesting but I reckon it has such a cool vibe at the same time. Unsure if I would return to this one, the vibes are cool, but it can get monotonous for sure. So, I'd properly return to it at least one more time. Highlight Song/s: ""I.G.Y."
This is like background music... but really funky background music.
mira, no estuvo mal para un sábado en la nochecita
When listening to this I am thinking of the 80s and pastel shade clothes, big hair in movies with slap bass and giant mobile phones. Weirdly this era produces things that feel pretty dated now more than 60w and 70s stuff. I gave it a while and listened again and I quite like it. Production is pretty great
Late 70s early 80s sounds all over this one.
80’s meh.
This was smooth.... really, really smooth.
Truly sounds like a Steely Dan record with something pulled out of it, I can't quite explain it. I can't help but wonder how this would have sounded if Walter had been involved. Good shit.
Fantastic album cover. Wish the music was this cool. Steely Dan is one of those bands I wish I could get into. I just don't get it...and this is just more of the same.
Pretty good, felt like an 80s version of 60s crooners
Makes me think of 80s wine bars and cocktail joints. In a bad way.
Very groovy
puh dunno
i’ll stick to steely dan thanks
Extremely well crafted orchestral rock music that is right up there with the best of Steely Dan.
Langweilig und eintönig
Ich liebe dieses Album und Donald Fagen. Super smooth produziert hell yeah
About as good as Coldplay
Smooth, jazzy, soft rock, with impeccable attention to detail. I happened to listen to this one on my best headphones and that was the right decision as there are guitar licks and bass riffs creeping around in the shadows that deserve to be picked out. It's not really my cup of tea in terms of style, and it faded pretty quickly into very generic 80s/90s background-to-a-sitcom type soundtrack, but an interesting listen at points.
I transferred my new Dutch notes to their own notebook and processed through two more lessons, spending my walk reflecting on the language. I learned prior to starting this album that Donald Fagen was apparently the lead singer from Steely Dan, and I could immediately hear that similarity in The NIghtfly. This is some more synthy keyboard-driven light rock, leaning more into some easy-listening smooth jazz stylings with power pop elements. This album is a perfectly pleasant time, but it doesn't do much that actively sets it apart in my mind. Nothing here completely puts me off the album either though, and there are still a few great bluesy guitar solos sprinkled in amongst the jazzier instrumentation. Similar to Steely Dan's Aja, this album has the aesthetics of smooth dad yacht rock with some actually potent and meaningful lyricism throughout. I can absolutely hear the appeal of musicians like Steely Dan and Donald Fagen, even if it's not my personal favorite sound in the world. Highlights: Ruby Baby, New Frontier, The Nightfly, The Goodbye Look, Walk Between Raindrops
I don't care for it, but it's short and sweet and you can bop along to it a little bit and some days that's good enough.
Вперше бачу. Спочатку був скептично настроєний, але вже за кілька хвилин впізнав Steely Dan. Альбом не поганий, але SD звучить більш цікаво для мене.
The Nightfly was certainly a solid album but a fair ways short of the other Steely Dan albums i have heard. This album definitely does feel like an extension of the Steely Dan stuff as this album has pretty much all the bells and whistles you would expect and they all sound quite good. But i still really can't deny what Walter Becker added and his absence definitely felt here as the songs here felt more samey than they did in any of the other Steely Dan albums i looked at. I still thought the jazzy vibe that the others had was still very much here and enjoyable to some extent but unfortunately, It pales in comparison to the other Steely Dan albums. Best Song: The Nightfly Worst Song: Walk Between Raindrops
Steely Dan is music from the generation my parents are in, and I think a lot of people would prefer it stay back there. Personally, I love the shit. I didn't get into it until my late 20s, and now in my mid 40s, I like it maybe even more. There's just something about the cool presentation I like. I find this album is every bit as good, if not a bit better than most Steely Dan albums. I need to check my library and make sure this album is in there. Absolutely worth having. So good, I listened to it twice back to back ⭐⭐⭐⭐.49
Meh
A less good Steely Dan album. Opening track I.G.Y was familiar to me and was probably the highlight as an enjoyable example of jazzy rock. It doesn’t really develop beyond that though, with the sound pretty repetitive and a bit dated in how ‘80s it is. Not bad, but I’d probably listen to a Steely Dan album instead.
As a fan of Steely Dan, and not having heard this album before, I went in with high expectations, and they were met. The songs themselves were well written with the kind of excellent production that makes it a favourite of audiophiles everywhere. The album has a nice jazzy feel, and lyrics that seem to be semi-autobiographical.
The debut solo album from one half of Steely Dan, this collection of semi-autobiographical jazz-rock songs, nostalgic for Fagen’s youth in the late 50s/early 60s, is very strong, but not quite perfect (hence the 4-star rating). I really like the first six of the eight tracks, but I’ve never been a fan of ‘The Goodbye Look’ and ‘Walk Between Raindrops’ is pleasant, but for me nothing special. However, the highlights are very good indeed, particularly ‘I.G.Y.’, ‘Green Flower Street’ and ‘New Frontier’. The production is *very* 80s, all shiny drum machines and keyboards/synths, but it works.
Absolutely awful, another dodgy 80s album
Mehhh I mean it’s alright
This is just dull. ‘Ruby Baby’ does even get close to being the best sing to repeat the name Ruby. This album is frankly tedious and dated.
As you’d expect from half of Steely Dan, this is great musically, with some of the best session musicians of probably all time playing on the album (Greg Phillinganes, Jeff Porcaro). But it’s just a bit dull and uninspiring. Probably a 2.5*, but I don’t think worthy of 3*.
I've not had a stellar track record with Steely Dan so far during this project, so lets see what happens when there's only one of them. A stray thoughts review: - It certainly sounds like a pop album made at the beginning of the 80's, that's for sure. - He sounds like he has a heavy head cold. - The first song being nearly 6 minutes did not please me. - This was nominated for seven Grammys?! Bloody hell. - I bet my Mum likes this. - Half way through Maxine I realised I'd stop listening because I was thinking about the Clacton by-election and how well Count Binface was going to do. - I really don't like the nasally singing. - Is that a cowbell during New Frontier? It sounds a bit like a dripping tap in my right ear. - "She loves to limbo, that much is clear" - amazing lyric. - The Nightfly - more cowbell! - The Goodbye Look sounds like elevator music at the beginning and reminded me of the Four Rooms main theme tune by Combustible Edison. It's scraping a 2/5
This is so inoffensive that it's actually offensive. Plodding baselines with soft jazz overtones. Just screams late night Magic radio music
Funky and unique
fine
Donald Faggot
Oh man this album is another perfect example of a point in time. Like as soon as I heard the first bars I knew the time period it was made. I could smell the car I was in when I heard it. This is just a pinnacle of early 80's adult contemporary. It's really not a bad album either, could be my age showing but once you get over the "Oh man this is so 80's! My mom loved this!" it holds up pretty well. Yeah it shows it's age but it's not dated. It's still smooth as hell even if a bit cheesy now. Well worth a listen for the historical context.
- Another assaulter (DV). Also, I dislike Steely Dan, so I don't have high hopes for this. - The tone of the keys and other instruments sounds so dated a lot of the time. It sounds like they compressed and filtered a bunch of the instruments so that they sound like a kazoo. - The lyrics are forgettable, and his voice sounds strained and reedy. - Yeah, I really don't enjoy this. Sounds like jazzy easy listening - two of the genres I dislike most. Sorry, but I can't find anything positive to say about it other than that the cover is kind of cool (but is that ever false advertising!).
Had no idea what this was, thought it was a cool album cover, and then IMMEDIATELY caught the stink of Steely Dan when the tunes started. Godammit!
The album cover promises a darker vibe that the music itself never attempts to deliver. It’s jazz pop songs that have a feel like cheap plastic. Out of a misplaced sense of duty to this project I listened to this album twice through.
Sixty days since the last hip-hop album. This is not a bad album, but it in no way lives up to its cover art. I have definitely moved into the Donald Fagen/Steely Dan era of my life. But there is nothing cool about this. At all. Stipulated - it is very good to have on when you are making piña coladas in your Hamilton Beach mixer and enjoying them underneath your pergola from Wayfair.
I'll start off by saying that this sounds just like a Steely Dan album, however I mean that in the best possible way. As a huge Steely Dan fan it makes me incredibly happy to get more of that sound I love. If I could point out one suble difference it would be that this album leans a little more heavily to the jazz side than the rock, but that's ok and maybe what sets it apart from Steely Dan. Either way, Fagen hits his solo debut out of the park. The musical genius of this man never ceases to amaze me. The way that he can incorporate so many different musical styles and influences, without being corny or pandering, is magic. Lyrically I think this is a deeply personal album, and as Donald says in the liner notes, "Note: The songs on this album represent certain fantasies that might have been entertained by a young man growing up in the remote suburbs of a northeastern city during the late fifties and early sixties, i.e., one of my general height, weight, and build." That quote pretty much sums it up, and the vibe of the album matches that sentiment as well as the title. A young man staying up late at night, thinking, fantasizing, and spinning records.
This is doing nothing for me. Sorry Donald
my toxic trait is liking music that kind of sounds like AI slop
It’s just not hitting the vibe benchmark
Hallelujah! Finally something that isn’t an electronic album! I’ll take one half of Steely Dan over that last album any day of the week. Alright, with that celebration, onto the album itself. Honestly, I found this album to be a pretty solid listen. Not something that I feel is life changing, but I not a bad one at all. It takes the sort of jazz inspired yacht rock that Steely Dan was known for, and incorporating the synth music of the times into that sound. Songs I.G.Y, my first standout track, incorporates synths over the soft keyboards that Fagen’s band was known for, with lyrics about a world of tomorrow. Fagen’s vocals and layered harmonies are as smooth as ever, really shining through on songs like New Frontier, with its layers of vocals being a reason it stands out on the album. It would be a task to go through Fagen’s lengthy troupe of backing musicians, but they do hold down the sound of the album as a collective. Fagen also shows his lyric writing skills on songs like the title track, which is about a late night radio DJ battling his own loneliness and hang-ups from a past relationship. The ballad Maxine is my final standout track, with its melodic piano and Fagen’s lyrics really selling the song. I have to say that I don’t know how often I would listen to the album, but I do believe that it is definitely a solid work by a yacht rock pioneer. Now, I’m gonna tune on into WJAZ and see what the next album is.
I mean, unless you are as big a perfectionist as Donald Fagen, this album is essentially indistinguishable from just about every Steely Dan album. That's not a diss or anything. Steely Dan was great. It's just to let you know what to expect if you haven't ever listened to this album before. But even if you haven't LISTENED to it, you've probably HEARD two or three of the songs, like "I.G.Y." and "New Frontier." You probably just thought they were Steely Dan songs and forgot (or never knew) they were from a Fagen solo album.
General thoughts: Songs about youth and opportunities rising, the city is yours, that kind of thing. The chord changes scream 80s. His style has a soul vibe to me; it reminds me of Bobby Womack's sexy soul. In most songs, I have parts I like and others I don't; there isn't a single one I totally like. The end result sounds like a textbook example of the sound of the decade. A curse, a compliment, I'm not sure. Outstanding song(s): I.G.Y. Weakest song(s): Walk Between Raindrops Cover: Cool, lol at first I didn't even notice the turntable Real rating: 3.0
HERLIG fagen! Digger hele albumet og hørte på det flere ganger på repeat! Deilig, groovy, soul fusion fra 80 treffer så bra!
3 out of 5. Feels more Steely Dan but I guess most of their sound came from Fagen I guess?
First listen. This album is ok. There is a fine line with smooth jazz and jazz fusion that I just do not care for. This album falls just on the less desirable side of that line.
Wow
leaning further into pop than anything i've heard from Steely Dan, which could have been a good sign wrt my enjoyment of it. still doesn't do much for me after all that, though. it's too slick. i could make an omelette on this album. deserves to be one of the 1001? ehhh no
Completely meh
Going into this, the only song I knew here was IGY. And then I got a whole album of IGY.
Diff version of Steely Dan. Love it!
Piss off w this 3rd rate jazz cocktail wankfest
There's a self-satisfied. cynical sophistication that can only come from a New Yorker of a certain age. This reeks of yacht rock, and every song seems to have a dozen musicians on it. From ballads to dadfunk, the recording and performances are as perfect as you would expect. Noy quite as good as The Dan at their peak, but close
More meh. I like Steely Dan, I like Donald Fagan, but this album did nothing for me again. Maybe this is saying more about me than the list, but I didn't find anything spectacular about this album.
.....The opener "I.G.Y." and "New Frontier" are pretty good songs. That's about all I can say about this album. This is the third time this list has given me something from the Steely Dan realm, and only Aja was really worth it. 2 to 3 good songs in a sea of beige, flavourless tracks does not a seminal album make. Sure, everything is prim and polished and every note is in the right place, but it's the insipid combination of proto-Kenny G smooth jazz and middle-of-the-road pop rock that grinds me down. I feel like I'm constantly teleporting between a waiting room and some rich snob's yacht listening to this. There are some occasional fun moments on this album, but nothing truly sticks, so most of the songs end up disappearing from my memory the instant they're done (barring the 2 big singles of course, those are, again, the only worthwhile tunes here.) This is definitely an album for the Steely Dan diehards - casual listeners can leave this one alone and just listen to "I.G.Y." and "New Frontier." However, it seems the critics from whom this list was compiled were Steely Dan diehards.... Key Tracks: I.G.Y., New Frontier, The Nightfly
Smooth, cool, very listenable. Didn't realize he was the Steely Dan guy until the first notes of I.G.Y. Always thought that was a Steely Dan song and had no idea of the title. I vibed with this more than most reviewers, it appears.
Sounded too much like Steely Dan for my enjoyment.
If you like steely Dan you will probably like this. 3.5
Didn’t know what to expect when I saw a 1982 pop album, but this was interesting. The album moves between pretty standard yacht rock and more innovative music pretty well.
Leuke plaat van een solo Steely Dan met 2 echte bangers 3,5
paar serieuze bangers 3.5
This was a smooth, jazzy-esque, easy listening experience.
Smooth listening but not really my style
This was fine. Eady listening but nothing to write home about.
Well performed but unremarkable
2 stars only because there are worse albums on the list
Easy enough to listen to!
yacht rock ftw
wondered why this guy sounded so familiar and yacht rock-y, specifically the 5th song, only to realize he’s on the apple music yacht rock playlist i occasionally listen to. nice. 2.5 rounded to 3
Smooooooth comme une vache
Ça fait pas mal par où ça passe.
I really fucking hated this. Like it felt like they went around and got the 12 most boring musicians and just let them be as mediocre as humanly possible with the record light on. IGY is an abomination of a song. Its either a cynical look back at the post-war optimism in America and how everything actually sucks, OR its a celebration of that post-war optimism. Either way, in 1982 the political landscape was absolutely fucking everything up and I was 6 years from even being alive. And now I have to hear this stupid shitty song anytime I'm waiting for the Walgreens associate to come unlock the deodorant. What a beautiful time to be free indeed. I might've been in the wrong mood for this.
A lot of nostalgia here
Took me too long before I realized that this is the dude behind Steely Dan - which also made me realize (though I now I recall that I must have read it somewhere) that Steely Dan is not just A Dude but a band. In any case, prime example of the ract that an artist can sound like a chesp knockoff of themselves, though those are overly harsh words for a perfectly tepid fine album.
Inoffensive - but nothing particularly inspiring - not clear to me what makes this a great album
82/100. After the initial split of Steely Dan, Fagen released this album and it wouldn't look all too out of place in a steely dan discography. It sure has some big differences as well, for me it feels a bit softer in tone. As a debut it's fantastic and a great example of jazz pop and sophisti-pop. The opening stretch of tracks is truly spectacular. It's very hopeful, but you can feel angst in the writing. Hope and fear for the future, especially since it's mostly written about postwar America.
Great so good
didn’t know he was from steely dan, decent record, didn’t amaze me
Slightly better than elevator music.
It was fine, I didn’t mind it. Just sounds a bit dated for my taste.
Kind of like a jazzy rock. Pretty good.
Disliked this very intensely. Kept trying to find excuses to stop listening. 1.5
3.5 where the extra half star is for the final track because I found it really catchy.
it feels like steely Dan, but it's very much not steely Dan. fine to listen to, but Walter really brought a lot to the mix that's missing here.
Banging first track, the rest is a okay
If this night flies away, I won't miss it. ★★
Pretty decent
this is music for audio perverts, but it's still really good
Can't remember my specific thoughts on this while I was listening, but I know I dug it overall since well, ya know... Steely Dan. Stands on its own though.
Nobody makes this kind of soft-rock, easy-listening music anymore. That's a good thing.
Quel band légendaire! Ça sonne comme la tonne de brique. Avec les frères Breckers! Je connaissais pas ça, mais je suis content de voir qu'une forme autre de Steely Dan ait existé.
Donald a besoin de son Walter je pense. Autant j'ai aimé les albums de Steele Dan à date, autant je trouve celui-ci un peu ringard et daté.
What a wonderful album! One of the best non-steely dan, but still kind of steely dan albums
As much as I like Steely Dan, this one wasn't really for me. Overproduced & without the swag that SD has. Plus, we already had the core SD discography to enjoy before this came out, and I don't think we needed virtually the same thing as a solo version. The album cover is way more interesting than any song contained within it. At least it was on the shorter side! (Also...how many girlfriends does this guy have? Two songs back-to-back about two different girls is kinda wild.) Favorite tracks: The Nightfly
Didn't do anything for me. Gave up on it.
Never heard of him but glad I was introduced to his music.
It's... Uh... The Dan? Man?
fuck yeah
Listening to this album is like watching a gifted artist paint a canvas beige. The talent on display is incredible, and all of that talent is being directed towards making the most uniform and bland piece of art imaginable. You examine the fine details and marvel at the lack of any blemish or wrinkle. This is a painting that not anybody can paint, you are viewing the work of a bonefide artist, a genuine talent. At the end of the day though, no matter how much talent went into this, you are also kinda just staring at a wall of beige.
A lot of homages paid in this very short and sweet album. New frontiers and maxine stand out but they are all worthy of attention.
This was awful. Everything about exemplified everything I hate about music. So, it's yacht rock apparently. Apparently yacht rock is my least favourite genre. Really, it was awful from start to finish. I rag on bands like Dire Straits being bands that made music bad, but it has to go to this guy. 0 stars!
This album is like the period towards the end of a dinner party with some friends, where you are not sure if it is time to announce your departure, or linger to see if Luke is going to offer anyone a whiskey nightcap. It has been a great night, and Luke (investment banker) and his wife Caitlin (part-time interior designer) have been splendid hosts. You didn't know them too well before tonight, aside from one or two passing introductions from your good friends Marcus (commercial real estate agent) and Linda (retired librarian). There were about seventeen or eighteen guests (all super white) at this dinner party, and while a few of them have left, there are still about eight or nine people sitting around the dinner table. Somewhat creepily, Luke asks if anyone wants to retire to the swimming pool. Your friend Marcus immediately declines the offer on behalf of him and Linda, and offers to get his uber to drop you off on the way home. You contemplate sticking around, but Marcus gives you a look as if to say it is in your best interests to leave. In the uber home, Marcus tells you that Luke's parties are known to get a bit "keys-in-the-punchbowly" after a certain amount of time. Initially you're taken aback. But then you think about it and realise there were actually quite a few hints at that, and it isn't actually that surprising.
it's alright
A little too "easy listening" for my taste, but a good album in its own right. I think I still prefer most of Steely Dan's output to this solo album, but I'm happy to have heard it.
Det her va aldeles helt ok, og på ingen måte fornærmanes å høre på.
Every friend and acquaintance that is a musician respects and likes (or loves) Steely Dan. They rave about the “production” and “arrangements” I can certainly hear the crispness here, but it just does nothing for me. I know this isn’t Steely Dan, but if this is what I’m in for, I am not looking forward to it
The only thing worse than steely Dan is half of steely Dan! (Or half of Burroughs’s steely Dan strap on dildo!) Like there's nothing technically wrong with it— “impeccably crafted,” per Apple Music— yet it still sucks! It’s griege music for gray-and-beige people. like it's made to be as inoffensive as possible, which always offends me. The combination of elevator jazz and R&B was the worst of 80’s pop.
A relaxing Jazzy R&B Better than casual lofi radio but nothing out of this world 8/10
A bit 80's, a bit jazzy, pretty good
I did not enjoy this. I dislike Steely Dan, so, of course, I wouldn’t enjoy this. This is definitely not my style of music.
This album is perfect in every way.
This is such a smooth, 80s-sounding album. While listening I felt relaxed and cool — it’s jazzy, groovy, and sometimes even funky in a very laid-back way. Perfect chill music for a summer night. The whole record has that signature Steely Dan sophistication but feels a bit more personal and warm. The production is pristine, the grooves are tight, and Donald Fagen’s voice sits perfectly on top of the lush arrangements. It paints a vivid late-night, city-lights kind of atmosphere — nostalgic, sophisticated, and effortlessly stylish. The Nightfly is one of those albums that just feels good to put on when you want something light but high-quality. Excellent musicianship, great vibes, and easy to listen to from start to finish. A real 80s gem.
I had heard several of these songs before and assumed they were Steely Dan. Decent soft rock album. If you like Steely Dan, you’ll like this. If you don’t, well…
Offensively boring easy listening pap. Clunky, not funky.
good album
those boomers been putting steely dan related projects into the list like its the air that they depends on innit as always all the steely dan related albums hangs out in this limbo between "haha nice" and "ugh" and that makes it a 3.5.
When this came out, I really loved AJA and GAUCHO but had not yet delved back further into the Steely Dan catalog. “Yes we’re gonna have a wingding A summer smoker underground It’s just a dugout that my dad built In case the Reds decide to push the button down We’ve got provisions and lots of beer The key word is survival on the new frontier” But I absolutely fell in love with the mid-century modern celebration in the video for “New Frontier” and quickly picked up this album, which turned out to be wonderful through and through. It’s one of my favorite albums, and it’s quite possible I’ve listened to THE NIGHTFLY more than any single Steely Dan album since.
A warm, polished, feel‑good solo record where Fagen keeps the Steely Dan craft but swaps the cynicism for bright, optimistic grooves.
Album 45/1001. Listened 6/29/2026. Definitely not a favorite; came across very dated, even for prog-rock. Won't spin again.
4.5
Really nice to listen to, forgot i liked chiller music. favorite was the opener.
Mweh
Not for me, dreary and downbeat
Slick, funky, fun. Amazing production.
I dig this, quite a bit more than I thought I would. The instrumentation and production is particularly standout here, sounding distinctly 70s/80s in the best way. Funky, jazzy, groovy, smooth, all these words apply to this album. And while I'm not totally on board with Fagen's voice, I think it fits with the groove and the lyrics are well done. The title track, The Nightfly, especially is the perfect fit for all the elements coming together on the album.
Favorite Track: I.G.Y.
I realize I really appreciate the consistency of sound and overall vision in this post Steely Dan offering. I have also been swayed to the side that it’s “safe” and leans toward boring. But still- I appreciate it. And I appreciate its optimism over the Steely Dan duo’s cynicism. I would let this soundtrack my train ride into the future… 4 Boolean: True
flaccid
518/1089 - I'm so sick of seeing all the fucking people complain that music like this isn't "vibey" or "emotional" enough. Music like this and Classical is, to me, equivalent to a fascination with trains or computers, the fact that humans are capable of something so close to perfection is remarkable. Emotions can go fuck off a cliff for all I care! Give me the expertly crafted textures and counterpoint. I.G.Y. is so clear sounding, but it's also a cool song with great keyboard parts and surprising harmony. If the song was on solo piano it'd still work, it's just elevated by the perfection seeking arrangement. Also Ruby Baby has one of the best piano solos in all of pop music maybe only behind Uncertain Smile by The The.
My God I hated this at the start. It started to grow on me after a few tracks but it’s not one I’ll rush to revisit. Top Track - The Goodbye Look
Album 100, and I'm treated to B grade Steely Dan leftovers (and sadly it's the best thing the generators fed me today). I have heard this album probably dozens of times, but it's been a while, so I'll give it one more fair spin. The title track takes a chorus that feels like a station tag from an old radio station: “WJAZ, with jazz and conversation from the foot of Mt. Belzoni”. To some degree this is a framework in which the whole album fits. In others it's a framework in which Donald Fagen's entire oeuvre fits. There may not be a better way to explain Steely Dan, and especially this album, than that it sounds like the station tag for some independent smooth jazz radio from the 80s. How you feel about an entire album or catalog of songs that sound like the interstitials where you learn the call letters of your local station is obviously gonna be your feeling about Fagen's output. Donny has never felt smarmier to me than on the Nightfly. You can almost smell the ashtrays and the hair oil. If you didn't know this is technically what all of his work sounds like, you'd be tempted to think it was a parody. What the title track does for radio, IGY does for sitcom intros. It's the sort of music that makes people think they hate jazz, and without Becker there to tear a proper solo here and there, that smooth banality is something the tracks really lean into. The slickness is almost all there is. Empty though that leaves the songs, it is simply too composed to be rated too poorly. It continues to leave me cold, but there's no blatant misstep, except for not liking Fagen's songwriting, his vibe, his everything. So do I rate from an unbiased place, or do I give this a 2 and move on? I think it gets the 2*. I can be more generous with the more nimble and diversified Steely Dan stuff, but this just feels like citypop without the charm and then the sludgy sleepy chord changes of Maxine. The least generous I'm apt to be is with albums that don't deserve their place here.
I’ve never really liked Steely Dan, but some of it’s not bad. This however is. It’s cheesy easy-listening jazz hands stuff. Fagen’s vocals aren’t bad. But I just think this annoying as hell. Sorry.
Nice but no Steely Dan. I added “Maxine” to my playlist.
Yawn rock.
Sounds just like Steely Dan but with more of an 80's pop feel. Can't imagine that a Steely Dan fan wouldn't enjoy this
(Gaucho + synths) - Walter Becker= The Nightfly
meh insipido
Rating: 4/5 Playlist track: The Nightfly Date listened: 15/06/26 Listen when: Evening listen on record player Not a super popular album but I really love his sound and addition of fun little things like the radio references in the Nightfly. Just the right length and range of sound while keeping the same tone for the album which I appreciate.. It's hard to pick a time to listen to an album which changes vibe so drastically.
This cover art is so cool. This album is anything but…it’s Yacht rock at its worst.
A bit more Jazz than Steely Dan. Pleasant enough but a bit meh.
Weather channel music, not bad
⛓️ 🍆 - 1 = 💩
chill rotation album
heel chill album
I quite enjoyed this musical series of short stories told by drunk uncle Fagan. It was nice.
A little jazzy, a little soft rock, nice, probably won't come back to it
Couldn't get into this. It was soft, but felt like elevator music to me.
It was good enough. A lot of people have done this sound better and in comparison this doesn’t quite measure up. But I still enjoyed the listen.
I could never get into Steely Dan, regardless of talent. Looks like the same goes for part of Steely Dan. I think I just really don’t like yacht rock.
Let’s see… About a decade ago I decided to go all in with Steely Dan. As a popular reviewer of this album from the COVID era reminisces, I too was a teen in the 90’s that wouldn’t have been willingly caught dead breathing the air through which such sounds vibrated. But I listen to a lot of music and continue to listen to a lot of music. And podcasts about music. A person such as me is going to hit a moment of decision on the Steely Dan question. So in I went. I explored the discography. The first thing that hit me was that I was WAY more familiar with Steely Dan than I ever would have imagined. They truly are everywhere. When you buy your groceries. When you go to work. When you pay your taxes. There’s Steely Dan, easing you along your day. The next thing that hit me was WOW these guys are… clean. When I actually listened to them, their musicianship began to become evident. Their subtlety. Their f*ing name also hit me. I mean they named themselves after a dildo in Naked Lunch. Something I apparently didn’t discover. But see, Burroughs WAS cool in the 90’s, even if Steely Dan was not. The more I listened, the more layers I realized there were. What a feat! To be able to make music that on one level is so seemingly innocuous and inoffensive that it slips in EVERYWHERE but then on closer inspection is actually subversive and full of bitter irony. When I hit this album today I didn’t realize that Fagen was half of Steely Dan on his first solo venture. But… I knew a number of these songs. Had always assumed they were Steely Dan. As I listened I realized how different they were. They were optimistic. They weren’t about questionable characters in the LA scene. They were about… him! They were about his teen years. His life. And it was lovely. 5 Boolean: True
First listen
Just no.
Hee hee
Like a fine Camembert
After Steely Dan effectively split up, Donald Fagen released his solo debut album, The Nightfly, in 1982. He collaborated with Gary Katz, who had produced several classic Steely Dan albums. Fagen was also supported by many of the same studio musicians he had worked with during his time with Steely Dan. Musically, Fagen maintained the same high standards of perfection that characterised Steely Dan, yet compositionally he adopted a different approach, rebalancing the elements. The Nightfly is more jazzy than any Steely Dan album, while simultaneously featuring numerous references to the early rock 'n' roll of Fagen's youth. The result is every bit as timeless as the Steely Dan catalogue and his subsequent solo albums. Unlike Steely Dan's bitterly ironic, sombre lyrics, this autobiographical album reflects the optimism and sense of new beginnings of Fagen's childhood and youth. As one would expect from Donald Fagen, the 1982 album contains no references to contemporary music, drum machines, samples or obtrusive keyboard sounds. Even in the 1970s, Fagen and Becker weren't interested in the 'sound of the moment' and always did their own thing. This is what makes the album so timeless and so good, despite its unmistakable references to the past. It is another perfect gem in Donald Fagen’s impressive discography.
really good!
A great album I've liked since it came out. Being a big Steely Dan fan, I think the volumes written about this album can be reduced to this: If you like Steely Dan you'll like this one - if you don't, you won't.
I found this enjoyable, not sure it rates with some of his Steely Dan work but very slick sounding.
Great stuff. Still prefer Steely Dan, though
Man wow not that good. I don't really understand how this could have made it on the list. I tried to have my partner end the album early and she was like 'it's only 8 songs' and for me, that is 8 songs too many.
It reminds me of the music I would skip when I was a rebelling teenager. But I’m a responsible man in the middle of my fourties now, so it’s kind of nice to listen to. Buuuut I am not able to listen throughout without the need to listen to something with an edge. This really does not have any edges
I tried. I'm not sure why I tried so hard, but I just don't get it.
My shorts turned to denim and my socks were halfway up my calves before the second song started. Love yacht rocks
Essa capa é brincadeira, e combinada com o groove da faixa inicial, I.G.Y. causam a melhor primeira impressão possível. Produção totalmente imaculada, como já era esperado do nome Fagen, da fama de Steely Dan. E por mais que esse seja um álbum solo, tudo que faz os discos de Dan serem incríveis está presente aqui, o carinho nos detalhes composicionais, as letras agridoces e irônicas, e como já disse, a produção estrelar. Ótimo gosto de um Rock limpo, polido, brilhante. Rapidamente te desloca para um centro urbano cheio de luzes radiantes e pessoas rápidas, rápidas demais, enquanto você segue seu passo lento, calculado, e natural. Cool. As harmonias vocais aqui são assustadoras. Coisa de outro mundo. Conhecimento técnico profundo, música para músicos. Tirar o sapato, deitar, fechar os olhos, e se perder nessa densa floresta de sons e emoções. Perfeição. 5/5
Interesting one. Lots of people hate the slickness of Steely Dan. I do really like them and the level of musicianship. This album was played in my house growing up and so there is an amount of sentimentality to it. There are some great cuts on it. But it is super slick and therefore not doing it for me now particularly as that’s not what ticks boxes for me
Steely Dan lite. Good songs, but feels like they’re missing something.
This album is so corny. Disco and Funk influence mixed with 80's jazz is not my thing.
Steely Dan light. I wanted it over by song 3.
This is one of my favorite albums of all time. I listen to it often and never skip a track.
Jazz funk yacht rock. I'd understand anyone saying it's gross, but I dig it
A bit of a guilty pleasure
Possibly 80s slop. It is, at least, some of the most well-made 80s slop I’ve ever heard.
Album 214. The Nightfly (https://open.spotify.com/album/5cOS6szqlcoqmiSoVTqqe8?si=463rpNG2TSyIPTScZxfIBA) — Donald Fagen (1982) I listened to this album in early January and I don't remember if I listened to it or not. It's no good. It's a solo album of Donald Fagen after the Steely Dan breakup. And it's very much Steely Dan-sounding. So smooth and jazzy that I want to buy a yacht and go sailing in the Mediterranean Sea or in Tampa — there's Kanye West's concert soon, I can do both. This is so chill that I need a blanket. 3/5 Liked: — I.G.Y. — New Frontier — The Nightfly — Walk Between Raindrops
Okay album, one for the forgettable heap 3/5
Two Steely Dan records in the last two weeks, and now Donald Fagen…which is like listening to skillfully done elevator music. It’s not the worst thing presented on this list, but it’s a chore to get through. 5/10
Had high expectations for this, as I do like Steely Dan. This however was fairly dull and pedestrian. Nothing really stood out, and I found myself wanting the album over. Shame really.
Really good and smooth, i felt like it started off strong and got progressively weaker to the end
Sin más, pero es Donald Fagen
Fínt snekkjurokk
Nokkrir góðir partar þarna.
Maybe I was just in the right mood, but this was pretty fun/cool. Probably more of a three, but it hit the spot
Not too bad.
Never heard of album or band. No expectations. I like the open to the first song. Really good production on this one. The horns and synth🔥🔥. Lyrics are fine. Could be catchier. Solo to close it out is so good too. What a song. Production is awesome again on green flower street. Much catchier on this one too. Cool harmonies. Ruby baby is VERY 80s. Good production again. Good writing not great. Pretty good song. Ironically Maxine is really well written but I don’t like the production as much. Cool piano but a lot going on with it. Sax solo is really good. New frontier is very 80s as well but in a good way. This song is really good. Great production again. Very catchy. Really nice piano/guitar combo. The night fly is fine. Another one that’s very 80s. I like the piano again. Good guitar solo. Nothing special with the lyrics. Similar feeling with goodbye look. This one has some island vibes to it. Pretty cool song. Lackluster final song. It fits the theme but the song is just meh. Overall good album. Great production throughout. Lyrics didn’t kill it. Fun listen. 3.2/5.
Listening too easy. Far too easy. Not what I want when I want energy. Not what I want when I want mellow.
I didnt love it but I do love Donald Fagen so it’s a 3 at least
I guess the other dude from Steely Dan was holding back the throttle on the Yacht Rock.
Oh, one of the guys from Steely Dan has a solo album? I wonder how different it is than the group stuff... But seriously folks, this is a pretty groovy listen. Fits right in with the Steely Dan discography...so much so, I felt like I've heard all of these songs even though I probably haven't. Would spin again for sure.
Oh damn they're letting me have the good shit this week. Honestly it kinda sucks that of the albums I've rated 5s so far, I knew all of them prior to starting the list. Good news about this one though is that I had only heard the album all the way through one time years ago, keeping what I thought were the big hitters (Nightfly, Ruby Baby, IGY) on my mp3 player. But I was but a boy then, and now I am a man. I'm glad this is here for me to come back to cuz it fucks. It's got the Steely Dan shine and polish as far as writing, arranging, and mixing go. I think Walter Becker was a big part of the overly sardonic nature of Steely Dan, and I do love that, but it isn't completely absent here and therefore not missed. I can feel Donald Fagen's nostalgia jutting out of the record, and wiki says I'm right. It feel like I'm listening to the Nightfly's picks on late night radio. I guess for me it'd be comparable to the nostalgia of The Quiet Storm. Love this goddamn album.
Never coming back to this.
A solid 3 I guess. Some Songs I knew so that helped. Not really my thing but wouldn't walk out of a restaurant if this was what was playing!!
Tried to get into this but ultimately found it boring. Just not my thing. Didn’t hate it though. 2/5
Not groundbreaking, a continuation of great work on broken ground.
Alright, 'The Nightfly,' you're not bad. You've got this smooth production, those jazzy quirks, and vocals that'd make Barry White nod in approval. But come on, man, you dragged your feet towards the end. You know what they say about the devil... Spins: 3 Playlist Additions - I.G.Y. - New Frontier - The Nightfly - Walk Between Raindrops
Oh God, this is not for me. It is smooth Jazz. I feel like it's getting a free pass because it's Steely Dan related. Technically very well recorded. But why was it recorded? This is not an album I needed to listen to.
Offensively inoffensive. 2.5.
The production of this album was great and very historical, but the album of self was a little bit too boring and monotonous for me. Personal enjoyment: 3/5 Relevance to this list: 4/5
Good God I hate this. It's like the musical equivalent of chemical castration. Couldn't finish this one fast enough.
By coincidence, I got last Steely Dan album on this list just a few days a go, and now I am getting an offering from Mr. Fagen from Steely Dan himself. And yeah, this indeed sounds like Dan.
This album is formative for me in some fashion, though I'm having a hard time putting my finger on it. It came out during my fall semester of freshman year in college. Maybe I identify with it as a transitional, transformative piece of art, with me trying to be something more sophisticated, more mature, than I had felt before the fall of 1982. I don't recall feeling strongly about it at the time, but through the friends I made and the music we listened to, I sure do feel strongly about it now, and those feelings are all good.
Awful. I can’t imagine being proud of something this boring.
Premier album solo d'un ancien de Steely Dan, groupe que j'ai découvert avec cette liste et qui m'indiffère par mal, à vrai dire. Donc lire la description ce matin ne m'a pas plus emballé que ça. Et à l'écoute, je dois bien avouer que je n'ai rien retenu de particulier. Je ne sais pas si c'est parce que je n'étais pas dans le bon état d'esprit pour l'apprécier ou si c'est simplement pas fait pour moi, mais ça ne m'a absolument pas marqué. J'avais trouvé ça suffisamment sympa pour un 3/5, mais guère plus.
This record is not at all what I expected from the album cover. For whatever reason, I had forgotten Fagen was half of Steely Dan, which then reset my expectations accordingly. I think I.G.Y. is my favorite of the bunch. Another record that opens up after doing some additional research and additional listens. 3 stars for now, but I may come back and upgrade it.
Great album. As usual, stellar production. Liked Fagan more without Becker. Reading about the making of the album, it's no wonder he was burned out for several years after this.
I do really enjoy 80s music. For the most part. But if you took all of the stuff I hate about 80s music, with none of the good stuff, the result would be this train wreck of an album.
1980s take on twee easy listening swing-pop.
A supremely frustrating album. Great vocal melodies weighed down by a single-minded devotion to presenting every other facet of the music in the most boring, middle-of-the-road way possible. Didn't hate it, but wish it was a little rougher.
The jet-age optimism makes for an often difficult listen in this year of our Lord 2026. And the mix is a bit thin and treble-y, which I guess was the style at the time. Still, interesting...
I didn’t hate this but it wasn’t anything amazing. Middle of the road 80’s pop-rock. Unless I’m missing something? Some good playing throughout - Jeff Porcaro, Marcus Miller, the Brecker brothers - not sure it was enough to make me revisit it, but this wasn’t a terrible album.
Album #156 Donald Fagen: The Nightfly We get it, you hate Steely Dan; you probably also say that all soft rock is elevator music and claim to prefer genres like punk and alt rock because they are more ‘raw’. Meanwhile, really, you just are uncomfortable with the feeling of comfort and relaxation, probably stemming back to when you got made fun of as a kid for wearing your dad’s hand-me-down shoes that felt better on your feet than any pair of Jordans ever could. God, the only thing more annoying than Steely Dan haters are Steely Dan fans, the type where the second they hear a single note fro Aja they feel the urge to immediately spurt out how great the production is, probably also adding “you know they use this album to test speakers”; they are either a sixty year old retired white man who never liked any actual music until yacht rock appeared in the the 70s, and since then that’s all he’s ever needed, or some teenager that thinks listening to Steely Dan will somehow make them appear more sensitive and enlightened. I don’t know why, but few bands have discourse around them that makes me cringe more than Steely Dan, which sucks because I actually do really like them. At the risk of sounding like a hypocrite, I do think deep down we all like Steely Dan, we just operate on varying degrees of self-acceptance and expression. They are probably the most agreeable band of all-time, soft rock in general is incredibly inoffensive, and those who feel the need to vehemently express their disgust at the idea of it come off as incredibly performative. Steely Dan is kind of the one band that gets a pass from most music fans, which makes sense because they are definitely the cream of the crop, and more forward-thinking than a lot of their contemporaries, mostly due to their focus on jazz-fusion. However, though I agree that Steely Dan are the best of the yacht rockers, I don’t think they’re the be-all-end-all. Half of their albums I consider to be all-timers, and the other half is entirely mood-dependent. Donald Fagen’s solo effort, The Nightfly, dares to lean into the latter category. It possesses some of the finest songs that he ever wrote, specifically I.G.Y. and the title track; some of the other songs pale by comparison and seem to almost blend in with the album. What stops The Nighfly from becoming a bore is the album’s aesthetic. Though it is something which is often looked down upon in music discourse, aesthetics plays a really big part in why we enjoy music, whether subconsciously or consciously. There are albums with an obvious aesthetic, such as Heaven or Las Vegas by the Cocteau Twins or Floating into the Night by Julee Cruise, which attempt to create a dreamscape for the listener with their sound and visuals. Then there are the albums which create an aesthetic with their attitude and lyricism, such as Never Mind The Bollocls by the Sex Pistols or pretty much any goth music, where the enjoyment of the music is enhanced by the idea of being someone who listens to that type of music. The Nightfly’s aesthetic is that of a late evening with a glass of wine, sitting next to your record player, and listening to your favourite album. It sort of romanticizes the average music fan's own existence, of coming home from work and having nothing but the music and your thoughts. In a way, this aesthetic appeals to all of us on this website, since at the end of the day, listening to music is a pragmatically useless activity; the only value that stems from it is the way that it makes us feel. There is no way to bottle up or create a tangible manifestation of our feelings, so they often are fleeting and only exist in the moment. And that’s what The Nightfly represents, the moments of listening, feeling, which makes it seem real and important. So though not every song stands on its own, when in the package of the album, I think it works well, at least if you are in the right mood and environment. Unfortunately, we don’t all look as cool as Donald Fagen when in that environment, however. Best Songs: I.G.Y., The Nightfly, New Frontier Worst Song: The Goodbye Look Score out of 10: 8
This is pretty cool. I think I like Steely Dan better together, but this is still strong.
Non-assuming 80s pop. 5/10
He’s excellent Titular song and Maxine have been some of my favorites for a while
it was a totally nothing about it album, bit bland it just blathered on in the background.
This is just a sneaky way of adding more Steely Dan in, isn't it? Yeah, it's fine, middle of the road. It's something to get dressed for work to, nothing more.
Not for me. 1/5
Personally, I enjoyed this one. Enough to classify it as must-hear? God, that's such a moving target. On the surface it has that Steely Dan aesthetic, enough that I wonder what Walter Becker actually contributed to that group. Beneath the surface -- I don't know. Acoustically, it's so damned transparent that I sense nothing to hide, no cryptic elements. But that's not to say it's a superficial record. It's a masterclass in song arrangement, and in studio production, albeit early digital production. If you get off on supreme audio quality, fire this one up and let your Monster cables do the rest. It sounds fantastic, and foreshadows the fidelity that the digital age will bring to music consumption. At the same time, Fagen's obsession with studio perfection robs the material of humanity. Herein lies the double edge to that transparency sword. This thing has been produced to a degree that leaves little room for personal expression on the part of the musicians. If I hop in my deLorean and listen to this in 1982, I probably find this *over*produced, much like AAA pop today. If I unpack what I hear through my own experience as a session musician, I hear a timeless hell of micromanagement and "one more take, we don't have to splice tape to edit it in." To summarize those last two paragraphs, it sounds excessively refined and restrained. ***** Now, a bit where I account for bits about the artist at the time, which, if listening blind, should have no effect on how we rate the "must-listen"-ness of the album. This album represents Donald Fagen's first foray into solo material, and that its creation caused his mental breakdown, his reclusion from live performance, and his years-long writer's block, it seems evident to me that he worked too hard to make too much of this; because this record represents his catharsis, it leaves little wonder that his hyperfixation on every detail left that kind of impact on him. It's a pity that the magnitude of this personal and emotional realization doesn't translate, and simply manifested another well-made jazz-pop album. ***** 3/5, it has something to offer to some listeners, but sounds too sterile to accurately convey the importance the artist places on it.
So good, not as good as most Steely Dan but supreme. Five stars
Cool album
Decent album, didn't love it
Boring, boring dad rock
3 Sterne
This is fine, the first track got me excited and then it just kind of become homogeneous the longer the album went on. Pleasant but not impressive.
This one definitely leans yacht rock and can feel a bit soulless and generic. But there are some very good songs on here like "I.G.Y.," "New Frontier," the title track, "The Goodbye Look," enough so that it overcomes its flaws. Fagan is who he is but could really use his counterpart in Walter Becker. The album cover is cool too.
Rough listen for me. So goddamn boring. Like Steely Dan without the hooks and great instrumentals that make the Dan good. Just hits me as soulless and too smooth. Music for comatose suburbanites.
"This sounds exactly like Steely Dan" - Me, stupidly, just before reading who Donald Fagen is
I forgot to wrote a review and when I came back to write it I forgot what the album sounded like.
Musically this lacks diversity.
Sounds like a Steely Dan album without the full crew. A fine album, but not distinct enough to be on this list along with a Steely Dan album. This is the same problem with Smiths and Morrisey albums.
neat and very clean soft rock
Sometimes when an artist goes solo, it’s to pursue a sound different from what they were doing with their band. Such is the case with the likes of John Lennon and Peter Gabriel, for example. Then there’s this guy. More Steely Dan. Maybe his bandmates were tired of his direction?
Gaven’s best work is in the jazzy vein, whether he is part of Steely Dan or by himself, as this album proves. Better with each listen.
Wasn’t sure what this would be like but it’s pretty awesome. Kind of reminds me of Steely Dan’s cadence actually
So ... steely dan is my favourite band ......
First song goes absurdly hard. The rest was just meh.
Tight Harmonies and nice arrangements. Yacht Rock indeed.
7/10
It was ok. Nothing bad, but nothing that really interested me Standout song New Frontier
I had to call out the lyrics in the first track because they really didn't age well at all: "A just machine to make big decisions" "Programmed by fellows with compassion and vision" The rest of the lyrics sounded like they were written by a cringey 18 year old boy. I've since discovered Fagen was also in Steely Dan. No wonder I hated it. Fucking dreck.
a beautiful great time. a very easy listen
"What if we did Steely Dan without anything that makes Steely Dan good" - Donald Fagen probably. Fagen commits the cardinal sin of many bad albums on this list, he is incredibly boring. Getting through this album was a slog, which is extra surprising considering its 39 minute runtime. 2/5
Flauwe koffie op een nuchtere maag.
1,6/5
So smooth nothing stuck to the brain
4/5
This is probably what's playing on the elevator on the way down to hell. It makes me think of a department store full of recirculated perfume-scented air and fluorescent lighting. Ugh, it's boring, cheesy dreck in audio format. At first I was thinking this is an easy 2 star album because, ok, theres a couple nice guitar pieces and some instrumentation but I don't like it. By the time I got through "The Nightfly" and "The Goodbye Look" I knew I hated this. It's just so offensively nothing and stupid I think I have to take it down to a 1. I don't want any part of this. I was never here. I'll deny everything.
I'm a big fan of the 'Dan, but I haven't branched out to the solo stuff yet. This was good, but didn't seem to have any huge hits? Still enjoyable though
It’s 1993, and I’m helping stock the shelves of the K-Mart opening in my hometown later that summer. My hands are filthy—coated in a grim paste made from leaking laundry detergent, cardboard dust, and the neglect of shelves no one bothered to clean before telling us to fill them. I trip over heaps of flattened boxes in the aisle and head to the restroom for the fifth time that shift, hoping it’ll be the last, though I know better. Management has finally connected the intercom. The store’s speakers crackle to life, ready to pump out an endless loop of soft rock standards and chirpy sale announcements. Then something sleek and expensive starts drifting through the ceiling tiles—Steely Dan, or maybe just Donald Fagen. I scrub my hands harder, sigh, shut off the faucet, and dry them with paper towels already running low. Back on the sales floor, I’m greeted by another traffic jam of pallets stacked shoulder-high with more detergent. My shift, it turns out, is nowhere near over. That’s the feeling The Nightfly leaves me with: immaculate craftsmanship arriving in the middle of drudgery. It’s polished, tasteful, and undeniably well-made, but also so smooth it risks fading into the background. The musicianship is pristine, the production luxurious, and Fagen’s cool precision is everywhere. I can admire it more than I love it. It sounds excellent at all times, but not always essential.
Ignoring the fact the Fagen is the spitting image of Sacha Baron Cohen on the album cover, this is a Steely Dan album without the name. There were a couple of tracks I was familiar with, but there's nothing about this that really separates itself from his other work with the full band. As with everything Fagen touches, this is well produced, expertly performed, and smooth. If you dig Steely Dan, you'll dig this.
This is a masterpiece, with that smart retro style and the impecable groove.
Ok, so you know when a bad song comes on Beavis & Butthead and Beavis does a spit take before they start roasting the artist - you know that face? Ya - that was the image that kept coming across my mind the more I got into this. And it surprised me how much worse this got the more you made your way into it. It’s not just yacht rock - it’s bad yacht rock. 1/5
3.0
The only interesting thing I could find in this is the fact his name rhymes with Ronald Reagan.
Genre-defining easy listening? A dull listen interspersed by the occasional “what is this?” Only the shortness of the album saved it.
Pound shop Stevie Wonder.
I had no idea who or what this is. As i listened to the first song I thought to myself 'unless this album has a huge hut single, I have no idea why it's on the list'. In the second song I was thinking 'this is groovy and all, but why is it on the list', but then I thought 'hey, this singer sounds familiar....it sounds like Steely Dan'. A quick Google and yes, Donald Fagan is the Steely Dan guy. So thay explains why the writers put the album on the list, if not why it is justified in being here. Let's face it, there's no good reason for this album to be on the list alongside several SD albums. It's a good, average album. Nothing more.
Ok, I'm a little scared of this one. Steely Dan are kind of boring, and this is just one of the guys from Steely Dan doing a solo album. Lo and behold, it sounds pretty much exactly like Steely Dan. Smooth, polished, overproduced rock with all the emotion smoothed out of it. The lyrics aren't very good, and the instrumentals are competent if bland. This is the definition of "muzak": music that is made by committee to be unhateable and inoffensive. Yet, at the same time, it is these very qualities that keep it from being good. It's not going to have any bearing on your life whether you hear this(or really any Steely Dan-related anything) because it's just so polished. It has no grit, no soul, no passion; just ennui for the masses. This should not be on the list, and really it belongs in a landfill with the rest of the era's soft rock bands.
2 stars Competent lounge music I’d never listen to on my own.
I absolutely hated every moment of this album. Unlike genres that I just know aren’t for me, this is so much more offensive because I do love rock ‘n’ roll and I do love pop music and I do love the 80s. This is just the most vapid, sanitized, vanilla on vanilla with vanilla frosting version of all of those things. Oh yeah, plus dog shit lyrics. Like Steely Dan, this is just music with no soul. It sounds like it’s AI that was prompted to provide some inoffensive background to a mall in the 80s. Well, I’m offended. This may be my least favorite album of all time. It’s like it was created in a lab to perfectly annoy me. I have to listen to Sepultura for the rest of the night just to confirm I’m still alive.
Top notch production and some catchy crooning tunes. A nice alternative in the piano-based rock realm.
Nunca había escuchado algo relacionado con el Afro-Beat, pero me agrado bastante
What in the Kentucky fried fuck is this garbage? Album I need to listen to before I die my ass
Good music.
So smooth. Love a bit of Steely Dan, so this is obviously a CD I own! It's now stuck with the Yacht Rock label, but I don't care....this is a great set of songs with a super smooth production. Just because it's not an aural assault doesn't mean it's not good! 4
No surprise, this sounds just like Steely Dan. This must be on the list because it's one of the first fully digitally recorded albums (1982). It's not a bad album, but doesn't diverge far from the Steely Dan path. Pitchfork: 8.6 (2019) Rolling Stone: n/a Best Songs I.G.Y. New Frontier The Nightfly