Reviews (page 4 of 8)
I love this album, but it is definitely not something you have to hear before you die. Super smooth.
Странноватая музыка
groovy
The fact that I have Steely Dan's Black Cow stuck in my head after listening to this says that this is not substantially different from a Steely Dan album. That's not a bad thing, as I love Steely Dan. It does make me wonder a bit what Walter Becker brought to the table. I liked this a lot, glad I listened to it. 4 stars.
Always loved this album.
Den poppede udgave af Steeæu Dan. Fedt solo album med lækker lækker lyd. Et genlyt værd
From note one you know this dude was Steely Dan. Hell of a song writer. Hell of a musician.
Pretty good
Very cool stuff. An audiophile’s dream.
Yacht rock
pretty sure persona 5 stole concepts from this album And mario sunshine??
I happen to love Steely Dan -- such incredible musicianship, craft, humor, and mind-blowing playing (man, the people they brought in...wow) -- so I also had a couple Donald Fagen albums in my collection at one time, including this one. I think it's great. I think he's a hell of a songwriter, love his dry humor, and even though I don't usually like too much organ playing in songs, it's fine here. Always loved the cover art on this one, too.
I've heard several tracks from Steely Dan, and I knew enough to recognize Donald Fagen's name as a part of the band. As I listened, I would have thought that this album was from Steely Dan, if I hadn't seen the name of the artist. "I.G.Y." sounded familiar to me, and is a track that I'd probably play again. I'm not sure if I'm familiar with "New Frontier" or if the track just sounds like Donald Fagen's work. I'm not a particular fan of Fagen, but I think I enjoyed this listen. Some albums BARELY squeak into the 3 category. I think this one squeaked into a 4.
Never get tired of listening to the musical genius of Donald Fagen - very fresh sounding all these years later!
I'm a big Steely Dan but had never listened to any of Donald's solo stuff, so I was curious what this was sound like. Overall, it was quite pleasing - "I.G.Y" and "The Nightfly" offered a lot of those same great Steely vibes. "Ruby Baby" was kind of annoying, but I can overlook that.
I never realized that Donald Fagen was the Steely Dan guy... wild. Recognize the 1st song, reminds me of when I was a kid. 70's groove songs.
Chill vibes, nice for a calm evening
80's synth pop/jazz pop(?). Good nighttime cooking/chilling album I'd say. Kind of funky as well.
Another steely Dan record
Had some jazz club vibes to it and made me miss going out to nice bars. The music itself was catchy but the lyrics less so.
Obviously similar to Steely Dan, thick harmonic lines, great arrangements.
Ok this first song.... spicy I like this album omg Favorites: I.G.Y Ruby Baby Maxine The Nightfly The Goodbye Look
Couple of tracks were definitely familiar, I had not heard the rest and dang if it isn't a fine album. Steely Dan-ish, of course.
Música siempre agradable de oir
Donald Fagen once took a golden shower on my belly and some of it ricocheted into my mouth. Yummy.
A lovely album to listen to in the sunshine. A cultured performance akin to Deco in his pomp.
really nice tunes
Pretty good
Good vibes
Lo disfruté y tiene ritmos muy pegajosos (¿beats?). La voz muy bien y puse poca atención a las letras, aunque sí escuché eso de "Mexico City" jaja. Me parece un álbum animado y que te pone feliz, en un humor medio bailador, pero tranquilo, a gusto, chill que se diría. La canción que abre me parece muy bien colocada al principio. Mis favs: "Green Flower Street", "New Frontier" y "The Goodbye Look". 8.5/10
Enjoyable. Very different from anything I've heard before.
Big Steely Dan fan. I feel like this is a very natural extension of that sound with alot of the same players. Although I love the character perspectives in Steely Dan songs it is nice to hear something a little more personal.
Nostalgia trip
surprisingly great pop jazz, not a huge fan of the more jazz oriented songs but overall great sound
IGY is great! Very smooth album!
Funky shit
I admittedly don't like jazz, but the jazz influence on this album is sick. It also reminds me of Christmas music, a little bit. I think this one is kind of awesome, not something I'd listen to all the time but I'm gonna save it on Spotify for Christmas vibes. Omg, also a little Vulfpeck-ish! Another surprising four star album!!
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
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.
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
Красивая музыка для ресторана
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.
Yacht rock at its finest.
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.
That was some goofy fun pop.
ok
not for me
Synes faktisk den her var ret lækker. Silky smooth. Kun lidt kedelig.
5.5/10
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.
Fun and a little funky. Easy background listen.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
This was smooth.... really, really smooth.
Pretty good, felt like an 80s version of 60s crooners
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.
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
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.
Mehhh I mean it’s alright
fine
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.
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.
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
3 out of 5. Feels more Steely Dan but I guess most of their sound came from Fagen I guess?
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
Well performed but unremarkable
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
Ça fait pas mal par où ça passe.
didn’t know he was from steely dan, decent record, didn’t amaze me
It was fine, I didn’t mind it. Just sounds a bit dated for my taste.
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
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.
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 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.
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…
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.
Favorite Track: I.G.Y.
meh insipido
Weather channel music, not bad
chill rotation album
A little jazzy, a little soft rock, nice, probably won't come back to it
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.
First listen
Hee hee
Like a fine Camembert
I found this enjoyable, not sure it rates with some of his Steely Dan work but very slick sounding.
My shorts turned to denim and my socks were halfway up my calves before the second song started. Love yacht rocks
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
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
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.
Sin más, pero es Donald Fagen
Fínt snekkjurokk
Nokkrir góðir partar þarna.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
Non-assuming 80s pop. 5/10
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.
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.
Decent album, didn't love it
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.
"This sounds exactly like Steely Dan" - Me, stupidly, just before reading who Donald Fagen is
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
First song goes absurdly hard. The rest was just meh.
Tight Harmonies and nice arrangements. Yacht Rock indeed.
7/10
a beautiful great time. a very easy listen
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.
3.0
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.
Nunca había escuchado algo relacionado con el Afro-Beat, pero me agrado bastante
Good music.
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
It was good vibe
A decent steely fan album.
Funky and cool vibe
The jazz vocal harmonics are tough to listen to. The lyrics are surprisingly engaging -- especially for words written by Donald Fagan. I like the themes.
Fav song: I.G.Y
Very middle of the road late 70s early 80s yacht rock “safe” sound for me. A nice listen on the morning commute to work today that takes me back to being in the car with my dad (when he had control of the radio). 3⭐️
Mittwoch, der 22.04.2026 ~ nachmittags, nachts, vormittags ~ In der Vekehrsschule am Wassertorplatz - beim Abräumen der Fahrräder, in diversen Bussen auf dem Weg nachhause, in der Ringbahn auf dem Weg zur Uni.
Almost interesting album that was fine to listen through once. Decent vocals + backing band combo, but nothing that sparked joy 5.0/10
Jeez, this is pure 1982. Feels like these sounds were widely emulated in movies and television. It was everywhere. The influence this had was significant. Even if it skews a bit too modern jazz for my taste, the work is clear. I don’t hate this, but I don’t particularly like a lot of it. Kind of wish some of this was just instrumental. IGY is still really good, though. 3/5
Enjoyable but this hasn't aged well.
Me: "This sounds like Steely Dan" Eslo: "He was in Steely Dan" Me: "oh" (reads wikipedia)
I have listened to this multiple times now, but every time I find it hard to focus. I feel like this may be a feature, not a bug. It's kind of lovely.
Positivt överraskad. Jag trodde inte att jag skulle gilla detta men det var faktiskt helt ok. Bäst var I.G.Y och The Nightfly.
okay... had some catchy melodies, but not my overall vibe preference
Funky cool nothing crazy
Enjoyable listen with pleasing jazz-pop-rock evocative of both earlier and later styles
po nekoj logici stvari trebalo bi mi se sviđati, al nije toliko. počelo jako i krenulo slabjeti. u principu steely dan al uronjen u osamdesete. na kraju završi a da se čovjek baš i ne sjeća šta je točno slušao, premda načelno jest pristojno, solidno. nevezano za glazbu: odličan omot
Very 1980 time capsule
Solid, optimistic
This was some pretty nice jazzy easy listening. None of the songs stood out that I need to add to my playlist but I generally liked everything I heard.
3 - I didn't realize that this was the guy from Steely Dan. I really enjoyed the music, background vocals, and general vibes. I don't love the lead vocals.
OK
I could swear that New Frontier is the opening credits music to a network sitcom about a quirky family who grapple with the complexity of modern life while trying to love each other and I’m here for it. IGY doesn’t hold up as well. Rest of the album is a bit dull but I like it better than Steely Dan.
I enjoyed the smooth jazz and r&b in this album, and particularly enjoyed Ruby Baby, Green Flower Street, and Maxine! Funny enough, I think I prefer Donald Fagen’s solo work to the music of Steely Dan!
I can see why so many people love Donald Fagen's music (and that of Steely Dan), but it just doesn't move me. Very well written, produced, and performed, but just not for me.
Everything I don’t like in one album. It’s not you it’s me.
Straight from the speakers in a grocery store, in an affluent neighborhood, that sells expensive whiskies, and craft syrup, honey, and candles.
suave
Smooth jazz-pop that was pleasant enough to listen to. My biggest issue was that for the short run time it felt long. Every track felt like it was 8 minutes long for some reason. I didn’t not enjoy it though. 3.5/5
Great cheesy vibe, unfortunately it’s not massively memorable
Didn’t click at first that this is half a Steely Dan album. Enjoyed it a lot, grooooovvyyy
Donald Fagan's debut solo album carries on the gloriously sterile production from the two Steely Dan albums before it. But it abandons the drawn out songs for a set of nocturnal pop songs. As with those Dan albums everything here sounds really nice, and most of the songs are pretty catchy; the title track is the highlight in that regard. The sophisti-pop sound suits Fagan's voice well, but it doesn't always suit the production. Where the best sophisti-pop is colorful and dynamic, the clean production keeps all of the guitars and horns sounding the same gray color as the album cover. Something like the harmonica on "New Frontier" should jump out but instead just kind of blends in. Because of this the album never achieves the dingy night-time vibe I think it's going for, but despite that it's hard to resist the pop songwriting here.
Solid 7
Can't decide if this great or absolutely terrible
Not bad at all
Not bad
i wanted to like this so much more than i actually did. like i really wanted to like it the vibes were almost perfect. the issue is i love the beat and i really don’t like his singing on top of it. not that his singing is bad it’s just the underlying beats are exactly what im looking for in a song and his singing isn’t. i really tried so hard. i will say the album cover is amazing. it made me even sadder that i didn’t end up downloading any of the songs. one of my favorite album covers just so effortlessly attractive.
The production is mindblowing, the actual substance of the record is weak in comparison. Mid 3
liked the vibe, the context of this album being a representation of the artirst teenage years makes the lyrics of some songs have more sense but still feel a bit weird
3.5/5
Fun album, and I'm glad I heard it. But the songs don't feel like they have meaning, and the lyrics give creepy weirdo. I want more in this vibe/genre, but this one wasn't it. - Talk about building an atmosphere! - Holy pop! And it doesn't sound like lame-o 80s music. Loving it - Faded to background noise mid-album, giving it another listen with lyrics - Lyrics feel a bit niche so far, sound is fun but idk. I'll keep listening
Weirdly Caroline and I recognised different tracks from this, but neither of us really knew who he was. Not bad for a journey listen.
Not an unpleasant listen and I really enjoyed some of the tracks. However, the same sound was overplayed on the album, where in some instances it failed to deliver
Wel ome
Pretty decent
Better elevator music
Not too bad.
This one fascinates me more than it connects with me. The level of detail is almost obsessive. Every instrument is placed perfectly, every tone feels deliberate, every lyric sounds measured. It’s clearly the work of someone who cares deeply about precision. But sometimes I miss a little mess. A little risk. A moment where something strains or breaks. Instead, it glides. Smoothly, intelligently, almost clinically. I can admire it for hours, but admiration isn’t the same as emotional pull. For me, it lands right in the middle. Impressive, yes. Essential, not quite.
boringgg
Sympa, groovy 3.5/5
Never heard of Donald Fagen. Track one - ironic dystopian yacht rock. I could like this. The rest of the album I realised it was still playing the same unobjectionable stuff twenty minutes later while leaving absolutely no impression on me. It's fine. I made me idly muse about musicians who want absolute perfection in every sound of every instrument, obsessed over every tiny detail, then sing over the top in a voice that can't really reach some of the notes.
I kept thinking man this really sounds like steely dan, eventually I had to look up donald fagen and found out he started steely dan so that makes sense. It's steely dan but with more synth/80s to it, enjoyable album but it misses something from there top tier stuff
Get that yacht ready
No lo conocía. Me pareció muy bueno. Grandes canciones, y se ve clarito cómo Geordie Greep "toma prestadas" cosas de él para The New Sound. 7/10
На фон хорошо Простые инструменталы Просто приятно слуху
The Steely Dan touches are all there, just without the sleaze and debauchery that I love about Steely Dan. IGY is a standout for good reason.
Not at all unpleasant, but didn't grab me as hard as Steely Dan does on first listen.
This album was okay. A lot of feel good sounding music throughout - soft, interesting instrumentals. As a whole, it just wasn’t my thing.
this one evoked no emotions, none at all. works as backgroud music and doesn't even try to catch attention.
The Marechaussed (on dirait The Police)
Carino alla fine
It feels like Steely Dan-lite, but I like Steely Dan so it's still smooth listening. Just nothing that really stuck with me. I'll put on Aja instead.
Pleasent listening experience with nice vibes going on all the time. Definitely not the most exciting or interesting album in the world but can see my self listening to songs from this again. Best song was Green Flower Street. Amazing groove and vibe.
Not really sure how to describe this - mellow and enjoyable, 80s jazzy modern, singer from Steely Dan
At least it was short. The playing, the production, the mastering, all impeccable, but fuck me it's so just so freaking smooth, and I don't think that's a good thing, it's the auditory equivalent of luke warm water. This did absolutely nothing for me, it's the antithesis of what I want music to be.
Smooth listening, good background music.
Very chill 80s vibe
I’m not super familiar with the steely Dan universe, but Fagen has an undeniably important sound. To my ears, this record has a sort of dated sound, but that is only because of how engrained in the canon Fagen is as a song writer. This was definitely easy on the ears. -Ruby This record is a cool early example of an entirely digitally recorded album but for that reason, I feel it lacks the warmth of Fagen’s work with the Dan. Plus, he’s not quite Fagen without Becker. —Noah
7/10
Steely Dan Lite, if that's even possible. Still, not a bad listen, at that.
Geht soo
I quite liked the first two songs, but after that it was boring. Stand-outs - I.G.Y. - Green Flower Street
meh
It's a good album, but it unfortunately will get compared to a proper Steely Dan album, which it is inferior to. It has all the marks of a Dan album, without that certain something extra to make it really good. 3/5 Might listen again
It was good. I think I might listen to a bit. Again, but not sure how I feel about it.
Good first song, worse after that
It’s ok
Maybe one of the best sounding, produced records on the list. But you can't have the Steely... without the Dan.
3.5⭐️/5 01.11.2026
7/10
Solid album, not remarkable but not offensive to listen to
this shit was chill, slap it on at 2:00AM and clear the bar while cars drive past softly 3/5
This was a fun listen.
3/5
Easy listening, well mixed, kinda boring.
his ties with steely show! A perfectly ok album
Blind album and artist. If this didnt have lyrics, I would thought this was some DVD or video game menu music.
The Nightfly; niithe debut from Donald. Starts strong with I.G.Y (best song to lead it off) and then fades a bit, but holds up throughout. Also recognized Ruby Baby and New Frontier. Good musicianship and intriguing lyrics. L = (2.6*s) It’s obvious that DF is one of the main song writers for Steely Dan, which I prefer over his solo work. J = (2.95*s) Familiar with The Nightfly as Uncle Mat had the album. Always liked I.G.Y. Which got some radio play and still holds up.
I've heard many times that Steely Dan was a set of detail oriented perfectionist virtuoso musicians. This comes through in some of their albums but feels even more evident in The Nightfly from Donald Fagen. Fagen is still in Steely Dan form as a handful of songs felt like they could have been later releases by the band which I say with a lot of respect. I enjoyed my listen though at times it does feel like a watered-down Steely album without the rest of the players. Something about The Nightfly felt very sophisticated which is both good and bad as it might feel a little hoity toity at times. Regardless of the subject matter, Fagen often nails the slight jazz rock/pop/fusion tones that Steely were so known for. While I'll continue to prefer Steely Dan to this solo entry, The Nightfly has a lot of the heart and soul that made Steely Dan special. I've wondered why I never previously checked out more of the solo stuff from the other artists but maybe this listen and review gave me the answer I kinda already knew. Still a solid entry though. 3.08 stars
It was a good listen but didn't feel anything special towards it
Like his voice and the overall vibe
Lovely Steely Dan singer and vibes.
Elevator music in the best way
Nice
Just a big ol' bag of whatever. I guess it's well done for what it is, but I couldn't wait for it to be over. 2.4
Fun
Interesting album, but I really can't say it's an incredible one. Good for you if you enjoy it!
Hey, I'm always in for a little Steely Dan related yacht rock album. I can't say it's a keeper, but I was really impressed by the delivery, chords progressions and vocal harmonies. The guy know what he's doing.
I really like Donald Fagan's voice, but I don't like this style of 80s synth music.
Not as bad as I anticipated!
Would you believe that one half of Steely Dan still sounds like Steely Dan? Good time jazzy yacht rock. Fagen doesn't reinvent the wheel, but is consistently enjoyable on this solo outing.
Smooth, excellent production. A bit more enjoyable to me than his Steely Dan albums, but I'm not sure it would have made my 1980s album cut. While a fine album, it sounds far too 70s to have had any meaningful impact on the music that would follow it in the 1980s and 1990s. Personally, I prefer many others from the 1980s that I think were far more influential than this album.
Fine
7/10 Favourite: I.G.Y Least Favourite: New Frontier
Mmm it's okay! I wasn't super hot on Steely Dan to begin with when I first heard Aja, but this is definitely not as good as that. That said, still fairly groovy and not bad!
i think I enjoyed this overall, but after listening to other Steely Dan stuff, I know it was just missing *something*
Good album but lacks the magic of Steely Dan. I'm not sure what exactly is missing. Maybe it's a little too polished or maybe it doesn't have that bite of social commentary, but it's solid enough.
Pretty good, completely new to me.
Nice
Not good, not bad
Not keen not my taste
Not bad but not my thing.
Thoughts before listening: The dude from Steely Dan's solo album. I know that fans of the Dan like this album, but I've never thought of it as something that would land on an album like this. I have to assume this will be 70s soft/yacht rock with strong instrumentation and probably some subversive lyrics. Review: Yep...this album is full of Steely Dan's jazzy pop rock sound and sly social commentary lyrics. I like Steely Dan in doses and this album is no different. Outside of a couple songs ("I.G.Y." and "New Frontier") it all kind of comes off as background music, but from time to time something perks my ears up, usually a guitar solo. I'm sure this is one that would grow on me over time if I had the time to really dig in. That being said, this is 3-stars.
Wow, this is very Steely Dan easy listening isn’t it. I was surprised that I actually knew some of them.
Really cool record. Donald Fagen is a genius and I dig his work with Steely Dan and I enjoyed this too.
Decent
Funk it upppp funkeros!! Widermal e gueti Ladig inegfunket de Donald Fagen. Gstarted miteme riese Funk Banger, het er immer abgewechselt zwischen biz ruhigere Hintergrund Musik zu wider chli meh gefunke. Wunderbar geeignet zum schaffe, aber doch gnueg guet das mer au gern aktiv herelost. Da ich aber hohi Funk-Ahsprüch han gits doch nur 3 Chlapfer mit em Flügetätscher.
interesting synth infused 80's pop, never heard of Donald Fagen and through this exercise of listening to 1001 album was able to discover him.
pretty into this easy listening. not sure i’d go back to seek specific songs out but generally really enjoyed the tunes 6.5/10
Appreciate the effort, the music less so
Cheesy, as expected
Pleasant enough, a tad too MOR for me.
it was fucked up what you did to those black neighbourhoods
not bad
Нот бэд
Not offensive in anyway which I can respect. Unfortunately there's nothing that stands out
Beautifully mixed album. Light low end, but so crisp and clear. Not my usual listening, but an interesting experience non the less.
I recognized the groove on the first song as the intro to the cult classic and utterly hilarious YouTube series “yacht rock”. Donald Fagen is a card carrying member of the smooth music creators that create the genre. I applaud the creativity and songwriting of the album. I’m not sure I followed the story telling much but I still feel like I entered the world of Fagen. It was a good listen. I might even give it a relisten just because I did find it interesting.
Really shows off how good Steely Dan is because this just feels like a half formed album
At first I thought I didn’t know who this was and then he started singing and I knew it was the Steely Dan guy. This sounds like a steely Dan album. Maybe a little more synth heavy but it’s got that Steely Dan sound. I’m not a huge Steely Dan guy so this was just ok to me.
було би краще без слів
Smooth and jazzy
6/10
This is soft yacht rock but it also isn't the worst thing I've ever heard. The production is impeccable. The album is not really my thing buy I dug Maxine. The Goodbye Look = yacht rock Sting
I don't know....I don't hate yacht rock, it has its place and it is nice for a simple day to just listen and chill too. He also has some interesting lyrics and it is nice to hear about his future and where he is headed. But where it sort of falls away for me is that I don't think the yacht rock tune really always meshes with the lyrics. I have never really thought of the genre overall and how melodies and tunes fit with the lyrics. Everything is so mellow and chill, and I don't think I want someone to write me a mellow chill love song. I want a little fire and a little emotion. Maybe I will just go back and forget the lyric and music connection and say, this is fine, chill for a chill day (as long as you don't think about it)
Donald Fagan solo still sounds exactly like Steely Dan. The songs are cool and relaxed in a jazz lounge way, and the production sounds so very of its early 80’s time. All in all it’s good, but unless you’re a Steely Dan Stan, there’s nothing extraordinary here.